On and on it went, until I felt seconds away from snapping completely, of losing the precarious control I had on my sanity.
Zane wasn’t faring any better. He had begun humming beneath his breath—the tune of a song from that animatedmovie he loves so much—and was bouncing from foot to foot, his hands flexing.
Then the back door opened.
Ellie and Dom rematerialized, The Divine One standing directly behind them.
Ellie remained with The Divine One, much to my horror, while Dominic moved through the crowd, pulling out his phone.
And that’s where we are now—Zane and I standing here, reading the text with growing dismay and all-encompassing fear.
Dominic
Ellie made a deal with DO. She’s staying with her. Zane, Beckett, and I are allowed to remain as well. Aria believes Landon and Ryker are dead. They need to remain hidden.
No. Fucking. Way.
No.
I refuse to allow that to happen.
Fuckingrefuse.
I don’t give a damn that the world thinks I’m dead. I’ll emerge from the ground like a damn poltergeist, haunting every bastard who gets in my way.
My chest heaves, and I feel my skin prickle, though I’m unsure whether it’s the beginning of a panic attack or something else. Anger like I’ve never felt before floods me, ice-cold and scalding simultaneously, thousands of needles being jabbed into my skin.
No. No. No.
No!
I take an automatic step forward, my attention zeroed in on Ellie.
Zane grabs my shoulder. “I understand impulsivity better than anyone else here, but you need to be smart about this, brother,” he whispers, his tone low and urgent in my ear. “Right now, POP thinks you and Landon are dead. That may be the only thing that will save us later. Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
His words stop me, though they do little to alleviate the rage percolating in my gut. Logically, I know he’s right. Fuck, I know that. But it doesn’t change the fact that my skin feels too tight and my hands are clammy and my thoughts are churning and fear has taken up residence in my chest. I need to do something. Need to…
“Fuck off,” I hiss at Zane, though the words are half-hearted at best.
“Give me more of that dirty talk. I love it,” he quips.
“We can run,” I tell him, not tearing my gaze away from Ellie for even a second. A part of me believes that the moment I look away, the moment I can no longer see her, she’ll disappear from my life completely. I’ll never get her back.
Something occurs to me then, slamming into me like a dozen fireworks detonating too close to my face. It’s both a revelation and a homecoming.
I can’t live without Ellie.
I’ve always known that, of course, but it never occurred to me how thoroughly she owns me until now. I was content with loving her from afar, but I can’t do that. Not now. Not ever. I don’t give a shit if I have to share her attention and affection with my best friends, the men I consider my brothers. None of that matters.
Ellie. Is. Mine.
A strange sense of peace burrows its way beneath my skin, momentarily eclipsing the incandescent rage from moments before. It only lasts a second, but it’s enough for me to know that my decision is irrefutable and unchangeable.
I want her.
I love her.
I’ll be hers, and she’ll be mine, and I don’t give a damn anymore if she’s also theirs.