I didn’t. Not really. Maybe it was because of my sour mood. Maybe it was because I pretended not to hear the phone when it rang. Maybe I fuckingsmelledbad because of the shitty shower and the lack of a good soap…I was strangely not busy and it slowly drove me insane. But being here, surrounded by books and little tasks, made my brain occupied, keeping my mind from spiraling. From wonderingwhy the Hell they weren’t back yet.
Fuck. I guess I failed today too, then.
“You can’t keep hiding here forever, Lola.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Yes, you are.”
We glowered at each other. It felt like a competition about who would give in first.
He won.
“Carter is back to hating me and I don’t trust myself not to escape if I go outside for more than five minutes,” I said, turning my gaze away.
“I didn’t realize you guys stopped hating each other for even a moment,” Marcus remarked. He released a long, tired exhale in response to my impeccable poker face before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“They’ll be back. No one can put Arc in a cage, it’s not—”
“Look, I’m sure Arc is the almighty Immortal you all think he is. I do. But something is wrong. Dimitri would have found his way back here already. Tome.”
“I know you believe that, and there has to be a good reason why he hasn’t yet,” Marcus said, his tone soft, words slow like I wouldn’t understand otherwise. “We can’t do anything right now, and trust me, I want them to come back with the prisoners as much as you do. But Arc’s orders to Carrie were clear, and we can’t go after them. It’s too dangerous.”
“Well, I don’t care what Arc said. If they’re not back soon, I’m going to get them myself. I can’t believe the guy has theaudacityto try and control me even when he’s been taken prisoner somewhere. What a fucking ass.”
Marcus scoffed as he shook his head in disbelief and I had to refrain myself from throwing one of the thousand year old’s tomes sitting on my desk at his face.
“Not that I don’t trust your resolve, but you’re not near as powerful as either of them. Your ability to be a pain in the ass would probably get you locked up, but then what? I don’t mean to be condescending, but do you plan on seducing your way out? There’s no way it’ll work.”
“You don’t know,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s not like I’ve tried seducingyou.”
He gave me a blank stare. “Lola. I’d like to laugh, but this feels like too serious of a moment to eventryand pretend you’re funny. You can’t go—”
“Then what the Hell am I supposed to do?” I yelled, standing up from my chair abruptly and sending it rolling backward. The sound echoed in the silence of the large room and Marcus flinched. “Am I supposed to go back in that empty house to the only mate I have left and who despises my very existence? Wait until the man who’s been my rock for all of my life, even when we were apart, magically reappears to tell me everything is, and will be, fine? Because I can’t. I’m not that good at pretending.”
Hurt flashed in his eyes. Like he somehow knew what I was going through. He couldn’t. No one could.
Dimitri stood by me even as I sacrificed his sanity and happiness. And now, he was in danger, and I wasuseless.
The empty shell of what I once was.
He sighed and stood up, grabbing his helmet from the floor. “Okay, we’re done doing this.”
I frowned. “This?”
“Lamenting. It’s not a good color on you. Take your stuff, we’re going home.”
“I’m not going there. Carter—”
“I didn’t meanthere,” Marcus cut me off sharply. “Aymeric made dinner, and I told him to get your stuff from Arc’s house. You’re moving back in until you can be trusted to act like a reasonable person again.”
I crossed my arms, tears pressing against the back of my eyes. “I’m fine here, I need to stay busy.”
“Oh, I’ll find some things for you to busy yourself with. But Maggie sent a call for help, and she needs a break from you moving the books around and crying on the pages. Consider that you’re on Archives holidays.”
Chapter 2
Carter
