Chancey groaned as he lifted the rock, then dropped it into my arms. It was heavier than I expected and practically the size of my chest, but once I got over the initial shock of its weight, it felt as light as a feather.
“You thinkI’llhave trouble liftingrocks?” I asked. “Brother, you’re forgetting who you’re talking to.”
Just to play with him, I let go of the rock and used my Earth magic to hover in mid-air.
“Wow, I’m impressed,” Ez said, taking his attention off Marcus. “I thought you’d struggle now that you’ve got those cuffs on.”
I shrugged. “Noxite doesn’t affect demigod powers, and Ava and I broke the inferichite inside it. I’m stronger than ever.”
Sort of. Cuff or not, I still didn’t know how the hell to utilize my demigod powers.
“Then why’s string bean over here still struggling with a ten-pound weight?” Alistair cracked. “You’d think as a demigod, he’d have super strength.”
“First of all, that’s not how demigod powers work,” Marcus said diplomatically. “Second… I haven’t broken the inferichite yet.”
His voice got really quiet at the end.
“You’ll figure it out,” I encouraged.
“How’d Charlie and Ava do it?” Alistair asked. “Just do that.”
“It kind of… just happened,” I admitted. “Inferichite can’t handle big emotions. We were talking about our feelings, and it just broke.”
“All right, I’ll justtalk about my feelings,” Marcus said sarcastically. “It’s worked outso greatin the past.”
“Yeah, fuck feelings,” Alistair agreed. “That shit ain’t gonna save the world.”
“Or maybe itis, and that’s why we haven’t saved the world yet,” I snapped. “I’ll say it. I’m not ashamed. I talk about my feelings with my wife, and we’ve made progress. Fuck anyone who thinks it makes me less of a man.”
The room went dead silent.
“All right. Wow. I was just making a joke,” Alistair said.
“It was a bad joke,” I replied. “I know you want to lighten the mood, but now’s the time to get serious about this shit. Ava and I found a way that works, and until Marcus and Kallie talk it out, we’re sitting on our potential without doing something useful with it. Hell, Kallie’s time powers could get usallout of here, but she can’t access it until she figures stuff out with her mate— with Marcus.”
“You think I want this for us?” Marcus demanded. “The last thing I want is to hurt Kallie. I have my reasons for not being with her!”
“And all of your reasons point to avoiding the inevitable!” I growled. “You think putting it off will make thingsbetter? Dammit, Marcus. It’s only going to make the moment worse once this all comes to a head. You don’t want to hurt her like you hurt Anya? Then make an effort to fix it before it’s too late!”
If I thought the room went silent before, it was nothing compared to now. Nobodybreathed.
Finally, I heard the rustle of fabric as Marcus crossed his arms. “Perhaps we should talk about this in private.”
“All right,” I said, taking him up on his bluff. He wanted to act like a tough guy, I sure as hell could play.
“I— I…” Marcus fumbled with his words for a second, and when he couldn’t find them, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me toward the door. I nearly tripped over Rishi, and I ran into the bench on my way out. It should’ve hurt like hell, but I was too worked up to care. I heard the door slam behind us as we entered the hall.
“You’re being a real ass, you know that?” Marcus snapped once we were alone.
I gritted my teeth. “I’m aware.”
I didn’t give excuses, but I had a hundred on my tongue. I was worried about Ava. Oberi was no help. Ivy was on drugs, and I didn’t know if I could tell anyone. We were running out of time to figure out our magic. This whole charade with the Warden was nothing more than a shit show.
I pressed my fingers to the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry. There’s a lot going on right now. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Marcus took a long breath. “That’s the last thing any of us want.”
“Look. Kallie’s a fae, and we can’t get around that,” I said. “She’ll never be able to access the full height of her abilities if she’s not mated, and we need her to do that if we’re going to do everything we’ve been planning on. You share a bond with her. You either need to fulfill it, or break it and have it over with.”
