Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
VALE
Iwas so close to having Echo back in my wing of the house that I could hear Carol of the Bells coming faintly down the hallway. I didn’t know why, but it felt important to get him there. Like, if I could surround him with as much of myself as possible, I could keep him safe.
“Next time something like that happens, don’t worry about Vix,” I said. “He’s more protected than any other person in the house. Just focus on saving yourself.”
Echo snorted. “Sure thing. I’ll get right on that.”
“I’ll bet everyone thinks you’re incredibly sweet and shy, don’t they?” I saw Echo’s mouth turn up in a smug grin and said, “I thought so. If only they knew the real you.”
Echo dug his feet into the floor and stopped allowing me to guide him to, as Baz would put it, my inner sanctum. “And who do you think that is?” His tone was wary, and he moved as far away from me as I would allow.
“Someone far better than this world deserves,” I snapped without thinking. Why did Echo always look for the worst in everything?
Yes, I’m aware of how hypocritical that thought was. No, I will not be taking questions.
Echo paled. “Fuck. You caught feelings, didn’t you? God fucking dammit, you weren’t supposed to care. Even Gareth told you not to get attached, and you did it anyway. You’re not planning on killing me at all, are you? You owe me, Vale. You owe me, and you know it.”
“I owe you no such thing,” I replied, smoothly moving past the accusation about feelings. Whether I did or didn’t was irrelevant.
“Vale caught feelings, everyone! Come and watch! Baz, you owe me fifty bucks!” Apple interrupted, shouting at Love’s closest access panel.
“Fuck off, Apple. I told you to stay away from Echo. Adam, come and get your man before something unfortunate happens to him.” I let the word unfortunate linger in my mouth, stretching it out to emphasize the importance of Adam removing Apple.
Adam, Apple’s ever-present shadow, nodded, crouched down, threw Apple over his shoulder, and walked away, saying, “Time for a walk, Apple.”
“A walk? Are you crazy? Vale is about to confess his undying whatever to someone, thus admitting he has actual emotions for the first time ever, and you want us to…” Apple’s voice cut off abruptly as the front door closed.
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. When I had composed myself, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Adam that read: Don’t threaten Apple. I’ll keep him from bothering you until you sort things out.
Next to the text were two emojis—a mushroom and a cloud. I raised an eyebrow because I had no idea what the hell they were supposed to mean.
I put my phone back in my pocket and turned my attention back to Echo. “Let’s talk about this in my room,” I said, motioning for Echo to precede me to my elevator, but he set his jaw and shook his head.
“No. I’m not going up there unless you promise to kill me.”
I sighed heavily. “Why are you so eager for death?”
“Why are you?” Echo returned hotly.
I was taken aback and left momentarily speechless.
I’d never mentioned my personal desires on the subject of death.
Only Gareth knew for certain, because only Gareth knew what I had endured in that godforsaken hellhole he and I both escaped from.
Gareth knew far more about me than I would ever be comfortable with.
“I… have my reasons,” I admitted. It was already more than I wanted to admit, but I owed Echo something.
“Give me one or I’m leaving.”
I wondered if Echo knew that he could only leave if I wanted him to and was being brave, or if he truly didn’t understand the situation he was in.
Did I want to force him to stay? No one would stop me. Gareth would only give me shit if he thought it would endanger the collective, and I could have Wraith make sure no one even remembered Echo’s existence, so it wasn’t an issue.
Why did I want Echo so much? What made him so special to me?
I wanted to study him, to study us. I wanted to take us both apart piece by piece and discover exactly what it was that made me unable to stay away from him, but that was impossible.
I could only continue to beat myself against him like a moth to a flame.
A fireproof moth against a fragile, flickering flame.
I couldn’t force him to stay. I could only entice him.
“I can’t tell you here,” I said finally.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s no one’s business but ours. Follow me to my room and I’ll tell you.”
Echo backed away. “Oh no, you don’t. If I go with you, you’ll just wave your magic dick around, and then I’ll do whatever you want.
I know your tricks. You with your shampoo-ad hair and nice-smelling sweaters.
I’m not going anywhere near your lair. You tell me here, or I’m bouncing.
” His eyes showed a mixture of hope, curiosity, and fear.
I hesitated. I couldn’t tell him in such a public area. There was no privacy in the common space. Only in my wing of the house would I be able to assure that my personal details, my pain, and my past were kept safe.
Finally, I shook my head. “I can’t. Not here. I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you’ll come with me.”
All emotion fled Echo’s features. “Then I’m out.
” He turned and stormed down the hallway, and I watched him go.
I continued to watch after he left my sight, and long after I heard the front door slam.
I also continued to stand there as I heard heavy footsteps run back up the stairs, heard the front door open, and heard Echo shout, “And I’m keeping the sweater! ” before he stormed away again.
Finally, I heard Vix say, “For the love of kittens, Paris, please let me hug him. He needs it more than anyone ever has.”
I tore my gaze from the empty hallway door to see Paris shake his head and say, “Not happening,” with an unshakable finality.
Vix stomped his foot and said, “Fine,” and ran away to do whatever Vix did when he was upset.
Paris was never going to forgive me for throwing Vix that one time. I didn’t understand what the fuss was. I knew he’d be fine, or I wouldn’t have done it.
Paris came up to me, and I flinched. His aura was invasive, and even I wasn’t immune. Apple’s charm did nothing for me. Gareth’s fear aura left me untouched, but Paris was an entirely different matter.
His magic was similar to mine in a way I couldn’t evade, but where mine was full of violence and decay, his was much worse.
Paris was the embodiment of hope and simple joy. Of acceptance and forgiveness—unless you were someone who threw his precious fiancé one single fucking time. Seriously, was he ever going to get over that? Vix hadn’t even gotten hurt.
So, when Paris pulled me into a hug, I was rooted in place. It was like a part of me was dying as his energy washed over me, but it was a part that I would be better off without. The monster inside me settled and slept, and I was left with nothing but one thought.
“He left,” I said, unthinkingly. My arms were limp at my sides. Part of me knew I could throw Paris into next Tuesday if I wanted, but that part was fast asleep, so the hug continued.
Paris hugged me tighter and nodded. “He did. What are you going to do about it?”
“Probably something stupid.”
Paris laughed and said, “Try again.”
“Whatever it will take to let me escape this hug,” I said sourly.
“And what would that be?’
“I don’t know, probably something sickeningly kind and honest.”
“That sounds like something I would do. Not you.” Paris shifted his weight like he was settling in for the long haul. I had to find a way to get free from him before I turned into a nice person who made daisy chains, wore pastels, and made brunch dates with people.
The horror.
“I’m not going to kill him,” I said firmly.
“I think we’ve all already figured that out, but it’s a good place to build from.” Paris patted my hair, and my eyes almost drifted shut. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen to me if I fell asleep on him. Probably wake up wearing a polo shirt and doing a crossword puzzle.
“I hate you,” I stated.
“No, you don’t.”
“I want to hate you.”
“I know. I’m not sorry I took Vix from you, Vale. He’s mine now, and he’s happier that way.”
“I know,” I admitted. I didn’t want Vix anymore anyway. He was proof of something good in a horrible world, and I’d wanted to protect it in my own misguided way. If I’d been in love with him, it had been in an unhealthy, broken way.
Echo was different. I didn’t know how. I only knew he was Echo.
He was imperfect and scarred, but he was also real and unapologetic about who he was. Echo’s soul vibrated with my own in a way I couldn’t quantify.
I wanted him alive, I wanted him with me, and I wanted him happy. I just wanted him.
So, I had to find out how to make it happen.
“I’m going to go learn more about him,” I said.
Paris hummed in approval. “Now that sounds like you.”
“Is that enough to free me from this hug before I start taking artful pictures of my food and posting them on Instagram?”
Paris laughed and released me. “I can’t change who you are, Vale. I can only help your mind be quiet enough to allow you to think clearly.”
“It was horrible, and I hated it,” I griped.
“And if you’d wanted to, you could have put me through a wall and walked away,” Paris reminded me.
I didn’t dignify that with a response. I tossed my hair over one shoulder, making sure to hit him in the face as I went, but I stopped when I saw Vix standing in front of me holding out Oda Nobunaga and a wet towel.
“Wash the soldier goo off your hands and then take this with you. It’ll keep you safe.”
“You’re both idiots, and you’re welcome to each other,” I announced before scrubbing my hands cleanish (it’s blood, people. A wet towel can only do so much, and my… the cat can clean himself if he doesn’t like it.), tucking Oda Nobunaga into the crook of one arm, and walking away.
As I left, I heard Gareth say, “Nice job, you two. Your sentence of cleaning up batshit from the property by hand is reduced by two days.”
“Are you kidding me? Thanks, Gareth! Hey Paris, did you know that being nice to people makes good things happen?” Vix’s voice was squeaky with excitement.
Paris hmmed in response.
“Just stop fucking in the foyer or next time it’ll be two weeks with no parole,” Gareth said gruffly.
“Can I turn off the Christmas music in Vale’s wing?” Vix asked Gareth. “I think he’s been through enough.”
Gareth grunted in agreement, thank the gods.
Call this exhibit A of why I refused to spill my guts to Echo in the common space. This is why we each have our own wing. We’re all a bunch of gossipy busybodies.
Except me, of course.
I went directly to my lab for my laptop. I found it on the floor next to the disaster I’d left behind after fucking Echo on my desk.
I’d never done that before. Never allowed my research to be wrecked and scattered without immediately sorting it out and repairing anything torn or damaged, and I generally made my mood everyone else’s problem for days afterward.
In fact, I hadn’t touched my research on removing my blasted curse since meeting Echo. That was also something I didn’t do. A day didn’t pass without my at least glancing over my notes to see if I’d missed something.
I’d been so busy with Echo, the bells, and the cultists that I hadn’t had time to think about it.
Speaking of the bells, I couldn’t hear the tolling, but a swift and sudden synesthesia swept through me, and I gripped the edge of my desk, panting as I did my best to relax into it while Oda Nobunaga purred and nuzzled into my neck.
The bells had caught me completely off guard, and it was the third time that day. What was happening to me?
It wasn’t like me to drop my hyper-fixations for any reason, let alone because of a person. Echo had burst into my life and changed everything.
I could only hope to return the favor.
I went to my knees as I recovered from the bells, hand resting on my laptop, Oda Nobunaga making biscuits on my coat. I’d been planning to do a deep search on Echo’s life, but for the most part, I already knew more about Echo’s past after drinking his blood than any internet search would give me.
Unless I had Gareth step in and invade Echo’s privacy… scratch that. I knew without a doubt that Gareth had already done so without asking. Out of all of us—Echo included—Garth definitely knew the most about him.
Fuck him. He couldn’t know Echo’s thoughts and feelings. He didn’t know what was in Echo’s heart. I already knew some, and I would find a way to have Echo tell me the rest. I just needed to get on his good side, and I already had an idea forming that would get me there.