Chapter 23
Abram
When I woke up in a strange bed, it took me a moment to remember that I was at Ezra’s home. I heard him downstairs, but I laid in bed for a moment remembering that I had seen Elowyn yesterday and how good I felt for that split second before Philip ruined it.
I rubbed my hands down my face before getting up and dressed. When I walked into the kitchen, Ezra was smiling as he cooked an absurd amount of food.
“I hope you’re hungry.” He grinned as he started plating food for me. “I have a plan.”
“Gods, Ezra, are you always this damn energized in the morning?”
He looked around and seemed to think.
“Yes, but I also didn’t sleep at all last night.”
I looked at him and noticed that his eyes were swirling red.
“Why the hell not?”
“I was thinking of a plan, and I got it.” He gestured for me to sit down.
I did and stared at the food he made. Gods, it looked fucking good. I started eating as he ran around the kitchen, smiling when he looked at me.
“This is great, thank you.”
“I learned to cook when Farris was here. She loves breakfast the best.” His gaze moved to the food and frowned.
“Are you ever going to tell me exactly what happened with you two?”
He looked up at me.
“There really isn’t a grand story.” He looked at me, and I could see him remembering.
“I found her in the woods outside, passed out, and brought her home. She said she didn’t remember much of anything.
I knew she was my mate a few days after she was here.
She stayed for months; she said she loved me.
“I was going to tell her that she was my mate. I had my star ready to give to her when I heard her talking to some woman about leaving me. Whoever she was, she told Farris that she was never meant to be here with me and needed to get away from me and stay away. Then she fucking robbed me.”
“Robbed you?”
“Yes, she stole all of my valuable shit. And what was the most stupid was that I still tried to give her my star. That was the only thing she didn’t take.
She didn’t touch it. Then she married Philip.
I don’t know. I’ve played it over in my head a million times.
She loved me, I know she did. I could feel it through the bond.
But after that woman came, I couldn’t feel it anymore.
It was like the love she had for me just stopped. ”
“Thomas said she did what she did for a reason. Who was the woman she talked to?” I asked.
“I have no idea. Farris’ family died, so I’m not sure who knew she was here. A friend maybe? Her taking my shit was odd too.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense.”
He looked at me and sighed.
“It was like she wanted me to hate her. I caught her stealing all my stuff and told her she could have it all if she told me what was going on. That is when she said all of this shit about how I was nothing she could ever want. How I would suffocate her if she stayed.”
He blinked rapidly and ran a hand through his hair, eyes dark with frustration. “The more I think about everything, the more I think she wanted me to hate her. But why? She knew I loved her. I never raised my voice to her. I never hurt her. I did nothing but love her, and it wasn’t enough.”
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
“I’m sure Thomas is right, Ezra. Farris is up to something, and if Philip is a vyrak, then maybe she didn’t have a choice but to leave you. But again, why go through all the trouble of stealing your stuff?”
He shrugged, jaw tight, staring at the floor.
“The woman asked her to find something.”
I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
He hesitated, eyes darkening. “A key.”
“Why the fuck did they think you had it?” I asked, my voice sharp with frustration.
“I don’t know. But they talked for a while. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying.” He chewed his lip, shoulders stiff, like the memory itself made him ache.
I took another bite of food, staring at him. He looked like he was ill just thinking about it. My stomach twisted with worry.
“What did the woman look like?”
“Her back was to me. I only saw that she had black hair.”
I nodded, trying to make sense of it, but maybe there wasn’t anything to make sense of yet.
The truth would always come out at some point, and I had a sinking feeling that Farris loved Ezra.
I had seen his future with her before, married, with seven children.
But that vision felt hollow now. I couldn’t see that future anymore.
I couldn’t see Ezra, Farris, Elowyn, Loma, or Philip’s future. The uncertainty gnawed at me.
“Alright, let’s get down to business. We need to figure out more about Elowyn and where she is at with meeting her mate. Where is she living? Is she aware of the bond? So to do that, you need to seduce your mate.”
“For fuck’s sake, Ezra. That is your godsdamn plan?” I scoffed, incredulous, my hands balling into fists as anger and disbelief collided inside me.
“Well, you don’t have to sleep with her. But you need her to think you are falling for her charms. She will eventually lead you to Philip, and he will lead you to Elowyn.”
I hated that his plan made sense. My chest tightened, part of me rebelling, part of me calculating.
“And I decided that I’m going to kidnap Farris,” he said quietly as he sat down and took a bite of food, throwing it out there like it was just an offhand comment.
My gaze snapped up to him, heart lurching.
“What?”
“I’m going to kidnap Farris and demand answers. Do you have a better idea than that?” He leaned back, jaw set, eyes burning with a mix of desperation and stubborn resolve.
I shook my head, still reeling, unable to find a single flaw in his reckless logic.
“She has to know something. Like Thomas said, she did this for a reason, and I’m her fucking mate. I need to know. Plus, she probably knows more about all of this, so she will be a good source of information.” His voice cracked on the edges, the pain beneath the anger bleeding through.
“Okay, I agree.” I sighed heavily, the weight of the plan settling onto my shoulders like a stone.
“We probably should inform our family of the plan so they don’t interfere.
Let’s start with kidnapping Farris; maybe she has information that is useful.
Besides, I don’t want to be anywhere near Loma. ”
Ezra nodded with agreement, tension written across every line of his body.
Everyone stared at me and Ezra like we’d set the place on fire and asked them to admire the flames. Della let go of Haden’s hand and stood. Thea and Cassius watched me oddly before Cassius stood up.
“You can’t kill Loma,” he said, alarmed. “Wouldn’t that curse you like it did Thea and me?”
“Exactly. That’s why none of you can touch her. She’s my mate, and the bond makes it too dangerous. We’re still trying to figure out our options.”
Ezra looked at the ground, and I knew what he was thinking. How would this hurt Farris? I frowned as I looked at him.
“Philip’s a fucking tyrant. Loma’s no better. And there’s no chance in hell she’ll talk to me like I’m anything other than her enemy. But they’re in it deep with whatever’s happening in Gilyx; they’re a part of it. They’re hunting the fate relics. If they get all three…” I paused.
I looked around the room.
“We’re all dead. We have to kill them and their parents.”
“But what about Farris?” Della asked.
“I don’t know.” I sighed. “Ezra and I came here hoping we could figure out a plan.”
“We need Farris and Elowyn to come to us.” Ezra finally looked up. “But if he is feeding off her magic, will it hurt her to be away from him?”
Haden stood up. “Maybe you can give her your magic? What if you finish the mating process?”
Ezra shook his head.
“First, I would have to convince her to leave her husband. The same man that she picked over me already. There is no way that she will agree.”
“Ezra, Thomas said she did it because she loves you,” I said.
At my words, his eyes snapped up, already shifting, glowing that deep crimson, and a pulse of red mist coiled around his ankles.
Suddenly, the beast broke through. He was pissed. I stepped away from him slightly, knowing that he’d need the space as he transformed. Haden’s mouth fell open as Ezra’s body grew into the beast.
“I can’t think of a single reason besides the fact that she doesn’t love me that she would willingly walk away from me.” His deep voice vibrated through Della’s home, shaking the walls.
Ezra began pacing, his heavy footsteps echoing in the space and shaking the floor. He was mumbling to himself. No one said anything as their mouths fell open at this demon-god. Then he stopped and kept his back to us.
“What if she finds out she is my mate and hates me more for it?”
He turned and looked at me, terrified.
“I don’t think that is what will happen, Ezra. Thomas was very sure that she loved you.”
“How are we supposed to find them?” Thea asked.
“Philip already met her, which means he will seek her out again. The way he looked at her made it clear that the bond was working for him,” I said as calmly as I could.
“I hate to be a dick, but what if Elowyn feels the mate bond for him too?” Della asked. “What if she is not on our side when this happens?”
“She doesn’t.” I answered quickly, not wanting to think about it.
“Gods, won’t we be a fucking pair,” Ezra scoffed. “Both of us are losing the woman we love to the same piece of shit man.”
“Ezra, knock it off. Farris doesn’t love him and neither does Elowyn.” I glared.
“We will live together and be miserable together.” Ezra pouted.
Ezra looked like he wanted to argue with me, but he just sighed and looked at Haden, frowning slightly.
“Let’s just… take her,” Ezra said casually, like we were going out for tea. “I know where she lives and what bedroom is hers. Maybe she will know where Philip found Elowyn at. Or maybe she doesn’t know her husband is chasing another woman around.”
“Umm.” Thea looked around us like she was concerned about the plan.