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“Fucking hell,” Bram mutters. “First the collector and monsters, and now an insane god.”

“Someone got him out of Gehenna,” Kitt muses, glancing at me with suspicion.

“You think the one who ordered you got him out and sent him after us?” I raise an eyebrow, truly curious what they think even though I have my own suspicions. Sometimes playing the fool is better. “It’s possible. If he thought you failed or wanted you gone as well so you couldn’t come knocking. He’d do anything to hide what I know.”

“Neither bodes well. We need to hurry,” Raiden grumbles.

“If we are going to face this thing, then we need to know everything,” Kitt admits as he looks at me.

“Oh, like how I know everything about this mysterious collector and the pets being sent after you?” He stays silent, and I smile bitterly. “Exactly. Our secrets are our own. Let’s just hope we outrun him.”

“How likely is that?” Bram asks.

I don’t respond, and I guess that’s answer enough.

“We are so fucked.” Raiden chuckles, seeming amused. “I guess we aren’t the only ones who hate you.” He glances at me through the mirror. “You’re not good at making friends.”

“We were never friends. We were something much worse.” I close my eyes and bite my tongue, disregarding their probing looks and contemplation.

I don’t sleep, but I ignore them all the same. I can nearly hear their buzzing thoughts, but when Torrin whimpers, I snap my eyes open and turn to look at him. His face is pale, and whatever progress he made in healing has been reversed.

“We can’t keep moving him,” Bram cautions. “We need to get him somewhere safe to rest. I know we are on a time crunch, but⁠—”

“I know, I know,” Kitt grumbles. “It’s our only choice for now.”

They have no intention of telling me their plan, so I settle back, but a large hand reaches through the seats and captures mine. Jerking around, I find Torrin’s eyes on me, and he looks at our hands. Understanding dawns, and I grip it even as I turn forward, holding his sweaty palm and doing my best to ignore the others. It’s clear they have an idea where to drive now, so I sit back and enjoy the ride.

Teenage me would have hated this because my need for control was my worst trait. I had to know everything at all times so I could control every outcome before my mother would find out or judge me. Gehenna stripped that from me. It’s hard to control the wildness in the world, so it’s better to go along with it.

We drive all night and into the next day, not daring to stop. The road is taking its toll on Torrin, but we see signs of civilisation coming up as we travel from the national park. It’s clear we are driving to the coast, though I have no idea why. Again, though, even if I asked, they wouldn’t answer.

“I’m going to be sick,” Torrin slurs, and we have to pull over. We help him from the van, leaning him against a tree so he can vomit and get fresh air.

Kitt glares at me, so I step away, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep them warm as I rock on my heels, staring up at the sky. It’s strange how quickly I’ve gotten used to freedom, despite craving it so much when I was in Gehenna. I thought I’d never take the sky for granted again, but I guess we’ve had much more pressing matters.

Closing my eyes, I just breathe in the fresh air and allow myself to be present in this moment. Nothing before, nothing after, just right now. It’s something that helped me survive in Gehenna with the never-ending sense of doom I felt. For one moment, I am free, but I come crashing back to reality. My eyes snap open as a familiar scent hits me, and I turn, fear racing through my veins.

“Back in the van now!” Before I can even finish shouting my warning, he materialises in front of the vehicle, as familiar as my own face.

Jax.

Bram roars and races at him, but he is tossed away with a flick of Jax’s head. Emrys tries to shoot him, but the bullets fall from his chest as his flesh heals. Before Kitt and Raiden can attempt anything, he lifts his hands and slams them down, and every single one of them hits the ground, pinned by his power, then he starts to close his fists, and their pained moans finally snap me back to reality.

“Don’t!” I scream, holding my hands up. “Don’t hurt them.” His head swings to me in an unnatural way, and the eyes I once stared into and loved so deeply are completely gone. His hair is ragged and long, as is his beard. He looks nothing like the man I once loved, the one I shared my heart, peace, and body with.

He seems to forget them for a moment, keeping them pinned as he prowls towards me. I don’t back away or run. My nostrils flare as I try to tame my anger and panic.

Once he reaches me, I stare into his face. It’s soiled with dirt and dust, and he seems older despite being immortal. He now looks like the monster he is, but part of me aches as I search his eyes for a hint of the man I once loved with everything in my naive heart. All that’s left is pain and fury.

We stare, each betrayed by the other.

I expect him to end me right here and to keep doing it until it sticks, but he surprises me when he drops to his knees. Frozen in place, I gape in horror as he presses his cheek to my flat stomach before looking up at me, his mouth moving awkwardly as if he’s trying to talk.

“Don’t,” I whisper before clearing my throat. I feel a tear slip from my eye and trail down my cheek. “You did this.”

The noise he makes is inhuman as he presses his face deeper into my stomach. Looking up at the sky, I breathe through my agony and push the tears back before shoving him away. He falls to his ass, his claws ripping at the cement.

“We can never recover what we lost or what you took from me,” I hiss, my fists clenching at my sides. “This is your fault.”