Page 52

My heart broke a little, hearing their pleas. They really were worried for me, and that kind of genuine concern for my well-being was something I hadn’t felt in a while. They’d already done so much for me—I could do this for them.

“It was Margo,” I sighed, voice cracking. “She and her bitch-squad took me by surprise and shoved me down the stairs.”

I expected the shock and outrage. I expected the cursing and vows of punishment. What I didn’t expect, though, was the tangible wave of fury that burst out of Lucian. He lurched up out of the armchair, and his face morphed in the span of an instant. Crimson bled into the gunmetal gray of his eyes before darkening into pure black. Terror hit me like a bullet to the heart, and a startled scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it.

I knew that Lucian was no danger to me. Flinching away had been a panicked reflex, not even close to real fear, but the damage was done. Lucian looked devastated. I reached for his silvery heartstring, desperate to soothe the hurt I’d just inadvertently caused, but he repelled the attempt. It was like an electric shock bolting through me, the way he shoved me out. He stalked out of the room and Rami chased after him without a word.

Alaric’s arms went around me. “I’ve got you,” he murmured. “You’re safe.”

Of course I was. Lucian wasn’t a threat. But that didn’t change what I saw.

“His eyes,” I croaked, throat tight. “He has eyes just like them.”

“Like who?” Alaric sat me upright so he could see my face. The couch dipped when Bel sat on my other side and wrapped a comforting hand around my thigh.

“Cordelia.” Quinn sat on the coffee table in front of us. His tone was serious. “Do you mean the people who were following you? The man at the club?”

My head jerked in a stiff nod. “And Margo.”

“What?” Bellamy gasped. “That’s impossible. She’s not…I would’ve known…”

“Known what?” I gripped his hand. “What am I seeing?”

“You were raised by a witch,” Quinn answered for him. “What did she tell you about Others?”

I hugged my arms around myself, drawing comfort from Quinn’s lingering scent on his t-shirt. “Nothing really. Just that they existed. I didn’t get out much.”

“Gods dammit,” he growled. Before I could snap at him in Deva’s defense, Alaric cut in with a hand raised in a calming gesture.

“Vampires, lycans, and some witches are created when a human acquires shade, an ancient dark essence. In its purest form, it inspires hatred, violence, anarchy⁠—”

“Yeah, okay, nothing good,” I interrupted, nerves starting to win out over patience. My knee had started to bounce, and I was feeling five seconds away from a breakdown.

“No, nothing good,” Quinn echoed. “But when a human takes on shade, creating a hybrid, it’s balanced by the intention of that human. When a hybrid falters in their humanity, giving in to the darker urgings of their shade, their eyes shift into something unnatural.”

“Right.” I jumped to my feet, frenetic energy preventing me from sitting any longer. “Wait, am I a hybrid? Is that why I’m a Jinx with bad magic?”

“No.” Bellamy’s answer was unyielding. “You’re—” his amber eyes flicked to Alaric, “—something else.”

Suspicious. We’d come back to that later. “But Lucian is.”

“Lucian lost control of his rage,” Alaric said with a slow nod, watching me fidget with his unwavering hazel gaze. “But he never would have hurt you.”

I stopped mid-stride and pressed the heel of my hand against my sternum. “I know that.” Except my bond with Lucian had gone cold and fragile. Guilt soured in my stomach. “He thinks I’m scared of him.” Arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me back against a hard chest.

“He’ll be fine,” Bellamy said, resting his chin on the top of my head. “Rami will help him calm down. He always does.”

I held Bel’s arms to me, soaking in his presence for a few moments. “Margo is a hybrid too, then?

A growl rumbles behind me. “No. At least she wasn’t until recently.”

“I don’t know if she’s a hybrid at all,” Quinn mused, face drawn down in a scowl.

“What do you mean?”

He worked his jaw back and forth, considering his answer. “There are creatures made of pure shade that prey on the weak-hearted,” he finally said. “They have the power to infect a human and consume their soul, essentially taking over their physical body. To put it in more modern terms, think of it as demonic possession.”

My knees went rubbery underneath me, and my breath whooshed out. I didn’t know why that revelation hit me so hard, considering all the other supernatural oddities I was discovering about my life.