IstormedthroughtheGreat Hall, doing my best not to push over partying trainees enjoying my lover’s event. The two enforcers on either side of the hall to the Alun let me pass, and I shot down the dark corridor. Energy pulsed. Stone vibrated under my anger. No one truly understood the Alun. It amplified whatever the person inside it needed, and right now, it responded to my rage.
I dropped to the floor and ducked. The trapdoor fell into place with a boom. Runes, words, lines, drawings, and hieroglyphics covered the walls, while veins of gold and pure crystal created crazy layers that were almost painfully busy to look at.
Quinn under me filled my memory. I shook it away. Every time I saw her, I made it worse. I had to wait. My lover was my salvation.
In the center of the chaos sat a shirtless Rowan. The Tates were old blood, and Rowan’s Majekah utilized every element at once. It was unheard of. Sweat poured down his frame. Sparks of elemental magic danced around him. He was stunning. A perfect picture of manliness.Despite Quinn, I was still most definitely gay. I clung to that constant before rage returned.
Rowan Tate was one of my Five. I trusted him enough to bring him into my fold. And he’d left me out of the loop.
“Quinn did not take her last two placements.” I didn’t need to explain that Hope told me Rowan had made the woman’s excuses without informing me. “You’ve been in the Alun for twenty-four hours.”
Rowan’s chest rose and fell. I waited.
The power circling him eased. A collection of bright white crystals resembling throbbing veins dimmed. Cleansing. Rowan was down here cleansing his magic, his very soul, with powers none of us truly understood. It was an act of desperation.
“Have you seen Quinn?” Rowan asked.
I narrowed my eyes. “I have not.” I’d done nothing for the last two days other than sit behind my lover's desk, desperately trying to keep our family afloat.
Rowan clenched his fist, sunken eyes shot with gray veins. He’d been consuming his magic to stay awake. Not good practice, but fine for a day or two. I wasn’t worried yet.
“You know he’s a she?” Rowan asked.
I grunted.
Rowan clenched his jaw. “How long have you known?”
“Since she arrived.”
Rowan scrubbed his hair. “You encouraged her to hide her gender.”
I nodded.
Rowan took a deep breath. “What medic attended her?”
“I have no reports of any medic attending to her.” Cool calm descended on my body. Keeping my distance had been the wrong choice. “Why?”
Rowan paled. “Someone healed her. It should have been one of our family.”
I processed his words too slowly. A wave of disbelief and rage threatened the tight control I kept on my emotions. “You left her alone and injured?”
Rowan jabbed his chest, left of his heart. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t do this to her. I need it gone.”
Every muscle in his body strained. His finger dug into his chest, leaving a bloody streak across his pectoral muscle.
I shot forward and pulled his arm back. “What didn’t you want?”
Rowan’s face twisted. “A tether.” He shook. “I tethered her somehow, and now she’s bound to me. A woman I don’t want.”
I lunged, slamming both fists into his chest. He toppled back, legs trapped under my weight. I swung for his face and his fist drove into my side. He bucked, throwing me off, knee snapping toward my crotch. I twisted, shoulder wide open, and his punch landed hard. He rolled on top, ready to smash me, but I reached for his shadow. Cheating? Maybe. Shadows made my blood rush. Darkness swallowed me, cold water brushing my skin—then gone. I came out at his back, driving my knee into his kidneys. He gagged, kicked back, dropped me flat. His elbow cracked into my abs. His next punch should’ve broken my arm, but pinned half on me, he lacked the strength.
We punched until we collapsed. My anger softened. This was jealousy, the green-eyed monster I wasn’t used to.
I was better than this.
“I didn’t want to tether her.” Rowan beat his fist against the ground. “I thought if I got down here fast enough, I could stop it or reverse it.”
I believed in my officer. Rowan desired more from life than the pit his family had fallen into. His need constantly pushed him toimprove and spot opportunities in the smallest actions. He was an asset I wanted to keep by my side.
