AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Odi is turning more and more pale. She looks ready to collapse.
Shit.
“Of course. Set it up,” I quickly respond to my father, ignoring The General’s temper tantrum. I need to get Odi out of here. Fast. “Tell me when and we’ll be there. Now, if you’ll excuse us?”
“You’ll need to arrange the ceremony,” my father points out. As if I could forget. That’s what Eowyn’s sticking around for. Once I made it clear to her that plans had changed and she wouldn’t be needed as The Doe anymore, she offered to stay and help with the transition.
I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the ceremony that will bind The Doe to me forever. Not now.
I grit my teeth, count to three and then give him a sharp nod. “Let’s clean up this shit show first, the rest can wait.”
Surprisingly, my father doesn’t argue. Which rings alarm bells. But I have other things to worry about. The pain lancing through my chest at what everything means needs to wait. I can fall apart later. For now, Odi, Zie and Kaiden are my priority. There’s a reason why I’m their leader, why I carry the burdens and keep shit from them. If only they knew how dark our roles really ran.
“Very well. You are dismissed.”
Grinding my back teeth so hard they hurt, I gesture for Zie and Kaiden to follow me. I loop an arm around Odi’s waist, cringing at the way she stiffens against me, and lead them all out of my father’s ballroom. At least she hasn’t shoved me away from her. I wouldn’t blame her if she did.
I hate that we’re on my father’s turf. I have nowhere to go, nowhere safe to take them. Kaiden and Zie’s houses are out of the question, and Odi doesn’t even have a home. Shit.
With no other choice, I lead them through the hallways of my father’s home, up the wide, sweeping staircase and along to my old bedroom. It’s still exactly as I left it, but clean thanks to the army of house staff my father keeps on his payroll.
I motion for everyone to take a seat while I sweep the room for bugs. Can’t be too careful. Finding none, I take a deep breath and turn back to the only people in the world that I give a shit about, apprehensive to see the accusations and confusion on their faces.
And then my brain glitches, the asshole in me rears its ugly head, and I hit the offensive.
“Did you play me?” I snarl at Odi. I can’t even help myself, I’m so far out of control, out of my comfort zone, I don’t even recognise myself anymore.
“W-what?”
“You heard me. Did you fucking play us? Were you working for our fathers all along? Their good little spy?” I can’t even consider how ridiculous what I’m saying might sound. That man gets into my bloodstream and poisons everything that’s good in my life.
“What? No!” Odi gasps like I’m being unreasonable.
Am I? AmIthe unreasonable one here?
You heard it from your father yourself. She was working with them all along.
“Axel, what the hell?” Kaiden shakes his head and stares at me like I’ve lost my goddamn mind.
“You heard him!” I yell, scrubbing my hands through my hair, trying to think. But there is no clarity, only a swirling thick fog of suspicion that’s cloying in its darkness and attempting to choke the life out of me.
“We all know your dad is a manipulative fuck,” Kaiden points out calmly. “He lies.”
You saw it with your own eyes at the hotel! Remember.
I need to clear my head. But when I blink, my gun is in my hand and it’s pointing right at Odi.
“What the fuck?” Kaiden jumps to his feet and stands between Odi and the gun.
He’s freaked out.
Did I do that to him? He should be freaked out! Odi’s been my father’s pawn all along. Who knows the secrets she’s spilled.
I push Kaiden out of the way and train the gun back on Odi.
“Did you play us?” I ask again. Calmer this time, but deadly. The total opposite of the emotions and guilt swirling inside of me like a tornado picking up speed.
Odi raises her head and stares down the barrel of my gun, defiant and fearless. Her gaze is full of loathing, directed right at me. She has every right to hate me. I hate myself. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s a fucking traitor.I think.
