Darius snaps his eyes toward him. “She’s mine!” he bellows menacingly, a warning to anyone who’d dare defy him. The scent of smoke teases my nostrils and a new wave of rage and possessiveness blasts from Darius, hacking painfully at my mind as it bombards me with a succession of assaults. I throw my head back with an agonized moan.
“Give her to me,” Amara says.
Darius hesitates, but eventually curls his fingers into my vest, dragging me into an even more crushing embrace, before suddenly releasing me.
Small, shaking hands cup my cheeks and lift my lolling head, Amara’s worried face swimming into view. “You're okay. You're okay,” she rushes out, her concerned eyes staring into my amethyst ones. “Control it, sweetie. You can do it. Lock it up,” she says in a gentle tone I’m unaccustomed to. “Please,” she whispers.
Whimpering, I remain limp, adrift in a churning sea of emotions.
Too much! Too much! Too much!
“Is she okay?”
“What’s going on?”
“Is it working?”
Amara’s fearful gaze veers from mine and she shakes her head. “I don't know! I don't think so.”
“Give her to me,” Griffin says quietly over my shoulder.
Amara’s gaze snaps to his, her face twisting into a snarl. “Don't touch her.”
“I won’t hurt her. You have my word,” Griffin says in a placating tone. “But I think I know how to help.”
Amara holds his gaze for a long moment, then releases me and steps back. My body slackens and I bow my head over my hunched form, whimpering as I try to make sense of the riot of emotions assaulting my person. Though I strain to regain control, I can only cower into myself, submitting to the mental violation.
Griffin crouches before me, carefully avoiding touching my skin as he pushes my sweat-drenched hair back from my face. “Lena,” he says softly. “I think I know how to help you, but I need physical contact. May I touch you?”
“Just make it stop!” I beg before crying out. “Please.”
“Griffin!” Darius bellows in fury, but hidden beneath his rage is a hint of terror. Wishing I could comfort him, I attempt to do so, but I'm unable to even raise my head.
“Quiet, Darius!” Griffin snaps. His cheeks harden in determination and he reaches for my hand. Uncurling my fingers from my waist, he enfolds my limp hand within both of his.
He jolts, sucking in a shocked breath the moment his skin touches mine. Eyes wide and face slackened, he stares at me with an expression of awe. I groan, my body sagging even more as stars begin to form in the approaching darkness.
“Griffin!” Darius roars.
Griffin catches me before I tumble to the floor and holds me upright. “I have her.” Pursing his lips, he tightens his grip around my fingers and I feel a vacuuming sensation pull at me as he absorbs the foreign emotions.
Soothing… Calm… Quiet serenity. A pure, undiluted bliss I've never known envelops me as the chaos within my mind comes to a screeching halt before it withers and dies. A tranquil stillness that has me, for the first time ever, curving my lips into a peaceful smile.
“Griffin?”
The worry in Kace’s tone startles me from my peace. Peering down to where my hand clutches another, I trail my gaze along the arm connected to that hand, and my blood runs cold at the sight of Griffin writhing and moaning on the floor.
Bar after bar, I quickly recreate that cage in my mind to be stronger, more resilient than the one prior. Though I suspect the reasoning behind its dissolvement and can fortify a proper defense now that I'm aware, I’ll take no further chances.
Gifts properly locked away, I squeeze Griffin's hands between both of mine, press my forehead to our clasped hands, and absorb the emotions from him back into myself just as he did for me. But unlike him, with my hair draped over our hands, my actions are obscured from view.
Griffin's writhing stills and he shuts his eyes with a relieved sigh.
Kace and the unknown male fall to their knees beside him. Zander, Tristan, and Amara hover protectively around me while Darius' feet are planted, his indecisive eyes bouncing between me and Griffin, feeling duty bound to assist his friend, but instinctively needing to care for me.
Griffin sits up with a groan, hanging his head for several minutes while inhaling calming breaths.
Feeling an immense amount of shame and guilt for harming someone because of my inadequacies, for my failures, I swat away Zander’s comforting hands and shake my head, tears brimming in my eyes. “I'm so sorry, Griffin,” I choke out.
Griffin's eyes crinkle at the corners and he offers a gentle smile. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m happy I could help.”
Seeing his breathing even out, the color returning to his cheeks, and his once stiffened muscles relax, my guilt lessens at his quick recovery, but only enough to pull back my tears.
“Lena,” Darius says in a hushed voice, his regretful eyes searching my own. “I didn't think…” He reaches for me but pulls back and winces, allowing his hands to fall limp at his sides. “I didn't realize I was hurting you.” He clenches his fists and the veins in his arms and neck throb as he grinds his teeth, harsh remorse sharpening his gaze.
Staring into those swirling blue orbs, a pinch of guilt nips at me. Shame at what I just did. For what I must do. But I swat it away, realizing how unreasonable I was earlier for rebuffing Tristan's suggestion when the hard truth of the matter is, in the grand scheme of things, neither Darius nor I truly matter. Only my objective.
A vision appears before me of Darius' beautiful eyes glazed over in lifelessness, his cold corpse lying bloody and broken in a kingdom of charred ruins. Any remaining shame or guilt I may have felt evaporates with the image, leaving in its place an impenetrable resolve.
This loss of control is a stark reminder of how he will die, along with countless others, if something like this were to ever happen again. Of what's at stake if I were to lose control again and as a result, alert them to my location. They will find me sooner or later; I'm aware of this and I'm preparing for it. But I need it to be much, much later. Because if it’s not and I'm found before I am ready, if I have to face them before my plan is in place, we’ll lose the war before it even begins.
Chapter 14Darius
Our boots thunk against the gray stone floor as Ajax and I walk down the hall of the guards’ barracks. A door opens and howling laughter echoes off the jagged slate walls before shutting once again, muffling the sound. Shouting and jeering echo from the common room behind, while chairs scrape and bowls clatter as we pass the dining hall. Several guards walk past, nodding cordially as they do, but most stand at attention, lining the hallway as they avert their eyes in fear or bow their heads in respect. As word spreads of my presence, more males trickle into the hall. Adhering to protocol, they adopt their submissive brethren’s stance.
A door opens and a Fire immortal steps out. With disheveled hair and bare chested, the male tosses a tunic and vest over his head and rubs fisted hands to his eyes. He drops his hands with a yawn, his gaze bouncing from one guard to the next until he narrows his eyes once he spots Ajax and me. He pays no homage to my rank as he tracks Ajax’s every step. But Ajax holds his head high and stares straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge him.
“Snitch,” the male hisses.
