The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set

by Donnielle Tyner

Rebecca must have packed everything I owned.

  “I’m surprised no one has asked that question before now,” I remarked as I took in the view. St. Vincent’s was on the outskirts of a bustling metropolis and on any given night the smog and light pollution obscured the stars from view, but tonight, there was a clarity rarely seen in the city. A small spattering of stars spread across the horizon opposite the city lights from downtown.

  A gasp escaped from my lips as I stopped abruptly. Luca danced around me, cursing under his breath about wanting a warning next time. What he said didn’t matter. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I focused on the twinkling lights. Their celestial dance enchanted me, prompting memories of a younger version of myself looking at the same horizon, taking solace in their magnificence.

  I felt his Talent before his warm hand pressed against my back. Kian wrapped his other arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest. “Hey babe. It’s okay? We’ll visit again.”

  “No,” I answered, still drinking in the sight of those few glittering specks. “I had forgotten them.”

  “What?” Kian whispered in my ear. The combination of his firm body pressed against me and the heat of his breath sent a tremor throughout my body.

  “The stars. I had forgotten them in the Underground. Has my life has become this thing that disregards such an important element of who I am?” Kian understood my rhetorical question and instead of answering, he placed a gentle kiss at the nape of my neck. A sad, but contented sigh escaped my lips. “Oh Kian. I have missed looking at the stars.”

  “You will see them again. The Underground is only a temporary home.” I turned in Kian’s arm. His eyes were full of sincerity. My heart swelled with appreciation for this man and I vowed at that moment to treasure him. Everything within me wanted to crush my lips against his and show him how much I cared, but I was acutely aware of our audience.

  I stepped out of Kian’s arms and ran to my friends awaiting their goodbyes. After what seemed like a million promises to stay in better contact, we drove away. The balm soothing the loneliness and heartbreak from missing my true family melted away as I watched them grow smaller. I rubbed my chest as the familiar ache replaced the joy my heart.

  Luca’s head popped into my peripheral vision. He rested his arms across the back of the front seat before laying his head down on top of them. “Is that the only rest stop on this mission?”

  “Yes,” Kian answered, his eyes never straying from the road.

  “Onward to Atlanta then,” I said, my voice soft.

  “Have you ever been outside Texas?” Luca asked.

  “No. This will be my first time.” Luca guffawed at my phrasing, acting more like a teenage boy than an adult man currently employed on an important mission. “You know what I meant, Luca. I’ve lived at the orphanage my entire life.”

  Luca’s large hand engulfed the top of my head in a soft thud. He ruffled my hair in an affectionate manner before returning it to its previous position, but not before pulling at a few tangles he created.

  “Sadie, you are in for a treat.”

  Chapter 14

  My sadness retreated once we were in the air and was replaced by a nervous excitement. Through the tiny window, I watched as we rose above the clouds and I had an unobstructed view of the night sky. My heart felt light as I leaned against the window, letting my mind wander as my body melted in relaxation.

  A loud snore brought me back. I sat up with a start, looking for the offender. Kian sat to my left studying the mission parameters on his communicator. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders since Luca, who was offered team lead as the more experienced of the group, deferred the leadership role to him.

  Without looking up from the device, Kian motioned to the seat on the other side of him where Luca’s long limbs were bunched up and his head rested on Kian’s shoulder. A small dark circle was forming on Kian’s shirt from the minute river of drool escaping from the corner of Luca’s lips. Luca’s mouth was open wide and with each breath came a thunderous snore that brought plenty of dirty looks from the other passengers.

  I sniggered. “Well that’s attractive.”

  Kian grunted in agreement.

  “Kian,” I began cautiously. The way he had reacted to McCredie earlier that day had been nagging at my subconscious ever since. “Why did you react to McCredie’s family history?”

  Kian shoved a hand through his hair, turning as much he could in the compact airplane seat to look at me. “You jumped straight to the point.”

  “You know me; I like to shoot straight.” I grinned satirically and mimicked the action of shooting guns with both of my forefingers. A small smile raced across Kian’s lips. He tapped his communicator on the tray table.

  “Before I get into this, I want you to understand that I haven’t been keeping secrets from you. My job has exposed me to many secrets. Some I want to tell you, but can’t because either they aren’t mine to tell or I’m not sure what the implications of telling you would be. Over the years, I’ve learned that its best if the person keeping them is given the opportunity to come clean before they’re exposed. It’s usually best for all parties involved.”

  His statement made my stomach clench with nervousness and although I didn’t necessarily like the idea that he was keeping secrets from me, I understood his point. What secrets does he know about Mrs. LaMotte?

  “I understand.”

  “You know how I like to be prepared for everything?”

  I nodded, recognizing that he was stalling for more time.

  “When you passed out after draining Jesse, a wall I had erected when I was a child broke. I knew you would be in danger and that your grandfather would come after you. I wanted—no, needed—to help keep you safe.”

  “Your stalker-ish vibes were strong back then, but I don’t understand what you’re getting at.” Kian was jumping all over the place and it was confusing. What did the mall incident have to do with Mrs. LaMotte and McCredie?

  “Oh for Christ’s sake, just tell her. You’re keeping me from my sleep,” Luca sat up snappishly, aggravation etched on his face.

  The look Kian shot Luca’s way was full of danger. Luca schooled his features and smiled his lazy grin, knowing it would aggravate Kian even more than responding in anger.

  Kian took in a few calming breaths before continuing. “After that day, I investigated you and the people in your life.”

  Irritated, I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off.

  “I’m not going to apologize, but I do regret not telling you sooner. You didn’t know it at the time, but your life was in extreme danger and I wanted to make sure those around you were copacetic.”

  “Continue.” My voice was quivering from the indignation boiling under my skin and I wanted nothing more than to give Kian a swift punch to his groin, but it would be hard for him to talk if I acted on my impulses, so I stifled the urge. I wanted to hear what he had to say.

  Kian nodded and shuffled in his seat, hiding his manhood by crossing his legs, as if he could read the intent of my angry gaze. “Everyone was cleared except Mrs. LaMotte. She didn’t exist before her job at the orphanage.”

  My eyes widened at this revelation.

  “Whoever she hired to erase her connection to her previous identity was good, but my connections are just as good, if not better. It took months, but a few weeks ago my contact uncovered a photograph of a younger version of Mrs. LaMotte in a University paper, only the photograph had the name Lamour underneath it. I confronted her about the photograph and demanded that she explain. Not to me, but to you. She said she would sooner or later, but I didn’t believe her and I threatened to expose her.” Kian shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal that he threatened a powerful and respected Talent user.

  My mind whirred with this new information and the more I absorbed, the less angry I became. Kian’s confrontation with Mrs. LaMotte must have been that conversation I overheard.

  “Do you
know why Mrs. LaMotte… er, Lamour, felt the need to hide?”

  “Not yet, but McCredie may have helped us,” Luca piped in. I had forgotten he was here.

  “Yeah?”

  “Kian came to me after the meeting and told me everything. We don’t know for sure yet, but Mrs. LaMotte may be his long lost sister, Cecile.”

  “Why would that help you, Luca? You don’t enjoy prying to my personal life like Kian.” I let the edge of anger slip into my voice. Kian winced, but as he said earlier, he didn’t apologize.

  Luca laughed, disrupting the sleep of some other passenger and earning him a few additional hateful stares. “No. I don’t, but stalker-boy here felt that McCredie’s confession might help in my locating your mom.”

  “What?” My voice screeched, effectively transferring the hateful stares from Luca to me.

  Kian placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed. The movement grounded me. He opened his mouth to speak, but the pilot announced we were arriving at ATL international airport.

  “We don’t know for sure, but I promise you will be in the loop from now on.”

  “I’m still angry at you even though I understand why you did it. However, I will not tolerate any more secrets. Okay?”

  I grabbed Kian’s hand as the plane began its decent. He squeezed it. “Sadie, with my job there are things I will not be able to tell you.”

  “But you are not working as a P.I. right now.” My stomach was pressed against my back and my heart fluttered violently behind my ribcage. Although flying was fun, landing was unquestionably not.

  “That’s true, but there are secrets from past jobs I cannot divulge and the ones that involve me personally, I will tell you as much as I can, when I can.” I quirked an eyebrow at his last statement, which barely came out as a whisper.

  A squeak escaped from my throat while the plane shook when the wheels hit pavement.

  “Sadie, look at me.” I loosened the death grip I had on his hand and looked at Kian. His eyes were open and fully of honesty. “I promise that there will be no more secrets involving you, okay?”

  “I can accept that.” A little more anger left at his promise.

  Luca stood and stretched, blocking the aisle. “Now that Sadie no longer looks like she’s going to rip your balls off, let’s get the bags. I checked the MARTA schedule, the next train leaves in 30 minutes. We can catch it if we haul ass.”

  He pointed toward the front of the plane while giving the disgruntled man behind him a narrow-eyed look. Kian and I left our seats in a hurry. All the emotions from the plane took a backseat to the excitement of being in a new place.

  We located baggage claim and made our way to the MARTA train station in just enough time. My eyes felt heavy from exhaustion, but I forced them to stay open. I wanted to be wide awake for my first train ride, but after 20 minutes the clickity-clack of train wheels lulled me into a trance. My eyelids drooped heavily from exhaustion. The struggle to stay awake was difficult; it didn’t matter that the train stopped every few minutes with a soft feminine voice announcing each location, or that at every stop the scenery was unique. I succumbed to the fatigue.

  I awoke to the smell of coffee and the shuffling of a paper sack. A deep, guttural groan escaped as I rolled over to look at the alarm on the night stand. 9 am.

  “You would think 8 hours of sleep would be enough,” Luca’s voice filled the room, snapping me awake.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  Luca balanced a cup tray with three large coffees in one hand; the other he pointed over his shoulder. “Kian let me in.”

  Kian followed with a bulging paper sack in each hand. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the air and my stomach growled in response. The boys laughed as I crawled out of bed.

  “I’m going to the bathroom, and when I return there better be four of those creamers in my coffee and something with eggs, bacon, and cheese unwrapped and waiting for me.”

  Luca mumbled, “You sure you want to experience that every morning?”

  I didn’t wait for Kian’s reply. When I emerged, there were two breakfast burritos waiting next to my coffee cup. Without a glance in their direction, I took a long, careful sip of the coffee and swallowed two bites of my breakfast before I had the mental capacity to carry on a civil conversation.

  “Thank you both.”

  “It speaks!” Luca joked.

  “I am not a morning person.”

  “Obviously. I thought you were going to kill me when you saw I was in your room and not lover boy here.”

  I shrugged and proceeded to shovel the second burrito in my mouth while the two of them discussed the timeline for the extraction. Both men were dressed for the day and although I appreciated the thought, I was aggravated they had let me sleep in when we had a mission. Once finished with my breakfast, I downed the rest of my coffee and stood.

  “I’m going to get dressed,” I announced.

  “We’ll pack up here. I’ve already contacted the Moreau Family Council. They have agreed to let us use their private jet, since we wouldn’t be able to get Cayden out without raising suspicion from the local officials. They have scheduled take-off in three hours.”

  I decided to forgo a shower in favor of getting this extraction over with. Kian and Luca’s confession on the airplane made me want to get back to the Underground and confront Mrs. LaMotte. I dug through my bag and sighed at the impractical wardrobe Rebecca had packed for me. Most of the clothing was more appropriate for going out on a girl’s night versus extracting an innocent man from a dangerous situation.

  I finally found my favorite worn blue jeans and green tank top. They would have to do.

  The room was spotless when I emerged with my pack slung over one shoulder. Kian was waiting outside the door and relieved me of the heavy burden with a kiss on my forehead.

  “Ready for your first mission?”

  “Lead the way.” I followed the boys to a silver compact car where Kian opened the trunk and deposited the bag with a casual toss. The weight of the bag caused the back end of the car to bounce. I paused as I remembered we had ridden the train to the hotel the previous night. “Where did this come from?”

  “The Moreau family had it delivered this morning,” Kian explained. We piled into the car and drove toward the Moreau family council house. Traffic was terrible and it took nearly an hour to drive the 20 miles we needed to arrive.

  As we drove closer to the address, the homes became older and more opulent until we turned onto a street with a restored plantation house. The home was immaculate and I felt a deep sense of awe as the houses grew further apart.

  The property was located at the end of the street and set back from the road a little further than the adjoining properties. It was surrounded by a tall, wrought iron security fence. When we pulled up to the gate, I strained to see the home, but the view was obscured by a grove of live oak and sugar maple. The guard double checked our credentials and waved us through without incident.

  When we rounded the grove, a stunning, two-story, white antebellum home, reminiscent of the Greek revival that was popular in the late 1800’s, greeted us. It was much smaller than I anticipated, but I guess that would be expected since the location was closer to town than the ones I have seen in the movies.

  We were greeted by a guard who motioned for us to follow the driveway behind the house. Waiting by the back door was a regal woman I had only seen on the news, Mariana Moreau, the Moreau Family Council leader. She was standing next to Cayden, with one arm wrapped around his slumped shoulders. Mariana was leaning in, whispering in his ear while moving her hand up and down in a soothing, almost motherly, manner.

  I instantly liked her. Her midnight blue hair was cut in a short bob that made her strong jaw seem inviting. She comforted Cayden until she heard the doors slam as we exited the car. Mariana took each of us in, lingering on me longer than I would have liked. Her head cocked to the side as she considered my presence there. With a cough and a small shake of her head
, she turned to address us.

  “Which one of you is the team leader?”

  “I am,” Kian announced, as he took a confident step forward.

  “Have you been briefed on the updates to the extraction?”

  “No ma’am.”

  Mariana sighed as Cayden closed in on himself a little more. “The HPC chapter in Atlanta finally got the State Department to declare Cayden a public menace and he is to be taken into custody. Our contacts in the Capitol warned us before they could find him at his home. You will have to take him now before the authorities show up here.”

  Luca jumped forward and grabbed the suitcase next to Cayden’s feet and stowed it in the back next to mine.

  Mariana continued while I walked up to lead Cayden to the car, “Have him lie down in the back until you reach the airfield. I contacted the pilot and he set up an earlier flight with a different jet. He’s ready and waiting. Go now.”

  Kian nodded and shook the councilwoman’s hand. We all turned back to the car to leave.

  “Girl.”

  I stopped right before getting in the back with Cayden. “Yes ma’am?”

  Mariana’s turquoise eyes narrowed on me, “Do I know you?”

  “No ma’am. This is my first time in Atlanta.”

  The council woman nodded, but her expression was wary. It unnerved me the way she was looking at me, as if she could see inside my mind. Is that her Talent? The thought made my throat close. She smiled at me, no indication that she had read my thoughts. I gave her a small smile and settled next to Cayden. He looked terrified.

  “Cayden, I’m going to sit next to the door so you can have plenty of room to comfortably lie down.” He nodded and then quickly lay down, the top of his head resting against my outer thigh. I found Kian’s eyes in the review mirror and I could tell he didn’t like the idea of a strange man lying next to me. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but I couldn’t.

  Nerves were getting the best of me as we backed out of the gated driveway and proceeded to the air field. My hand fluttered to my chest, but came empty when I remembered that I had given Luca my necklace. I made a mental note to ask if he had found anything out when we got back to the Underground.