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Some of the tension eases from my chest at that as I realize the students are safe. I cling to that knowledge, not letting myself dwell on the house. It might’ve been just a place, but it was home to us. It was where we shared so many integral moments in our relationship.
No, Liv. Don’t think about it now.
I look back at Maximus. I need to be here; I need to hold my shit together for him. His emerald eyes gleam in the orb light, steeled with determination. He’s in there. He’s trapped, and we have no clue how to get him out, and he was more concerned about me before than he was about himself.
“The wards?” my father asks, his brows furrowed in confusion as Mateo just shakes his head, the two of them sharing a look.
I don’t need to be a mind reader to understand that look. Romulus was able to tear through the protections all on his own.
“Nyssa and Orrin are replacing them now, but they’ll need our help,” Mateo says, yet I can tell from his tone that he doesn’t think they’ll hold up, not when Romulus was able to break through them so easily.
“What happened to the gods we trapped?” I ask, turning to my father.
“We were able to take some of them back to the cells in Ethereal, but it seems both Kallen and Helene managed to release the majority of them.” My father’s jaw tightens at the admission, and I nod, not sure what else I expected.
Of course Kallen and Helene helped them escape. Why would something work out today?
“We should go—” my father says, his eyes focused on me, but I cut him off.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Adrian’s arm tightens around my waist in reassurance. “I’ll stay with Liv.”
“No,” Maximus grumbles, a crease forming between his brows as he narrows his eyes on me. “I don’t want you to stay in the infernal realm, princess. What if they come back?”
“Exactly,” I huff, glaring right back at him. There’s no way in hell he’s going to make an argument like that and expect me to leave him. “What if that was their plan all along, wait for us to leave whomever he managed to catch and steal them away the second the rest of us leave?”
Maximus’ jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue.
“And don’t you dare try to convince them through the mind link that they should persuade me to leave, because it’s not going to happen.”
His brows lift in surprise, as though he hadn’t thought I realized what it meant when the rest of them went quiet around me. Fool me once and all that. Nope, I always know when they’re up to something. That’s my job as a mate to call them out.
He glowers back at me, silently brooding away, like it’s a bad thing that I care about his safety just as much as he cares for mine.
“Glower at me all you want, but it’s not going to change anything,”I project to him with a smug grin, grateful for something to take my mind off of the dumpster fire this day has turned into.
“I’ll stay with you too,” Octavia says, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Thank you.” I rest a hand over hers, grateful for the show of support.
“I’ll head back to the school,” Kyros says, his gaze catching mine, his honey-brown eyes soft and comforting, like with just a look, he can tell me everything’s going to be all right. “I won’t stop until I find something. I promise.”
I give him a soft smile, not daring to look at my pessimistic god of destruction. I want to hold onto this glimmer of hope for as long as I can.
“I’ll stay—” Titus says, his crestfallen expression glued to his face since we learned about Kallen betraying us, but I cut him off.
“No, you should go back to the school too. I’m sure you’ve stashed some of your books somewhere,” I say decisively.
“I did. In the house though … ” he trails off, not needing to connect the dots there.
I suck in a deep breath and nod. “If anyone can sift through the wreckage, I know it’s you.”
Titus’ lips pop open, his eyes widening as though he wants to argue.
“Olivia—” Mateo says, but I cut him off, not wanting to hear about how bad the house is—not when we have no leads and no clue where to start looking for a way to get Maximus out.
“That is the plan,” I declare, holding no room for argument.
