Page 53 of Spellbound
“She might not want to see you?” he asked, and my stomach knotted. No one had ever said it out loud before, not even me. “She will.”
“You can’t know that.”
“Don’t let your fear hold you back.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re one to talk. I’m not the only one standing in my own way.” I gritted my teeth. “That’s why you were in the woods, right? Looking for Freya? She’s the one who’s been killing the people. I put two and two together, and for whatever reason, you hate her. You could have found another way into the vaults, but you were busy looking for her. Why is vengeance more important than your own blood?”
Darkness flashed in his eyes. His stare was impenetrable, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to look away. “Careful, Elle. I’ve been doing everything I can to get those keys.”
I hugged myself, shuffling my weight from one foot to the other. “You like calling me out. Well, I’m doing it back for once. If you can’t take it, don’t dish it, Raiden.” Hearing his name on my lips silenced us both.
The rain picked up, turning stretches of mud into streams of brown, dragging dead leaves and twigs deeper into the woods. Hearing him talk about my sister had hit a nerve. I was braver than I should have been. He could kill me as easily as snapping a twig.
“We’re getting out of here.” He grabbed my arm, but I pushed back.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He clenched his jaw. “I’m not asking.”
I stepped back, almost toppling over an out-of-place rock. He reached his arm around my back and pulled me up before I could hit the ground. His unworldly speed jolted me as the air whooshed from my lungs.
A low growl left his lips as he pulled me back against him. “You never listen. I’m taking you home.”
As much as I loved rainy days, I preferred watching them from behind a window, snuggled in the warmth of a blanket. The cold made me shiver, dancing my spine into a full-body shudder. “I’m going because I want to.”
He picked me up into his arms, as if I weighed nothing, then sped us through the woods. My heart raced as the world around us blurred into browns and greens. Before I could catch my breath, we were at the closed iron gates of the mansion. He pressed the button and waited.
“I could tell them,” I said flatly.
“You could.” He ran his hand through his rain-soaked hair and looked down at me. “But you won’t.”
“Does your arrogance have no bounds?”
He smirked. “Not really.”
I gritted my teeth and flexed my fingers. The gates opened, and before I could say another word, Dora opened the front doors, beckoning us inside. She was home. Thank the gods. No, wait, thanks to something else. Not gods. I hated gods... and goddesses.
He walked ahead of me, shooting her a charming smile, and I watched her melt. I hated him for it. Who did he think he was? The goddamned puppet master? He couldn’t get away with manipulating everyone, but... He was a god, and his powers were, well, godly. Goose bumps raised along my skin. He could kill us all in a heartbeat if he wanted to. We were no match for him, and if I told everyone the truth, he’d be forced to show his hand.
He wasn’t leaving without the keys to free his family, and I was pretty sure if I tried to stop him, he’d only end up hurting me or the others. It was why he wasn’t concerned about my telling the others or getting in his way. He didn’t see me as a threat. He glanced back, his bottomless dark eyes focused on mine, as an arrogant smile danced on his lips.
