Page 36 of Dying in Flames (Reborn 4)
Atlas
“It was all a fucking distraction,”I stated in a low hiss, knowing that the others had by now came to the same conclusion.
It was all a distraction.The explosion down below. The attack on our security, seemingly by random partygoers. It was all a distraction, coordinated so that Lorn could get to her. My angel. It had all happened so fast. She’d been taken again…
I was about a second away from absolutely detonating. That was the only word for it.
Maya’s ash-covered face was tucked against my neck, her fragile body essentially hiding in the shadow of my own, her hands gripping my shirt with white-knuckled strength. I didn’t care that the ashes on her were Lorn’s cremated flesh. It didn’t stop me from holding her even tighter, assuring myself that she was in my arms as we exited the building through a back entrance.
My angel’s limbs were cold. The tiny outfit she’d been in had been burnt off completely, and she was now wrapped in a blanket I’d found, the frosty autumn air of Seattle battling against it.
I would have taken the time to wrap her up in a jacket or find clothes, but I didn’t think it was a good time to stop. Not only because I had no doubt the media would catch up, especially considering the targeted explosion that had rocked the space outside our suite, but because we needed distance between us and the fucking murder scene that Marcellus and his brothers were taking care of for us.
We would owe them for that in the future.
For now, we needed to get the fuck out of here. I could feel rage and fury boiling under my skin, and I knew that if Lorn hadn’t already been killed, I would have gladly done the job. Not right away, though. No, I would have taken pleasure in killing him, and I found myself envious that I wouldn’t be able to do that. I wouldn’t be able to feel his throat crushed under my hand—
My dragon let a deep rumble escape that made Maya produce a small, concerning sound.
“Atlas.” Marco’s voice was a hard, snapped tone that pulled me away from that particular line of thought. I needed to get us out of here so I could focus on Maya and make sure she was okay. I mean, obviously she fucking wasn’t, but I needed to find a way to fix that.
I would fix this for my angel. I didn’t know how, but I would do whatever I fucking could to figure out a way to fix this.
We went down the last outdoor flight of stairs and got into the car that had been pulled out back in the alley, all of us in a state of silence that was anything but calm. No one wanted to scare Maya more right now, because it was clear what a delicate place she was in. We were afraid to say anything because what would come out would absolutely be fury, so no one said anything at all.
I hissed out a small breath as a whimpering cry came from Maya’s mouth, her tears tracking down my neck. I wanted vengeance for my mate, and I feared I would never get it. I feared I would never be able to prove to her that the world would be safe again, that she didn’t need to live in constant fear.
Eventually, after ten minutes or so of driving, Maya’s soft snoring filled the space. Marco, who sat across from me, continued to stare at her as I wondered what headspace he was in. Usually I could tell, but not right now.
No, right now, all his emotions were masked and shut down. It was nothing like his normal reactions to things with Maya, and I couldn’t lie, I both was eager to know what he wanted to do about this situation and concerned about how far he would take it.
Marco was normally level-headed…until he wasn’t.
Henry sat next to him, his hands on the leather of the seat, white-knuckled as he tried to control his temper. I could practically feel the bloodlust radiating off of him, and it concerned me how that would affect Maya when she woke up. Henry didn’t need to say anything to get how he felt across, and I knew my angel well enough to know that she would blame herself for his distress.
Anani, who sat next to me on my right, held Maya’s hand as he stared at his twin in concern. I didn’t blame him. I think out of everyone’s reactions, Ledger’s concerned me the most.
You didn’t have to be a genius to realize that Ledger was blaming himself for the situation Maya was in because he had tried to place her in a safe place while he checked out a potential threat, which instead resulted in her being left alone for Lorn’s taking. While apparently vulnerable, at that. Although, would I have done any different? Probably not, especially considering the explosions and chaos that had been occurring in the other room.
If it had just been guilt we were dealing with, I knew that could be solved…but this was something worse than that. This was a darkness covering his entire expression as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and stared at the ground. I don’t think he’d looked at Maya yet. In fact, I don’t think he’d looked at anyone yet. The only other time I had ever seen Ledger this upset was after the restraining order hearings that we’d gotten against the twins’ father back in the Dreki realm.
Hopefully he would feel better once my angel opened her eyes, but until then, I had a feeling that any attempt to convince him of his innocence would be lost.
Maya let out a small whimper in her sleep and clutched onto me further, and Sai made a concerned noise as he continued to try to brush out excess ash from her hair. I found myself looking down at her neck, which was covered in a quickly-forming bruise, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the only one on her body.
I looked up to see Marco staring at Maya’s face with a tortured expression before it blanked again. He met my gaze, seemingly unresponsive to the image of Maya passed out in my arms.
Obviously, that was far from the case, but I think his natural instincts were to keep it together for the sake of the flight. Croy shifted next to him, looking distressed at Maya’s state, but also as if he was considering something, his head tilting as he seemed to grapple with whether or not to voice it.
Honestly, probably wouldn’t be the best move right now… Though apparently he didn’t agree.
“What exactly did you see when you found her?”
His question was simple, but I knew what I said meant a lot to whatever he was considering, so I tried to describe it as accurately as possible.
“She was curled up, sobbing, in a pile of ashes. The room smelled like fire, and Lorn’s scent was there, but nothing else. She was just alone. I could feel her phoenix freaking out, and then when I tried to get her to focus on me, she said Lorn had been there and that she’d killed him.”
“The ashes on her are Lorn’s.” Marco’s voice was almost robotic. “She incinerated Lorn?”
