Seriously, the rumours about me and Junie needed to end because, quite frankly, they were sickening, and it was really pissing me off now. When they’d first started, I’d squashed them immediately, mostly for Thorne’s sake. Now, I was just annoyed at their persistence, and it was petty bitches like Kendra that kept them alive.
‘Ozzie, baby. Come join us,’ she simpered. ‘We’re worried about you.’
‘Don’t call me that,’ I snapped. Junie was the only one allowed to call me that. Minus thebaby. ‘I’m fine. We need to talk, though.’
She lit up like a damn light bulb and I immediately realised my mistake.
‘Not just you. All of us,’ I corrected, and while she deflated a little, it didn’t seem to stick. The fact that I was even talking to her right now was probably reinforcing her delusions, so I extracted myself and used the bodies of the others as they gathered to keep a distance between us.
Sex with Kendra was fantastic, but I’d learned the hard way that good sex did not equate to a decent relationship. I was thankful I’d put a stop to that before it had gotten that far,though I still felt a little guilty I’d never told Junie about it. It was a tricky situation, but ultimately it was the curse that had held my tongue, though not for the typical reasons. She had lost so many friends over the years because of it, and I didn’t want to be the reason she lost another one, even if I did think she was a fake bitch. In hindsight, I should have just been upfront and honest, but my intentions had been good.
I shook those thoughts from my head when everyone was gathered in a circle around me, eagerly awaiting whatever it was I had to say. I didn’t make them wait any longer and launched into the explanation about the Trials and their purpose, what was needed to communicate with the other races, and how we needed to band together and, wait for it,unitein order to get out of here alive.
A few people scoffed, not because they didn’t believe me but because they didn’t trust the others. I didn’t blame them entirely, but I knew our biggest challenge wasn’t going to be sentient trees or underground tunnels. It was going to be convincing us all to not only work together, but to build trust.
It was hard enough to do that within our own race, let alone with four others. This was not going to be a fun adventure, and I dreaded every moment of it.
I needed Junie back. Her light was what kept my shadows at bay most days, and without her here now, I felt them creeping in, eagerly tearing away any ounce of goodness in my life.
I took solace in the fact that she was close enough for us to communicate through our mind link. I had figured out that it was likely a proximity thing, which this most recent interaction had only confirmed for me. Twice now she had been out of range, and I didn’t like it. I just wanted her back where I could keep her safe.
Not that she needed me for that. She was one of the most powerful Witches I had ever met. I had a feeling shewas probably one of the most powerful Witches currently in existence. If that got out, which it would eventually if these trials went the way I thought they would, then she was going to need as many people on her side as possible. Real friends who cared about her as a person, not fake friends like Kendra who would only try to use her for one reason or another. It was another reason I needed to break this curse and soon. I needed to be her brother, and I couldn’t do that with this damn spell binding and gagging me. I enjoyed a good bit of bondage, but not like that.
After a moment of deliberation between members of each group, I stood back and watched as a few of them tentatively met in the middle of the chamber. Soon, more and more of them were introducing themselves and starting the long, slow process of building that connection I knew the Trials were after.
I was proud of Junie for figuring it out and pleased with the progress being made, but it didn’t answer the biggest questions still looming over our heads. First, someone had to have initiated these trials, but who? And then, most importantly,why?
Abaddon joined me against the wall, kicking a foot up to rest against the rock as we surveyed the results of our announcement. Qarinah was next to take up a spot beside me, earning me a single lifted brow from Abaddon. It shot up higher than mine could go, almost disappearing into his hairline. Impressive.
‘That’s quite an impact you two have made,’ Qarinah commented, her gaze fixed ahead on our tentatively mingling people.
The Shifters finally materialised from where they hid within the tunnel behind us, curious about what was happening between our two races. Their Alpha, the giant snake that I’d caught eyeing up Juniper like a piece of meat he couldn’t wait to consume before she’d been teleported away with her new beau,was the first to slither from the shadows. I couldn’t figure out if he wanted to fuck her or kill her, but I had the worst feeling that it was both.
I jerked my chin at him and directed my next question to Qarinah since she was the only one who had witnessed what happened there. ‘What’s going on with Nagini over there?’
She frowned at me in confusion. ‘Nagini?’
‘Right. Sorry. Pop culture reference. It’s an evil snake from a book series.’
‘Oh,’ she said when she realised what I was asking. ‘He made fun of Juniper. She got annoyed with it and put him in his place,’ she snorted as she relived the memory. ‘It was the best thing I’ve seen in a long time, but he’s been pouting about it ever since. I think she threatened his fragile masculinity and now he’s been quietly trying to find a way to build it back up again.’
I sighed in annoyance. Not at Junie, because damn right she should have defended herself, but because of him and his macho bullshit.
Two glowing yellow eyes found mine from across the room, and I found a challenge there that sent chills down my spine. He was plotting something, I could tell. I just needed to uncover what it was before he hurt my sister, because he wouldn’t survive it, and that would put a damper on the Trials’ objective.
But I could tell from that single glance he was going to be a bigger problem than we could afford.
Fortunately for him, these Trials weren’t going to let me knock some sense into his thick skull. I wondered if it was because we’d all be sitting around with our thumbs up our asses, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but this was the moment it finally did.
It started with a rumbling, like a tank driving in the distance, but it quickly became clear that it was more than just a noise. The rock beneath our feet started to vibrate, softly at first, until we were forced to hold onto the walls just to keep upright.
‘What’s going on?’ Qarinah asked, fear overshadowing the natural eroticism in her voice, and I fuckinghatedthat.
‘Earthquake!’ Abaddon shouted back, inching his body to cover Qarinah as she slipped to the floor.
When the first stalactite broke from the ceiling and crushed the poor soul beneath, people really started panicking. Myself included.
‘Run!’I screamed, bending down to haul Qarinah back to her feet and pull her along behind me. Abaddon took the rear, keeping us both upright on multiple occasions as we all fought to find cover.
