Page 9 of Inheritance
Honestly, that might be a blessing compared to what Finias was no doubt thinking up. I had no idea where the bastard was right now, but if I had to guess, I’d say he was most likely sharpening his knives, for when he finally found me alone and managed to skin me.
He was an assassin, not a serial killer.For Ama, though, I had a feeling he could be anything. Do anything.
Jace offered Colt an understanding look, “That’s not what she wants.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Colt bit out sharply, walking towards us. “She can be as angry as she wants at me after we find her. I will take the blame. I don’t care, as long as she is safe and with us.”
“Drayven said—“ Jace’s words were cut off by Colt chuckling. It was a sad sound.
“I really don’t give a fuck what Drayven said. If he can somehow justify going back to the capital and leaving Ama in the hands of someone capable of portallng her, then maybe he doesn’t actually love—“
I couldn’t help but shake my head as Colt was knocked flat onto his back, Drayven standing over him with his scythe pressed against the Fallen Angel’s throat. His voice was monotone and empty as he pressed down slightly so the blade almost cut into Colt’s skin. “If you ever insinuate that I do not love Ama, I will reap your soul.”
Fucking hell.
Honestly, Jace wasn’t wrong—the group of us weren’t managing to keep it together without Ama. That much was blatantly obvious.
Stepping away, Drayven paced the space, his weapon disappearing. “I want nothing more than to find Ama. However, not only do we not have any clue where she is, but she also told me she wanted us to go on—“
“In a dream!” Colt roared.
“In a dream, yes, but it didn’t make it less real,” Drayven insisted as emotion suddenly flooded his face. “You think I am comfortable with this, Colt? Do you think any part of me is okay with just...not finding her? I’ve spent my entire devildamned life obsessed with the woman, and she was just ripped away from us because she left our sight for five fucking minutes.”
Because of me.Because I’d fucked up. Because I’d tried to impose an ultimatum and had somehow insinuated that I was rejecting her as a mate, when that was the furthest thing from the truth.
“I have no idea,” Colt snapped.
“Where would you look?” Jace asked quietly, bringing confusion to Colt’s face.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you left right now, where would you go to look for her?”
Colt didn’t have an answer for that. No one had an answer for that.
Adrien entered the tent with Damien at that moment, the two of them talking quietly until they noticed the tension in the room. I knew Colt and Drayven were pissed at me, but I also thought they understood they weren’t blameless. It wasn’t like this was the first time Ama had issues with one of us. While things were particularly bad this time, they had both fucked up before and understood I was feeling immense remorse—just like they had in the past.
Adrien and Damien, however, were a different story. The latter offered me a dark look, a growl rattling his chest as he grabbed a chair as far away from me as possible. Probably because he was imagining ripping out my throat.
Adrien had refused to acknowledge my existence since everything had occurred. He was beyond furious at me, and every time we were in the same space together, his shadows practically suffocated me. The violence brewing under his skin was very obvious. I had a feeling Adrien wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me if given the opportunity, which was such a complete one-eighty from his normal behavior.
That was what Ama did, though. She took your reality and flipped it. She made you forget who the hell you were and what day of the week it was. The woman became your center of gravity so fucking fast it was unreal.
“We don’t have a location, or even a hint as to where she could be,” Adrien spoke quietly and patiently. “If we go back to Pura and take back our houses, then we will have enough manpower to search the entire realm for her. I am not going to let us waste every single ounce of effort Ama put into this mission wandering the realm aimlessly. If what Ama wants is for us to continue on, then that is what we will fucking do.”
“I agree.”
My voice echoed through the tent, and I instantly felt everyone’s eyes on me, all filled with varying levels of fury. I sat up straighter, deciding that I needed to get it together, even though I wanted nothing more than to find our girl. “I know I fucked up, but I trust Drayven, and if he says this is what Ama wants then...well, then we should give her what she wants. Always.” The last part was more of a reminder to myself because I had never known how true the words were until this moment.
Ama should always get what she wanted, even if it meant I had to share her. She was worth it.
Jace spoke up, his even temperament serving as a sounding board for everyone else. “He’s right. Adrien is right. That is the only way we are going to be able to do this successfully. Colt, I understand that you and Fin—“
“Do not assume you understand anything about me, Jace.”
Finias’ voice had me snapping my head to the side, and I found the man in question walking around the map in the center of the room, as if he’d been there the entire devildamned time. His eyes met mine briefly, their emptiness making me feel as if I was being hunted for a singular moment before he looked away.
“And what would you suggest we do, Finias?” Adrien deployed his shadows, crowding the edges of the room and making the space feel smaller than it already was.
