from Stefan’s arms into hers. She must’ve felt Stefan’s panic through their bond and come running. She’d caught a glimpse of the scene before Stefan shut the door.
I buried myself in Delmare’s shoulder and bawled. “What’s happened to him? I shouldn’t leave him alone in there!”
“Alexei’s a griffin. Empaths are good at things like this,” Delmare said as she patted my back. “He’ll set Ethan on the right path.”
I was still shaking, but Delmare’s words caused reason to flood my veins instead of fear. She was right. Griffins had empathy magic that could foster emotional stability, which is what Ethan needed right now. “But what are we going to do? He can’t last much longer.”
“We’re not giving up, Em. Just keep holding on,” she said. “He needs you.”
She was right. Ethan needed me. But I needed him, too.
I didn’t know how much longer I could keep doing this.
Chapter Five
Ethan
I couldn’t imagine how I could sink lower than this. The bruises around my neck had healed quickly, but my actions from the other day had permanently caused a wedge between Emma and I.
No matter what I tried, I kept fucking things up. When the noose was around my neck, I thought it would all be over, but I was deathly wrong. I could hear the demon screaming in my head as I fought for oxygen. His magic burst out of me, causing the rope to break and me to fall upon the chair, snapping it under my weight.
He wasn’t going to let me go. There was no way out of this except to exorcise him. The leshane was damn well determined to take over my body and use it to hurt people. Nothing I could do would stop him. Even if I tried to end my life again, it wouldn’t work. I had to rely on the help of others to prevent the worst from happening.
Gods, I hoped Kiara knew what she was doing. This exorcism we were planning had to go right. There was no other option.
I was walking to class one day when I felt someone’s hand lock against my throat, pinning me against the wall. I gasped, and looked up. Theo was standing there, breathing raggedly. His fingers were tight around my neck. Stefan and Alexei were behind him, Stefan’s eyes wide and Alexei panicked.
“What the fuck are you playing at?” Theo snarled. He was so close, I could feel his hot breath on my face. He was pissed.
Alexei went to intercede, but Stefan flung out a hand to hold him back.
I didn’t do anything to defend myself, just let my hands hang limply at my sides. “I don’t know.”
“You’ve got a penchant for the dramatic, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re all sick of it,” Theo spat. “Whatever the case, hanging yourself is never the answer. So buck up and stop giving Emma more trauma than she already has, because come hell or high water, we will get this demon out of you. I damn well suggest after that, you get your shit together.”
I felt the leshane’s anger rise at Theo’s words, but me? I was impressed. I’d never seen Theo stand up to anyone. That he was challenging me as an alpha was pretty damn spectacular.
And a massive indicator of how much I’d screwed up.
“I apologize. I don’t deserve Emma. I’m a shitty mate.”
“Here’s the thing about that,” Theo said viciously. “You keep repeating that over and over, but instead of doing something about it, you just keep getting shittier. So when are you going to change?”
Guilt swarmed in my stomach. Theo was right. I kept complaining about how I needed to change, but I never put in the effort to do so. “I want to change, but I don’t know how. I need help.”
“Good thing you finally admit it.” Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe you need to reach out to your friends, instead of keep pushing them away.”
“I will. I’ll do better. I’ll try.”
“I sure hope so. Emma’s tired of your bullshit, and frankly, so are the rest of us.” Theo shoved me away. “It’s time to put away the theatrics and start living your life.”
Where Theo grabbed me had hurt, but I resisted the urge to rub it. Alexei’s eyes moved between us, as if sensing when to intercede. I felt his calm empathy magic wash over me, easing my bad mood.
Theo instantly snarled. He slammed his shoulder into Alexei as he walked past. “Don’t bother. I don’t need an