Chapter Thirty-Two - Teagan
Itried to be brave for Sen.
But really, I was freaking out.
So terrified, all I could do was hold onto our bond with both hands, and if Golden hadn’t pulled me out of that mansion, I wouldn’t have left.
The engine roars as Kate speeds down dark roads. Her car’s high beams light up the spindly, low-hanging branches that scrape the sides. Sen trusts her, so I will, too. But I’m gulping down air with my fists clenched. This doesn’t feel right.
“Sen is gonna be fine,” Golden tells me. “Lucero and the others are with him. Plus that weird ancient vampire and Elio.”
Kate makes a sound of disbelief from the front.
“They’re good,” Kai adds from the front passenger seat.
I nod, not mentioning Golden’s knee hasn’t stopped bouncing as he strangles a ball of multi-coloured yarn.
“Oh, my yarn?” Golden perks up to my silent question. “I like it. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s my thing. All vampires have things. Maybe this is mine, I dunno. Did you know about things?”
I think of Sen’s stamp collection. He’s going to show me once this is all over, he promised.
“Of course you do,” Golden rambles on, squeezing the life out of his yarn.
“Lad.” Apollo places a hand on Golden’s bouncing knee, then says to both of us, “They’re gonna fuck shit up, don’t even worry about it. Then when you get home, you’ll see the mansion covered in mage blood. That’ll be nice, right?”
There’s a beat of silence, then Golden says, “Your prep talks are kinda shitty, dude.”
“Like yours are any better,” Apollo snickers, not taking any offence.
“I really shouldn’t be hearing this conversation…” Kate grumbles.
Somehow, Golden begins to calm. But I can’t stop sucking in short, sharp gasps.
What if the walls are drenched in Sen’s blood?
What if Summer takes his heart?
What happens to a person without their soulmate?
“Wanna hold some of my yarn?” Golden offers. Without thinking, I twirl a piece around my finger. It’s nice, fibrous.
An image of Sen’s dark hair wrapped around my finger flashes, and my vision blurs.
“Where are you taking us?” Kai asks.
“The safest place I know,” Kate replies.
“And where is that, whatever-your-name-is?” Apollo snarks.
“I already told you,” the detective bites out, “my name is Kate.”
“And I told you,” Apollo replies with a snicker, “I’m either calling you that or pig, copper.”
“Aren’t you delightful,” Kate deadpans. “We’re going to the police station.”
Apollo rolls his eyes. “Great. So we’re leaving one group of violent extremists for another.”
“Apollo, mate, we get it. You’re a punk,” Kai snaps impatiently. Apollo wiggles his eyebrows at me. It’s all so ridiculous that I manage a small rasping laugh, which makes Apollo grin. “But Kate is right, we’ll be safe there.”
Apollo pops his head between Kai and Kate. “By the way, I’ve got a couple of resisting arrest charges on my file from back in the day.”
“I’m not even going to ask how long ‘back in the day’ was,” Kate responds. “But are you actually asking me to get rid of them for you?”
Apollo falls back into his seat, grinning. “Nah, just wanted to let you know.”
There’s a sharp pain in my finger, and I look down to see I’ve wrapped the yarn tight enough to cut off my circulation. It gives me an idea. “Maybe if I hurt myself, it’d distract Summer and they’d—”
“Absolutely not,” my brother cuts in.
“Kai.”
“I said no, Teagan.”
I twist the piece of yarn tighter and tighter until breathing becomes nearly impossible.
We gotta go back.
We have to.
Oh, god, what if Sen dies? I just found him. He’s mine. Summer can’t have a single piece.
“They’re fighting,” Golden tells me. “Which means Sen is feeling a lot. Lucero is, too. It’s the bond. I promise, Teagan, he’s gonna be—”
“But I love him!” I cry out, shaking with the force of it, the yarn pulled taut. “And he needs me! We gotta go back—”
Golden takes my face in both hands and makes me look into his eyes. “Calm down.”
The noise in the car dims.
The yarn goes slack.
All I hear, all I see, all I feel is Golden’s voice.
It slips into me, soft and gentle as cotton. I lose myself in his hazel gaze, shining like polished amber.
“It’s okay, Teagan. You’re okay.”
My breathing steadies.
Then the car engine screams back into focus. Kai’s twisted around, gripping Golden’s wrist, his face enraged. “Are you compelling my little brother?”
Golden’s eyes widen, his mouth opening and closing as he looks between us. “I…I didn’t…realise. I was just…”
“You’ve never compelled anyone before!” Kai shouts, causing both Golden and me to flinch. “You could’ve hurt him! What the hell were you thinking!”
Golden’s face crumbles, his lips trembling.
“Kai, lad,” Apollo interrupts. “Turn it down a notch. It’s alright—”
“IT ISN’T!” Kai shrieks. “Don’t do it again, Golden! Ever!”
Hurt flashes in Golden’s eyes. He gives Kai a shaky nod, then sinks back into his seat.
I try to say something, but I’m stopped by Kai, who awkwardly stretches to check me over. “Are you okay, Teagan? Does your head hurt?”
“I’m okay,” I mumble, blinking.
Kai frowns at my wording.
I shake my head, clear away the last traces of fog. “I mean, I’m feeling better,” I promise, glancing at Golden, who looks like a kicked puppy, then back to my brother. “It actually kinda helped.”
Kai waits a beat, then his shoulders slump before he turns back around.
I remember Sen compelling Carter, how Carter jolted from the force of it, and his bleeding nose. So while I might not want to be compelled again without my knowledge, Golden didn’t hurt me, and I know he didn’t do it on purpose.
Carefully, I pick up his ball of yarn that’d fallen between his combat boots and place it in his lap. He doesn’t move for a moment, then takes the offering, giving me a sad, apologetic smile.
Soon, we’re leaving the countryside and aiming towards the city’s glow.
Kai lets out a big shuddering sigh like he’s on the verge of tears. “Golden, I…I’m sorry, mate.”
“It’s okay, we’re all stressed,” Golden replies quietly. “And I shouldn’t have done it.”
“It’s okay,” I tell Golden.
“It isn’t,” he mumbles.
“Still. That was so fucking unfair of me,” Kai whispers, and I can see his arm moving up and down as he tugs his braids. “Why can’t we all just be safe for five fucking minutes? You, me, Teagan. Thomas was in a bloody train crash.”
“Wait, what?” I shoot forward, the seatbelt digging into my chest.
Kai waves it away, but he’s trembling. “He called me yesterday. He’s fine. Apparently, he got off before it happened with some guy,” Kai scoffs. “But…I just want everyone to be safe. But no one is, and it isn’t fair.”
“That isn’t possible,” Kate tells him. “Even if this wasn’t happening, the world isn’t a safe place. All you can do is look out for the people you love. Which is what you’re doing now.”
I unsnap my seatbelt.
“Put that back on!” Kate orders, but I ignore her to throw my arms around Kai.
He lets out a wet sigh and grips my forearms, pressing his cheek into mine.
“Kate’s right. Maybe we’re fucked,” I tell him.
“Not exactly my wording,” she grumbles.
“But we’re fucked together,” I finish.
“That’s a horrible visual,” Apollo mumbles.
Golden shushes him. “Shut up, they’re having a moment.”
Kai chuckles. “I guess we are.”
“Put your seatbelt back on,” Kate orders.
“Thanks, little bro. I love you.” Then Kai twists to get a better look at Golden and Apollo. “And I love you guys, too.”
Golden lunges forward to join in on our group hug.
“Fuck yeah!” Apollo cheers.
“This is incredibly unsafe,” Kate grumbles.
We all sit back and put on our seatbelts. But much to Kate’s annoyance, we’re all safely belted in just as she pulls into the police station.
We get out of her car when she parks. The detective shoots us a bland look, but I spot her lip twitching as she leads us into the concrete building.
“Try to act normal,” Kate orders as we enter. It might be the middle of the night, but the station is still bustling with officers moving around or going through paperwork.
“Nah,” Apollo replies.
Kate ignores him and sits us down in a row of blue plastic chairs. They’re hard, uncomfortable, as are the buzzing fluorescent lights. Only an hour ago, I was with Sen and so damn happy. And now…
“What’s with the party?” A detective with dark skin, a shaved head, and a goatee asks, stepping over to us with a steaming cup in hand.
“Nothing to do with you, Jerome,” Kate grunts.
“Yeah, Jerome,” Apollo mocks, making Kate release a tired sigh. The other detective cocks an almost amused eyebrow.
“What has nothing to do with Jerome?” A white, freckled detective asks as he approaches, a folder tucked under his arm. “Kate, what’s this about?”
Kate doesn’t say anything, her shoulders square like she’s preparing for a fight.
I look at Kai, who motions at me to stay quiet.
“Kate?” The white detective asks again, more hesitantly this time.
“It’s gonna be one of her weird cases again,” Jerome mutters into his mug before taking a sip.
Kate steels herself. “They’re in trouble, Ryan.”
Ryan deflates. “Kate.”
“This is serious,” she tells them.
“Okay.” Jerome sets his mug on a table. “Then let’s take this case seriously. What happened?”
Normally, I’d relish in an awkward silence. But when I take in the raised eyebrows of the detectives and the uniformed officers behind them pretending not to eavesdrop, I can’t help but feel sorry for Kate.
Unlike Apollo, who’s grinning from ear to ear.
“C’mon, Kate,” Jerome urges kindly, but like someone waiting to be proven right. “Share the case details.”
When Kate says, “I can’t,” neither Jerome nor Ryan nor the other police officers look surprised.
Kate runs her fingers through her short, choppy bob. “I have to help them.”
I can’t stand it anymore and jump to my feet. “Kate is doing her best. You’re all being fucking dicks.”
“Fuck yeah!” Apollo flips two fingers up at the whole station.
“Oh my god,” Kai sighs, dropping his head into his palms.
“Maybe it’ll be okay,” Golden tells my brother, smiling.
“Kate,” Ryan says, voice heavy with disdain. “I think it’s time you escort your friends out of here.”
“Or not…” Golden trails off.
The two detectives and Kate start to argue, and the police officers are no longer even pretending they’re not listening in.
I’m about to say something, but there’s a loud BANG against the door that shuts everyone up. They all turn to the noise and the rattling handle.
Well, not everyone.
Kai, Golden, and Apollo wrinkle their noses as if they smell something rotten.
“Someone must be playing a bloody prank,” Jerome complains, stomping towards the entrance.
“Wait!” Kate calls.
But before Jerome can get there, the door is opened for him by someone with dark hair shot through with white—Emma.
Kai goes deathly still.
“Hey, Kai. Been a while.” Emma winks.
“Excuse me, miss.” Ryan steps forward, speaking in an authoritative tone. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Ryan, be careful!” Kate shouts.
“I can handle this, Kate,” Ryan reassures dismissively, as if Kate is crazy.
The station doors slam open again.
My stomach drops, the air in my lungs freezes, and I recoil as a mob of half-burnt, rotting corpses shambles inside.
“Yeah, Kate.” Emma’s grin widens. “He can handle this.”