Page 9 of Imbalance
I wasn't sure what had made Colt pause in his accusation, but the way he was staring at me made it very clear how he felt. The man looked unraveled. His pale blonde hair was messy and damp, his normally pressed and clean button-down was wrinkled and covered in the same chalky soil that lay beneath us. I had never seen him look so 'un-Colt' in the short time I’d known him.
"You can blame me all you want for this," I stated softly. I wasn't saying that sarcastically, either. I might have found the man annoying, but I also recognized that what he was going through had to be devastating. I didn't know how close he had been to his parents, but if my dad died, I would be...well, I didn't want to think about that. So, he could blame me if it made him feel better for now.
"Colt, fuck off," Damien hissed in a hard, sharp tone. "This is not her fault."
Colt's eyes swirled with a contrasting black and white for just a moment too long, making me wonder if he was going to lose his shit. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to see his gorgeous wings again...just not in a moment like this. One filled with anger and hurt. I must have made some type of concerned noise because he snapped his head over to me, seeming to deflate before turning towards the line of trees nearby. His massive six-foot-five frame had enough power behind it that, when he drove his fist into one of the trees, the sound of a crack had me jolting as it echoed through space.
Damn. That was a little scary. And a little...sexy?
"I don't know what to do," I admitted to Damien as I watched Colt sit down a few trees into the thick forest region, putting his head down in what looked like defeat.
"This has nothing to do with you. It has to do with—"
"My parents and Finias'," Nico's hollow, dark tone interrupted Damien and made me snap my head over to where the man was lying on the cold, hard ground, examining the sky above. Fuck. Now, if Colt was unraveling, Nico had hit rock bottom...and then some.
Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed him there because he was so unlike his normal vibrant and flirty self. He seemed almost hollow, and it made me feel anxious about his well-being. Enough that I knew I had to go to him.
I tapped Damien's arm, and he let me up, although hesitantly. I walked towards Nico, my arms wrapped around myself as I tried to stave off the cold, now that I was no longer being warmed by a muscular, shirtless Hellhound.
I stood awkwardly next to Nico as I considered whether to sit or not. Something was holding me back from doing just that. Well, not something...someone. Specifically, him.
Nico was objectively gorgeous, so when I said the man looked rough, I wasn't exaggerating. His lean, muscularly-cut frame was stretched out in a relaxed pose as he regarded me with heat-filled golden eyes. I normally would have loved that heat, but I wasn’t buying it this time. It was just his defense mechanism for dealing with emotions he didn’t know how to handle.
Not that I blamed him—his parents had not only died but also been part of the assassination attempt on the ruling families of our entire kingdom. I didn't judge him for it. I knew you couldn't control what your parents did, but I had a feeling it was weighing heavily on him.
"Can I sit?" I asked hesitantly.
His smirk caused prickles of desire to crawl across my skin as he arched a dark brow, which matched his dark and caramel-colored hair, before looking around, "And where would you like to sit, Ama? I only seem to have my lap to offer. Not that I would mind—"
"Stop." My voice was soft but filled with a warning that had his jaw clenching. The man's vanilla scent had my toes curling as his Incubus magic tried to twine with my own. Whether or not it was intentional was up for debate.
"Stop what?" he continued, his eyes growing flat and unemotional. "You don't want to sit on my lap, but you will sit on Damien's? That is hardly fair, Ama. After all, it appears, according to Adrien, that we have to get used to sharing you."
Ah, yes, Adrien's words about mates...we would handle that later.The idea wasn't unappealing, but the way Nico seemed to be referring to it felt so...empty. Cheap. He made it seem like an obligation, and there was nothing I hated more. After all, my own mother had viewed me as enough of an obligation that she had felt like it tied her down. So, if it was true...if I really did have mates, then I would never want them to feel that way.
"I know what you're doing," I leaned back on my heels as his face grew completely blank.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed, his body tensing before it seemed to drain, and he offered me an indifferent look. "Whatever. Sit if you want. Or don't. Doesn't matter to me."
Talk about whiplash.
I regarded him cautiously and looked over at Damien, who was watching me with an expression of concern. Instead of sitting, I asked a question that had been on my mind for a few minutes now.
"How far have we traveled?"
"Far... very far from the capital," Colt appeared at the edge of the tree line and met my gaze before looking away, dismissively.
"We wanted to put as much distance between ourselves and that volcano, so the darklands seemed like the best option, considering," Damien rationalized.
"I see," I murmured. Suddenly, a mass of shadows seemed to swarm one corner of the tree line as a Wraith formed and floated out. Adrien.
Immediately, his icy blue eyes locked with mine, and the unusual silver flecks seemed to sparkle in the gray light of the day like diamonds. Everything about him made my heart still in my chest. Adrien was not only unique, but also authentic. Everything he said was intense and loaded with emotion...well, at least to me. He wasn't like that with everyone.
"Stop being an ass," Adrien snapped at Colt without looking at him, crossing the space to cup my jaw and look over my face with a concerned expression that had my entire body warming.
"How are you, beauty?" he asked softly, making my stomach flutter.
Well, much better, now that he was here. Although, I could see the tension running through his frame, and I fought the urge to run my fingers along his chest and tattooed arms, wanting to ease that tension. I knew he wouldn't mind, but I wasn't positive I would stop once I started, so I managed to restrain myself. I did, however, reach up to push a few strands of dark hair back into place, his complexion an icy contrast to the inky color.
