Uncontrollable

➳ chapter sixteen

The walk back to the warehouse was encompassed in silence. Both of them remained on edge since leaving Colin's house, their ears pricked and their eyes alert in case anyone looked at them the wrong way or the sounds of sirens could be heard. Aaron was a bubble of pent-up anger. This morning, he'd been reluctant to accuse any of his fellow Soldiers as traitors, but now that they'd had concrete evidence that supported a theory, he itched to figure it out. That person was responsible for getting Nik captured, and that was not something Aaron took lightly.

Astrid was at a loss for words. She didn't know how best to comfort him or prevent his frustration from growing. Silence seemed like the best option at the moment, especially since she had no idea how they were meant to proceed. Should they interrogate the other Soldiers—or keep their mouths shut? The problem with having a rat was that any plan they devised to rescue Nik could fall apart in seconds, and they could wind up dead because of it.

He'd offered to accompany her on the way back. It looked like he didn't want to be left alone, and she didn't blame him. If she had realized one of her Witches had betrayed them, she would be a similar mixture of grief and fury.

Telling Theo was the best course of action. Maybe he could figure out how they should handle it. From what Teresa had told her, Theo was far more cunning than she'd originally expected, and when it came to playing the dangerous game of life or death, so far, he'd come out on top.

Astrid still struggled to wrap her head around what Teresa told her of his backstory. All the strings to what made Theo who he was today fell together in a messy jumble, and her mind found it difficult to make all the connections. Theo had watched his parents die; Theo had joined the gang who'd murdered his parents in the first place; Theo had ripped the Cobras apart as revenge.

It explained some of why Theo had become the ruthless leader he was, but it did not explain why Theo had even tossed Teresa aside. She'd tried to help him. Yet even though she had not been involved in the death of his parents, he'd tried to kill her like the rest. That part didn't fit. No matter how she tried.

The light downstairs was lit when they approached the warehouse, and Astrid turned to thank Aaron for everything he'd done when the shouting reached them. At first, she jolted, her mind jumping to the worst conclusions. Someone was here. Someone attacked them. But then she picked out Theo and Teresa's voices mixed together, and her shoulders slumped. This was familiar.

"Why is Theo here?" Aaron asked, squinting to see if he'd catch a glimpse of them inside. But other than the windows on the top floor, the warehouse had no way of peering through.

"Let's find out," Astrid said. She strode up to the front door, pushed it open, and held it wide for Aaron to follow.

It took her a second to realize this was far from a pleasant conversation. The two stood several feet apart, their legs braced like dogs rearing for a fight, and their pinched expressions let her know that the shouting hadn't just started. At the sound of their entrance, however, they broke off, and Teresa whirled on her.

"Where have you been, Astrid? I thought you were going to start telling me these things."

Astrid reared back. The venom in Teresa's voice was not meant for her, but it still stung. It was late outside, the dark web of night long fallen across the sky, but she'd come home. She'd only been gone today, and she'd always been free to come and go as she pleased. She was nineteen after all. "I was out. I'm nineteen, Teresa. I said I was going to start telling you where I am if I don't intend on coming home—not letting you know the exact street I'm on every second."

Teresa sighed. "Sorry. You have a fair point."

"Am I allowed to ask where you two were today?" Theo spoke up, his arms folded.