Chapter 4
RION
“She’s where?”
My heart races as my mind repeats his words over and over, but as they attempt to sink in, they cut through my soul like a jagged knife, bleeding me out when I see the resolution in his eyes.
I don’t know what the hell is happening around me. One minute we’re lost in a maze of hallways, trying to find the exit, the next, Tiran was laying into me. In the midst of the madness, I heard Elodie scream, but by the time I had managed to get the fangy fucker off me, she was gone.
Kael has taken her to safety. That’s what we knew, that’s what was promised, yet now he stands before me alone.
Kael, my friend, my brother from another mother, is no longer the man I knew. I can see it in his bleak eyes, the depths that usually gleam like emeralds are now so dark they resemble the pits of the forest when the twilight hour strikes.
He rolls his shoulders back as he clears his throat, trying to strengthen himself before he speaks again, but it seems those words aren’t just hurting me; they’re clawing at him, too, because it takes him almost a minute to speak them again.
“She’s with Jude.”
My wolf whines, vibrating my chest as my fingers flex at my sides, my palms instantly clammy with distress.
Peering at Thorne, he doesn’t say a word, although his spine is stiff, his shoulders are bunched high, and the way he rocks back on his heels says he’s not as unaffected as he wants to appear.
“Who the fuck is Jude?” Ocean blurts from my right, her shrill voice matching the distress rattling around inside of me.
“This dickwad’s brother,” I grunt, disdain coating my tongue as I point an accusing finger at the ruthless vampire who stands before me. Once a friend, now skirting the line of foe.
“Why is she with him, and why the hell do you look so mad about it?” she pushes, her gaze darting between the three of us like there isn’t total mayhem unraveling around us.
“I don’t think this is a conversation for here,” Thorne murmurs, finally making his presence known, and I scoff, irritation flooding my body as I shake my head.
He’s not wrong. Whatever the hell is going on doesn’t need to be heard by the rest of campus right now, but fuck, waiting for an explanation feels like a bad idea too.
Torn, my hands ball into fists at my sides as I take a deep breath. It only makes my pulse quicken, but the worry over someone listening in wins out, and I grunt with a nod as I take a step back.
“You motherfuckers better get back to our room in ten seconds flat. Don’t make me go feral.” It’s a warning and a promise.
To my surprise, they both nod in agreement, hightailing it from the carnage around us as The Institute Game continues, an alarm echoing in the air, repeatedly encouraging everyone to return to their buildings.
“Are you going to dart off as well so everything is said and done by the time I get there?” Ocean asks, turning to me with a pointed look, and I shake my head, making her eyebrow quirk higher.
I nod for her to follow, and she immediately falls into step at my side.
We’re not going as fast as my wolf would like or could make happen, but our pace is a beat below running, which will have to do.
I don’t say a word until we’ve weaved through the sea of students and found our way onto the direct path that leads toward Institute Thirteen.
“Elodie would be furious if anything happens to you while she isn’t here,” I state, keeping my gaze fixed dead ahead, but I sense the surprise in her stare as she glances at the side of my face.
“Why does that matter to you?” she asks, her voice soft as the wind picks up a little, and I shrug.
“Because she matters to me.”
Her hum is so quiet the breeze could wisp it away, but it quickly turns into a dry chuckle, and I spy her shaking her head from the corner of my eye. Before I can ask what’s so amusing, she offers an explanation. “Anyone would think I’m the new supernatural the way she protects me.”
I consider the first time we all bore witness to what Elodie could do.
It wasn’t far from here. I can see the spot ahead as if it were happening again now.
Tiran had charged at Ocean, and without thinking, Elodie stepped in his path, slamming her hands against his chest with a fierceness I’ve only ever felt, but never seen.
Everything from then untangled lightning fast, but if that were all you knew of Elodie and Ocean, you would believe Ocean’s statement to be true. On the other hand, there have been countless times Ocean’s had Elodie’s back, and between them, I’m sure there will be more to come.
“The way you support her as a friend is undeniable, Ocean.”
She nods, brushing her hair back off her face. “Should I be worried about this Jude guy?”
I turn to her for the first time as the entrance to Institute Thirteen draws closer. She sees it in my eyes before she even hears me speak. I can tell by the way she gulps and twists her hands together nervously.
“We all should be worried,” I grumble, not offering any more until we get upstairs and behind closed doors.
My pace increases as we hurry inside, taking the steps two at a time until we reach the fourth floor.
As my dorm room door comes into reach, I consider whether Kael and Thorne have made it back yet, but my uncertainty is quickly answered, when I swing it open to find the pair of them awaiting our arrival.
Quickly waving Ocean inside, I close the door behind me before turning my glare at Kael.
“Start talking. Now,” I bite, eyeing him as he sits on the edge of the sofa, which has now been folded away, evaporating the memory of Elodie tangled in the sheets between us last night.
“She’s with Jude. I don’t know what else you want me to say,” he murmurs, and I scoff.
“Fuck that. You know there’s going to be a lot more to say about the matter.”
“Why?” Ocean pipes in, planting her hands on her hips as she matches my stare at the vampire in question, but he simply rolls his eyes, unfazed by the emotions he’s churning inside of us.
One word, with so many possible ways to expand or explain what she wants to know, but there are too many questions whirling to decipher which one should go first.
“Did he just take her or did you hand her over?” Thorne asks, leaning back against the small kitchen counter to the right, his gaze unreadable as he stares across the room, arms folded over his chest.
“Why would he just take her? And why the hell would Kael hand her over? What don’t I know right now?” Ocean snaps, her face reddening with every second that ticks by.
“Have you ever heard of The Obsidian Circle?” I ask, and she scoffs, rolling her eyes so dramatically she could give Kael a run for his money.
“Of course I have. Who hasn’t?” She gives me a pointed look like I’m the issue and not Kael, but instead of zoning in on it, I opt to share the facts so she can redirect her sass elsewhere.
“Meet Kael, son of Yvette and Franco Forrester, the founders of—”
“The Obsidian Circle,” she cuts in, finishing my sentence as her face turns pale.
“Let me guess, Jude is trying to fill their shoes,” she mutters, finally turning her withering glare in Kael’s direction, and he sighs, running his hands over his knees as he looks down at his lap instead of at anyone in the room.
“He’s surpassed filling their shoes,” he states, clearing his throat.
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” Ocean mutters, and I wipe a hand down my face.
“We’re getting off topic. Jude is an ass, the biggest, and we can get into all of the intricate details of why we are right to come to that assumption, but for now, let’s narrow in on the fact that he has Elodie so that we can get her back. Why and where, Kael?”
My words hang in the air for a moment before Ocean exhales, deflated from the tirade I’m sure she was about to go on, but deep down, she knows I’m right.
“Rion is right. Why is she with him?”
Kael pinches the bridge of his nose, his gaze still downcast. “Jude always gets what he wants.”
“And you couldn’t tell him no?” I grunt, only slightly aware of his family dynamic, but enough to know it’s never as simple as that.
“He used magic,” Kael offers in explanation, making Ocean frown. As if sensing the underlying questions lingering in the air, he sighs, pressing his palms against his knees as he sits tall, finally meeting her stare. “I’m a vampire, he’s my brother by blood, so…”
“He’s a vampire too,” Ocean finishes when he leaves his sentence open, and he nods. “Vampires don’t have magic.”
“Ten points for Institute Thirteen,” he murmurs, the humor hollow in his tone.
“So, how is he using magic? Or is he using somebody else to do it for him?” Ocean pushes, and Kael shakes his head.
“He channels their abilities.”
It feels as though someone has poured tar over me, rooting me to the spot as his words take effect. “How? Is that his plan for Elodie?”
“I don’t know.”
I scoff, anger vibrating through me as I shake my head. “That’s a bullshit answer and we all know it,” I snarl, but he won’t meet my gaze. “We need to save her, and we need to do it now.”
“Channels them how?” Thorne asks, remaining perched against the kitchen counter, and I shake my head at him.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting Elodie to safety. Fuck knows she’s not safe now,” I bite, ready to go right this instant and wishing I had a direction in which to head.
“You can’t just barge in there. That wouldn’t be safe for her,” Kael states, and I cut the distance between us, towering over him as he tilts his head back to see the anger in my eyes.
“You aren’t safe for her. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be with him right now.”
I spy the slightest crinkle to the corners of his eyes, but he doesn’t agree or deny the fact. Instead, he slowly stands, forcing me to take a step back as he tucks his hands into his pockets.
“My brother won’t harm her, not like The Sanctum has. He’s going to push her, sure, but he’ll worship the fucking ground she walks on.”
“It’s not his ground to worship,” I snarl, fury burning through my veins as my heartbeat gallops in my chest. “Take me to her. Now.”
“It’s not as simple as that,” he states, shaking his head. I’m sure there’s a hint of defeat etched into the tick of his jaw, but it’s gone too quickly for me to confirm. “I have to wait for him to reach out. He—”
“Fuck waiting! Are you forgetting the danger part?” I bite, spying Ocean nodding eagerly in agreement, but Kael continues to shake his head.
“He’s obviously not in The Vale, and the chances of him being in the real world are even slimmer,” he states, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Then where the hell is he?” Ocean shouts, her pulse ringing so fast it’s racing in tandem with mine. I can hear it louder than my thoughts.
“In his own version of… this,” he states, waving his hands around, and the reality of the distance between me and my fucking Petal burns my soul.
“How did he get to her?” I growl, my breath coming in short, sharp inhales as my wolf fights to be set free.
“In the game,” Kael murmurs, and Thorne clears his throat.
“With the rebellion?” he asks, and Kael nods, but it’s Thorne’s frown that holds my attention. “Is this the first time he’s been a part of the rebellion’s charging The Vale?” he pushes, and I watch in disbelief as Kael’s shoulders slump while he shakes his head.
This motherfucker.
“Was he with them when someone ripped the heart from the beast in the last games?” I mutter, already dreading the answer as deep green eyes find mine.
“That was him.”
That was him.
That was him.
That was him.
“Are you telling me that Jude is the guy from the beach? The one who almost killed me if it wasn’t for Elodie?” Thorne asks, his words like ice as they cut through the room, and Kael nods once, confirming his knowledge of the secrets we know nothing about.
Before I can blink, Thorne eliminates the space between them, standing toe to toe with Kael a moment later, before he slams his fist into his face.
I gape in surprise. Thorne isn’t the violent kind, not without reason, but this is more than worthy of his lethal efforts.
He’s lucky to get a shot in though, because I’m going to kill this motherfucker, friend or not.
Kael doesn’t fight back; he doesn’t even lift his hand to cup his jaw. He simply cracks his neck from side to side as he meets all of our stares, but it’s Ocean who speaks first.
“That’s enough.” All eyes snap to her as she steps between the shadow fae and the vampire without fear, nudging them each back a step so she’s practically standing in the center of the three of us.
“You”—she jabs a finger at Kael—“have a lot to answer for, so much that I can’t even imagine the wrath you’ll face when Elodie gets back.
Mark my words, she will be back, that’s my promise.
” Her fingertip quickly turns to Thorne, the scornful look easing slightly, but it’s there nonetheless.
“You don’t get to be angry because it suddenly affects you when this is all about Elodie.
Take your bullshit selfish energy and fuck off if that’s all you’ve got to offer, and you…
” That challenging finger aims in my direction, making my jaw fall slack as I blink at her.
“What did I do?” I blurt, hands raised in surrender, and she shakes her head.
“Come with me,” she orders, charging toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I ask, and she huffs, glancing over her shoulder at me with a pointed look.
“Somewhere to think where there’s less of this little dick energy,” she bites, and if it were under any other circumstances, I’d high-five her for that quick-witted attack, but instead, I keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself as I follow her out of the room, across the hall, and into Elodie’s space.
Neither Kael nor Thorne call after us, and I can’t deny that I’m disappointed by the fact, but as I close the door behind me, I feel a sense of relief. I hate it. We’re always better together, that’s what The Vale has taught us, but now, that doesn’t feel like the solution.
“I’m going to be real with you, Rion. Can you handle that?” Ocean asks, planting her hands on her hips as she stares at me, and I nod, bracing for whatever it is she’s about to lay on me. “Out of everyone, it’s you I trust the most to help get her back.”