“Lafayette,” Daniel called my name smoothly as he approached me.

  “Look, I know what happened isn’t ideal. But you have to think about the logistics. You put everyone in danger.”

  I wasn’t listening to his yapping. Instead, I was hating myself for getting caught up like this.

  I’m wasting time, precious time I could’ve spent on saving Gargon and the boys.

  If only I just gone through the window first.

  Wait, the window!

  That’s it, all I need to pretend like I cooled off, then when everyone goes to bed I’ll sneak out the window.

  It’s perfect.

  “…I understand why you’re mad, but you have to think about how this affects the group.”

  Daniel finished with a scratch behind his ear as he avoided my gaze.

  I have to make this convincing.

  I took a long and drawn-out breath. “You’re right.”

  Daniel’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “What did you say?”

  I met his gaze. “You’re right. I overreacted and put myself before the team, my emotions just got the best of me.”

  Daniel smiled. “Hey that’s alright you’re just a kid, I think we all got caught up in the moment.”

  He stepped forward and raised a finger. “On the bright side, we’ve made enough money to buy you a warhound pup. And he’ll be yours, really yours.”

  I faked a smile. “Yeah, I’ll name him Chop.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Perfect.”

  Vis crossed her arms. “Are you seriously rewarding him after everything? You’re too soft.”

  Louise slowly lowered her arms as a small smile crept onto her lips. “Okay, everything is okay.” She whispered to herself.

  Slowly, I regained movement in my body. I massaged my wrists to really sell the act.

  Vis didn’t look too convinced. She shifted her gaze to meet Louise’s. The two stared at each other for a second or two and Louise gave a firm nod.

  Whatever that was about it didn’t mean anything. I was getting my dogs back.

  Daniel clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get some sleep then we’ll hit the road first thing tomorrow.”

  He turned back and entered his room. Vis followed behind him. Louise and I entered our room but as I climbed into my bed she joined me.

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  In my bed.

  I watched her with wide eyes. “What are you doing?” I asked skeptically.

  Louise was bright pink at this point. “Uhm, I have to keep an eye on you.” She answered.

  “Can’t you do that from your bed?”

  She shook her head. “N-no, because I need to make sure you don’t sneak out when I’m sleeping.”

  “So much for that plan, boy.” The dragon laughed joyously at that.

  I gritted my teeth and tried to climb out of bed, but I couldn’t. She somehow trapped me again.

  Louise lay in my bed and our eyes met. “I-I know this is a lot, but if you promise to be good I’ll give movement in your upper body.”

  “How do you still have control over me?!”

  She flinched at my outburst.

  “My blood is still in you. And it’ll stay there, until I release control of it. I can also track you through it, I-if you get lost or something.”

  I strained against her hold, my veins bulging. I could feel everything, my hatred, my fear, my sadness. I didn’t care about any of it anymore. All I felt in the moment was pure, untamed rage.

  “You worthless sack of shit! You’re nothing, NOTHING!” I shouted at her.

  Tears welled in her eyes as she shrank in her cloak.

  “You have all of this power and instead of helping me beat the orcs you use it to hold me like a damn prisoner! I swear to you, if I ever get free of this you’re the first person I’ll kill!”

  My muscles tightened and stretched, they were nearing their breaking point.

  “And I won’t stop at you! I’ll kill Daniel! I’ll kill Vis! I’ll kill those fucking orcs! And when I’m done drowning this kingdom in its own blood I’ll return home and kill Lilith. When I’m done I’ll see you all in hell to do it again and again!”

  My chest heaved as I listened to the sounds of my labored breaths. I pushed against my restraints until my vision blurred.

  Yet nothing changed.

  I want to kill her. I want to kill her so badly it hurts. I want her to suffer! Suffer and drown, suffer and drown, suffer and drown…

  I repeated it like a mantra until my throat was raw.

  Louise didn’t speak. She just curled into a ball and silently sobbed. I don’t get it, how can she be such a coward and still dare to act like the victim?

  I don’t even care anymore.

  My adrenaline was beginning to fade and now all I felt was a hole in my heart. All the empathy I had was slowly leaking out of it.

  I wanna see Kalie.

  At least she kept it straight with me from the beginning.

  My eyelids grew heavy as a yawn escaped me.

  — — —

  When I opened my eyes the world was a blurred haze. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the morning sun.

  My gaze shifted to my side. Louise was there with wide eyes and dried tears on her cheeks.

  “Are you okay, Lafayette?”

  I tried to move my arm, to my surprise it worked. Her technique must’ve worn off.

  I didn’t waste a second and grabbed her neck with a tight squeeze. She tensed and whimpered but didn’t fight back.

  “I-I’m sorry.” Was all she managed to whisper as my other hand clasped around her neck. I straddled her and looked down with an ounce of emotion on my face.

  I just wanted to see the light drain from her eyes.

  The door to the room opened with a slow motion. Daniel peeked inside the room. The moment he saw us he rushed forward.

  My hand whipped around my back and aimed at him. Right as I was about to summon a waterball my body locked up again.

  Daniel ripped me off Louise and threw me to the floor. He pinned me down by my shoulders.

  “Damn it, look at me! Look at me! What’s gotten into you?!”

  I didn’t respond. I just stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.

  Daniel clenched my shoulders. “I understand your hatred of me, but Louise is innocent in all of this!”

  Louise wiped her face with her sleeve.

  “He’s angry with me because I betrayed him, I didn't help him fight the orcs. A-and I didn't let him escape on his own last night.”

  Vis entered the room with her arms crossed. “Why am I not surprised?”

  She sighed, “his tantrum aside we should get going. Daniel, pick him up. Louise, keep him on lock. We’ll throw him in the cage later.”

  Daniel closed his eyes and shook his head. “All of this over a damn mutt.” Daniel scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder.

  Louise followed him out of the with a hand on her neck. She kept her head down. “I’m sorry, I really am, Lafayette.”

  Vis looked over her shoulder as we went down the stairs. “Stop apologizing, once we drop him off with Kalie we’re done with him.”

  Louise fell silent.

  Outside we made it to our wagons. Daniel tossed me in the cage on the back of his. Louise crawled in after me and took her seat.

  Vis talked with an orc, and he took the other wagon. She joined Daniel on his wagon and we were off.

  We left the capital behind and Gargon to his fate.

  And I just watched.

  — — —

  The journey back to Col-Rava was a blur of skies, ceilings, and silent apologies from Louise.

  The dragon tried to taunt me into acting.

  But nothing he said or did could kick me out of this rut. I was ready to go back to the guild and spend the rest of my days with Kalie.

  She’s the only one I can trust. The only one who took me in when it didn’t benefit her. The only one who cooked me a decent meal and didn’t expect my soul in return.

  The only one I could talk to and have them understand.

  — — —

  Three days later we returned to Col-Rava.

  The familiar sights and sounds were enough to have me move on my own. I sat up in my cage as we pulled onto the guild’s courtyard.

  When we parked Daniel walked around back and helped Louise out of the cage. He then extended his hand to me.

  I shoved his hand aside and dropped down on my own two feet.

  The three of them silently watched as I entered the guild on my own.

  Daniel sighed deeply.

  “I should probably explain everything to Kalie. You guys go rent our rooms.”

  Vis shook her head. “No, if you’re going in we all are.”

  Daniel nodded. “Alright.”

  — — —

  The interior of the guild was exactly how I remembered it. But there was a noticeable absence. Kalie, she wasn’t at her desk.

  I walked through the lobby and past the drunk and confused mercenaries. I pushed past the closet line and stepped up to the receptionist.

  “Where is she?”