Flames of Fury

Chapter 9

I had a fan-fucking-tastic weekend, so here's an early chapter!

It may also be one of my favorite chapters...

White rabbit - Jefferson airplane

When logic and proportion

Have fallen sloppy dead

And the White Knight is talking backwards

And the Red Queen's off with her head

Remember what the dormouse said

Feed your head

— — — — —

Magnolia

~3 weeks since landing in Drow Hollow~

"I don't care what  you say to him, he needs to stop. It's been four  days since she last slept." Ember says to someone outside my door, and even though she's trying to be quiet, and even though there's a literal rock wall between us, I can still hear every word she says.

I'm sitting on the ground with my back against the wall next to the door and my arms propped loosely over my bent knees.

Ember's right, I haven't slept in a while — four days apparently — not since Ian subjected me to the most terrifying nightmare yet.

I escape out of one of the few caves that weren't blocked off and bolt through the forest. I'm flying as much as I can, not caring who might see me. It's taken me three weeks to escape, not a personal record by any means but certainly not my worst.

It's early morning, but I'm so unaccustomed to natural sunlight that even the soft morning rays are too bright for me. But I keep moving, keep running, keep flying.

I make it back to Shadowmoon in maybe twenty minutes. I tear across the lawn and barge into the pack house with a singular focus: getting to my mates.

I take the stairs two at a time and sprint down the hall towards their bedroom, their scent gets stronger with every step I take.

The door practically comes off its hinges when I kick it in. The boys are in bed, but when I get closer I can also see that two naked women are snuggled up on either side of them.

In my immediate rage I set the bed on fire which startles the four of them awake. The twins catch sight of me and instead of being happy to see their supposed soulmate, their posture drops in disappointment.

Ro puts out the fire I set and warns me, "you shouldn't be here, Magnolia."

None of Ian's tricks hurt as badly as that slap to the face.

"What the fuck is this?" I gesture at the whores in their arms. "I'm trapped for three weeks in hell and you've, what, moved on?"

I'm seething by this point, beyond enraged at their betrayal and the fact that they don't even have the decency to look guilty or sorry.

"You left us, remember? You chose to run off into the arms of another man. So we filled our beds with women who actually want to be here." Varian's eyes narrow at me with contempt.