by Sadie Moss
“How is this possible?” I spoke slowly, the words burning as they passed my lips. “I was supposed to come here to help the Resistance, to be a spy for them, but everything that’s happened since I got here has only made things worse.”
Corin shook his head, his starlight blue eyes glinting. “That’s not true, Lana. You—”
“It is true!” I snapped, my temper getting away from me again. I couldn’t seem to hold onto it for more than a few seconds these days. “I’m supposed to be spying on them, gathering useful information for the Resistance. Instead, three people are dead because of their connection to me, and we don’t know shit. The person who targeted Beatrice must’ve known she was going to share something important with me, so they fucking killed her. Then they cleaned up their trail by killing Gerald and Rat too. Whoever it is has been ahead of me at every single turn.”
I broke away from the soothing touch of my men to pace the length of the room.
“And how the fuck did anyone even know who Gerald was? The guard I charmed made up a cover for him and then forgot the whole thing. No one should’ve known he was down there!”
My temples throbbed, my head pounding as if the strain of the past few days was making my brain swell. I kicked at a chair as I passed by it.
“Godsdamn it! I couldn’t even keep those Resistance members safe. I don’t understand why the Representatives moved up their attack. It’s almost like they knew—”
I broke off, freezing midstride.
Fen walked around so he could see my face better, ducking his head to catch my eyes. “What, killer? Knew what?”
“Knew… everything,” I whispered. “They knew everything I did, everything I found out. They stayed ahead of us because they always knew exactly what was coming.”
Akio leaned against the back of the couch, Ivy’s ghostly face peeking around his shoulder. “Not even the best seer in the world could do that, kitten. It’s not possible.”
I shook my head, the motion continuing even after I’d stopped consciously doing it, like I was a broken wind-up doll. “Not by magic. But there’s a simpler way to find out what your enemy is doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You plant a spy in their midst.” I swallowed, hating the words I was about to say. “It was Christine. She betrayed us.”
Chapter 23
The room went silent—completely silent—and I realized with a start that Ivy had turned off the TV. She was on her knees on the couch, leaning over the back of it as her rapt gaze bounced around among us.
Guess she finally realized even the craziest TV shows can’t hold a candle to the drama of real life.
All four of the men looked at me with varying degrees of shock on their faces. I didn’t speak again, but the more I considered my declaration, the more convinced I became that I was right. I’d tried to outmaneuver whoever this mysterious figure was, but I’d been scrambling, caught flat-footed at every turn since I got here. The simplest explanation was that someone was feeding every bit of information I gathered right back to the source. And the only person outside of this room who’d been privy to all the knowledge I’d gleaned since I arrived in the Capital was Christine.
That still left two huge questions hanging over us though.
Who was she reporting to?
And why?
Finally, Corin cleared his throat. “Lana, I know you don’t like Christine, but—”
“It’s not about like! I don’t like her—I never have—but I would follow her into death for the right cause. But she betrayed us.”
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“I can’t? She’s the only person who knew everything we were doing. You guys have updated her at least once a day. We were just feeding her information for her to use against us!”
Unable to stay still any longer, I resumed pacing, twisting my hair around my fingers and tugging as if it would help me pull the thoughts from my brain faster.
“Think about it,” I continued. “We told Christine that my grandmother had a suspicion she wanted to share with me, and a bomb was set off in Beatrice’s office the next day. We told her about Gerald and how important he was, and he ended up dead. We asked her to track down Rat, and he wound up dead too. I told her about the attack planned on those Resistance members, and she never even gave them a warning.”
“There wasn’t time,” Fen said, although his dark brows pulled together in concern.
“Because she told someone in the government we knew it was coming!”
“Christine has been leading the Resistance for years.” Jae spoke slowly, and I could see the gears turning in his head. At least he was thinking, and not just rejecting my theory outright. “Why would she turn against us now?”
“I don’t know.” I scrubbed my hands over my face in frustration. “I don’t get it.” A sudden thought made my chest squeeze, and I looked up. “She told me the bomb at the palace wasn’t planted by the Resistance. And it wasn’t. It was Gerald… and her. That memory of Gerald’s, the woman in front of the palace? That was Christine! I didn’t recognize her, because I never would’ve thought it was possible. But the hair was the same—pulled up into a ponytail, brown and straight. Even the way she dressed was the same.”
Akio crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes glittering. “She has a point. That could’ve been Christine in the memory.”
“Yeah, or it could’ve been someone else.” Corin chewed on his lip, clearly still doubtful.
“Fuck!” Fenris’s eyes were wide. “No wonder Gerald got killed. If he had memories of Christine and the person she’s working for, the one who took his magic, he could’ve connected all the dots for us.”
I shook my head, disgusted. “That fucking bitch. After all the accusations she laid on me that I was a spy for the Representatives? She was in the pocket of the Gifted the entire time. Gods, she tried to make me feel like shit for grieving my grandmother when she was the one who fucking killed her!”
My chest rose and fell as I tried to catch my breath. I clenched my hands into tight fists and stalked toward the door. But before I reached it, strong, warm arms wrapped around me from behind, pinning my arms at my sides and arresting my forward movement.
Akio spoke low in my ear. “And where are you off to, kitten?”
“I’m gonna go tell Christine I know what she’s been doing. And then I’m gonna fucking stab her.”
I wrenched my arms free and tried again to storm out, but Akio tightened his grip on me, pulling me back toward him. Unconsciously, my body relaxed against his, some of the adrenaline and rage fading from my mind—at least enough that I could start to think clearly again.
The incubus’s breath tickled my neck as he sighed. “I thought that might be the case. But pull your claws back in for a moment, kitten. I admit you make a compelling case, and though I’m loathe to do it, we should seriously consider the possibility that Christine has been turned against us.” Without releasing his hold on me, he turned us around to face the room, raising his voice to include the other men in our conversation. “But even if you’re right—especially if you’re right—the worst thing you can do is storm into the Resistance headquarters and start throwing around accusations.”
Fen rubbed at the scruff of his beard. “He’s right. Christine has the upper hand there. Lots of the Resistance members are still wary of anybody with magic, so it’d be easy for Christine to rally them against you. They’ve known her and trusted her longer, and even if it turns out she betrayed their trust, she has it right now, and you don’t.”
“So? Then what should I do?” I bit out.
Akio’s soft chuckle vibrated against my back. “Take a lesson from all those politicians you’ve been rubbing elbows with, kitten. Lie.”
I twisted in his grip to look up at him. “What?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Tell an untruth. Deceive someone. I know you have a tendency to blurt out whatever you think whenever you think it, but surely you’
re familiar with the concept of lying.”
Reaching one hand around, I jabbed him in the ribs and was rewarded with a slight grunt as his whole body jerked. Yup. He was definitely ticklish.
“Yeah, I think I’ve heard of it.” I pulled away from his grasp so I could face him more fully. “But how the hell does lying help us with Christine?”
“Oh, kitten. Never underestimate the power of a good lie. It will give you a chance to both test your theory about our illustrious leader and deal with the consequences if it turns out you’re right.”
I narrowed my eyes, still not sure where he was going with this. “Okay… I’m listening.”
“Your concern is that she’s been using every valuable piece of intel we’ve given her against us. So we feed her more information, something that would be of particular interest to her if she is working for the magic thief or the Representatives. And if she takes the bait, then we know where she stands. And we can find out who exactly she’s working for.”
“And the part where I get to deal with the consequences of being right?” I asked, my fingers already itching to throw a fireball… or a dagger… or both.
Akio’s lips tilted up slightly, as if he could read every violent, vengeful thought in my head. “If you’re right, we’ll have gotten her out of the Resistance headquarters and away from her backup. Which will make bringing her down easier.”
“Woah, woah! Wait a minute.” Corin stepped forward, hands raised. “This is Christine we’re talking about. Christine. She’s been our leader for years. Are we all just assuming she’s a traitor now?” He turned to face me, the muscles in his jaw twitching. “I love you, Lana. I do. And I will always have your back. We stood up for you every time Christine doubted you, and I would never let her hurt you. But that doesn’t mean…. I just can’t believe that….” He trailed off, looking lost.
“I’m sorry, Corin,” I whispered. “I wish it wasn’t true, but I can’t think of any other possibility.”
Jae, who’d been listening thoughtfully as we all talked, put a hand on Corin’s shoulder. I could see Corin twitch like he wanted to throw the hand off, but he didn’t. His whole body vibrated like a guitar string, and I couldn’t blame him. I’d known Christine a couple months; they’d known her for years. If I was right, the enormity of her betrayal was staggering.
“Nobody is pronouncing Christine guilty yet.” Jae’s green gaze shot to me, silently seeking confirmation, and I nodded grudgingly. “But I think Akio’s plan is a good one. If Christine has turned traitor, she’s a threat to the entire Resistance. And as she herself pointed out not long ago, there are many innocent lives that would be at risk if the Resistance is compromised. We need to know for sure. If Lana’s theory is wrong, so much the better. But we can’t refuse to seek the truth just because we’re afraid of what we might find.”
Corin was silent for a moment, his face hard. Finally, he gave one sharp nod. “Fine.”
The sadness in his expression broke my heart, even as relief flooded me. Jae’s point was a good one; I hoped I was wrong, even though I’d bet this entire house I wasn’t.
But we needed to know for sure.
My gaze flicked to the black television screen, remembering the image of the crumpled Resistance members.
Unlike the Gifted, we wouldn’t just blindly decide on a person’s guilt and rain down vengeance. We’d get proof. Find out for sure.
And then we’ll fucking rain down vengeance.
Chapter 24
It had been late when we returned home from the palace, and it was technically early morning when I finally crawled into bed.
After deciding on a course of action, the men and I had spent several hours in the living room hashing out the details of our plan under Ivy’s watchful eye. I was pretty sure we were her new favorite “show.”
Exhaustion tugged at me as I slipped out of my dress and threw on a grungy old T-shirt to sleep in. I’d been raring to get this whole venture underway tonight, but my four had talked me out of it. If we called Christine back so soon with the promise of important new information, it would likely make her suspicious. Why wouldn’t Corin have mentioned it on the phone when he spoke to her earlier in the evening? And besides, we needed to go into this gambit rested, sharp, and focused—none of which described my present state.
I practically fell into bed, pulling the soft sheets over me and shoving my head under a pillow. But as tired as I was, sleep wouldn’t come.
My thoughts kept racing, question after question circling through my mind like tumbleweeds on a windy plain. Was I right about Christine? I kept going over what I knew, trying to check my math for errors, but no matter which way I added it up, the answer kept coming up “Christine.” Was she working for the Representatives as a whole, or for a single member of the government who was operating independently of the council? Or for someone outside the government entirely?
One of the latter two possibilities seemed more likely, since she’d been involved in the bombing assault on the palace, and I doubted all the Representatives would’ve been on board with that action. But then, who was it?
And there was still the biggest question, the one I kept coming back to over and over without ever getting closer to an answer.
Why?
Why would Christine do this? Betray her people, betray the movement she’d helped build, betray her own morals? I’d never gotten along with her that well, but I’d respected the hell out of her for what she was trying to accomplish. Why on earth would she give all that up?
I pressed the pillow tighter over my head. Maybe if I cut off air supply to my brain for a few seconds, my thoughts would slow down. The pillow muffled the soft knock that came a moment later, and I lifted it slowly, uncertain whether I’d actually heard anything.
“Yeah?”
The bedroom door opened a crack, and Corin poked his head in.
“Hey.” He paused, quirking an eyebrow. “Is your pillow… attacking you?”
“It was a mutual decision,” I mumbled, dropping the pillow back on the bed and resting my head on top of it like a normal person. “What’s up?”
Instead of answering, Corin closed the door softly behind him and padded over to the bed to crawl up beside me. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting sweats and a worn white tee that stretched over his broad chest and arms. Pulling me toward him, he wrapped his body around mine, pressing a kiss to the spot where my neck met my shoulder. I grinned and squirmed against him. Hell, if neither of us was able sleep, I could think of a few better ways for us to pass the time.
But when I moved to kiss him, the haunted look in his eyes stopped me.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
Corin’s grip on me tightened a little, his nostrils flaring. “Yeah. I just… I really hope it’s not her.”
“I do too, Corin. And I’m so sorry. I didn’t say it to hurt anyone or make any of you have to choose your loyalties.”
He brushed my hair back from my face, his large palm cradling my cheek. “Well, that’s not even a question. I’m loyal to you, Lana. Always.”
I turned my head to kiss his palm, pressing my lips to the warm, work-roughened skin. “I’ll always be loyal to you too. And if I’m wrong about Christine, I’ll be right there celebrating with you. If I’m right…”
“We’ll deal with it together,” he finished for me, and I nodded, catching his bright blue gaze. It still felt surreal sometimes to have him back in my life, to lie side by side talking and planning like we’d done so often in our youth. As much as I hated our years apart and would take them back if I could, it was that time away from each other that had taught us what it truly meant to be together.
To be a team.
The sadness and worry still lingered in Corin’s eyes, but he leaned forward to press a soft, sweet kiss to my lips. I wrapped my arms around him, melting into the kiss with a sigh.
When my mouth opened, he didn’t take the kiss deeper right away, brushing soft, featherlight kisses ac
ross my parted lips as our breaths mingled together. Finally, I pulled his head closer and pushed my tongue into his mouth, unable to withstand the teasing torture any longer. His tongue met mine with fervor as we sank into a consuming kiss that seemed to pull something from deep within my bones.
Corin tugged my body closer, rolling onto his back so I was straddling him and—
A knock came at the door.
We broke our kiss, both gasping for air, and Corin groaned. “Go away!”
“Yeah, not likely.” Fenris’s laughing voice floated in from the hallway before the door cracked open.
Torn between amusement and frustrated lust, I suppressed a smile as Corin gently pushed me off his lap, grabbing a pillow to hide the evidence of what our little make-out session had done to him.
“What?” He shot an impatient look at Fenris as the wolf shifter crossed the room and flopped down on my other side.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Fen said, humor flashing in his warm brown eyes. He ran the knuckles of his hand up and down my arm gently, raising goose bumps across my skin.
“Try counting sheep,” Corin offered dryly.
“Never works. It only makes me want to eat them.” He bared his teeth at me like a wolf, and I chuckled. “And,” he added, his voice turning serious as he looked past me at the blond man, “I’m worried about tomorrow.”
Corin sighed, understanding passing across his features. “Yeah. Me too.”
My heart clenched. Me three.
I wanted to comfort both of them, but I didn’t know how. I had no words of reassurance that wouldn’t ring hollow. The best I could offer was that at least soon we’d know the truth.
We lay in silence for a few moments, the two large men curled up on either side of me like bookends. Fen nuzzled his face into my hair and inhaled deeply, and I felt his whole body relax.
