Chapter 24 Kael
TWENTY-FOUR
KAEL
The blade clatters to the floor as I step back, staring intently at my handiwork, but even as my chest heaves, it does nothing to ease the tension burning deep inside of me.
I’ve been down here since midnight, considering my life choices while also considering whether I’ve ever made one for me, or if they’ve all been decided when my back has been pressed against the wall.
Surviving is a sport, one I have no genuine interest in participating in, yet I find myself as a team captain again and again.
It’s tiresome.
But this is the hand I’ve been dealt, and I’ll be damned if I fail.
The glint of the knife on the floor entices me, but I stop myself from reaching for it. I definitely can’t lay a hand on this motherfucker right now. One more slice and he’s dead. I need Thorne to come and do his thing, but he’s not here, and neither is she.
Elodie Blackwood.
The reason I’m still alive and the whole cause of the webs I find myself tangled in.
I hate her and all of the trouble she comes with. Except the man unconscious before me. He’s served as a great punching bag so far, and it’s been useful, therapeutic really.
I hate how she gets under my skin, I hate the fact that she makes me doubt my decisiveness, and I hate the way I find myself doing the unthinkable… caring.
It’s unbearably exhausting, and after last night, I really wish I didn’t.
It beckons me closer again, but before I do something beyond reckless, I turn for the door, locking it behind me as I charge up the steep stairs two at a time.
The mid-afternoon air does nothing to cool the rage inside me, but it has the ability to highlight the violent spree I’ve been on.
I need to shower, then I need to speak to Elodie.
I make it to my room without interruption and quickly slip into my ensuite. Shaking out of my clothes, I turn on the shower and step under the fresh spray before it has the chance to warm up. I find it grounding, and it’s exactly what I need right now.
Reaching for my shower gel, I get to work, meticulously cleaning my body as I recall last night in my mind.
The Hut is the hot place to be after the mayhem that was the first institute game, and the second the door swung open, my eyes latched on to the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Elodie.
She might drive me insane, but tonight, just like the last time I was at The Hut, I give myself the freedom to forget everything else going on and focus on her.
Two steps over the threshold, my sights set on my plan for the evening, and a hand lands on my shoulder.
The sickly sweet scent that wraps around me leaves me queasy and I know who it is without looking.
Fucking Willow. Her lips brush against my ear as she lifts on her tiptoes, but any chance of pushing her away is gone when she starts to speak.
“Baby, my mother wants to see you. Now.”
I can sense the distance growing between Elodie and me, but there’s nothing I can do about it. This is the game I have to play. Passing on an order to Rion, I waste no time getting the hell out of there, only to find Willow trailing along beside me.
“You can fuck off now,” I grunt, and she sighs, rolling her eyes at me.
“You could at least pretend to act like you’ve ever cared about me,” she grumbles, and I scoff, wiping a hand down my face as I try to keep my composure. Dealing with her shit on top of everything else might just be the thing to tip me over the edge.
Thankfully, she continues to pout as we cut toward the academic building, and the second we’re inside, I see a member of The Sanctum’s security waiting by the first door on the left.
Here goes nothing.
Sauntering inside, I stifle the grin on my lips at the sound of Willow being stopped in the hallway, her fussing growing louder and louder with FOMO as I stare off with her mother. She’s not alone, though. That’s a surprise. She’s standing side by side with the rest of The Sanctum.
“What’s going on?” I ask, keeping my hands at my sides as I meet each of their stares, but nothing is said as Anya hurries to the door with a huff to silence her daughter.
Leaning back against the closest desk, I tap my foot impatiently as they make no effort to get on with the matter with one of them absent. Thankfully, Willow’s whining quickly dwindles and Anya returns, closing the door behind her.
“Why am I here?” I ask, and Cordelia sighs, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“You don’t seem to be following through on your end of the bargain,” she states, and I frown.
“And what might that be?” I want clarification, but we all know they’re talking about Elodie.
“The information you have to offer on Miss Elodie Blackwood has trickled down to nothing,” Saken states, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he stares through narrowed eyes at me.
“And we feel it may be more beneficial to offer someone else a deal to get what we want from the magical runt in question,” Anya adds, and I scoff.
“And who might that be?” The look in her eyes gives me the answer I’m searching for, and I scoff. “Willow? You are aware Elodie is never going to trust someone like Willow to let them see anything that might make her vulnerable, right?”
“It’s not about her being vulnerable or not; it’s about seeing results, and we’re wasting time doing things this way. Maybe she needs a little provocation to force her magic to come to life.”
I glance at the other Sanctum members to see that the look of insistence doesn’t resonate in all of them.
“Is this what you want?” I ask, locking eyes with Rikard, and he shrugs.
“We want answers, we want results, and we don’t have time to waste,” he replies, and I frown.
“What’s the sudden hurry?”
Silence descends over the room, making it clear no one is going to offer me the truth. Instead, Anya sighs, folding her arms over her chest. “We all know my way is the best way,” she insists, and my stomach clenches with worry.
“If there were anything to report, you would have it,” I grunt, and Cordelia shakes her head.
“I say we offer a time constraint before we let Willow have a try. All in favor?” she asks, and everyone but Anya lifts their hand. Instead, she somehow manages to glare even harder at me.
Saken claps his hands together. “You have seventy-two hours to give us something to work with.”
With that statement, the five of them vanish. There’s no explanation of what will happen if I don’t, but my gut tells me I already know the answer. We’re all pawns in their game, and if we don’t make the moves they want, they’re more than willing to eliminate us from the board altogether.
I’ve been hiding ever since, unsure what my next move should be, while simultaneously wasting the little time I’ve got.
I’m fucked. That’s the truth. Because every option that gets me what I want snatches everything away from Elodie, and vice versa.
I can’t find a middle ground that benefits us both and leaves her none the wiser, but it seems she’s happy to keep me at arm’s length in comparison to Rion.
I can’t ask for his help, though. He would have my fucking head.
Tilting my head back, I let the water wash over me before I shut the shower off and reach for a towel.
Striding into my bedroom, I slump on the side of my bed, head in my hands as I consider my options, falling short once again when the sound of my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand draws me from my thoughts.
I tilt my head toward the distraction. I haven’t dared to look at it since Thorne made Rion and me aware he would be preoccupied for the day with Elodie.
It doesn’t make sense; his sudden interest in her is utterly baffling, but I’ve been too caught in her orbit myself to have the balls to say anything about it. Reaching for the device, my brows furrow when the shadow fae’s name flashes across the screen.
Thorne: SOS.
Thorne: Portal.
Thorne: Now.
The messages came through in quick succession, each making my heart race faster as I launch to my feet, quickly dressing in fresh clothes as a knock comes from my bedroom door. There is barely a pause, not even a second for me to answer, before Rion’s face appears.
“We need to go,” he rushes, and I nod, slipping my feet into my black boots by the door, neglecting the laces as I follow him through the dorm and down the stairs of Institute Thirteen.
Everything moves in a blur, our enhanced speed allowing us to eliminate the distance quicker than most, until we come to a stop at the vehicle portal.
“What do you think is wrong?” Rion asks, hands on his hips as he nods at the offending wall, but there’s no time to answer before Thorne’s flashy black Corvette appears, screeching to a halt a few meters away.
“Dibs on shotgun,” Rion hollers, jogging to the passenger side for Elodie, but as I move toward the driver’s side and the doors rise, I find the woman in question behind the steering wheel.
“What the hell? This is bullshit! You never let me drive,” Rion grunts, glaring at our friend while I blink at the girl drenched in blood.
The stark look in her eyes tells me it isn’t hers, and the way her eyes crinkle confirms her magic has made an appearance again, which doesn’t make sense. I thought they were enjoying the day in the human world.
I want to understand, I need to know more, but none of that matters more than the girl in front of me.
One thing is for sure: she’s in shock. Her fingers are still curled around the steering wheel, her knuckles white, and she makes no effort to move. Running my hands over my jeans, I lean closer, cupping her cheek as I stare deep into her eyes, but she’s not fully there. Not yet.
“I’ve got you,” I breathe, slowly prying her hands from the wheel, which she allows me to do, before slowly placing her hands in her lap. She still sits ramrod straight, so I tuck one hand beneath her legs and secure the other around her back, tugging her against my chest in one swift move.
Her arms band tight around my neck, making my breath stutter as I turn to Thorne.
All he does is shake his head, his message clear.
We’ll talk back in the room. Rion climbs into the passenger seat as Thorne rounds the hood of his car, taking the now-vacant spot, while I turn for Thirteen, Elodie secure in my hold.
I move as fast as I can without distressing her, which is difficult to guess because she clings to me like her life depends on it. Managing to take the stairs of Institute Thirteen two at a time, I barge into our room to find the other two waiting patiently.
Rion’s managed to get his hands on some fresh towels, while Thorne has a bottle of water in one hand and a can of soda in the other.
I attempt to place her down on the sofa, but it’s clear she’s not going to slacken her hold just yet, so I relent, taking a seat myself while keeping her in my lap.
She seems to approve of the move as she nestles into my chest, taking the bottle of water from Thorne’s outstretched hand.
“Someone better start talking… now,” I snap, my fingers curling around Elodie’s leg as adrenaline floods my system.
“Rebels,” Thorne grunts, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“How?” They were barely out. There’s no way in Hell the rebellion was on them that quickly.
“They were just… there,” Elodie whispers, clearly still working through whatever they’ve dealt with. Glancing at Thorne, he sighs, aware that I’m going to need more than that.
“We were down the coast. We got dogs from Bettie’s and were on the beach watching the waves. We can’t have been out of the car for more than twenty minutes,” he explains, and I shake my head in disbelief.
Twenty minutes is no time at all when it comes to the rebellion. Sometimes they don’t even need two.
“What happened when they showed up?” Rion asks when the rest of us fall silent. He leans on the arm of the sofa, his fingers twitching to reach for Elodie, but I keep her snuggled against me.
“There were eight of them, at least two were vampires. Elodie siphoned one of them, but the leader managed to catch me off guard,” Thorne states, and the way his eyebrows gather confirms precisely how they were able to make that happen.
Elodie.
“It was insane,” she breathes, playing with the label on the water bottle, and Rion hums in acknowledgment.
“You’re here now, Petal. That’s all that matters,” Rion confirms, and she offers him a weak smile.
“Yeah.”
“Were there any clues as to who their leader was?” I ask, knowing the chances are slim, and Elodie shudders before she sits taller in my lap.
“No, but he said something I’ve only ever heard one place before, and my gut says it doesn’t bode well for me,” she admits, and my stomach twists.
“What?” Rion asks softly, and she takes a deep breath before her lips part.
“Power is forged in ruin.”
Fuck.
“That’s what…”
“The asshole said when he returned me to Institute Thirteen,” Elodie finishes, making my blood run cold. “What now?” she asks without missing a beat, confirming she’s a little more present now than she was, and my fingers flex at her waist.
“There’s nothing we can do. Rebellions are everywhere. Maybe we stay inside The Vale for the foreseeable future and have each other’s backs,” Rion murmurs, and Elodie nods in agreement.
All I can do is stare at her. Seeing her covered in blood is like a dream straight from someone else’s nightmare, but my need to devour her is greater now than ever before. And it’s not even just because of the blood, but because of how it got there.
She fought. She adapted. She survived.
Hats off to that.
And maybe everything happens for a reason, and maybe this is the push I need to save not just myself, but both of us. There’s only going to be one way to find out.