Page 17 of A Hint of Delirium

“Your apology is a couple years too late, brother.”

Slithering an arm along my waist, Alec took a step back and flung his other hand to the side, a portal opening behind him. Before Ansel could move, his brother extinguished the fire in his hand, grabbed me, and plunged us into the portal.

The last thing I saw and heard was Ansel yelling and trying to jump in after us.

* * *

I landedon the grass and rolled, gasping for air after screaming my lungs out in the dark void of the portal. I kept rolling until I came to a stop by a hand grabbing the back of my shirt. I peered up to see Alec hovering over me.

I slapped his hand away and dropped to the ground when he released my shirt, quickly scrambling to my feet—which I realized were bare. I scanned my surroundings and realized we’d landed in a grassy area near a body of water. Across it I could see the lights of a very human looking city … Was that Manhattan?

“Are we in New Jersey?” I shrieked, putting distance between us.

Alec shrugged. “I had to get us out of my brother’s apartment.”

“Youhad to leave, butIdidn’t have to go with you!” I shouted into the night air, my voice ringing out over the Hudson River. Fortunately for Alec, no one was around to hear.

He prowled toward me and I stumbled back. “Yes, you did,” he retorted, his eyes gleaming. “My brother must be quite taken by you if he gave you the sight.”

I swallowed loudly and avoided eye contact. I wasn’t about to correct him by telling him his brother didn’t give me the sight—I already had it. If my origins were a mystery even to Ansel, I didn’t need to attract anyone else’s attention. Much less from this psycho.

“What about you?” I hurried to say as I steadily edged away from him. We were going in circles. “You seem to covet everything that belongs to your brother. That seems unhealthy.”

He laughed. “My brother and I have an unhealthy relationship.”

“W-Want to talk about it?” I stuttered, furiously trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. I had years of therapy under my belt with a shrink who was very skilled at making me talk. This should be a piece of cake …I think.

He stopped and tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Violet,” I whispered.

“I don’t like games, Violet. So why don’t you tell me why you’re with my brother. Are you helping him find the registry?”

I held my breath, which probably wasn’t the smartest idea. But my heart was racing and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know anything about a registry, but if I wasn’t helping Ansel with that, then there was no other logical reason for me to be with him. Not one Alec would believe, at least.

“Y-Yes,” I squeaked. “I’m helping him with the registry.”

“Where is it?” he demanded and took a giant step toward me, making me stumble in my haste to move out of his reach.

My eyes widened a smidge and I worked to control my facial expressions. “That’s not how this works,” I gulped. “You don’t get to kidnap me and demand things.” The irony of this was that it was sort of what Ansel did. Albeit, in a nicer way.

Alec grinned. “You got spunk. I like it. Fine, Violet, we’ll play by your rules. But I’ll only play for a little while.” He smiled toothily. “Come along now, let’s go visit a friend.”

He opened a portal and wind hurled out of the void and blasted across my face. I held up a hand to shield my eyes. When Alec gripped my upper arm, I nearly jumped out of my skin from the touch. Without a word, Alec walked us into the portal.

We landed in the middle of a bar. A really loud, packed bar. The walls were covered in writings of a language I didn’t recognize, and I honestly felt like I’d just entered the Shire. I wobbled on my feet as I tried to get my bearings; Alec’s arm was like a band that held me up. No one seemed to notice or care that we’d shown up out of thin air and I wondered if we were glamoured. Then I remembered my anklet prevented me from being glamoured, which begged the question: Why wasn’t anyone making a big deal out of this?

I looked around and noticed Irish themed decorations, but before I could scrutinize them further, Alec hauled me forward through the bar. Mind you, I was still barefoot, wearing a too-large men’s t-shirt and gym shorts. My bare feet slapped against the sticky, wooden planked floor and I grimaced at the thought of what I was touching. Obviously well-acquainted with the layout, Alec maneuvered us around the tables and to a back room near the bar. We walked behind a curtain and barged into an office.

“Luka!” Alec’s voice rang out, crisp and without the tone of pleasantness that would imply he and the man he’d addressed were friends. He maintained his solid grip on my arm, his fingers tightening as if to sayI dare you to run.

“Alec!” The man named Luka shot out of his chair, fear clouding his eyes. “I told them everything I know! I swear!”

Luka was a good-looking man; he was what I imagined Hercules looked like—if the demigod had worn a collar, that is. The thick, steel collar around his neck looked incredibly uncomfortable. Definitely not a fashion statement.

“I know you did, Luka,” Alec replied soothingly. “You told Cael all about the registry. But you didn’t tell him the last name on the registry, did you? I bet you told my brother.”

Luka’s handsome, tan face paled. “I-I didn’t! I don’t know who she is!”

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