Page 78 of Revenant

“It’s not hard, Pryce. It’s disgusting.”

“Try telling that to your instincts the second someone gets a paper cut,” I retort, turning away and creating distance. The last thing I need is to get into a brawl with a fledgling. It doesn’t matter how old I am, the strength a newborn has is unmatched. Keeping her away from the rest of the school has been a challenge, a few outings here and there but never without supervision.

My supervision. Something Eryx made perfectly clear. It never ceases to amaze me how I always end up cleaning everyone else’s messes. Whether that be wiping away memories or babysitting mistakes, I seem to always be the one to get the short end of the stick. While the others get to be close to her. Alicent.

“You don’t give me enough credit,” Sage comments, interrupting my self-loathing thoughts.

“Oh, I’ve given you plenty. However, the sooner you embrace the new you, the faster we can be done with the torture that is getting you to accept it.” The words come out harsher than I intend, but they’re the truth. This was a wrench I wasn’t expecting, and Eryx threw it into the middle of the chaos blindfolded. He didn’t care what happened or who it would hurt. Instead, his ego got in the way and now we’re all paying for it.

Some more than others.

Her body relaxes as she slouches on the sofa. Now that the thirst has subsided, clarity has finally set in. “Didn’t realize being with me was tortuous for you,” she mumbles.

I roll my eyes and pour myself a drink from the minibar. “This is just taking a bit longer than anticipated.”

“In case you didn’t notice, this wasn’t exactly what I had planned for my life.” Guilt sinks into my stomach, and I swallow the glass in one gulp.

“The ‘what-ifs’ will drive you insane. Trust me.”

“Might as well put me out of my misery now,” she says, and I know exactly where her head is at.

“Then he wins,” I tell her, striding over to sit in the chair opposite her. “You’re through the worst of it. Just be thankful you had such an outstanding teacher, or else we would have an ocean of spilled blood on our hands.” She cracks a smile, and I call that a win.

“At least I won’t have that on my conscience.” Her face goes slack instantly, probably afraid she struck a nerve. “That’s not what I meant. Sorry, I—”

I offer her a soft smile. “It’s fine, really.” Comfortable silence stretches over us and I find myself wondering what Alicent is doing right now. I hate myself for leaving her yesterday, the look of betrayal on her face is an image I’m afraid will never be scrubbed from my memory.

My door swings open without warning, Sage and I both whipping our heads toward the intrusion. “Look at the lovebirds,” Bastian coos, and I’m immediately displeased. Elias and Koen follow behind him, looking around the room as if they’ve somehow lost something.

“What are you all doing here?” But immediately I feel that something is wrong. If they’re all here…where’s Alicent? But more importantly…

Where’s Eryx?

“Have you seen him?” The question comes from Elias, who doesn’t stop moving until the entirety of my space is swept.

I stand abruptly, their urgency putting me on high alert. “Where’s Alicent?”

“Eryx. Have you seen him?” Koen repeats, all of them still evading my question, his eyes quickly looking toward Sage.

“Someone better fucking answer me!” I seethe, worst-case scenarios already running through my mind.

“She’s fine—”

“Where is she?” I correct.

Bastian lets out a heavy sigh next to me. “She’s out with Reed,” he finally admits, and my body freezes.

“What do you mea—”

“We don’t have time for twenty questions, Pryce.” Elias sounds from the other side of the room. “Trust when we say she’s safe. We needed to get her off campus.” His explanation comes out rushed, ready to leave and check the next stop on their scavenger hunt.

“There are things that will be better handled without her here,” Koen adds, keeping his perfect composure, not a hair out of place. If he were frazzled, you’d never know it. He’s somehow perfected the calmness I’ve always envied.

However, between Koen’s relaxed demeanor, Elias looking like he’s about to tear the building apart with his bare hands, and Bastian attempting to act like nothing is worrying him, I’m not sure what to believe.

Alicent’s off campus. Not here. She’s out there, where a threat greater than Eryx is lying in wait, and there’s no way for any of us to reach her. I stare at them. Needing to get her away is one thing, but a deep sense of wrong settles in my stomach right before anger takes hold. They didn’t clear this with me, not even a discussion of what it would mean to send her off on her own. With Reed, I suppose she’s safe, but he’s not us. I can’t guarantee he’ll lay his life out for hers.

And they shouldn’t have either.