CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A light knock at the door wakes me.
“Miss Waters?”
Who the shoddy rot is Waters?
“Dinner is served.”
I blink several times. Oh. Oh. I’m Waters. Flame Waters. What an awful name. I clamor out of bed just as the maid walks in. A different one from before. Younger. Prettier. With chestnut curls. She looks vaguely familiar.
“Have we…met?”
“Only if you’ve frequented the Black Tiger. I had a career of a dancer there before I was transferred to work here.”
Oh. Oh. A suppressed memory flashes through my mind of my one–and-only time at the club. I remember Brendan shoving a girl against the wall, her desperate cries, and the way Rain jumped in, immediately calmed her, and told me the next day she was safe. And here she is, in his home. I wonder what he said that made her so calm. I wonder if he completely stripped her memory of the event by telling her to forget what happened.
“My name’s Star,” she says. “I’ll be your maid during your stay at the Turner house.”
I stumble to my feet as she approaches. She looks at me with a hint of disdain, and I realize what a case I must look like. Sleeping all day, in my toga, and my hair—my short, tousled, dyed hair—a hot mess. I must look like I just woke up from a hangover.
I look like one of Rain’s diversions.
My stomach tightens, and I sink into the chair in front of the vanity. Star begins fixing my hair and painting my face.
“Do you like working here?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
I realize as she answers, she’s always going to be polite and positive around me. My hands clench by my sides. “Is Forest home yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Rain?”
“No.”
“Oh. Who will I be eating dinner with?”
“Yourself, my lady.”
That’s depressing. Maybe it would’ve been better to stay asleep. I almost tell her I’m going to stay in my room, but my stomach makes the awful sound it always does when I’m this hungry, so I decide a quick dinner might not be so bad.
When we enter the dining hall, a rush of memories washes over me. Memories of dinner with Forest and Rain—when I’d just found out they were brothers. Memories of their father, Thomas, and his light interrogation about my being a criminal. Now that I’m supposedly a Patrician, I’m going to have to pretend I know everything they know. I have to pretend to be smart and modern.
I sit in the same spot I sat in last time I was here and accept the plate full of a variety of food. Just as I pick up my fork, voices sound from the hallway. Men’s voices. Deep and loud, like they’re in some sort of heated debate. The door bursts open and Forest steps in. His gaze catches mine and he stops talking. Stops walking. He frowns, his golden brows flickering, then his eyes widen, and he stares at me like he’s looking at a ghost.
“Ember?” he says quietly. His father steps in behind him. And I quickly rise to my feet.
“F-flame,” I correct, holding his gaze. “I’m a friend of Rain’s.”
Will Thomas recognize me? I’ve only seen him once for a short time, and that was a month ago. He doesn’t seem to even care as he bows formally and takes his place at the head of the table. Does Rain always bring girls over that his father and maids don’t seem the least bit fazed? Forest keeps staring at me. He swallows hard. I slowly sit down and offer a brittle smile.
“Where is Rain?” Thomas asks.
“He told me he had to attend business matters.” I try using my Patrician accent, the annoying one I made fun of for so long.
“So he’s finally home from wherever he was,” Thomas mutters.
“We were at a party.”
“Who’s party?” Thomas looks at me, his blue eyes piercing through my confidence.
“Um.” What do I say now? I don’t know anyone here. And Thomas probably knows everyone. I can’t just make up a random name.
“Theodore’s,” Forest says. He looks at Thomas and offers a distracted smile. “I saw him briefly when I left the office. He’s been at Theodore’s estate the past few days. And traveling the country before that.” He glances at me and winks. All the tension leaves my body. I want to hug Forest. I want to embrace him to make up for the time we’ve been apart. How I missed him. How I missed this feeling, this ease like everything’s going to be all right.
“Hm,” Thomas say. “Well, he should have told me he was traveling.”
“He would have,” I say. “But, you know Rain.” I roll my eyes. “The partying never ends for him. He was honestly too drunk to remember anything this entire week.”
“And you’re one of his one-night stands?”
“Three-night stand, actually. My house is being renovated, so Rain offered for me to stay here.”
Thomas’s eyes roll back in his head, and he turns toward the kitchen door. “Where’s my drink?”
A maid rushes out a moment later with a tray of drinks and appetizers. Forest begins talking politics again, and I’m thankful for the attention to be taken off me, which is his intent, I’m sure. As Forest talks, he glances at me. The warmth in his cobalt eyes sets me at ease, and I have to bite back my tears.
He’s alive. Forest Turner is alive. He’s back in his place, at Titus’s right hand. And as much as I hate that they’re seemingly close again, I’m infinitely grateful that Forest is okay.
Thomas excuses himself early. When he leaves the room, Forest looks at me, his eyes shining.
“You’re okay,” he whispers, his voice hoarse.
I nod. I can’t speak. All the emotions I’ve fought down well up in my chest, constricting my voice. I want to embrace him, but the maids are clearing off the table, and we can’t risk rumors.
“Is Rain okay?” Forest asks.
I nod again. “He’s here. Well, not here. Went out to do some…business.”
“Bouncing back to his old self.”
We both laugh. It feels so good to see Forest’s smile again, to hear his voice. Another maid enters through the door to clear off the table, and Forest rises to his feet and holds his hand out to me.
“Come on, Flame. Let’s go somewhere where we can speak in private.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I accept his hand and allow him to lead me out of the dining hall. Up the stairs, down more halls, then into his bedroom. Wow. I’ve never been inside Forest’s room. It’s larger than the room I’m staying in, with black curtains billowing in the breeze by the balcony. The floor is black marble, matching his bedspread and couch. The bedroom is neat. Clean. Rich. Everything either black or white, just like his politician’s clothes.
He shuts the door behind me, then gently turns me to face him.
“Oh, Ember…” He draws me in to a fierce embrace. “I’ve missed you so much.”
And that hug is enough to lift every last doubt off my shoulders. I wrap my arms around his solid waist, surprised, once again, by how therapeutic Forest’s hugs are. “I missed you too.”
We stand there a few minutes, soaking each other in. I inhale his rich scent of cinnamon and cologne. When he pulls away, he searches my eyes. He removes his hands from my waist and cups my face, and the inches between us are filled with electricity and magic, and I want so badly for this moment to last forever.
“I want to show you something.” Forest holds out his hand, and I take it. He leads me to the fireplace, and I realize why when I notice the picture above the mantle.
It’s the picture of the apple orchard. The one I painted while I was living here in Frankfort. I gasp and cover my mouth. This place…this orchard…it was my home. It’s where I spent my childhood. Everything looks just like I remember. The crooked mailbox with weeds sprouting around the base. The dirt trail leading to the front door of our little cabin. Smoke curling out of the chimney. And rows and rows of apple trees, stretching behind our cabin on rolling hills.
“You…kept this?” is all I can s
ay.
“It was the only piece of you I had after you left.”
I shake my head. Unbelievable. I didn’t want to take it back to the orchard with me because it reminded me too much of Frankfort. I didn’t want any reminders of this place. But now it’s the only piece of home I have left. I want to hug it. No, I want to crawl inside it and live there forever.
It’s not until Forest puts his arms around me that I realize I’m crying. He wipes a tear off my cheek and draws me into another hug. There are no words. All I can do is give into his embrace. My body begins to shake with my sobs and I bury my face in his chest. I relive the grief. I relive the loss of my home, my childhood, and the burning of the orchard.
And my hatred for Titus grows and wraps around me, refueling my purpose for the Resurgence. I might not have wanted to work with the Resurgence at first. But now? Now I want to rip Titus to shreds for everything he has done, not only to me, but to everyone who isn’t a Patrician.
“You’re trembling,” Forest says, stroking my hair, then he pulls away. “I have some exciting news for you by the way.”
“Really?”
“Your dad and brother are alive.”
I almost blurt out that I know, but I quickly stop myself. I’m not supposed to know. I was supposed to be running around the outskirts of Ky with Rain, not joining the Resurgence.
“That’s great!” I force some extra enthusiasm into my voice. “Where are they?”
His smile falters. “That’s the bad news. Word is they took off with Walker. Which means they might have joined the Resurgence.”
Yep. They sure did. I have the sudden urge tell Forest everything—about how I already found my dad and brother and how we all joined the Resurgence and our plan to take down the chief and my purpose to reclaim his throne—but I can’t. It’s not my secret to tell. And Dad was right, if Forest knew, he would tell Titus immediately. Because he thinks Titus is humane enough to negotiate. And by the disapproval shifting in his eyes because Dad and Elijah joined the Resurgence, I know that information wouldn’t go over too well.
So what do I tell Forest? The original plan, according to Forest, was for Rain to return, test the waters, and then bring me back when the smoke had cleared. But here I am. And at any moment Forest is going to ask me why I came back so soon, and I don’t really have an answer prepared because—
“So why did you return, Ember?”
I pull away, my mind like shattered pieces of glass, every thought unorganized.
“Um.” I take a shaky breath and turn away from him. I look out the window at the brilliant sunshine flooding the city, making Frankfort glow gold. “I needed to see you.”
“You’re not safe here, you know,” he says, stepping up beside me. “I’m still…I’m still trying to convince Titus to leave you alone, but he refuses to speak about it. Until I can convince him you’re not a threat, you’re not safe here.”
That’s the problem, I want to say. I am a threat to him.
“I don’t care how dangerous it is. I had to see you.” I turn to face him, take his hand in mine, and squeeze it. “I had to make sure you were okay.”
“Well, I’m fine, Ember. Thanks for checking on me. But you will not be fine if Titus finds out you’re here. You have to leave. Now.”
I drop his hand. “What a way to make a girl feel welcome.”
His jaw clenches. “Listen. Titus has an actress playing your part, and she does a pretty good job at it. Actually, she does a better job, because she’s actually making friends.”
Ouch.
“If Titus finds out you’re here, you’ll be dead. No one will make a move to save you, because everyone thinks Ember Carter lives in her own mansion, studying with the elites and striving to get a career as a politician here in Frankfort.”
“Wow.” I let out a short laugh. “I’ve apparently done a lot that I don’t even know about since I’ve been gone.”
“This isn’t funny, Ember. What if Titus finds you?”
“You hardly recognized me at first. If I stay out of his way, I doubt he’ll even notice me.”
“Is that what you think? What about where you’re going to live? Have you thought about that?”
I clamp my mouth shut. Forest thinks I’m back indefinitely. He has no idea that I’m leaving in two days to go back to the ashen city. He doesn’t know that, when I do move back indefinitely, it’ll be to live in the capitol building.
As chief.
“Rain has a…plan. To create a new…identity for me.” The lie comes easily. Too easily.
“And you’re just going to stay undercover as Flame Waters the rest of your life?”
“Like I said.” I spin around to face him. “You almost didn’t recognize me. Your father definitely didn’t recognize me, and he knows me just about as well as everyone else in Frankfort. People think Ember Carter is some snotty Patrician like them. They don’t know about me. As long as I can stay away from Titus, which shouldn’t be too hard because he’s so unreachable, I think I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” He crosses his arms. “What if a Defender cards you? You have no form of identification—”
“Rain is making one for me.” Another lie.
Forest rolls his eyes. “Of course he is. But you have no historical records as your fake self. And what are your plans? Are you going to finish your education, too? Get a career here in Frankfort? You hate it here.”
“I don’t know!”
I do know.
I flop on the couch in exasperation. I wish I could tell Forest everything. But I can’t tell him anything. Forest follows the law. Forest obeys Titus like a dog. The very fact that he’s alive, still working as a politician tells me just how close he and Titus are. He will want me to face Titus and make amends before letting me attack him. And after everything I’ve learned, I know amends aren’t possible.
“I just wanted to see you one last time,” I say.
His eyes soften, then he nods and sits beside me. But he’s stiff, guarded, and I can’t help but feel like he doesn’t want me here at all. And I’m trying to figure out why, because just two weeks ago he was proclaiming his undying love for me. Now he seems eager just to get rid of me. I guess I was hoping he would want to do anything—risk everything—to make me stay.
“You’re welcome to stay here for the time being, of course,” he says. “But we’ll have to figure something out soon.” He takes my hand. “I just want you safe, Ember.”
“And I just want to be with you.”
“It’s not safe here with me.”
“So, what, you’re just going to move on with your life? Hey, maybe you could marry Fake Ember Carter, and I can just live in the outskirts of Ky forever.”
“Stop.” He drops my hand and takes a shaky breath, then slowly lets it out. “Yes. The selfish part of me wants you here. But love is selfless. And I’d rather you lived a happy, safe life than a dangerous life in secret.”
He buries his face in his hands, his golden hair woven through his fingers. Forest wants to make things better. He wants to stay in his position as a leader so he can fix things. But I know––I know––that Forest’s plan could take ten-plus years. The Resurgence wants change now.
And so do I.
But I can’t tell Forest any of that. Because then he’ll know I’m working with the Resurgence.
“So Rain has it all figured out, hm?” Forest asks, lifting his head from his hands.
“Um…yeah. I guess so.” It’s so hard lying to Forest like this.
“Alright,” Forest says with a sigh. “Well, there’s a big picnic tomorrow.”
Perfect.
“Why don’t you come to test the waters? I’ll escort you. We can see how people react. We can see if they recognize you—if Titus recognizes you—and what Titus’ll do if he does.”
He will kill me.
“And if you’re really off the hook like you think—”
I’m not.
“—then maybe we ca
n make something work. And you can live here.” He looks at me, his blue eyes drowning me in guilt with their honesty. “And we can make this life everything we want it to be.”
Not going to happen, unless you can change the world in a week.
He envelops my hand in his. I plaster on a fake smile. I’m so happy Forest is okay. I’m so happy to be sharing this moment with him. But…
But I’m lying. I care so much for him, and I’m leaving him. No way I can stay here indefinitely. Because Titus will kill me. I just didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be to keep all this a secret from Forest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Shadows dance across my eyelids when I awaken. A lazy breeze rustles the branches of a tree outside my window, and the Frankfort sun burns behind the tree. Mornings. Such beautiful things full of promise…but also doubts. Every day is unpredictable. Every day is a gamble. And today, I’m gambling with my life.
Today is full of fear, but also, hope. Because I get to be with Forest. And maybe I’ll be able to see where he’ll stand when it comes down to choosing between me and Titus.
A light knock sounds at the door. “Miss Waters? Are you awake?”
“Come in.”
Star enters with a towel folded over one arm and a dress over the other. “Mr. Turner instructed me to bring you this dress. He wants you showered, and I will prepare you for the picnic.”
Mr. Turner. That’s Rain, since everyone refers to Forest as Congressman Turner.
“Rain’s back?”
“Returned just this morning.”
What did he do all night? Catch up on all the gossip? Go to the Black Tiger club? My stomach twists at the thought, and I have to push it away. I accept the towel from her and enter the shower. I don’t know why Rain instructed I bathe. I just had a shower yesterday in LeighAnn’s apartment. But this is how things are done in Frankfort. Showers every day, despite the fact that the rest of Ky hardly has enough clean water to drink.
I rinse my hair out, then step out and dry off. When I return to my room, Star is waiting by my bed. She gestures toward the vanity. “Have a seat.”
ashen city (Black Tiger Series Book 2) Page 16