“I can’t let him hurt you. Especially not now,he knowsyouare tied to allfour of them.” Her faceis pinched. “Please, just come with me. Once we get away, I’ll explain everything.”
I bite my lip. “What about my Infinity? I can’t leave them. I don’t want to leave them. Let me get Dante and the guys. We have a place and it’s safe. They’ll take care of us,” I plead, not sure if she even knows what is real, and what isn’t.
“Okay, okay. As long as we go right now,” she concedes. I take her hand in mine and pull the door open, still watching her over my shoulder.
She makes a strangled sound and jerks me back, placing herself in front of me. “No, no. I won’t let you hurt her.”
I look up and find an average-looking man blocking the exit door. His hair is a muddy brown, his eyes are more hazel than brown, and he’s rather tall. That uneasy feeling in my stomach grows. I reach for the back of my mom’s shirt and pull, wanting her far away from him as possible. Something about him is wrong, off. A chill shivers down my spine. People think Ares is dark, but this is true darkness, an oily evilness that seeps from his pores, threatening to tarnish everything it comes in contact with.
“Amanda.” His voice is soft, gentle even, which makes it even worse. Can everyone feel how tainted he is? “Introduce me to your daughter.” His head tilts and his eyes examine me, and I take a step back at the greed I see reflectedin his gaze.
“I’m going to kill you,” my mother sneers.
Leon makes a sound that might be a laugh, but it’s a foreign sound, like he doesn’t even know how to laugh. “Come now darling, it’s not like you haven’t already tried.” All humor leaves his face. “Laura, either you leave with me now or I’ll strip your Infinity of their powers one by one when they come looking for you. Tick tock girl, I’m sure they’re alreadystarting to get worried.”
Fear is my only emotion. I can’t let him hurt the others.Without any thought the lights dim, the shadows are reacting to my dread.
“A shadow walker,” Leon sighs likes hefound out the restaurant is serving his favorite meal.“Michael told me he saw you pulling shadows, but to see it for myself.” He looks at me again and that same greedy ownership is covering his features.
I release the shadows, realizing how important it is that he doesn’t find out how many abilities I have here. God knows how many people he could hurt. If I can get him away from here, maybe I could fry him. A sour taste fills my mouth at the thought, but I don’t care how bad I feel about it. If it will keep my guys safe, I’ll do whatever it takes.
“Let’s go,” I croak out the words.
A macabre smile lifts Leon’s lips. “Smart girl, you might be my child after all.”
My mother looks over her shoulder, and her eyes meet mine. There’s a promise there, one I don’t think she can keep, but a promise nonetheless.
“Come now ladies, I don’t enjoy being kept waiting.” His words are formal, but the threat of what might happen if we keep him waiting any longer is there.
I place one foot in front of the other, walking away from the ballroom, away from my Infinity, something I never thought I would do willingly. But I’ll do anything to keep them safe.
Thoughts of the guys, how worried they’re going to be and how angry Ares will get, fill my mind. Milo will blame himself for letting me go alone. Oh Milo, we never bonded. The strain of me being gone will be the worst for him. That gives me pause. Should I try to start a fire, or kill the power, but what if my powers don’t work on Leon? No one ever explained if they work on other Infinities. Should I scream?
I don’t have an answer before Leon leads us to a back service door. We pass a few of the waitstaff, but no one even looks in our direction, they’re all so busy with their own tasks.
I’m too afraid to let Leon know I havemore than one abilityright now.I mightbe able toshadow walk away from here, but that leaves my mom at his mercy. If nothing else I can shift, it’s only a partial shift, but my claws alone will be enough to rip Leon to shreds. I walk past Leon as he holds the door open for us. I don’t even look in his direction, I’m too afraid he’ll see the intention in my eyes. There’s a black town car waiting at the door, how long has he been planning this?
He thinks he’s the one holding all the cards, but he’s so fucking wrong. He will learn he should have let sleeping beasts lie.
Chapter 25
The sound of the door slamming behind me jolts me. Looking over my shoulder, I see a flat panel door with no handle, only a keyhole that could allow readmittance. “Hurry up, before someone notices you’re missing.” Leon crowds in close to my back and nudges my shoulder. I jerk away from him. Heat is already building under my skin as my body response to the threat of leaving my Infinity behind.
“Don’t touch me.” My voice is feral. I step closer to my mom, which brings me closer to the black town car parked a few feet away. Leon, not acknowledging me as a threat at all, steps past me and reaches for the rear passenger door handle.
Placing myself between him and my mom, I square my shoulders. I’m not getting in that car with him, neither of us are. It’s too risky. Ihave no idea how he stripped Wyatt of his powers, but there is no way I’m letting him get close enough to me to let that happen.
I let the heatI’m barely containing under my skin rise to the surface. I can feel the loose tendrils of my hair that have escaped my messy updo raise. The static electricity coursing through me is enough to make my bones ache.
Leon looks back and his brows furrowlike he doesn’t understand why I’m not clambering to get into the door he just opened.Something he sees has him releasing the door and standing at full height, his head tilting to the side. “Well, well, what have we here?”
“Leave.” I nod my head at the car. Everything inside of me is praying that he’ll climb into the car and leave us alone. But I know it’s a wasted effort.
Movement catches my eye as Leon runs his fingers over his thumbs at his sides. My mother takes a step like she might try to get in front of me, but I lift my arm to stop her. “You don’t want to do this,” I bluster, still hoping I can get him to leave without using my abilities on him.
“I really can’t think of anything I’d like more, actually.” His eyes go unfocused as he tilts his head again. He lookscompletelycalm, but I’m reminded how deceiving appearances can be. Ares wears his refinement easily, but he doesn’t hide the danger that lurks underneath all his fancy cloths.
Leon looks the part in his navy blue suit and matching tie, but the crazy in his eyes can’t be missed. He looks almost desperate when he takes one step forward. In response I step back, forcing my mom to do the same. Leon’s lips tighten, and he looks over my shoulder at the door separating me from the ballroom full of people, namely four men who would probably do anything to protect me, just as I would them.
