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Miri
Davis drives us back to my store. With the night's craziness, it didn’t even occur to me that the shop is still open. I’m shocked and grateful that nothing looks out of place. I quickly lock up, and we hurry down the street to Paul’s Tavern.
The street is littered with empty cans, plastic cups, and abandoned plates of food. I don’t know if this is how the island always looks after a festival or if it’s because the crowd hauled ass and tore out of here screaming in panic.
Davis tries the door to the bar and then pounds on the window when it doesn’t open. The closed sign is flipped, although there’s still a light on inside. It’s late, but the bar is usually still open, so Rhys must have closed up when everything went to shit a few hours ago.
Rhys stalks through the door, flipping the lock and yanking it open, staring at us both. “What the hell happened out there? Where have you guys been?”
“I’d rather not go over this in the street.” Davis shoulders his way past Rhys and pulls me with him, his fingers twined with mine. I’m so exhausted that my legs are heavy and a little shaky. All I really want is to shower and flop into my bed. Preferably with Davis in it.
Davis leads us to the table, pulling out a seat for me before sliding into his own. Everyone else is already in the bar. Rhys must have kicked out everyone but our group of friends, and they’re all sitting around a table with various looks of worry on their faces.
Ezra frowns at us. “What’s going on?”
Ruby and Lena are studying me and Davis so hard that I shift under the scrutiny in my seat.
“You bonded?—” Lena gasps, and every head that wasn’t already staring at us snaps our way.
“What the hell? I thought we agreed that was a bad fucking idea?—” Archer slaps his hands down on the table and I flinch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so upset.
“Everyone shut up!” Davis roars and shoving his chair out behind him as he abruptly stands.
“How did you know?” I blink at Lena as she clasps her hands together, nearly wringing them.
“I can see it.”
“Well, that’s fucking fantastic.” Archer throws his hands up. Everyone is talking or shouting, and I can’t take it. I’m too tired to deal with this right now.
“Anthony kidnapped me tonight.”
“We were just with you.” Ruby’s jaw drops and everyone else gapes at me with various levels of surprise written on their faces. We knew he was unhinged after the whole curse thing, but I’m not sure any of us truly believed he’d make a move. Or at least, I don’t think I did.
“The bastard set up a diversion and then compelled me to leave Miri alone at the store.”
“Is that why the crowd was losing their shit?” Ezra’s hands are on his head and his chair is tipped back on two legs.
“He killed my father.” I wrap my hand around Davis’s arm, letting him know I’m here without words.
Everyone is silent after that declaration. Each person in this room knows about Davis’s shitty excuse for a dad and there’s no mourning happening here, just pure shock.
“What the fuck?” Ezra scrubs a hand over his face. His light brown eyes look as weary as I feel.
“What happened with Anthony?” Lena reaches across the table and grabs hold of my hand, squeezing my fingers in comfort. I hiss, forgetting that I have a nice slice across my palm. Lena snatches her hand back, and I flip mine over to show her, to show everyone the cut.
“He’s strong. Both of us were trapped by his magic. He commanded, and we had no choice but to do what he said.”
“Why did he do this?” Archer sinks back in his chair, all the fight leaving him. He’s dressed far more casually tonight than I’ve ever seen him, in jeans and a t-shirt. He almost looks like a completely different person than the one who’s always in his pressed suit and fancy shoes.
“He wants to open up the veil between our world and the Fae realm.”
A collective gasp goes up around the table. I mean, we’ve all talked about the rumors and the lore of Wild Haven, but I’m not so sure any of us fully believed in it.
“He wants to go back home and needs the Axis to tear down the barrier between our worlds.”
Everyone is officially blown away with that piece of news, and the questions stop. I can see each of them processing this information in their own ways and I wish I could help, could give them more answers, but I don’t have them. What does this mean for us? What do we do next? What is Anthony going to do next? How can we even form an Axis when we don’t have our last member?
“You’re stronger now, right? And our magic is growing as well even without being bonded,” Ezra says. “Why don’t the rest of us just complete the bond and chuck his ass back to Fairy?
