Free Dwellers of Darkness by Stacey Marie Brown

door right now ...”
    “You’ll what?” Gabby retaliated. “Be a dick to me? For the last three years I’ve been about an inch away from taking you out. Don’t cause me to regret I didn’t.”
    “You know I can tear this place down before you could even get out of the chair.”
    “And you know I’ll merely find another place or another way to lock you up. Don’t threaten me, Eli. Don’t unleash my true bitch. You know how unpleasant things can get.”
    This is Gabby’s good side? Remind me not to truly piss her off.
    Letting air out of my lungs, I leaned against the wall next to the door. “She’s just as stubborn as you.”
    With a gruff laugh, Eli’s head turned to me. “Hello, pot, meet kettle...”
    My eyes narrowed. “What the hell is your deal anyway? You’ve been nothing but a complete ass since I’ve come back. You act like you want me to disappear again. I was giving you your wish, and you blocked me. I thought you’d be thrilled.”
    “As much as I may want it, you are not leaving here.”
    “What did I do to you? It’s me who should be mad at you. I should detest the sight of you. Not the other way around.”
    He pushed himself off the door and stepped back, crossing his arms defensively.
    “You’re the one who had sex with me and then led me to believe you killed my mother.” Suddenly, the anger, confusion, and embarrassment I had pushed away were back on the surface, sparking under my skin.
    Control, Ember, stay in control.
    Eli’s jaw set firmly, rage simmering close to the surface, too.
    “Answer me. Why would you let me believe it? Why did you say you killed her?”
    “I never said I did. Lorcan said it. And you had no trouble believing him.”
    Blinding wrath came out of my body, blowing out the few lights in the room and dimming the cabin. Neither one of us flinched as glass shards scattered over us, eyes still secured on each other. My heightened senses made it easy to feel his conflicting emotions engulfing the room: the violence, resentment, anger, and even fear. Mine only collided against his.
    “You sure didn’t deny it.” My body strained to keep my emotions in check.
    “And what made you think you could simply go into the Otherworld and face the Queen? You are rash and careless. Did you temporarily lose all logic and thought in that brain of yours? Do you know how stupid it was? Seriously, did you think at all?”
    My teeth clenched. Control was slipping from me, emotion taking over. I stepped closer to him. “I don’t remember ever needing your opinion or approval. I don’t care how stupid you think it was. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for my friends and family.”
    “But you could have been killed. You could have gotten them killed. It is pure luck any of you made it out alive. How would you have felt if you would have gotten Kennedy killed? Or Jared?” His arms dropped to his sides, his fists remained balled, his face etched with fury.
    “Ah, so the real truth comes out. I understand Jared but be honest. Your concern is not for me but for Kennedy,” I spit back. “That’s what you really care about. You would have lost your Druid, your way back into your precious Otherworld, since I am no longer a trading commodity to the Unseelie King.”
    Eli’s chest puffed up with rage. His eyes flamed red, turning into their Dark Dweller state. Energy suffocated the room, choking me. A snarl emitted from deep within him. Eli trembled as his muscles tightened his body.
    “Shit. Am I gonna have to come in there and referee so you don’t kill each other?” Gabby yelled. Eli’s anger clearly could be felt on the other side of the door as well. As violent as Dark Dwellers were, I knew he would never intentionally hurt me. Also, I wasn’t some delicate little girl; I could fight and hurt back.
    “This has nothing to do with Kennedy.” His voice strained as he tried to regain control. “This has to do with you.” Eli took in a deep breath, roughly rubbing the