“How far are we walking?” I asked. “Where are we going? Oh, yeah. No Man’s Land, but isn’t that place, like, huge? Are you going to carry me the whole time so that I don’t run away, or do you have a portal spell? I’d make one, but I can’t.”I paused briefly, but he still wasn’t in the mood to chat. Thankfully, I wasn’t easily deterred.“Not that you asked, but I don’t really have any magic,” I said. “I can heal quickly, run faster than most of the witches, and my hearing isn’t too bad, but outside of a few sparks, magic isn’t really my thing. I’ve been told that’s probably why my parents abandoned me. Pretty fucked-up, huh?”His jaw at least tensed at that last bit, confirming he wasn’t completely heartless.“So, Atlas. I’m pretty sure you won’t answer any of my questions, but since you know a little about me, let me pretend I know something about you.” My voice deepened as I pretended that I was him, hoping to further annoy him into conversation. “‘I was an only child. I get my shit

ATLASExactly thirty minutes after I’d gotten back into the driver’s seat, Elena cleared her throat while keeping her eyes on the center of the road, which I’d advised her to do so she wouldn’t get sick again. Not because I was being nice, but because we didn’t have time for her weak stomach.“How close was I with ‘Atlas’?” she asked, a bit of glee in her tone and a smile playing on her cherry lips.“Atlas, so not even a little close,” I muttered.Her fingers danced over her knees, and she chanced a glance my way. “What about a last name?”“No.” If she didn’t already know it, she didn’t need to.The fact that she seemed truly inept about all things of the outside world had me second-guessing everything that I was doing. I hated to admit that I was worried the only reason I was questioning anything was because of the bond. The longer she sat next to me, the more it was building.Uncertainty wasn’t something I was familiar with, and I fucking hated it.Had I been sent to kidnap, and pos

I had to turn around before I answered her, because I was tempted to lash out with my darker half. It was the one part of me that I was equally thankful for yet also hated.The demon in me that had come from my father.The curse that had killed my family and left me alone in this godforsaken world.The powers that allowed me to channel my rage by searching for piece-of-shit people who didn’t deserve to continue breathing.She was rubbing her chest so hard that a red spot formed on her skin beneath her fingers.The bond I hadn’t wanted to accept as truth tugged on my emotions, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t the one who was going to console her.I wasn’t the person she needed, even if she wasn’t a magic-stealing murderer.Amy sighed at me. “You’re being ridiculous.”I watched as the unicorn went to Elena and quietly whispered to her. I observed closely how Elena nodded softly, pressing her lips together while her eyes remained wide.Then, I forced my feet to take me back to the jeep. I

His hand covered mine over his chest and squeezed hard just before he stepped a few inches closer. His breath was warm on my cheeks as he looked down on me, but I stared defiantly back.“I take back my rejection.” He grumbled the words that should have made my heart do a happy dance, but his tone…“Maybe I don’t want you to take it back,” I quipped in return, raising a pointed brow.His lips lifted just in one corner. The closest thing I’d seen to a smile from him yet. “Lying doesn’t suit you, Elena.”Then he released me and began walking back to the jeep.That mother fucker.I took a step forward to follow him, but Lia’s hand pressed against my shoulder, halting my forward momentum. “Take the loss, girl. You’ve got bigger battles to win.”I shuddered, reality coming crashing down on me as I met her friendly eyes. “Who am I?”“That’s what we’re going to figure out,” she said. “Just as soon as we get to Fire and Fluorite. In the meantime, maybe Atlas isn’t as bad as I thought he was. L

“I already know all I need to,” Amy said hauntingly. “I was just hoping Atlas was ready to play nice. He will be eventually, though.”Her confidence severely grated on my nerves.I didn’t want a mate, and I certainly wasn’t going to “play nice.”Though, as I thought the words, I knew I was full of shit. I could have goaded Elena into rejecting me back there. I could have left her with the unicorn and walked away from this bullshit.I could have done a lot of things over the last thirty-six hours and yet…I hadn’t.As much as I hated to admit this even to myself, I wanted to know more about Elena. I wanted to see her safe and where she belonged. Most importantly, I didn’t want to trust anyone else to make sure that happened.“So, since it seems to be my turn for story time…let me tell you what I know,” Amy said, staring only at Elena. “About three months ago, I began dreaming about Fire and Fluorite. Shortly after that, the stories of their leader being killed started going around. It s