Page 54 of Avaritia
Rainy had returned of her own volition several hours earlier, and was now cooped up at Allerick’s palace with Mother. I was grateful that my sister was safe, but I’d been too furious to even contemplate seeing her. Until Verity was safely back at home where she belonged, I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.
“You’ve really made a mess of things, Theon,” Soren said darkly, his cloaked head turning to face me. “You know you cannot go free after this. The ex-Hunters in the shadow realm are under the protection of the Crown. You lost her. Damaged her. There will be consequences.”
“Verity is not a possession,” I snapped, shame curdling in my gut at the way I’d considered her as such once upon a time.
“No, she’s not,” Soren conceded. “But she is vulnerable in our realm, and the protections extended to her are overreaching accordingly. To say nothing of your mating. If Verity were here and I asked her if you had her whole and full-hearted consent to claim her as your mate, what answer would I receive, Theon?”
I had no response for that, which was a response in itself. The answer was no. I’d wanted Verity, so I’d taken her. At the time, her lack of outrage had seemed like a positive sign—as though she hadn’t really minded my high-handedness. In hindsight, having come to know Verity, I understood that she hadn’t experienced a life filled with joy, unlike her bright demeanor suggested.
Verity hadn’t been outraged because she hadn’t expected any better for herself. She hadn’t considered her own happiness at all.
A few moments later, Astrid reappeared, her expression grim. “It’s a hospital, so at least Verity is receiving medical attention. Unfortunately, one of the guys vaping across the street is a Hunter from Seattle, and we are definitely not in Seattle.”
“What does that mean?” Soren asked.
“It means that someone recognized her and called in the hometown troops.” Astrid’s expression was stricken. “They’re going to be all over that building, she’s too valuable to them to risk getting away.”
“Then what can we do?” The desperation of the situation was bearing down heavily on me now. I’d foolishly thought that so long as the mating bond led me to her, Astrid would find a way to handle the task of physically getting Verity back to the in-between, and I could simply carry her from there.
But this…
“We can monitor from afar,” Astrid replied grimly. “I can make inquiries with sympathetic contacts here, but the Hunters are going to be hypervigilant. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do until Verity is able to get away from them on her own steam.”
“I refuse to accept that’s true.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, regardless,” Soren cut in evenly. “Until your fate has been decided, you’re going to the Pit.”
There was no way to mark the passage of time in the Pit. The blinding orb light never dimmed, not even for the prisoners to sleep, so as not to compromise the security. Meal delivery seemed to be sporadic. Infrequently, these meals were served with a small orb of power on the tray to keep us fed enough to survive, though I had returned them all intact.
The room I’d been assigned was nicer than the cells most criminals were given, but it was still very much a jail.
And for once, I couldn’t resent Allerick, nor his decision to put me here. I’d been entrusted with the greatest treasure in the shadow realm, and I hadn’t taken care of her. Verity was stuck there because of me. The strained, muffled bond in my chest a constant reminder that we were on opposite sides of the in-between.
Soren had informed me that they had eyes on Verity’s location, and if she was moved, then I would be brought back under supervision to follow her through the bond again. Thus far, she appeared to still be in the healing facility.
It was a disconcerting thought. How long did humans usually stay in such a place?
The helplessness was crushing. If time were mine to control, I would take us back to that kiss under the porch while the rain fell peacefully around us, and do everything differently. I would have listened to Verity’s suggestion to go to the palace for help retrieving Rainy. If I’d gone to the human realm as part of that delegation, I would have insisted Verity stay safely with her friends at Elverston House.
She’d have still been there on my return. Perhaps, she would have even been happy to see me? It seemed for a moment as though something was growing between us. Something that brought her joy.
“Theon.” I turned sharply at my sister’s quiet voice, finding her standing at the bars of my cell, more contrite than I’d ever seen her.
Anger rose, but ebbed away again just as quickly. I was too tired to hold on to it.
It wasn’t Rainy’s fault that Verity got hurt. It was mine.
“Theon,” Rainy sniffled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for all of this to happen.”
“I know,” I replied, staring up at the stone ceiling.
“I shouldn’t have gone. I should have listened to you.”
Were the circumstances not so dire, the admission that she was wrong would have been amusing.
“Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean for Verity to get hurt.”
“And I don’t blame you for that.” Verity hadn’t wanted to go to the human realm. I’d dragged her back there because of my own stupid jealousy. That error had been mine, and mine alone.