Vanish: A Firelight Novel

by Sophie Jordan

  And then it comes again.

  Without actually stopping, I listen, angling my face. Several twigs and leaves break beneath the pressure of something heavy. It’s no small animal. No squirrel running through the undergrowth. Not Cassian.

  The flesh at my nape quivers. I stop, hold my breath, and scan the ghostly shapes of the trees on every side of me. Releasing the breath I hold in my lungs, I ease down, squatting low, making myself as small as possible.

  My fingers graze the ground, preparing to push off, bolt if needed. My bones begin the familiar pull, skin straining, itching to fade out and make way for my tougher draki skin.

  The sound grows louder, stomping through the foliage.

  Holding myself still, shrinking small, I become part of the landscape as I wait.

  At last, I see the source of the noise.

  A magnificent black bear lumbers between two trees, his shiny nose snuffling low to the ground as he makes his way. The creature lifts his shiny dark head, ears perked, nostrils working as he sniffs me out, scenting the air. He detects me.

  With a huff the massive bear takes several aggressive steps in my direction. I rise to my feet, hold his stare, let him sense the animal in me . . . that I’m a creature like him, ready to fight back. He dips his head, ready to charge. Our stares lock for a breathless moment. Adrenaline pumps through me fast and hard.

  Suddenly there’s another sound. Cassian crashes through the trees, shouting my name as he arrives at my side. He grabs my hand. A rumbling growl erupts from Cassian’s chest. A quick glance at his face reveals that he’s half manifested. The vertical slits of his dragon eyes shudder with menace. His raw power feeds into me, makes me feel stronger. Together, we face the bear, a united front.

  A moment passes as the bear continues to size us up. With a grunt, his dark, intelligent eyes slide away. He turns and continues on his way, foraging for more interesting material. I breathe easier watching him depart, admiring the ripple of his muscles beneath his thick coat of fur, relieved that neither one of us had to destroy the beautiful animal.

  A smile curves my mouth as I turn to face Cassian. And that’s when I see Will. He stands just beyond us, watching us with a look I’ve never seen. Doubt. Hurt. It’s all there, passing over the carved lines of his face.

  I tug my hand free from Cassian and slide it against my thigh, as if I could rub out the sensation of his touch. “Will—” I stop myself just short of asking him how long he’s been standing there, watching us. That would sound guilty, and I’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing except hide the truth.

  Will points at Cassian. “How did you know she was in trouble? You were barely in the campsite for five seconds before you took off, shouting that Jacinda was in trouble . . . you knew. How?”

  I stare back and forth between Cassian and Will. Cassian looks at me, conveying that this is for me to explain.

  “Jacinda,” Will says my name with heavy emphasis, waiting for an answer. For the truth, as much as I don’t want it to be.

  Closing my eyes, I fill my lungs with air. I knew I would have to tell him what happened at some point. “Something happened when I went back home.”

  Wariness glimmers in Will’s eyes and I think he probably has a good idea of what I’m going to say. Or at least that he’s not going to like it. “What?”

  “They decided to clip my wings.”

  A muscle flickers in his jaw. “Did they hurt you?”

  I shake my head. “No, but Mom protested and they banished her.”

  “And? What else?” he prompts, knowing there’s more, that I’ve left out the hard part. “How come they didn’t go through with it and clip your wings?”

  I rush out with the rest, thinking the faster I say it, the better, the less painful. “They changed their minds when Cassian offered an alternative.”

  “An alternative?” Will no longer looks at me. He just locks gazes with Cassian. His profile hardens, as though he’s bracing himself.

  I swallow against the lump in my throat. “Yes. As an alternative . . . he suggested that we bond.”

  “Bond?” His gaze whips back to me. “As in marriage?”

  “For the draki, yes, it’s much the same thing.” Only the connection can be more, can run deeper than that, can link a couple emotionally. . . .

  None of this I say. Not yet. Let him digest one thing at a time.

  He swings around and walks a hard line, stopping near a tree. I stare helplessly at the rigid line of his back, jump as he suddenly moves, slamming his fist into the rough bark.

  I move forward, grip his arm with desperate fingers. “It was either a fake bonding or the wing clipping.” I take his hand, examine the torn and bleeding knuckles with a hiss. “Please understand, Will.”

  He blows a deep breath and nods slowly, turning around. “I understand. I do.” Only he doesn’t stare at me. He looks beyond my shoulder at Cassian. “And I don’t blame you, Jacinda. A fake bonding,” he echoes with a sharp nod of his head. “It’s not real.”

  My chest eases, feels less tight. Will understands. We’re going to be okay. We’re going to be fine. I believe this. Until Cassian’s deep voice intrudes and the smile slips from my lips.

  “Since you’ve started, why not tell him everything, Jacinda?”

  I glare at Cassian.

  “What are you leaving out?” Will asks, his fingers loosening around mine, and I hate that, hate that he’s pulling away from me.

  I snatch his hand back and tighten my hold. “Nothing. You know everything.” Everything that isn’t superstitious nonsense. Not every draki couple forms a connection. It’s not an absolute. Why should I bring it up? Just because I imagine that I have a better read on Cassian’s emotions lately? Just because he sensed I might be in danger?

  “He wanted to know how I knew you were in trouble. Tell him why, Jacinda.”

  Tension radiates from Will. He stands like a wire pulled tight, about to spring apart.

  “Some say—” I clear my throat. “Some believe that once a draki couple bond a . . . connection is formed.”

  “Connection?” Will cocks his head and something is inherently dangerous in the gesture, like he might spring into attack.

  “An emotional connection,” I elaborate.

  At first Will doesn’t speak, looks straight ahead at Cassian before he repeats, “Some believe? What do you believe? What’s true, Jacinda?”

  “Well, it’s different for everyone. Not—”

  “And how is it for the two of you?”

  I flinch at the lash of his voice. “It’s—” I want to lie. I don’t want to hurt him, but most of all I don’t want him to think that he and I are anything less than before I bonded to Cassian. Because it can’t be true.

  And yet I can’t lie. Not to Will.

  With a swallow, I admit, “Since the bonding . . . there is something there. I’ve been more attuned to Cassian.”

  Will nods slowly and edges away from me.

  “What are you doing?” I demand with a touch of panic as he begins walking away from me.

  Oh, hell, no. I haven’t gone through everything just so he can quit on us now. I turn on Cassian. “Are you happy?”

  Cassian shakes his head, and what infuriates me even more is the pity I read in his eyes. “He had to be told. I’m sorry, Jac—”

  “Don’t,” I bite out. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity. Will and I are going to be fine.”

  With that declaration, I take off after Will. He’s walking fast, cutting a swift path through the trees.

  “Hey! You know there’s a bear out here somewhere,” I shout in warning.

  He doesn’t respond.

  “Will! Where are you going?”

  I race to keep up with him. Grabbing his arm, I’m prepared to force him around when he whirls to face me.

  “What am I supposed to do, Jacinda?” he explodes. “Wear a smile on my face knowing you’ve bonded with Cassian and, oh, by the way, that pretty much m
eans you’re automatically in love with him?”

  “That’s not what I said!” I flap my arms. “That’s not true!”

  “Why don’t you explain it to me then?” He crosses his arms over his broad chest. “What else does emotionally connected mean?”

  “Well, I would explain it if you weren’t being such a jerk!” I jab him in the chest.

  He stares down at me for a long moment. A smile plays on his mouth. “Okay. Explain.”

  “Since we’ve bonded I’ve just had a better read on him . . . I can sometimes sense, feel what he’s feeling. That’s it. That’s all.”

  “You go around feeling what he’s feeling all the time?”

  “Well, only the really intense emotions. Not every little thing.”

  He still looks uncertain, so I step closer and soften my voice, trace my fingers along his tense forearm. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  He steps back and drops his arms, severing our contact.

  I won’t let him retreat from me. We’ve come too far. I’ll fight for us even if it’s him I have to fight. “It doesn’t affect how I feel for you. Are you going to let it affect how you feel?”

  He looks down at me, his gaze a dark glitter in the night. I can’t read him. I step close, brush his hand with mine, just the slightest graze of our fingers . . . testing.

  His pinky finger loops with mine and the breath I’d been holding escapes in a hush, the ache in my heart easing a bit.

  “I’m here,” I remind. “With you. I left Cassian with the pride. He wasn’t part of my escape plan, remember?”

  Will sighs and drags a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I know. God, Jacinda, I’m just ready for us to be together . . . with nothing getting in the way.”

  I step into his arms. “We are. From now on. We’re not going to be apart ever again. We’re going to break Miram out and then it’ll be the two of us.”

  “The two of us. That’d be nice.”

  I exhale in relief, the insane urge to cry coming over me. Until now I didn’t realize just how worried I was that he’d turn his back on me for good when I told him the truth. It confirms everything I ever thought about him, validates that this is right. Him. Us.

  We stand together, clinging to each other for several minutes. Two honks finally draw us apart.

  “Tamra,” I guess.

  “All right. Let’s go.” Will takes my hand and leads me to the waiting car.

  “Did you two make up?” Tamra asks when we’re back inside. Either she heard the shouting or Cassian caught her up to speed.

  “We’re fine,” I say, sending Tamra a warning look to drop the subject.

  “We’re good,” Will adds, looking meaningfully at Cassian.

  Cassian stares back unperturbed.

  “Good.” Tamra nods. “Let’s get going. The sooner we rescue the little witch, the sooner we’re free.”

  I don’t bother asking free from what. Or from whom. For Tamra it’s become all the same. The pride. Cassian.

  Soon we’re moving back down the highway, plunging headlong into the sunrise.

  Chapter 28

  Several hours later, after we’ve ditched Will’s car for a van that’s seen better days, I shoot a glance over my shoulder at Cassian and Tamra asleep in the back, lying on blankets they spread out on the rusted and dented floor.

  “How much longer?” I whisper.

  “Maybe tomorrow night. If we drive through and don’t stop.”

  “Good.”

  The floorboard rumbles beneath the soles of my shoes and I curl my knees to my chest. Shifting on the torn vinyl seat, I try not to miss the comfortable seat of Will’s Land Rover. It’s only temporary. We parked his car at a truck stop, ready for us to reclaim after we rescue Miram.

  Sighing, I lean my head back on the headrest. The sooner we do this, the sooner Miram and Cassian go home. The sooner Will, Tamra, and I can find Mom and start over someplace else. I stare through the window, almost relieved to see the clear night all around us. No perpetual mist.

  Will reaches for my hand. His thumb traces the inside of my wrist. Sparks ignite up my arm from the simple touch. We share a heated look, and I know he feels it, too. Slipping a glance over my shoulder at the sleeping pair in the back, I acknowledge it might be a while before we have some privacy, and this bothers me. We’re heading into danger. We might not make it out.

  As though he senses my doubts, he says, “I’ve done the drop before with my father. It’s easy enough getting in.”

  “It’s not getting in I’m worried about.”

  “We’ll get out. They’ll never suspect a hunter ever wanting to break a draki out. We drop, we get paid, we leave.” He nods once, and I’m not sure whether he believes what he’s saying or not. “We’ll escape. And then we’ll be together. Without Cassian.”

  The headlights of an oncoming car light up Will’s face. If his words weren’t enough, his intense expression drives home for me that he might not blame me for the bonding, but he’s not at peace with it either. He’ll never be at peace until Cassian’s back with the pride and I’m . . . not.

  “I told you it’s not real.”

  “I know. You were forced into it. It means nothing.” He brings my hand to his lips for a tender kiss. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

  “Sure you’re not too tired to drive?”

  “Cassian offered to take the wheel for a while. I’ll wake him in an hour.”

  Closing my eyes, I’m convinced I can never sleep.

  That’s my last thought.

  A firm hand on my shoulder shakes me into consciousness. I jerk, looking around, every muscle tense, ready to defend, run, fly.

  “We’re here,” Will says.

  When did I become so guarded, so braced for attack? I don’t try to figure it out. Just tell myself this is good for the events to come.

  I look left and right. We sit parked on a narrow dirt road, trees all around. Tamra leans forward between us and echoes my thoughts. “There’s nothing here.”

  Will cocks his head. “You didn’t think I’d drive to the front gates and honk, did you?”

  Tamra snorts. “Well, show us then, fearless leader.”

  I look almost in bewilderment at my sister. She acts like this is nothing. As if we’re just out for the day, cruising the countryside or something.

  Will steps from the van. Cassian’s already outside, holding his face up to the breeze like he’s scenting the air. I guess he probably is.

  Will opens the back doors of the van and throws aside the blanket covering an array of weaponry. I’d already seen the arsenal when we switched vehicles, but the sight still makes me inhale sharply.

  Cassian immediately starts handling weapons, deciding which one to take, and I watch, amazed as he and Will revert to guy talk over the variety of guns, knives and bows, weighing the pros and cons like old comrades.

  Tamra and I roll our eyes at each other.

  After a few moments, I clear my throat. “Are we going in there guns blazing or something?”

  “Yeah,” Tamra agrees. “I thought this was just supposed to be a surveillance run first. So we can get a feel for the place.”

  “It is. This is just a precaution.” Will straps an ankle holster beneath his jean leg, slipping a gun inside. I shiver a little at his smooth movements, reminded that he’s done this before. Cassian follows suit, and I stop myself from asking whether he even knows how to shoot a gun. They’re not part of our life in the pride. But something stops me. For once, the guys are in accord. I don’t want to ruin that.

  Will selects four binoculars and hands one to each of us. He gives me a wink. “We’ll look over the layout for now, and then come up with our strategy.”

  Slamming the doors shut, he leads us off the road. Tall grass snags at my jeans as we move through the shadows of trees, almost like grasping hands trying to stop us.

  The air is colder here than even I’m used to, and I snuggle into my fleece jacket.
For the first time in my life I might actually need a parka.

  The trees begin to thin. Will holds up a hand. We stop. “From here we crawl,” he says, nodding ahead to where there’s nothing but a sloping field. “They have lookouts. They’re always watching. Even when you can’t see them. We don’t need to be spotted.”

  My skin is tight and prickly as we crawl on our hands and knees, moving downhill. We finally stop, perched on a rise. Below, a small town sits nestled in a valley.

  “What is this place?” Tamra asks, peering out with her binoculars.

  “Crescent Valley,” Will answers. “Population: nine hundred and seventy-eight.”

  “It looks dead,” Cassian observes.

  “Pretty much,” Will agrees, gesturing to the picturesque valley below. “The grocery store. Crescent Valley School—all grade levels in one building. The community hall. Joel’s Bar and Grill. Antonio’s over there serves a decent pizza. I’ve waited there when my dad and uncle made drops. No more than two can drop off. And there, see that big building? That’s the number one employer in town—CVMS. Crescent Valley Medical Suppliers.”

  I survey the innocuous sprawling factory of dingy white rock. Less innocuous is the high fence with its winding ropes of barbed wire along the top. A uniformed guard stands at a gatehouse. It’s the only way in or out that I can detect. The vast parking lot is half full, dotted with cars.

  “They sell mostly medical supplies. Stuff used in your standard doctor’s office. Syringes. Some surgical equipment.”

  “This is the enkros stronghold?” Cassian asks. “It’s a front?”

  “Yes,” Will answers, his lips pressing into a grim line. He gestures to the entire valley with his hand. “All of it is. The whole town. Everyone is connected or related to someone who works there.”

  My skin hums itchy-hot, heart hammering in my chest as I look down at the valley, at the place I had feared for so many years while knowing so little about it, without having any notion what it could be.

  This is ten times worse than the prisonlike fortress I imagined. It’s evil wrapped up in innocent packaging.

  It sits there, tidy bows and all, within a seemingly normal community. Underneath it all, it’s a place of torment and death.