Chapter 21 Grayson
We piled into my home, auras projected outside to stop any attacks.
Memories of years ago flooded my brain. Pure chaos ensued when Gods turned their backs on each other.
And just like the previous war, Hunter had disappeared, preferring to run rather than face me.
He would collect everything he could before he showed his face again.
Funny to think that this war was nothing more than two brothers who could no longer let the other survive.
For the rest of the Gods, it meant being able to get rid of that pent-up rage.
To flex their powers and find some renegade justice.
The elite had yet to offer them any sort of compensation for their loss.
No answers. No recompense. Not even a godsdamned apology.
We all carried on in the heavens, too ashamed of our past to confront it until it slapped us in the face in the worst of ways.
If they had any sense, they would get on their knees and worship Quentin for being the one to force our heads out of the sand.
Her very existence is what brought the steady hum of complaints to its crescendo.
They would get what they so desperately desired, one way or another.
Quentin.
The unsettling feeling had steadily grown in my chest until it was difficult to ignore.
She remained locked up at Hunter’s home because of a decision I made.
The choice to save her life had been a simple one.
But that was when I was held captive, with no other way of saving her. Now… Things had changed.
The rage spoke to the worst parts of me. It stirred the chaotic vengeance that had been dormant for days. It stoked the fire until I was consumed.
Hunter would use her. He would rip her gift from her without permission in order to win. And when everything was done, and the dust settled, he would no doubt haul her in front of Elysia and blame her for the destruction he caused.
The thoughts spiralled in my mind, batting between a need to kill Hunter and a need to save Quentin. Preferably, I needed to kill my brother without my soulbound becoming collateral damage. Their faces were clear in my mind, but the path to them was less so.
“How do I do it?” I muttered to myself.
“Are you even paying attention?” Ignacio hissed while the others continued the conversation.
Erik and Sloan were currently dissecting the last few conversations they’d had with Andreas to see if there were any hints on how to handle this. Elva remained silent, looking pale and withdrawn. Flynn and Malachi flanked her, which must have been why Ignacio had attached himself to my side.
“Why would I?” I asked him.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You got us into this mess.”
“Careful. It sounds like you might not want to be friends anymore.”
“You don’t deserve friends,” he grumbled.
“And yet you still showed up when it mattered.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“Clearly why I keep you around. Give myself an ego boost.”
Ig snorted, and I realised just how grateful I was to have him by my side.
“I’ll do what I can,” he said, looking down at the floor. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’ll do what I can to counter her success.”
“You think luck could beat it?”
“I’ve had my gift for longer. Honed it. Trained it. I’m not sure, but we have to try everything and I’ll put it all on the line if we can get rid…”
But his words became muffled as a sensation rippled through me. A sense of calm. The scent of orange blossom in our house again. I walked away from the conversation, without an explanation, and towards the door that led out to the hallway.
“Gray?” Ignacio called after me. “Asshole.”
Andreas filled the space, but even his bulk wasn’t able to hide the telltale golden glow that emanated from behind him.
Quentin. It was impossible. How many times would insanity try to snare me into its clutches?
But there was no way I could make up her aura.
Not the pulsating golden tendrils that were brightening our home in the audacious way it always had.
Banishing my darkness and robbing me of my breath.
She was here and every part of me ached to touch her.
I was desperate to remind myself what she felt like.
Tasted like. It took all of my restraint not to shove Andreas aside and give in to my instincts.
“I thought you said it was better for you to stay out of the way so no one could use you,” I managed, watching the wisps of gold. They were growing and fading unpredictably.
“It wouldn’t be fair to let anyone abuse my power,” Andreas confirmed. “How many of us truly have free will when desperation comes knocking at the door?”
“And so you brought me a gift instead?” I motioned for Andreas to step aside, and he did so. A simple flick of the wrist that caused his features to darken, but he obliged.
There she was. Quentin, in all of her glory.
Her aura glittered and flickered around her in a beautiful dance.
The veins beneath her skin were golden, giving her a sense of ethereality.
And at the centre of it all, she stood with her fists balled and her brow furrowed.
Oh, she was pissed. I almost laughed, seeing how angry she was.
“This is definitely not a battle I wish to be a part of,” Andreas muttered. “I’ll take my leave.”
His blood-red aura filled the space for a few moments before it disappeared along with the war God.
“My golden girl,” I cooed, taking a step towards her.
“Yours?” she said, barely continuing her anger. “Yours?”
Her aura snaked towards me at speed, but I blocked it. Somewhere beyond the chaos, something stirred deep in my chest, blossoming violently and spreading a warmth throughout my body. The ice that had settled in my veins when she had thrown her ring at me thawed rapidly.
Ah… so I hadn’t quite done the job.
“I’m not yours, you selfish, arrogant bastard. I want nothing to do with you. Do you hear me? Nothing!”
Quentin must have forgotten that she had said worse to me before we fell into bed together. If she thought that was enough to get rid of me, she was mistaken. And if I could still feel the bond thrumming through me, I had no doubt she would as well.
“Get out of my sight,” she hissed.
Enough was enough. I’d allowed her to get it out of her system, and now it was time for her to listen. My aura reached out for her and Quentin wasn’t fast enough to stop it. The tendril wrapped around her waist before pulling her into me and bringing her to eye level.
“First, I will remind you that this is our home. I have no intention of leaving it, especially when you are walking the hallways of it.” A ridiculous notion from a ridiculous woman. “Aren’t you wondering how I got here?” I asked her.
She was scowling at me, but it soon fell away to her curiosity. Always hungry for an answer. Knowledge was power, and she knew it all too well.
“How did you—”
“You should know by now that I’m capable of anything.”
The scowl returned to her face. “He’s going to kill you.”
“Feels like you want to get there first.”
“I don’t care enough to bother myself with your existence.”
“We both know that’s a lie.”
“You told me I was unwanted. Story of my life, right? You broke our bond and you mean nothing to me.”
She took in a sharp breath at the same time the pain hit me, making me wince. Further confirmation that our soul bond ran deeper than words with no conviction behind them. Golden eyes found mine once she recovered from the blow.
“I broke our bond?” I asked her. “Huh? Doesn’t look like I did a good enough job.”
“You said…”
The hard resolve was fading, and I felt her mood shift towards upset.
Pulling her flush against me, I brushed loose strands of hair from her face. She was here. She was uninjured from what I could see. Living. Breathing. The relief was almost enough to have the world crumble away beneath my feet.
“I said those things because Hunter would have killed you. Do you understand that?” I asked her, searching her eyes.
They narrowed, hunting for an honest answer. The pain was palpable through our bond, but as long as it still existed, I knew I could win her back. I could convince her…
From behind her, there grew a green mist, and Archer soon materialised in the hallway. A murderous intent settled in my chest. My home had always been accessible to those I trusted, and since my home had become our home, that now extended to who Quentin trusted. We would need to discuss this later.
“How do you manage it?” Archer said, looking at us.
Quentin turned her head to look at him, relief softening her muscles. “Did you find it?”
Archer ignored her. “No matter what, you always come out on top. Don’t you?”
I placed Quentin down gently and released my aura from around her waist. I wouldn’t miss my chance of killing him. I passed up the opportunities too many times before.
He placed a gloved hand into his pocked and pulled out a brightly coloured flower that had seen better days.
“Careful, Grayson,” Archer warned. “You don’t have the advantage here.”
My aura grew around me. “You always did forget exactly what my responsibilities are.”
“Hard to forget when you destroy everyth—”
“Is that it?” Quentin asked, shoving me slightly so she could stand in front of him. “That’s all you could find?”
Archer pulled his attention away from me and back to her.
“I searched Mabel’s home and grounds,” he reported. “This was all that was left.”
“Mabel?” I asked. “What’s she doing with oleander?”
“Keeping it safe for Hunter,” Quentin muttered.
“He must have got there before us,” Archer replied.
“We’re only going to have one shot at this.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I told her, iciness creeping into my voice.
Quentin looked up at me. “I don’t need your permission.”
“Lovers’ tiff?” Archer let out a dark chuckle.
“Get out of my home,” I told him darkly.
“Considering it’s our home, I’d rather he stay,” Quen shot back.
“This is not a time for arguments.” Larkin’s voice joined us in the hallway. “They all wanted to give you some privacy,” she explained, jerking her head back to the room she’d just come from. “But we don’t have time for some heartfelt reunion.”
“Larkin—” I started, but Quen cut me off.
“You’re right.” She pushed past me. “Archer, bring that with you. We need to discuss the best way of doing this.”
She marched towards Larkin and disappeared into the room. Cries of elation were loud as she reunited with friends and family. Jealousy left me rooted to the spot, unwilling to walk in and see the way she would open her arms to them. The hallway darkened as my aura billowed around me.
“Maybe you won’t get everything you want for once,” Archer mused, having been left with me. “Wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing?”