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Milos’ incessant barking drowned out her pleas. The dog bounded up the stairs, gently taking Grace’s coat sleeve between her teeth and tugging.
“Grace, go,” Riot said firmly, moving between me and her, blocking her from my sight. “Wild isn’t going to be any use to anyone until he gets this shit out of his system, and Milos obviously wants you out of here.Go.”
“Come on, I’ve got you,” Dare said quietly, while Milos continued to drag her away. Away fromme. “They’ll catch up, okay? They’llbothcatch up. They’ll be fine.”
I flexed my fingers at my sides, itching to give Riot the fight he was asking for,needingGrace to leave. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I realized that I was grateful that I couldn’t speak in that moment, because I would have definitely said something I regretted to make her go.
I couldn’t be Wild, Grace’s Bonded right now, not when I was Wild, The Keres Daimon.
I’d never be Wild, Grace’s Bonded ever again.
Chapter 26
Everythingwasablur.I felt like I was moving through sludge as Dare and Milos dragged me away from the temple. We’d all come here together. I’d had all four of them at my side, I thought nothing was strong enough to tear us apart.
How could this be happening?
Someone was shouting up ahead, and Milos released me, running back and forth to check what was up ahead before returning to us. Dare was saying something, and I got the feeling it was important, but my ears wouldn’t cooperate enough to listen.
How had it all gone wrong? The sky was lighter than it had been in days, despite it still being night. It was mocking me. An infuriating reminder of what I’d had to give up in order to save people who mostly despised me.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
“Stop!” Dare yelled, shoving an arm in front of me as we passed the ticketing booth into what was once the parking lot. Whatshouldhave been the parking lot.
Milos yipped incessantly, pacing back and forth as though we hadn’t seen the giant hole where solid ground had once been.
A hole that was growing larger by the second. It was at least a football-field across, but it was burrowing into the ground, the walls crumbling and smoothing, into a perfect cylinder, deeper and darker than the naked eye could see.
“This is the path.” It was my voice, but it wasn’t. It felt so far away.
“This isn’t a path,” Dare shot back harshly. “This is a death pit. Milos, go back and make sure Wild and Riot don’t fall in. I know the way back to Eirene’s house, Grace is safe with me.”
Milos yipped, brushing her body against mine as she sprinted back into the ruins.
“Don’t let go of my hand,” Dare ordered, snatching my hand tightly in his grip. “And don’t get any ideas about going in there.”
But I should, shouldn’t I? It was a path. Nyx had fought to get me this path so I could go to Tartarus and fulfill the prophecy.
Bullet had…
Bullet was gone, in service ofthis.All of it was leading to this entryway to Tartarus, this pit of darkness that was apparently our path to salvation.
I should jump into it. Otherwise, what had all this suffering been for?
Dare’s grip tightened as he dragged me around the edge, clambering over the occasionally felled tree or broken ruin. Nothing was safe from the pit.
Dare pulled the hood of my coat up over my head before tightening his grip on my hand and resuming his punishing pace. The agathos we’d seen before were gathering on the opposite side of the pit—far enough away from us that we weren’t in any immediate danger, but who really knew anymore what was safe and what wasn’t? They’d kneeled to me not that long ago, but now the immediate threat of global extinction had passed, perhaps all the agathos would return to blaming me for everything.
Did it matter anymore?
Did any of it matter?
The journey back to Eirene’s passed in a blur of numbness. I feltnothing. A few hours ago, I had the constant feedback of four bonds. Four sets of emotion that weren’t mine, giving me insight into the four men I’d fallen in love with.
And now, all I had was the hollow misery of my own thoughts.
I was on the day bed somehow, though I had no recollection of sitting down. Of even coming through the front gate. I could remember the conversation I’d had with Riot in this exact spot perfectly though.Why wasn’t he here? Where did he go?There was a blanket on my lap, keeping away the chill, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been.
