Page 17 of Imbalance
"There was nothing vague about it," he growled, appearing in front of me, his wings momentarily distracting me. "The hybrid asshole slaughtered a massive creature in front of us and called you his mate. How the fuck you're practically walking hand-in-hand with him after that is beyond me. Then again, your choice in company—"Finias. He meant Finias."Has always been lacking."
"So it's because he's a hybrid?" I tilted my head, restraining myself from calling Colt out on being a dick, despite the fact that I was feeling deeply protective over Finias.
"Considering he happened to come out of nowhere and beexactlywho we were looking for? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
Someone called my name from below, and I narrowed my eyes at Colt. "I hear what you are saying. Just chill out, Colt. Seriously, you wanted to go back to the capital, and this is our best way to successfully do that without being slaughtered upon arrival."
"If someone tells me to chill out one more time, I am going to fucking lose it," he growled, seeming to try to restrain himself from saying anything further. He lost the battle of restraint, though, and I saw it cross his face—the moment he decided he was going to be a fucking asshole and say what was going on in his head, despite knowing it would hurt me.
"It's not like you need anymore 'mates' as it is, seeing as you can’t even handle the ones you have."
DING. DING. DING. Dick of the Year award goes to Colt.
I had felt bad for him up until this point. Had pitied him for everything he was going through...but now, I didn't. Snapping my wings, I flew straight into his space and grabbed his jaw, watching his eyes widen in surprise as I spoke quietly, but in a sharp and lethal tone, “No."
"Absolutely fucking not, Colt.” I responded, cutting him off, my voice calm and deadly. “I am dealing with enough guilt about what happened at the Summit, and my mommy issues regarding monogamy in relationships are already bad enough. I have been understanding about your asshole behavior, and I have let shit slide, but Iwill notbe slut shamed by you for having multiplefatedmates.”
His eyes narrowed, and my grip on his jaw tightened, “I don't understand all this mate shit any more than you do, but do noteverthink you can do that to me. I can't control how I feel any more than you can. So next time you open your devildamned mouth, think about the consequences of what you're about to say before you say it."
"Ama—" His voice was filled with a sliver of regret, but it didn't change how I felt, and I was done with this conversation.
Circling and landing on the wide path below, I walked back toward the rest of the group, "Good news! Found where we need to go."
"Where's that?" Adrien asked curiously. Finias' gaze was aimed skyward, where Colt seemed still stunned, his wings batting before he circled down as well, landing behind the group. He wouldn't meet my gaze, and Nico offered me a curious glance. I ignored him. I wasn't about to explain what had happened. It would just cause too many other issues.
"Big castle with bright flags on it. The people who live there would no doubt be important," I noted with a smile. Jace chuckled.
"You need food and some real sleep now that we are—hopefully—somewhat safe," Drayven pointed out, quietly. "You look exhausted, Ama."
"Between the assassination attempts, the coup, and blacking out, I haven't been keeping up with my beauty sleep, that’s for sure," I sassed. Drayven’s eyes sparked with something dangerous, and a small smile tilted his lips.
"Please don't talk about the assassination attempt," Damien growled, clearing his throat and running an agitated hand through his hair.
"Sorry," I murmured, then turned back towards the road, feeling Jace pull up next to me, Drayven on my other side.
"I don't understand how all of this exists," I admitted quietly after a minute of walking. "It's gorgeous and completely unknown. We had absolutely no idea what we were even looking for."
"Good. That’s exactly how it needs to be," Jace answered, a sad note at the edge of his tone. "The war against our kind may have been a long time ago...but the fear is still visceral. We don't want anyone finding us."
I could hear it in his voice when his jaw clenched, "Our kind was slaughtered because pure-bloods believed they deserved more. That equality shouldn't apply to hybrids. So, they just got rid of the perceived problem, either through murder or by abandoning hybrids to their own fates by removing them from the kingdom. So, so many were lost..."
His voice was steeped in emotion, and a moment passed before he seemed to shake himself, "Still, some managed to survive and escape. Those groups were able to find one another and came to this place. The illusion you see was created by one of the first hybrid leaders—it was said she had a blessing from the devil himself. Of course, that was right when he went to sleep, so it can't be confirmed. Still, she managed to create a strong illusion that provided protection for hybrids and allies alike."
"And you've been here since."
"And repopulated," Drayven pointed out as we approached the gates at the wall of the city, the warm stone covered in ivy and bright flowers making me smile.
The gate sat open and welcoming, but just before I passed under the stone arch, a flower bloomed from the wall and extended itself out to me. I felt my eyes widen as Finias plucked the flower and put it behind my ear, offering me one of his smiles and making my toes curl.
Just like when we’d passed the first gate, a strange buzzing sensation went through me. It passed quickly but left me feeling excited and almost dizzy.
"You okay?" Jace asked quietly as I swayed on my feet before shaking myself.
"Totally good," I promised as we walked in, immediately drawing eyes. No doubt, in part because we looked like hot messes.
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Impurus."
My eyes were instantly eating up every detail I could absorb, from the way the tan stone buildings seemed to highlight the dark skies, to the way the flowers and vegetation seemed to be growing as I watched. There was so much life to this place. My gaze met those of a few hybrid citizens who were watching me with open curiosity, and I found myself smiling because, for once, I couldn't immediately identify what species someone was. Everyone looked so...unique. And colorful. And beautiful.
