Chapter 26 Elodie
TWENTY-SIX
ELODIE
My mind comes alive before my body, the dregs of sleep clinging to me accompanied by anything but comfort.
No, whatever it is I’m feeling is more sickly than that, coiling in my veins and trying to hold me hostage.
I become more alert as my mind fights against the sensation, but I stiffen the moment I recall the moments before I passed out.
Willow.
Wolf.
Syringe.
Holy crap. I’m too scared to open my eyes. She must have sedated me or something. Regardless, I’m sure I’ve managed to wind up contained again.
The secret is out. They know my magic is alive. Well, when it wants to be, but that doesn’t matter anymore. When Willow tore through my gloves, she sealed my fate.
No.
I did. Kael warned me she would try and get under my skin, and I thought I could handle it.
Apparently, I’m a little more sensitive than I care to admit.
Especially when it comes to the exposure of my insecurities.
I don’t care about the superficial shit.
Call me a whore, a bitch, a cunt; slurs don’t cut deep, but chip away at who I am, what I’ve experienced, and it seems I’ll go to war for myself.
Really, I should be proud that I stood up for myself like that, but now I have to face the consequences of my actions. Which means I need to harness the strength to open my eyes and face it head-on.
I consider whether I should feel around first, try to figure out where I am by touch alone, but the thought of someone watching me do that makes me quickly dismiss the idea. Instead, I count down from five, and on one, my eyelids ping open.
It takes a moment for my eyes to focus, but when they do, confusion washes over me as my eyebrows gather. I’m not caged, I’m not restrained, and I’m not at The Sanctum.
I’m in Thorne’s room.
The trinkets are precisely where they were the first time I was here—the only time, probably for good reason. My heart aches for his loss as I spy the smiles on his family’s faces.
Glancing down the length of myself, I find a band tee covering me.
It falls mid-thigh, and as I scoot up in bed, despite my groggy head, to lean back against the headboard, I notice that’s all I’m wearing.
Did I lose my clothes when I shifted? That answers the thought I had a while ago.
I’d rather this wasn’t how I found out, but I’m here nonetheless.
I push my tangled purple hair out of my face as the door opens, startling me.
“You’re awake,” he breathes, eyes raking over me as he tucks his hands into his pockets.
I clear my throat, nodding as I try to find the right words. “How am I even here?” I blurt when I can’t think of anything better to say, and he grimaces.
“I carried you.”
“As myself or…”
“As a wolf?” he clarifies, cocking a brow at me, and I nod. “You shifted back the moment the sedation kicked in,” he answers, making me frown.
“It doesn’t make sense. I was expecting to open my eyes and see The Sanctum again,” I admit, unsure whether that’s still going to happen or not.
He closes his bedroom door, moving farther into the room before he sits on the edge of the bed beside me. “I’m sorry I didn’t react quickly enough,” he murmurs, and I frown.
“Why are you apologizing?”
He sighs heavily, looking down at his hands in his lap before his onyx eyes find mine. “If I had interjected sooner, none of that would have happened. Especially the sedation.”
“That’s not on you,” I insist, shaking my head. “Besides, you don’t owe me anything.”
“Are you forgetting the fact that you saved me from the rebellion?” he quickly snaps back. The venom in his words isn’t aimed at me, but I can tell it runs deep.
“No, but I don’t expect anything. We helped each other in that moment,” I insist. “You more than made up for it when you helped me stay focused.”
“You mean letting you drive my car?” he mumbles, and I’m still unsure if he regrets that decision or not. God knows how much the detailing to clean the blood out of the seats will cost.
“That,” I confirm, a soft smile curling my lip for a moment before I remember why I’m here. “So, why am I not holed up at The Sanctum right now?” I ask, and he rolls his eyes.
“I cleared everyone’s memories. Except for Kael, Thorne, and Ocean, of course.”
“How?” No way could he have done that to so many people.
“Time and patience, but your secret is safe for a little longer.”
I almost extend my hand to squeeze his arm like I did with Ocean at the coffee shop, but I refrain, aware he spooks the closer I get. “Thank you,” I murmur, and he nods before standing, stuffing his hands back in his pockets as he rocks back on his heels.
“How long have I been out?” I dare to ask, noting the lack of sunlight peeking around the closed curtains, and he winces.
“Ten hours.”
“Ten!”
He rolls his eyes at my dramatics, but I can’t believe I’ve been out of it for so long. “You probably need to rest a little more.”
“I’m fine. Maybe I should go so you can rest. It sounds like you need it more than I do,” I insist, flicking the covers back so I can swing my legs over the side of the bed, but he’s towering over me before my feet can touch the floor.
“Stay.”
Peering up at him, I frown. “Last time I stayed too long, you ended up a tad insane. I’d rather not chance whatever kind of understanding we have going on right now, Thorne.”
“Just a little longer, Echo,” he breathes, making my brows pinch even tighter.
“Why do you call me that?” I whisper, and he shakes his head, taking a step back as he rakes his fingers through his hair.
I can sense the shift in the air before I see it in his eyes. “You’re right, maybe you should go.”
The rejection stings more than I care to admit. He saved me from The Sanctum, used so much of his magic to do so, yet I ask anything personal, and he shuts down, even when it involves me.
My chin dips to my chest as I exhale, defeated.
I keep my gaze locked on the floor as I stand, bypassing him as I head for the door.
I wrap my hand around the handle, praying for him to call my name and make me stop, but it doesn’t come.
Instead, I trudge through the surprisingly empty dorm, no Kael or Rion in sight, and open the next obstacle in my way.
“Echo.”
I have one foot in the room, the other in the hallway. I consider pretending I didn’t hear him and charge for my room. It’s the safest option, but the curiosity inside of me rears its head, setting me up for failure as always.
My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I peer over my shoulder at him.
“Close the door on the way out,” he murmurs from his spot in the doorway to his room. When the door clicks shut, the sound echoing around the room, the wood doesn’t stand between us, but the distance remains.
I’m like a whimsical little bunny rabbit chasing the carrot to my demise.
Using the door to prop myself up, I blink at him expectantly. I’m sure he’s not going to move, that he’s going to bellow for me to get the hell out, and when my fingers glide across the wood, doubt creeping in, I’m ready to do just that when he moves.
His steps are measured as he prowls toward me, his gaze fixed on mine as he eliminates the distance between us. By the time he’s standing in front of me, I’m trembling with my breath lodged in my throat while my heart races so fast I’m certain I’m dying.
He towers over me as he reaches for my face, running the side of his finger across my skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake. We were standing just like this on the beach when the moment was shattered by the rebellion, but there’s a chance we can make up for it now.
I want to.
I need to.
But as he leans in close, the tip of his nose brushing mine, I watch as darkness creeps into his already pitch-black eyes. “Our magic doesn’t mix. Do you remember that?” he asks, and I frown, recalling the moment he’s referring to, but it feels hazy now.
Instead of agreeing, I shake my head, uncertainty warring inside of me as he sighs. “Whatever this may be, Echo, it’s not. It can’t be.”
“Why?” I rasp, even though I’m too scared to hear the answer, but he seems desperate to share it.
“Because my family was slaughtered by scythes.”