Chapter 16
Sixteen
The bond tugged at me, sharper than usual, pulling me toward Lucian’s apartment. A wicked grin curled my lips as I gave in to it, the connection humming with a tantalizing cocktail of guilt and tension. Something had stirred the pot, and I wasn’t about to miss the fallout.
Lucian’s apartment was already thick with tension by the time I arrived, the bond thrumming faintly as I slipped inside. The room reeked of anger and grief, layered so perfectly I almost didn’t need to intervene. Almost.
Lucian paced in sharp, agitated steps, his movements as jagged as the words he threw like daggers. “We were supposed to look out for each other,” he snapped, his gaze cutting toward Aeron. “Where the hell were you?”
Kael leaned against the counter, his knuckles white where they gripped the edge. “He was calling out for help,” he said, his voice tight. “And you just brushed him off?”
Aeron, sitting stiffly in the corner, shot them both a glare. “You think I don’t feel guilty enough?” he hissed. “What about you? What did any of you do? Don’t put this all on me.”
Perfect. They were already cracking, and I hadn’t even done anything yet.
I drifted closer to Aeron first, the bond feeding me just enough energy to fuel my whispers. “You should’ve answered him,” I murmured, low and soft, the words curling into his thoughts like smoke. “You could’ve saved him. But you didn’t.”
Aeron flinched, his jaw tightening as he snapped, “He was spiraling for months! I couldn’t babysit him every second.”
Kael’s head shot up, his eyes narrowing. “That’s your excuse?” he spat. “You couldn’t be bothered to give a damn about your best friend?”
Lucian stopped mid-step, his gaze locking onto Aeron like a predator sizing up its prey. “You knew he was struggling,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “And you told him to get over it?”
“I told him not to talk about her,” Aeron shot back, his voice breaking. “Not in the middle of a fucking café, where everyone could hear.”
Kael slammed his fist against the counter, the sound sharp enough to echo. “So, what? You humiliated him instead? That’s better?”
The energy in the room was electric, the weight of their emotions tangling beautifully in the air. I moved toward Kael next, my voice a soft, taunting purr. “ You think Aeron’s the only one who failed him? What about you? What did you do while he fell apart? ”
Kael’s fists clenched, his breath hissing through his teeth. “We all let him down,” he muttered, the guilt twisting his features. “But Aeron?—”
“Don’t,” Aeron snapped, rising from his seat. “Don’t you dare put this all on me. I wasn’t the only one who?—”
Lucian cut him off, his voice sharp enough to slice through the chaos. “Then who, Aeron? Who else is to blame? You’re the one who ignored him.”
Aeron’s fists clenched, his voice rising. “What about you? You’ve been so wrapped up in your own shit that you didn’t even notice him falling apart!”
The argument escalated, their voices crashing into each other in a crescendo of blame and guilt. I let myself bask in it, the bond feeding me their anguish like nectar. It was almost too easy.
But I wanted more.
I turned my focus inward, following the faint thread of Ciaran’s bond to where he lingered, aimless and broken in the dorm where he died. It took only a slight tug to bring him to me.
He appeared beside me, flickering like a half-formed shadow, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. “What’s happening?” he whispered, his voice trembling.
I smiled, my lips curling with delight. “They’re grieving you,” I said simply. “It’s messy, isn’t it?”
Ciaran stepped closer, his gaze darting between his friends. His expression crumbled as he saw the raw pain etched into their features. “They’re blaming each other,” he said, his voice heavy with disbelief. “They shouldn’t?—”
“They should,” I interrupted, my tone light and mocking. “Because it’s their fault, isn’t it? All of them played a part.”
“No,” Ciaran said quickly, shaking his head. “It wasn’t—it wasn’t like that.”
“Oh, but it was,” I cooed, drifting toward Lucian. I leaned close, my breath brushing against his ear as I whispered, “ It’s all falling apart, Lucian. And you can’t fix it. ”
Lucian froze mid-step, his jaw tightening as the thought took root. “This is pointless,” he muttered, his voice low and clipped. “Arguing won’t bring him back.”
Kael rounded on him, his frustration boiling over. “So what, we just forget about it? Pretend it didn’t happen?”
Ciaran’s hands reached for Kael, his form flickering as his fingers passed through him. “Kael, stop,” he pleaded. “This isn’t what I wanted.”
I watched him struggle, his desperation growing with every failed attempt to be heard. My grin widened as I leaned toward Aeron, my voice a soft murmur. “ He hates you most, you know. You were his last hope, and you failed him. ”
Aeron flinched, his expression twisting as he shoved past Kael. “I can’t do this,” he snapped, heading for the door.
Ciaran turned to me, his stormy eyes wide with horror. “You’re doing this,” he said, his voice trembling. “You’re tearing them apart.”
I laughed, the sound sharp and delighted. “Sucks, doesn’t it?” I said, my voice dripping with satisfaction. “Watching and not being able to do anything. You’re just like me now.”