“I did what I had to do, Gunther.”
“I’m not sure you have the slightest clue what you’ve just done. You may trust Aegis, but I don’t. Clark sure as hell doesn’t. Aegis will do whatever it takes to get that amulet, including killing our brother or Addie or whoever else gets in his way. And that will be on you.”
When Gunther was this vehement about something, he was usually right. The impact of what Gunther had said hit Xav hard. His chest tightened, and the blood drained from his face.
If Gunther didn’t trust Aegis and he was right, Xav had now put Clark in danger. The very opposite of what he’d always tried to do.
What had he done?
Chapter Thirteen
CLARK
It had probably been petty of me to throw Addie’s lies in her face so soon after her ordeal, but I had seen the exact moment she decided to shut me out. It had stung. I didn’t see her holding it against Gunther that he hadn’t told her who our father was. No, it was all, “Gunther, come keep me company. Gunther, cut my hair and tell me stories.” She and Gunther and her cat had been perfectly happy in that room until I showed up.
Hearing her labored breathing behind me from only the exertion of climbing the stairs, I immediately felt guilty for my selfish thoughts. Xavier told Locke and me last night that Addie hadn’t kept down a meal nearly the entire time she had been gone. I asked him why it had taken him so long to help, what had changed his mind. His face had closed off entirely.
“There was an incident,” Xavier had said. “You can ask Addie if you want to know more.”
Oh, so it’s Addie now, is it? I had thought. Amazing how nearly getting her killed had softened him toward her. At that point, I had left before I was compelled to push my brother overboard. Locke looked similarly disposed, but he had gone to relieve Nell at the helm, so we could travel through the night.
Addie finally reached the top of the deck and squinted against the bright sun. The weather was milder today, bordering on hot. She was in her bare feet and pajamas, but you would never have known it by her haughty expression. In her absence, I had forgotten just how frustrating she could be.
Shensi had followed her, of course. The cat had a constant need to be around Addie, seemingly making sure she was okay. I knew the feeling.
I led her to the bench seating and handed back her soup. She managed to open her eyes the rest of the way and took a few tentative bites. Though she didn’t quite smile, her expression warmed. I didn’t say anything else, not sure why I still sat there but not quite able to make myself leave.
“The water here is green,” she said. “And it’s so quiet. I thought that was just…” She trailed off.
“No, it’s not just quiet below decks. There isn’t as much wildlife here, it seems. We haven’t seen any birds or dolphins.” Dark shapes moved in the distance below the deep green surface.
“Still sharks, though,” she commented, recognizing them as easily as I did.
She got down half the soup before she made a face, but the color was returning to her thinned cheeks incrementally. She set the rest down just in time to avoid it spilling all over her when Nell nearly bowled her over with a hug. Addie stiffened, and Nell pulled back. Her features carved into neutrality after only a flash of concern.
“I wanted to come see you, but Locke said you needed to rest.”
That’s a gentle way of putting it.
Nell smiled tentatively. “Oh, and I love your hair!”
“Thank you.” Addie paused, face inscrutable. “I’m so glad you’re alive,” she finally said. “These last few weeks…” Her eyes took on a faraway look, like she was back there in the darkness, before she shook it off. “I never imagined you had survived.”
“Yeah, well. Same.” Nell gave a shaky smile.
She shoved me aside, and I decided to leave them to their reunion. I felt Addie’s eyes on me as I took her bowl back to the kitchens, but she didn’t comment. I ran into Xavier halfway there. He was headed upstairs.
“Addie’s up there, and I doubt she wants to see you,” I said.
“From what I hear, she doesn’t want to see you either, brother.”
My fist clenched. Was he even sorry? He wasn’t acting it, but then, Xav could give Addie a run for her money when it came to guarding his emotions. There, in the pinching of his eyes, I saw clear remorse. Before I could say anything, Locke’s voice boomed down the stairs.
“Everyone up here. Now.”
I sighed. Locke spoke, and we all fell in line, even Nell. He was clearly used to giving orders. I supposed that was fair, given his age and experience, but it still rankled me.
I poked my head in Addie’s room to grab Gunther, and we all headed up the stairs. Locke waited until he had our attention to begin speaking.
“The ship is set on its course, so we have some time to convene. We’re headed back to Ceithre, but we had to take a different route to avoid being found by the Court of Yomi. We’re out of danger for the time being, and I think now is an excellent time to get an explanation.” He looked at Xav. “Then, we can decide whether Xavier makes the trip back with us or is dropped off at the closest island.”
“Xavier is the reason we found Addie,” Gunther said.
“And the reason we lost her,” Nell shot back.
Addie stared at Xav but said nothing. Neither did Locke. He leaned back against the railing, not a single sign of his sleepless night etched on his face.
Xavier, however, looked exhausted. He sank onto the bench adjacent to Addie’s, defeat evident in his posture.
“Locke is right. An explanation is the least I owe you.” He looked to me and Gunther. “Remember on the prince’s boat when I told you I would do anything to protect you?”
I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I didn’t like where this was going.
And then, he explained everything.
No one interrupted him as he talked about finding out my father was alive. He told us about the warnings he had gotten before and after the warehouse incident, the way he had gone to Aegis asking for protection, not realizing he was in league with the Court all along. How he had gotten us posted on the Outer Islands on purpose and tried to keep us from coming back. And finally, how Father had demanded the necklace. When Xavier couldn’t get it off Addie, he felt like he had no choice but to deliver her with it.
He was looking at her for this part of the story. She returned his gaze, eyes eerily expressionless.
“General Noble, Master Yomi, whatever he goes by now… he wasn’t happy when I brought the necklace still on Addie. He said we would have to find a way around it. I don’t know what he’s playing at, but I get the feeling there’s more to the story than we understand. I want to think there’s still some good in him. Even when Jeth —” He stopped, giving Addie an apologetic look.
Her face turned to stone.
“So, there you have it,” he finished up.
I exchanged looks with Gunther. I didn’t know what to think about any of it. Xavier had made some bad calls, to be sure, but I didn’t envy him for the choices he had been forced to make.
“I vote island,” Nell said. “I get it. You were put in a sticky place. It sucks to be you and all, but Addie could have died.”
“I’m sorry,” I chimed in. “Didn’t you also put Addie in a position which could have killed her?”
“Yes, it does seem to be a theme,” Addie said dryly.
“We aren’t dropping our brother off on an island,” I said. Though part of me was tempted, that wasn’t how family worked.
“Obviously,” said Gunther.
“Is it obvious?” asked Nell.
“Enough,” Locke thundered. Then, in a calmer voice. “We aren’t proposing throwing him overboard. The choice is Addie’s, whether she desires to be on a boat with her captor for the next several weeks.”
We all looked to Addie, who hadn’t taken her eyes off Xavier. She swallowed a couple times before speaking in the hoarse voice I now knew was
due to weeks of throwing up bile.
“If Amelie was still here…” she began, then stopped, closing her eyes. “If Amelie was here, I would do anything to keep her alive. Anything.”
Xavier started to speak, but she held up a hand.
“I’m not finished. That said, I don’t know how any of you expect me to feel safe when everyone wants something from this damned necklace. So let me make something clear.” Her voice was still raspy, but it was stronger now. “I didn’t ask for this. I know everyone feels so guilty about all the deception and subterfuge and how, oopsie, Addie almost died again, but this ends here. No more lies. No more putting my life on the line. If it happens again, I won't just let Locke drop you on an island. I’ll let him throw you overboard. And from his expression, he would be happy to do it.”
“Indeed, I would,” he said.
“On that note, I want to learn how to defend myself. I won’t keep being a victim.”
The bruises on her arm and the side of her face were a mottled purple today. Whatever had happened to make Xav change his mind, I was betting it had something to do with that. She was right, though. She did need to learn at least some basic moves. Even she could master that much.
“Okay,” I said, “I’ll teach you whatever you want to know.”
The Protector
Addie was growing on Xavier, though not nearly as much as she was growing on Clark. Only an idiot could have missed his younger brother’s protective stance around her and the heated looks he shot her way.
Clark had always been ignorant when it came to the fairer sex. For all of his posturing and bravado, he really had never been serious about a girl. The boys had never been in one place long enough for that to happen for any of them.
So, what Xav had done was unthinkable.
They had been fighting in the clearing. Xav had downed one masked man and moved onto another. Only this one was pulling his punches, barely fighting defensively. He was hardly even surprised when the man began speaking to him in low tones.
“If you want your brothers to live, get the necklace to the docks within the hour.” The masked man had then turned abruptly to engage with one of the Red Sons, leaving Xavier stunned and horrified.
It hadn’t taken him long to come to the conclusion that he had no choice. He had to protect his brothers. He hated himself for the decision he was making, but he would make it nonetheless.
Xavier knew Clark would never forgive him, and that was fair. He would never forgive himself, either.
Chapter Fourteen
ADELAIDE
“Damn it!” I said, rubbing my arm.
“Addie, you’re supposed to be blocking me,” Clark said with no small amount of exasperation.
My strength had returned with each bite of hot food, and I had decided I would go crazy if I had to sit in that cabin for another minute. Sunset was fast approaching; if I didn’t do something soon, I’d be stuck below decks until morning. With Locke finally resting and Nell at the helm, I had asked Clark to teach me the sword.
“I think we should start with basic self-defense,” he had said.
He may have had a point, but I couldn’t handle the thought of anyone being in my personal space. So, I had countered with swordplay. I had watched him and Locke do it. Even my father had swung a sword during the skirmish at the crypt.
How hard could it be? I had thought.
Very, as it turned out.
“You’re swinging it too fast for me to block it!” I complained.
“Your enemy isn’t going to swing it any slower, and this is only a ladle, Addie.”
It still hurt when it whacked my arm. I glowered.
“I don’t think the sword is your weapon,” Gunther commented from where he and Xavier were observing on the bench. I glared at him, and he held his hands up. “No, really. It would take you months just to get the strength and technique down for the most basic fencing, and even then, your reach would be half that of a man’s. What about daggers?”
The word brought forth the feeling of a blade plunging into a neck, blood pouring over my face, a heavy weight settling on top of me.
“Addie?” Clark’s voice came as through water.
A chill ran over me as I felt the utensil I held slip, as the feeling of it in my hand was replaced by the memory of thick, sticky blood between my fingers. The deck before me, the people, it all blurred together.
“Addie!” Clark shouted like he had said my name several times.
I snapped back to reality. “On second thought, this is what I have Locke for. I’ll just… be more careful in the future.” I glanced at the ladle and forced myself to walk as slowly as I could to my cabin. I shut the door and sat on the bed with my back to the doorway. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the memories of the dark cell and dead eyes staring up at me.
The vision was clearer with my eyes closed, so I opened them again, staring intently at the back wall. I listened for Shensi, but she must have wandered back to the kitchen, her second home. Instead, I tried to focus on my breathing.
Five. I am not in a cell.
Four. No one is attacking me.
Three. Three. Three.
My breath came faster now. Would that despicable man never stop haunting me, even in death? I heard the door push open behind me, and I couldn’t even chastise whoever it was for not knocking. A heavy weight settled next to me on the mattress, and a warm hand tentatively covered one of mine. The contact didn’t bother me like I’d expected it would.
“It’s okay,” Clark said. “You’re safe now. Try to breathe. Focus on your senses. What are five things you can see?”
I wasn’t sure how this would help, but I had exhausted my own methods. “The wall. The desk. The door. Planks on the floor.” I looked up at him and said the last one without thinking. “Your eyes.”
Mercifully, he let it slide without so much as an eyebrow raise.
“Good, now three things you can smell.”
I kept my eyes locked on his, somehow drawing strength from the connection. “Leather.” From his jacket. “Pine. Ginger.” I still hadn’t brought my tea mug back to the kitchens.
“Two things you can hear.”
Clark’s breathing was first to come to my mind, but I was calm enough to stop myself from saying that.
“Footsteps on the deck.” A ghost of a smile passed my lips. “Nell yelling at Xavier.”
I had never actually known Nell to raise her voice before except in excitement, but Xavier seemed to bring out the anger in her.
Clark’s cobalt eyes hadn’t left mine once. I felt ridiculous now. My cheeks burned, and I looked away.
“I’m s—”
“Don’t apologize. You’ve been through hell.”
“How did you know what to do?”
His eyes darkened.
“After I got this,” he pointed to his scar, “I spent weeks waking up right back in that warehouse, bleeding out. That feeling of being helpless… it took months to go away.”
“It’s hard to imagine you ever helpless.” And it was. Clark was six feet of solid muscle and carefully-honed skill.
He gave half a shrug. “It’s never easy to bounce back when you find out the monsters are real, but it will get better. I promise.”
“And what if you find out you are the monster?”
Clark’s brow furrowed.
“You’re not a monster, Addie.”
Little did he know. To think all those weeks ago, when I had self-righteously flung out the question without thinking.
Have you ever killed someone?
And lo and behold, I managed to become a murderer before he did. I didn’t feel like getting into that just now, though, so I only nodded.
“Dinner’s ready,” Xavier’s voice came booming through the hull, saving me from an explanation. From kidnapper to cook, he was a versatile man.
“We should go,” I said.
We ate dinner on the deck, and there was no more talk of flashbacks
or daggers or kidnapping. Actually, it was downright pleasant. Nell and Xav traded barbs, and Locke shook his head at them. Gunther told a story about when Clark had nearly cut Xavier’s toe off when he got cocky with a new sword move. Everyone laughed, and I had the feeling the story was for my benefit, to make me feel better about my abysmal efforts.
I noticed Xav and Clark both using their hands a lot. I now knew that was for Gunther’s benefit. I didn’t ask about it now, but someday I hoped they would teach the hand signals to me. I would like to learn, if it made communication easier for Gunther.
We dropped anchor under the stars, far enough away from the Court that Locke was no longer concerned about being found. Locke volunteered to sleep on the cot in the captain’s area to keep an eye on things. One by one, everyone else filed down to their cabins, but even with Shensi down there, I couldn’t bring myself to go to mine.
I tiptoed up to where Locke was setting up his cot for the night. He turned at the sound of my approach.
“Ms. Kensington?”
“I just wanted to say thank you.” I worked to keep my voice from breaking as the magnitude of what he had done for me sank in. “Thank you for coming all this way and giving up your whole life to save me. You’re the only person who would have done that for me.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he said. “But you’re welcome. You should know, though, that your father is the one who ensured our escape from Redshaw.”
I froze. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had begun to accept that my father was not a good man. This revelation didn’t fit with that.
“Why would he do that?” I asked.
“To protect you, would be my guess.”
I paused to process that.
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