Chapter 233
She Wouldn’t Do That.
Elliot
The pits of hell had always been my place to disappear when the noise in my head got too loud, or when I needed to stop feeling, I came here. For the last week that I spent here with Macey, it was different, though. I didn’t come here to disappear. I came here to be seen. I was trying to be respectful. I was trying to give her the space she needed. I’d been given more than I could ask for in this last week with her, and those memories are what I’m clinging onto now as I try to restrain myself from going topside to stalk her in the shadows. Macey deserves whatever she wants in life, and she will make that choice on her own. If she wants me, I’ll be here; if she doesn’t, well, I’ll still
be here.
The air down here tonight was thick with heat and iron. The cries of the condemned echoed through the pits against the stone chambers and through the metal bars. It was almost peaceful. I swung my scythe in a slow arc, sending a flare of shadow across the floor, and the soul chained to the wall screamed as the energy hit him, purging the last bit of his corruption before it dissolved into smoke. My hands didn’t shake anymore when I did this; I’m not even sure that’s a good thing. She’s been gone less than a full day, and already the underworld is starting to feel too quiet again. I was just about to make my way to another cell, to another soul who needed punishment, when a portal opened behind me. A low buzzing filled the room as it sliced through time and space itself and Xavier stepped out. He looked a little bit shaken compared to his usual neat composure. I let the scythe dissipate, the air swallowing the last sparks of its dark glow.
“What’s up?” I asked, brushing the ash from my sleeve. “You look like hell.”
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t take the bait.
“You haven’t seen Macey, have you?” The question caught me off guard, and I frowned.
“Not since she went back topside yesterday. Why?”
He exhaled slowly, running a hand over his jaw. “She went out to dinner tonight. Said it was with a friend, but she hasn’t come home yet. She’s not answering the phone, and Haiden checked with
9:40 Mon, Sep 7
She Wouldn’t Do That.
Tessa’s parents. Tessa said Macy told her she was going out with some new girls from school.”
I straightened with an uneasy chill crawling up my spine. “New girls?”
He nodded. “It’s probably nothing. She’s likely just lost track of time, you know, Mace… free spirit
and all of that.”
My frown deepened. “You’re really going to just brush it off as nothing?”
Xavier’s eyes flicked to me, his brows lifting slightly. “She’s nearly eighteen, Elliott. Kids her age do
this all the time.”
“Yeah, people her age do, but Macey doesn’t,” I said, crossing my arms.
“So I’m justified in worrying a little?” He asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I’d justify you burning down this realm and the next just to find out if she’s okay,” I said, already reaching for the jacket. “Come on, let’s go find her.”
By the time Xavier and I reached the topside, the search had already taken shape. The packhouse yard, which was usually filled with laughter and training noise or the quiet sleep when the night took over, was crawling with tension. There were warriors fanned out in small groups, cutting through the dark with flashlights, and everyone kept their voices low and urgent. Envy was evidently worried, and everyone could feel it, though she kept her face composed. It was worrying how quickly a family like ours could shift from dinner to crisis mode. Elias was already here, standing at the edge of the driveway with a group of trackers. He looked tired with his blonde hair sticking up in odd places. Ma and Pa had come out too, and seemed to be trying their best to comfort Envy. Me? I went straight to Macey’s room. Everything had a trail; I just had to find where this one started.
Macey’s room still smelled like vanilla and the faint trace of her perfume. The lamp beside her bed was still on, its soft yellow light casting half the room in shadow. I pushed the door open wider, my chest tightening as I took in the chaos. Clothes were strewn across the bed, half a dozen dresses and tops lay out like she’d been weighing every choice. The mirror was smudged with fingerprints, and her makeup bag was unzipped, a dusting of powder catching the light. If this had been a night out with friends, she wouldn’t have cared what she wore. Macey didn’t plan for casual. She threw herself
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She Wouldn’t Do That.
97
into moments and owned them. But this looked like she’d thought about it. Like she’d wanted it to
be right. Like she’d wanted to impress someone. My stomach dropped. I exhaled through my nose
and turned, heading back out before the scent of her shampoo could pull me under. Outside, I could
hear Envy’s orders echoing through the night; everyone was covering some sort of scheduled ground,
but I didn’t join them. I needed to move. To do something. So I started where she would have gone.
The Wolves Den was my first stop. The girl behind the counter knew me on sight and went pale
when I asked if she’d seen Macey.
“Not tonight,” she said, shaking her head. “But she’s usually here at least once a week. If she came
through, I would’ve noticed.”
I thanked her and left. I hit the next place. And the next. Every one of them knew her, all the way down to how she took her coffee, but no one had seen her tonight. Until I reached a small takeaway
at the edge of town-Luna’s Diner.
The girl behind the counter here was new, barely older than Macey. She smiled, wiping her hands on a rag. “You’re asking about the Alpha’s eldest girl, right? Yeah, she came through here earlier. Picked
up burgers.”
My pulse kicked up. “Was she alone?”
She shook her head, thinking. “No. There was a guy with her. Black hair. Kind of tall, broad shoulders
and a nice smile.”
My stomach turned to stone. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “That sounds like him.”
She nodded, oblivious to the storm building behind my eyes. “They didn’t stay long. Just got their
food and left. Cute couple, though.”
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. “Thanks,” I said, forcing the words out evenly. “That helps.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the brittle silence between us. I pulled it out, and Envy’s
name flashed across the screen.
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She Wouldn’t Do That.
“Elliot, we’ve picked up her scent near the lookout. It’s faint, but it’s definitely Macey’s.”
My breath caught. “I’m on my way.”
I hung up before she could say another word. Then the portal opened with a crack of dark light,
spilling shadows across the pavement. The girl behind the counter gasped softly, but I was already
stepping through.