Page 21 of Unrestrained

Frost glowed slightly. Tell me. The words were a compulsion. They were so powerful, Taurus worried he would start revealing secrets. He felt Stygian’s resistance fall.

They don’t know me. Not really. They don’t love me as they do each other. I’m a shiny new toy. That’ll fade. Then they’ll realize I’m still the same dark fae they imprisoned. It’s in my nature to destroy. When they come to their senses, they’ll realize I’m not good like them. I’ll be rejected and tossed aside.

Taurus’ chest hurt. He felt as if his heart might deflate and wither into nothing. The combination of all their hurt at the confession had Taurus fighting for breath. He couldn’t say a word.

No. Frost’s denial was strong and clear. Pairings don’t work that way. Celeste put the three of you together for a reason. She sees what we can’t. No matter what you think of yourself, you can’t deny her power. This isn’t the real issue, is it? You think you’re dodging me. You’re not.

Stygian chuckled. It was a wicked sound. “I think that’s just my general vibe you’re feeling. I’m not that deep.”

Frost closed his eyes and glowed brighter. “You asked River to do something.”

“No.” The denial sounded pained and desperate.

Frost looked puzzled and sounded confused when he spoke. “You asked him to pick flowers from the sacred hill to give to Bodhi.”

Taurus’ eyes fell closed. He swiped his hand across them.

Stellar didn’t hesitate to stand strong at Stygian’s side. “That’s nothing now. Bodhi is under my command. I’ll send someone to find the flowers and bring them back. Crisis averted. Let’s go see our patient.”

Frost still looked baffled, but he didn’t press for more. Truthfully, his presence felt diminished, as if he had burned all his juice for the day.

Stellar dismissed the extra guards and then led the way to the room where Bodhi and River were being held. He stopped short as he crossed the threshold. Everyone else nearly collided behind him. Taurus was tall enough to see the problem. Their magic cell was empty. Stellar turned. His face was pale.

Frost’s gaze jumped from person to person. “Okay. I think someone needs to explain to me what’s going on right now.”

Taurus would never reveal their secrets.

It seemed Stygian had no such qualms. “Flowers from the sacred hill can only be picked by the purest of heart. That’s why I sent River.”

“And?” He felt Frost’s irritation growing. Taurus felt Stellar’s defenses fall.

Stellar squeezed the spot between his eyes. When his hand fell away, he looked defeated. “Those sacred flowers can be used to create magic mirrors. All Bodhi would need was one or two and he could create all the mirrors his heart desired, unleashing literal Hell on Earth.”

Frost’s eyes were wide. “Or storm Hell to get to Lucifer.”

“That too.”

At Stellar’s confirmation, Frost tossed a quick glance around—like a trapped animal. “I have to get to Dad.” He turned and swiped open a door, showing exactly how powerful he was.

Stygian’s arm shot out, stopping him before he could step through. “It’s not Lucifer he’s after. It’s you.”

“Me?”

Stygian nodded. “You’re his blood. In his mind, he still has to save you from your father. He is obsessed with getting you away from here. Bodhi is convinced you’ve been brainwashed and he can fix you. One of the many things he sent me to do is spy on you until he could make a solid plan. He needed to learn about your security weaknesses. No one knows that as well as Stone.”

“Shit. I have to get to my husband and daughter.” He dipped through the veil and vanished.

Taurus and Stellar exchanged looks. This was bad, and—thanks to Stygian—it was their mess to clean.

Chapter Nine

Everything around Stygian turned blurry. Fairy guards scrambled. Frost enlisted the help of the Wulfe community. Stygian slipped away in the distraction. He intentionally kept his mind bursting with his growing depression. All he had sought for the entirety of his existence was freedom and a real form. Yes, he had been desperate enough to do anything to have those blessings. No form meant starving. Zero freedom meant that hunger kept him a slave. While Stygian had always been self-aware, he hadn’t believed for even a second his life would lead him here. He had been totally convinced he could live with doing whatever it took to have his own life. Truth be told, and making things worse, he didn’t regret anything he had done. He wasn’t hard-wired for guilt. However, he fully felt whatever this horrible feeling was that grew at the realization that his previous actions would lead to losing his partners in eternity.

Stygian paused. He stared at the moon, unblinking. Reality washed over him. Celeste hadn’t blessed him. She had created a new level of punishment. He should have seen that one coming. Stygian was the weapon Bodhi used to strike at her family. Of course she would find a way to shake up his acceptance of misery. She didn’t want acceptance. Celeste wanted revenge. She had certainly gotten it.

He went back to walking. Stygian knew he could just zap his way straight to Bodhi’s hiding spot. He was in no rush to have this new form destroyed. As much as he realized Celeste had built a new hell for him, for the moment, he still had Stellar and Taurus. They hadn’t gotten their chance to spit in his face. For a moment longer, he got to dream they were still his. He could linger in the short but wonderful memories they had given him. Stygian had gotten his moment in the sun. While he would never have their love, Stygian had gotten to be a part of the beautiful thing they shared. No one else could say that. He had ridden along inside Taurus and felt what he did. Now the pain would return tenfold. When he looked too closely at things, Stygian realized he should have known all along where his life was headed. There was no rest for the wicked. Zero peace for evil.

The cabin Bodhi had bought in the mountains had once belonged to Lucifer’s mate, Riku. By using a company to sell the place, they had unwittingly handed it over to Lucifer’s greatest enemy: Bodhi Rune. Of course, Riku and Lucifer were safely stashed away in Hell. Bodhi would never be great enough to storm that palace of despair. At least he hadn’t found the means to do so until Stygian had given him what he needed.