“Wait!” I said before she had the chance to hang up. I knew I’d need to make a deal with the devil. But it didn’t make it any easier. “Release him and take me instead.”
“I have no need for a rebellious pyrokinetic daughter.”
“What about a telekinetic one?” I asked.
She sucked in a breath. I didn’t think she knew that when Aiden tried to take my abilities I’d taken his instead. Her reaction confirmed it.
“Ripping out someone’s abilities can go both ways,” I told her. “And I took everything Aiden had. I’m as powerful in my TK abilities as he was.” Well, that wasn’t entirely true, but she didn’t need to know that.
I’d taken everything Aiden had, but I still had no idea how to use it.
“You’ll come willingly?” she asked, her tone full of suspicion.
“So long as you release Inarus.”
“You have a deal.”
17
We’d agreed to meet at the abandoned Twin Falls temple. She agreed to bring Inarus, and I agreed to come alone.
Declan wasn’t happy about it, but there’d been no budging her. Still, I wasn’t an idiot, so I wasn’t going in alone. We’d just make it look that way.
Declan, Brock, and Derek would be my backup should anything go wrong. They planned to arrive an hour before me, find a good hidey-hole to stay in, and then wait for the show to begin.
My mother wanted me. Not as her daughter, but because I was different, and she probably wanted to experiment on me. Again.
And while I’d agreed to trade myself for Inarus’ freedom, I’d avoid doing so if I could help it. She didn’t play fair, so there was nothing in the rule book that said I had to.
The plan was to locate Inarus, spring an attack, and take off with him without any casualties on our end.
But we’d had virtually no time to plan. The meeting was supposed to take place three hours after we’d gotten off the phone.
With Sandpoint being a two-hour drive, the guys had to take off almost immediately. They’d have time to strategize together on the way, but I’d be stuck trusting they would sort something out.
Declan had messaged me once they arrived, letting me know they were in position. We’d decided to refrain from any contact after that to prevent distractions.
Pulling up to the temple, I realized just how empty the surrounding area was.
Hell, all it needed was a few tumbleweeds rolling through the empty streets.
I parked the obnoxious orange Hummer and stepped out into the open. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I scowled. I thought …
I flipped open the screen and read the message displayed there.
Olivia: The telekinetic has to die.
I didn’t bother responding. “The telekinetic” could mean anyone. Inarus, Dia, Jason, hell, even me. I wasn’t going to let this get in my head. I had one objective for today.
Save Inarus.
Any looming visions would have to wait for another day, because no one was dying today.
Shoving the phone back in my pocket, I surveyed my surroundings. The street was eerily quiet. I shut my door, checked that I had both my blades, and headed for the entrance. We’d agreed to meet on the rooftop. I wasn’t sure why she’d picked that spot, but the roof of the temple it was.
I made my way up the thirteen flights of stairs, pausing briefly on the eleventh floor to catch my breath.
Fuck. My old apartment stairs had nothing on this building.
After giving myself a few moments, I climbed higher until I reached the roof access doorway.
I stepped outside.
The rooftop was empty, but since the Twin Falls temple was the tallest standing building in Sandpoint Idaho at one hundred and fifty-nine feet, I had a clear view of the rest of the buildings, and easily spotted my mother one block over on the rooftop of an adjacent warehouse.
“What the hell?”
A radio crackled to my right, and I stepped forward to pick it up off the lone piece of furniture on the roof—a rusted metal folded chair.
“What kind of game is this?” I called into the radio.
It crackled a few times before my mother’s voice came through, loud and clear.
“Aria, my dear.” There was a sigh. “It breaks my heart to have to do this, but some lessons must be learned, and this is one you’ll have to go through the hard way. No mother wants to see her child go down the wrong path. I hope this consequence will help you adjust your course.”
I stared down at the radio before meeting her gaze across the rooftops. What the hell was she going on about?
Before I could ask, two men dressed in black fatigues rushed to the front entrance of the temple. With two-by-fours they sealed the front door shut.
My eyes widened, and I rushed to the opposite end of the building to see two more do the same thing to the rear entrance.
“What the hell are you doing?” I gritted through clenched teeth.
I walked back toward the front of the building and lifted the radio to my mouth. “We had a deal.”
“We did. But I’ve changed my mind. Your punishment for your recent behavior will be to stand witness.”
She signaled to someone behind her, and I watched in horror as Inarus was dragged from the rooftop access stairway and dropped at my mother’s side. He fell in an unmoving heap beside her.
“What are you doing?” I shouted.
She set her radio down and didn’t answer.
“Answer me, dammit. What are you doing to him?”
No response.
I screamed in frustration and threw my radio across the street. It crashed into the side of the building she stood on and shattered.
She shook her head as though disappointed.
“This is your last chance, Aria. Join me,” she shouted out to me and held out a hand as though I could reach her.
I fisted my hands at my sides and shook my head. “Let him go. That was the deal. Let him go, and I’ll come with you.”
“It’s too late for that. I’ve tried to be reasonable. I’ve given you every opportunity to make the right decision.”
The right decision? She was delusional.
“You had me kidnapped. You tried to rip my psyker powers out of me. How is going anywhere with you the right decision where my life is concerned?”
“You should be thanking me. Look how strong you’ve become.”
Right. I was stronger. But not because of her. I was stronger because I trained. I practiced. And when that sonovabitch Aiden tried to rip my pyrokinesis out of me, I ripped his telekinesis out of him instead.
I sneered. “Let him go.”
“Come with me. Together we can set back World Order. Claim your rightful place by my side. No one else has to suffer. Despite your abilities, you are still human. You can be on the winning side of this.”
Every ounce of psyker energy in my body came to attention. What was she playing at? She didn’t want me. She never had.
“Last chance. Join me and I will spare the lives of those you love. Inarus must die, but the rest can be spared. Choose wisely. Because if you deny me, I will end him now and move on to your precious Pack.”
Wait, what? No, that wasn’t the deal.
Fire broke out over my skin, and I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Fuck you. We had a deal. Let him go first, and then I’ll go with you.”
Worry tore through me. She had a manic gleam in her eyes as if she knew I’d refuse her and had wanted me to.
Of course I’d refuse. She wanted to kill Inarus regardless of my decision. I couldn’t let that happen.
I paced across the rooftop. What could I do? We were separated by over twenty feet of empty air.
I couldn’t execute a jump like that, and porting was still beyond me.
I scanned the streets for any sign of Declan and the others. “Come on. What are you waiting for?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted them to do exactly, but I needed them to do something.
I was trapped on the rooftop, and I didn’t like where this was heading.
My mother signaled one of her men to come forward. Dressed in black cargo pants and a fitted black shirt, he had a series of knives strapped to his legs and a rifle slung behind his back.
Human.
There was hope.
I gauged the distance between us again.
“Inarus!” I shouted. “Get up!”
He didn’t move. “Don’t do this. If you hurt him, I will never forgive you!” I warned.
My mother shrugged her shoulders. “All parents face the burden of disappointing a child. It’s a cross I’ll bear for your sake.”
Gah! She was insane. What was this supposed to accomplish?
The man walked toward Inarus’ prone form. He drew a mace from the belt at his waist.
I sucked in a breath. A mace was meant to deliver powerful blows. It would crush bone and bludgeon an opponent. If he struck Inarus with that, he wouldn’t die. Not from just one blow. But it would hurt like hell, and his bones wouldn’t just break, they would shatter.
My mother was going to torture Inarus before he died. She would torture and then kill him while I watched.
This was my punishment.
Another man joined the first and lifted Inarus’ head before slapping him twice. I saw consciousness bleed into his gray-blue gaze before his eyes met mine.
His head lolled, and he collapsed once more. What had they done to him that he couldn’t hang onto consciousness? Was he drugged?
The man stood over Inarus and hefted his mace.
I glared daggers at my mother as rage filled my veins. “If you do this, I will end you. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. But I will dedicate my life to your demise.”
I waited.
She nodded toward the newcomer, and he swung a powerful strike across Inarus’ back.
“NO!”
Bone crunched. The sound echoed across the distance, and everything in me screamed to stop it. Inarus made no sound, but his eyes were open now. Whatever drug they’d used on him was wearing off.
He would be awake for his execution.
I pulled at the strands of my dark brown hair and paced furiously. “You can’t do this!” I shouted.
Think, Aria. Think.
My mother ignored me.
Viola nodded again, and this time the man struck Inarus behind the knee.
I flinched, and saw the wince cross Inarus’ face. I didn’t know how much he felt, but when the sedative wore off, he was going to be in a world of hurt.
I headed for the stairwell. I had to stop this.
I tugged on the handle, but the door stayed closed.
Another swing. More bone crunched.
“Stop! Just stop! What do you want? Name your price, and I’ll do it, but leave him alone.”
She shook her head.
The man swung again, this time on Inarus’ right shoulder.
Sonova—
Declan’s fury reverberated through the bond. I zeroed in on his location, spotting him on the left as he tried to break through the building’s first-floor windows.
Finally.
Two shadows appeared beside him. Derek and Brock.
I just needed to stall a little longer. If they could get to the roof, they could save him.
“Why are you doing this?”
My mother frowned. “I’ve already explained this to you. You’re not a stupid child anymore, Aria. Use that mind of yours, and figure it out.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t mean why are you ‘trying to restore order.’ I want to know why this?” I waved my hand at Inarus. “Why him?”
“You need to be taught a lesson. This is the best way to do that.”
I pulled my fire and formed a ball of white hot flame in my palm. Before she could take notice, I threw it in her direction.
The fire zoomed straight for her, but missed when she jumped out of its path.
She signaled to the man again, and this time he pulled a knife from his belt and slashed a line across Inarus’ cheek. Blood welled to drip down the side of his face.
“Dammit!”
I called my telekinetic power to me. The temple shook. I focused on the knife in my enemy’s hand and tore it from his grip.
With a shocked expression on his face, he stared down at his now empty palm as the blade clattered to the ground between our buildings.
“Leave him alone!”
He pulled another blade from his leg sheath. I ripped that one away too.
Then another.
And another.
I could do this all day.
I chanced a glance back toward Declan to find him and the others in a battle with five of my mother’s men, each armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
Shit.
“I’d meant for this to go on longer, but you’ve left me with no choice.” She pulled a gun from the back waistband of her pantsuit and aimed it at Inarus. “This will have to do. Remember, you still have a choice to make. Return with me, and I’ll spare the others.”
The air was sucked out of me in a whoosh. Panic crashed through me, and without thought or effort, only the need to save him, I found myself ported beside Inarus.
Wide-eyed, my mother stood frozen for a beat before she fired.
I threw myself over Inarus, and a blaze of fire speared through my shoulder. I screamed as the bullet tore through muscle and into bone.
The second port brought us beside my vehicle. I panted, and blood dripped down my arm, soaking through the thin cotton of my shirt. I swayed on my knees. Exhaustion pulled at me.
“Declan!” I screamed for him.
Inarus lay in a heap beside me. He didn’t move. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and the exposed skin on the back of his neck and forearms was a deep blue-black color. His shoulder was caved in. His leg twisted at an odd angle.
“Declan!” I shouted again.
Gunfire hit the Hummer, and I hunkered down lower, leaning over Inarus to protect him as my vision began to swim.
Declan rushed toward me and slid across the ground as he dodged bullets to reach us. Blood seeped from his upper right chest. “You’ve been hit,” I gasped as he looked me over.
“It’s nothing. I’ll heal. Where were you hit?”
I pointed to my arm. He gripped the wound, and I winced.
Ripping his shirt off he tore it into strips and wrapped a quick bandage over and across my shoulder and bicep.
“We need to get out of here.”
Gunfire continued to hail down all around us. Declan shifted to the back and ripped open the rear door. He hefted Inarus into his arms and shoved him into the backseat. “Get in!”
I climbed in after Inarus as Declan jumped into the driver’s seat, and the engine roared to life.
“The others?” I gripped the armrest as Declan barreled down the street.
“They’re coming.”
I turned to look behind us and saw a fierce lion race behind us followed by a sleek wolf.
“Open the trunk.”
Declan pushed a button, and the trunk lifted. I ducked when bullets rang through the space just before Brock and Derek launched themselves into the opening.
Heart in my throat, I crawled over the backseat to reach the rear latch and shut the door.
Another bullet tore into my thigh.
I screamed in pain, but managed to secure the door before slumping back.
“Aria! Aria, are you okay?” Declan’s voice sounded far away.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
“Dammit, Aria. Answer me.”
My vision blurred, and I turned into Brock’s blood coated mane. “Thank you,” I whispered. And then it all went black.
18
I’d been in and out of consciousness on the way back to the Compound. At some point, Derek had shifted back into his human form and hovered over me.
I tried to ignore his junk dangling between his legs, because he was s
till very much naked. Despite having been shot twice, I wasn’t blind, and seeing Derek naked was freaking me out a little.
I groaned as he ripped through the denim of my jeans to find the bullet wound.
“Talk to me, D.”
“Bullet to the left thigh and shoulder. Looks like you already took care of the shoulder, but the thigh one is still in there. I need to get it out.”
Declan grunted. “Do it. Have Brock shift to hold her down.”
Sweat drenched my body, and a numb tingling sensation took over my fingers and toes.
Brock shifted beside me, and I lifted my uninjured arm to cover my eyes. “Clothes,” I groaned.
He chuckled. “Now isn’t the time for modesty.”
Brock gripped both my arms and pressed me down into the Hummer’s floorboards.
“This is going to hurt.”
I gritted my teeth, and Derek dug into my thigh. “Ah!” I screamed as his finger probed into the wound. “Stop. Dammit. Stop!”
“I’m almost … there!” He lifted a small silver bullet triumphantly.
I sagged in relief, and everything went black again.
I next woke as Inarus, and I were rushed into the Compound’s med ward.
“What happened?” Dia cried. She stood beside a wide-eyed Robert.
My head swiveled in their direction as I lay on a stretcher. “When did you …”
Robert stood beside me. “We just got back. We got word that her brother was in Sandpoint. She slipped out of the building to make contact, and by then I knew you were planning to retrieve him, so I had her pull out. We just got in an hour ago.”
I nodded. “Is he …” my voice trailed off as I searched for Inarus. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I swung my leg over the stretcher. Pain stabbed up from my thigh into my stomach. I gritted my teeth and forced my next words out. “Where is … ”
There! I spotted Inarus on the other end of the room. Annabeth and Frankie worked furiously to cut his clothes off of him as Dia paced behind them.
“Please. Oh, God. You have to save him.” Dia was crying. Tears streaked her blood-spattered face. She’d wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth like a child trying to sooth herself.
Consumed by Fire Page 10