27. Chapter 27

Chapter twenty-seven

Blue

E veryone is sitting around the dining room table. Everyone apart from the one person who matters. Sammy's absence makes the room feel empty.

It's noisy with this many people, but I feel strangely detached. As if I am in a bubble. I'm here, but I'm not a part of this. I don't belong. I don't fit in.

Everyone is having to get together to sort out another one of my problems. Though this one isn't my fault. I didn't ask to be stalked in the mall.

And now a Council Enforcer is here to talk to us about it. Which is very unnerving. But maybe the mage is only here because Brodie and Carter called in some favors, and nobody high up is actually that worried.

If Sammy was here, I'd ask him what he thought.

My gaze drifts around the table. Red, Pink, Gray, Jade, Lello and Ned. My fellow harem boys. We were imprisoned together. But we are not the same. Because Brodie, Carter and Mal are here too. And Pink's mage is at the bottom of his garden in his campervan. And according to Lello's gossip, Jade is falling for his coworker, and Ned for his boss.

Which makes me the only one who is alone. And that's entirely my own fault. I thought I'd be alone forever. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I'd find someone as wonderful as Sammy. He is a miracle. A gift from the goddess. And I've fucked it up .

The room falls silent, so I pull my attention to the here and now. The enforcer is clearly waiting for everyone's attention before he speaks.

"I am Ethaniel Methuen, enforcer of the council. Thank you for meeting with me," he says.

His eyes are an interesting shade of gray and his blond hair is twisted into an unusual pattern of plaits. Immense power is coiled within him, and I'm glad he is on our side.

"We have investigated the incident and it appears that an associate of Richard Smithson is seeking to capture a harem of his own."

My breath stutters in a sharp, jagged inhale. The only thing worse than being paranoid, is being right. One of Ritchie's friends is on the hunt.

Soft murmurs break out as people turn to their loved ones. I sit in silence and watch the enforcer.

"We are confident we can eliminate this threat, but for now, we advise that you stay at home."

A dozen conversations spring to life. A hum of noise. The air clouds with fear and anger. Frustration and anxiety. I breathe it in and it feeds my own terror.

"Do they know where we live?" I ask the enforcer.

"We presume so. The logical explanation is that they were watching the house and then followed you to the mall. Since you were alone, they thought it was worth a shot."

I force a swallow down my throat. The enforcer's eyes fill with pity. I can tell he sees me as nothing more than a helpless little sex slave. A victim. Maybe he is right. But Sammy never looked at me like that. He saw something else. Something more.

"The house is incredibly well warded," says the enforcer. "You will be safe here. They won't try an attack. It would be far easier to abduct some other paranormal."

My stomach heaves. I nearly retch. Some unsuspecting innocent is out there, going about their life and they are about to have their world destroyed. Their freedom taken. Their sanity broken. Their body violated.

"Please don't let that happen," I whisper, but the enforcer seems to hear me anyway.

"I won't," he says solemnly.

Red asks him a question, and he turns away from me to answer. Now I'm sitting here in silence while everyone else is talking.

My stomach has twisted itself into a hard, aching knot. I can't believe I was right about the men in the mall. I had all but convinced myself that I was paranoid and delusional. The truth is horrifying. They really are out to get us.

We have to stay in the house for our own safety? This is awful. How long will we be confined for? And once the Council says it is safe, how safe will it truly be? This threat came out of nowhere. The next one could very well succeed.

Cold sweat trickles down my back. My hand reflexively wraps around the talisman hanging from my neck. Even though it is an impotent gesture. Gray's gift shields me from sirens. No one else.

A soft, distressed wail catches my attention. I watch as Carter pulls Lello onto his lap and holds him close. My gaze flicks to Gray. He looks pale but stoic. Mal's arm is draped over him protectively. I'm glad they have someone to face this with, I truly am. But an aching loneliness is gnawing at me nonetheless.

Sammy will never talk to me again. Let alone offer me comfort. I've not only lost a mate, I've lost a best friend. All because I am savage enough to hit him with cruel words. I took my own emotional mess and threw it at him. I wanted him to hurt like I was hurting.

I'm such an asshole. Sammy's blood and body are his to do with as he pleases. There was no need for me to be a dickhead about it. But regret never fixed a thing. I can't undo what has been done. Can't take back my spiteful words. No matter how much I want to .

I need my pool. I don't think I'm going to learn anything else here. And there is nothing I can do to help.

I quietly get to my feet and slip out of the room. I pad down the hallway towards the back door.

"Blue," says Ned behind me.

I whirl around to face him. Anger spikes and floods my veins. His betrayal hurts. I thought he was my friend. I thought all of us in the harem had each other's backs. I believed we had an unbreakable bond as brothers. Clearly, I was so very wrong.

He has to know how much Sammy means to me. But he didn't care. He just wanted blood. Whatever the cost.

My rage is a hissing, spiteful thing. Part of me knows it is wrong. If Sammy is free to give his blood, then Ned is free to ask for it. But I don't have the strength to try to calm my fury. It's too strong for me to face.

"I have nothing to say to you," I say coldly before turning sharply on my heels and striding away from him.

As I approach the pool, I strip my clothes off and let them fall carelessly where they may. I dive in, but the water does not provide much relief. I sink to the bottom and huddle in the corner.

Someone has fed the fish, and they are all busy at the other end of the pool.

Is this my life now?

My hand wraps around the talisman again. A sudden yearning for the ocean hits me with the strength of a hurricane. I miss it with all my heart and soul. I'm homesick. Deeply. Terribly. And I have been for a very long time.

And there is nothing for me here.

Not anymore.

No reason to stay.

It's an hour's drive to the ocean. Once I'm under the waves, I'll be safe. No one will be able to hurt me. Or betray me. I'll have all the fish in the ocean for company. I don't need people. People lead to pain of one kind or another .

I rise to the surface. No one is here. I hurry over to my storage box, throw on some clean clothes, and turn on my phone. It takes a few minutes to write the email, and then a few more to figure out how to schedule it to send in an hour.

I turn the phone off and drop it into the storage box. It feels good. Librating. My decision is made, and it is final.

I can't scare everyone and make them think I've been abducted. I've let them know that my leaving is my choice, so my conscience is clear. All that's left to do is face the future.

I skirt around the house to the driveway. All my senses are on high alert. But there is no one around. I don't need to sneak away. I can just stroll out. Nobody is going to notice. Which just proves this is the right decision.

My heart aches as I get into one of the cars. I feel bad for taking it, but there is no other way to get to the coast quickly, or safely. As it is, I'm going to be watching my rearview mirror like a hawk.

I'm sure the boys will figure out where I'm headed. The nearest beach is the obvious location. As long as I leave the car somewhere easy to find, they can retrieve it.

I start the engine and drive down the driveway. It's so hard not to look back. But I manage it. The future is in front of me. Everything else needs to be forgotten. Apart from Sammy. That would be impossible.

I will miss Sammy forever. Pine for him for the rest of my life. I'll dream of him always and never forget him. But he is a part of my past. I need to let him have a future. With someone who deserves him.

I have to go. Keep my eyes set on the horizon. Seek new waters.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.