He glanced at the bars of the cell and growled. How had it come to this? He was a fighter. He never backed down, never gave up, but here he was in a cage—useless. If he had to wait much longer to talk to someone, he might try punching a hole in the wall to tunnel out. He had to get out of here.
He drew in a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax. This was the smart play. He trusted Brock. He’d tried to sabotage Jasper’s arrest. If Jasper wanted to be with Annabel again, he’d need to stay and plan. That started with a conversation with Brock, but how much should he say?
A relationship with a member of the ruling family might earn him a raised eyebrow and, knowing Brock, a smug grin, but the news of the first Tavian Seer would test his allegiance. A Seer would change the way the entire Guard fought. It would mean more aggressive missions with fewer casualties. They wouldn’t have to abide by the treaty anymore. If it had been anyone other than Annabel, Jasper would have taken the Seer into custody himself. He couldn’t take that risk of exposing her.
The less he’d have to tell Brock, the better… whenever Brock came. There were plenty of reasons why Brock hadn’t come yet, but it didn’t change the coiling tension in Jasper’s chest as he waited. Needing a diversion, he ran through the scenarios. His options were few. He couldn’t kill Cyrus now. Even with Brock leading the investigation, he couldn’t cover up all the evidence if he were to somehow get out and kill him.
Annabel’s plan to pit Tobin against Cyrus wasn’t practical. It wasn’t a plan at all; it was nothing more than a vision: if she could convince Cyrus to take Tobin, if Tobin were to be successfully captured, if she could compromise his restraints before Cyrus tortured him, if Tobin really killed him instead of thinking about his own escape. There were too many pitfalls and not enough substance to expect any of it would succeed.
His thoughts circled around themselves, but they kept returning to one thing. The longer he was in here, the more danger Annabel was in. Brock wouldn’t know to watch out for her, and there was nowhere she could run from Cyrus.
I should have killed him when I had the chance!
Jasper kicked the cell bars, sending an echoing clang through the cavern.
All that time he spent in service of the Guard, all that work, all the ignored comments about his dark hair, the questions about his ability to lead as a genetic Variant. And then there was that night—the longest night of his life. One night, six assassins. He’d kept Cyrus alive in exchange for the Head of the Guard position. One setback and apparently Cyrus had forgotten their agreement.
The urge to punch something came over him, and he flexed his hands. He had done nothing wrong. His arrest was a sham to make Cyrus feel better. Jasper had never allowed himself to be a scapegoat, and he wouldn’t start now. He’d kill Cyrus just as soon as he could figure out a way to do it.
A metallic clang echoed from the corridor: the outer security gate. Heavy footsteps approached. Either it would be Cyrus, and Jasper’s life would be over. Or it would be Brock, and he could make some headway. Two possibilities. Very different outcomes. Jasper stood tall even though pain from his abdomen threatened to buckle his knees.
Brock emerged from the shadows, and Jasper breathed a sigh of relief. His buzzed white hair had grown in slightly, giving his head a strange glow, but Jasper’s gaze was drawn to the gold eagle emblem on his chest.
“Hey, boss,” he said, approaching his cell. “Funny seeing you in here.”
“I’m not your boss anymore, Commander Moret.” Jasper tilted his chin at the new rank. “And I was beginning to worry I wouldn’t see you here at all.”
Brock’s jaw went slack. “The paperwork and the meetings. They never end, and I swear I’m going to lock Adrian in his room if he comes to me with one more thing to sign. I don’t know how you do it, but I can’t wait until this is your job again.”
He leaned on the bars, casting a weary gaze at Jasper. “You gonna tell me what happened? I know you checked the message for the warrant alert. Why didn’t you get out of Octavius?”
Jasper sighed. “There wasn’t enough time.”
Brock raised his eyebrows. “We both know that isn’t true.”
It didn’t sit right with him to lie to Brock. He chose his next words carefully. “I needed more time to make all the arrangements.” That part was true. He’d need to figure out a way to conceal Annabel’s implant before they could escape.
Brock nodded as his eyebrows pulled together. “We’ve been in worse positions than this, and you’ve saved my life more times than I can count. We’ll figure this out.” He shrugged his square shoulders. “You may not even have to escape at all.”
Jasper frowned. “Why’s that?”
“Remy Sacarro’s sniffing around.” Brock smirked.
Jasper launched himself from the wall and clung to the bars. He possessed evidence that had kept the other Elites in check for over two years, but the Niotians had attacked the Tavians on their own soil. For them, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, but they wouldn’t distinguish between Cyrus and Annabel. She might be dead long before Jasper could escape. “Brock, you need to get me out of here.”
“That’s what I told Remy,” Brock replied. “He wants the Guard’s allegiance before they make a move. I made it clear that the Guard is loyal to you. He wants to talk to you.”
Jasper’s muscles tensed, threatening to rip his wound open. “Remy’s a snake. We can’t trust him.”
“He said you’d say that, but he’s waiting to talk to you. He thinks you two can make a deal. He’s got to be better than Cyrus.”
He wasn’t, but Brock didn’t know why. Jasper rubbed his jaw. There wasn’t a deal he could make that wouldn’t end in Annabel’s death. “I need you to know something.” He paused. Less was more. “Annabel…”
Brock frowned. “What about Annabel?”
Talking about it felt wrong—like treason—but he didn’t have another choice. “I couldn’t leave until I had made arrangements for her. She and I, we’re…”
Brock’s eyes bulged. “You? Her?” A smirk turned into a grin. “You and her.” He chuckled quietly. “I’d started to wonder if you were a robot, but you stayed—for her?”
Jasper raised an eyebrow and glared. “Are you finished?”
“Yes, sir.” Brock choked off his laughter, but the traces of a smile remained.
“Her implant is too closely monitored. I couldn’t get her out in time.”
“She wanted to go with you?” he asked, beaming.
Jasper glowered.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“You have to watch out for her, Brock. Remy will want all the Renauds dead so there’s no controversy. I’ve got to make arrangements to hide her,” Jasper explained. “But right now, her implant would lead you right to us.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for her, boss,” Brock replied. “And I’ll stick Adrian on researching how we can conceal her implant from the system without anyone knowing—he needs a project. It’s going to be tough, though. Cyrus has some grand plans he’s got me working on.”
Annabel’s mission.
“Does it have something to do with Kalos?” Jasper asked as evenly as he could.
Brock rubbed the stubble on his head. “He wants to reassemble the kidnapping team to raid Nios and take him, but that’s not even the crazy part. He’s ordering the kill teams in as well. He knows the Elites will see this as an opportunity to overthrow him, and he thinks starting a war with Nios will stop them. He wants anyone with power killed.”
Annabel had convinced him, but that didn’t mean Jasper was hopeful. The plan was still insane, and only Cyrus would want to send precision teams for mass casualties.
I’m going to kill him. All I need is a chance.
But he might never get his chance. He was caged. Useless. He couldn’t do anything now but wait for others to make their move.
Who better than a Seer?
He shut his eyes. If it had been anyone other than Annabel, he woul
dn’t have hesitated to use the Seer. He didn’t want that future for her, but it was here. Even if no one could know, maybe he needed to trust her. Maybe they needed to act on her visions.
“You said he wants Kalos taken alive?” Jasper asked.
Brock nodded. This mission defied logic, but Remy was circling outside, Cyrus was staying true to his maniacal self, and everyone else was caught in the crossfire. Annabel’s plan was his only hope. “I think you should do it.”
Brock stared at him, stunned. “You think I should send the teams to Nios?”
“Any ruler of Octavius will want you to pursue Kalos after what he did. Remy’s no exception. You can send them now or send them later, but you will eventually have to send them,” Jasper reasoned.
“Fine. I’ll send them later,” Brock said flatly, as if the answer should have been obvious. “More time means more planning.”
He was right, but if they waited, Annabel might be killed. Jasper approached the cell bars. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“You need to send the teams now,” Jasper said, fully aware he had no right to make demands.
Brock’s voice was oddly quiet for a man his size. “How would you play it?”
The reservations were written all over Brock’s face, but his shoulders were pulled back. He’d do it. He would send guards on this mission purely because Jasper had told him to do it. The weight of that trust settled heavily on Jasper’s shoulders, but he had to trust in the Seer visions. They were all he had left.
“Solidify your leadership. There will be some who challenge you and others who scramble to get into your good graces.” Jasper shook his head. “Neither are good during an operation. They follow your orders. Nothing more. Nothing less. They are only one part of a larger mission. If they go off script for any reason, they answer to you—and make it clear that they don’t want to answer to you.”
Brock straightened to his full height. “I can do that.”
Jasper nodded. “You led the kidnapping mission for Doctor Fry. You know how to get in and move through Nios undetected. Rely on that knowledge.”
Brock’s black eyes brightened. It wasn’t the specific instructions Jasper suspected he had wanted, but it was what he needed to hear.
“You’ve got a lot of planning to do, Commander,” Jasper said with a hint of a smile. “I suggest you call a strategy session.”
Brock’s lips twitched upward. “We’ve been in worse situations than this. I hope you’re right about this, boss.”
As Brock left, Jasper replied, “Me too.”
Chapter 30
Nora ran after Sophia to Tobin’s room.
He was sitting in his bed with his feet dangling over the side, pulling at the cords and electrodes stuck to his chest. He glared at his father with such a dark expression it made her shiver.
Niko’s eyes were just as dark. They looked like two bears about to attack each other.
She rushed around his father and placed a hand on his good shoulder to ease him back into bed. “I’m here.”
The muscles beneath her hand were rock hard, and he didn’t stop glowering at Niko, but he followed her lead and lay back in the bed. His hand reached up to find hers.
Sophia stepped forward. “You need your rest, Tobin.” She eyed Niko icily. “And clearly seeing you again has come as a shock to your father. We’ll leave for a little while. Maybe we can come back when Lydia finishes her classes for the day.”
Niko grunted. “He’s been gone for five years. That’s a pretty long rest.”
Sophia’s deep brown eyes turned fierce.
“Fine,” he said, backing away. “We’ll let you get some rest.”
He stormed from the room, and Sophia smiled at Nora before following him.
Tobin squeezed Nora’s hand. “You’re okay.”
“Me?” She laughed. “Yeah. I’m fine. You, on the other hand, stormed into Octavius and nearly got yourself killed.”
Smirking, he shrugged. “Worth it.”
She shook her head, but a smile escaped anyway. “And you were going to walk out of here just now?”
“Maybe.” He peeled the bandage away and pointed to a thin scratch along his chest. It was barely noticeable among all the other wounds, but it was unusually straight. “Broken bones are handled a little differently here. They’re bonded back together with a growth agent. I already have full use again. Pain should be gone in a couple days.”
She traced the cut. Nios was, indeed, a strange place.
“You look tired,” he whispered. Her eyes met his. Their light had returned, making her heart flutter.
“C’mon,” he said, scooting over in his bed and holding up the covers.
“No! I don’t care if your bones are healed. There’s still cuts and bruises and—and…”
With a huff, he sat up in front of her and pulled her close. “I’m okay. This stuff used to happen to me all the time.”
She groaned. “Maybe it’s better I don’t remember any of it.”
He chuckled, his ab muscles tightening beneath her. “You weren’t normally there to see me before the doctors could fix me up. It wasn’t so bad.” He pulled away, looking her over. “You really should get some rest.”
She bit her lip. “I probably shouldn’t be in your bed. I don’t think your dad likes me all that much, and he’s terrifying.”
He shrugged. “I don’t see it.”
“Seriously?” She raised her eyebrows. “He had me shaking the second he walked in.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he talks a big game, but anyone who knows him knows my mom is the boss. And you should see him with my sister, Lydia. She’s got to be close to graduating from the academy, but she’ll always be his little princess. He’ll calm down. I promise.”
He had a sister, a whole family. Her parents were dead, and as far as she knew Henry was the only family she had left. “Why did you do it?”
“I would have always come for you,” he replied, his voice deepening.
“No. I mean, why did you leave? You have a family—”
“You’re my family.” He glanced out the window with a distant look. “When you left, I knew the council had forced you to do it. I couldn’t fight for them after that. I resigned my position as Head of the Guard, but that just meant more time at home—where everything reminded me of you. Everyone expected me to eventually move on. I couldn’t, so I left, too.”
His gaze returned to her. “At the cabin. When you couldn’t remember me, I thought it was going to kill me. You were still you—the way you moved, how you spoke, it was the same. To see that you honestly had no idea who I was—who we were—nothing was more painful than that. I kept trying to convince myself that you weren’t my Nora anymore. It didn’t work. Even then, I still loved you. I always have, and I always will.”
She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his, and he kissed her with all the passion from before, but there was so much more—pain from the past, hope for the future.
Love.
A deeper love than she’d ever thought possible. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself into his lap. “I love you, too.”
One of his shoulders gave out—his injured shoulder, and he hissed.
“Oh no!” She scrambled off his lap. “I’m so sorry. I’ll call the nurse.”
“No, wait,” he said, laughing and wrapping his hands around her waist. “You can’t hurt me, Nora. Not like this, anyway. Look, no blood. It’s fine.”
She bit her lip and glanced at the door. She should still get a nurse.
He kissed the tip of her nose and whispered, “Come to bed.”
How could she ever refuse him? She slipped off her shoes and snuggled into his chest. His slow, deep breaths were a comfort, but her mind still spun. Gideon. The investigation. As long as she was in Nios, she might never be able to calm down.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice soothing and quiet.
“Is it that obvious?”
He chuckled, his chest shaking. “Yes.”
“It’s just this place. We spent all this time trying to get here, and I’m not sure I’m really safe.”
“You’re safe,” he replied quickly. “I won’t let the Tavians hurt you.”
Tavians? She hadn’t even thought of them since she’d left Octavius.
“No. Not them,” she said, propping herself up on her elbow. He looked up at her, an arm behind his head, completely at ease, gorgeous as ever.
“You know what?” she asked. “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
He raised his eyebrows, a smile revealing his dimples. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I realized something in that dungeon,” she said, studying the flecks of green in his eyes. “Life is too short, and I already can’t remember most of mine. I want to live in the moment—this moment—with you. Let’s make new memories.”
His arms tightened around her, pulling her down. He rolled over her. “I’m all for that.”
He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her until she was out of breath.
The door burst open, and Charlotte shouted, “Well, Hawthorne is going to make this difficult— Oh goodness!”
Nora scrambled out from underneath Tobin, her cheeks burning.
Tobin rolled onto his elbow. “Hey, Charlotte.”
She had covered her eyes. “I—I didn’t realize I was interrupting. I…”
“What happened?” he asked, refocusing her.
“Oh. Right. It’s Councilman Hawthorne. Really, he’s just mad that no one consulted him before bringing Nora back to Nios, but now he’s alleging corruption! He’s saying that we deliberately impeded governmental transparency by pushing Nora’s asylum through in the middle of the night. He’s calling for an emergency session.”
The list of people lining up against her was growing by the minute, and they weren’t just anyone. Gideon and Hawthorne had the power to take her life away again. How could Charlotte have thought she’d be able to stand up to all this?
The Seers Page 24
