Page 58 of Insurrection
A growl tore from Drayven’s throat, but I could see the fire raging in Finias’ gaze as he ignored the Reaper and strode towards the door. I had an idea of where Ama and Damien were, but I hesitated to go find her. Not because I didn’t want to check on her and make sure a single hair hadn’t been harmed on that gorgeous head. No, it was because I was ashamed. While we’d been fighting amongst ourselves, Ama had been attacked.
I followed behind the others as I considered everything that had happened, my mind starting to form connections and make assumptions that were extremely dangerous and upsetting. Had my father known? Is this what he had been referring to? Would that mean my parents had worked with the House of Runes in order to…killAma?
Fury grew in my chest at such a betrayal as we turned down a different hallway than I’d expected. Why wasn’t Damien staying with the others from House of Hellfire? I shook my head as we reached a dark door and, instead of knocking, Drayven grabbed the handle. The door was yanked open before he could turn the knob, and Damien offered all of us a look that immediately silenced us.
Shit. He was furious.
“Damien,” Adrien’s voice was cautious. The Hellhound didn’t say anything, stepping to the side as we quietly entered the room. I walked over to the bed, ignoring the others as they quietly demanded answers from Damien, wanting…no,needingto see her face.
Relief flooded me as I found Ama lying on the bed, clutching a pillow, and breathing deeply. Her face was flushed and her hair damp, as if she’d recently showered. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she squeezed the pillow beneath her. I knelt down next to the bed and reached a hand out to graze her cheek, a soft rumble leaving my throat.
My gaze traveled down to her neck, and white-hot fury slammed into me. Bruises. Like a hand had wrapped around her elegant throat, bruising it completely. These marks would only get worse as they truly set in and began to heal. The shade would turn from the dark purple and red they currently were, to green and brown, likely marring her beautiful skin for weeks.
I stood up, nearly crashing into Finias, who was standing over me staring down at Ama. His eyes tracked the bruises on her, and he muttered something under his breath before rounding the bed and getting in with her. I felt a surge of envy at how he felt the right to be so close to her—to touch her like that. I turned away from him, smoothing her hair as he watched her with what I could only call love.
Someone was going to die for hurting Ama. I had never felt so violent in my life. I paused on that thought. Would I really kill someone for this? Even if it was my own family that had given the command? The crisis felt overwhelming, and I put my head down, trying to center myself as I ran a hand through my hair in a nervous gesture.
“If we hadn’t been busy fucking fighting, she would have never been alone,” Damien’s voice was low and dark as he narrowed his eyes at Drayven. Colt ran a hand over his face, sitting down against the wall as he stared at the bed but didn’t approach. Adrien clearly didn’t feel the same way, because he walked over, leaving me with Damien and Drayven.
Drayven offered Damien a sneer and looked back at the bed, his eyes locking onto Finias. I stepped in front of him. “Stop. Just fucking stop it.”
“The assassin was fromhisfucking house. He admitted it,” Drayven growled.
Adrien was there, then, he got in Drayven’s space, making the reaper step back. The Wraith’s voice was cold and low, “If you wake up Ama after the experience she just had, I will remove your eyelids so that you never sleep again. Are we clear?”
Drayven grunted, and Adrien appeared back at Ama’s side. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling both oddly relieved Adrien had said something to Drayven and equally terrified. Both Finias and Adrien scared me in good measure. I was man enough to admit that.
“Listen,” I directed my conversation to Damien, Drayven, and Colt. The Fallen Angel was listening, despite his gaze being focused on the wall ahead of him, seemingly zoned out. I had no idea what was going on in his head, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“It’s clear that someone thought getting rid of Ama the night before voting was a good idea,” I hissed. “I don’t think it's just the House of Runes' fault. I think…”
I couldn’t believe I was admitting this, but the more I thought about it, the truer it sounded to me.
“I think my parents are somehow involved. I am almost positive my father used his influence to create a more toxic and aggressive environment during that fight. When I went back to the table, he even expressed that he wished Ama had been hurt. I don’t think either of them want her at the ceremony tomorrow.”
Damien shook his head, “But fucking assassination attempts, Nico? I mean your parents are bastards, but they aren’t murderous ones.”
“I wouldn't be so sure about that,” I exhaled slowly.
“We need to be ready for tomorrow.” Colt’s voice was filled with tension, and when I met the man’s gaze I saw a wave of emotions that I had no business sorting through.
“Ready for what?” Drayven asked, his eyes darting over to the bed every few seconds, as if he was considering getting in there with Finias just to be close to Ama. The idea was almost laughable, yet I understood it completely.
“At the voting tomorrow, we need to tell them about the attempt on her life, along with what little other information we have,” Colt exhaled and stood up. “Which means you are going to have to incriminate your own house, Nico. Same for you, Finias. No one will believe Ama if we don’t tell them everything.”
He was right.
“We are picking sides,” Damien concluded.
“No,” Colt looked towards the bed, “We are picking Ama.”
He was right. We were picking Ama. For the first time ever, the six houses would agree on something.Protecting Ama was essential.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ama
Nightmares plagued my sleep as I tossed and turned, trying to avoid the fear that kept trying to crawl up my throat, threatening to overwhelm me. I didn’t feel safe. I felt like I had hands wrapped around my throat, making it so hard to breathe that I was losing consciousness. Then, right before I passed out, they would loosen—only to repeat the cycle once more. When my eyes finally opened, I was covered in sweat and feeling like I'd barely slept.
