She went limp in my hold, possibly trying to use dead weight to throw me off again, but that wasn’t going to work with me.
“What crimes?” she asked with a heavy sigh when I began walking toward the treeline again.
My chest rumbled. My instinct was to answer her question, but I didn’t trust this woman. Not after what I’d seen.
With the pull between us, I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut.
“Seriously?” she scoffed. “That’s how you’re going to do this? Show up here, accuse me of something heinous you won’t even give me details on, and then stay silent?”
Yep. That was exactly how it was going to be.
I wasn’t sure if it was because my silence was the best choice for the situation or for myself. There were too many conflicting thoughts, and until I felt more confident about the situation, silence was my friend.
Having her pressed against me wasn’t ideal when my body and heart were longing for her only minutes after having met her. A part of me wanted to lift her up until our faces were level so that I could capture her lips before claiming her as mine.
With a hard shake of my head, I increased my speed and pushed the disgusting thoughts out of my mind. I needed to get the fuck out of here and away from this seductress.
I’d thought she was too beautiful from the picture, and I’d been right.
I chuckled darkly as I continued to drag her next to me. She probably looked like an old hag in reality and this was her disguise to get past others.
Well, not me. Not today.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
I raised a brow andtsked. She still didn’t get how this was going to work.
I was in charge here. She didn’t get to ask the questions.
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to shut it for you,” I dead panned. “I can still hurt you when I feel inclined, and I get closer to that every second.”
Besides the initial punch which I’d immediately regretted there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to actually hurt her anymore. I wasn’t sure what to do about that fact besides do my best to keep her quiet and get back to my Jeep, which was waiting just outside the boundary line of Earth and Emerald.
A vice tightened around my core, and my chest rumbled. Fabricated or not, the bond was affecting me more than I was willing to admit aloud.
My grip around Elena’s waist tightened, and I ground my teeth together as I considered my options and what I did know. I knew that I hadn’t sensed lies from Johnathon nor Elena, but one of them had to be lying.
I was leaning toward the latter because Johnathon had those images, but then again, my abilities worked on words, not pictures…
Fuck.This really wasn’t good, and this would also be the last time I didn’t listen to my instincts. Fucking magic was too devious. I’d let my curiosity and emotions get the better of me.
She whimpered and began reaching for my shoulders. “I take it you’re feeling inclined to hurt me now.”
Apparently so.
The more disappointing fact was how I loosened my hold without thinking twice.
Instead of me continuing to drag her along at my side, Elena managed to get her feet back under herself and walk.
I released her waist but kept a tight grip on her forearm. “If you run again, I will catch you and it will be painful.”
Her mesmerizing eyes flicked up and caught mine in their hold. They glazed over, and she turned away, looking toward the ground. “I should have known better.”
I didn’t fucking care what she should have known. I didn’t fucking care that she looked like I’d just killed her dog.
Fuck!
Why couldn’t I sense her magic? Why was the only thing pulsing through me the maddening bond that I didn’t want to believe was real?
She sniffled and used her free hand to swipe angrily at her cheeks. Her nearly-white hair fell forward as her head lowered more and hid her face from me.
Though I should have been happy about that, I stupidly found myself filled with more disappointment.
Grunting, I picked up speed, not realizing that she’d have to run to keep up with me until she began breathing heavily and my dick got excited from all the panting noises she was making.
This wasn’t fucking good.
I stopped abruptly, and her shoulder slammed into my rigid arm, knocking her to the ground. Well, almost.
She’d gone from badass fighter to this pathetic thing. I wasn’t sure what to think about that, either.
My hold on her arm was still tight, so she more dangled above the dirt instead of laying in it. She didn’t make a move to right herself as I stood there, glaring at her twisted, yet tempting body and taking deep breaths to get my shit together.
I’d never failed a mission. Hell, I hadn’t even had one go wrong to the point where I was scrambling, but this… This was new territory for me.
I’d fought witches, vampires, fae, and more. Fought them all and survived because that was what I was best at, but for the first time, a voice inside me wished this one target would overpower me and run.
No. I wouldn’t let that happen. No matter my previous reservation about this assignment. I’d seen the pictures. I’d heard the truth in the words Rocky had spoken.
A witch had killed those children.
This witch.
Right?
My shoulders stiffened, and I reached down without looking at Elena so that I could throw her over my shoulder. I couldn’t wait for her to act like an adult and walk on her own. I needed to get to the Jeep and start the drive back to my house.The trip would require me to sit next to her for sixteen hours while I sped down the interstates toward my cabin’s location in the middle of No Man’s Land.I should have bargained for a fucking portal spell to get us back sooner, but I’d thought she would be a corpse by the time I’d started driving. Not a temptress seated next to me.Maybe I could knock her out and tie her to the back seat.Shit.The only thing appealing about that thought was tying her up.With a loud huff, Elena punched me first in my side, then right at the center of my spine.That shit didn’t feel very good.I pulled her forward and cradled her against my chest, squeezing tightly until she was boxed in against herself.Her sharp eyes glared up at me. “You’re a dick.”I glance
“How far are we walking?” I asked. “Where are we going? Oh, yeah. No Man’s Land, but isn’t that place, like, huge? Are you going to carry me the whole time so that I don’t run away, or do you have a portal spell? I’d make one, but I can’t.”I paused briefly, but he still wasn’t in the mood to chat. Thankfully, I wasn’t easily deterred.“Not that you asked, but I don’t really have any magic,” I said. “I can heal quickly, run faster than most of the witches, and my hearing isn’t too bad, but outside of a few sparks, magic isn’t really my thing. I’ve been told that’s probably why my parents abandoned me. Pretty fucked-up, huh?”His jaw at least tensed at that last bit, confirming he wasn’t completely heartless.“So, Atlas. I’m pretty sure you won’t answer any of my questions, but since you know a little about me, let me pretend I know something about you.” My voice deepened as I pretended that I was him, hoping to further annoy him into conversation. “‘I was an only child. I get my shit
“How do you know that?” I asked. “Was there a sign I missed while I was talking or had my eyes closed? Or have you been here plenty of times before and just know?”His head turned toward me once more. “I’m having a difficult time believing you’re that stupid.”The tone of his words was flat, making it hard for me to decide if I should be offended by his statement or not…“I don’t think I’m stupid,” I said. “Sheltered. Naïve. Inexperienced. All of those, yes. But not stupid when given the opportunity to learn.”Another delicious rumble built from deep inside his chest, but he seemed to be all out of verbal responses.Just when I was ready to go on my next tangent, I caught sight of the Jeep he’d mentioned. There wasn’t a top on it. Just a black roll cage above the navy-blue body.He eyed the front of the vehicle, then the back, before setting me down. His hands grabbed my biceps, positioning me until I was standing in front of him. “Don’t piss me off or I will tie a rope around your wa
ATLASExactly thirty minutes after I’d gotten back into the driver’s seat, Elena cleared her throat while keeping her eyes on the center of the road, which I’d advised her to do so she wouldn’t get sick again. Not because I was being nice, but because we didn’t have time for her weak stomach.“How close was I with ‘Atlas’?” she asked, a bit of glee in her tone and a smile playing on her cherry lips.“Atlas, so not even a little close,” I muttered.Her fingers danced over her knees, and she chanced a glance my way. “What about a last name?”“No.” If she didn’t already know it, she didn’t need to.The fact that she seemed truly inept about all things of the outside world had me second-guessing everything that I was doing. I hated to admit that I was worried the only reason I was questioning anything was because of the bond. The longer she sat next to me, the more it was building.Uncertainty wasn’t something I was familiar with, and I fucking hated it.Had I been sent to kidnap, and pos
The unicorn actually rolled her turquoise eyes while silver energy shimmered over her body. The gaping wound stitched itself back together before she got up on four legs. Elena was up and moving a few steps closer to me as the opal-white unicorn swished her iridescent colored tail back and forth.“Shift,” I demanded.Her head lowered, pointing the tip of her horn at me.“You don’t scare me,” I droned.She made a weird noise, then her body covered with that same silver power. Within the blink of an eye, she was standing on two feet, dressed in black leggings and an oversized, light-pink T-shirt.She glared at me, then moved her still-turquoise eyes to Elena and stepped forward.Before I could stop anything from happening, the unicorn hugged her and squealed. “Oh, I’m so excited to finally meet you!”I had no fucking clue where this glee was coming from, but one thing I knew was that an already fucked situation just got even more complicated.Elena’s arms hung there loosely. “Uh…you, to
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