Page 17 of Evermore (The Never Sky #3)
I watched as Archer carried Quill inside, cradled protectively against his chest. Something tightened in my throat at the sight. This makeshift family we were cobbling together from broken pieces and shared pain.
As I gathered the damp blankets, my fingers brushed against cool metal. Thorne’s golden book lay half-hidden in the folds of fabric. With a growl of frustration, I hurled it as far as I could into the darkness of the surrounding woods.
“Fuck off, Reverius Hawthorne Noctus.”
The marks flared in response to my anger, sending waves of pain up my arms. The patterns had reached my shoulders now, intricate swirls of darkness that pulsed with their own heartbeat. I stumbled slightly as I followed Archer inside, the searing pain around my ankles spreading with each step.
Inside, the house was quiet save for the soft crackle of the dying fire.
Archer had already taken Quill upstairs.
I paused in the doorway of the sitting room, taking in the familiar space that now felt foreign.
How could everything look so normal when my world had been turned upside down yet again?
I’d have to leave soon, I was sure of it.
Alastor wouldn’t have bound me to let me live free of his command.
The blankets slipped from my grasp as exhaustion hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled to the couch and sank down, burying my face in my hands. “What am I going to do?” I whispered to the empty room.
You know what you have to do.
Break.
I lifted my head, half-expecting to see that fucking book materialized on the coffee table.
I scanned the room, searching for that telltale glint of metal.
Nothing. For a moment, relief washed over me.
Then, as if summoned by my thoughts, there it was.
Sitting innocently on the mantel above the fireplace, its gilt edges catching the last flickering embers.
My fingers twitched with the urge to hurl it into the dying flames.
To watch it burn again and again until either it or I was reduced to ash.
But Archer’s words echoed in my mind. I couldn’t lose control.
Not again. Not when Quill was sleeping peacefully upstairs, finally feeling safe enough to let her guard down.
Not when we were all trying so hard to build something stable from the wreckage of our lives.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. Slowly, deliberately, I unclenched my fists, focusing on the feeling of my nails leaving crescent-shaped marks in my palms. I wouldn’t give Thorne the satisfaction of seeing me unravel. Nor Alastor. They couldn’t have that power over me anymore.
Instead, I stood and walked to the mantel with measured steps, letting the magic burn. My hand hovered over the book, trembling slightly before I lifted it and opened it to the first page. His handwriting was fucking perfect.
Keep the book, Paesha. If you need me, I’ll come. Don’t let that anger consume you. I’m not afraid of those shadows. I’ll stand there and let you cut me down a thousand times if you need to stretch that power. Break me. Crush me. Just let it be me and no one else.
Thorne
“Aeris tried to pull her away and she wouldn’t come,” Thea said from the door, startling me. She held two steaming cups, looking over at me with a gross amount of pity.
I snapped the book shut. “Good. We trust no gods in this house.”
“I think that’s pretty unfair.” She crossed the room and handed me one of the steaming cups.
“You wouldn’t say that if you grew up in a world full of them,” Archer said from the door.
“Aeris is different. She’s only been benevolent and giving.”
I sat, sliding the book under my leg, ignoring the way the heat of it raced across my thigh.
Alastor’s marks around my wrist pulsed. I was reaching my wits’ end with magic, but still I swallowed it down, refusing to let them see.
“Where’d she come from last night, Althea?
Why did she happen to show up right in the middle of the chaos? Explain it.”
“I… I don’t know,” Thea admitted, her brow furrowing. “She just appeared, like she always does when we need her. She tried to calm Quill down, but at that point, there was no reasoning with her.”
I took a sip of the tea, letting the warmth seep into my bones. “And Reverius or Thorne or whatever the fuck his name is? What happened to him?”
Archer leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. “He vanished not long after Aeris showed up. One minute he was there, looking like he wanted to tear through your creepy magic dome thing, and the next, he was gone.”
It was too convenient, too neat. Gods didn’t show up out of nowhere without an agenda. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Thea’s lying.
They’re all lying.
They know you can’t trust Aeris.
Break them before they break you.
“We can’t trust her,” I said firmly, fighting to keep my voice steady as the Remnants grew louder. “No matter how benevolent she seems. The moment we let our guard down is the moment gods strike. She has an angle. You’re going to have to trust me on this.”
Thea’s face fell. “But she’s been nothing but helpful and kind, Paesha. When’s the last time you trusted anyone? Honestly. And Quill’s going to be pissed if you try to cut her off from Aeris. You know how she is about her friends.”
“Paesha trusted me and look how that turned out,” Archer said with a small smile.
“I’ve not made my mind up about you yet, Archer Bramwell.”
His smile widened and a glimpse of my friend peeked through. “I’m quite charming when I want to be.”
“All men think they’re charming. Most are disgusting.” She took a sip, watching him carefully.
“Lucky for you, I haven’t been disgusting for at least six months.”
She smiled, rolling her eyes. “Nice try.”
I watched the easy banter between Archer and Thea with a mix of emotions. On one hand, it warmed my heart to see them getting along. On the other, a twinge of jealousy and loneliness tugged at me. I pushed it aside, focusing on the matter at hand and not on the book burning beneath my thigh.
The marks pulsed again, sending a wave of dizziness through me. The patterns had spread farther, now covering most of my arms and I’d guess my legs, if the burning was any indication. Alastor’s power sank deeper. I was running out of time. Out of freedom.
“Look,” I said, drawing their attention back. “I know Aeris seems okay. But we need to be cautious. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that gods always have hidden agendas.”
Thea sighed. “I understand your mistrust, P. But maybe not all gods are the same? Aeris has done some good?—”
“Was it good? Where are all the people in the city?”
She opened her mouth to speak, paused, and then said nothing as she considered the question.
“There was no one when we walked through, was there?” I asked Archer.
“I didn’t see a soul.”
“You can’t focus on perceived good, Thea. Thorne was good. Until he wasn’t, so that argument isn’t going to win with me. That’s how they draw you in. It’s all kindness and gifts until you’re so wrapped around them you can’t see straight. We don’t risk it. Not with Quill. Not with her power.”
Archer nodded. “Where I’m from, the gods toy with mortals for sport. It’s safer to keep our distance.”
“I’ve been gone for what? Three months? Children can certainly change in three months, but this wild swing of Quill’s personality must have come from somewhere.
Think about it in correlation to when Aeris started coming around.
The gods always circle their prey before they strike. She was manipulating her.”
Thea looked between us, copper brows pulled together. Finally, she nodded. “All right. We’ll be careful. But I still think you’re being too harsh.”
I softened my tone. “I hope you’re right about her.
I really do. But for now, we watch and wait.
We won’t shut her out for Quill, but that door isn’t wide open, as far as I’m concerned.
” I locked eyes with Archer. “About Stirling, I think we need to check on the orphans. From there we’ll know where we should be. ”
“Are you sure you want to go back there?” His eyes dropped to my wrists, to the darkness spreading across my skin.
“Being in Requiem won’t save me from Alastor. I don’t know when he’ll summon me, but I need to make sure this is taken care of first. Just in case.” The voices screamed in protest, but I pushed them down. I had to do something, had to move, had to act before I lost all control.
“You’re not taking care of me, Fingers. Where you go, I go. If Alastor summons you, well, I guess he’s in for a rude awakening when we both show up.”
“I’m sure he’ll be a big fan of that.”