What if it didn’t work?
What if the hex still affects Aspen?
Even though Saros had reminded me that Atlas had fulfilled the terms of the curse, had died, that didn’t bring me the sense of comfort I needed. Not yet at least.
Lynx held his hand tightly. “Everyone try to remain calm so I can push emotions into him if needed.”
I gripped Saros’s shoulder with one hand, using the other to brush back Atlas’s hair. His eyes fluttered open, two glowing crimson irises searing into me.
Chapter27
Atlas
The stars shone so brightly. The acolytes perched on them like wayward angels watching down on us from above.
What the hell?
Am I high?
I squinted, spotting an acolyte waving down at me. Another beside her was glaring, as if not sure what to make of us below. I’d never seen them so clearly before. Coming from a line that had been hexed by their maker, I knew they were more than a myth, but the reality of their existence… My mind tried to wrap itself around it.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
There was a hollowness in my stomach, my body weak and empty like a shell. This hunger…it was different somehow.
“Atlas?” Oakley’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I blinked a few times, shaking my head. The last thing I remembered was running with her down the stairs. How did I end up in the forest?
“Oakley?” I rasped, coughing a few times and pushing up to my elbows. Saros was in front of her, Oakley gripping his shoulder, peeking around at me.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Where was that sound coming from?
“I thought…” My brow knit in confusion, taking in Saros’s protective stance, Lynx’s hand on my shoulder, and the others situated around us. “What’s he doing here?” I asked, glaring at Dante Vivaldi who knelt next to Lynx, two of his large goons poised imposingly behind him.
A rush of calm flooded my veins, though the hunger was still present under the surface.
“He’s here to help you,” Lynx said, squeezing my shoulder. I realized he was the source of the foreign calm flowing through me. I gripped his wrist and pushed him off me. Lynx hissed, clutching his hand with the other one. Oakley’s eyes narrowed on the handprint bruise now blooming there.
What the fuck?
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
I lifted my hand, shaking out my fingers. Had I left those marks? There was no way.
“What’s going on? What is that sound?” I pushed all the way up to sit, and Saros guided Oakley back with him as he retreated a step. My hand came to my throat. “And why is this scraped raw?”
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
“Atlas…” Lynx started. “Why don’t you let me help you?”
But when he moved to step forward, I hissed. He whipped his head away, and my gaze caught on his pulse fluttering like a hypnotic butterfly, coaxing me closer. My tongue darted over my lips, snagging on something sharp. Bringing my finger to my mouth, I tapped the source, piercing its pad with a sharp sting. I jolted, snapping my hand away and bringing it up for inspection. Blood bubbled up from the prick, and I quickly lapped it up.
The strangethumpquieted a moment, and I savored the silence.
Oakley winced, chest heaving. A web of blue and purple veins crept delicately across her cleavage—
A dark arm moved to block my view.
