Scattered Ashes

by Annie Anderson

  “Yeah, but I think I’m getting the better end of the deal. You just asked a PTSD-having, batshit crazy Seer to be your girl. I think we need to look into your sanity a little bit.”

  “There is nothing wrong with you. You are strong and beautiful, and I’m fucking lucky to have you. I just need to buy stock in fire extinguishers. No big,” I tease.

  “Whatever. Feed me, handsome,” she smiles, and I pull us both up, and she tugs me into the shower to clean up.

  We make it out of the shower without mauling each other, but it’s a near thing. We throw on clothes, her with much more care than me, and we head downstairs to the kitchen hand in hand.

  Evan is sitting at the counter shoveling eggs into her mouth fast enough to choke. She nearly does when she sees Aurelia’s relaxed shoulders and smile. In all the years I’ve been around Aurelia, this is the happiest I’ve ever seen her, and I’ve only seen the better parts. Evan has seen the worst. Or the worst Aurelia will let anyone see. And it may make me an asshole to think it, but I think she’s happier with me than she ever was with him.

  Yep. I’m the asshole competing with a dead guy.

  “You alright there?” she asks Evan, Evan’s eyes still wide as she takes her in.

  “Yeah,” Evan croaks, “I’m great.”

  “Is there any more food? I’ve been promised breakfast, but I’m a little leery of this one’s cooking skills.”

  “Yeah, sure. The eggs should still be warm on the stove, and the bacon is on the counter.” She goes to the cabinet, retrieving two plates from the shelf.

  “Coffee?” Aurelia asks hopefully over her shoulder as she fills two plates with eggs and bacon.

  “Negative, darling. But you have a big strapping man there. Put him to work.”

  “Yes, I do,” she says turning to me, “As per the terms of our agreement, I am cashing in on that full pot of coffee.”

  “Done, Gorgeous,” I say as I try to make sense of the high-tech gadget masquerading as a coffee pot.

  Suddenly, Aurelia gasps, the plates slipping from her fingers, splattering eggs all over the floor. Her eyes flash wide, glowing with white light, her body rigid and bowed in pain. An agonized whimper breaks from her lips. I start for her but before my fingers can even graze hers, Evan tackles me to the hardwood floor.

  “Don’t touch her! Her Aegis will kill you!” she shouts in my face.

  Dear, sweet Christ. I’ve never seen an adult Aegis. All of the young ones I’ve known died before they reached maturity. I’ve known about Aurelia’s little electricity spurts, but Evan has kept the level of her abilities secret from me. A true Aegis, from what I’ve read, is outside the Primary’s control. They have autonomy from visions. They are supposed to be our leaders because they are not ruled by visions.

  But none have survived.

  “Aegis? She’s a fucking Aegis, and you didn’t tell me? Why?” I roar at Evan.

  “Because I told her not to,” a voice calls behind us from the doorway. I look up from my spot on the floor, noticing John standing with a vaguely familiar redhead while simultaneously trying not to throw one of my best friends through a fucking wall. I need to get to Aurelia and Evan is in my way.

  “And why’s that, John? What reason could you possibly have for not telling me my mate is a fucking time bomb?”

  “Because the Primary would have seen,” the redhead utters in a soft melodious voice.

  “And who the fuck are you?” I ask angrily as I pick myself up off the floor, my eyes assessing every person in the room.

  “My name is Nicola, and I am the Primary’s second,” she says as she gives me a slight bow.

  “You!” I growl as I lunge viciously at the woman who bound Aurelia and me together against our will.

  I get mere inches away from her when I’m hit in the temple by a huge hand. It takes a second for the room to swim into focus again, but when it does, I see a fully phased Kyle looking like the boogeyman from a nightmare.

  What the actual fuck?

  His black hair is disheveled; his eyes have gone full black, and his thick, blunt fingers have curled into talons. And he’s hissing at me through two-inch fangs that would better fit a lion. The hulking man is standing between Nicola and I, his arms thrown wide to prevent me from getting to her.

  Why is he protecting her? Other than Aurelia and I, I’ve never seen a Wraith give two shits about a Phoenix in my life and vice versa.

  I’m two seconds away from pulling my Ruger and putting a bullet in his head when Nicola intervenes. She gently places her dainty hand on his shoulder instantly calming him. His sclera bleeds back to white, and his hands uncurl, the talons retracting back into his nail beds. His fangs are the last to go, and I can hear the dull crunch of bone reforming in his jaw.

  I make the mistake of relaxing my posture, and then like the fucking asshole he is, he strikes, tackling me to the ground with his forearm against my jaw. Before I can retaliate in kind, Aurelia gasps.

  Then she screams.

  She screams so loud, and so long I know I’m going to kill whatever monster is haunting her.

  No matter what.

  11

  Caught in the Safe House

  AURELIA

  The power is out. Darkness surrounds me, and I can hear the quick pained breaths of those who are injured close by. Lightning slashes across the sky outside swiftly followed by the roar of thunder. In the glimpse of light, I can see the puddles of blood and water from the sprinkler system pooled on the hardwood floor of the great room. The broken ruins of lamps knocked over, the shards of the largest window shattered on the ground. The safe house wasn’t so safe after all.

  My feet are bare, the hems of my already sodden jeans sucking up the watered down blood from the floor. I hear the shush of feet moving through the water, quiet as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing, and in the darkness I can’t tell if the person moving is friend or foe. My gut goes with foe, and I tighten my grip on the butcher knife in my left hand, ready for anything. I’ve been searching for Rhys for what seems like hours, but I know it's only been mere minutes since the siege began on the house. Either Rhys has left me to stave off this attack alone, or he’s keeping someone else safe. Either way, he’s not with me.

  We separated, and I can’t remember the reason, but now I can’t find him anywhere in this pitch-black hell. I remember reading once that Hell was as black as a moonless night, and they are right. I am tortured more by the unknown of what I cannot see than I am by anything else that has transpired here. I clear the great room and the kitchen, checking the pulses of the lifeless Cam and Asher as I go. Judging by the open maw that used to be Asher’s neck, he died quickly. Cam, however, died slowly. His intestines have spilled from his belly onto the kitchen floor. But each person I find, every single one, has lost their life. I fear that everyone is dead.

  I can’t find Evan, West, John, or any of the other guards who were here with us. I can’t find anyone alive in this blackness. I fear if I set myself aglow, using myself for light, it will give away my location. My shield is pointless as well since the house is covered in an inch of water. It would electrocute anyone touching the water. They wouldn’t die true-death, but in this pit, I fear hurting someone. What good are powers if you can’t use them?

  A hard hand grips my hair; the braid used as a handle as my neck is stretched back. A thick, cold bite of a knife is thrust against my skin, barely nicking the flesh. My fear of being found is gone, and my whole body ignites, burning whoever’s holding me, the pained growl of a man sounds loud in the dim as I’m released. A Phoenix wouldn’t be burned by my flames, only a Wraith would.

  I turn to see Carver’s naturally bronze, half-Korean half-Japanese skin, red and puckered from the flames, rapidly healing from the burn. He smiles, his hard lips pulling into a cruel smirk, as he pulls a tantō from his belt, his other hand holding an intricately crafted wakizashi. The betrayal I feel burns my chest. I knew we had a traitor in our midst, but I thought better of C
arver. I thought he was a friend.

  “Why?” I plead, “Why would you kill your friends? Why would you do this?”

  “I didn’t kill them. You did. Just by being here, you damned us all. I’m only trying to live. If I give you over, I’ll keep breathing, and breathing is my top priority. Your safety and the ideals of your ridiculous war are not.” His eyes flick just to the left of my head and then back to me.

  Before I can move, he has whispered out, disappearing like smoke, and reappears at my left. I move to counter, but I’m not fast enough. The tantō slides between my ribs, stabbing into my lung, cutting off the pained cry ripped from my lips.

  “Quiet, my beauty,” he whispers into my ear, his lips soft on my skin, “I will keep him safe for you until we get you out of there.” He slows my crumpling body before it can hit the floor, my flames extinguishing as my light goes out.

  * * *

  I suck in a huge breath as I come out of the vision, but only in preparation for the scream working its way up my throat. It takes a second, but it finally breaks through the barrier of my teeth; even to my ears sounding agonized and bleeding. I feel my shield come up hard enough that it cracks the stone island I’m holding onto for dear life. I hear the hiss of the stone cleaving into pieces.

  My sight hasn’t come back yet, and I don’t know where Rhys is. My fingers reluctantly release the rubble of the countertop, and I reach out into the darkness to find him.

  “Rhys! We have to go. We have to go right now. Rhys! Where are you? We have to go right now!” I shriek, my fingers grasping at nothing.

  God, it’s never taken so long to get my sight back after a vision, even after the bad ones it’s usually only taken a few seconds. Where is he? We have to get the fuck out of here before they come! I stumble a little and plop gracelessly on the hardwood floor.

  I hear feet shuffling and the thud of something large, maybe a person, hitting the ground quickly followed by a mumbled curse. Definitely a person, and by that curse, I’d figure Kyle.

  “Baby, I’m here,” he murmurs as his hands cupping my face, spreading the wetness there.

  “Your eyes are bleeding, baby,” he says in gruff concern, his voice low enough to be classified as a whisper. I realize now that there are many people in this room. I knew Evan was here, but now I feel the signatures of several people, possibly the whole house, are in the room with us.

  “I don’t care. We have to go right now. Get my keys and go-bag and anything you need. We have to leave this house right the fuck now,” I whisper back.

  I blink my eyes, and the blackness starts to fade and light finally blooms, lifting the pall of blindness. When my eyes focus on his face, he clutches me to him, turning us, so his back is to the crowd that has gathered.

  “Whatever you saw, can it wait a few hours? We have a huge fucking problem,” he murmurs into my ear. His fingers are massaging my scalp, trying to calm me I suspect, but even his touch isn’t helping right now.

  He didn’t see.

  “I don’t know. I know once the rain starts it will be too late. Soldiers are coming, and people will die here. I was wearing this outfit, so I know it happens today. We have to leave. They are coming for us!” I hiss.

  “I know, baby, but I need you to stay calm and hang in there a little while longer. We have a hiccup we need to iron out before we go,” he whispers in my ear before kissing my temple and pulling me to my feet. It takes some work to stand up straight, my leg muscles protesting the loudest.

  I brace for whatever has Rhys in such a twist, but a flash of red hair makes me freeze. Standing behind the protective trunk of Kyle’s arm is someone I hoped I’d never see again. Before he knows what hit him, I have forced Rhys behind me; my arm is thrown back to prevent him from going forward, and I’ve enveloped us both in my shield.

  That’s new.

  Didn’t know I could do that.

  “John. What in the fucking hell is that bitch doing here?” I snarl, my voice distorted from speaking through my clenched teeth; steadfastly ignoring the fact I’m doing something that should be impossible.

  “I’m only here to help you,” Nicola whispers, her ice-blue eyes trying to meet mine but missing the mark. She is the only Oracle with her eyes still in place. Nicola was born blind – or so the story goes – and because of that birth defect, her visions have been ‘pure’ since birth. She is the only Oracle with zero bonds to Iva, and probably the only one able to usurp her. But did that little bitch help me?

  No. She didn’t.

  She betrayed me instead.

  “And I should believe that now? I remember how much your ‘help’ worked the last time.”

  “I merely told you the rules of the covenant; you chose to do what you wished. I cannot control the actions of the people around me. And I cannot foresee every action by every person. I’m not omnipotent, and I’m not infallible. And I tried to right my wrong. Who do you think pulled the Soldiers from your cell so he could get you out, hmm? If you think he did that one on his own, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  “You told me my daughter would be beautiful. That even though she would have my eyes, she would grow up outside the Legion, never to be mired in the chains of the Primary. You told me she would live. You lied,” I say with gritted teeth.

  It kills me to know that I’m more torn up about the baby I lost than the husband I took to the funeral pyre. I had Lucien longer. I knew him, loved him. But the more I think of how much I missed not seeing my child come into the world, not seeing her smile, not hearing her laugh, the more I hate Nicola for giving me that hope.

  Hope I did not have before I went to her.

  In my gut, I knew we weren’t going to make it. I knew something bad was going to happen. I just figured it was going to be a complicated childbirth. Not that I wouldn’t even get to have her at all, or any child for that matter.

  “You may think what you wish, but I did not lie. I am here to help. And you will sit there. And. Let. Me. Talk.”

  It takes everything I have, every single ounce of restraint I possess, to not jump over the ruined kitchen island and punch her right in the face. The nerve of this bitch. ‘I did not lie.’

  Right.

  Considering I can’t have any more children, hell yes, she fucking lied. I give her a look of death she can’t see and mutter, “Fine,” under my breath.

  I drop my shield and Kyle’s posture immediately relaxes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the brute of a Wraith wanted into the Ice Queen’s panties. Good luck there, pal.

  Wraiths have some severe mating habits. While Phoenixes are a matriarchal society, Wraiths are predominantly run by the males. I figure it is mostly due to a Wraith male’s irrational need to protect their mate. If Kyle thinks Nicola is his mate, there is no order he will follow, no rule he won’t break for her. If that’s what is going on here, Nicola just bought herself a six-foot-seven, burly as fuck, shadow.

  “I have reason to believe that your visions have been infiltrated by Iva. I believe she is sending visions to you. Visions you cannot change or interpret until the event has come to pass or is too close to be prevented. She is doing this as punishment for you both, but more for you, Rhys.”

  “Why is she punishing Rhys? Because he didn’t want to be my Soldier? Because that’s cracked even for that crazy-ass bitch.”

  “Oh, child. You don’t know?” She turns her head in Rhys’ direction, but her eyes miss the mark, drifting towards the light of the picture window behind us. “Why haven’t you told her?”

  “Because I didn’t want her to hate me any more than she already did, maybe?” Rhys says scathingly. “You’ve already let the cat out of the bag, might as well tell her the rest. I’ve had her to myself for less than twenty-four hours, but you go right on ahead and ruin it.”

  A look of disapproval flashes across her face, and Nicola’s lips screw into a grimace.

  “Anyone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” I yell.

  “She is punis
hing Rhys for betraying the Legion. Rhys’ brother, Julian was to assassinate Olivia Black before the conception of her next child. It was to look like a rival’s kill and not lead back to the Legion. Julian told his brother his assignment and refused to be dissuaded from his task. In turn, Rhys delivered Julian to the Wraiths to prevent her murder.”

  “And because you gave your brother over, you saved Olivia, and Evan got to be born? And I’d hate you because of that, why?” I ask Rhys, turning my head slightly to the side to see his expression.

  “Because my actions resulted in us being bound against your consent? Because I helped an enemy? Because I chose an enemy over my own brother? Really? Take your pick,” his words rushing from his lips.

  “So you think I’m such a heartless cow that I’d approve of the murder of a harmless woman to prevent my own suffering?” I ask incredulously.

  “I don’t think you’re a heartless cow. I just thought you wouldn’t see my side,” he murmurs.

  “Even when I hated you, I saw your side. Still, we haven’t talked everything through, not that we’ve done much talking at all. I’m not going to fault you for things you did to save someone else. That’s just not in me.”

  “I know. I just didn’t want you to hate me anymore.”

  “I won’t. Can we discuss this shit another time? Say when we aren’t in the serious time crunch of impending death? Because I gotta say, this ‘We’re Gonna Die’ bullshit is getting old.”

  Rhys nods his head in agreement and turns to Nicola.

  “So, are Soldiers really coming or has Iva cracked the lock on Aurelia’s head for real?”

  “I think she is still having trouble due to Aurelia being Aegis. Her visions of herself seem to be on the level, it is just her visions outside herself appear to be affected. If you tell me what you saw, I could tell you if it is from Iva or from beyond the veil.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about an Aegis? Who is an Aegis? I know it’s not me because all the Aegis I know died before maturity because they freaking vaporized themselves and whatever way they did it, they didn’t come back,” I say. I’m half shouting at Nicola now because the border of ridiculous has just been crossed.