Page 27 of Jinx

The light in Bellamy’s eyes dimmed. “What was I supposed to do?” He fisted a hand in his hair, pulling at it. “She ordered me to go. It was like I didn’t have a choice.”

“You did good, Bellamy,” I told him, flicking a warning look at Quinn. “Continue.”

He heaved a shaking breath. “She was freaking out. Whatever she’s been fighting around us, it wasn’t playing nice. It was tearing her apart. She was either going to bolt or pass out, so I…”

“You what?” I realized that my grip had been getting tighter around my beer bottle, and I quickly relaxed before I could shatter the glass.

Guilty pleasure etched into every line in Bellamy’s face. “I kissed her.”

“Of course you did.” Quinn didn’t even try to hide the bitterness in his tone.

“I panicked, okay?” He tugged at his hair again, losing patience. “It was the only way to get through to her.”

“Did it work?” Lucian took the words right from me. He was still weary from his blood haze, but there was cautious hope in his voice.

Bellamy nodded, a deep exhale loosening the tension that had begun to grip his shoulders. “Yeah, it worked. The connection was instant. I don’t know how she did it on her own.” Then his eyes turned to me. “What about you? She’s worried that she hurt you because it didn’t feel the same.”

The surprised gazes of Lucian and Quinn fell on me, and guilt soured the beer in my stomach. I’d touched her skin without consent, sparked this tether before she could even understand what it meant or who she was. My beast’s discomfort mingled with my own, making my back itch and my fingernails ache. I forced a deep breath. Alaric would be unhappy to come home and find the living room wrecked.

“The connection is made,” I told them with a heavy exhale. “She didn’t realize it because she was focused on the threat, but it’s here.” I gestured at my chest and felt that warm pulse again.

“Q,” Bellamy turned toward his brother, seeking peace. “She said that her magic ‘woke up’ when she met me. She said it’s been talking to her.”

Quinn stiffened. “Talking to her?”

“Yeah. That’s…that’s not normal, right?”

Quinn leaned forward on his elbows, pressing steepled fingers to his chin. “A Heart feels a natural pull toward their drift, but it’s nothing like a sentient presence. She also believes she has some sort of dark ability, but a gift like that in a Heart would fly in the face of everything they represent. Not to mention how concerning it is that she was able to tie your heartstrings without divine intervention in the first place.”

Worry seeped through the rest of us at that, stealing our words for a moment.

“So are we…” Lucian hesitated to ask the question we were all expecting. “Are we sure she’s a Heart then? Our Heart?”

“Yes,” Bellamy and I answered in tandem.

“All of these deviations must be related to whatever has kept her suppressed.” Quinn had a distant look in his eyes, unfocused like they got when he was working out a puzzle. “She knows now that she’s connected to at least Bellamy, but she likely has no idea why or what it means.”

I couldn’t help the deep growl rumbling in my chest. “We also don’t know why she hasn’t manifested. She clearly does not know our world. Perhaps she was adopted or raised by humans. Until we know more, we should not risk exposing her, even to herself.”

“Wait.” Bellamy frowned. “You want to lie to her?”

“I want to keep her safe.” I stood, pinning the three of them with a grave look as I shared my darker fear. “What if she’s been kept ignorant for her own protection? To hide her from something. Someone. If there is a threat against her, we have to eliminate it first. We can’t lose her. Not now.”

To lose her now would be a nightmare, making the last few years feel like a peaceful dream.

It was quiet for a few minutes until Quinn got to his feet, his face drawn. “We won’t,” he said, his rasp even more pronounced, as if his throat were tight. “I’ll help you make it safe for her, but I can’t be a part of whatever happens after. You know I can’t let her…” He sighed and shook his head. Bellamy couldn’t even bear to look at him. The shame twisting his features was telling enough.

Lucian made an angry noise. “You’re already a part of it. You’re part of this drift. You can’t tell me you don’t want this.”

“Of course I fucking want it!” Quinn seethed, turning on him. Another harsh exhale, and he bent to collect his book from the table. “I’m going to bed.”

Lucian cursed softly, realizing his misstep immediately. “Q, wait. Quinn, I’m sorry!” But Quinn disappeared up the stairs without another word. It wasn’t Lucian’s fault. It was a complication we never put much thought into because we’d lost hope that we’d ever find our Heart. But she was here now, and it wasn’t a matter of whether or not Quinn wanted her.

He feared that the Conclave wouldn’t let him have her.

19

CORDELIA