Chapter Forty
BLISS
The next morning is silent. I finally drifted off to sleep after silently crying for what felt like hours. Pisces—despite there being plenty of room in the bed for both of us—slept on the floor.
When I wake up, eyes dry and crusty, he’s already awake, sitting in the armchair and staring off out the window. He barely looks at me as I go through my little routine of getting ready. I put my ribbons back in my hair and dress in the bathroom.
I don’t know what to do with myself. I clear my throat to say something to him, but he glares at me, and any words I might have said die in my throat.
So I just sit with a book on the bed, reading, until finally Grim comes to gather me for another interrogation. It’s crazy that I’m relieved to be going into the interrogation room again.
But as Grim leads me down the hall, he goes the opposite way. “Where are we going?” I ask as I follow him.
“Your aunt has been causing quite the commotion for the council. She has enough support that the others finally forced Lyra’s hand. You’re being released.”
“What?” I reach out and stop Grim, my hand gripping his forearm. “That’s amazing.”
But Grim doesn’t seem pleased. “You broke the law, Bliss. Just because I can’t prove it, doesn’t mean I’m happy to be letting you go.”
My brows shoot up to my hairline. “You want to throw me in jail?”
Grim shakes his head, blowing out a breath. “You were working with a wraith. People got killed. And I don’t know who’s responsible for that. Maybe Jordan is just a scapegoat and you and Pisces are behind this whole thing.”
“You really think that?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“I don’t know what to think because you won’t talk to me, Bliss.”
“We’re friends. How can you believe that I would be responsible for anyone’s death?”
“We were friends, Bliss. Now I’m not so sure.
” He motions with his chin to keep going, so I shake my head and in my best Amelia impersonation I throw my hair over my shoulder.
This hallway leads out into a foyer where Liz and Amelia stand, waiting to take me home.
I ignore Grim’s presence at my back and throw my arms around my family.
“Stars, I’m so glad to see you,” I say into my sister’s hair.
“Same here,” she murmurs back, hugging me tight. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I turn back to Grim. He’s waiting, hands behind his back in the doorway. “What’s going to happen to Pisces?” I ask. “Why is no one here to pick him up?”
“You said so yourself, Bliss. He’s Made, you’re Born.” Without any more of an explanation Grim turns and heads back into the estate.
Amelia tugs my hand. “Come on, sis, let’s go.”
I shake my head. “I can’t just leave him here.”
“You can and you will,” Liz says firmly. “It’s not like you can stage a prison break.”
I take one last look behind me, as if I could see all the way into the room to catch a glimpse of him. Of the siren that might be my bondmate.
Maybe I can’t stage a prison break, but I am going to get him released somehow.
I convince Amelia and Liz to stick around London for a few more days.
I need to get into contact with someone from Voracious Maw.
Evan or Shaun, they’ll know what to do to get Pisces released.
Liz had the foresight to pack some clothes for me just in case, and when we get to the hotel, I shoot a quick text to Simon and change.
Amelia’s tying a new ribbon into my hair as my phone beeps. Simon’s texted an address to me. Amelia insists on going with me, and I’m grateful for the company, honestly. I know it’s a big step for her. She hasn’t seen Evan since he was sick.
We find our way to an old church just outside London and make our way up the crumbling steps.
The property is creepy looking, and it doesn’t help that there seems to be a thick layer of fog encompassing the grounds.
Amelia uses the ornate metal door knocker to announce our arrival.
It takes a few minutes for the door to open and Simon greets us with a somber expression.
“Hey, succubus sisters, come on in,” he tries to joke.
Amelia passes him, squeezing his shoulder lightly. I stop and give him a quick hug.
“The others are this way,” Simon says, leading us down a hallway, then through another hallway. The place is like a maze. “Here we are.”
We come to a stop in a large open living room where the entirety of Voracious Maw—excluding Pisces—is seated, wearing matching worried expressions.
Evan and Amelia exchange a quick look but say nothing. Whatever might be going on between them, or not going on, is put on hold for now.
Shaun gets up, shaking both our hands. “What brings you here?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” I say, taking a seat that Shaun motions to. “The fae council has Pisces and we need to get him out.”
“We know,” Evan says flatly.
“You know?” Amelia repeats. We exchange glances.
“Yes, we know.” Evan unfolds his crossed legs and gets up, the movement oddly familiar. It takes the same amount of time for him to cross over to one of the windows as it does for me to put two and two together.
“Evan Lyra, right?” I ask. Evan’s shoulders tense.
“Right,” he replies, turning back around and looking at us. “It’s my father that’s keeping Pisces.”
“So what? You’re not going to do anything about it?”
The fire in the hearth blazes for a beat, as if Evan is thinking about calling it to him. “Of course not. But we can’t just stalk in there and grab him and leave.”
Shaun gets up, going and standing next to Evan. “If that’s why you came here, then it’s best for you to go. We’ve got this under control. We’ll get him out. He’s our friend, not yours, not after what you did.”
“What I did?” I exclaim, looking between the two.
“Maybe we should all take a minute,” Benny says softly from his seated position on the couch. “Arguing isn’t going to help.”
I ignore him, narrowing my eyes on Shaun. “What did I do?”
Shaun laughs hollowly. “You’re Born fae. You know what a rune means, and yet, you didn’t tell him you were mates. All the times you’ve seen him, you said nothing.”
“There was no rune!” I yell. Amelia puts her hand on my forearm. I take a few breaths. “His eyes are runeless. And supposedly he sees a rune in my eye. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Evan shakes his head like he thinks I’m lying. “We don’t want or need your help. What are you going to do anyways, sleep your way into the fae estate and lead Pisces out the front door?”
“Watch yourself, bondmate,” Amelia threatens. “I’d love a reason to kick your fucking ass.”
“Like you could,” he shouts at her.
“Enough!” Simon yells, slapping the coffee table hard with his fist. He’s glaring at us all. “Fighting isn’t going to help Pisces. We need to work together.”
“We are,” Shaun says, motioning to them but not to Amelia and I.
“They don’t need to be part of it. They got him arrested in the first place, and she—” he points at me, “—was working with a wraith of all things to steal Pisces’ tears.
” He turns and levels his gaze at me again.
“So no, sorry, I don’t trust you to help us get him out. ”
“It’s not what you think,” I say, looking worriedly at Amelia. I still haven’t explained it to her, but for some reason she hasn’t asked.
“I don’t give a shit.” Shaun steps closer to me. “We’re getting our friend back and we don’t need or want your help.”
Bliss, I can’t feed you. I… I don’t want to.
I don’t want to.
Tears threaten to run down my face, so I look down at my feet, nodding. I don’t say anything, just turn and leave, Amelia and Simon coming after me.
I can hear Amelia tell Simon to leave us alone. Once we’re outside, Amelia takes me back to Liz and the hotel and from there we find the nearest portal, taking it back to Seattle.