31. Chapter 31
thirty-one
Rodi
I have no choice but to go back. I sneak inside through the same window I escaped from, hoping I won’t alarm anyone.
My fingers dig into the stone outer wall, gripping tightly as I find my bearings and climb, digging my feet into the small cracks as I move soundlessly. The window is still open, and I crawl through the crack.
As my feet touch the floor of the same bedroom as before, I wonder what to do next.
There’s no way for me to escape out there, for some reason. Maybe Ethan was right about this world not being real. I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around how that is possible, but it does help explain all the confusion I feel. The same confusion that has lingered in the back of my mind since I met Cedric.
I believe Ethan’s words, but I don’t know what it means for me. I don’t remember him or Ares. Not even hearing their names inside my head makes me feel any differently.
My shoulders slump as I let my eyes scan around me, searching for something I can use against Cedric.
Do I even stand a chance against a dragon shifter, much less one as powerful as Cedric? He can so easily kill me if he wants to, but… is that what he wants? Or is there something bigger at play?
Regardless, I have to fight my way out of this somehow.
As I don’t see anything I can use, an idea comes to mind. I walk over to the bathroom and step inside. My gaze falls on the mirror, and my fingers trail over the bruises on my neck.
I’m not backing down.
With a trembling hand, I grab a towel and wrap it around my hand. With a deep breath, I slam my covered fist against the mirror with a grunt.
My hand throbs, and there isn’t a single crack in my reflection. I stare back at myself with disappointment written all over my face.
“Dammit,” I mumble and try again, slamming my fist against the surface, harder and harder, until it cracks.
Peeling the towel from my hand, I wiggle the crack until a large piece comes out. I hold up the sliver of glass between my fingertips, peering back at the reflection of my eye. This is the closest shot that I have at escaping this nightmare.
Now I only need to find Cedric and do this, right?
As if he heard my thoughts, I hear the bedroom door creak open, making me hold my breath as heavy footsteps follow .
I stay still, my heartbeat ringing in my ears as my hand shakes, holding onto the shard tightly.
A harsh knock on the door makes me flinch. “Rodi?”
I swallow thickly, my gaze fixed on the closed door. I wish I could blend into the wall behind me and disappear, but I know I can’t hide. I have to face him.
“Yes?” My voice is weak and trembling, and I’m sure he must’ve noticed.
As the doorknob moves, I edge back, getting ready to hurt him like he did me.
He steps through the door, and I swing at him, aiming for his throat, but I don’t even come close as his fingers wrap around my wrist, stopping my attempt.
I scream and kick as he pulls me closer. A crooked grin forms on his face as he stares down at me, making my blood run ice cold.
He shakes his head. “Poor, weak Aphrodite.” He tosses me against the tiled wall, the air leaving my lungs as I fall to the ground.
I cough and wheeze as my body aches.
I turn onto my hands and knees, barely able to keep myself up. Every inhale feels like agony, but I need the oxygen. I need the strength if I’m going to make it out of this alive, even if my situation looks damning right now with him towering over me.
“We’re leaving,” he snarls.
My gaze is fixed on the floor, the shard still in my hand. I have no escape, but I can’t let him win, either. All my life, choices have been made for me, and I’ll be damned if I allow one more to be forced upon me.
A nervous laugh falls. “I choose my fate, not you!”
My movements are faster than I anticipated, too quick for Cedric to stop, as the shard pierces through the bruises he created, through my throat .
“You stupid woman,” Cedric snaps.
Darkness consumes me, freeing me from this monster.
Ares
Wounded and exhausted, I leave the battle behind me to check on Rodi and Ethan. No matter what is going on, they’re the most important priorities in my life. Without them, there is no battle worth fighting.
With blood dripping from my wounds, I hurry into the room toward the foot of the bed, my stomach lurching. I freeze as my gaze rakes over Rodi and Ethan. Death surrounds them, calling for their souls as Ethan’s skin flakes ashes and Rodi’s skin turns grey.
“What happened?” I snap at the remaining witches, all glaring at me in a mixture of fear and hate.
“We don’t know,” one of the younger ones says.
My jaw clenches, and my fingers flex in anger. I already killed one of them. If the others cross me, I’ll gladly sacrifice them in exchange for Rodi’s and Ethan’s safety.
“Send me in,” I order and take my place beside Rodi and Ethan.
They hesitate, looking at each other, unsure of what to do.
I don’t have time for this!
“Now,” I snap, and some scurry to get the spell ready.
The young witch steps closer. “Usually, you can’t die in these worlds. But seeing your Warden and the Draconis, I fear…”
“Send. Me. In,” I grit.
“I don’t believe you can save them both,” she whispers. “I believe you can only save the one you share a mate bond with.”
A mate bond?
“But Rodi’s is fading,” I say, sitting up as I gesture to her still body.
“Yes, but you still have a fated bond. You don’t have one with the…Warden.” She pauses as she looks at the other witches. “We can’t save him, Aetherion.”
“Mate bond,” I mumble to myself.
Rodi was right all along. This is what can save us all. I was blind, stupid, and selfish. Hell, I was even scared.
But I can make it right.
I can fix us, heal what I’ve broken.
I know what I’ve done. I know how much I’ve hurt him and he me. I almost tried to kill him for touching what is mine… No, ours.
This is what we’ve always been meant to be, even if it’s taken so long for me to finally realize that.
I take Rodi’s cold hand and press it to my lips. “We’ll be together, all of us,” I whisper against her skin.
Gently, placing her hand back down, I focus on Ethan. My hands snake under his body and lift him up. His body is colder than Rodi’s, and his heartbeat is almost gone.
Brushing my thumb over his cheek, feeling how his skin turns to ash under my touch, I tilt his head to the side, granting me access to mark him, claim him as my own. As I should’ve done from the start.
We had our play in the past, and he always stood by me, and now I realize why. It was always there. The glances, the yearning in his eyes, the tension radiating between us at any given moment .
I never wanted to admit it, pushing him away, punishing him for my own thoughts and desires.
But that moment we shared when we were together with Rodi, I should’ve held onto that feeling. That sense of home. It was so new and shocking that it scared me and made me push him away, but I shouldn’t have done that.
I should’ve done this.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble as my teeth change and pierce through his skin.
Slowly, his blood fills my mouth, and I swallow quickly, trying to form our bond, trying to lure his soul back and give him strength.
Mine, echoes inside my mind as the bond forms. It’s weak, but it’s there. He has to mark me before it’s complete, but I hope this will be enough for now.
I’ve never felt this insecure, this weak, unable to provide the solution, unable to save everyone, to fight my way out of this mess.
Faintly, the bond grows stronger, and I sense his love for Rodi… and me .
The love I don’t believe I deserve. Not with my past.
I just hope I get the chance to prove I’m worthy of their love.
“Do it,” I say to the witch as I lie back down, hoping that this time, I’ll make the right choices.
I close my eyes as the witches’ chanting begins, waiting for darkness to consume me and take me to where my mates are.