17. Barrett
BARRETT
T halia was once a captive of The Pits, had been taken as a child.
Something felt so profoundly wrong in that knowledge, as if a part of me couldn’t bear the thought of it. I couldn’t…but why? I barely knew the female.
Leather hissed as I slid my dagger into a sheath before buckling the holster of my short sword around my hips. The flame smoldered in my veins in quiet anticipation, as if it too was eager to get into this place, to destroy it.
She wanted it burned to the ground. I could see to that.
I shook my head, pulling myself from the strange thought. She was bonded and clearly didn’t like me, so why did I care? It wasn’t like I felt any affection for her. It wasn’t as if we were friends.
Forcing the thought down, I checked the clasp of Cali’s bracelet to ensure it was secured. I couldn’t bring myself to leave it behind, couldn’t bear the thought of ever being separated from it again.
“Just wait a little bit longer, Cali. As soon as I take care of this, I promise, I’ll make Atticus and Jissena pay,” I whispered, running my fingers against the delicate gold before tucking it under the sleeve of my Elythian leathers.
The sun was disappearing behind the tops of the mountains surrounding the valley as I stepped into the keep, finding myself amidst a several other warriors all geared up, as ready for a fight as I was.
I hadn’t seen Micah or Thalia since the briefing.
He hadn’t looked too thrilled about her coming, but given what I knew now, I couldn’t say I blamed him for never wanting her to have to set foot in that place again.
I shook my head. It wasn’t my business whether she came along or stayed behind.
Whether she got the retribution she deserved.
Fuck, I’d spent far too much time with Lucia, was starting to care too much.
“Barrett!” Lucia called, gesturing me to her side. “You’re on my team.”
Damien approached from behind her, and the flames within me recoiled.
“Damien,” he said by way of introduction, holding out his hand. I eyed him before taking his hand to shake, and his voice lowered. “I apologize for everything that happened to you. I swear, if I could’ve, I would have done something that day. Atticus was smart in his approach.”
I didn’t respond.
“We’re working hard getting everything we need to bring Atticus and Jissena to justice,” he added, glancing at Lucia, who offered him a warm smile.
“We’ll see,” I said, still unsure how we could when Atticus had exploited the laws so skillfully as to climb the ranks to Kyrios in only a few months. Regardless, they would either be put in chains or I would put them in the ground myself.
Damien grasped my arm, forcing my attention back to him. His tone shifted, his voice dipping lower. “I’m trusting you to look out for her in there.”
Lucia rolled her eyes. “We’ll be all right, mea sol .”
“I want to know someone has your back when I’m not there,” he said without taking his eyes off me. “If she trusts you, I trust you.”
“I’ve got her.”
He nodded, giving me an appreciative smile before turning to the others, lost conversation.
“There you are,” Micah said, and I glanced over my shoulder to find him and Thalia slipping through the crowd toward us.
The sight of Thalia was like a punch to the gut, her cornsilk hair pulled back in a braid, her body clad in black leather, armed to the teeth with daggers.
“No short sword?” I asked, arching a brow, trying not to focus on every dip and curve of her body .
She’s your friend’s fucking bonded. Friend… Fuck. Was that what Micah was becoming? Gods, I was getting soft.
Thalia crossed her arms, responding with a deadpan look.
“Can’t believe you’re making me stay behind for this.” I turned to find a male come to a stop at Lucia’s side. I’d seen him around the training yard. He was big—not tall, but strong and, from the scent of sage and pine, I assumed he was a shifter.
“Who else could I trust to hold this place together while we’re gone?” Lucia said, turning to him.
His pale green eyes flitted to me briefly, something like distrust flickering within them before he muttered to Lucia, “You’re seriously going to trust this guy to be on your team? Why not someone else? Put him on anoth?—”
“Zephyr,” Lucia said, her voice soft and even. “We’ll be all right. Barrett is a good person. I trust him to do what I need him to. He will come through for me when things go south.”
Something stirred deep within me at her words, something I’d been shoving down since she’d dragged me out of that cell.
“So you say, but how can you be sure?” he retorted.
Lucia planted a hand on her hip. “Have I been wrong about a person before?”
Zephyr let out a sigh and grabbed the back of Lucia’s neck to pull her closer to him, pressing his forehead to hers. “Gods, there’s never any talking to you once you’ve made up your mind. Just come back to me in one piece. Don’t make me lose you a second time.”
“Calm down, big brother . We’ve all got her back,” Thalia assured him.
“I’ll kick your ass if she comes back hurt,” Zephyr said, pinning me with a glare that burned with promise. A part of me relished the threat.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Care to test that theory now, big bro ?”
“All right, that’s enough, you two,” Lucia said, shoving at Zephyr’s big frame. “This isn’t about me or you. It’s about the prisoners.”
He seemed to soften in response, and he pressed his finger to her forehead. “And I know you’ll get them out. Stop making that face, or you’ll get permanent wrinkles.”
Lucia’s shoulders sagged, and she rolled her eyes as he left us to stand at Damien’s side at the head of the room.
“Thalia, you and Micah are with Damien,” Lucia said before she turned to me, gesturing to a male standing next to her, his pale blond hair cut short along his skull, his pewter eyes lifting to mine. “Barrett, this is Marcus. He’s with us.”
“Pleasure,” he said, holding his hand out.
“Delighted,” I said flatly, shaking his hand. Fuck all these pleasantries .
“Attention!” Damien called out, and the room quieted, warriors straightening, their arms folding behind their backs.
I crossed my arms as Zephyr checked roll to ensure everyone had arrived, followed closely by Damien calling out orders and finalizing assignments.
“Is your brother always this pleasant?” I whispered to Lucia.
The corner of her lips kicked up into a half smile. “He’ll warm up to you.”
I huffed a laugh. “I doubt that.”
“Have you ever been to Selene’s temple?” Micah whispered, cutting into our conversation.
“Nope,” I said, popping the ‘P.’ “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to meet me, though.”
Micah stifled a laugh, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Thalia’s attention solely focused on Damien, on every word he spoke as he gave the latest update from the team scouting The Pits. Guards had been spotted on the wall, more than before, but they still had no knowledge of any captives.
Thalia’s eyes hardened and her hands tightened into fists. Micah took her hand and whispered something into her ear. She nodded, her expression softening before she looked up at him, and I drew my attention away as he brushed a soft kiss against her lips.
Magic hummed through the air around us, and I turned toward the head of the room where Damien stood near an altar.
I’d seen it before—it was the Propylaea, the gateway to Selene’s Temple within the Godsrealm.
Father had one in his study to gain access to the Council chambers, where they held their meetings.
“Everyone with me!” Damien called as wind whipped around us, caressing my skin with a featherlight touch, the magic within me rising to meet the magic within it like an old friend.
I drew a deep breath and let my eyes fall closed as the gateway opened, drawing us in.
The ground disappeared beneath my boots, ice clawing over my skin. I hated the feeling, the world flipping around me as if there was no up or down. My feet slammed into marble, and I gasped as I stumbled forward. Lucia grabbed my arm, stabilizing me.
“It’s tough your first time,” she said softly, and I opened my eyes.
I stilled at the sight of the glowing trees surrounding us, of the stone so ancient, the very fabric of time seemed to be etched into the cracks.
Tiny creatures chittered as they scurried about, heads turning to us, glowing eyes lit with curiosity.
Their bodies were made of pure night and starlight, long ears and tails swaying with each step.
“The astral sprites are busy, as always,” Lucia whispered, as if the question was plastered across my face. She smiled as some of the tiny creatures trotted up to her to brush their tiny, clawed hands against hers. “I promise we won’t make a mess of your temple. We’re only passing through.”
“Goddess,” Damien said, and my thoughts scattered as everyone lowered to one knee.
My heart lurched at the sight before us, her skin glowing as brightly as the moon, her hair falling in silken silver waves to pool on the floor around her. Lucia tugged me down to her side, and I followed her lead, lowering to my knee.
“You may rise, mea bellarios ,” she said, her voice carrying across the marble hall like the rush of a tidal wave, the cadence beautiful yet lethal.
We all rose as she descended the dais, each step fluid and graceful. I couldn’t form words even if I wanted to, the sheer power of her presence overpowering, overwhelming me.
Damien stood at the head of the group, his head held high as she came to a stop before him. Her opalescent eyes passed over us, and I avoided meeting them, couldn’t bring myself to.
“Is your company prepared?” she asked, her voice delicate despite its power.
“We are,” Damien said in response.
She extended her hand to him, dropping something into his palm. “Use this to call me when you are ready to return.”
He dipped his head to her. “Understood.”
She looked to the rest of us. “May Celestia bless your endeavor.”
“And may she bless you, Goddess,” the others said in unison, and I stiffened, looking around.