No windows, a locked door, and only a floor on which to get comfortable…
This is no place for her. I try to tell myself it was different for her, surely. It had to have been, but thesecond my gaze latches onto another across the room, I know it’s true.
There would only have been one way for her to see those eyes, and that’s by being in this room. It’s without a shadow of a doubt that I know exactly who I’m looking at.
I’d recognize those eyes anywhere because they’re an exact replica of Elodie’s.
9
ELODIE
Nausea settles in my stomach like calm waters lapping gently at the shore, set to never leave. Its rhythmic pattern is almost luring, a sway drifting me in and out of my thoughts on repeat. Jude’s message lingers in my mind. I showed it to Rion and Ocean immediately, but it did nothing to calm the gnawing in my chest.
I have to trust that whatever Kael has said has been to protect me and our plan, but I didn’t anticipate it going in this direction. Nevertheless, believing in Kael is the only option I have; it’s the only thing I can control, so I’m rolling with it.
Thorne, however, is a different issue altogether.
Attending classes today and pretending everything is normal was his idea, only for him tobe taken by The Sanctum before we could even make it to our first stop. Now, lunchtime is here and he’s not.
No wonder bile burns at the back of my throat.
This isn’t the survival I’m used to. Survival used to mean taking care of myself at all times, making it from one day to the next. Walker was my glimmer of hope back then, but I never worried about him or concerned myself with what might come his way.
That’s the stark difference between then and now—minus the lack of abuse, of course.
Now, I’m surrounded by people, friends, lovers… family. And I… care. I care about them with all that I am, and as strong as that makes me, it also leaves me weak and exposed.
My vulnerabilities aren’t just my own now, they’re theirs too; Thorne’s, Kael’s, Rion’s, and Ocean’s.
Rion throws his arm around my shoulders, tugging me into his side and jolting me from my thoughts. I muster the best smile I can, but the knowing gleam in his eyes confirms he’s not falling for it.
“What is my Petal thinking about?” he asks, and Ocean huffsfrom my left.
“I think that’s obvious, dufus. Don’t make her say it when there’s nothing we can currently do about it,” she gripes, giving him a pointed look, and he grimaces.
Instinctively, I place my hand against his chest, rubbing mindlessly, and this time when I smile, there’s a little more heart to it.
“You’re good, and it’s probably best if we talk about it. Otherwise, it’s going to eat me alive,” I manage, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. “Besides, I’m becoming acutely aware that I’m letting my thoughts win out here, and I don’t want to get lost down that road. I need to do something,anything, that’s more than this.”
“I feel you, Petal. My muscles are so tense from doing nothing, I feel like I’m going to pass out,” Rion admits, his eyebrows drawn together with a hint of confusion.
“Thank God. I thought we were going to walk around blanketed in this pall of depression forever,” Ocean blurts, making me snicker for the first time in what feels like forever.
“So it’s agreed, we’re over this exhausting idea of Thorne’s that requires pretending to do absolutely nothing?” Rion clarifies, and I hum in agreement.
“The question is, where do we even begin?” I grumble, watching Rion’s lips purse as he nods.
“Anything involving Kael is off the table. I guess we just need to be on our guard for when that time comes. Jude sent the message, he’s coming, but we can’t sit and wait until he does.”
“Thorne?”
Rion scrubs his free hand down his face, confirming what I already know. “If we go charging in there, then it’s going to cause a whole other layer of problems for us.” Defeat clings to his words, and it irritates me that we’re reduced to this.
“But if I don’t go and kick up a fuss, would that not be odd to them too?” I push back, glancing between Rion and Ocean. The latter lifts her brows, like she can see my point, but doesn’t utter a word.
My stomach churns, another backflip leaving me in knots as the dining hall comes into view. The thought of food right now is the last thing I can handle. I grind to a halt, ready to steer us away from the communal area, when a curl of black smoke appears before me.
My eyes widen as my back stiffens, and I spin on the spot, desperate to see its origin. My gaze crashes with the shadow fae it belongs to. Rion breathes hisname, dropping his arm from my shoulder as he moves toward his friend, but I’m rooted to the spot. The black smoke trails from his fingertips, wrapping around my upper arms and chest like a warm embrace, stealing my breath as I blink at the man in question.
