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GARROT
Day 36
When the witch rolls from the house, my chest tightens to the point of barely being able to breathe. I rub the palm of my hand against it, hoping to release the pressure. I follow Karl, and a barely holding on Victor out into the day. The sun hides behind big grey clouds as Karl pulls a knife from his waist and presses it to his wrist.
I snap my arm out and grab hold of his hand.
"What the fuck are you doing, Karl?" I growl. Confusion rolls through me as he wrenches his arm from my grasp and proceeds to drag the blade across the skin on his inner wrist.
"Doing what the witch wants, Gar." Blood flows from the wound and drips to the ground. "We need Everly back, Leyland needs her," he flicks his hand out, spraying his blood across the black dirt. "Victor needs her," he jerks his chin towards the beast as he catches his blood in a cupped hand and throws it in front of him. As he wobbles on his feet, at my side, Victor's whole-body shakes. His fists clench and unclench at his sides as he battles the change. Fuck. We are literally falling apart without Everly. The ground rumbles under our feet as the earth spews forth plants, grasses, herbs and small trees from the fallow soil of Katja's garden. I turn to watch the dark Fae cackle to the heavens as the earth is forced to provide her with the means to cast her spells.
I reach out to catch Karl just as he stumbles and slides to the ground. I lace my hands under his arms and gently lower him down.
"What have you done to him, foul creature? I will rip the head from your body, and feast on your innards!" Victor yells, his face turning a dark shade of green. Fuck. He's losing it. Karl slumps to the side, landing in the grass with a soft thud. Victor roars his anger and charges the dark Fae. Oh, we are so fucked right now.
Leyland
Day 36
The ground rushes up to meet my face. In all honesty, I can't seem to care. The air batters my face. Tears leak from my eyes. They quickly dry as they are whipped from my skin. From the corner of my eye, I see a flash of black, then another. Spinning my body, I land feet first on the ground, my wings outstretched from my body. When I look to my left, I realise my wings are completely black.
Victor
Day 36
I struggle to rein in my Kraken form as my feet speed me towards her. At the last second, I manage to get control of him and dodge to the left, narrowly missing her. She doesn't even blink or react as I stand behind her, shaking.
"Where the fuck is Leyland?" Garrot spins in circles, looking for his lover. Our brother.
"He was just here, Vic, did you see where he went?" Karl turns to look at me, as he pushes from the ground, his brown eyes filled with worry.
"No. But," I rub my hand across the scar on my eyebrow, "I have a bad feeling in my stomach. Like... like something is wrong." My stomach rolls, like waves on the ocean during a storm. Something doesn't feel right. But I don't know what.
"I can do a locator spell," the witch announces. We all turn to look at her, not one of us trust this tiny woman.
"Shit! He's not answering, Karl. Just like last time. What if the Dark Fae have him again?" Panic laces Garrot's voice as he pulls the phone away from his ear. The same emotion rolls through me right now. Last time Leyland was taken, he was tortured, assaulted and almost forced to marry the Princess of Dark Fae. Some of their kind want him as their King. His power of being able to leach the love from a person's soul is highly sought-after. As are the fruit of his lions.
"Okay, just take a breath, Gar." Karl rubs a hand down Garrot's back. "We’ll find him." Karl pulls his phone out of his back pocket as Garrot bends over, his hands on his knees, panting.
"Yes?" Leyland answers after the sixth ring.
"Leyland!" Karl yells and Garrot's head snaps up, "Where are you? We were worried. The witch is ready."
"Le, you dick. Get back here now!" Garrot shouts angrily towards the device, his cheeks wet with tears. Karl switches to loudspeaker.
"And why, pray tell, would I come back?" Leyland asks, sounding bored.
"What do you mean? Have you found another way to get to Atlantis?" Garrot asks hopefully.
"Nope. Listen, I don't want to burst your bubble, lads, but I'm not going to Atlantis." Leyland announces. We look at each other in complete confusion, the line echoes and we all turn as one. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get home." Leyland stands behind us. His wings and eyes are completely black.
Everly
Day 6
"You can't be my mother, Darcy. That's impossible." I splutter as she pats my back. Water drips from my nose. I wipe it with the towel wrapped around me. She pulled me from the bath in less than five seconds, but it felt like I was under the water for hours.
"I am, child, it's complicated but I'll condense it for you. When William and I learned you had all four of your consorts, we knew we needed to come up with a plan. That plan was to cast a spell so when my earthly body was killed, my subconscious would be transferred to one of my loyal rebels. Darcy," she presses the palm of her hand to her chest and smiles, "Volunteered immediately. It wasn't until the fear of being caught when you tried to escape overwhelmed her, that I could come to the surface."
My eyes droop, having almost drowned sure takes it out of you.
"So, Darcy is still in there?" I lift a hand to indicate her body.
"Yes. She’s in here," Amphitrite lifts a finger to her temple. "She wants you to know she’s ok and she’s sorry she didn't tell you. That's my fault, I asked her to keep me secret until the time was right."
A giggle escapes me. Just a few months ago, I was watching Vampire Diaries and fawning over Game of Thrones, reading my favourite authors, Ava Taylor, K. A. Knight and Kresley Cole. Now here I am, sitting on the edge of a glass bath, the ocean all around me. In Atlantis. My boyfriends have powers, not to mention I have four of them. A God wants to kill me and every being on the planet. My mother was murdered but now lives inside the body of my best friend. Oh, and I have a twin whose skin is blue. I'm pregnant, but way more than I should be. The giggle turns into a laugh, which soon descends into a full-blown laughing fit. I clutch my middle and squeeze my legs together in an attempt to not pee.
"Oh, this is so fucked up." I manage once I've caught my breath.
"On this occasion, I have to agree. This is fucked up beyond recognition." Amphitrite says, deadpan. My head whips around to look at her, my mouth hanging open.
"Did you just curse?" I ask, incredulous.
"Everly, this is no time for jokes. Poseidon is close to getting what he wants. You must train with Gordon. When he comes for you next, you must ask to train in the ocean." Her hand grips my forearm in a punishing grip.
"Ok. But, um, I'll drown!" I yell, push to my feet and walk into the bedroom. It's colder here than the bathroom so I dress quickly. My mother/Darcy follows behind, her eyes on me the whole time.
"Can't you get us out of here?" I ask, hopeful.
"No. I cannot."
"Can you at least tell me how to kill a god?" I'm guessing any normal means won't kill him.
"Time is running out, Everly, you must be ready." She mutters before her eyes roll into the back of her head and she drops to the floor.
Well, shit.