Page 112 of Until the End of Ever
“I’m so sorry you lost your mother,” Lucky said. “Shitty or not. It must suck.”
Lucky was the first to arrive, less than half an hour after Lucian was taken by the Guard, with the news that Zenya Pendros had indeed been murdered, drained of all power. Mummified.
“What?” I frowned, confused. “Oh. No one cares. Imeantit’s ridiculous that they’d hold Lucian accountable when he wasn’t even in the vale! Surely there’s enough security in the Hall of Truce to ensure that he never made it up to the surface today?”
“That’s the thing. A lot of people coming from the underside wear hoods and sunglasses when they come to the surface—against the light in the mountain,” Silver said gently, wincing. “I’ve seen the recording myself: no one can prove hewasn’tone of the guys who didn’t look up towards any of the cameras.”
Silver stuck around the Guard long enough to hear the details of the charges brought against Lucian before coming to the manor.
I made myself breathe in and out. This couldn’t be happening.
Gideon had been the last to arrive, seeming lost and uncharacteristically silent. He stared at his shoes as he muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry I made you go up to the Guard. I’m sorry my mother put you in that situation. The whole mess today was my fault. If it wasn’t for me, you’d have stayed with Lucian all day and no one could reasonably argued he had the time to nip up to the surface to kill Zenya. It’s my fault.”
There were so many flaws in his logic, a dry laugh escaped me. “Please, Gideon, get your head out of your ass. We have enough problems to sort out without you wallowing in pointless guilt. Zenya did what she does best—manipulate everyone. It’s notyourfault. Now, let’s focus. How do we get Lucian out of there?”
“There’s nowe,” Cassius drawled, refilling everyone’s cup or tea—except mine. I hadn’t touched it. “You’re to remain here, where you’re safe. The big oaf might have exaggerated his own importance in the scheme, but he made a good point: everything that occurred today was to get you up to the vale, vulnerable. Any move you make to spare Lucian will play into the hands of whoever’s behind this.”
“Zeus,” I spat. “Might as well use the damn name. He wants to enslave me all the same.”
“Well, he can’t now, can he?” Cassius said lightly.
The rest of the assembled crowd turned to me. I blushed. I hadn’t shared the fact that we’d sealed a bond today. Now wasn’t the time for what should be joyful news. And if anyone offeredme their congratulations while Lucian was locked up in the Hall of Truce awaiting trial, I’d scream and possibly hit something.
The house came to life again, the light trees flashing to alert us of another presence. Before I could move, Cassius pushed off his chair. “I’ll get it.”
No one was letting me near the door, maybe expecting me to make a dash for it and go to Lucian. I couldn’t blame them. I was tempted.
“What did he mean, you can’t be enslaved?” Silver pushed. “I missed something.”
I glanced around to my friends, considering. Maybe they should know, so they could stop fussing over me and start thinking about Lucian first.
I lowered my shirt past the mark between my breasts, right under the diamond glinting in the light, to the ouroboros shining red, like Lucian’s magic.
Lucky gasped. “Oh my gods!”
“I’m not in a mood to celebrate,” I snapped.
“But you’re—oh my gods! You’re going to stay. You’re one of us. You live here now!” she couldn’t stop smiling.
“I’m still missing something,” Silver said.
“Lucian and I are bound to each other. We completed it the moment I got my shit together earlier today. They can no longer take my soul. It belongs to him.”
Gideon gasped. “Damn. You guys don’t do things halfway, do you?”
“It felt right,” I said, defensive.
I realized we’d rushed into it, but I didn’t regret it for a single moment.
“Yeah, but like…” Silver winced. “Move one was to chain you to some guy Zeus could control. With that not an option, you think he’ll leave you alone?”
I considered her words, then shook my head. “I can’t think of that right now. Not with Lucian?—”
I stopped myself as Cassius returned, Ronan on his heel as expected. What I hadn’t seen coming was the man who followed them, looking around awkwardly.
