Chapter 6
Abby
“ D amn it!” My roar of anger echoes off the cave walls, making the sharp spears of ice hanging from the ceiling shake.
My chest heaves as I suck in lungfuls of air. Pressing my forehead to the side of the pool, I close my eyes and try not to lose my shit.
A week. I’ve been at this for a week, and I haven’t been able to find Zed. Each time I go down there, I feel a piece of myself slip away. I can feel the darkness creeping into my soul, like thick black tar, poisoning me.
My time down there has become less and less, my powers weakening the more I use them.
“How long?” I ask Leo as I look up to see my mates all standing there, worry, pain, and sadness etched onto their faces. I hate it, I hate that I’m the reason for it.
Yet another part of me doesn’t care. I can feel myself changing, becoming more selfish, to finish my task. I know I shouldn’t risk everything, but there’s a voice inside my head urging me to. To risk it all, that if I just push myself a little harder, I’ll find him.
“A half hour,” he sighs, his face a shade of green, like watching me do this makes him physically ill.
“Fuck!” I shout as I try to lift myself out of the pool. My arms scream at me as I grit my teeth through the pain.
Isaac and Luke step forward, like they want to help me but stop. They can’t help me because I’m currently covered head to toe in hellfire. If I pull back my power, the deathly freezing temperatures might kill me or, at the very least, cause damage.
I suck it up and roll over onto my back, panting heavily as I stare up at the ceiling.
After a moment, they’re next to me, pulling me to my feet. “Enough,” Isaac growls. “No more, Abby.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No, I’m not ready to be done.”
“Yes!” he shouts. “A week ago, you were able to be down there for hours, now you’re struggling for a half hour. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stand here and watch my mate slowly kill herself. You damn well fucking know Zed wouldn’t want this. If he knew you were hurting yourself to save him, he would be fucking enraged.”
“You don’t know shit about him,” I spit. “All you ever did was hate him, see him as less than the scum on your shoes. Sorry if I see him for his worth.”
“That's a low blow, Abby,” Noah says, stepping between me and our mate.
Isaac’s nostrils flair, jaw grinding. “I know I was horrible to him, and I regret it. I may never get to tell him how much. I may never get to know him, to build something with him.”
“He is my mate,” I raise my voice. “He would be down there until his dying breath trying to find me. He deserves the same! I’d do it for you, even if the way you treated me means you don’t deserve it.”
I can see the flinch of pain as he blinks at me. I hit him where it hurts, and yet I’m too angry to care.
“Enough,” Frankie interrupts, coming to my side. She takes my face into her hands, her concerned eyes searching mine. “This isn’t you, Abby. This pool is changing you just like your dad said it would. Don’t forget who you are.”
“You know what, maybe I don’t deserve to have the same treatment as Zed. But the fact is, you still have five other mates who would be fucking destroyed if they lost you. So how about you stop only thinking of Zed, someone who would hate what you’re doing, and start thinking about the rest of us,” Isaac seethes before storming towards the cave exit, Luke and Noah following after him.
“He’s right, Abby,” Leo says, my angry eyes flicking his way. “Before you lose your shit on me too, he is right. We love you. We need you. We will be fucking broken without you. Think about that before you go back down there.”
Leo takes off next, leaving just Frankie and me in the cave.
“Come on,” she encourages softly, taking my hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up and some rest. You need it.”
I go with her, my mind swirling with the thoughts of everything they said.
“Thank you,” I whisper as Frankie dries my hair. She helped me get all the stuff out of my hair and off my body like she’s been doing every day since the first time I went into the pool.
“For what?” she asks from behind me.
“For being there for me. Supporting me. For not making me feel bad about what I’m doing.”
I look at the way her face falls as she keeps drying my hair. She doesn’t say anything, and I know she wants to tell me everything the guys have, but she won’t.
“One more time, Frankie. One more time, and I’ll let him go,” my voice cracks as my eyes sting. She stops drying my hair and moves around to face me.
“One more time? And you promise you’ll stop?”
“I do. I love you all, and I don’t want to cause you any more pain than I already have. I’m sorry. I don’t deserve you.” My heart clenches as tears spill down my cheeks. With my head being a little clearer and having some time out of the pool, I realize just how much pain I’m causing my mates, and I feel sick over it.
“Shhh.” She pulls me tightly into her arms. “We are the ones who don’t deserve you, Abby.” She kisses the top of my head. “We love you too, and just want to see you happy. To make sure you’re safe. I want Zed back so damn bad, Princess. But not if you’re the cost. So one last time, then we need to stop.”
After I’m dressed, Frankie leaves to go grab me something to eat from the kitchen and Leo goes with her.
I last all of two minutes before I’m slipping out of my room and down the hall. Pausing by the guys’ door, I press my ear against the wood to listen. There are soft whispers and sounds of someone moving around.
Should I knock? Even if one of them is changing, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.
Pushing the door open, I find Noah sitting at the desk talking to Luke who’s bent over, discussing something I can’t see.
Isaac is laying on the bed, his hands behind his head with his eyes closed.
“Hi,” I say softly. Isaac’s eyes pop open as Luke and Noah’s heads turn to me. I step in, my belly fluttering with nerves, afraid they’re still mad at me. Closing the door behind me, I stand there, my hands fidgeting with the oversized t-shirt I’m wearing. It’s one of Zed’s that I left here the last time I was home.
“You look... less bitchy,” Luke says, his eyes sweeping me over.
“What the fuck?” Noah hits his arm, giving him a glare.
“No, he’s right. I really was a bitch.” I take a breath. “And I’m sorry.” I chew on my lip. “I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you. I didn’t mean what I said, it was wrong of me.” I rub my temples, the headache I got not too long after getting out of the pool still lingering.
“Are you okay?” Isaac asks with concern.
“Yeah.” I give him a forced smile. “Just a headache. They normally go away after a few hours.”
His brow furrows in anger. “You’ve been feeling sick, and you haven’t told us? Abby, you don’t get sick. This pool is draining you. You need to stop.”
“I know.” I nod. “I know. And I will. After tomorrow.”
“Fuck’s sake, Abby,” he growls.
I move over to the bed, climb on, and straddle his lap. He doesn’t argue with me as his hands cup my ass cheeks. I bite my lip as he squeezes. “One more time. That’s it. I promise. If I can’t find him tomorrow, then I won’t go back in.”
“One more?” he asks, eyes searching mine for any lies.
“One more.”
He growls and flips me onto my back. I suck in a breath, eyes widening, as he hovers over me, pinning me to the bed. Warmth spreads through my body, my pussy aching as he grinds his cock against my core. “I hate it, Abby. Every time you go down there, I can’t help but think it’s the last time I’ll see you. We can’t lose you. You don’t understand just how much that would fuck us up. I know we’ve been fucking assholes to you in the past and who the fuck knows what we did to deserve you or your forgiveness. But the fact is, we love you. We want and need you. So, tomorrow you better fucking come back because if not, we’re going in there after you.”
I know they can’t, it would kill them. But my eyes tear up knowing just how much I matter to them.
“I’ll come back.” Even though it’s a promise I’m not sure I can keep. Because it is a risk every time I go into that pool. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid touching the souls. For the most part, they don’t like the hellfire and have been staying a good distance away because of it.
Is that why I can’t find Zed? Has my fire been keeping him away?
“You fucking better.” His voice is thick with need as a rumbling sounds in his chest before he presses his lips to mine.
His tongue demands access, and I happily give it. The kiss is needy, desperate, and when he pulls back, I’m panting, pussy slick with need.
But he doesn’t take it further, brushing his lips against mine before kissing my forehead. He says nothing as he pulls me into his arms, cuddling his front to my back. Luke slides in bed next to us, and I cuddle into his side. Noah lays next to him, his head on Luke’s chest. Our eyes meet, and I reach out for his touch. I need them, I need this.
I’ve been neglecting my mates that are here in search of another. They deserve better, but I haven’t been able to give that to them.
We all lay there, each touching some part of one another, needing that contact. Maybe I’m crazy, but it feels like their love is slowly mending whatever that pool has taken of my soul. Maybe sometimes all you need is love. Love is so much more powerful than you would think. And with six mates, I’m surrounded by so much love, it could move fucking mountains. Or in my case, souls.