Spark (Fire Within Series Book 4)

by Ella M. Lee

  But Nicolas had lauded Stephan’s powers of deduction, and he didn’t offer praise lightly. He’d warned me to watch myself around Stephan before, and I’d forgotten that Claudius, among others, was close with him.

  I’d need to be more careful around everyone, or I’d find myself risking Lightning’s safety with my mistakes.

  Chapter 15

  I waited until Stephan had let himself into the house before heading back, shuffling my feet slowly. Nicolas would be upset with me, that much I knew. The two of us had already been struggling through these last months, and the conclave wasn’t helping. Letting Stephan in on our clan troubles was not something any of us would be pleased about.

  I took off my coat and draped it over my arm. Nicolas wasn’t in the entry hall. I ducked my head to the right into the formal dining room, but there was no one there. I looped through the living room, where Ryan greeted me with a small wave, deep in conversation with Edmond and Flynn from Wind. The Skys and the Verdants were seated together on the other side of the room, drinking wine and talking animatedly over a piece of paper. It looked like they were discussing magic.

  There was a library at the back of the house, a huge room with floor-to-ceiling shelves, dark wood, and plenty of cozy window seats, alcoves, and comfy reading chairs. Xiao and Jabari were talking to Ivan and Laurine from Flame, all of them lazing around the enormous stone fireplace. Ivan’s fingers stroked Xiao’s wrist, and the two were smiling, but Xiao’s eyes were trained on a dim corner of the room.

  Cuddled together on a window seat in the near darkness were Nicolas and Juniper. Bile rose in my throat. I knew Nicolas was acting, I knew that, but seeing him so close to another woman was heart-wrenching.

  Their heads were together, her hand resting lazily on his thigh, eyes locked, speaking in low murmurs. I had no idea what he was trying to do, but it had to be important to let someone get so close.

  Juniper caught me looking at them, her gaze curious. With strength I dredged up from God knew where, I gave her an encouraging smile and a nod of my head. Nicolas, pretending to be confused by her distraction, cast his eyes on me for only half a second before murmuring something to Juniper that made her laugh.

  The wrenching in my chest tightened, my skin crawling, my whole body drenched in chills. But I turned around like none of that mattered and left the room.

  Well, I hoped he would at least come back to our suite tonight.

  But that left me alone right now. I could go sit with Ryan, but I was wary of interrupting his flow with the Winds. He knew them; I didn’t. Joining their conversation might close it off.

  In fact, it seemed like everyone had an occupation right now except me. Stephan had disappeared—thankfully—and I was happy to finally have the moment alone that I’d wanted earlier. Without another idea, I went back outside into the cold, shrugging into my coat once again.

  The exterior of the house was well lit with hanging lanterns, the grounds snowy and quiet. I circled the house, breathing in the cool air, trying to ignore the intruding image of some other woman squeezing my boyfriend’s thigh.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Nicolas. I did. It was hard for him to open up to others for real; any flirting on his part was nothing more than a plan in action.

  That didn’t make it easier to swallow, though.

  I circled the house a couple of times, studiously ignoring the library windows, before sitting down at the bench I’d occupied earlier with Claudius. The temperature chilled me, so I called up a bit of my Lightning magic and let it play over my skin and warm the air around me. I felt instantly better, holding my magic close.

  I sat outside until my eyelids drooped and I could no longer ignore the heaviness weighing on me. When I went inside, I climbed the stairs without checking the other rooms for Ryan or Nicolas, stopping briefly on the second and third floors before making my way to the fourth floor.

  We’d been given a three-bedroom suite with a central sitting room, overlooking the front driveway. Our luggage had been delivered earlier. Neither of the other two had been up here yet, so I immediately set about warding and shielding the room, adding the strongest silencing spells our magic provided. My quick spin around the second-floor hallway told me that all the other clans had done this on their own rooms. It was obvious that we’d been situated as far away from the others as possible because of Nicolas’s mind-reading ability, but I put all precautions in place anyhow, using wards and shields that Nicolas, Ryan, and I had agreed upon and attuned ourselves to beforehand. We didn’t want magic getting in the way of each other, so we were working together more than usual to make sure that didn’t happen.

  Once that was done and I felt the slightest bit more comfortable, I cracked open a bottle of water and collapsed onto the couch. Carefully, I pulled the bobby pins out of my hair and undid the bun.

  I could get through this conclave. The first night would be the hardest—Ryan had told me that—yet I’d survived it. We’d established ourselves better tonight than I’d been expecting. It hadn’t been out of the realm of possibility that the others would ignore us or threaten us, but no—the others were interested in engaging us. That was a great sign. It made me think that tomorrow, when we were on stage, we’d have an advantage.

  I was mildly alarmed by Stephan’s interest in me and our Lightning issues, but he didn’t know anything, not really. He could guess at whatever he wanted; I didn’t care. Here, Stephan was essentially defanged. He couldn’t harm one of us, and he couldn’t engage in any subtle manipulative bullshit without Nicolas noticing.

  I just needed to wait out his annoying inquiries into my life.

  I hadn’t moved in almost twenty minutes when the door opened to reveal Ryan.

  “Evening,” he said, although it was near midnight now. He stripped off his suit jacket and vest, unbuttoning his cuffs hastily.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “You look wiped out,” he remarked, giving me a wry smile.

  “My boyfriend is downstairs in the arms of another woman,” I said. “I’ve had enough of this place already.”

  Ryan’s smile twisted into a grimace. “Yes, I saw that. If it helps, it’s clear to me that he’s disinterested.”

  “I know he is,” I said, sighing. “Doesn’t make it feel any better. Neither did the fresh, cold air, or telling myself that Juniper is a million years older than him.”

  Ryan sat heavily on the other end of the couch. “I saw Stephan follow you outside. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “He’s just an annoying thorn in my side, prying into things he shouldn’t. I want Nicolas to get back so we can discuss him together. Stephan’s catching onto more than we hoped he would, and I think we need a better strategy for tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be busy tomorrow with our demonstrations. I think that will keep him occupied.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Are you ready for that?”

  I smiled. “Honestly, I can’t wait. Using Lightning magic is something I can handle. I’d rather leave all the politicking to Nicolas, even if it means he flirts with every woman here.”

  Ryan reached out and took my hand. “I know how hard this is on you. Don’t worry. You are doing splendidly.”

  I smiled weakly. “I’m going to review our notes for tomorrow one more time, and then I’m going to sleep. You should get some rest, too.”

  “I will, right after a stiff drink. Goodnight.”

  I dragged myself off the couch and rolled my luggage into the closest bedroom, shutting the door behind me. Removing my dress, stripping off my nylons, unhooking my uncomfortable strapless bra—every movement felt like lead. I crawled under the covers mostly naked, with the lights still on.

  Come home, Nicolas, I thought over and over again until I remembered that this wasn’t home. When that sad thought struck me, all I could think was that I wished Daniel were here with me.

  And I didn’t know what I’d do with myself if we couldn’t get him out of our sanctum.


  Nicolas woke me, stroking his hand down my bare back. Pleasure pinged through me. I opened my eyes. The lights were still on and Nicolas was dressed. I couldn’t have slept for long.

  “Time?” I asked.

  “A little past two,” he murmured.

  “How was your night with Juniper?” I asked, turning over so that I could study his face.

  “Hellish,” he said. No fire burned in his tired eyes, and he seemed harried and tense.

  “Come to bed,” I said. “We have another long day tomorrow.”

  He didn’t move. I sat up slowly. I took his left hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed his knuckles gently. While I did, I unclasped the cuff link on his shirt and removed it. I took his right hand and repeated the motions. When I was done, I leaned in to kiss him. His lips molded to mine, pressing us together firmly. I undid the buttons of his shirt as quickly as I could, slipping my hands around his waist and pulling him close.

  I ran my fingertips over his back, kissing his cheek and jaw and neck.

  “Mon Dieu,” he said. “I am so glad to be here with you.” He pulled me into a tight embrace, resting his head on mine. “Knowing I had you to come back to kept me sane today.”

  His words melted me, and I relaxed against him. I couldn’t possibly be mad or upset with him when he loved me so completely.

  “If it wasn’t clear, nothing happened between me and Juniper,” he said quietly.

  “I know,” I said. “No need to explain.” I kissed him again. “Is Ryan still awake?”

  Nicolas shook his head. “I think everyone in the whole house is asleep now. I escorted Juniper upstairs and then took a quick walk outside to clear my head.”

  “This conclave sucks,” I said. “I was hoping to talk to both you and Ryan at once, but fuck it. I think Stephan’s a real problem for us.”

  Nicolas loosened his grip on me so that he could see my face. “What happened?”

  “While you were cozying up to Juniper, he followed me out to the garden and tried to get me to talk to him.”

  “What did he say?”

  I walked Nicolas through our conversation, describing what I could and showing him the whole thing in my memories. I had to backtrack to go over my confusing conversation with Claudius. When I was done, Nicolas removed his hands from my shoulders and waist.

  Nicolas’s expression darkened. “Merde. Fiona, how could you?”

  “I’m sorry!” I said. “I didn’t realize a couple of wrong words with Claudius would get back to Stephan. Why would Claudius even mention it?”

  Nicolas fixed me with a stern glare. “Perhaps he didn’t have to. Stephan has abilities of his own, after all. You need to watch yourself better.”

  I pulled away from him, annoyed by his chiding tone. “Maybe you should warn your allies of what Stephan can do. He’s constantly talking to everyone else with no safeguards.”

  Nicolas didn’t like my chiding tone. He backed off, sitting up straight. “I can’t control what they do. I can only control what I do, and what you do. And now our deepest issues have been revealed to Stephan, who is likely loving this opportunity to exploit your emotions.”

  “It’s not like he isn’t exploiting yours!” I hissed. “You’ve been tense and nervous since we arrived. You need to calm the fuck down. Why don’t we use this against him? If he’s playing us, let’s play him right back.”

  “No,” Nicolas said. “Absolutely not. Intentionally entering into a game with Stephan is a terrible idea. I need you to trust me on this.”

  “I feel like I’m trusting you on a lot lately,” I said. I froze, pressing my lips tightly together so no more unhelpful words would escape them.

  Nicolas’s expression turned deadly. “Oh? Enlighten me.”

  Between us, Nicolas would win in a verbal sparring match, which was why I didn’t often start them. We rarely argued about anything; usually one of us would back down before it escalated. With so much else at stake here, I couldn’t let either of us get distracted.

  “I don’t want to fight,” I said, backing off. Anxiously, I drew away from him, putting more distance between us.

  “No, I’m curious,” he said. “What is it that you want to say to me?”

  Nicolas’s intense, impatient expression told me he wouldn’t let go until I gave him some truth. God help me for saying this. “You’re letting your emotions get the best of you here. We need to get Daniel out of our sanctum. If Stephan can help, then why shouldn’t we lean on that? We’re smart enough to manage it.”

  “No,” Nicolas said again, making a flat, cutting gesture with his right hand. “He can’t be trusted. That’s all, Fiona. I refuse to keep discussing this.”

  Annoyance boiled up in me, opening my throat and allowing words to pour out. “Don’t treat me like a child. You made me come to this damn thing. You and Ryan have your strategies all buttoned up. I have nothing. Half the people here won’t even talk to me. If Stephan’s interested in me, then I’m going to use that. And if I can weasel information out of him that can help Daniel, I’m going to do that, too.”

  “You have no idea what danger you’re putting yourself in.” Nicolas gritted the words out. He practically threw himself off the bed and paced across the room. “I can’t watch you push yourself into this for nothing.”

  “I’m not doing it for nothing,” I spat. “I’m doing it for Dan.”

  Nicolas paced back to the end of the bed. “Fiona, you need to understand something. Your actions should be focused on the living. While it is excellent that we have a chance at bringing Dan back, he made his decisions. The other magicians in our care need to be our priorities. Right now, we need to get through this conclave with as much power and goodwill as we can. We can’t let ourselves be spun into Stephan’s webs. Am I making myself clear?”

  I looked away. No matter how many times I swallowed, I couldn’t erase the lump in my throat. “Yes, I hear you.”

  Nicolas knelt at the edge of the bed and reached for my hands. I pulled away with a sigh. He flipped his palms out in what was very clearly a gesture meant to indicate Fine, whatever.

  When I didn’t move or speak or meet his eyes, he got up from the bed and went wordlessly into the bathroom, shutting the door with a snap. I stared after him, my chest heaving. I hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t my fault that Stephan could take a minor comment and extrapolate it. And I wasn’t a bad person for deciding that I could maybe turn that mistake to my advantage.

  Nicolas hadn’t called me a bad person directly, of course, but the darkness in his eyes indicated he was displeased. I understood. I did. I couldn’t imagine the betrayal and pain Stephan had put him through. I didn’t want to add to that. Of course not. But Nicolas himself used painful things to his advantage all the time. This one was merely closer to him than others.

  With a sigh, I turned off the lamp. The full moon bathed the room in cold, harsh light. Nicolas stayed in the bathroom for an inordinate amount of time, the silence and stillness making it seem like he was doing nothing other than standing there, waiting.

  Finally, I heard the faucet run, and the clinks and clacks of his movements. After an even longer amount of time, the door opened again.

  I huddled at the edge of the bed, facing away from him, unable to even close my eyes, sweating with anxiety. I didn’t like it when Nicolas was mad at me, and it happened so rarely that I never knew what to do when it occurred.

  He lay down heavily, but he didn’t move any closer. He didn’t reach out to touch me. A tear leaked down my cheek. After a few minutes of our awkwardness, I turned my head. Nicolas was stretched out on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow.

  “Hey,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  No response.

  “Let’s get through tomorrow,” I added.

  He didn’t move or speak, but his slightly elevated, rhythmic breathing told me that he wasn’t asleep yet.

  I brushed my fingers over his bicep, but he didn’t react.

 
; “I love you,” I whispered.

  Silence.

  His rejection cut through me like a knife. With a frustrated sigh, I wrapped my arms around the pillow and stared into the semidarkness for a long time.

  Morning brought no clarity or reconciliation on my part or Nicolas’s. He was out of bed before me even though I’d hardly slept, waking every fifteen minutes or so, distraught.

  He and Ryan were drinking coffee in the sitting room when I finally dared to open the bedroom door. From the sympathetic grimace Ryan gave me, I could tell Nicolas had apprised him of what I’d said last night. I waved off his offer of coffee and joined them at the small dining table by the windows, sinking into the chair and childishly keeping my eyes off Nicolas.

  “We have an hour before we need to be downstairs,” Nicolas said. “Do we need to discuss the plan again?”

  I shook my head, finally meeting his gaze. “You give the presentation and outline our goals. I demonstrate the magic when you ask. Ryan fields the questions about technical details.”

  “Good,” Nicolas said. “We’ll regroup after lunch, if possible, to figure out how to handle the rest of the conclave. The other clans will want to sanction us, and they will want to use those sanctions as leverage for getting the type of alliances they want.”

  “Is Wild going to show up?” Ryan asked.

  Nicolas closed his eyes, scanning for visions. “I think so, yes. They should make it here in time.”

  “And Meteor?” Ryan asked. “Do we need to worry about Xiao’s accusations?”

  “I don’t think the other clans care what Xiao thinks. If it were up to Gemma, she would have left them out of this meeting entirely.” Nicolas paused. “There’s a reason we want to be more cooperative and reasonable than Meteor.”