Alessia Stocklin and Ezra Withers are polar opposites, but they can certainly agree on one thing: their mutual hate for each other.
He's an Alpha deadset on killing every rogue he comes across, while she's a vigilante - known as Nightshade - intent...
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"I'm glad you're not dead," Elias patted me on the back with more force than necessary. "I can't say the same for Apollo — hey! Don't look at me like that! I did, after all, promise you earlier I would kill your friends and family if you didn't kill Ezra. And, well, you didn't kill him. I know, I know, plans change. But call me stubborn. I would have liked to see him suffer a little bit more."
Scowling at Elias, I flicked his head. "You need therapy, Elias."
"Don't we all," he shook his head as he stroked his chin. "Don't we all?"
"I could have sworn you were trying to find me alive. Is that not true?" Apollo looked appalled as he peered at Elias from across the table. Apollo folded his hands over his chest and gave a disapproving nod in Elias' direction.
Unsurprisingly, Apollo was not Elias' biggest fan. When we finally broke the news it was Elias, a lawless rogue and attempted murderer, who carried Apollo's limp body to Solaris, he about blew a gasket. It was as if he would have wanted to be back in the boarded-up room Byron stored him in if that meant Elias would not be involved. As much as I hated to admit it, Apollo's brute distaste for Elias was partially my fault.
In a similar vein, Apollo was not happy to learn of my identity as Nightshade. When the dust had settled and some anxiety meds were pumping through Apollo's veins, I mentioned Elias and his involvement in trying to orchestrate Ezra's death.
Don't get me wrong, Apollo did not shed a tear at the thought of Elias going after Ezra. No, he was hung up on how Elias used him as leverage to blackmail me. I mean, I didn't blame him for the rage he harbored toward Elias, but he always had to be so...Apollo about it.
"Oh, it is," Elias exaggerated his speech. "You were passed the fuck out, but I was the one to find you, actually. Call me a savior if you'd like."
"I'm not doing that," Apollo's mouth hung wide open as he narrowed his eyes. He tapped his fingers on the table, looking around impatiently.
We all — Ezra, Apollo, Greg, Elias, Link, Lawrence, Duke, Blake, and I — were seated in a conference room. It was the same conference room we used to plan the rescue mission for Apollo. The room seemed more stuffy and crammed with the excess amount of people crowded in it today. We were all awaiting the Committee representative so the hearing could begin.
All our evidence was neatly scattered over the round table as the Committee had requested just days prior. Since an impromptu, hasty hearing had never been conducted before, we didn't quite know what to expect. Luckily for us, Apollo had fully healed, and I was on my way to a complete recovery.
It has been a handful of days since Byron tried to end my life (almost successfully), and my body was slow to complete the healing process. My ribs were giving me the most trouble, still supporting vibrant black and blue bruises all over my stomach. Even though there was still an achy pain coursing through my body, I was able to walk small distances and still up for long periods without wanting to pass out.
