Beginning of Chapter 36

Quinn

A pale long slip of sunlight through whispering blinds. The tiles, cold and frosty at her feet. The drumming of snow, lashing at frosty panels. The smell of rust in the air. A mirror hung before her, traced with bronze, rotting with mould, but her eyes could only focus on the bite on her skin — itching hot, laced with threads of gold. Her fingertips feathering the dips—healed by Icarus's gentle tongue—digging into the soft thump of her pulse.

Elysian's mark.

Icarus's love.

She was still alive, now without a collar and in an unfamiliar room, left to her own devices, left to ruminate in her head. Food was placed on a small wooden table by a quiet soldier. A fairy came each day to look at her wounds, inspect her pulse, and wave a hand over her flesh as if he could change the malnourished state of her body. It was another jail cell, another waiting room. She was shoved to the side like an unwanted toy, like something they wanted to forget.

Quinn hadn't seen them since that day. But she knew now that she was safe, that she was freed from a fate with a noose around her neck. And at the very least, there were people in this world that cared for her. Her heart was odd at that thought, shuddering in its cage like a broken bird.

The attraction was always there like honeyed sin, pulsing between her legs for a handsome face, for a tapered waist, for toned bodies and angelic eyes. But Quinn found herself no longer caring for the clench between her legs, for the twang of lust, so desperate to be superficially filled till bursting. Now it felt as if her heart had broken during the process and had changed.

Soulmates shouldn't matter to her.

Quinn had known of pathetic men, of men that had wives and yet they had left their beautiful families for quick, simple pleasure. Men who had lovers, soulmates, a perfect family, and yet they still wanted more. She knew to be careful, to protect herself, and to never fall too deeply. She'd pick the ones that chose her, that would show it to her. Those that were worthy of her heart.

The hearts.

She stared at them now on the screen before her. Without the collar on her neck to prevent its appearance, Float was now free to buzz in the air like an old, treasured friend. She hadn't thought to look at the hearts, to scrutinise and realise that they held secrets. That the percentages meant something, that the rising numbers represented more. But the numbers had risen so quickly, so drastically from her time without Float, that it surprised her.

Helios 82%

Solar 68%

Rowan 79%

Elysian ♡

Icarus ♡

Zen 87%

Klaus 50%

Surely, it didn't represent her affections. Quinn paused at the thought contemplating, reflecting on her adoration for Zen. The way her heart now sunk like mud in still water at the thought of him reaching for her. The way her lips curled into a sneer, rage poisoning the memory of him curled in her arms. No. She wasn't infatuated with him, and while her chest throbbed. It didn't burn for him. Not anymore, not enough to warrant such a high number as if she were in love.

He didn't deserve a fucking 87% from her.

Quinn didn't fucking care, not after what he had done, not after they had tossed her to the side like yesterday's trash. Why love someone who'd let her die? Why love someone who hadn't bothered to speak to her right before her death? Why love someone who had the power to help her and yet had chosen to watch her die? A smile stretched across her cheeks. He could have his reasons, but as time crept by slowly, Quinn found her despair settling into acceptance. He didn't care, so why should she?

Fuck him.

Fuck them.

Her eyes danced to the hearts, to the names of the two Omegas who'd saved her. It was strange that Elysian's and Icarus's were different. No numbers, just hearts, stamped into the space like a reminder of what they had done. The pause in the climb towards a hundred.

No numbers, no numeration, no countdown.

That, she reasoned, could be a representation of what she felt for them. The gratefulness, the appreciation. But was it love? Her mind spun. She wouldn't allow herself to fall in love, not anymore. So the numbers must be tied to something else, something she did not quite understand. Something that was not related to the claim Elysian had placed on her neck.

But it was Zen's that concerned her, wavering closer to 100%. What could it mean? What could it represent? Her attraction to him? His love for her? His detest? What was at the end of the fucking finishing line? Quinn closed her eyes, shuddering through that thought.

Fuck it.

Quinn would figure it all out in due time.

She lingered in the shop of hearts. The powers that had ruined her. The powers that had almost got her killed. Her gaze slid across the abilities, the strange options that remained, pulsating with the tick of time. Temporary Alpha. Health. Status check. Shield of Life. Her fingers paused over that ability, hovering for a second before she purchased it with a grim smile. It wouldn't hurt to have some form of protection in this horrible world.

Shield of Life - A one-time-use-only shield that protects the user, defending them from threats to their life.

There was a knock on her door and she flinched back, concealing Float with a wave of her hand. But her smile grew when he entered. Moon-dusted beauty and purple eyes. Icarus stood with his hands in his pocket, a strange bashful look on his face, encompassing her room with his scent — sweet, heady alcohol perfection. "Hey." He gave her a nod, icy white hair falling into his eyes. The raspy curl of his voice always had her tingling, a strange dart of obsession flooding her veins. Merciless jawline, icy white hair, godly amethyst eyes. Always so damn beautiful.

"Hey," she parroted, feeling a flush on her cheeks, a throb of her heart. Icarus was the only one in the messy group that seemed to give a fuck about her well-being. And maybe that was why she allowed herself to sink into his embrace, allowed herself his touch despite knowing that their situation was too broken for her to have more. She needed the distraction, and he was willing to give that to her with lies strung up on his tongue. They both knew he was lying, maybe that was what made them work.

"Got you an idiot." He reached behind him, shoving a stumbling blonde forward. Her face fell. Fuck. Elysian.

The vampire was as gorgeous as ever, blonde-haired and blue-eyed cherubic, tall and encompassing the doorway. The shade on his cheeks was cute, baby pink and nervous. He curled into himself as if he knew he was in trouble, lush lashes fluttering, and kissable mouth pursed into an almost pout. Drying mouth and faint of heart, Elysian croaked out a whimpered greeting with the soft tremble of his yoghurt scent, trickling through the air. The bite on her neck itched, he should have stayed by her side until their connection wasn't so raw and new. Yet, he'd left her to suffer in those flames, soothed only by Icarus's chest to her back. Fucker. "Hi."

Fuck. Quinn scowled, and he seemed to gulp nervously, eyes growing wider. And Quinn was unprepared for this, for the entrance of her elusive mate. The hook in her chest quivered, tugging her towards him. He should have stayed with her, should have held her all day after the claim, should have been with her, kissing her tears, soothing her worries.

Her soulmate.

She smiled. But Elysian had left her alone for days. He had gone running back to his pack with his tail between his legs. And Icarus who'd needed her for blood because he'd been on the cusp of death, had been the only one who gave a fuck about her pain. Maybe it was because he wanted more blood. God, it hurt. It pained her to be rejected, to be thrown away and used. But Quinn supposed she was thankful that Elysian gave himself up for her, even if he did completely regret mating with her right after.

"Did you miss me?" she greeted, tongue to her lip, a tremble in her shoulders. She wanted to be strong, and she was, with a clipped, sharp voice that pierced through the air. "I was wondering if you were going to ignore me forever."

Elysian's answer was prickly. "I could never."

"With so many mates, maybe…You can."