Chapter 9 – Aline #3
Now isn’t the time to hesitate. If there’s any hope of fixing the mess I’ve made, I have to find my orc now .
I spin around, heading down the hall that leads to my office. I’m staring at my bare feet and trying to formulate an explanation. I really should have manifested shoes before running outside earlier.
I’m not halfway down the hallway when I walk into Atlas. His pale green arms are crossed over his chest, and tension seems to vibrate off him in waves. I’m not sure if I can tell just by looking at him or if my empathic gifts are picking it up.
“Are you all right?” he asks, watching me carefully.
My head shakes. I’m not, not even a little bit.
I pull back my shoulders, trying to fortify myself for whatever comes next.
I deserve his wrath.
I’m fairly sure he saw and overheard enough to have some idea of how I’ve lied to him.
We stand, staring at each other for several long moments. I can feel his anger, and it only ratchets my anxiety higher.
“Husbands, Ali? Really ? Fucking plural?” Atlas snarls.
I take several steps toward him, and a sob rattles out of my chest when he backs away. His head shakes violently as he puts up a hand.
“Atlas, please,” I whisper. My face burns at the fact he just retreated from me. I won’t even let myself consider how badly my heart throbs, because I’m not sure if that’s my pain or his.
“Answer me. Are you fucking married?” He spits the word like he’s truly disgusted.
I nod. The last thing I want to do is lie on top of everything else.
“Gods,” he says, chuckling derisively. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
“Please, give me a chance to explain,” I beg, reaching for his arm again.
A warm, calloused hand wraps around my throat. I could stop him if I had to, but my magic is depleted. I’m exhausted physically and mentally.
Atlas spins us until my back hits the wall. I’m not human. I won’t break, and he knows it. At least my body won’t, but depending on how this goes, my heart very well might.
“You fucking lied to me,” he snarls, moving me up the wall with his hand on my neck and the other on my hip.
My eyes squeeze shut as fat tears slide from the edges.
I want to tell him that I didn’t, because he never asked.
But I know, if there was a woman here claiming to be his mate or wife, I wouldn’t give a fuck if I’d asked or not.
We’ve known each other long enough that it would be a logical assumption to assume the other has no mate or partner.
Lying by omission is still lying.
I’m the guilty party here.
“I did and I’m sorry,” I choke out.
He notches his knee between mine. That and his hold on my hip are what supports most of my weight.
His hand around my throat tightens to a painful degree, but it feels familiar, and my body isn’t the least bit afraid.
“What am I supposed to do with words?” he growls, bumping his cheek against mine. “Huh, sweetheart?”
“Please, let me explain.” My eyes clench closed. I’m on the verge of having a breakdown. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I try to hold back the sob that rattles in my chest. “I can’t lose you, Atlas.”
“Lose me?” he murmurs, tilting his head to look down at me. “Oh, Ali. You’ll never be rid of me. I’m trying to hold myself back from ripping those fae-fucks limb from limb and fucking you next to their still bleeding corpses.”
“Yeah?” I choke. It’s a terrible sound between a cough and a laugh.
My vision is blurry with tears as I look up into his dark eyes. I think this feeling is hope. I haven’t felt it in a long time, so it’s difficult to be sure.
“I told you,” he growls. “You’re fucking mine.”
I nod wildly, clutching at his shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”
“Enough,” he says, running his thumb over my jaw.
“You don’t think I know you? I spent three years getting you to say more than five words to me at a time.
” His soft smile is exceptionally dangerous to my aching heart.
“I don’t have to know what they did, because I know you .
You wouldn’t be so deep in hiding without good reason.
I know who you are in here.” He blows out a heavy breath as he lays a hand over my heart.
I’m still essentially hanging in the air while sitting on his knee.
“It makes it almost fucking impossible not to slaughter them.”
I shake my head. “Please don’t. They’re connected. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
I chuck myself at his massive chest and whimper as he wraps his forearm around my head. He could’ve easily kept me in place, but Atlas is tender with me in a way no one has ever been.
“Let’s go.” He lifts me until my legs wrap around his back. “I’ll take you home and get you settled into bed.”
“Your bed?” I tilt my head. He’s not going to drop me off and leave me alone, right?
“We learned that lesson the hard way,” he says, nodding his agreement. “Your bed isn’t made for my kind.”
A ragged breath shutters out of my chest as he hikes me higher, aiming for the back door the staff uses.
“The council will be crawling around this place within minutes. We should go out the front. The back is littered with wolf corpses.”
Atlas squeezes my ass. “You’ve been hiding a lot more than your marital status. I expect the truth about your magic when I ask.”
I jolt, clutching at him even more tightly. No one looks at me the same once they know what I can do. I create abominations. Creatures outside the laws of nature. I have no idea if it’s a gift or curse, but based on the way it’s torn apart my life...well, I have opinions, none of them positive.
“So,” Lena says, stepping into our path. She’s one of the bartenders for Venom. She’s beautiful and stacked with curves like most female siren. “There are a couple of fae at the bar who say they know you?”
“They’re acquaintances from many years ago.”
“I think it’s safe to say they have no human money...” Lena glances over her shoulder, back down the hallway.
“Keep them busy,” I say, offering a tight smile. “Drinks, company, a room. Whatever they want, put it on my tab.”
“Okay, great.” Lena beams, bouncing on her toes. “The soothsayer is kind of hot, but in that spoiled, rich dick kind of way.”
“Lena—” Atlas starts.
“Have fun,” I say, cutting him off. “Let’s get out of here.”
My orc frowns for several seconds, but he eventually nods his agreement. Tension sits heavy in my gut as we make it out of the front of the building.
I thought they might follow, but it’s a good thing they aren’t.
I don’t need to learn that lesson again. They want nothing to do with me, and the feeling is mutual.
It’s the bond that draws me to them and nothing more. There has to be some way to sever it. Maybe if I do, they’ll be happy enough they’ll leave me alone?
“I can practically feel your mind racing,” Atlas murmurs, nuzzling his cheek to the top of my head. “You’re not alone, and as long as I draw breath, you never will be.”
My eyes squeeze shut as I cuddle closer to his strong form. I honestly don’t know what I would do without him. He’s never once played games. He’s very much a “what you see is what you get” type of monster.
The terrifying part is that I know Hex and Silence won’t leave without a fight. They’ll want to drag me back and lock me up, or possibly put me to death for having magic that’s against the goddess.
What a nightmare.