Free Proven (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kristen Day Page B

him knowingly. "I'll collect some towels and clothes."
    "Wait," Stasia protested. "What about Fallon? Is she okay?"
    "The last time I saw her was in some kind of cave," I sighed. "Two days ago."
    "How did you get away?" Phoebe pressed.
    "Well, that's where things get bizarre," I replied with a raised eyebrow. "Selene...let me go. And then the witches brought me back to Atlantis." After several gasps and one blank stare from Ricker, I realized they were waiting for me to continue. "She wanted me to give Stasia a message, and she gave me two things to bring back with me. Which, come to think of it, are probably still lying outside in the grass. They were kind of heavy." I rubbed my temple as a dull pounding thumped under my skull from thinking about it.
    "Witches?" Natasha stepped forward with concern, instantly alert.
    "She let you go?" Phoebe squealed in an octave that split the rest of my skull open that wasn't thumping.
    "What kind of message?" Carmen asked slowly.
    "Apparently Selene isn't too fond of writing letters, so she branded me with a symbol instead," I reflected wearily. "She definitely gets points for creativity."
    "A brand?" Stasia gasped and Sebastian stiffened visibly with rage.
    "That crazy bitch," Carmen hissed and I heard Finn curse under his breath.
    "I can't believe I allowed that to happen." Sebastian commenced to blaming himself and I rolled my eyes at him before a muscle spasm in my calf almost reduced me to tears.
    "I'm the one that decided to save moon girl." I touched his cheek softly. "I knew what I was risking."
    "Everything," he whispered absently as his eyes fell on my left bicep. I flinched when he touched it lightly, causing a fresh memory of torture to resurface.
    "Liam," I sighed.
    "What about him?" Finn stepped forward protectively.
    "He..." I fought for the words to explain what I'd endured, then settled on letting my wounds speak for themselves. I gestured at my torn up body. "This is his handiwork. He's under Selene's command now." More gasps reverberated throughout the group.
    "Bullshit," Finn pressed, his jaw clenching in anger.
    "I'm sorry," I empathized with him. "I wouldn't have believed it either, but I witnessed it myself. It's true." I knew Liam was Finn's best friend; someone he'd known his entire life. I couldn't imagine what that betrayal must feel like. But I decided as long as I was dropping bombs, I might as well drop them all. The betrayal was two-fold.
    "And so is Fallon," I stated simply. Another gasp. "She played all of us."
    "She wouldn't..." Stasia mumbled unconvincingly.
    "It makes perfect sense, really," Carmen piped up. "Liam's all distraught, so Selene swoops in and snatches him up; promising him God knows what. And Fallon. Think about it! She comes out of nowhere 'claiming' Selene's chasing her?" She shook her head in disgust. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted her...I knew it."
    "I don't believe it," Stasia pondered incredulously. Finn stood silently and stiff next to her, the wheels in his head turning.
    "Ricker, Ian," he commanded before kissing Stasia on the cheek and abruptly leaving the room, followed by the other two Sons.
    "Okay, that's enough for one night," Maera interrupted. "Sebastian and Avery, take Olivia to the east wing and get her cleaned up. It's almost midnight. The First Practice will be here before we know it.
    "That's tomorrow?" I gaped. The very reason we were on Atlantis had slipped my mind in the last couple days. Something about having so many descendants on one island with Selene running amok was unsettling. But at the same time, at least they were the strongest of the descendants. We had that going for us.
    "That's right." She nodded in my direction. "I'll have Seraphina secure the items you left outside. I believe a good night's sleep is what we all need right now."

    O LIVIA
    With that, we filed into the mud room and Sebastian immediately collected me into his arms in one quick sweep. My exhaustion trumped the importance of the Book of