“He worked through the night to file all the necessary paperwork for your asylum—” Charlotte’s voice cut off as she stared blankly ahead, then sighed. “I just got a message from Councilman Hawthorne. He’s awake, and he’s not happy. I need to speak with him now. I’ll be back as soon as I can, Nora. Thank you again, Gideon.” Charlotte rushed out the door, leaving Gideon and Nora alone.
The trace of a smile remained on his face, but his gaze bored through her.
She cleared her throat. “Yes. Thank you so much for filing the paperwork.”
“Well, it is temporary. The nature of Tobin’s injuries compelled us to act, but I’m not sure you’ll be staying long. A full investigation is still pending.”
Nora bristled. “Investigation?”
“Of course. It’s apparent that Tobin has been injured in an altercation with Tavian guards, but we need to confirm the details of that incident.”
“The Tavians kidnapped me.” Her voice was high and defensive, but she couldn’t help it. “I’d still be there if it weren’t for Tobin. He rescued me.”
Gideon’s lips curled in a tight smile. “Yes, I’ve heard the story, but further evidence is needed to corroborate your claims. Who’s to say the Tavians won’t accuse you of entering their district unlawfully?”
Was he serious?
“Why would we do that?”
He straightened the front of his jacket. “Leonora, let me make something very clear. Since the deaths of the Seers, I have been the lead investigator in situations like this. Our peace with the Tavians is very delicate, and I intend to do anything I can to preserve it; that includes looking at all possibilities. I know you can’t remember, but you have quite the history of wild claims. I’d be remiss if I didn’t consider that.”
She didn’t care about the paperwork he’d filed or the warm relationship he seemed to have with Charlotte. This man was not her ally.
“Well, I’m pleased that you’ll be conducting a full investigation so our claims can be corroborated.”
A voice thundered down the hallway outside. “Where is he? Where is my son?”
A smile stretched across Gideon’s face. “Oh, good. They received my message,” he said without losing eye contact with her.
Tobin’s parents. Nora could feel the blood drain from her head. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. What should she say? How should she act?
“I’ve known Niko since we served in the Guard together. He has quite the temper.” Gideon tilted his head to the side as if he was making a casual observation. “Has Tobin told you that when he left, his father blamed you?”
Her breathing quickened.
Gideon shrugged. “I must run. Your return has created quite the controversy. I’ll probably be in meetings for the rest of the day.”
Gideon slipped from the room just before a man as large as Tobin barreled through the door.
“Tobin?” He rushed to his side. A slender woman with curly brown hair and faint wrinkles followed him. After a moment of silence, the man scowled at Nora and pointed to Tobin’s injuries. “Is this because of you?”
Her mouth dropped open, but what could she say?
“Niko,” the woman warned under her breath.
He glanced at her. “What? I want to know what happened. I can’t ask?”
“You didn’t ask. You accused. You know as well as anyone that Tobin would never do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“No, Sophia, I don’t know our son. He’s been gone for five years, and if what Gideon says is true, he abandoned all operational security training on an unsanctioned mission. Clearly he’s changed a little since he left.”
Sophia raised her eyebrows. “Since when do you care about whether a mission is sanctioned?”
“Since our son went on a black ops mission by himself.”
Sophia tilted her head to the side. “Hmm, like father like son.”
Niko’s eyes widened. “That was different.”
Sharpening her tone, she asked, “How so?”
“I’ll leave you with your son,” Nora interrupted.
Sophia pressed her lips into a flat line and glared at Niko, but her features softened when her gaze returned to Nora. “Thank you, Leonora. We look forward to seeing you soon, don’t we, Niko?”
He straightened up, showing his enormous height, and cleared his throat. “Yes. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see you later.”
Nora nodded, forcing a smile that probably looked more like a grimace, and hurried out the door. The people she passed averted their eyes. No one made any effort to greet her, yet the sidelong glances and whispers told her that Gideon wasn’t the only one to feel the way he did. She wasn’t welcome here.
The halls were as wide and airy as a Caribbean resort, but it wasn’t enough. She’d suffocate if she didn’t get outside soon.
“Nora?” Charlotte’s voice called from behind her. “Where are you going? I thought—”
“I need to get out of here.” Her eyes continued to scan the hall for the exit. “Gideon thinks I faked my kidnapping. Tobin’s parents just got here, and they were not happy to see me—”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Excuse me?”
“Even a fool can see Tobin is desperately in love with you. And if I’m not mistaken, you love him just as much. I don’t care if the minister herself kicked you out of Tobin’s room. It wouldn’t change the fact that your face is the first one he’ll want to see when he wakes up. And forgive me for being blunt, but after rescuing you from Octavius, I think he’s earned that.”
Nora gaped. She was right. Tobin had earned that, but all of Nios seemed against it.
“If Gideon gets his way, I won’t even be here when Tobin wakes up,” she mumbled.
Charlotte sighed, her features softening. “I wish we’d had more time to talk, but things have unfolded so quickly. Yes. You were a very polarizing figure here, and some people would rather close that chapter than face the truth. But you have supporters, too, and those people will make the others see reason. Right now, Henry is cataloging all the evidence that proves you were right. I’m fighting for you in every way I can. Not because I’ve gotten to know you and like you—I have, but that’s not the point. I’m fighting for you because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s what I should have done five years ago.”
“It’s a losing battle.” Nora shrugged, keeping her gaze on the ground. “I should know. I’ve already lost it once.”
Charlotte jabbed a finger at the ground. “You belong in Nios, but no one can protect you if you won’t fight for yourself.”
“How can I beat this?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes. “It feels like everything is stacked against me.”
Charlotte’s slender arms wrapped around Nora in a surprisingly firm hug. “I’ll help you. Henry will help. Tobin will be awake soon, and he won’t let anyone mess with you.” Charlotte pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “But we can’t do this without you.”
Charlotte was right. Nora blinked her tears away. Nios had separated her from Tobin once. They wouldn’t do it again. As long as he was here, she’d fight to be here, too.
Someone behind them cleared her throat. “Leonora?”
Sophia pointed down the hall. “Tobin’s waking up, and he’s asking for you.”
At that moment, not even Tobin’s terrifying father could keep her away. She sprinted back to Tobin’s room.
Chapter 28
Annabel stared ahead at the ivory wall panels in her bedroom, then clamped her eyes shut to focus. Jasper was in a dungeon cell, subject to her psychopathic brother’s whims. She needed to See a way out of this mess.
Nothing came.
She wanted to scream; she would have, but since she was back in her suite, Cyrus’s guard detail would likely hear her. A dull pain throbbed behind her eyes from the strain. Her visions had come so naturally last time. Why were they non-existent now?
Faint morning light shone through the windows in her suite. It had been hours since they had taken Jasper, and time wasn’t on their side. She needed to think of something. She shut her eyes again. Silence. Darkness. Nothing.
She forced a breath out of her nose and glared at the door. She’d like nothing more than to storm down the hall, take one of his useless guards by surprise, steal his gun, and shoot Cyrus repeatedly. If she were lucky, Inarus would be posted outside. She liked her odds against him. She stretched her fingers as they ached to pull the trigger, but she couldn’t do that.
Jasper had been right. Her thirst for vengeance had been like a wildfire, all-consuming, unfocused, destructive to everyone near her. It had been gratifying to let her anger explode, to show she was still a force, but Jasper had changed that.
When he’d appeared in his quarters, when she’d seen the devastation she’d caused etched on his body, her own heart had felt sliced into a million pieces.
Cyrus deserved death—worse than death. Torture. Everything taken from him. All hope stripped away and then in his darkest moments when all was lost, killed slowly.
But no one could wield a wildfire. Her plans had holes—massive ones. She paused as a vision of Jasper getting stabbed forced its way back into her mind. Her anger had blinded her.
A blind Seer. What a concept. She laughed bitterly to herself.
Jasper needed her. There could be no more holes. Nothing unforeseen. She needed to be smart and calculating. Cyrus had to die, Jasper needed to be exonerated, she had to remain blameless, able to take over as the sole remaining member of the ruling family.
She pressed her fingers into her temples. Anytime now her mind could flash to the answer, link the events, move the pieces on the board.
Anytime.
Still nothing.
She balled her fists and growled. She had to make this right. She would make this right. Cyrus would be dead. Jasper would be free. They would be together.
There has to be a way.
She thought about her past visions, searching for anything she had missed. It was still the same series of images. Leonora and Tobin had gotten away. Cyrus would want revenge. If he kidnapped Tobin, he’d want to torture him, and she could compromise Tobin’s restraints. Nothing new.
Perhaps that’s the point.
Her eyes flew open. Could it be that simple? Maybe her plan could still work. Maybe even with Jasper in prison, the key to defeating Cyrus hadn’t changed.
She flew to her armoire and grabbed a day dress before running a brush through her hair. Her hands shook with every stroke. There was a lot riding on this. She needed to sell it perfectly—something she had always struggled with when it came to her brother.
And she would have to contain the wildfire.
It didn’t matter how he belittled her. She had to ignore it. If he tried to shut her out, she’d have to weasel her way into his confidence. She’d have to make her plan so enticing, he’d never say no.
I can do this.
She emerged from her room and strode down the hall. Inarus leaned on the wall outside Cyrus’s suite. He barely took notice of her at first, but as she neared, he pushed himself off the wall and stared down his nose at her.
“Cyrus doesn’t want to be disturbed right now—”
She glared at him. Memories of how he’d drugged her in the atrium were still fresh. His gun was holstered on his thigh. The possibility of getting his gun and shooting him was enticing, but that was the wildfire. An unnecessary risk. Her target was Cyrus.
“Leave my brother to me,” she spat out.
He stepped back to give her a wider berth.
She knocked on the door. Calm and calculating.
A shattering crash sounded from inside. She shut her eyes, taking one last breath before turning the handle.
Cyrus paced among a collection of demolished furniture that had no doubt met its end at his hands. She stepped carefully over the shattered remains of a crystal decanter.
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t have the time or the patience right now, Annabel.”
She held up her hands. “I’m not here to argue.”
He eyed her as he paced. “If this is about Jasper, you’re wasting your time. I won’t change my mind. Captain Moret is now Head of the Guard.”
She bit down hard and swallowed her disdain. Ignore the anger. Use the information against him.
Moret. The name was familiar—Brock. At least Jasper would approve of the choice for his successor. He trusted him.
“I’m not here for Jasper,” she lied. “We’ve been attacked. The Circle of Elites will be watching to see how we respond.”
He stopped and flashed a mocking smile. “Thank goodness for your guidance! What would our people do without you?”
She smiled, even though fire blazed inside. “It’s important we, as the ruling family, show a united front.”
He shrugged and continued pacing.
Lack of ridicule was a good sign; she was making progress. “Based on the most recent intelligence reports, it sounds like Tobin was injured. They would have had to teleport back to Nios for medical attention.”
Cyrus stepped toward her. “Those reports are confidential. How do you know that?”
Her mouth dropped open, but she snapped it shut. Of course she knew Tobin had been injured. She’d seen it, but Cyrus couldn’t know that. “I didn’t have any trouble accessing the report. Maybe with all the transition with the Guard…”
Please don’t check. Please don’t check.
He shook his head and kept walking. She was safe for now, but she had to move fast. She twisted a curl in her fingers. “It wouldn’t take long to reassemble the capture team that took Doctor Fry. With Kalos injured, it would probably be easy to find and subdue him.”
“Why would I bother taking him alive? I want him dead!” He picked up a vase and threw it against the wall where it shattered.
She watched the pieces fall to the ground before she forced a smile. “I thought you might want to have a word with him.”
Cyrus narrowed his eyes and rounded some wood shards to get closer to her. “I thought you found my methods distasteful.”
“I grow tired of it when it doesn’t suit our needs.” She fought to keep her voice even and casual. “But in this case, I think your methods may be just what is needed.”
He pursed his lips, searching her face. She waited for something—anything—to show his thoughts. The lure of such personal revenge had to be appealing to him, right?
Without a word, he turned to pace the room again. Had he taken the bait? What would he do? Now what? She didn’t want to leave without confirmation that he was on board.
“Inarus!”
Annabel jumped. Inarus peered in from the door and surveyed the devastation with wide eyes.
“Notify Commander Moret. I want the capture teams ready by tonight to take this…Tobin.”
Annabel nodded, suppressing a smile.
“Of course, sir.” Inarus fumbled for the doorknob, and she turned to follow him. Cyrus had played right into her hands. He would soon be dead, and Jasper would be safe.
Cyrus yelled from behind her, “Prepare the kill teams too!”
Annabel froze. This couldn’t be good. This was…
Unforeseen.
Tobin had to come back. For any of this to work, he had to be locked in the dungeon. “I beg your pardon?”
She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t take the question as a challenge to his authority.
“What the Elites really want is to revoke the treaty. Even if that leads to war, the Niotians don’t have any more Seers, which means we’re on equal footing again,” he said with a lofty grin. “This attack is as good as any reason we’d have to back out of the treaty, and the Niotians must learn to never trifle with me again.”
She tried to understand, but it was no use with Cyrus. “Who would you have killed?”
His black eyes darted to her, and he smiled so crue
lly it sent chills down her spine. “All of them, my dear sister.”
She watched him, waiting for him to elaborate. Has he lost his mind?
“Anyone with any power in Nios. I want them all dead by tomorrow morning. The minister, the council, the Head of their Guard. Kill them all.” He turned to Inarus. “Our Niotian contact has to make the necessary preparations for our teams to enter. Commander Moret should make contact with him as soon as possible.”
His plan was ruthless, impulsive, and dangerous.
But her plan was still intact.
Tobin would be taken alive. The kill teams might have been unforeseen, but they’d carve their path of destruction through Nios, far away from her and especially far away from Jasper. That was all that mattered.
“It sounds like a wise plan,” she muttered before slipping out of the room, leaving Cyrus to revel in his bloodlust.
Chapter 29
Jasper paced the cold, damp cell, clinging to his memories. Annabel’s fingertips trailing up his chest. The citrus scent of her hair. He’d told her she wouldn’t lose him again. He didn’t plan on it, but it was out of his control right now. He’d need Brock’s help if he ever wanted to hold Annabel again.
He winced as his shirt, stiffened with dried blood, rubbed against his wound. The numbing medication must have been wearing off, which made sense since he’d been down there for hours. No one had come. Aside from his own pacing, there hadn’t even been any sounds.
And all of this was because Cyrus needed a scapegoat.
He lived in a world where he made demands and others made them happen. He never worried about the risks when he’d ordered the deaths of the remaining Seers on Niotian soil or how difficult it was to kidnap Doctor Fry without leaving a trace. Jasper had made it all happen seamlessly. And now Cyrus blamed him, of all people, the moment he was forced to face reality.
I should have killed him when I had the chance.
Annabel had been right. As Head of the Guard, he would have had time and the means to maneuver behind the scenes. He could have killed Cyrus and pointed the investigation elsewhere, but no. He thought he could control it all, keep his position of power and get close to Annabel once again.
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