Seventeen

Moon

W e are all on high alert, even now, a few hours after being reunited.

I know the next trial will be soon. I think this is just the calm before the storm. The epic final battle shitstorm.

I can’t get my mind off Lust. I still worry about what happens to him. He doesn’t need to be one of my Heart Bonded for him to be important to me. I don’t know if he’s still in the game, or if he’s in exile. I know he’ll have to go to exile eventually if I’m going to win, but I don’t think I’m ready to deal with that.

“Okay, speak up,” I snap, as I sit beside Kili, who’s been keeping his distance from the rest of us. We found a rather large boulder to hide next to. Kili is standing twenty feet away from our little campsite, but I don’t mind. I get the feeling he doesn’t want to have this conversation around the others.

“Crow is my younger brother. Half-brother. Genevieve is, of course, my half-sister. We share our blood through our father. We had another brother once, but he’s gone now. He-he didn’t survive.” Kili is sitting on the ground with his arms resting on his bent knees as he stares at the dark sky. His silver hair is so unlike the others, and I can’t help but want to touch it. The way it shines in this light is mesmerizing.

“Holy shit,” I whisper. As he stares off into the clouds lost in his own head, I stare at him. His blue eyes are framed by dark lashes, and his lips are pouty and flushed pink. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were sooner?” I ask, scooting a little closer to him. My legs are crossed, and my hands are resting in my lap, fingers laced together.

“It’s complicated. There are many reasons, but I suppose the main one was fear. That you’d reject me, yes, but also…” A darkness passes over him like a black mist, as his brow pulls together and his jaw clenches. “I’m not always a good man, Moonlight. I’ve done unforgivable things.” His voice is low. I think he’s attempting to sound frightening, but instead, all I hear is pain.

“Tell me,” I reach out, caressing his cheek, before moving so I’m in front of him, forcing him to look at me. “We’re Heart Bonded. You won’t scare me away,” I promise, but he scoffs.

“If I tell you, then yes, I will.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay. But you seem like you want to. Like it hurts to hide yourself from me.” Dropping my hand and moving onto my knees, I climb into his lap, forcing him to lower his knees and lean back on his hands so he can look up at me. So much for not touching him…

“I’m not right, in my mind. Not…okay. Sometimes, I can’t tell what’s real, and what’s in my head. I’m reactive. Explosive. I’ve hurt people. Many, in fact. I spend a great deal of time killing. I like it. It makes everything quiet, just for a little while.” His eyes fall closed, as I push my fingers into the hair at the back of his neck. I tug lightly, making him grunt.

“Keep going.”

“I don’t know how to…be Heart Bonded. You, you’re better off without me, but I desire you greatly.” His hand snaps up, wrapping around my wrist, and yanking it away from him. I’m shocked for a moment. And then I’m angry.

“Let go, Kili,” I warn, staring into his eyes. He holds my glare and refuses to release his hold on me. “Let me go, or I’ll start biting,” I warn him again, and his face changes. At first, he looked determined, but now he looks confused and suspicious. Reacting on instinct, I snap my hand out, wrapping it around his throat. “I said, let go.” I squeeze, cutting off his air, and making him gasp.

“Fuck,” he whispers when he drops my other wrist, and my grip around his throat loosens.

“Don’t make me hurt you, Kili. Because I will.” I lean forward, whispering in his ear, so only he can hear me when I say, “If you ever doubt who I am, just ask, and I’ll say I’m yours.” I barely know the real him. But I’ve known a version of him for years. I barely know any of them, really. But they’re all mine.

“Who are you,” he whispers like he needs me to prove myself. So I do. I lean back, place both hands on his chest, and look into his eyes.

“I’m yours, Kili,” I vow, and he nods, his eyes drifting closed once again. I don’t need him to explain anymore. I understand. Fear can do terrible things to a person.

“Moon?” I hear Teresa ask quietly from a few feet away. I look over my shoulder, and she cringes a bit. “Sorry, but I just thought maybe we should talk now?”

“Yes, please.” I nod and then turn back to Kili. “Come on, the Goddess is going to tell me what I am,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows at him.

A few minutes later, I’m sitting in a rather large circle around a small fire. Teresa is sitting next to me, and I’m trying hard to wait patiently for her to spill her secrets.

“Teresa, I can’t take it any longer. What am I?” I whine, turning to her.

“Right, sorry. Well. You’re not just one thing. Like me, I’m not just an Elf, or Goddess. I’m both.”

“I’m part Elf?” I ask, confused as fuck about what she means.

“No. Not part Elf.” She shakes her head, and I nod, sighing with relief. My mother would have some serious explaining to do if I was… “Part Fae. Blood Fae.” She shrugs, grabs another piece of dried meat, and takes a bite before continuing. “And part Chaos.” She smiles brightly, and my head snaps to Fenrick, then back to her.

“Fenrick is part Blood Fae…is he…are we… I feel sick…” I cover my mouth, as queasiness sets in.

“Oh heavens, no! He’s not part Blood Fae! I already said that.” Teresa rolls her eyes, as she speaks around a mouth full of meat. “My guess? His father is not who he thinks he is, and neither is yours.”

“You’re being way too casual about this…” I hiss, and she stops chewing and blinks at me.

“Am I?” she asks, before turning to look at Percy.

“A bit.” He cringes, and she swallows hard.

“Shit, sorry. Uh…” She chews her lip a bit, before taking my hand. “Listen, I don’t know how to say this any other way, but you’re no Witch. You’re like me…you know, part Fae?—”

“Part Goddess?!” I screech, and she makes a ‘sorry’ face.

“I knew it!” Silas says, with the most excitement I’ve seen from him.

“Excuse me?” I lift a brow, and he shrugs.

“Your necklace. It was channeling Chaos, and I thought it was meant to harm you but-"

“We met after I took it off.” I narrow my glare on him, feeling suspicious.

“Oh. Uh.”

“He was stalking you,” Kili says with a shrug, and my mouth falls open.

“Did all of you know I was your Heart Bonded, before we ever even met?!” I throw my hands in the air, but my agitation quickly fades, when my mind drifts back to Teresa’s words. "Is there a chance you’re wrong?” I ask, and she huffs at me with so much sass.

“No.” She doesn’t elaborate, just flicks her hair over her shoulder.

“Cool. Awesome. Totally fine.” I nod, not feeling the least bit out of control.

Crow

“Ha,” I snort, and Kili turns his head in my direction. He must have heard me. I smirk when he flips me off behind Moon’s back.

“I knew she was part Goddess,” I whisper, and he rolls his eyes.

“You okay?” the Cyclops asks Kili, and I chuckle.

“Fine,” he grunts, and I can’t help but antagonize him by sticking my tongue out.

“So—” Moon starts to say something when they all drop like flies. Kili jumps to his feet, looking around for the danger, but then the magic that moves contestants into their trials shimmers, and he jogs over to me.

“Another trial,” I say, and he nods. The maze shifts, forming what looks like a building…no, a hospital. A shiver runs down my spine because I doubt this is a good sign.

“That can’t be good.” Kili visibly shivers, before grabbing his knife and swinging his arm back, aiming for my throat. I catch his wrist and give him a bored look. “Just making sure.”

I’m about to scold him when a new sense of danger hits, I can tell he feels it as well, because he crouches low, looking for the source.

“The fuck,” I whisper when I see the Phoenix stomping toward the freshly formed hospital.

“Marcellus?” I ask my brother, knowing who he is, even if he’s unaware of who I am. When his head snaps my way, his eyes are completely black. Not the way Fenrick’s eyes turn black, but like he’s void of a soul.

“Stop!” Kili hisses, but before either of us can move, he turns to a pile of ash, and I can only assume he’s just entered the trial. Something neither Kili nor I can do. So how did he?

“Fuck…” my jaw clenches, and I tug at my hair with one hand. We just have to wait.