“Let’s just go find another ring.”
Dorian stretches out on the tiny patch of grass beside Azazel’s demonic form, reclining on his elbows to look at me. “If they won’t let us in this one, what makes you think they won’t act the same at the next ring we find? Maybe people using them fucks with the energy transfer, or whatever, and fae have been misusing them all of these years. The changelings could be little Cerberus’ that guard the gates of Faerie.”
Sitting down, I cross my legs and rest my elbow on my knee, supporting my chin. “I just want to go home.”
Lucien meets my defeated gaze with one of understanding, but gently reminds me, “There’s no home to go back to anymore.”
I hate that he’s treating me with kid gloves.He’sthe one that finally turned into a damn real boy, not me. I just seem to be the only one not willing to accept the bullshit being thrown our way and rolling with it like we have no other choice.
There’s always a goddamn choice. Every option might be shittier than the last, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pick the lesser evil.
“We’re not required to save people that treat us like shit. Cambria can sever the magical ties that require us to come back and we can just leave the fae to deal with the consequences of their ancestors.”
It’s so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, but I don’t regret voicing the words. Lucien finally breaks the silence, restrained anger flickering in his eyes. “You’d ask her to give up everything that she is and become human because it’s more convenient for you?” Luce and I have been butting heads for weeks, and by that hard edge to his tone, it’s clear that it’s finally coming to a head.
Cambria interjects, not-so-subtly repositioning herself between us. “To be fair, I imbued you three with the fae magic that made you...less human. It’d be hypocritical for me to turn you into mock fae-bies and not be willing to do the same if it was better for our family.”
Of all of the things Lucien could have said, it wouldn’t have compared to the remorse Cambria’s words inspire. It isn’t even her fault we got into this mess in the first place; it’s mine. I’m the one that followed her through the fairy ring that first day at the club. If anyone should have to sacrifice something in penance, it’s me. But not her, not the girl whose life we upended worse than it already was.
“No.” I scrub a hand over my face, the scruff on my jaw scraping my palm. “I’m just pissed that we’re on some damn quest to save a world that I couldn’t care less about.” I meet her silver gaze, rapt on my face and far more patient than I deserve when I’ve been such an ass the last few weeks. “How can you want to protect the people that made your life hell? That are actively trying to kill you?”
She cants her head to the side, assessing my face; watching me with all of the deadly grace of a changeling. “Do you want me to give you some line about how it isn’tallfae? That people like the woman Dorian and I met in the bookstore are innocent in all of this? That I want to save people from the pain I was forced to endure?” I wisely keep my mouth shut, knowing she’s just getting started. “Because I hate to tell you, Atlas, but you’ll be disappointed. I’m not that benevolent, and I’m sure as shit not a martyr.”
Blinking, I risk asking, “Then why?”
She rolls to her knees in front of me and flicks me on the forehead. “For you three, genius. We don’t get this resolved one way or another, none of us are safe here. And eventually, Elorie will send people to the human world to hunt for me. We can’t hide there forever, and if I sacrifice my abilities so that we can live solely mortal-side, we’ll be at even more of a disadvantage. You don’t get to just opt out when things are hard because it’s more convenient. The hunt is on, and a queen doesn’t allow her prey to simply quit the game because they don’t want to play.”
She pulls back, sitting on her heels with sad understanding. Softer, she adds, “And we’re doing it for them-“ she hitches a thumb over her shoulders at the living nightmares, attention fully rapt on us “-because they deserve to have someone fight for them for once in their lives.”
Resting my cheek on my fist, I stare at the woman that I barely can keep up with, knowing that I don’t deserve her. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a jackass lately.”
She smiles, the tension bleeding from her posture. “No apologies needed. You might be as bad as I am on the thrill-seeker front, but if you were laughing and grinning while half-starved and people trying to kill you, I’d have to question your sanity. It’s been a hell of a lot to adjust to in a short span of time. Some growing pains are to be expected.”
Getting to her feet, she winks. “Just try to remember the important things, yeah? Luce isn’t the enemy here.” I open my mouth to clarify, but she holds a hand up. “Not saying you hate him. But it’s clear you’ve been focusing the brunt of your anger on him to spare the rest of us. It’s not fair.” She extends a hand to help me to my feet and I take the olive branch happily. “What’s the point of finding somewhere safe to live out our days if we destroy our family in the process? It’s us against the world, Atlas, not each other.”
“When did you get so wise?” I tease, feeling that constant ball of anger that’s been curled in the pit of my stomach start to unfurl. “I’ve got five years on you; you shouldn’t be better at being an adult.”
“About the same time I realized I have a thing for stalkers. Makes me feel all pretty and desirable,” she tosses out flippantly, forcing the serious conversations to come to a halt before they overwhelm us.
Dorian grins up at her. “Of course you are. Why else would we have stalked you through the woods like a bunch of creepy weirdos? You’re definitely worth risking jail for.”
She barks out a genuine laugh before turning back to me, still chuckling. “Better?”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I kiss the crown of her head. “Yeah.”
“As sweet as this all is, we’re going to have to ruin it,” Lucien points out and I sigh.
He’s right. But dousing the embers of my constant, low simmering rage was a necessary step before we could move forward. A temporary reprieve that I want to cling to, finally feeling content since the moment Victor’s lackey fired that first shot in front of the charred remains of our house. Yet nothing can last forever, especially a flicker of good in this damn world.
“How do we get him to cry though when he doesn’t give a shit about, well, anything?” Dorian asks, tentatively reaching over to stroke a hand over Azazel’s head to see how the changeling will react. When a low, warning rumble sounds from his chest, Dorian promptly yanks his hand back, curling his fingers into his palm before they get bitten off.
“I would pretend to be offended, but you aren’t wrong.”
Stepping back, Cambria gives me a strange look before fingering the hem of her shirt. Without a word, she suddenly flashes me, lifting her bra above her breasts.
“Not sure where you’re going with this, but I wholehear-“ she drops her shirt and my face falls- “awe.”
Stuffing her tits back in her bra and adjusting herself, a broad grin greets me. “Disappointment might be a good place to start.”
