Chapter 10
RYKER
One of these days, I’m going to murder every last member of Paragons of Prosperity. And I won’t make it a quick death, either. I’ll relish each and every one of their screams and then bathe in their blood, allowing it to stain my skin red.
It was hell waiting in the ballroom, knowing that Ellie and Dominic were alone with The Divine One.
And the hell only continued as I eavesdropped on the various conversations around me.
“I always knew there was something special about Ellie…”
“I can’t believe Cassia has returned! Blessed be!”
“I wonder if the goddess knows the thoughts I had about her host body…”
On and on it went, until I felt seconds away from snapping completely, of losing the precarious control I had on my sanity.
Zane wasn’t faring any better. He had begun humming beneath his breath—the tune of a song from that animated movie he loves so much—and was bouncing from foot to foot, his hands flexing.
Then the back door opened.
Ellie and Dom rematerialized, The Divine One standing directly behind them.
Ellie remained with The Divine One, much to my horror, while Dominic moved through the crowd, pulling out his phone.
And that’s where we are now—Zane and I standing here, reading the text with growing dismay and all-encompassing fear.
Dominic
Ellie made a deal with DO. She’s staying with her. Zane, Beckett, and I are allowed to remain as well. Aria believes Landon and Ryker are dead. They need to remain hidden.
No. Fucking. Way.
No.
I refuse to allow that to happen.
Fucking refuse.
I don’t give a damn that the world thinks I’m dead. I’ll emerge from the ground like a damn poltergeist, haunting every bastard who gets in my way.
My chest heaves, and I feel my skin prickle, though I’m unsure whether it’s the beginning of a panic attack or something else. Anger like I’ve never felt before floods me, ice-cold and scalding simultaneously, thousands of needles being jabbed into my skin.
No. No. No.
No!
I take an automatic step forward, my attention zeroed in on Ellie.
Zane grabs my shoulder. “I understand impulsivity better than anyone else here, but you need to be smart about this, brother,” he whispers, his tone low and urgent in my ear.
“Right now, POP thinks you and Landon are dead. That may be the only thing that will save us later. Don’t be a fucking idiot. ”
His words stop me, though they do little to alleviate the rage percolating in my gut.
Logically, I know he’s right. Fuck, I know that.
But it doesn’t change the fact that my skin feels too tight and my hands are clammy and my thoughts are churning and fear has taken up residence in my chest. I need to do something. Need to…
“Fuck off,” I hiss at Zane, though the words are half-hearted at best.
“Give me more of that dirty talk. I love it,” he quips.
“We can run,” I tell him, not tearing my gaze away from Ellie for even a second. A part of me believes that the moment I look away, the moment I can no longer see her, she’ll disappear from my life completely. I’ll never get her back.
Something occurs to me then, slamming into me like a dozen fireworks detonating too close to my face. It’s both a revelation and a homecoming.
I can’t live without Ellie.
I’ve always known that, of course, but it never occurred to me how thoroughly she owns me until now.
I was content with loving her from afar, but I can’t do that.
Not now. Not ever. I don’t give a shit if I have to share her attention and affection with my best friends, the men I consider my brothers. None of that matters.
Ellie. Is. Mine.
A strange sense of peace burrows its way beneath my skin, momentarily eclipsing the incandescent rage from moments before. It only lasts a second, but it’s enough for me to know that my decision is irrefutable and unchangeable.
I want her.
I love her.
I’ll be hers, and she’ll be mine, and I don’t give a damn anymore if she’s also theirs.
I curl my hands into fists by my sides as I watch Ellie follow The Divine One toward the side of the room.
My phone pings, indicating another message from Dom, but I don’t peel my gaze away from Ellie, trusting Zane to regale me with any useful information.
“Apparently, Ellie’s bitch of a mom threatened us,” Zane growls out. His hand flexes around his phone.
“And you’re surprised by that?”
He snorts. “Not at all.”
Then, in a move that surprises the shit out of me but honestly shouldn’t have, Zane moves away from me, tossing his mask to the side. He ruffles his dark hair as he saunters up to Ellie and The Divine One without a care in the world.
“I heard we’re all going to be roomies now!” He practically skips the last few feet leading up to Ellie, then spins her around. “Hello, princesa.” He pecks her on the forehead before turning his dark gaze toward The Divine One. “Hello, evil cunt-sucking bitch whore.”
Someone in the crowd gasps, but The Divine One simply laughs, a strange, mechanical noise that grates at my skin.
“Zane. I should’ve known you would be present tonight. Is Beckett here as well?”
As The Divine One keeps her focus on Zane, I move through the crowd toward the back exit, making sure to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Just another waiter, another servant, another slave.
“Maybe,” Zane says cheekily. Despite the jubilant smile on his face, his eyes are hard.
Granite. Even from this far away, I can see the rapid fluttering in his jaw as he struggles to maintain his composure, to not succumb to the rage pulsating beneath the surface.
“Maybe not. I suppose you’ll have to wait and see. ”
“Charming,” The Divine One deadpans. She turns to Ellie. “I’m not surprised a goddess has multiple consorts. I wonder who else from the room she’ll choose to share her body with?” She speaks the last question loud enough for a few people to perk up, their heads straining.
Fucking bitch.
I know Aria is simply taunting Ellie, but it doesn’t stop anger from building inside of me, swift and relentless.
“I think three dicks are enough for our goddess,” Zane says good-naturedly. To the outside observer, he would appear to be completely unperturbed by The Divine One’s comments.
But I know him better than that.
“I suppose that may be true.” The Divine One tilts her masked head to the side, studying them, before refocusing on the crowd.
“Let me make it clear—Cassia and her consorts will not be touched in any capacity. Doing so will result in immediate banishment. Or worse.” She allows the threat to linger in the air, to permeate it like a poisonous gas, before she turns toward Ellie and says something too low for me to hear.
Whatever it is causes Ellie’s lips to purse, her eyes going flinty.
Fuck, I need to get out of here before I do something I regret.
Like racing across the ballroom, pulling Ellie into my arms, and throwing both of us out of the nearest window. We would run far, far away from this hellhole, never to be seen again.
But I can’t do that. Not with POP still at large. They’ll find us in seconds, of that I have no doubt.
Hell, they knew we were coming here tonight with Harvey. The sick bastard sold out Ellie and Dom without a second thought.
We thought we were two moves ahead of The Divine One, but this entire time, we’ve been playing checkers while she’s winning at chess.
We just need to pivot our strategy. Figure out her next move.
And then destroy her once and for all.
I imagine Landon is losing his shit right now. He hates that we left him behind, and he’ll be furious Ellie made a deal with The Divine One, despite the fact she had no other option. I can understand his anger—I feel the exact same way.
I allow my gaze to feast on Ellie one last time, fearing it’ll be the last time I see her but knowing in my heart it won’t be. The two of us are infinite. There’s no end to what we share. Not even death can keep our fucked-up souls apart.
If The Divine One wants to play chess, then so be it. I’ll learn the game, become a knight, and take down each fucking pawn on the board. All that matters is protecting my queen.
I memorize the perfect symmetry of Ellie’s face. The tousled brown hair. The blue-gray eyes, nothing but specks in the distance behind her dark glasses. The perfect curl of her pink lips.
Not goodbye, baby girl.
Not ever goodbye.
And despite every muscle in my body screaming at me to stay, I pivot on my heel and sneak out a side door.
Soon, Ellie. Soon.
I’ll be back soon.
And this time, I’ll have a whole fucking army.