“And exactly what is it that you think you’ve done to earn my trust? You’ve moved me around like a game piece with no consideration for how I’d feel about it or what I’d want. You look at me like an experiment you’re not sure is going wrong or right, and you just sat by and watched someoneyoubrought here attack me.”
“We didn’t know that’s what was going to happen,” Elder Cleary jumps in to defend.
“Oh, come the fuck on. You think I’m too stupid to notice when you’re talking to each other in your heads?” I glare at each of the elders in turn. “I caught every time he communicated with you mentally over the last three hours, and that’s exactly what he was doing before he tried to choke me to death. For a culture that claims to revere females, you sure do have a fucked up way of showing it!”
I catch the faint sound of gravel crunching under tires. My gaze sweeps my surroundings quickly to gauge how difficult it will be to get the fuck out of here. Pebble is still lying unconscious on the ground, and the thought that someone should really check on him runs through my head. The elders are clearly having another mental conversation, and Nash, Kallan, Becket, and Enoch are gathered about five feet away from me. Paladin Ender catches my calculated assessment and gives me a small smile, mouthing the wordgoto me.
I don’t question his instructions or hesitate for even a second. I take off and sprint toward the house, ignoring the commotion it causes behind me. I run my finger over the runes on my head, behind my ear.
“Make room for me, and be ready to speed the fuck away from here.”
I race through the house to the front door and fly out, not bothering to close it. Ryker’s white SUV sits idling, and the back door is open and waiting. I jump in and find myself instantly pulled onto Bastien’s lap. The door slams behind me, and the car peels out of the circular driveway back toward the gate.
I wrap my arms around his neck and snuggle into him, immediately feeling more relaxed than I have in the past twenty-four hours.
“I fucking missed you guys.”
8
Ifit myself against Bastien’s neck and breathe him in. Peace and safety dull the panic and anger simmering inside of me, now that I’m surrounded by all of them. Sabin and Valen offer comforting caresses to my legs, and Bastien brushes stray strands of hair from my messy bun away from my face. His hand stills, and I know he’s just spotted the damage to my neck that Marilyn’s magic left behind.
“What the fuck, Bruiser? Who did this to you?”
Bastien lightly pushes against my shoulders, dislodging me from my current snuggling position and looks me over. Valen runs a gentle finger down my neck, and I catch a deep yellow crackle of magic rush across his forearm. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen any of them lose control of their magic. I stare at it, shocked. He takes deep, measured breaths, and his leaking magic stops.
“Ryker, pull over when we’re clear and it’s safe. She needs you,” Valen announces, his thumb grazing my cheek tenderly.
I don’t look for Ryker’s eyes in the rearview mirror, but I can sense them on me. The weight of his stare and the close proximity of all of them makes me feel lighter in a way I haven’t felt since I watched the paladin force them away from me. I twirl a strand of Bastien’s hair around my finger, liking that it’s down and accessible. I stare at the rich cocoa-colored strands wrapped around my finger and release a resigned sigh.
“The elders came to test my magic today.”
I find Sabin’s green eyes, and the hard look he’s wearing softens when our gazes meet.
“It was going great at first. They brought this teacher from the Academy, and he really helped me understand how to separate the different branches of magic in order to recognize them. A couple of hours into the testing, I was able to do things I couldn’t before. I was finally starting to figure out how my magic worked, and it was incredible. It was the first time I didn’t feel like some kind of failure or magic flunky. Then, the instructor attacked me.”
Valen pulls me from Bastien’s lap onto his own. He runs the palms of his hands up my arms, and Sabin and Bastien twine their fingers in each of my hands.
“I don’t care if they’re our elders. This is bullshit. They yank her from Lachlan’s house because she’s unsafe, and then they allow this to happen to her!” Knox growls from the front seat.
Tension wafts from all of them, and somehow it allows me to let go of some of my own; I purge it on a long exhale.
“Well, I stabbed Paladin Ender, told the elders to fuck off, and magically strangled one of them to prove a point.”
The car falls into silence, the hum of the tires on the pavement the only sound brave enough to fill the car. Sabin, of all people, breaks the uncertain quiet when he starts to laugh. Slowly laughter fills the car as the other guys join in, and before I know, it everyone is howling. I don’t personally think it’s as funny as they clearly do, but their mirth is undeniably contagious, and a couple of wayward chuckles make their way out of my mouth.
“By the stars, Bruiser, the craziest shit happens around you! What did Paladin Ender do when you stabbed him?” Bastien asks, his hazel eyes filled with humor, and the corner of his lips tip up in a smile.
“Surprisingly, he seemed more impressed than mad. He helped clear the way for this little getaway here, so I don’t think he’s harboring any resentment. I doubt Elder Balfour will be so forgiving though. I’m pretty sure I’m now on his shit list.”
“Is that who you strangled?” Sabin asks me, and I nod.
“You didn’t do anything that most of us haven’t been dreaming about for years. He’s a prick,” Knox admits, and starts to crack up again. “I just wish I could’ve been there to see his face when he learned not to fuck with our girl.”
The car slows, and Ryker pulls off onto a barely visible dirt road. Everyone in the car starts to bounce and sway as we make our way down a pitted uneven path. He drives through a small clearing and stops next to a cluster of trees. As soon as I climb out of the back seat, Ryker grabs me and starts running his hands and sky-blue eyes all over me, assessing my injuries. He presses his hands against my neck, and they heat up as his magic begins to drive away the pain and the damage.
When he’s done, he places gentle kisses everywhere there was a bruise, and I close my eyes and lean into him.
“I missed you, Squeaks,” he whispers against my ear.
