After Dusk

Chapter Twelve

The moment Crescendo and I walk through the doors of the Pantheon's conference room, I'm bombarded with questions. Where have I been? Why would I run off like that? Do I know how worried they were? Not once, though, do they mention the silver wolf by my side, for which I'm eternally grateful.

After apologizing for running off, I sit down at the long table, nearly collapsing into the chair. I'm exhausted. My side trip through the woods must have tired me out, or maybe it was the sunlight that caused me to weaken. If moonlight can strengthen me, sunlight could very well weaken me.

Getting right down to business once again, Tamira asks, "when you ripped out Aubrey Winters's soul, did you know that would happen?" She'd asked this question before, in varying ways and every time I'd answered the same.

I sigh. "No, I didn't. It just happened."

There's a moment of silence while everyone gathers their thoughts. Some, like Mckenzi, send me encouraging glances, but others, like Skye, throw suspicious glances my way, like I really meant to rip out Aubrey's soul and am planning some massive scheme to destroy them all. As suspicious or supportive as they are, the Pantheon seems less willing to bombard me with questions now that I've made it clear that I had no clue what I was doing then, nor do I have any idea where these new powers came from.

"I think that it would be best if Laila asked her sire gods at the upcoming circle for guidance," Skye says finally with a resigned sigh. His blue eyes flick to me with poorly disguised suspicion and distrust, letting me know that he hasn't let this go. I gulp. Great, now not only do I have a demigod of plagues to deal with, now I have to look out for a Pantheon member with the powers of Zeus too. Can this month get any worse?

Oblivious to the stare down between Skye and I, the others nod their agreement. I glance from face to face at the Pantheon members, wishing that they could just take away these powers instead of guess at what they are. I would much rather go home than deal with this demigod madness but being normal again isn't an option at this point, it seems. So instead of being normal or dealing with the Pantheon's questions and half-hearted solutions, I decide that what I really need after this day from hell, is my boyfriend.

"Does that mean I can go?" I ask hopefully. Maybe if I hurry, I can catch Theo before he goes to bed.

The Pantheon members exchange a look before turning back to me.

"Yes, of course, Laila. Get some rest," Mckenzi says kindly.

I grin and jump up, grabbing my jacket off of the back of the chair. I get the hell out of there before they find something else to question me about. Sure, I want to know what's wrong with me, but I'd rather talk to Theo about it and hear his warm reassurances than deal with the Pantheon's confusing mix of support and suspicion. I hightail it out of the building with Crescendo at my heels. Every once in a while, she nudges my leg with her shoulder to remind me that she's there. When she does, I reach down and scratch behind her ears until she rumbles with pleasure. I'm so concentrated on my wolf and getting us as far away from the Pantheon as possible, that I smack into someone on the way out of the door.

"Whoa, there! I knew you liked me, Laila, but I didn't think you'd throw yourself at me," Theo jokes as he steadies me. He smiles down at me with a warm smile and an amused gleam in his golden eyes that makes my insides melt. I laugh, feeling lighter already, and wrap my arms around his neck. He rests his hands comfortably on the small of my back, and I feel the heat of his hands through my shirt. When he kisses the tip of my nose, I can't help but grin. Standing on my toes to savor his warmth, I can't remember why I even thought of choosing Declan over Theo. 

"I just came to see if they were done interrogating you yet," he says, grinning. He doesn't seem upset at all that I hadn't answered any off his calls, which is a relief. I thought I'd have to explain myself to an angry boyfriend. His warm smiles and support are a pleasant surprise.