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“Yeah. It’s killing me to not be there with her, though.”
“Kimber can use the portals. Roslyn can dematerialize and get Leah out if needed. We took his blood for a reason,” Ella says quietly, as though she’s worried who would be listening in. “Zee will be catching up with them soon. They can handle a simple scouting mission. And it’s scouting only—no heroics.”
“I don’t understand how he got out of the underground hole. It’s something I thought only I could do,” Gage says as he drops down to the bed beside us, checking his phone for the hundredth time. “And I hate Kimber being out there without me.”
“You guys really need to start trusting our women. Gavin will be watching for you. Not for them,” Ella groans.
I’d be wherever Kya was, but I don’t tell her that. Instead, I point out something about what Gage has said.
“Zee dematerialized underground when we went after his niece,” I say thoughtfully, then grimace. “I knew he was stronger than he should be, so I didn’t question it. But I should have mentioned it, considering his power came from Gavin.”
Gage runs a hand through his hair before leaning over.
“The stones... Hannah must have found a way to keep using them. She used them to steal power from us before we turned immortal, and she drained them. What if she’s found a way to harness immortal magic within those stones and is draining them. It’d explain how Gavin became so strong.”
Gage’s fingers tick, and I know his mind is on Kimber. Just like Thad’s is on Roslyn. Both women are more than capable of taking care of themselves, but I understand the fear tightening in the core. They want to go to them, protect them, see them with their own eyes to know they’re safe.
Everyone is wearing the necklace that Slade made to ward against the spell that may or may not come. It’s not that we trust him more, but Kya demanded we wear them. And she’s earned the trust of everyone else.
She’s had my trust from early on. I just failed to show her that.
Mom is with Alyssa and Kane, where she will remain until this is over. I can’t have two distractions. She needs to be safe so I can stop worrying about her. Despite her protests, she finally agreed it would be too distracting if she stuck around. And Alyssa needs their care. Dray is with them as well, ready to swoop in if we need him.
He’s not going anywhere for a while.
Frankie is also there, contacting as many people as he can to keep a metaphorical ear to the ground. I’m not so sure I liked how quickly he volunteered to leave the second he found out my mother would be there.
As they begin talking conspiracy theories and strategies, I head up the stairs to where Kya is starting to rouse from her sleep. Leaning over, I kiss her shoulder and settle in behind her.
She melts into my arms willingly, and I cling to her. Since Slade’s cold charade of wordlessly convincing me she was dead, there’s been a burning in my center.
He wanted my instincts to drive me toward her. It worked, but I want to kill him for the lingering fear and panic that is still threaded into every fiber of my being. I’m terrified for her to be out of my sight for longer than a few minutes at a time now.
Kya hasn’t been bothered by my hovering yet. Hope that means she’s just going to suck it up and deal with it.
She rolls in my arms, and I hold her to me, running a hand down her face. I’m curious where I’m supposed to bite her when I claim her. And yeah, I’ve decided to do that. There’s no doubt that she’s it for me.
A heart as detached and cold as mine could only be warmed to this extent by something real... something worth claiming for all eternity. And not just because the beast wants her. In fact, I’m positive I want her more than that part of me does.
I may or may not give her an option. After all, she’ll have the rest of our immortal lives to forgive me, since we’ll forever be tied together. Right?
I’m not even sure what that means.
Still, I’m going to do it, consequences be damned. My instincts saved her life, and my instincts demand she become mine.
Instead of divulging all my barbaric thoughts, we talk about simple things, never once discussing the war at hand, the unknown portal’s connection, or what will happen after the fight.
We talk about silly things she missed out on, such as roller skating in the park, binge-watching a series only to find out it was cancelled before the conclusion was filmed, and so many other non-consequential things in life. Finally, we move on to more serious topics, the stark, undeniably heartbreaking differences in our upbringings.
After my mother saved me from the bitch who gave birth to me, I was loved, sheltered, and cared for. Kya was humiliated, degraded, and beaten regularly within the rings. I was cold for reasons I can only assume belong to heritage. She was cold for the sake of survival.
I grew up with dark secrets that could have cost my mother her life. Kya was brought up with dreams of freedom she never thought would come true.
Every word out of her mouth is absorbed by me, and every tear she sheds is mine as I wipe it away and claim it, imbedding her into me more and more with each word and every shared emotion.
“Though I’d never tell him, Slade is my family. I don’t know where his head is, but I do understand how hard it has to be for him to care about anything after what he endured,” she’s telling me.
I don’t tell her I still want him dead.
