by Meg Xuemei X
They had both made it clear that they wouldn’t give up on her. Lucienne felt no glory but apprehension and a sense of doom. She would end up hurting them both no matter which direction she went.
“And you, Blazek,” she shook her head in disgust, “serve only your own selfish interest by taking advantage of naïve girls. You’ve created a mess for everyone.”
“My only selfish interest is you,” Vladimir said. “I didn’t take advantage of Violet. She was using me to get her boyfriend back. We just happen to have a mutual interest. She’s hardly naïve. And I haven’t fooled around with any girl since the day I met you.” His stubborn jaw was set like stone. “I’ll do whatever it takes to secure a future for myself—for us.”
And at the risk of losing me by going too far? She held Vladimir’s gaze. Raw fear and agony wheeled in his eyes, as if he read her silent message. She turned to Ashburn. “We can bring Violet back to Sphinxes.”
“I’ll deliver her safely to her boyfriend,” Vladimir said eagerly.
Lucienne knew Vladimir’s intention—to send Violet back to Sphinxes so Ashburn would be too distracted to pursue his real love interest.
“She wouldn’t come if I can’t be with her the way she wants,” Ashburn told Lucienne. “As you said, I can’t force my feelings. I only feel that way toward you. If she comes here, she’ll hate you more if she sees I’m with you.”
A murderous fire ignited in Vladimir’s eyes.
Lucienne sighed. This was the worst time for either of them to confess their affections for her. “You’ll keep her safe for the time being, Vlad,” she said. “If a single hair of hers is hurt, that’s on you.”
“Now I’m her keeper?” Vladimir asked with displeasure. “My final plan is—”
“Your plan backfired,” Lucienne snapped. “You should have thought of it before you got yourself into a mess, as you usually do. She’s your responsibility until it’s time for Ashburn to retrieve her.”
“Fine,” Vladimir said. “I’ll keep her safe for him, but he’d better make up his mind and come get her soon.”
“That’s it?” Ashburn growled at Lucienne. “You let him off the hook so easily?”
Oh, God. Lucienne pressed her temples hard. Would they ever give her a break? She whipped around to face Ashburn. “What do you expect me to do?” Ashburn blinked in surprise, obviously not used to Lucienne arching her back and snarling at him like a feline. “Shoot him and get it over with?” she snapped, turning to point at a smirking Vladimir. He immediately dropped his grin and put on a docile expression.
“I’m not as violent as he is,” Ashburn said. “But at least you can do something—like banning him from ever coming near you.”
“Ban me?” Vladimir roared. “I’ve already lost thousands of invaluable hours with Lucia because of you.”
“He’s slick, that one.” Ashburn gritted his teeth. “He did the wrong thing and yet managed to turn things around and get you against me.”
“Who’s got millions of dirty tricks in mind?” Vladimir said.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy yelling the whole night,” Lucienne said, “and killing each other in the process, for all I care.” She was the Siren. She had a new nation forming under her, yet she couldn’t handle two boys and her own feelings. She stormed toward the stairs in a mist of tears. “I’m leaving.”
“Wait, Lucia,” Ashburn called, “I’ll give you a ride.” He hurried toward his machine.
Vladimir moved like a blur and gathered Lucienne into his arms before she reached the staircase. “Shush,” he murmured in her ear. “I’ll behave, láska. I’m sorry I put you through this. Don’t leave yet.”
Exhausted, Lucienne rested her forehead on his shoulder, and Vladimir wrapped an arm around her waist possessively.
Spike floated in the air beside Lucienne, with Ashburn on it looking mightily unhappy. “Lucienne,” he said in a tight voice. “We must go. Your guards are coming.”
Vladimir cursed. “He must have told them we’re here.”
“You know Kian also keeps track of you after South Russia,” Ashburn told Lucienne. “He needs to know your whereabouts at all times. You can imagine how he reacted when he realized you’d left the Red Mansion without guards, and you can image how the guards reacted—”
“Is McQuillen also coming?” Vladimir asked.
It would be messy if the men saw her with Vladimir. They hated him. Only Kian and she knew about Vladimir’s covert mission and they had to keep it a secret for his safety. Coming to see her was a big risk for him.
Lucienne pressed her palm against Vladimir’s face before pulling away. She didn’t care how Ashburn would take this. And she ignored the cramps in her stomach caused by the Lure’s punishment, but felt guilty when she noticed Ashburn grimacing in pain.
The Lure always doubled its dose on him to show its displeasure when one of them refused to come together.
“I need to go,” she said. “And you, too.”
Vladimir nodded. The pang in his eyes made Lucienne’s heart ache. He brushed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll come back to you with Nexus Tear, love.” Then he let her go.
“Hop on,” Ashburn said sharply.
Lucienne swung her leg. Before she could settle comfortably on Spike, the lighted machine shot toward the door.
The painful spasms in Lucienne’s stomach stopped. The Lure urged her to wrap her hands around Ashburn’s waist.
Vladimir chased out of the door and shouted, “Know your place, Ashburn Fury. Keep her safe. Or I’ll—” the rest of his desperate words were lost in the night, wind, and distance.
Lucienne heard Ashburn sneer.
Spike soared into the sky toward the pale moon, its force field blocking the wind and cold air.
Beneath Lucienne were hazy colors and flowing lights of traffic. The Hungarian café dropped out of the sight in the nightly shadows of Chicago.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
On the white mansion’s rooftop, Lucienne listened to the sound of the waves rolling against the cliff underneath.
Her heart was pounding. Soon she would have to make a choice between Vladimir and Ashburn. She wouldn’t let them hang from a thread forever. The further they went, the worse the end. She must be cruel to one of them in order to save them both—and herself.
A swim of light and shadow passed the rising sun above the silver ocean and flew in her direction. After his routine patrol, Ashburn would come to have breakfast with her most mornings. The sunroom was filled with sparkling sunlight, soft music, and the dreamy sweetness of the blossoms.
But after he left, Lucienne often felt guilty and more confused, which dimmed the time she spent with him. Worse, it grew harder for her not to feel more for Ash every day. Despite that she promised Vladimir she wouldn’t betray him again.
“Hello.” Ashburn landed beside her with a dazzling smile.
He dressed in gray, a poetic sight against the forest of red maple trees behind him.
Lucienne’s heart ached even as she hardened it.
“Ash,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” He stepped off Spike and moved toward her. “Why are your eyes all puffy and red?”
Lucienne hoped her heart stopped this second so she didn’t have to break his.
Ashburn brushed a lock of her hair from her eyes. Even such a small, casual gesture from him would arouse feelings in her.
She sunk her nail into her palms. It drew blood, and she used the sting to stop herself from going to him and pressing her face against his chin.
“Ash, I—” She inhaled and exhaled. “—we can’t go on like this.”
A shade coated the bright silver in his eyes. His hand dropped from her cheek. “Like what?”
“We can’t act as if we’re together,” she said, looking past his shoulder into the distance. “I—I must keep my vow to Vladimir.” As soon as she said that, a piercing pain exploded from the center of her heart, spreading to her limbs.
She grabbed th
e rail.
Was the Lure punishing her, or did the excruciating pain come from the depth of her soul? Her heart couldn’t
be broken again because it was still picking up the pieces ever since her loyal warriors had perished and Vladimir left her.
Or did she have two hearts so the spare could also be ripped out, one for each man?
“He’s your first love.” Ashburn stepped back, his expression closed. “I can never compete with that.” He sighed, thick emotion back in his eyes. “I won’t pressure you to choose me over him. But you’ll always be my light.”
“Ash,” she stepped toward him, “I can’t give you what a woman gives to a man, but I can give you the love of a loyal friend.”
Ashburn put a hand in the air to stop her from advancing further toward him. Lucienne halted, feeling a biting hurt.
“What I don’t want, TimeDust forces on me,” he said, “What I need, I can never have. That’s my lot in life.”
He sounded so dismayed and defeated, as if he thought he meant nothing to her. Lucienne wanted to protest, but soothing words were empty wind to a crushed heart.
She dropped her eyes, unable to look at him.
“I’ll be leaving Sphinxes for a while,” he said, his voice was empty and distant.
“You can’t just leave, Ash!” And she swallowed the words, You can’t just leave me as Vladimir once did. You know what it would do to me.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll not shut you out. I’ll return when I have the code you need.”
Lucienne felt like she was being whipped. He thought she only wanted to keep him around to decode TimeDust.
She stood like a marble statue. The wind flapped her hair, filling her head with harsh coldness.
“Don’t leave,” she finally said, her voice sounding pathetic, misery in her ears.
He gave her a pained look.
Go to him. Unmake your choice, said a voice in her head.
“I have to,” he said. “Do not come look for me. I need time to myself.”
“Ash—”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, pain filling his face. “I was doing fine by myself before I met you.” He pulled Spike into the air, swaying as if suffering from severe pain, his silhouette soon disappearing amid the forest of flaming red leaves and the white clouds and blue sky.
In his absence, Lucienne alone drank the wrath of the Lure.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Three days passed, and Ashburn didn’t return.
Lucienne had her breakfast in the sunroom alone. Aida handed her a glass of almond milk. “The guards are here to fetch you. You forgot the meeting with Kian and the generals.” The nanny sighed. “I hope sometimes they will just leave you alone.”
The generals’ meeting was held in the underground conference room. Admiral Enberg, General Fairchild, Director Pyon and all the high-ranking officers were present.
Lucienne, in a white dress, settled in the seat at the head of the table. Kian sat next to her. She didn’t look out of place amid the uniformed officers, even though most of them were three times her age.
“We go to war in a week,” General Fairchild said. “Surprise is key.”
Vladimir had found where the Sealers were guarding Nexus Tear. Ziyi’s team also nailed the coordinates of their headquarters.
The enemy’s headquarters was in a ballistic missile submarine called Rose in international waters.
Lucienne wondered why the Sealers named the ship Rose. Bayrose’s name flitted into her mind, but she brushed it aside. The girl was an elder’s daughter. No matter how important he was, the Sealers wouldn’t seriously name their command ship after his daughter.
“Hologram,” Admiral Enberg ordered, and a global map beamed into existence. “Our warships and a nuclear submarine have set out. They’ll be waiting here.” He jabbed a finger on the spot that marked the South Pacific Ocean. “At the arrival of our air force, we’ll strike Rose, her three battle cruisers, and an operational command ship at zero three hundred hours.”
“Meanwhile,” Lucienne said, “my team and I will enter Lemuria to retrieve Nexus Tear.”
The room lapsed into silence.
According to Vladimir’s intel, Lemuria was the Sealers’ temple at the edge of the Polynesian Triangle.
General Fairchild coughed. “I don’t think it’s wise our Siren should take such a risk.”
“Our special task force will get the bio weapon for you, Siren,” said Admiral Enberg.
Lucienne had led everyone, save Kian, to think that Nexus Tear was a bio weapon.
“And then we’ll bomb the temple to rubble,” Fairchild added.
The officers nodded in agreement.
Whenever she proposed venturing out of Sphinxes herself, the men all acted as if they were going to have a panic attack. But she wouldn’t allow them to lock her in the tower.
“I must go in person,” she said. “The weapon is sensitive. Only I can harness it. I’ll have no more debate on this.”
Before anyone could object again, Kian said, “The Siren will go in person this time.”
“Then we’ll send a battalion ahead,” General Fairchild said.
“The numbers won’t make a difference,” said Director Pyon of S.I.D. “Dragonfly has scanned every inch of Polynesia. As odd as it is, the Temple of Lemuria is guarded by only a few armed forces.” He shot a purposeful glance at Lucienne.
She wondered how much he knew about Nexus Tear.
“I need only my regular team,” she said. “The Sealers wouldn’t expect us to raid their temple. When our major force hits them from the sky and the sea, their least concern will be Lemuria.”
“A company of marine task force units will be added to your team,” said Kian.
Admiral Enberg nodded. “At least a company.”
“Director Pyon,” Lucienne asked, “do you have updates on our friend Schmidt?”
“Not yet, but we will soon find him,” Pyon said coldly, “and when we do, he’ll wish he were never born.”
~
“Dragonfly can’t locate Ash,” Ziyi said. The girl was antsy.
“He must be in the Rabbit Hole,” Lucienne said.
Ashburn was hiding from her and the world. Seraphen once told her only within the Rabbit Hole could Ashburn have pure silence—the zillions of strangers’ thoughts and memories ceasing to exist in his mind. It was as if the noises vanished into another timeline.
“For the whole week?” Ziyi asked. “What is he thinking? Doesn’t he know we’re going to war? Does he even care?”
Lucienne didn’t know whether Ash still cared. He might have removed the tag on her and let memories of her sink into the background noises.
He didn’t have access to her memories so he would never know that she had to break one heart instead of two. But when she chose to break his, hers was also smashed.
“If he comes back,” Lucienne said, “take good care of him.”
“You know I will.” Ziyi pouted. “But do you really have to take on another Mission Impossible?”
“It’s too late for me now,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “When we first became friends, you said I chose a hazardous profession.” She ruffled her Chinese friend’s purple hair fondly. “You weren’t wrong about that.”
Lucienne left with her team.
~
Lucienne stepped off a military vehicle after Duncan and Thaddeus in her camouflage wetsuit.
The rest of the task force was already waiting for her at Sphinxes’ air force base. Two-thirds of the team wore enhanced wetsuits and carried underwater firearms in addition to their automatic rifles, ready to go into the Temple of Lemuria with her. The aviation and logistic teams, led by Finley, would back them up and guarantee their safe exit.
Hundreds of fighters were taking off. Black Lightning Seven, commanded by Kian, flew on the front line. General Fairchild’s Poseidon, an anti-submarine jet that carried depth charges, brought up the rear.
T
he runway soon emptied, save for the three war jets that would carry Lucienne and her men.
Anxiety and excitement charged the air, but Lucienne felt serene as she strode toward the new Siren’s jet Valkyrie.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sphinxes’ air attack began in the sky above the South Pacific at exactly 0300.
Thunder echoed in the distance. Fire and lightning rolled across the horizon, reddening the sphere.
Lucienne and her team arrived at the coordinates. Razer, one of the jets, dropped off the scouts first. Then Lucienne and two-thirds of the marines dove into the dark water near the southern border of the Polynesian Triangle.
“Undersea cavern one hundred yards ahead,” Duncan reported a few minutes later.
The cave that rose thousands of feet from the ocean depths sat at the center of a ring of volcanoes. Lucienne prayed that they stayed dormant for a few more hours as she kicked her fins and followed the marines ahead.
She wanted to be the first to reach the Sealers’ temple, but the men insisted on keeping her in the middle of their protective ranks.
“Where is that Blazek dude?” she heard Thaddeus grunt through the radio.
“He should have been here by now,” Duncan said anxiously.
Her men didn’t trust Vladimir.
Right now, in the back of her mind, Lucienne also wondered whether he changed his mind and stood them up, or worse, set a trap. Her thoughts immediately shamed her. She had never doubted him before. What had changed?
The light from their gears’ signaling devices flashed.
“We’ve got company,” Duncan warned. “Three o’clock.”
The men spread out.
Adam sped up to Lucienne’s side while Thaddeus backpedalled toward her. She knew her cousin loved to be in the frontline, firing and cursing. He must care about her safety more.
The water vibrated.
Thaddeus, Adam, and two marines led her away from the shock wave. Lucienne didn’t feel much of the impact, thanks to her family’s weapons industries that made this wetsuit with all sorts of defensive functions.
