by Ashley Meira
I stepped on his foot, but my heel hit rock, and I bit back a cry of pain. How was he so fast?
“You struggled a lot as a child, too,” he whispered in my ear. “But not as much as your sister did. You were smart. You knew the pain would stop if you complied, but she was slower on the uptake, and you suffered for it. In the end, however, she was the one who set you free. I wonder, my dear little Fireborn, which sister was truly stronger?”
That froze me, and I searched through my dream persona’s memory for any hint of Diana’s death. “What did you do? What did you do to my sister?!”
Nicholas’ dark laugh rumbled in my ear, and I felt the vibrations of his chest press against my back. “It’s not what I’ve done. It’s what I’m going to do. To her. To Ollie, Adrienne, and Symeon. To Adam and Fiona. To everyone you even remotely care about. I’m going to take everything you love away, and it’s going to be all your fault, because you were too weak to stop me.”
Chapter Sixteen
“No!” I screamed, kicking the blankets off me in a panic.
The cool stone against my feet provided no relief as I scrambled to the door. My fingers bumped against the wooden surface as I tried to find the doorknob. I had to get out here. I had to warn everyone.
Strong arms pulled me back, and I screamed again. My attacker clamped a hand against my mouth, whispering soft words in my ear. The actions were so similar to Nicholas’ that I struggled harder as tears streamed down my cheeks. My heart was running a mile a minute, and I was sure it would burst at any second.
Unlike dream me, I still carried traces of sleep, and my body sagged after a few minutes of struggling. Muffled sobs broke past my attacker’s large palm as we sank to the floor. I wailed for another minute before realizing he wasn’t doing anything. He was just holding me, his hushed tone softer, kinder, than Nicholas’ could ever be.
I looked around the room, taking note of the large stone fireplace and the armchairs before it. The Persian rug underneath it was red, its color further enhanced by the firelight. My own Fire rolled around calmly, like it was resting. I stared at the flames, trying to calm myself. If my Fire wasn’t panicked, I wasn’t in danger.
With trembling fingers, I tentatively touched the arms wrapped around me. One was across my chest and the other was around my waist. Neither were anywhere near my neck as I’d previously assumed, and the realization calmed me further. Squeezing the arms, I leaned forward, testing how far they’d let me go. To my surprise, they pulled away, allowing me to go free. When I turned to see who had grabbed me, tears welled in my eyes once more.
Adam shushed me, cupping my cheeks and wiping the gathering tears away with his thumbs. “It’s okay, Sophia. It was just a nightmare.”
It was. But not of my past. This time, I dreamt of the future. A possible future, at least. One likely conjured up by my stressed brain as I tried to come to terms with everything that had happened. I wasn’t psychic. As far as anyone knew, there was no such thing.
Still, Nicholas’ words came back to me. Was that why he wanted Trixie? To gather an army? That I could understand. He had the ability to train soldiers, but despite all his power, cultivating an army wouldn’t be possible. Not with his cruel methods. It would take too long.
If Trixie and the others were his generals, what were the children for? Why did he take us in the first place?
“I’m going to take everything you love away, and it’s going to be all your fault, because you were too weak to stop me.”
I fell against Adam’s chest, inhaling his pine fresh scent. “I won’t let him take you away. I can’t.”
“Good,” he said, confusion tinting his words. “I won’t let him take you, either.”
My dream showed he was saving me for last, but I didn’t tell Adam that. I didn’t mention it at all. It was a conjured premonition that meant nothing. Forcing myself to believe it was all a half-baked dream failed, so I settled for vowing Trixie would never walk this earth. That much I could do.
“We should go now,” I said into his chest. “Forget trying to find a way to kill her. We should kill Gadot before he can complete the ritual — or at least steal the wreath. I’m good at stealing.”
“And I’m good at killing,” he said, though regret marred his tone.
“Bane told us it was possible to kill Gadot if we destroyed Cyrus’ body,” I said quietly.
After Adam had wrangled Damien into giving Fiona a ride here in his jet, Charlotte had invited us to spend the night while we waited. Bane had been unhappy with her offering up his home to strangers but acquiesced. He might not want to kill Gadot himself, but he knew the importance of our task. Why exactly he wasn’t handling this, however, was a mystery we hadn’t managed to unravel. Not that we hadn’t tried, but the growing anger in his eyes as we questioned him made me worry we’d be dragon food. I’d backed off, and the others followed soon after.
“He did, and even though Gadot used to be human, I’m guessing he’ll be tough to beat. We need a backup plan. Plus, we still haven’t figured out which summit he’s on.”
I squeezed him tighter, frowning as I realized he was clothed. The scent of cotton candy wafted toward me a moment later. “Fiona’s here. You went to pick her up without me.”
He kissed the corners of my mouth, chasing the frown away. “Damien had business to attend to, so he sent her here alone. I had to help settle everything at the airfield and bring her here. Bane guided us through the forest, though Fiona wishes he hadn’t. She wanted to see some dragons.”
A raspy laugh escaped me at that. “What did Bane say when he heard that?”
“Nothing, actually,” he said, helping me to my feet. “He was surprisingly quiet the entire trip. I guess he’s not a morning person. Maybe it’s a Fireborn thing.”
I pinched him for the teasing remark. “It’s a sane thing.”
“Then I’m sane,” he said, letting out a low groan as he stretched. “Since we want her at full power, I had to drive all the way to the airfield and back. I’m exhausted.”
After taking in the pleasant display that was Adam stretching, I frowned. “That’s over six hours of driving. Did you even get any sleep? We went to bed together. How did you sneak past me?”
He chuckled. “I didn’t sneak. My side is closer to the door. And yes, I got an hour or so of sleep before the pilot called. I figured you could use the rest, so I decided to go alone.”
My heart throbbed, both at his consideration and my own guilt. “And you don’t need rest? I’m getting sick of having this conversation. You’re going through a lot, too. You need to take care of yourself. Lord knows I’m terrible at it.”
He kissed my wagging finger and pulled my hand to his chest. “You’re very good at taking care of me. As for what I’m going through, Charlotte….” He frowned. “I’ll get plenty of rest after Trixie is dealt with, okay?”
“Damn straight you will,” I grumbled, pulling away to get dressed. “I’m going to handcuff you to the bed and force you to sleep if it kills me. Actually, if it kills you.”
He didn’t reply, but the laugh he let out and the grin against my back spoke volumes.
“Does everyone have a nicer home than us?” Fiona asked as she looked around the foyer.
Instead of answering, I rushed for her. Our bodies slammed together as I enveloped her in a hug. She grunted and hugged me back just as tightly, burying her nose into my neck. While I wouldn’t have traded the time I spent with Adam for anything, I missed being around my sister. She was the one I’d spent most of my time with before him, and the nightmare I’d had left me feeling particularly clingy.
“Yes,” I said, finally pulling away. “They do. Are you caught up on everything?”
She nodded. “Adam explained things in the car, because you suck at it. Seriously, you tell me to get over here because you need a portal to Arcadia, and you couldn’t take the time to explain?”
“I did,” I said flatly.
She huffed so hard her
bangs scattered. “Well, he did it better.”
“Needing you doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you,” I told her.
“You want to go, Sinclair? I’ll kick your ass.”
“Is everything okay?” Charlotte asked, eyeing us warily. I’d been so preoccupied with my sister, I hadn’t noticed her standing nearby.
“Yeah,” Fiona said casually. “Just talking.”
I nodded. Guess Charlotte didn’t realize she was the same way with Bane.
“By the way, I’ve made a decision,” Fiona said, her emerald eyes glinting with excitement. “The first thing we’re buying when you get paid is a jet. Have you seen Damien’s? Like, wow.”
“I assume it looks like Adam’s. And yes, it’s totally wow.” I gave her a sly smirk. “But the first thing I’m buying when I get paid is a shrink to declare you mentally unfit, so I can finally lock you up.”
Fiona snorted, but her pout was ruined by the upturned corners of her lips. “I’d break out.”
“I was planning on getting you placed in a cage in shark territory.”
She gasped. “Sophia… Adam Sinclair!”
“That is not going to be my middle name,” I said flatly.
“What on earth is taking you so long?” Bane’s voice drifted into the foyer. The man followed suit a moment later, unimpressed look still in place. Yeah, his expression was definitely frozen that way. “The food is getting cold.”
“The food I made,” Charlotte huffed.
Bane raised his hands and gave her three slow claps. “You invited these people to stay, not I.”
“Also, you’re a terrible cook,” she said, hands planted on her hips.
Fiona watched them, her full lips turned down in confusion. “Do they remind you of anyone?”
“Nah,” I said, dragging the word out. “Adam, breakfast is ready!”
“Coming!” he yelled from upstairs.
Bane pried his eyes from Charlotte to glare at me. “This is why I don’t have visitors.”
“Try again,” Bane said tersely.
Fiona scowled at him, and I estimated she’d thought of at least four different ways to rip him a new one. But instead of telling him off, she took a deep breath, puffed out her reddened cheeks, and did as he asked.
We’d finished breakfast twenty minutes ago. Now, we were just waiting for Fiona to get a handle on the portal so we could depart. I wasn’t sure how hard opening a portal to Arcadia was supposed to be, but considering it usually required fairy rings and my normally unflappable sister was panting like she’d survived a Stella Burmeister shoe sale, I guessed it was pretty damn difficult.
What confused me was how Bane knew how to open a portal. As far as I knew, fae couldn’t be Fireborn, so that wasn’t it. The idea that he’d absorbed a fairy’s magic for the knowledge came into my mind, but that made no sense. Fireborns absorbed the magic itself, not any abilities or memories. I wanted to ask him, but I doubted I’d get anything more than a snarky dismissal.
Adam had gone upstairs for a power nap, and Charlotte was standing by Bane, trying to learn as much as she could. I considered joining them, but had learned long ago not to crowd Fiona when she was annoyed. That was the best way to get bony knuckles shoved into your eye sockets.
I pulled the plain silver necklace out of my pocket and dangled it before me. It was the communication necklace Liam had given me in case something had happened to Charlotte’s original one — an instinct he’d been right on the nose about, just like his feeling that she’d been in danger. There was something to a parent’s intuition, I guess.
It was tuned to Liam’s charm, and though I was sure he’d prefer to hear his daughter’s voice, I needed something to do.
“Hello?” The hopeful lilt in Mr. Pierce’s voice made my chest hurt.
“It’s me,” I said. “Er, Sophia.”
“Ms. Sinclair,” he said, his voice dropping. “I see. Are you calling to tell me—”
“Charlotte is fine,” I said quickly. “We need to take care of a few things before bringing her back, but she’s safe.”
The line went quiet for a moment, but my ears picked up a whispered, “Thank god.”
“I’ll tell her to call you when she’s done with what she’s doing.”
“Hm? Ah, yes.” His voice was much lighter now, more so than I’d ever heard it. “She can’t come to the line now? I have a meeting in a few minutes anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter. Still…. She’s alright? You’re certain? Did Adam look her over?”
“She’s fine,” I said. “In perfect health. Her artifact was stolen, so we’re going to retrieve it.”
“Stolen? Did the thieves attack her? What do you mean ‘we’?”
The paternal tone in his voice made me smile. Despite his cold demeanor, he had a soft spot for his daughter. My smile faded as I wondered if he cared as much for all his children. He hadn’t shown as much concern for his sons. Then again, his sons hadn’t gone missing.
“I mean me and Adam,” I said calmly. “We’re going to get the artifact back while Charlotte remains somewhere safe. She’s fine, Mr. Pierce. Just a bit grumpy she was robbed in the first place.”
Surprisingly enough, Mr. Pierce scoffed. “I imagine so. She’s a spirited girl. I’m surprised she didn’t chase after the thieves herself.”
“She wanted to go after them,” I said, remembering Bane’s comment.
“Thankfully, she didn’t.” He paused for a moment before asking hesitantly, “How is Adam handling things?”
My heart skipped a beat at his soft words. “Adam?”
“He…. Well, he wouldn’t believe it if you told him I asked,” he said, almost sputtering over the words. “Despite what he may think, I…. That is….” A sigh of frustration filtered through.
“You love him,” I said, amazed I was having this discussion with my partner’s father — and a member of the Council I was supposed to fear. “He’s your son.”
“Our family name puts both my sons under great scrutiny,” he said. “And my position, the one Adam will inherit, can be a difficult one. Being under the public eye in such a way, not to mention being in politics, requires a tough skin. Something I’ve tried to give them both. It can require me to be more standoffish than I would like, but their wellbeing comes before my own, even if they resent me for it.”
I blinked back tears at his candor. Adam had grown up thinking his father preferred Charlotte over him, and now…. “I think you should tell him that.”
“No,” he said, clearing his throat. “I shouldn’t have even told you. Something about you makes me do that, it seems. Perhaps it’s the implicit trust I see my son has for you. Nevertheless, I ask that you keep this conversation between us.”
“I will,” I said, chewing my lip before deciding to bite the bullet. There was a huge rift between Adam and his father, and if I could do something to help fix it, I would. “It can make you feel very vulnerable to say those kind of things to someone, especially if you’re a man. And doubly so at the position of power you’re in. But I’ve learned that sometimes people need to hear those words, and if we really care about someone, we owe it to them to swallow our pride. Adam taught me that.”
“I see,” Mr. Pierce trailed off, and the line went quiet for a long moment. “I shall consider your words, Ms. Sinclair. If you’ll excuse me, I’m due in a meeting.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me and said goodbye. Looking up, I saw Charlotte approaching me with a tentative smile. “Hey. You just missed your dad.”
Her lips parted in a small ‘o.’ “I saw you talking to someone. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“He’s in a meeting now, but you should call him as soon as you can. He was really worried about you.” I handed her the necklace. “He had this made as a replacement in case yours was lost.”
She took the item with a warm smile and cradled it to her chest before slipping it on. “He’s a good man.”
I caught her hesitation on the last
word and said, “Adam told me the truth. I have no idea if Mr. Pierce expected him to, but I don’t think he’ll be surprised to learn he did.”
“Oh.” Charlotte’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I’m glad he has someone he can trust so much.”
I raised a brow. “You are?”
She nodded. “He’s my brother. I want him to be happy.”
“You’re not mad at him?”
“Of course not!” She covered her mouth as Fiona and Bane turned to us. When they finally looked away, she continued. “That day, I was so excited to meet him I missed how upset he was. But I know he didn’t mean to hurt me. It was an accident.” Despite her words, there was doubt in her eyes.
I nodded. “It was. He felt awful about it. Still does.”
“He shouldn’t,” she said softly. “I bear him no ill will. I was too young back then, but now I understand what he was going through. As happy and grateful as I am that my father took care of me, I don’t approve of what my parents did, and I’m sorry that his family suffered for it.”
I reached to take her hand. “You Pierces have a lot in common.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re both stubborn for one thing,” I said with a fond smile. “You both walk all over people for another. Poor Bane.”
She snorted, her lips curling into a smile. “Bane doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to.”
“And you’re all terrible at communicating with each other,” I finished. “Speak to Adam. He wants to make peace.”
“I do, too.” She brought her knees up and hugged them with her free arm. “My mom died when I was young. My grandparents refused to let me go, and when they died, I felt all alone. Dad was always there, of course, but I felt like a burden. His family certainly didn’t want me around. It wasn’t until I met Damien that I thought my dream could come true, that I could have a family again.”
I squeezed her hand. “Your dad really cares.”
“I know that now. Damien told me. In his own way,” she said with a smile. “He’s kind of an ass.”
