Page 16

I glared at the ground. Why was my vision growing darker? “If everyone knew… all this time…” A horrible realization occurred to me, and I touched my mouth. “Is that why they’ve been lying to me?”

Julian stepped toward me, and I turned my wrath on him. “ Don’t come near me!”

He stopped instantly. I couldn’t let the hurt on his face waver my resolve.

“I will handle things my way,” I told him. “I don’t want your pity!”

“Baby,” Damen said cautiously. “I know this must be very hard. Especially since you’re very trusting of those you let in. But it’s all right to be scared.”

His words cut like a knife. Panic and fury warred for dominance. I didn’t want to deal with this right now. Hadn’t I been through enough?

“Leave me alone!” I squeezed my eyes shut as the words exploded from me, and with that, my wish was granted.

I was suddenly cloaked under a canopy of trees. Damen’s house was close—I could see the lights from here—but I’d moved some distance away.

It didn’t matter how. My heart was still racing in a dizzying rhythm. I stood for a second, wondering if I might have gone too far. Done something that couldn’t be undone. But it was too late to back out now.

So I ran.

Damen POV

I stared at where she had disappeared, my mind still turning over the fact that Bianca had used her abilities to escape from us—her quintet.

I had come across a bit strong, but something had to be said.

It would have done her no good in the long run to believe that the people around her remained in the dark.

That would leave her in no position to confront the past .

Miles and Titus hurried off my patio. Miles lingered while Titus started forward, but Julian reached out, stopping the dragon as he made his way past us.

“Leave her be,” Julian said. “She’s in the woods. She’ll be fine for a little while.” He turned, moving toward the house, and, after a glance at the treeline, Titus followed.

My thoughts were racing, and my body felt numb as I moved through the house. They said she’d been in denial—and had been for years. But I didn’t think it would have been that extreme. Should I have pressed the issue? I’d seen how upset she was getting.

But at the same time, I didn’t understand what she was doing. This wasn’t like her—like Mu. Mu had never been one to avoid a problem, and he’d always been a master of his emotions.

It was becoming glaringly apparent things were different this time around.

We lived in a violent society. However, we, the archetypes, were protected, trained, and educated by both the Elders and Paragons. Miles’s and Julian’s situations had uniquely made it past scrutiny for a time—Miles because of his physical location, and Julian….

Well, Trinity had been her husband’s primary target. It was only after Julian nearly killed him that the Council intervened.

This thing with Bianca, though. Well, her suffering had been far beyond any of ours. If she’d been with us, this never would have happened. But if she’d been with us, she’d probably be dead.

When I entered the room, the fireplace was already roaring and the air was hot. I stalked through the space. The fury I’d been suppressing left a bitter taste in my mouth. My focus zeroed in on the one thing that could help me think.

“Damen,” Miles began, his tone a warning, but he didn’t prevent me from picking up the mezcal and taking an initial drink. But apparently, I’d lingered too long for his discretion, and he grabbed my hand, pulling the glass away from my face.

“No.” He looked as serious as I’d ever seen him. “You cannot have liquor right now.”

Why did he have to look like he understood? He seemed to have his shit together.

Why was I the only person close to losing it?

It pissed me off.

“Fuck!” My vision turned red, and I threw the cup against the wall, where it shattered.

How could this have happened? I couldn’t get the sight of it from my mind.

She’d panicked from a touch to her stomach.

No matter how many more lives I lived, I would never be able to forget the look on her face.

The sound of her cries still rang through my ears.

I kicked at the cart, causing the drinks and dishware to crash to the floor.

I wasn’t sure what I was shouting, but as the haze fell over me, it no longer mattered. I reached for anything and everything, but not even the destruction made me feel any better, even though it’d worked in the past.

How dare things be so orderly. Not when I was this close to losing my sanity. It was unacceptable.

How dare that man still be out there!

Then, something tugged at my awareness, pulling me from the seductive call of destruction. I tried to hold on to it, reaching for the darkness, but the addicting sensation of fire and victory faded. A cold sense of reality settled in its place.

“No.” I gasped when awareness slammed into me.

I was pinned under Julian as he reached into the deepest part of himself to restrain me. His power continued to wash over mine, stripping away the familiar hum of my abilities .

The longer his hand pressed against the mark on my chest, the weaker I became.

“Stop,” I grumbled. “I’m fine now.” But Julian gave no indication that he’d heard me, and my blood chilled further.

“I’m fine now!” I repeated. I pulled away from Miles, who’d been holding my arms, and he released me immediately. The witch turned to Julian and touched the necromancer’s shoulder.

“Julian,” he said, watching the other man warily. “You can stop.”

The darkness scattered, and Julian ripped his hand away a second later, pushing back to his knees. “Good.”

Shame washed over me. The others silently watched me, disappointment heavy in their gazes as I pulled myself to a seat. The air was thick with judgment. I’d really screwed up this time.

“Whoa!” A familiar voice suddenly broke through the room. “What the hell happened here?”

Brayden Dubois stood in my double doorway. A suitcase was on the ground next to him, and he looked around my living room as if he’d just witnessed a train wreck.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, rubbing the back of my arm over my mouth. My voice sounded rough. I tried to ignore the broken dishware, the spilled liquid, and the crushed wooden cart. When did I even rip the photos off the wall? “How did you get inside?”

“Your front door was left wide open.” Brayden shrugged, stepping into the room and approaching one of my chairs. “So, which room is mine? Where’s Bianca?”

I opened my mouth, but Julian touched my arm.

“Bianca is taking a moment for herself,” he said calmly. “I wasn’t aware that you—”

“I’m moving in!” Brayden flopped in the chair and crossed his legs at the ankle.

“Bryce already told me what’s going on, so I came right over.

She and I have so many years to make up for.

There are so many ways we can torture Bryce together.

It hasn’t been the same all on my own. I have a feeling she’ll be all for it. ”

Julian was frowning, disapproval etched into his face. “This isn’t a game. Bianca is in a delicate state.”

“I know,” Brayden interrupted. He uncrossed his legs as he leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. His tone grew somber, and his expression was menacing as he looked between us. There was a deadly air to him as he suddenly resembled the warrior he was supposed to be.

“There’s also that,” he said, his voice low. “I’ll just need you deviants to stay away from her. Okay? Thanks.”

Julian groaned as I was stunned in silence. Titus, however, only continued to scowl at Brayden.

Who did he think he was talking to?

“What?” Miles replied, watching him incredulously.

“You can’t be surprised.” Brayden’s fierce gaze was unwavering. “After all, look at what I’ve arrived in time to witness—another one of Damen’s famous tantrums.” He waved his hand in the air, gesturing around the room.

My heart beat wildly as shame burned at me. He was right. Seeing this would have terrified Bianca. It would have broken everything we’d only just begun to build between us.

“She’s not here…” This time, I was lucky.

I’d never had to control myself around Mu. This was entirely new territory.

Mu’s temper rivaled mine in the past, although his anger was directed much differently. But it was his ability to hold a grudge that made people fear—and his obsession with revenge. In comparison, I only required a temporary outlet and then moved on. I had better things to focus on than slights.

The only two people in the world able to break through my rage should be Julian and Bianca. But Bianca wouldn’t be able to do that. Not now.

I felt helpless and stupid. I’d been avoiding it for too long. For the first time, I was going to have to control myself . Bianca couldn’t see this, and I couldn’t always rely on Julian.

It was such a basic skill, but I’d never had to do it before. I’d never felt more ashamed.

“You’re lucky she’s not here right now,” Brayden continued, unaware of my tumultuous thoughts. “Because I would have killed you if you scared her. I don’t care who you are. She doesn’t need you fucking up her life because no one has ever held you accountable.”

He was right. I stared at the broken glass across the room. “I know.”

“And she also doesn’t need…” Brayden began, but then his voice trailed off. “What?”

I met his stunned stare. “I’m going to change,” I told them, and the weight of my resolve settled over me. “I’m going to work on my temper.”

“You?” Julian let out a short laugh. “You’re going to work on your temper? You’ve been volatile and selfish since the very beginning. Why do you think I can’t stand you?”

Still? I thought we’d gotten past that.

“I’ll do better,” I promised. It shouldn’t be hard. I practically had my doctorate in psychology. I could figure it out. “It’s your fault, too,” I told Julian.

Julian’s eyebrows raised in unison. “What?”

“You’re enabling me,” I pointed out and touched my chest. “You always subdue me instead of letting me deal with my own emotions.”

“You were about to open the Gates of the Underworld!” Julian gritted his teeth. “What else was I supposed to do? ”

It wouldn’t have been all that bad. “Well, next time, you need to hold me more accountable.” I waved my hand and nodded. The solution was obvious. Tomorrow morning, I’d start yoga. I’d read studies that deep breathing techniques were amazing for teaching self-control.

“I should hold you accountable by allowing you to infest the realm with your demons?” Julian’s voice was still tight. “Plus, you almost killed someone just last month in your father’s conference room. You almost killed Bryce a few days ago! I had to stop you both times!”

That was true, but would the last one really have been a loss?

I pulled myself to my feet, already planning my new routine. I could also meditate at night before my evening channeling.

I looked at Titus, who was staring out the window. “What are you waiting for?” I asked him. “No one is stopping you from going anymore.”

Titus blinked at me. “What do you mean?”

I gestured toward the door. “Are you going to get Bianca or not? You’re in the best position to convince her to come back.”

“What do you mean?” Brayden sat up straighter. “Where did she go?”

Titus took one step towards the door, then looked back to me. He was eager but somewhat wary, considering the circumstances and their history. “Do you think it’s been long enough? She was pretty upset.”

“It should be.” I touched my chin as I looked at the clock. “She’s been outside for a while. She’ll probably have cooled down by now. Put her in your room tonight. I’ll sort out another room for her tomorrow.” I wonder—maybe that empty space between mine and Julian’s?

“Outside?” Brayden shot to his feet. “Why in the world is she outside? ”

Titus left without responding. Meanwhile, I moved toward the dust cabinet. “All right, everyone, we need to clean up before she gets back—”

“You clean up after yourself.” Julian stood up and refused the broom that I offered him. “I’m going to my room.”

“Julian,” I began. But why? We’d agreed to take turns.

“I’m holding you accountable,” Julian snapped, stalking toward the door. “Maybe sometimes you can clean up after your own mistakes.”

Then he was gone, leaving Miles, Brayden, and me looking at the empty doorway.

“Well…” I wasn’t sure how to respond, but since he’d already left us, it was too late anyway. I was getting the impression that he was upset, though, which was odd.

He’d always said I should learn to control myself. He should be happy about this.

“Hey.” Brayden stepped in front of me. “Why is Bianca outside?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I told him and started to sweep up the glass. “Titus is getting her now. Why don’t you sit down and wait?”

“I’m not going to not worry!” Brayden started. “You did something! Now tell me what—”

Miles, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. “While you do this, why don’t I show Brayden to a room? I can also get Bryce’s room ready. Where do you want them to stay?”

I paused in the midst of sweeping the broken glass and considered.

Where should Bryce Dubois sleep?

The possibilities were endless.