“It’s not his ground to worship,” I snarl, fury burning through my veins as my heartbeat gallops in my chest. “Take me to her. Now.”
“It’s not as simple as that,” he states, shaking his head. I’m sure there’s a hint of defeat etched into the tick of his jaw, but it’s gone too quickly for me to confirm. “I have to wait for him to reach out. He?—”
“Fuck waiting! Are you forgetting the danger part?” I bite, spying Ocean nodding eagerly in agreement, but Kael continues to shake his head.
“He’s obviously not in The Vale, and the chances of him being in the real world are even slimmer,” he states, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Then where the hell is he?” Ocean shouts, her pulse ringing so fast it’s racing in tandem with mine. I can hear it louder than my thoughts.
“In his own version of… this,” he states, waving his hands around, and the reality of the distance between me and my fucking Petal burns my soul.
“How did he get to her?” I growl, my breath coming in short, sharp inhales as my wolf fights to be set free.
“In the game,” Kael murmurs, and Thorne clears his throat.
“With the rebellion?” he asks, and Kael nods, but it’s Thorne’s frown that holds my attention. “Is this the first time he’s been a part of the rebellion’s charging The Vale?” he pushes, and I watch in disbelief as Kael’s shoulders slump while he shakes his head.
This motherfucker.
“Was he with them when someone ripped the heart from the beast in the last games?” I mutter, already dreading the answer as deep green eyes find mine.
“That was him.”
That was him.
Thatwas him.
That washim.
“Are you telling me that Jude is the guy from the beach? The one who almost killed me if it wasn’t for Elodie?” Thorne asks, his words like ice as they cut through the room, and Kael nods once, confirming his knowledge of the secrets we know nothing about.
Before I can blink, Thorne eliminates the space between them, standing toe to toe with Kael a moment later, before he slams his fist into his face.
I gape in surprise. Thorne isn’t the violent kind, not without reason, but this is more than worthy of his lethal efforts.
He’s lucky to get a shot in though, because I’m going to kill this motherfucker, friend or not.
Kael doesn’t fight back; he doesn’t even lift his hand to cup his jaw. He simply cracks his neck from side to side as he meets all of our stares, but it’s Ocean who speaks first.
“That’s enough.” All eyes snap to her as she steps between the shadow fae and the vampire without fear, nudging them each back a step so she’s practically standing in the center of the three of us. “You”—she jabs a finger at Kael—“have a lot to answer for, so much that I can’t even imagine the wrath you’ll face when Elodie gets back. Mark my words, she will be back, that’s my promise.” Her fingertip quickly turns to Thorne, the scornful look easing slightly, but it’s there nonetheless. “You don’t get to be angry because it suddenly affects you when this is all about Elodie. Take your bullshit selfish energy and fuck off if that’s allyou’ve got to offer, and you…” That challenging finger aims in my direction, making my jaw fall slack as I blink at her.
“What did I do?” I blurt, hands raised in surrender, and she shakes her head.
“Come with me,” she orders, charging toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I ask, and she huffs, glancing over her shoulder at me with a pointed look.
“Somewhere to think where there’s less of this little dick energy,” she bites, and if it were under any other circumstances, I’d high-five her for that quick-witted attack, but instead, I keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself as I follow her out of the room, across the hall, and into Elodie’s space.
Neither Kael nor Thorne call after us, and I can’t deny that I’m disappointed by the fact, but as I close the door behind me, I feel a sense of relief. I hate it. We’re always better together, that’s what The Vale has taught us, but now, that doesn’t feel like the solution.
“I’m going to be real with you, Rion. Can you handle that?” Ocean asks, planting her hands on her hips as she stares at me, and I nod, bracing for whatever it is she’s about to lay on me. “Out of everyone, it’s you I trust the most to help get her back.”
5
ELODIE
Exhaustion clings to me, even as those around me sleep, but darkness doesn’t seek me out. With my back pressed against the stone wall, I gaze around the space, my mind alert and frazzled, yet a sense of calmness blankets me, just as it has since the moment I walked in here.
