by Lexi C. Foss
Jacque’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Where?” he mouthed, and Jayson just shook his head. Because he didn’t know. These comms worked up to four miles away, and knowing Osiris, he had backup who helped him switch locations.
“Take Grace and Jeremy back to Hydria,” he said.
Jacque shook his head, his loyalty kicking in.
“Aidan,” Jayson mouthed. The master of strategy was still on the island and could advise them on how to proceed. For now, Jayson didn’t have a choice but to comply with Osiris’s demands. “And take care of Lizzie for me,” he added, the unspoken In case I don’t make it out of this alive hanging heavily in the air.
The teleporter nodded slowly. “Okay, Jay.” He grabbed Grace and Jeremy before they could fight him and disappeared.
That left just Jayson and a very quiet Tom. He’d taken a position up in the hills somewhere, his sniper rifle at the ready even though he hadn’t needed to use it. And he’d intelligently maintained radio silence the entire time.
Or maybe they’d discovered and killed him. It was hard to tell, but knowing Tom, he was healthy, alive, and scouting the ground for Osiris right now.
“I’m alone,” Jayson announced.
“Excellent. Now disarm.”
Jayson wondered if that meant Osiris could see him, or if he had men of his own stationed in similar positions to Tom. He made a show of removing his guns and knives, including the one in his boot for good measure.
“Done,” he said flatly. “Now where are you?”
“I’m sending someone to retrieve you. I believe you’re old friends.”
Ezekiel appeared with a grin not a second later. “Jedrick, old friend, it’s been a long time.”
“You son of a bitch,” Jayson growled. “I should have known.”
Ezekiel sighed, “I don’t think he’s very excited to see me, Osiris. I thought he would at least grin considering we haven’t seen each other in over a hundred years.”
Jayson blinked at the subtle comment. They’d seen each other hours ago, but it seemed his master didn’t know that.
Or was it another ruse?
“I can hear that,” Osiris replied. “Bring him to me anyway.”
“As you command, Sire.” His words were formal and respectful, but the gold flecks in his eyes flashed. He stared at Jayson, his gaze conveying some hidden message as he dropped a silver box between them. It was subtle and masked from onlookers by the position of their legs. He revealed a matching one in his palm before saying, “Shall we go, Jedrick?”
A tracking device? What are you up to, Ezekiel?
“Sure,” Jayson replied. It wasn’t like he had a choice. “Can’t wait.”
26
Fractured Bonds
Subject’s pregnancy is confirmed. More test results to follow.
—Entry Log 124.11.4-7
Lizzie paced the beach, sniffling.
She was too afraid to call out for help. It may have been Jacque who brought her here, but she didn’t know for sure. There were no house lights or people, only the moon and the black sand beach. It seemed to embody her life—a constant state of loneliness.
“Lizzie!”
The familiar voice froze her in place. “Stas?” No. That was impossible. She saw her die.
So now I’m going crazy. Awesome. Why not? It seemed appropriate, all things considered.
And she was freezing thanks to her sweat-dampened clothes and the cool evening air.
“Oh God, Lizzie.” The words were accompanied by a pair of arms being thrown around Lizzie’s neck.
She blinked.
And now she was feeling things.
Lizzie did hit that man’s chest pretty hard…
“I’m so sorry, Liz. I’m so, so sorry. Everything is such a mess, and I don’t even know where to begin. But you’re my best friend, Liz. And I hate that you’re mad at me, but I need you so much right now. So much it hurts. Tell me what I need to do. Please. I can’t go through this without you too.”
Stas is rambling.
Which could really only mean one thing: Lizzie had lost her mind. She’d created a babbling figment of her best friend to keep her company in the darkness.
Not the healthiest coping mechanism, but she couldn’t help returning her friend’s hug and indulging in a false sense of closure. Lizzie clearly needed this temporary reprieve from reality to heal, and so she would use it effectively.
“I should have forgiven you,” she murmured. “I’m not thrilled that you kept me in the dark, but Jayson explained that it was to protect me.”
Too little, too late, of course. But at least Lizzie understood now. It still hurt, but not nearly as much as losing her best friend.
“We should have told you,” Stas said, sorrow in her voice. “I wanted to so many times, but I also didn’t want to take your choices away from you and force you into this world. I realize now that by not telling you, I still stole your right to choose, and I’m so sorry.”
“I forgive you.” Lizzie squeezed her tighter. “I just wish you hadn’t died on me.”
“Me too,” Stas whispered. “Me too.”
They hugged for several minutes while Lizzie waited for her phantom to disappear, but the moment stretched on. Was there more to say?
“Is Jayson here too?” she asked, hopeful. It seemed appropriate for her delusional state. Maybe she would have the chance to say goodbye to him too.
“He’s not back yet, but Jacque’s been teleporting everyone in, so I suspect he’ll be here any minute.”
Lizzie frowned. “Teleporting from where?”
“Osiris’s house, apparently.” She pulled back with a huff. “They went without me. Something about keeping me as their secret weapon since no one knows I’m a Hydraian.”
“Wait…” Lizzie used the moonlight to examine her friend. “You’re immortal now?”
“Well, yeah. Jonathan shot me.”
She swallowed her hope. “No, he killed you.”
“And I woke up,” Stas replied, her voice sad.
“But they were incendiary bullets.”
Stas shook her head. “Hollow glass, actually. Which means I’m a Hydraian now.” She paused. “Hold on, did you think I really died?”
“Well, yeah!” Lizzie blurted out, unable to hold back her conflicting emotions. She’d spent the last however many hours or days grieving. “You’re not dead?”
“Does that mean I’m not forgiven?” Stas asked, voice unsure.
Lizzie shrieked and threw her arms around her best friend to hug the life out of her again. She didn’t even care if this killed her, because she needed the comfort and had to assure herself that Stas was really alive.
Joy unlike anything she’d ever felt filtered through her chest, especially as another realization hit her. “Jayson’s alive too?” She held her breath, waiting and hoping.
“Yes,” Stas breathed. “And you’re suffocating me.”
“I don’t care,” Lizzie admitted as she squeezed her tighter. “You’re here. You’re really here.”
And Jayson too.
Her heart thudded wildly in her chest at the thought of seeing him again as tears pricked her eyes.
He’s alive.
She would see him again, and, hopefully, soon.
Except… “Did you say Jayson is at Osiris’s house?”
“Yeah, he led the rescue mission,” Stas breathed as she thudded Lizzie on the back. “You’re gonna kill me again.”
She let her go. “And he’s okay?” she pressed, needing to hear it again.
“As far as I know, the mission went as expected, and you’re here.” Stas grasped her shoulders as if needing to steady herself. “It’s been a hell of a day.” A touch of wariness highlighted those words, causing Lizzie’s happiness to falter.
She was missing something.
Everyone’s alive. They should be celebrating, but Stas didn’t seem joyous at all. Thankful, maybe, but not in high spirits.
Dying wou
ld be traumatic, Lizzie imagined. As well as waking up fine the next…
Oh. Oh, no.
“You’re a Hydraian,” she realized on an exhale.
“That’s what I keep saying. And what the hell is stuffed under your shirt?” she rubbed her abdomen. “It felt like hugging a tree.”
“It’s a file,” Lizzie explained, but she also saw right through her friend’s attempt to change the subject. She was upset. Really, really upset. And then it hit her—why becoming immortal would hurt her so badly. “Issac.”
She covered her mouth as Stas’s face crumpled. Lizzie knew better than to hug her again. It would only encourage the waterworks.
Stas was silent for too long before she whispered, “I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
“Oh, Stas,” Lizzie murmured. “Oh God, it’s my fault.”
“No,” Stas snapped. “Don’t ever say that. Jonathan pulled the trigger, and I will kill him for it.”
“Hold that thought,” Issac said as he sauntered toward them. If he’d been watching in the shadows, he chose a heck of a time to make his presence known.
“We have a much larger problem to discuss.” He glanced at Lizzie. “Welcome home, Elizabeth. I would allow this reunion to continue, but Astasiya is needed urgently. Amelia and Eliza have volunteered to keep Elizabeth company in the interim.”
“What’s going on?” Stas asked, her lips curving down as he came to stand beside her without reaching out to touch her. That missing gesture caused Lizzie’s heart to break for her best friend.
They can’t be together.
Because Stas died saving me.
“It seems Osiris has taken the Elders hostage,” Issac murmured. “We tried to gather intelligence from the Guardians, but when we asked them what happened, they collectively slit their throats.”
Lizzie gasped, her fingers going to her lips. “What? Is Jayson okay?”
“That remains to be seen,” Issac replied, his tone far too formal for Lizzie’s liking. “From what we have gathered, Osiris compelled the Guardians to leave the Elders unprotected. Then, in a grand show of power, he demanded they silence themselves when asked about the events of the kidnapping. It proves, unnecessarily, that distance does not dampen his power.”
“Oh my God,” Stas breathed while Lizzie tried not to faint at the gruesome image. “Will they survive?”
“Yes, with their memories intact.” He paused to let that settle.
What a horrible thing to remember doing—and involuntarily, too.
She shivered. Osiris wanted her to have his child. What sort of monster would she have created for him?
Her stomach churned at the thought, followed by another more devastating one. It sliced through her chest, leaving her bleeding and pained.
“Jayson,” Lizzie whispered, her voice cracking. To have him murdered, then resurrected, only to potentially die again by the hand of Osiris.
Oh God, her heart couldn’t handle it.
“If Osiris intends to exterminate the Elders, he will do so in a grand fashion, which gives us time. My experience, however, suggests he’s inviting us out to play, and Aidan agrees.”
“You mean, you think he knows?” Stas asked, fear evident in her voice. “About your friendship with the Hydraians? About me?”
“I think he’s always known,” Issac murmured. “Ezekiel mentioned a seer. If that is true, it means Osiris has been playing us from the beginning. Although, Aidan believes a fortune-teller cannot predict all outcomes, and he has proposed a plan.”
“Which is?” Stas prompted.
Issac studied her, his expression artfully blank. “He wants to send you to meet Osiris.”
Stas paled. “What?”
“His plan hinges on Osiris being unaware of your talents, and he feels that the potential element of surprise is just what is needed to rectify the situation.” Issac sounded so detached and very unlike the man Lizzie knew. Didn’t he realize this behavior would only worsen the situation between them?
“What are your feelings on his plan?” Stas asked, her voice soft.
Issac remained silent for a long moment before replying, “My feelings on the plan are irrelevant. Aidan is a master of strategy, and I bow to his intelligence.”
Pain filtered through Stas’s expression at the far-too-logical response. Lizzie wanted to smack him for being so cold and heartless and would have opened her mouth to say so if her vocal cords still worked.
Stas nodded, taking on the same stoic air. “Well, so much for keeping me a secret. If I even am one, I mean.”
“Indeed,” Issac replied, his tone softening as he shifted.
The moon illuminated his features, causing Lizzie to stifle a gasp.
Sadness.
It emanated from his vivid eyes with such sincerity that it fractured logic. His formality may have hidden it in his voice, but that expression said it all.
The picture of a broken man.
“As always, you have my support, whatever you decide.” He bowed his head in a way that spoke of reverence and torment—his throat convulsing with the words. “Always, Aya,” he added in a whisper.
Agony destroyed Stas’s features, breaking Lizzie’s heart in two.
This was Issac’s version of goodbye.
And her best friend had no choice but to accept it.
*
“Welcome, Jedrick,” Osiris greeted, his hands open in a polite gesture belied by the scene before him. Luc, Balthazar, and Alik were all on their knees, heads bowed. A clear indication of where Jayson would soon be.
If he had access to his powers, he would choke the bastard with that gold chain around his neck. Alas, he seemed unable to use his gifts at the moment. No doubt a ward or a rune, or some other manner of voodoo created by Osiris himself.
Prick.
“Osiris,” he growled as he stopped beside Luc. “Been a while.”
“Has it?” Osiris blinked his ancient eyes. “I suppose it is a matter of perspective, but it feels very recent to me.” He shrugged. “Well, now that I have you all. Kneel.”
Jayson dropped to the ground at the single-word command but held Osiris’s gaze. A direct challenge, one he knew the Ichorian would not appreciate, but Jayson didn’t give a fuck anymore.
“What now?” he demanded.
“Are you in a hurry, Jedrick?” Osiris asked, arching a brow. “Perhaps you’re hoping to return to a certain redheaded female you erroneously assume is yours?”
“There are no assumptions, Osiris. She is mine in every way.” And he would do whatever he needed to do to protect her.
“Oh?” Osiris turned to Ezekiel. “This continues to fascinate me. I understood the attraction—she’s a gorgeous specimen—but that sounded more like love. Have you been guiding him on the process?”
Ezekiel’s nostrils flared, but his lips curled into one of his trademark grins. Hiding the pain? “I’m not sure I would be able to provide him much guidance given the circumstances, nor have I seen Jedrick in over a century.”
Jayson wasn’t sure what fascinated him more: Ezekiel’s outright lie or the implication behind the words.
“Yes, I suppose you have been preoccupied with other tasks.” The taunt in Osiris’s tone was not lost on Jayson. Ezekiel mentioned not having a choice in his work as of late; were the two related?
“In any case,” Osiris continued, his focus shifting back to Jayson. “What would you be willing to give me in exchange for Elizabeth?”
“Considering she’s already safe in Hydria, I’d give you nothing.”
“Safe is such a relative term. It can so easily change, you see.” He started pacing, hands clasped behind his back. “Ezekiel could bring her to me right now if I asked. I ensured their bond after her successful birth, as I did not fully trust Jonathan to uphold his end of our arrangement. All it takes is a simple command. Would you care for a demonstration?”
Jayson bristled at the clear threat. “You son of a bitch, if you touch her—”
Jayson’s heart dropped to his stomach, impeding his ability to speak.
Luc for Lizzie?
He couldn’t… wouldn’t…
“Or perhaps your mind-reading best friend?” Osiris pet Balthazar with the words, almost as one would a cherished pet. “He’s quite powerful. I could use him in so many ways or make an example of him at the next Conclave.” He turned thoughtful. “Decisions. Hmm.”
“Why?” Jayson managed. “Why do this?”
“Because you have decided to take something that belongs to me, Jedrick. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for her creation? How many times we tried to perfect it?” He paused, waiting. “No? Of course you don’t, yet you dare claim her as your own? How incredibly ungrateful, after everything I’ve given you.”
Jayson’s lips moved, but no words escaped. How did one respond to a madman? The only thing Osiris ever gave any of them was death. Why would Jayson ever be grateful for that?
“Sire,” Ezekiel murmured, gently interrupting the moment. “We are reaching the hour of the seer’s prediction.”
“Ah yes, the future.” Osiris clasped his hands before him now and stepped back. “I so desire to know what it is our Skye cannot foresee.”
Ezekiel’s wince caught Jayson’s attention.
Was it the name that hurt him, or the words?
“I would still love to know, though,” Osiris added. “What would you give me in return for Elizabeth? If I vowed never to disturb her again, to wait for another of her kind’s creation, what would you give me?”
“Your vow?” Jayson repeated, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Means shit to me.”
“Perhaps, but that belies the point. I want to know what you would sacrifice for her. Give me a truthful answer. Now.”
