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5PARRIS
“How long has it been?”
I barely bit back a snarl at Garret's question, one I'd heard countless times since both our Omega and his traitorous plaything had disappeared. “What makes you think I know now when I didn't know before? Forgive me, but I forgot to grab my clock before your fucktoy brought us to the middle of nowhere.”
“Watch how you speak of him.”
“The traitor, you mean? The liar? Is that who you are referring to?”
He turned away from the mouth of the cave, where he'd been anxiously surveying the lush terrain stretching out before us. There was something dangerous about him now, in the way he moved with his lips pulled back from his teeth. “I warned you. Do not speak of him that way.”
“I see. You're allowed to be angry with him, but I'm not. Is that how it goes? With the rules constantly changing, it's difficult for me to keep up.”
His nostrils flared, eyes glowing a red that would soon turn to black if I didn't let up. Knowing all this, I chose to press further. “Did it ever occur to you this was part of the plan?”
“What plan?” he spat.
“Look around you.” I lifted my arms and spread them wide, gesturing toward the cave walls. Then I walked to the entrance of the cave and pointed at what lay outside. There was nothing but green as far as the eye could see. “Why would he bring us to Xerai, of all places? And why strand us in a cave on a mountainside before absconding with our mate, knowing we might as well kiss our asses goodbye if we venture too far outside? Why would he do that?”
“You believe this was planned in advance?”
“At the moment, how can we afford to rule anything out? We'd be doing ourselves a disservice by assuming everyone has good intentions.”
His jaw tightened. The stubborn, lovesick fool.
“He wouldn't do that. That much, I know.”
“Are you sure? Or is it that what you need to tell yourself?” I asked.
“Perhaps you’d better check the cliff again.” He was seething, enraged in a way I hadn't seen in far longer than I could recall.
If an unwitting Beta had been anywhere in the vicinity, he would have torn them to shreds. As it was, he gripped the rock wall beside him so tightly his hand shook, as if he wished to crush it.
“Say what you mean. You want me out of here and away from you. I'm sorry to be the one to inform you of this, but nothing is going to change. You think I don't want to smell her scent out there? Or even your Elliot’s?” I grimaced when I said his name, the word souring in my mouth like diseased blood. “There hasn't been a sign or scent of them in hours, which is how long they've been gone. What do you expect me to be able to do?”
“I expect you to not force me to kill you here and now.”
I scoffed openly, which drew a growl from him. “Put your anger away. If anything, I'm the one who should be truly angry. I knew it was no good, keeping your secret. Having him with us. You'll never catch me going against my instincts again, I'll tell you that much.”
“Stop this.”
“I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
In a flash he was on me, hurling me across the cave where I slammed against the rock hard enough to send shards of stone tumbling around my feet.
“I warned you,” he snarled before flying at me again, pressing me against the wall with a hand wrapped around my throat.
“Why can't you face the truth?” I refused to flinch when he snarled, his fangs gleaming, his eyes going black. “He fooled you. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on to what truly matters.”
“And I suppose you’re the best judge of that.”
“Obviously, I'm a better judge than you.” I flung him away from me with no effort whatsoever. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
“Only if you can keep your opinions to yourself.”
“When have I ever done that?” I couldn't help but laugh at his frustration. But my laughter concealed something far deeper: my own exasperation and the helplessness I'd wrestled with since we’d discovered Jaide was missing. I should never have allowed her to leave, but then hindsight had a funny way of making fools of us all.
“What if she never comes back?” Parris asked.
