Chapter 25 Elodie
ELODIE
Exhaustion clings to every fiber of my being, but I race up the stairs, using all of my energy to put one foot in front of the other as Thorne remains a few steps behind, infusing his magic into the door to protect us from the other institutes.
We technically passed the game, but The Sanctum is nowhere nearby to confirm if we made it through to the final round. At this stage, does it even matter?
Toman is dead, so is Walker, while Jude has made a run for it.
The entire place is carnage, nothing but rain clouds and despair. There’s no sanctuary here now. There’s only pain and terror, but the question is… at whose hands? Jude or The Sanctum, the options are open for anyone.
The games may be complete, and Jude may have retreated, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe. As much as we’re all here, it’s not without loss. More than that, we have no clue about Kael.
My stomach feels heavy at that fact, especially since he didn’t show up with Jude as I had hoped.
Every plan we make, every step we map out, brings us to another dead end. It feels impossible to cling to hope.
I sigh with relief as we make it to the fourth floor, no interruptions on the way, and Rion reaches their dorm room door first. I’m ready to collapse as he reaches for the handle, but before he can wrap his fingers around the metal, he pauses, gaping in disbelief as it turns on its own.
Instinctively, Rion shoves me behind him, shielding me as the door slowly swings open.
I don’t have any supernatural hearing, but even I can hear the pounding of Rion’s heart as he stills, his muscles tense before melting into nothing. There’s no chance to ask what’s going on before he takes a step to the side, clearing my view so I can see for myself.
My gaze collides with the last person in the world I was expecting to see, and I sway on the spot.
“What’s the hold—what the fuck?” Thorne blurts, rejoining us as he takes in the sight before him, in just as much disbelief as I am.
A sob tears from my chest as I move, launching myself at him. Curling my arms tightly around his neck, I inhale his familiar scent.
“Kael.”
He holds me just as tight, clearing my feet off the floor as he bands his arms around my middle, pinning me to his chest.
“Hey, Elodie,” he whispers, offering one of the warmest embraces I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience.
“How are you here right now?” I breathe, my fingers curling into the fabric of his t-shirt.
“Let me get you inside first, okay?” He moves without waiting for an answer, his hold tightening, and I relish in it, in him.
I hear the door click shut behind us, but I’m too caught up in the way he relaxes, slowly running his hand up and down my spine as I cling to him, too scared to let go in case he’s not real.
“It’s good to see you, man,” Rion murmurs, patting him on the back as he offers me a wink.
“It really is,” Thorne adds, and Kael exhales, a hint of relief in the air.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am. I even missed the psychotic witch,” he offers, squeezing me a little harder for a brief moment before he relaxes his hold. I take the nudge and do the same, but my hands linger on his shoulders as he lowers me to the floor.
“Right back at you, Vamp,” Ocean murmurs as a calmness settles over the room.
Blinking up at him, I take him in. Every single inch of him. His eyes are heavy, like he hasn’t slept at all since he left, but the way his muscles remain bunched around his neck leaves me worried.
“There’s a lot to catch up on,” Thorne mutters, and Kael nods, taking a deep breath as his hands drop to his sides, but before he can speak, I step back and nod at him.
“You go first.” He scrubs a hand down his face, and I can’t decide if he’s happy to start or not. “Start from the beginning, don’t leave anything out,” I add, desperate to hear every single thing as his eyebrows crinkle with concern.
“Do we have time for that?” He directs the question to Thorne, who nods in response.
“We’re safe in here.”
Kael pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths before he stands tall.
“He’s imprisoning so many people, but you know that already,” he starts, waving a hand at me.
“I just wasn’t anticipating that many people in one room.
And even more, I’m still racking my brain over the fact that Jenkins was there. ” His eyes widen as they settle on me.
Understanding quickly washes over me as I recall that name. “Your cellmate before me?” I clarify, and he nods as my chest tightens. Those days trapped in that damn room feel like another lifetime ago.
“The things those people can do…” he murmurs, pulling me from my thoughts as he shakes his head. “Like the girl sitting beside Jenkins, the breathing lie detector…” he adds, and Ocean gasps as Rion’s mouth sets in a thin line.
“He knew straight away,” my wolf confirms, earning another nod from Kael, who squints at his friend.
“Do you need me to wait a second so you can get dressed?” he offers, waving a hand at Rion, who swiftly waves him off.
“It’s only an issue if you’re looking,” he scoffs in response, making Ocean snicker as he looks up at the ceiling.
“Aren’t you bothered that he’s butt naked in the same room as your friend?” Kael asks, turning to me for an answer, and I shrug.
“My best friend just killed Drayker to save him. Then she helped take down some witchy asshole who was hurting him. He’s standing in this room right now because of her, and I’m not about to make it any more awkward than it has to be.”
“Well, thank you for the praise, Elodie, but I don’t deserve it. I was only there to assist you. Regardless, I have no interest in looking at his little weiner,” Ocean says with a snicker, winking at me as Rion gasps, his usual sassy self.
“Elodie, make her look to prove her wrong,” Rion insists, and I grin.
“I know the truth, that’s all that matters.”
He beams at that, tossing me a wink from his spot on the other side of Kael. “See, that’s why I love you.”
“He loves you?” Ocean blurts, and I roll my eyes, but before I can say a word, Rion beats me to it.
“She loves me too. She loves all of us, she’s just dealing with it slowly because those are some big feelings, and sometimes it takes a moment to adjust.”
He states it so matter of factly that I feel my cheeks heat. I neither confirm nor deny as I clear my throat and redirect the topic back to what’s important right now.
“So, Jude knew?”
The air remains light, but the humor is gone.
“He did, but he didn’t make that fact known to me before making me…”
The lightness disappears at his unspoken words, replaced with the sickly torture of pain as Kael runs a hand through his hair.
“It’s okay, Kael,” I breathe, instinctively reaching for him, and he gives me a tight smile.
“It is now that I know you’re okay.” He places his hand on top of mine and we take a moment to breathe each other in, confirming that we’re all back in the same room again.
“How did you get out?” Ocean asks, and I nod eagerly for the answer.
The soft smile on his lips grows as he keeps his eyes fixed on mine. “How did we get out, you mean?”
I gasp, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I read between the lines. “You mean…”
“They’re not here, but your parents are safe, along with the others.”
I feel lightheaded as I gape at him. “How?”
“Rory.”
“The demi-demon?” Rion clarifies, and Kael nods.
“A demi-demon?” I repeat, oblivious to what or who they’re actually talking about.
“It’s a human shapeshifter that turns into a scary demon with horns and a tail,” Rion explains, and a flashback consumes my thoughts for a moment until I shake my head, refocusing on the present.
“Does he happen to wear a brown leather jacket?” I ask, wrapping my arms around my middle to hide the tremble in my hands as Kael rears back.
“You’ve met him?”
I purse my lips. “He dangled me out of a floating room when I was first captured,” I grunt, and Rion snarls.
“I’ll kill him.”
It’s a promise I know he would follow through on. Kael too it seems, as he lifts his hands, nodding in agreement.
“Let’s make sure everyone is safe first,” he soothes, softening the gnawing panic in my chest.
“Where are they?” I ask, and he grimaces.
“I don’t know. I’m waiting on communication, but they’re safe. I know it.”
“And we can trust him?” Thorne asks, and Kael nods again.
Despite the memory of my limited interactions with the guy, I feel a sense of relief flooding through my veins. I trust Kael’s words, especially with the Veilstone still in place. He would never risk harming me, with or without it.
Kael clears his throat and nods at the state of us. “What happened here?” he asks, and we quickly catch him up to speed on the deaths, the bounty on my head, and the carnage consuming The Vale, along with the scythe vault in the attic and everything we did to get into it.
He remains silent, absorbing every word until there’s nothing left to say. When I exhale, certain I’ve left no stone unturned, he cuts the distance toward me, wrapping me in his embrace once again.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he rasps, and I squeeze him.
“You were still helping, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you risked,” I insist, and he smiles down at me as he takes a step back.
“I can’t believe Walker’s dead. He was almost starting to grow on me,” he mumbles, and Rion scoffs.
“Are you forgetting the fact that he hurt her?” he asks, pointing a finger at me, and I can’t help but feel like none of that matters now. Not when I’m in a room full of people I truly believe are my family, my home, my safety.
Clearing my throat, I offer a sad smile. “He died for us. He made mistakes along the way, we all do, but I wouldn’t change any of it because I’m right where I want to be,” I state, letting an air of calm silence drift through the room.