Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

PIPER

" W here are you going?"

Nothing .

"How are you going to find him?"

Silence .

"Atlas."

He continued to walk toward his room, collecting weapons and strapping them to his body. He'd already put a knife around his thigh and another in his boot. Then he slid some brass knuckles in his pocket. He kept his head down, never making eye contact with me. Yet with every step he took, his blood magic seeped from him, giving the room a red, misty fog effect. The tattoos on his body seemed to rise up from his skin and fall back flat. They moved over him like he was struggling to keep them in check.

Is this Atlas' way of showing emotion ? No words, just inner turmoil spilling out uncontrollably over his skin?

He patted his hands down his chest, then over his pants. When he seemed to be happy with whatever it was that he was checking, he finally looked up at me.

"No one hears of this. Do you understand me?"

"Right, like I was going to announce my soulmate going absolutely crazy, making him a target in a volatile environment that none of us have any control over at the moment." I threw my arms up and let them fall back with a slap on my sides. "None of this makes sense. I don't even really understand what happened and now you're hunting down Grayson like he's some kind of war criminal."

One moment he was across the room, the other he was in my face, hovering over me all menacing. I sucked in a sharp breath but didn't back down from him. "This . . . is all your fault. I warned you to stay away from him."

Is he for real ? "I left the castle."

"And yet somehow you've got the soulmate mark. A mark of love." The muscle in his jaw ticked. " That could only happen in person."

"I'm not going to apologize for that." I didn't back down. "It isn't perfect, but it is love. Were we messed up? Yeah, we were. But once we figure this curse the hell out, then we will get it all together, and I'll have a few choice words for him."

How could you not tell me?

Why the secrets?

And you pushed me away for this?

"Funny you believe that." His breath fanned across my face. "Wake up. This is not a fairytale."

"I have no choice but to believe it, because I refuse to believe he's gone for good. As his best friend, you shouldn't think he's gone either." This whole thing was so messed up. I didn't have a choice but to believe that everything would work out between us . . . eventually . . . because the thought of any other outcome was too painful to even try to process.

A growl rumbled deep in his chest and he bared his fangs at me with a light hiss, then stormed passed me to his closet. A moment later he threw a bunch of clothes in my direction. "Put that on."

I glanced down at my silky dress that'd been torn to shreds. I was borderline indecent with the amount of skin showing. "Where'd you get all these?"

He gave me a withering look. "Do you really want the answer to that?"

I glanced at the pile of clothing in my hands and could only guess the amount of vampire conquests Atlas had. Beggars couldn't be choosers in my situation. I'd left the castle and taken all my clothing with me. There was no way Atlas was going to let me make a pit stop. He wanted to hunt, and he wanted to hunt now . Besides, I'd gotten worse hand-me-downs than this before.

"Get dressed. I'll wait outside." He turned for the door.

"You expect me to believe you'll wait? No, stay right there." I stared at him until he held still.

He groaned. "You're going to undress in front of me?"

"If that's what it takes." I reached for the pieces of my dress and began tearing it off.

He spun around, giving me his back. "This is ridiculous."

The sound of ripping fabric filled the silence between us. There was a tiny crop top that was so small it'd serve as a bra for me. I shoved my arms through and wiggled the tight fabric past my bust, then I slid on a pair of jeans that were slightly loose but my ass was big enough to hold up. These two pieces did not go together, but I had only a few options.

"And how many different women's clothing am I wearing?"

"I fail to see how that's any of your business."

"Seems my love life is now your business." I pulled a loose-fitting sweater over my head that had rips carefully placed over the stomach and arms. I rolled my eyes. Greaattttt. "In my mind, turnabout is fair play."

"You mistake me, Piper. My involvement is not a choice. Anything to do with the crown is my business. Anything doing with a lifelong friend is also my business. Grayson and I have been friends for over a hundred years, and in one swoop you've ruined it for the lot of us."

I shoved my feet into boots that were too big. I'd never be able to keep these on. I turned and went to Atlas' dresser and pulled out a pair of his socks. I shoved my feet into them and tied them as tight as I could. His thick socks poked out of the top of the boots, and I shoved the jeans into them to get a bit more hold. I grabbed a pen off the top of the dresser and wound it through my hair to hold it off my face. I pressed my hand to the necklace Grayson had given me. It was to remind me to control my thirst, but now its weight around my neck would remind me of only him.

"Ready."

He glanced at me over his shoulder and sighed. "Help yourself, why don't you?"

"You didn't give me much of a choice." I wrinkled my nose and sniffed the borrowed shirt I was wearing. "Helpful tip, if she smells like a floral potpourri, she's going to be a stage-five clinger."

He arched an eyebrow. "Noted."

"Oh my god. She was, wasn't she?" My eyes widened and for the first time since everything went down, I smirked, trying to picture Atlas with a tiny female vampire clinging to his side.

He said nothing. He just groaned and turned toward the floor-length mirror and pressed his hand to it. The mirror rippled and moved like the surface of water. Before, the sight of it used to awe me, now I found myself growing used to this new vampire world I'd been thrown into. "How do you know where to go?"

He sighed. "There are places feral vampires are attracted to. We'll start there."

"So the curse turned him feral?" There was still so much I didn't know about the curse and how it worked.

"It's more than feral," he snapped. "Feral vampires can sometimes come back. The curse makes him feral but stronger and more violent too. In some cases, smarter . . . diabolical even. And he will not come back from this."

Annoyance ran through my body. Why did he keep insisting I give up hope? "How do you know?"

"Because I've seen it before. The House of Shade's numbers have dwindled over the years: cousins, uncles, aunts. One after another they fall to the curse of love, and I have put down one after another. I am the one who holds the silence and keeps the crown."

A cold chill went down my spine. "And now? What are you going to do now that it's your best friend?"

"What I must." He stepped into the mirror, and I leapt in after him. The surface peeled across my skin as I tried to barrel through faster.

When we entered the hall, Atlas didn't wait for me. He sped up so quickly that his body was nearly a blur. But I was stronger than I've ever been and keeping up with him was no problem. I pumped my arms, feeling the adrenaline course through my body. When we reached the mirror on the other end of the tunnel, Atlas dove through, and the mirror started to harden behind him. I skidded to a halt as he glanced back at me with a smirk on his face, as if that would stop me from following him.

I arched my eyebrows at him and placed my hand on the mirror, willing it to open for me. My blood magic spread over the mirror in a glittering red mist, and instead of the mirror turning liquid once more, large cracks forked out over the surface. The smile dropped from Atlas' face and he took a small step back. How dare he try to ditch me or dodge my questions. The mirror exploded outwards and shards of it shot toward him.

He ducked away and held his arm over his face to protect it. I stepped out of the mirror, the pieces crunching under my boots. "And what does what I must mean exactly?"

He sighed and turned his back toward me and began walking once more. I didn't know where we were exactly, but we'd come out in some kind of crappy bathroom. The walls were cream with dark-brown stains covering them. The white subway tile had a layer of muck on it that made me want to bathe in sanitizer. Wadded-up toilet paper and paper towels littered the damp floor. The smell of something foul hung in the air and I wrinkled my nose.

"Where are we?"

"A store in the shit part of town."

I followed as he yanked the door open and walked into a small corner store with half-stocked shelves, broken fluorescent lighting, and broken refrigerators. A lone man sat behind a counter with a register next to him. He didn't look up when the door flew open. He just kept flipping through the magazine that seemed to hold his attention. I waved my hand in front of him, but he just flipped to another page. I sniffed the air thinking he'd be a vampire, but all I smelled was human blood.

"He's very observant."

"In this part of town, no one asks questions and no one looks twice." Atlas pushed through the entrance and out into the cool morning air. He paused, glancing over his shoulder at me as I stepped out into the sun next to him. It was the day after Christmas and the air was freezing, yet when I felt the sun on my skin, I could feel the slight warmth in the rays.

As we walked down the street, I fell into step with him. I didn't know where we were going or how he knew where to find Grayson, and I didn't feel like Atlas was going to be forthcoming considering he'd just tried to ditch me by getting through the mirror before I could. He turned every corner like he knew exactly where he was going, like it was a maze and he had the only map.

The smell of blood filled the chilly air and I hesitated. Atlas gave me a sideways glance. "There's always prey to be had here. Feral vampires and newborn baby vamps are drawn to this place. The weak tend to be easy prey."

"The weak?"

We turned between two buildings, and there huddled in the shadows were groups of homeless people pressed to the walls. They had a messy encampment made of old tents, tarps, and boxes. The smell was overwhelming. But when we entered the alley, they all seemed to close in on themselves. They pulled tarps over themselves, zipped their tents, and huddled deeper into their boxes. Atlas looked at them, then pointedly looked at me.

"I see what you mean."

Farther down, street workers huddled and lounged against the wall, waiting for night to fall. They seemed to just stand there waiting for a man to pull up and ask them to hop in. It was a dangerous life, but I didn't dare judge them for their choices. Everyone had a story—a trauma or a responsibility. The smell of drugs, sickness, and other unsavory things filled the air. Atlas navigated the alley like he'd been here a million times before. He stepped over bodies and didn't even look at the faces of the people who were barely speed bumps to him.

He turned once more, and we were in what looked like a maze of alleyways. Atlas paused for a moment, sniffing the air. A growl rumbled in his chest, and he threw his arm out, shoving me back behind him. I nearly fell over with how quickly he did it. I tried to peek over his shoulder to see what had alerted him. A low hiss escaped his lips as he narrowed his eyes at the dark corner. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but the second they did, Grayson leapt from the corner and hit Atlas like a truck. He wore only a pair of dress pants. His chest and feet were bare. Dirt covered his whole body, and his hair was disheveled like I'd never seen it before.

Atlas stiffened a moment before their bodies slammed together like two trains colliding on the tracks. Grayson snapped his teeth at Atlas as he wrapped his hands around his neck and they both flew back into the wall. The brick cracked around them when they smacked into it. Atlas wrapped his hand around the back of Grayson's neck and spun around, slamming Grayson's head into the wall. It didn't even make him pause. Gray was as fast at Atlas, and the two of them spun around like a whirlwind.

"God damn it, Gray!" Atlas grunted as he threw a punch that connected with Grayson's cheek.

His head snapped back, and his cheek split open. Blood ran down his face and he gave Atlas a fangy smirk. Then he hauled his fist back and jabbed Atlas in the face. His brow split open, and blood trickled down the side of his face. Atlas shook his head and hissed as he threw another punch. They traded blows back and forth, each one hitting harder than the last. I wanted to jump between them, but I wasn't about to volunteer my face for that kind of beating.

Gray took a step toward Atlas. He planted one foot and then kicked him in the stomach with the other. The air whooshed from Atlas' lungs, and he flew back and skidded across the ground before crashing into a group of garbage cans. They exploded into the air and made a huge crashing sound. Garbage flew in all different directions, and the sound of broken glass filled the air. When he rose to his feet, he shook the rubbish off his coat.

"Gray, I know you're not yourself."

Grayson chuckled and held his hands out to his sides like he was enjoying this. I stepped between them. "Grayson, stop. I know you know us."

His eyes were wild, and his skin was that deathly pale that I hated. He tilted his head to the side, studying me. The muscles in his body twitched as he sucked in heaving breaths. He smacked his hands into the sides of his head and began pacing back and forth. He stared at the two of us as he paced, growled, and hissed in our direction. His eyes bounced from Atlas to me and back again. Agitation rolled off him.

Atlas' eyes widened, then narrowed. "Do you know us?"

His words sent Grayson into a fury. He leapt at Atlas and threw him into the wall. Atlas hauled his fist back and cracked Grayson right across the face. He flew back into a dumpster, crushing it to a tiny, crumpled metal lump. Grayson grabbed the edge of the mangled dumpster and peeled two long pieces of jagged metal from it. He held them at his sides. They cut into the skin of his hands, but Grayson didn't seem to mind. Blood dripped down the sharp edges and fell to the ground.

Atlas pulled his sleeves up and ran his hands over the long sword tattoos on his forearms. Red mist glowed around the tattoos, and they seemed to peel from his skin and fall into his hands. The blades were long and terrible looking as they glinted in the sunlight. Fear shot through my body, and I felt my hands begin to shake. If I didn't stop this, they'd kill each other. They charged forward. Each one swung their weapons. Metal clanged against metal. Grayson slashed his piece across Atlas' mid-section and a line of crimson flowed down his side, coating his shirt in blood. Atlas spun and slashed his sword over Grayson's arm. Blood trickled down his arm and he lifted it to his face, taking a lick of the warm, flowing stream.

He grinned at Atlas and dove toward him. A moment before they collided, I saw the glare in Atlas' eye, the way they focused on Grayson's neck and the exact point he'd strike. His swing was strong and level as though he would take his head. Before I knew what I was doing, I dove forward and shoved Atlas back. Grayson slammed into my back and jabbed the metal forward. It breezed by me and went straight into Atlas' rib cage. A loud oof rushed from Atlas, and he backed away with the metal jutting from his side.

Grayson's hand snaked around my body and up to my neck. He wrapped his fingers around my throat and began to squeeze. He sucked in a deep breath, smelling my hair. He hummed low in his throat. "Hmm. Divine."

I spun around and let my arm fly. My elbow connected with his jaw, and he soared across the alley. He smacked headfirst into the wall and dropped to the ground. Atlas was there with his sword poised at his throat. I leapt forward, shoving my shoulder into his side, sending him a few feet away. "No!"

When I turned back, Grayson was gone and I was alone with Atlas. When I faced Atlas, he stood there with two jagged metal pieces sticking out from his midsection. He glared at me and sucked in deep, sharp breaths.

"Trifle with your family, trifle with your deity, but do not trifle with me and the job I was meant to do." He staggered and leaned up against the wall as he wrapped his arm around his midsection.

"We need to get you to the lab. Back to the doctors there."

He shoved away from me. "I'll see to it myself."

"You almost killed Gray back there. You know that, right? So what the hell is your problem?"

"You! You are my problem."

I motioned to his wounds and my anger began to match his. I wanted to find Gray and bring him home, but I did not want to hurt him in the process. While we were standing here arguing about it, Atlas was bleeding out and Grayson was getting away. "You need to cope better or die mad about it."

He ground his teeth together. "This is your fault. His death will be on your hands, and I will forever curse you for it."