“What the hell just happened?” Atlas shouts, gesticulating wildly towards where Cambria just vanished into thin air.
Lucien shakes his head before walking out into the clearing to get a better look and Atlas quickly follows him. I catch up after I pick my slack jaw off of the floor, eyes wide and racing over everything around us in fascination.
Just before Luce takes another step, I grab his arm and jerk him back. “Don’t step there! It looks like a fairy ring.” I frown, crouching down to brush my fingers across the outer edge.
Atlas snorts. “A fairy ring? Man, you’re no better than Luce. You spend too much time at work; all those comic books are going to your head.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Manga. If you’re going to insult me, at least get your facts right so you don’t sound ignorant. And laugh all you will, but you saw as clearly as I did that she disappeared as soon as stepping into it.”
Atlas rolls his eyes. “For all I know, it was a projection to lure us out here to rob our dumbasses a second time. Or quicksand.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “And you sayIhave an overactive imagination.”
Atlas holds my stare challengingly as he slowly and dramatically steps into the circle. While holding my breath, he smirks and flips me off.
“See? What did I tell you?” he gloats, but when he tries to step back out of it, the charred circle on the ground pulsates and throws him to his ass in the center.
“What the hell?” Lucien murmurs.
Without stepping over, he reaches his hand across to grab Atlas’ and tug him back towards us. Not only does the same thing happen, but the next pulse knocks Lucien off his feet and sends him stumbling inside right next to Atlas.
They curse, and I don’t think they even have noticed yet that their skin is developing a translucent quality to it. I’m not really sure what the fuck is happening, but I do know one thing for sure.
Like hell I’m getting left behind.
Stepping into the ring, I try to help Lucien to his feet, but my hand passes right through his. He looks down wide eyed and back up to me before steeling himself and hiding any trace of emotion in his eyes.As if the human robot could even feel fear; more likely he’s tempering down his rage before he murders Atlas.
I, instead, close my eyes. And while the two of them start arguing heatedly, think of the vibrant haired vixen that led us here. Not only her splash of multicolored hair or striking silver eyes, but the way she smiled as she lost herself to the music, that defiant smirk of hers as she unrepentantly returned our credit cards and slipped away.
Just what the hell are you, Cambria?
Chapter 4
Atlas
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