Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
brAUM
“ E verly!” I bellow as I throw open the door to the suite.
There’s a yelp of surprise as I enter. I follow the sound with my eyes, half expecting it to be coming from Rowan’s room only to find the woman in question in the far corner of the suite, trapped in his birdcage.
“What the fuck?” I demand as I hurry over to her, too busy with my racing thoughts to give much more energy to wondering what Rowan was thinking when he put her in here.
She lets out a sigh of relief as I reach for the door. “Oh, thank god you’re here! Rowan left me here again today while he went to his classes. I need to?—”
“Where is it?” I demand, cutting her off with a snarl.
I reach to open the door only to realize Rowan’s padlocked the damn thing shut. I slam my hand against the bars in frustration then turn to look around the suite. Where’s the damn key?
“W-where’s what?” she stammers nervously.
There’s no key in sight. My heart rate, already too fast for comfort, skyrockets as I realize I might not be able to get her out and get my universe back until Rowan returns. Who knows when that will be. I whip around to glare at the little thief.
“ The Universe !” I yell. “Where the fuck is It, Everly?! You stole It from me! I know you did. Now give it back!”
My hands slam against the gold bars, nearly tipping the whole thing back. Everly cries out in surprise. It’s not like me to lose my shit like this. If my dad could see me now, he’d be appalled. In the back of my head, I can almost hear his disappointed tsk.
Leaning away from me, Everly shakes her head quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Braum.”
“YOU’RE A LIAR!” Spit goes flying as I yell. I try shaking the bars. When that doesn’t do anything, I stupidly attempt to yank them apart. The gold bars don’t budge. I let go, only to pin them with a furious glare.
“Braum…” Everly starts slowly.
My head jerks up in frustration, and our eyes meet.
Her large hazel ones stare back at me, wide and full of wariness. I’m about to order her to give me back the universe again, but then I see something that gives me pause.
There, in the beautiful depths of her eyes, are shimmering, brightly colored embers.
Upon closer inspection, the iridescent colors aren’t just in her eyes but dance around the edges too.
The longer I stare, the more they appear.
They hover over the skin of her cheeks and neck.
My gaze travels over her body as more embers appear.
Reds, greens, blues, yellows, oranges, and purples…
they dance, burst like fireworks, and vibrate over her body.
The Universe is inside her, thriving .
“No way…” I gape at her, both horrified and awed. Leaning forward, I attempt to take a better look.
As I do, I can hear It. Its whisper comes from beneath her skin, so soft it’s no wonder I hadn’t heard It since the night of her initiation.
I’d been standing right there with her, trying not to freak out in front of everyone.
So caught up in my own head, I didn’t realize The Universe had been shimmering right in front of me.
Now, in the silence of the room, The Universe speaks and I can almost hear it.
“Braum…?”
I lunge for Everly through the bars of the cage, driven by panic and desperation. “GIVE ME THE UNIVERSE BACK. IT DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU!”
Everly screeches. Her hands slap against mine as she tries to fight back. “Cut it out! Braum, stop!”
Reaching out, I catch hold of the collar of the button-up white shirt she’s wearing and yank Everly forward by the neck. Her hiss of pain is what stops me. Or rather, it’s the sudden large flecks of ember that turn red and explode over her skin that appear right after that gives me pause.
The Universe is angry. Instantly, I let her go.
How the hell am I going to get her out of there? I have to get The Universe back, and it won’t happen if she’s out of arm’s reach. She says something to me, but I ignore Everly and storm back toward the door. I open, and leave her in the suite.
I’m back six minutes later with a pair of bolt cutters thanks to security. They didn’t even question my need for them. Just one of the many perks of being a Milligan.
I storm over to Everly, bring the bolt cutters up, and snap the small padlock like it’s a twig.
“Braum, wait, what are you about to?—”
I toss the tool aside, yank open the door, and grab her arm to pull her out. She topples out onto the ground, and the embers around her twinkle with different colors once more.
“Don’t get excited yet,” I tell The Universe as It celebrates Its release. “I still got to get you out of her.”
Everly scrambles to her feet, her hair falling over one shoulder as she does. That’s when I see the bandage.
“What happened there?” I demand as she straightens and takes a few steps away from me. “What’s on your neck?”
“Your crazy-ass friend branded me two nights ago,” she huffs. “I didn’t realize our agreement would extend to body mutilation, Braum, or I would’ve told you it was off the table!”
I scowl. “It doesn’t! He doesn’t get to mark you up to prove he owns you. I’ll talk to him. Now,” I hold out my hand. “Give me back The Universe.”
Everly glares at my face, then at my palm, then turns her body away and crosses her arms over chest.
“No.”
No ? No one ever tells me no. I’m going to strip The Universe out of Everly, then I’m going to strangle the defiance from her body.
“What the fuck do you mean, no?” I ask sharply. “It’s not yours!”
“Apparently, it is now.”
I take a step toward her. I don’t even think she realizes when the embers dancing around her turn red once more. My next step freezes in the air. What the fuck? Is The Universe warning me away from her?
I gape at her and It before demanding, “Give. It. Back.”
“Fine,” Everly concedes. She sighs dramatically as she turns to face me again. “But on one condition.”
“You’re not in the position to negotiate,” I tell her through clenched teeth. The Universe twinkles around her, all fun bright colors once more. Fuck, what is It saying to her? Is she even listening to Its secrets?
She tilts her chin in defiance. A bold move that is immediately muffled by her inability to hold my gaze.
“You want something, I have it. What I think you meant is you’re not in a position to negotiate.”
She’s not wrong. My hands curl into fists at my side as I glare at her. “Fine, what do you want?”
“I want free rein to be able to seek out and speak to Maverick,” she says quickly. Too quickly. Damn it, she’s been holding The Universe the whole time, knowing I’d come looking for It, and she’s prepared accordingly.
I shake my head. “No. No member of my court is allowed to interact with those outside it. Especially not with him.”
“But I’m not a member of your court. I’m royalty, I’m above the court. A queen, right?” Everly points out. There’s a light tilt to her words, as if she wants them to come out mocking but is too chicken shit to commit to it.
“Vick doesn’t get near you!” I bellow. “You’re mine and Rowan’s, not his!”
She glares but declares in an even voice, “I belong to no one . I’m my own person, Braum. And the whole point of me being here is to break Maverick out, not to stay. I need to coordinate?—”
“YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!”
I’m screaming. I’m aware of it, I hear it, but for the life of me I can’t control the panic rising up at the thought of Everly leaving. This isn’t even completely about her carrying the universe inside her, though it’s a big part.
It brought her to me because she’s important . I don’t know how or why, but that much I know for certain. Losing a gift like this from the universe would come with costs too high to pay.
“You might possess The Universe, but I control you ,” I hiss, waving around us.
“It’s you and me until the end of time. When we die, I’ll make sure our corpses rot and become maggot infested together in one coffin.
The very matter that makes up both of us will be so finely intertwined that when they find our remains hundreds of years from now, they won’t know what’s you or what’s me.
You’re mine, Everly. The universe has spoken, and that’s final. ”
She gasps, surprised by the vehemence in my voice and the truth she hears ringing in it.
“What about our deal?” she demands haughtily.
“The one where I send you scurrying on your way if you don’t abide by the rules I’ve put in place?
” I grin darkly at her. “It still applies. I’ll send you packing.
Then I’ll use all my resources to have you found, dragged back here, taken into the deepest, darkest pit that Serenity Falls has, and have you locked away in it.
I won’t even tell Rowan where you are. I’ll be your only visitor.
It’ll just be you and me, forever trapped in a dark, damp place where no one and nothing can truly thrive. Want to test me? Go for it.”
Everly’s mouth pops open. It’s not her horrified expression that makes me instantly regret the words, though.
It’s the way The Universe riots in response to the threat. The air around her shimmers and crackles, the red embers light up brighter than I’ve ever seen them. The objection by The Universe is loud and clear.
Damn it. I won’t be able to follow through on my threat. Luckily, Everly doesn’t seem to notice The Universe’s response because she continues to look utterly terrified of me. Swallowing down the desire to flex my power, I decide to take a more diplomatic approach to the situation.
“ However , I suppose I can be reasonable,” I say through gritted teeth.
“If Vick comes in search of you , I won’t prevent him from speaking to you for a few minutes.
It doesn’t count, however, if he comes here.
Patients that live in Sortage Resident Hall aren’t allowed within the walls of the Barrington Regal House. ”
Everly crosses her arms over her chest as her eyes narrow. “Fine, but if he wants to talk, we get privacy to do so.”
The embers dancing on her skin turn multicolored once more and then grow bright. This must be Its approval of this arrangement.
“Fine.” My hands curl into fists. “Are you satisfied now?”
She shrugs. “I suppose asking that my body not be used for your pleasure is off the table? I could show my gratitude?—”
“ NO .” In this, I won’t negotiate.
Everly pouts. “Fine.”
I stalk forward with my hand out, stopping only when I’m directly in front of her. “Give me what I want.”
She lets out a soft sigh before she reaches up and slaps my palm lightly with her own. “There, it’s yours.”
For a suspended moment, I stand there and just gape. Is she truly this naive? Or is she fucking with me? All the tension, anxiety, panic, and helplessness that’s been boiling up inside me for days merges, morphing into fury unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.
“Do you think this is a joke, Everly?” I snarl. “Because I’m not laughing. Give. It. Back.”
“I-I don’t know how to give it back!” she squeaks, her beautiful eyes widening in alarm once more. “Just take it!”
I laugh. The sound is dark and full of deadly promise.
Reaching out, I grab her arm and yank her close so I can bend down into her face. “If I have to go get a scalpel to cut through and peel back your skin to claim my birthright, I will. Let’s hope for your sake it won’t come to that. ”
I’d patch her up, of course.
But I’d also make sure to leave scars—a permanent reminder on her skin to prove I’ll do whatever it takes to keep what’s mine.
Maybe Rowan had a point with the branding after all.