I had to turn around before I answered her, because I was tempted to lash out with my darker half. It was the one part of me that I was equally thankful for yet also hated.The demon in me that had come from my father.The curse that had killed my family and left me alone in this godforsaken world.The powers that allowed me to channel my rage by searching for piece-of-shit people who didn’t deserve to continue breathing.She was rubbing her chest so hard that a red spot formed on her skin beneath her fingers.The bond I hadn’t wanted to accept as truth tugged on my emotions, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t the one who was going to console her.I wasn’t the person she needed, even if she wasn’t a magic-stealing murderer.Amy sighed at me. “You’re being ridiculous.”I watched as the unicorn went to Elena and quietly whispered to her. I observed closely how Elena nodded softly, pressing her lips together while her eyes remained wide.Then, I forced my feet to take me back to the jeep. I
“But why me?” I asked.She shrugged and glanced briefly behind us. “You need to know who you are, and I need to save you from something. Outside of that, the details are rather fuzzy. Well, besides knowing we need to go to Fire and Fluorite. That’s where we’ll find more answers.”Atlas was suddenly standing next to me again. “I’m not stepping foot in that cesspool of idiots. Plus, the place is probably burned down by now.”I tilted my head at him. “Why? I thought they were one of the stronger Houses?”“Stupidity sometimes looks a lot like bravery, but that doesn’t make them strong,” Atlas answered gruffly. “The last two leaders were dumb enough to get themselves killed and now there are factions within the House creating a war that’s bound to affect more than just Fire and Fluorite. I’d rather stay out of it.”Amy twirled a lock of midnight-colored hair around her finger. “Well, you’re welcome to stay out of it, but I’m taking Elena there.”Atlas’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, and
His hand covered mine over his chest and squeezed hard just before he stepped a few inches closer. His breath was warm on my cheeks as he looked down on me, but I stared defiantly back.“I take back my rejection.” He grumbled the words that should have made my heart do a happy dance, but his tone…“Maybe I don’t want you to take it back,” I quipped in return, raising a pointed brow.His lips lifted just in one corner. The closest thing I’d seen to a smile from him yet. “Lying doesn’t suit you, Elena.”Then he released me and began walking back to the jeep.That mother fucker.I took a step forward to follow him, but Lia’s hand pressed against my shoulder, halting my forward momentum. “Take the loss, girl. You’ve got bigger battles to win.”I shuddered, reality coming crashing down on me as I met her friendly eyes. “Who am I?”“That’s what we’re going to figure out,” she said. “Just as soon as we get to Fire and Fluorite. In the meantime, maybe Atlas isn’t as bad as I thought he was. L
“You were magically influenced to take the job,” Amy elaborated. “The dark energy is still there. That’s why you still want to go to No Man’s Land. That’s where they want Elena. You’re stronger than the energy, which helps you fight it, but the magic is still encouraging your actions.”She seemed so fucking sure of her answer. Her certainty further irked me. How could I have not known someone was screwing with my head? I was one of the strongest fucking supernaturals I knew. People didn’t fuck with me. Ever.The steering wheel bent slightly within my hands. “Can you take the dark energy out?”Fuck, I hated asking that. If she could, that meant I owed her, which wasn’t going to sit well with me.She nodded. “But I’ll have to touch you again. If you try to bite me, I will put you down without a second thought.”Our stares locked in a battle of dominance. I didn’t know everything that unicorns were capable of, and they’d been hunted to near extinction, so they couldn’t be all powerful, b
“I already know all I need to,” Amy said hauntingly. “I was just hoping Atlas was ready to play nice. He will be eventually, though.”Her confidence severely grated on my nerves.I didn’t want a mate, and I certainly wasn’t going to “play nice.”Though, as I thought the words, I knew I was full of shit. I could have goaded Elena into rejecting me back there. I could have left her with the unicorn and walked away from this bullshit.I could have done a lot of things over the last thirty-six hours and yet…I hadn’t.As much as I hated to admit this even to myself, I wanted to know more about Elena. I wanted to see her safe and where she belonged. Most importantly, I didn’t want to trust anyone else to make sure that happened.“So, since it seems to be my turn for story time…let me tell you what I know,” Amy said, staring only at Elena. “About three months ago, I began dreaming about Fire and Fluorite. Shortly after that, the stories of their leader being killed started going around. It s
All the while, Atlas acted as if he didn’t give a shit about our conversation, keeping his eyes focused on the road and his hands tight around the steering wheel, which was now slightly bent, but he couldn’t fool me. He might not have been watching me, but my eyes didn’t stray from him for too long.I saw each time his knuckles turned white, like when Amy asked me about past boyfriends a subject I avoided answering just yet or the way his shoulders strained against his shirt when I talked about being on my own for the last eight years without anyone to have full conversations with.When Atlas yawned for the third time, Amy placed a hand on his seat, less than an inch from his shoulder. “Do you want me to drive so you can rest?”His jaw tensed. “No.”“Then do you trust me to give you a zap of energy?” she asked. I tilted my chin, curious how that would work, because I was getting tired as fuck, but I didn’t want to sleep and miss anything.“Ido,” I replied when Atlas didn’t, then I hel
I nodded, but Amy didn’t agree as quickly. “Is he like you?”Atlas’s eyes filled with flames. “Nobody is like me.”“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, then. We have a wolf to resurrect.”When I got out of the jeep, my knees buckled, and I had to hold myself up with the door. Apparently, sitting in the same seat for eighteen hours wasn’t good for one’s legs.Amy leapt from the back and wobbled, too. She shrugged sheepishly. “Opening a portal takes a lot of energy out of me, which is why I didn’t offer to do it before, but it’s fine now that I know I’ll get the chance to rest.” She glanced around and nodded toward where we could hear people and music. “Are we going to have privacy?”Atlas nodded as he came around the front of the jeep. “When I texted Clayson earlier, he assured me that we wouldn’t be bothered as long as we stayed in the construction section and used the forest area out back while the show was going.”Great. Nobody would get to witness my body being torn to shreds a
She made an odd sound, but before I could ask another question, the door opened again. Atlas entered with a man behind him.The man’s copper eyes remained locked on Amy, but not in the romantic sense. More out of curiosity assuming Atlas told him she was a unicorn.She smirked at him. “I’m not looking for a new home, big guy.”“You can’t fault me for being intrigued,” he said, then he quickly glanced at me but seemed to be talking to Atlas. “This is her?”“Yep.”“I see.” His fingers rubbed lightly over the smattering of dark facial hair around his cheeks and chin.My back went ramrod straight while I shoved all thoughts of self-pity back into their corner. “You see what?”I was allowed to talk shit about myself, but fuck anyone else thinking they could.The two brooding men shared a look before Clayson gave me his attention again. “I see that you’re not what anyone else thought. But you’ll be safe here to do whatever it is that you need. The rooms aren’t complete, as you may have seen