Chapter 14 Elodie
ELODIE
My muscles are loose and my mind is in that beautiful bliss of emptiness. Not the kind that leaves you foraging for answers, but the alternative, where you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, ignoring the world like the harsh realities of life don’t matter.
The ache between my thighs is the main thing keeping me grounded, and I like it more than I care to admit.
Shuffling toward the exit, I grimace at the state of the door that lies fallen at my feet.
But despite how much my actions make me cringe, it also reminds me of what I did.
My magic didn’t rise to the surface to drain someone of their magic; instead, it burst from my palms, knocking the door from its hinges.
I don’t know what to make of that fact, but it’s something I know I need to explore more.
Just not yet, not when I’m riding a high and already acutely aware of the fact that my bubble is about to pop at any given moment.
A truth that grows stronger as I watch Rion inch closer to what remains of my father, tapping away on his cell phone for a moment before he turns to me with a beaming smile that transforms his entire face.
He looks at me like… no, that’s ridiculous. Before I can get wrapped in my thoughts, I shake off the lust charging through my veins and clear my throat.
“What are you going to do with him?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest as I nip at my lip.
“Do you really want the answer to that?” he retorts, cocking his brow for good measure as he rakes his gaze over me.
Despite the desire in his eyes, I shudder at his words. My nose crinkles as I shake my head. “Probably not,” I admit, but I can’t just leave it at that. “But you know it’s not your responsibility to deal with my shit, right?”
The panic in my chest leaves me on edge. The thought of being indebted to someone makes me nauseous, and I don’t like it.
His raised eyebrow only seems to go higher as he tilts his head at me. “Do I need to bend you over and fuck some sense into you? Because it seems like that’s the only time you actually listen to me,” he states, and all I can do is gape at him as he draws closer, stopping when we’re toe to toe.
“That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea,” I admit, completely distracted by him as amusement dances in his eyes.
I shiver when his hands come to my waist, instinctively making me unfold my arms to press my clenched hands against his chest. We both move at once, unable to decipher who took action first, but a second later, it doesn’t even matter.
With his lips pressed against mine, I lean into him, unable to get enough as my fingers curl around his neck, my nails sure to leave marks on his skin.
My thighs clench, confirming just how insane he makes me.
All too quickly, he leans back, pressing an extra kiss to my forehead before his heated gaze meets mine.
“You’re insatiable,” he rasps, threatening to turn me into jelly in his arms, but before I can even figure out how my tongue works to say something in response, I startle at the sound of metal clanging.
My gaze snaps to the top of the stairs as the door swings open. I squint, the natural light too much for my eyes, but it only takes a second to blink through the haze to see who it is.
Thorne.
He doesn’t look happy. With his hands on his hips, his chest heaving with every breath, and his narrow gaze set on the two of us, he looks ready to kill someone.
My fingers flex against Rion, uncertainty warring inside of me, but before I can jump to any assumptions, Ocean’s face appears around the corner of the door frame. Her smile is tight and her eyes are wide.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold him off any longer,” she states, leaving me to blink at her in confusion as Rion waves her off.
I should say something, cut through the ice that’s dropping the temperature of the space, but I’m locked in a stare off with Thorne as he charges down the stairs toward me.
The second he’s within arm’s reach, he grips my chin, tilting my face up so he can examine me.
Rion’s hands tighten at my waist, confirming he’s still here, but he doesn’t interject as Thorne takes stock of me.
It’s on his third pass that he finally speaks.
“You’re okay?” he grunts, and I nod, earning a pointed look that speaks volumes without him saying a word.
“I’m okay,” I answer, feeling the grip of his thumb slacken as Ocean rushes down the stairs.
I don’t know what I expect when she gets close, but to my surprise, Rion lets go of me at the last moment, spinning me to face her head on before she sweeps me up in an embrace. My heart thunders in my chest as we sway from side to side, my hold on her growing just as strong as hers on me.
“Don’t ever leave me alone with these assholes again,” she mumbles, making me grin as Rion gasps.
“Don’t you dare, Ocean. You better take that back right now,” he warns, and she sighs, rolling her eyes for good measure as she leans back.
“Fine, he’s not my least favorite anyway,” she admits as a shadow casts down from the top of the stairs, making me stiffen.
I can’t bring myself to look. It can only be one other person, and I don’t want to see him right now. Instead, I turn to glance at Thorne, watching as he rakes his fingers through his hair, sweeping the brown curls back off his face.
“So, what happened?” he asks, and I almost consider looking at Kael instead of having to deal with that question, but it seems I’m out of luck.
The sound of someone clearing their throat makes me freeze; the noise is so acutely familiar that I know who it is before they speak. “It was The Sanctum, like we thought. Those motherfuckers took her, and—”
“If I wanted the answer from you, I would have asked you out there,” Thorne snarls, turning his withering stare to the man who remains at the top of the stairs, seemingly aware that he’s already too close for my liking right now.
He glances over his shoulder, defeat already weighing heavily on him as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Maybe we should take this upstairs, where there isn’t an extra set of ears listening,” he mumbles, confirming there’s no one else outside, but his concern down here is no longer needed.
“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Rion murmurs, the corner of his mouth curled up in delight as he looks in the direction of the carnage I’ve left behind.
In slow motion, Thorne and Ocean follow his line of sight, gaping in disbelief as they see the state of what was once my father. Unlike before, when I couldn’t stop myself from crumbling, I stand tall, refusing to shrink away from my actions.
Thorne cocks a brow at me and I simply shrug in response while Ocean clears her throat.
“Who was that?”
“My fake father,” I admit, and her eyes widen in surprise for a beat before she shakes it off, linking her arm through mine as she smiles at me.
“Did he deserve it?”
“He deserved more if you ask me,” Kael grunts, despite not being able to see the man in question. I ignore his statement and offer a tight smile to my friend, who squeezes my arm even more in silent support.
Ready to finally get out of here, I take a single step toward the bottom stair when Thorne blocks my path, his eyebrows furrowing with a hint of confusion.
“So that’s not your blood?” he clarifies, nodding at my face, and I shake my head, watching in disbelief as he heaves a sigh of relief, his shoulders lowering with the lack of tension.
Ocean encourages me to take another step forward as she pats Thorne’s arm to move him out of the way. He goes willingly, but not without giving her a pointed look.
“Don’t think you’re just going to head upstairs and disappear with her. There’s plenty for us to discuss first,” he grumbles, but instead of answering him, she turns to me with concern gleaming in her eyes.
“Are you up for that, El? Just say the word, and I’ll put a pin in it,” she promises, a fierce warrior at my side at all times.
Despite how much I like the idea of continuing the luxurious bliss of pretending my life isn’t a mess, I know I need to face it head-on, and there’s no better time than now.
“Pretending it doesn’t exist only prolongs the mess I’m in. I need to figure out where I go from here, and if that means having a little talk first, then I think we’ve got this,” I admit, earning another smile from my friend, who remains glued to my side as we head up the stairs and outside.
Kael barely takes a step back to let us pass, his hands twitching at his sides as I pass him, but Ocean makes sure to firmly place herself between us. Despite my friend’s silent solidarity, I don’t breathe until we’re inside and back on the fourth floor of Institute Thirteen.
I’m desperate to run into my room, dive into my bed, and sleep. I know this conversation is going to need my full attention, so when Rion opens the guys’ dorm room door and waves for us to enter, I don’t argue.
My fingers threaten to tremble as I glance around the space. The last time I was here, everything was perfect. Now, my heart aches at the layers of betrayal I feel. Some may have been forgiven, but others take root in my soul.
Instead of standing stiffly in the center of the room, I dart toward the sofa, bringing Ocean with me as I take a seat, trying with every ounce of my being to hide my emotions and lock down my facial features that threaten to give me away.
The door clicks shut behind Kael as he remains by the exit. Rion steals the spot on the other side of me, while Thorne leans against the kitchen cabinets.
An air of awkwardness dances around us, and my head dips, refusing to make eye contact with the vampire in the room. Instead, my gaze snags on Rion’s cell phone in his hand.
B: Where?
Rion: I’ll leave the limbs scattered throughout the edge of the forest. Just let everyone know there’s a feast for their wolves tonight.
My stomach turns as I put two and two together. He is right, I definitely don’t want to know.