Page 10 of Imbalance
"Honestly, I'm confused about why I blacked out," I answered. Then I frowned, "Also, I'm a bit unclear about how long we've been traveling."
"A few hours now. We took turns carrying you," Adrien explained.
Oh. All of them did?
"So, what now?" I asked quietly. Oddly, despite knowing the shit situation we were in, his lavender scent was comforting and made me feel far more at peace with everything going on. I was a strong woman—hell, I had to be after all the bullying I'd gone through—but even this situation was a bit out of my wheelhouse.
I was woman enough to admit that the men around me were providing an element of strength I desperately needed in all this. If I was alone in this situation, I knew I’d feel far more at a loss on how to handle it, considering my clear lack of knowledge about the darklands and hybrids. I was powerful in my own right, but there was no harm in admitting when you needed help.
"We need to find somewhere to shelter until we can figure out what the hell to do next," Colt admitted, running a hand over his face.
"Does it actually matter? Stay here? Go to the capital, maybe?" Nico suggested, although he didn't really sound like he was into that idea. Or any idea. His eyes were closed, and his entire body relaxed into the ground.
"That is suicidal," a deep, familiar voice stated as Finias appeared out of the trees, his purple eyes immediately locking on mine. "We would be giving them exactly what they wanted if we went back to the capital. I know how my parents think. With us gone, they will gain power and traction, but they’ll keep your parents alive so we’ll come back. What they want is us dead. If they kill the heirs, there is no future to take over for the royals they have imprisoned."
He was right.
My Dark Elf seemed to be buzzing with energy, and I had a feeling it had to do with being in nature. Despite its rather...dark appearance, it was clear this place was buzzing with life. It was like the ground itself was saturated in magic.
"Our forces would support us—"
"You have no idea how deep this goes," Finias snapped. "My parents are fucking ruthless. Trust me when I say that they have thought through every possible angle."
"And how the hell do we know you weren't in on it—" The words had barely come out of Colt's mouth before Finias had managed to knock him flat on his back and bring a dagger against his throat, any semblance of the softness he offered was completely absent.
Holy shit.
"If you ever insinuate that I knew anything about their plans or tried to help them, I will slit your throat before the words can finish leaving your mouth." His voice was cold and void of any emotion, and Colt's eyes contained both anger and a heavy dose of realization of what—or who—exactly he was dealing with.
"Do you understand me?" Finias demanded, pressing the blade deeper into Colt’s skin.
"Yes," Colt snapped out, clearly annoyed at having to concede.
Finias was halfway across the clearing then, and he approached me with an easy gait. Before he reached me, though, he turned back and pinned Nico and Colt with a look. "If you two want to go back, then go. But if you think the rest of us are going to risk putting Ama in that situation without more allies, you are out of your damned minds."
I couldn't see their reactions because Finias was in my space then, not paying any mind to Adrien, as he examined my expression. One that was, no doubt, flushed due to the physical reaction both of them caused with their nearness.
Finias really had a bad boy look going for him, between the tattoos littering every inch of his body I'd seen so far to the violet shade of his eyes that seemed to pulsate with energy. His white-blonde hair was currently lying messily around his handsome face, and the lethality with which he held himself contrasted with the soft way he was regarding me.
"Wait, if you and Adrien are back, where is Drayven?" I asked, perplexed.
Finias nodded over my shoulder, and I turned to find the large Reaper in question crossing the small clearing, his dark eyes eating up every inch of me.
As always, I felt a bit cautious around Drayven. Despite now knowing the reasons behind his actions, our past still made me feel nervous and hesitant around him. But I didn't shy away from his touch as he approached and ran a hand over my shoulder, dropping it to squeeze my waist as if to assure himself that I was there. That I was okay.
My head tilted back to look up at him, and I found myself overwhelmed by just how large the man was. His silver hair, which was slightly damp from the drizzle, hung in his eyes, making him look that much more unreal. My Succubus magic hummed under my skin in response to the three men surrounding me—so much so that I felt out of breath.
"You're awake," he nodded, relief clear in his gaze. "Good. We need to find shelter. The closest thing I could locate were some thicker groupings of trees nearby. They will mostly block the rain."
"I can probably use elemental magic to shift some stuff around," Finias murmured.
Well, at least they hadn't killed each other while I was knocked out. It was the little things I had to be grateful for right now.
"Then we can talk about what we found," Adrien noted as Damien approached. All five of us looked to where Nico lay on the ground and Colt stared at us looking pissed. I inhaled and slipped from between the men, walking halfway towards Nico and Colt.
"Come on guys," I sighed, "I really do get what you're saying. I want to go to the capital too. My dad is locked up, and I can't imagine how both of you feel..." I swallowed down the emotion I felt for them and what they were going through. "Let's just get somewhere dry for now."
Nico sat up and nodded, walking towards us, his eyes darting to mine as he gently knocked into my shoulder in passing. I smiled slightly at that but focused back on Colt. With a grunt, the bastard walked towards us. Good. We were all on the same page.
