Page 72 of The First Trial
‘Maybe,’ Oz answered thoughtfully, ‘but we’re still missing the Angels.’
‘What do we do?’ I asked, unable to think of a solution with my brain so fried from the recent battle. Naturally, our luck would dictate that we would defeat the guardian andstillbe unable to leave. Of fucking course.
‘Do we wait for the others to catch up?’ Kendra asked.
‘I don’t think so,’ said Abaddon. ‘There’s no guarantee that they’ll follow us. For all we know, they could already be back inside the caves.’
Oz groaned, long, low, and tired. Same, bro. Same. ‘We have to go back for them, don’t we?’
Phenex shifted uncomfortably against my back, and I tilted my head up to look at him. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘What ifwedon’t have to go back?’ he asked, and we all exchanged confused looks.
‘But we need them to get through the portal,’ Abaddon pointed out. ‘We don’t have another choice.’
‘Actually,’ Phenex objected, and I caught on when a teal branch tipped with yellow leaves suddenly patted me on the head like I was its pet, earning a snicker from Oz that he tried unsuccessfully to swallow. ‘We do have another choice.’
Chapter 29
Hawthorne
We heard their screams from miles away, and I didn’t bother hiding how much joy that gave me. Sure, they had bravely fought off whatever that smoke monster was and its army of zombie minions, but they were still assholes.
Enid and I had joined Qarinah, Oz, and Abaddon on the ground while we waited, the portal humming dimly behind us. The snake Shifter was now on Juniper’s lap, who was resting against Phenex. The Daemon and the Shifter that I had seen her with in my visions. I had also spotted the Fae and the Angel, but they didn’t seem to have any sort of relationship with June, least of all romantic or sexual.
I tried not to let that please me, but let’s be real, it was a relief. It was bad enough that I was forced to endure visions of the woman I loved getting fucked by different men, but it was nice to see that she wasn’t just going to fall into bed with them all just because. That was likely due to her Olwyn Coven upbringing, but I liked to fool myself into believing she was waiting for me.
It was bad enough that I had to watch her get cosy with the Daemon. They were constantly touching, little connections to reaffirm their affection. The worst, though, was the look in their eyes as they gazed longingly at one another. The heat she gave him had never once been sent my way, and I was man enough to admit that I was fucking jealous.
‘Do you need me to…?’ Enid asked, subtly gesturing to June and Phenex, but I shook my head no.
‘It’s fine.’
‘I like him,’ Oz supplied, digging the knife a little deeper into my heart. ‘He’d die for her. The Shifter guy, too.’
‘That’s not helping, Oz,’ Enid berated him, always quick to jump to my defence. I appreciated the concern, but I didn’t need to be coddled.
‘They’re fated mates, of course, they’re great,’ Abaddon said, dropping the only bomb that could completely destroy my heart.
‘What?’
‘The Shifter has claimed her as his mate, too,’ Qarinah announced, and I was proven wrong. My heartcouldbreak a little more.
‘How?’ Enid asked, turning her nose up at the three of them. The snake was still sleeping off his injuries, but he was still very much part of their little group.
‘You should have seen it,’ she said with an amused smirk. ‘When we first woke up in the trials, June was the first to try to open up communication and cooperation between everyone. The Fae shunned her first, then the serpent Shifter laughed at her. Eventually, she got so pissed off that she practically strangled him with her vines. He couldn’t move, and he could barely breathe, and something shifted inside him. One moment, he was looking at her like she was the most pathetic creature he had ever seen, and the next, she was all he could see.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Abaddon frowned. ‘How is that claiming her as his mate? And how can he when she’s already got one chosen by fate?’
‘Just because we have soul flames doesn’t mean everyone does. From what I’ve gleaned, the Shifters see everything as a competition, and only the strongest win. She defeated their strongest, which proved her worth, so now she’s his whether she likes it or not. Or maybe he’s hers. Either way, she’s stuck with him now.’
‘That’s barbaric,’ Enid protested. ‘Does she not have a choice?’
‘Of course, she does,’ the Shifter I recognised as the polar bear said as he joined us. He was also friends with the snake, so I was sure he was biased.
‘How?’ Enid pushed, digging her heels in. Once she made her mind up about something, it was a task and a half to get her to change it.
‘Your sexy red friend here is correct, she is his mate, but since she bested him, she holds the power. She can reject him, but it would cause him great shame. He would no longer be our Prime.’
