Unmade (Unborn #4) - Amber Lynn Natusch Page 0,18

stepping out into the hallway. Silence fell upon those that remained, dragging out for too long.

“Tell us what happened in the in-between,” Kierson said, his gaze drifting from me to Oz, then back again.

“It was as I said—I attacked the Dark Ones to procure Oz.”

Kierson’s brow furrowed with confusion. “But how did they take him prisoner in the first place?”

Oz leaned back against the cushions and folded his hands behind his head. “Easy. I let them.”

Every being in the room turned to stare at him, as though, for the first time ever, he had said something that had truly shocked them. Drew entered to find everyone fixated on Oz.

“What did I miss this time?” he asked, making no attempt to hide his frustration.

“Oz did something selfless,” Casey said. “So basically, the Underworld should be frozen as fuck right now.”

Drew’s mouth tightened. “Trey, you’re to go get Sean. Now.”

A quick nod and Trey was on his way.

“We should wait to discuss everything else until he arrives,” I said, taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch. A flash of something dark flickered in Oz’s stare when I did, and it did not appear to go unnoticed by the others.

“Something is up with you two,” Kierson said, stepping up beside me.

“We had a fight. Oz was not pleased that I deserted him. It seems he had a different understanding about how I would proceed while he healed.”

“My understanding wasn’t the problem, new girl. Your actions were.”

“If you intend to rehash what has already been settled, I will gladly start without Sean—anything to avoid this circular argument that will never be won—”

“—by you,” he finished. “Never be won by you, you mean.”

Before I could reply, Trey arrived with my twin. Wanted or not, our argument would be on hold for the interim.

“Drew said you were in danger,” Sean said, rushing over to my side, emerald eyes burning bright. I had not seen nor spoken with him since the night we had fought over saving Oz, but his overwhelming concern made me think he harbored no ill will.

“We are all in danger,” I said, standing to meet him. He stopped short, hands clenched into fists at his sides, as though he was not certain what to do with them.

“Are you all right?” His tone was soft and caring, and nearly foreign to me.

“I am.”

He let out a sigh of relief. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

“I’m sorry—for how things went when I last saw you—”

“Fear not, Brother. All is forgiven.”

He released me and took a step back. His gaze drifted past me to where Oz was sprawled across the couch.

“Why are you here?”

Oz exhaled in the most put-upon way. “Because I go where she goes. I’m getting kinda tired of explaining that to everyone—”

“Except when you are healing from the torture you received at the hands of the Dark Ones,” I added. My reply garnered me a scolding look from the Dark One.

“How about we start from the beginning,” Sean said, sitting down on the edge of the table where Muses sat.

Not certain where ‘the beginning’ was, my brothers, Oz, and I recounted the events of the past few days, including the attack by the former gods, the reemergence of Phobos (being careful never to speak his name), the unrest in the Underworld—and that I had turned to Kaine for help keeping my father safe—and Hades’ return to his domain. When it came my turn to explain my escape with my mother and the events that had followed at the Hallowed Gates, Sean’s expression went cold. The concern he held for our mother sent a sharp pain through my chest.

“So after you escaped…?” he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath.

“I went to the Victorian to find it burned to the ground, with the skeletal remains of three bodies inside. I assumed them to be my brothers and rushed to the Underworld to confirm. Much to my surprise, they were there, but very much alive.”

“Which begs the question: whose bodies are at the Victorian?” Pierson asked.

“Was Dionysus still trapped there? Did you find one of them shackled to the wall?” Kierson added.

“No, I did not.” In truth, I had forgotten all about him.

“Maybe the gods freed him and burned the place down,” Casey said.

“Still doesn’t explain the corpses.” Oz leaned forward, as though our conversation finally interested him.

“Perhaps they were collateral damage,” Muses offered, making his way over to Casey and