by Meg Anne
“Not to me, but to everyone else.”
She could feel Lucian’s regret, his voice full of apology as he said, “No one outside of the four of us can know who or what the Triumvirate really are.”
“I understand. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Our secret,” he corrected. “You’re one of us now.”
“I don’t feel any different,” she said, but even as the words left her lips she felt the lie of them. There was something new, foreign and yet familiar, running through her. It was just out of reach, like a forgotten name.
“You will. Your power is still banked.”
“Banked?”
“You have to call it forth; activate it.”
Effie held up a hand, staring at it hard like it was going to change before her eyes.
Lucian laughed, weaving his fingers through hers and bringing their hands to his lips. “It might take a few tries, but you’ll learn how to access your power. You have the rest of your immortal life to practice until it’s as easy as drawing a breath.”
Immortal life.
Immortal.
The breath left her in a whoosh. Just when she thought she knew everything, something still managed to shock her. “I think that might be all the answers I can handle for now.”
Lucian nodded. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Usually we have a chance to prepare ourselves for what the change means and come to terms with it beforehand.” His smile dimmed slightly. “You’re not upset with me? For making the choice for you?”
She could feel the waves of his guilt and uncertainty crashing into her and any teasing response she was about to utter vanished. Pressing her free hand over his heart, she looked straight into his eyes. “You saved me, Lucian. From a fate more horrible than anything I could ever imagine—and given my past, that’s saying something. So no, I’m not upset. Not even close.”
He studied her, his eyes moving over her face as if searching for any hint of dishonesty.
“More than that,” she continued, leaning down until their noses almost touched, “I’m grateful.”
“Grateful? For the power?”
Effie shook her head, her eyes dropping to his lips as she whispered, “I don’t care about the power. I spent years without any to speak of and made peace with it. No, Lucian, what I will never be able to stop thanking you for is that now I can spend lifetimes loving you instead of just what’s left of this one. The endless possibilities that come with an eternity spent beside you is worth more to me than anything.”
She kissed him, her heart near to bursting as he took over, weaving his hands through her hair and deepening it. Thoughts and feelings, both hers and Lucian’s, merged in her mind. Need clawed at her, her hunger for him rising once more. Just as quickly as it built, a thrum of tension sobered her, cutting through the fog of her desire.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s coming.”
Lucian sprang up, the scraps of clothes that had been littering the floor forming around their bodies almost instantly. He held a hand out, and Effie grasped it as she got to her feet. Lucian shifted, using his body to shield hers as footsteps sounded down the hall.
“Luc, you alive?”
Lucian visibly relaxed. “Kael,” he murmured to Effie.
“Great move. If he’s not, you just gave the bloodthirsty fiend a heads-up we’re coming.”
“And Ronan,” Effie added, a part of her growing defensive at his use of the word fiend. Even though that’s exactly what she’d been mere hours ago.
Stepping forward, Lucian grasped the cell’s door and pulled it open with no more effort than he’d used to help her stand. The subtle flare of bronze in his eyes was the only sign he’d called and released his power.
“I told you it wouldn’t stop you.”
Lucian winked at her over his shoulder as he called out, “Here.”
“Lucian, thank the Mother,” Kael said, coming into view. Seeing Effie, Kael stopped short, gaping as he stared at her. “You did it.”
“Effie . . .” Ronan breathed, looking shaken.
“It’s me,” she said, smiling up at him. Her smile faltered as he continued to stare.
“Your eyes.”
Her brows veed, not understanding what he was referring to. She glanced up at Lucian, seeking an explanation.
“They’re like mine and Kael’s now.”
Her expression cleared. That made sense, those metallic flecks of color around their pupils were the only physical manifestation of a Guardian’s power. With everything else going on, she just hadn’t gotten around to really processing what any of this meant.
“Surprise,” she said weakly.
Ronan swept her up in his arms, his smile nearly splitting his face in two. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see those big blue eyes again.”
Effie hugged her friend tight, realizing he wasn’t put off by her becoming a Guardian at all. He was simply overcome with relief that the thing that most clearly marked her as Shadow-touched was gone.
Lucian not-so-subtly cleared his throat, and Ronan finally set Effie down.
“So the spell actually worked,” Ronan murmured.
“Obviously,” Lucian replied dryly.
“Play nice.”
Kael’s muffled laughter told Effie he’d overheard the thought she’d intended for Lucian.
“I’m going to need to figure out how to get the hang of this. It could get embarrassing fast . . .”
Kael’s smile grew as his voice filled her mind. “Welcome to the club, little warrior.”
Chapter 18
“Council’s in session. We should go and request an audience so that we may tell the others. They’ll want to know that the spell was a success.” Ronan’s voice boomed with the force of his enthusiasm.
“It can wait. Effie should rest; she’s still adjusting,” Lucian said.
“Effie is right here and can speak for herself,” she said with a scowl. “And for what it’s worth, I feel fine.”
Lucian’s expression was blank, but she could feel flickers of his concern.
Kael reached out and squeezed her shoulder, his dimples flashing as he gave her an indulgent smile. “Luc is right, as much as it pains me to admit. You’re likely running off of pure adrenaline right now. I know that I was after the change. Trust me, you’re going to crash. Hard.” Eyeing her carefully, he added, “Sooner rather than later.”
“I’m not a child. You can’t send me to my room and order me to take a nap.”
Ronan and Kael laughed, but Lucian just continued to look at her. She had no doubt he’d try to do just that.
“Speaking of rooms, do I have to stay down here, or do I get to—”
“You’re staying with me,” Lucian answered before she could finish.
Ronan raised his brows but remained uncharacteristically silent.
“Well, the Council can wait, but we should probably meet up with Nord.” Kael glanced at Lucian for approval.
Lucian nodded. “He was going to be my next stop after getting Effie settled, but seeing as how she’s just going to argue until we bring her along, we might as well save ourselves the headache.”
“Hey, I’m standing right here. I’m not Shadow-touched anymore, remember? Both my hearing and my comprehension are near perfect again, so feel free to include me in the conversation.”
Kael at least pretended to look apologetic, Lucian didn’t even do that much.
His expression was fierce as he brushed the back of his fingers against hers. “I just got you back. You can’t be mad at me for wanting to keep you to myself for a while.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say that?” she asked, cheeks heating.
“I thought it would have been obvious.”
Effie sighed. More time curled up with Lucian sounded a lot better than being paraded around an unfamiliar place before a bunch of strangers. Or relative strangers, as the ca
se may be. Too bad she’d already insisted she wasn’t tired. Changing her mind now would only raise questions. No . . . the only way to save face was to go along with them and hope it didn’t take too long.
“Where is the skulking blond giant?” Effie asked, hoping her voice didn’t convey the depth of her disappointment.
Kael snorted. “Oh, he’s going to love that description.”
“Likely in his room,” Lucian answered. “Ronan, why don’t you lead the way?”
With a nod, Ronan obeyed.
Once his back was turned, Lucian continued privately to Effie, “He’s been keeping up appearances as the Triumvirate.”
“By himself?”
“With two of the three of us preoccupied with finding a cure for you, he didn’t have much choice. Although, he’s managed to keep people unaware of our absence.”
Effie’s eyes darted to Lucian in silent question.
“Nord is a master illusionist.”
She didn’t realize Lucian had been speaking along the Guardian’s public link until Kael added, “His weaves are so detailed, not even we can tell whether it’s really one of our Brothers wearing the robes.”
Effie shook her head, trying to think back to all of the times she’d interacted with the trio and wondering if it had just been Nord and his illusions.
Lucian answered her question before she could voice it. “He didn’t bother with the illusions at the citadel. The Keepers were used to the Triumvirate coming and going as needed. It wasn’t uncommon for only one or two of us to be present for long stretches of time, or even for all of us to occasionally leave. Outside of Bael, however, it’s a different story. The realm needs to see the Triumvirate intact.”
They walked a little further in silence, Effie barely paying attention to her surroundings. “So . . . if Lucian’s Smoke. Whose Mirror One?”
“Depends on the day,” Kael replied, his mental voice amused. “Usually me, though. As our leader, Lucian practically always takes point. Nord and I just stand wherever is most convenient. That said, tradition dictates that as second-in-command, I stand at his left. So, that is where I generally end up out of habit.”
She hadn’t realized there was a ranking system in place between the men, although that, too, made sense. Lucian was clearly used to being in charge and practically everyone deferred to his judgment.
“Don’t think this means I am going to let either of you boss me around,” Effie told them.
Lucian’s voice was as dry as fallen leaves as he replied, “Expect you to break tradition? I would never . . .”
Effie’s fist shot out and slammed into his bicep. The resulting pain was immediate. It would have hurt less if she’d tried to punch a wall. Shaking out her hand, she scowled up at him.
“Now, now, fledgling, use your words.”
Before she could reply, Ronan halted. While she hadn’t been paying attention, they’d left the identical gray hallways and arrived in a new, much more spacious wing. It was decorated in red and gold and filled with expensive-looking furnishings. She almost felt as if they’d stumbled through a portal and ended up in the Palace.
“So this is where they keep the welcome guests,” she murmured.
Kael laughed. “Don’t feel too bad, little warrior. We were almost your neighbors in the gaol that first night. Lucian wasn’t exactly on his best behavior.”
“Making friends, were you?” she asked him with a knowing grin.
Lucian speared her with his eyes. “I had more important things on my mind.”
She knew he wasn’t upset with her teasing, but the wound was still too fresh for both of them. Smile fading, Effie took his hand in hers and squeezed.
“No one can blame you for that, Brother,” Kael said.
“And fuck ‘em if they do,” Ronan added, giving Effie an affectionate look. “Because of you, all of us were spared a devastating loss.”
Tears pricked her eyes and she looked to the floor, overwhelmed by the force of their joint emotion.
The door beside them swung open. “You planning on knocking anytime soon, or are you just going to stand out here gossiping like a bunch of fishwives?”
Lucian sighed. “Nord, you remember Effie.”
Effie glanced up, the brusque greeting startling her out of her emotional reaction. He filled the doorway, one hand on the door, the other on the doorframe, both hands decked out in rings. He was easily as large as Lucian, but light where he was dark. His thick blond hair fell in waves down his back and a full beard covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were a blue so pale they were almost white, except for the azure flecks that ringed his pupils.
“H-hi,” Effie stuttered, intimidated despite herself.
Nord took one look at her and shifted his attention to Ronan. “Leave us.”
Ronan’s brows lowered and color tinged his cheeks.
Before he could reply, Lucian placed a hand on his arm and nodded. “It’s alright. We’ll meet up with you later.”
“I’ll go check on the others,” Ronan said tightly, throwing a glare in Nord’s direction before walking away.
Nudging the door open further, Nord stepped out of the way. Kael moved into the sumptuous room first, Effie trailing behind him. Lucian entered last, shutting the door with more force than strictly required.
“Looks like you have some explaining to do,” Nord said, his eyes landing on Effie’s face once more.
“You knew I intended to save her,” Lucian said, crossing his arms.
“Save her, yes. Turn her? Well now, that’s something else entirely, isn’t it?”
“Don’t be an ass,” Kael said, plopping down in the room’s lone chair.
Nord shot him an exasperated look. “You two have been traipsing around, free to come and go as you please for months, all the while leaving me to do the grunt work, and you don’t even have the decency to fill me in on the plan?”
“You would have tried to stop me,” Lucian said, resting one of his hands lightly on Effie’s waist. Despite the gentleness of the touch, there was no mistaking the act for anything but what it was: a claiming.
From the lift of his brow, Nord didn’t miss it either. “Nay, Brother. I wouldn’t have stopped you. You know as well as I that a new Guardian hasn’t joined the ranks in centuries. It’s cause for celebration. Especially knowing the world of shit you’re going to find yourself in once the others learn about her.” For the first time, Nord’s lips curled up in a smile and his eyes shone with amusement as he turned to address Effie directly.
“Welcome to the Brotherhood, little sister.”
Effie stifled a yawn. They’d been talking for hours, and she was well past exhausted. Kael had been right. When the adrenaline finally left her, she’d crashed, hard. Unfortunately, the three men didn’t seem to notice that it was all she could do to keep her eyes open.
Kael was still sprawled in his chair, one heavily muscled leg tossed precariously over its wooden arm. An arm that, under the weight of said leg, looked about as substantial as a toothpick. Effie couldn’t help eyeing it occasionally to ensure that the entire thing wasn’t about to collapse under his bulk.
Lucian was sitting on the edge of Nord’s bed, one foot braced on the low metal railing, the other flat on the ground. Effie was beside him, her legs not quite long enough to touch the floor. In her defense, that was because the bed was massive. She had a feeling—although she dared not to interrupt them long enough to ask—that Nord had used his Guardian’s power to enlarge it to better fit his towering frame.
Since bringing her back, Lucian had not stopped finding reasons to touch her. Effie wasn’t certain he even realized he was doing it. It was like he needed to keep subconsciously reminding himself that she was real. For the moment, his leg was pressed against hers, although if she shifted too far away, he would shadow the movement until they were connected again. She’d been amusing herself whenever the conversation got too tedious to follow by seeing how long it took him to realize she wa
s out of reach.
Now was such a moment. Effie had just pried her fingers out from beneath his, only for his hand to slide across the blanket until his pinky covered hers once more. Effie bit back a smile and let her eyes return to Nord. He was pacing the length of the room, pausing only when he wanted to make a particularly emphatic point.
“All this time, the Valen Council was sitting on the answer we were searching for and no one even realized it,” Nord murmured, shaking his head and causing his hair to toss about like a Talyrian’s mane.
“Well, we were focused on trying to better understand the problem. It’s hard to know what the solution is when you don’t know even that much,” Kael reminded him.
Nord hummed his agreement. “So now we need to perform the ritual on a larger scale across all of the infected land.”
“While also seeking out any other victims,” Kael added.
“As much as I like Effie—and am glad that you managed to save her—we can’t just go around turning everyone into Guardians,” Nord said, stopping to look at Kael.
“We couldn’t even if we wanted to,” Lucian said, the sound of his deep voice making Effie want to close her eyes.
Nord and Kael looked at Lucian expectantly.
“Why not?” Effie finally asked when it became clear no one else was going to.
Lucian’s eyes warmed her as he met her inquisitive gaze. “Because I was able to restore what was lost. Without having access to the memories of those who’ve already started to become Shadow-touched, there’s no way to do so. We could save their bodies, but there’s no way for us to salvage their minds.”
“But even if you didn’t make them Guardians, couldn’t you at least cast out the corruption to save them? Even without their memories people could lead meaningful lives.”
Lucian took her hand, the empathy shining in his gaze almost painful. “It’s not just about the memories, Effie. I barely survived that ritual.”
Hearing him say it so plainly rendered her speechless. For Lucian—arguably the strongest, most powerful man she’d ever known—to admit such a thing, it must have been close indeed.