Chapter 8 Quentin
The council meeting had gone as expected.
Larkin had vehemently accused Hunter of being nothing more than a piece of shit until she was removed.
Elva, Erik, and Sloan had voted against the marriage.
The rest, including Ignacio, had fallen in line.
Bexley, Aria, Malachi, Flynn. Names and faces that I’d grown so fond of barely questioned the decision when Hunter announced it.
Either they believed the lies they were fed, or they hated me enough to believe that I would sacrifice my bond and jump into bed with Hunter to satisfy my need for survival and ambition.
And why would they think any different? Hunter had explicitly laid out that I was to appear strong and compliant.
I didn’t want to think what might happen if I disobeyed.
Days had passed since the disapproving looks from the council and the sealing of my fate.
The eeriness of being left alone at the house had me on edge.
Hunter’s lack of presence made me anxious and visitors were banned.
More than once I’d heard Erik’s voice at the door, but he never entered the house.
No matter how much I wanted to reach out to him and find the support and help I desperately needed, I knew that I’d put myself in a position where it was no longer possible.
His face when I turned away from the door would be yet another thing that haunted me.
And there was no chance of me leaving. When Hunter left, the front door was locked, and I was left as a prisoner in his gilded cage.
“I need to be able to trust you,” Hunter had said. “You have a reputation for being a loose cannon and I don’t think it’s the best idea to have you roaming around up here unchaperoned.”
“My life is on the line,” I reminded him. “I’m not going to do anything to put it at risk.”
“In my experience, women are prone to bouts of hysteria.”
I bit down so hard on my tongue that I tasted blood, but Hunter seemed pleased with my silence.
My stomach growled, and a pain gripped it, causing me to double over slightly.
I hadn’t trusted myself to venture out of the bedroom.
After my first run-in with Hunter and how easily he’d taken my power from me, I’d grown wary of my ‘freedom’ in his home.
I’d grown accustomed to making sure the door was always in sight no matter what room I was in.
Hunter held all the cards, and I refused to hand him any further advantages.
The growling grew to a crescendo, and I sighed. There was a chance that Hunter might have left. He didn’t appear to have a solid routine, with doors opening and closing throughout the day. He didn’t appear to have much use for me at the moment, but I also knew that could change in a heartbeat.
I hadn’t heard any doors today, but that meant nothing thanks to our auras. Also, I couldn’t sense him thanks to the godsdamned cuff attached to my wrist.
Pushing the bedroom door open, I ventured out into the hallway.
The house was eerily quiet, so I picked up the pace, moving across the landing and glancing at the doors.
Every single one was closed, and I wondered which was Hunter’s.
My stomach turned as a dark thought materialised, but I quickly shoved it away.
There were moments when I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, that I contemplated finding a match and burning the place down, but he’d find a way out of it and I’d be the one to pay with my life.
When I reached the top of the stairs, heated voices floated in my direction.
Crouching down, I stepped lightly down the stairs, stopping halfway when I could peer into the living room.
Hunter was out of view, but Archer’s profile was visible.
On seeing the God of secrets, rage spiked through my veins.
I gripped the banister until my knuckles paled.
It took a considerable effort to calm myself so I could hear their conversation rather than the blood thundering in my ears.
“You’ve gone rogue,” Archer hissed. “Grayson’s still alive and Quentin hasn’t returned to lower Elysia. Or her home.”
“Quentin Scott is none of your concern anymore. I suggest you let it go.”
“What have you—”
“I am handling her.”
Handling her? Of course, it was only natural for Hunter to refer to me as if I were some disease or piece of meat.
“And Grayson?” Archer continued to push. I wondered who he was more obsessed with—me or Gray? “Is there a reason he’s still alive?”
“I understand this won’t be the first time you’ve heard this, Archer, but you are insufferable.
” I could almost hear the eye roll that accompanied the sentence.
“I told you I will handle it in my own time. Have you ever wondered why I have lasted as leader and why you are barely able to take a breath in upper Elysia? You’re too trigger-happy.
You let your impulses control you. When the time comes, I will allow you the pleasure of watching Gray’s demise. ”
My heart stopped. I knew there was a chance Hunter wouldn’t keep up his end of the bargain, but to hear it out loud made my stomach sink to my feet.
“I want the honour of handing it to him.”
Silence stretched out, and I cautiously raised a hand and placed it over my mouth, worried that my breathing was too loud. If I had the will, I would have moved from the spot back to my room, unwilling to hear any more of the conversation.
Eventually, Hunter spoke. “That all depends on how well behaved you are. If you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to. You can see yourself out.”
That was enough to snap me back to my senses.
Chairs were pushed back and the sound of shoes against the carpet sounded, and I quickly tracked back up a few stairs, pressing myself against the wall.
Heavy footsteps moved out of the room and to the left, heading towards the kitchen and gardens.
Another set followed, but this one went right. I assumed Archer was leaving.
“Haven’t you learned that you can’t hide things from me?” His voice was smooth like silk and held a note of amusement. The earlier aggravation hadn’t quite left, making Archer sound more threatening than he usually was.
I dropped my hand and turned my head to see him paused at the foot of the stairs. I opened my mouth, but Archer cut me off with a whisper.
“I’ll see you in your dreams.”
Falling asleep became a task. It usually evaded me, and I slept in broken fragments that only served to fuel my paranoia.
Tonight, hoping Archer would stay true to his word, I settled into bed, nestling against the pillows.
My heart thumped in double time and my mind ran wild with all the possible outcomes of my future.
None looking any more palatable than the last.
If I married Hunter, I was forced to play his trophy, in a similar fashion to Larkin, but with success at my fingertips.
Gray would be murdered and I would lose my soulbound and any chance of telling him what I thought of him.
If I refused to comply with Hunter’s plans, then he would make me pay for my insolence with my life.
Gray would be murdered and we would both cease to exist. Elysia would remain under the control of a psychopath.
If I tried to reach out to the others… there were too many things that could go wrong.
Too many people innocent Gods implicated in something they had no role in. The list was endless.
The plan was to fight through it all, but my confidence was wavering. I didn’t know enough about Elysia, its history, and its alliances. I could no longer use my powers. There was so much stacked against me that getting myself out of this situation felt like more of a delusion than anything else.
I wasn’t certain how long I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the thoughts continued to wrap themselves around me and eventually pulled me under.
My home remained untouched. The papers I’d been reading were still sprawled across the coffee table and the throw was rumpled and hanging onto the back of the sofa by its corner.
A pang of longing hit me so hard that I held myself up using the wall.
What I wouldn’t give to be back home. To be with Cass. To be in the lab.
“Quentin?” A soft and tentative voice forced me to lift my head. “You look like hell.” Dionne stood in the doorway of my kitchen, drinking me in with her dark eyes. “Bexley mentioned… there wasn’t much we could do.”
I blinked a few times. What was I meant to say?
“Can I hug you?” Dionne asked.
In the absence of words, I nodded my head slowly. She strode across the room and wrapped her arms around me. I buried my head in her shoulder and took in the comfort. Dionne refused to loosen her grip.
“I didn’t know if I’d see anyone,” I mumbled.
“I told Archer I wouldn’t let him come here unless I was with him,” she whispered.
My body stiffened, and I pulled away from her slowly. “Where is he?”
“Right here.” I turned sharply to find Archer sitting in an armchair with his ankle crossed over his leg. “Don’t look at me like that. I used to be one of your favourites. Remember?”
“You ruined my life,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
“And lover boy ruined mine,” Archer spat in return.
My feet carried me forward as anger licked every nerve ending, setting me on fire. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Archer shot up from the seat and stalked towards me, driven by his own rage. “You have no idea what you let yourself into. I tried to warn you, but you thought you knew best. Rather arrogant of you.”
“I’m part Goddess. It comes with the territory.”
“Maybe we all need to take a deep breath,” Dionne commented. I could feel her presence behind me.
“You want me to be calm when Gray’s life is on the line?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.
“An eye for an eye. The whole of Elysia would be better off without him. You saw it yourself, Quentin. Who tried to protect him? Who disagreed with the decision?” I turned my attention back to Archer as he spoke.
“It was only you. Erik barely tried. And what about his friends? He’s not worth putting your life on the line for. ”
“You don’t understand. You need to speak to Gray and he’ll show you.”
“That’s the last thing I’ll do. I only plan to see him as he becomes nothing more than a memory.”
“That’s not going to happen. Not if I can help it.”
Archer scoffed and grabbed my wrist, lifting my left hand between us. “How sweet that you refuse to give up on him. ’Til death do you part.”
I flexed my fingers, the weight of the ring feeling wrong. “Only this isn’t the ring that Grayson gave me. It’s the one that ties me to Hunter.”
“Hunter?” Archer’s face had twisted away from angry to perplexed.
The room fell deathly silent. Dionne shuffled behind me.
“You knew.” Archer’s tone was low. “You knew, and you didn’t say anything.”
“I couldn’t,” Dionne protested. “Bexley would have been in trouble if you ran straight to Hunter.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Why would you accept?”
“Because he promised to keep Grayson alive if I married him.”
“And you believe him?”
“He hasn’t killed him yet.” My eyes flicked back to Archer. “But he’s hardly a man of his word.”
Archer’s grip on my wrist grew tighter. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
“Did your new best friend betray you?” I asked, ripping my hand out of his grasp and ignoring the burning sensation that lit up my skin. “For everything you think Gray is, Hunter is a thousand times worse.”
“You don’t know what you’re—”
“Yes, I do. Larkin—” I stopped myself.
Archer narrowed his eyes. “What about Larkin? What has she told you?”
“It’s between me and her. But you know she carries secrets. You sense it.” His lips drew into a thin line at my comment. “Maybe it’s time to admit you don’t know everything going on here. Too many secrets for you to handle.”
“What’s his plan?”
“What do you think, Archer? Success. Hunter’s worries he’ll get dethroned, so he’s solidifying his power with me by his side.”
“And what’s your plan?”
“Who says I have one?”
“It’s not like you to sit back and do nothing, so I’ll ask again—what is your plan?”
“To survive.” I was going to leave it at that, but something compelled me to keep talking. “It’s not going to be easy. If I had some help—”
“No.” The answer was blunt. “I have no interest in getting involved in whatever web you are weaving. These stupid games—”
“You’re an integral part of why these games began!”
“I’m done here. Dionne, we need to leave.”
“Archer,” Dionne said, looking between us. “We can’t leave her. Not like this.”
“If you wish to take part in a suicide mission, please be my guest. I want my justice and I want to move on with my existence.” Archer cracked his neck. “But you know as well as I do that if you get involved, Bexley will be in the firing line as well.”
There was a moment before Dionne dropped her head in defeat.
Selfish.
We were all inherently selfish.
“Good luck with your life,” Archer said. “It’s the least you’ll need.”