Curses and Ash

by Tiffany Daune

  His brow furrowed. “What happened with Nat and me is over. When she walked out that door, she broke my heart.”

  “So, Quinn was telling the truth—you loved her?” She swiped the back of her hand across her lips, disgusted with herself for kissing him, furious she had let the Guardian bond trap her so easy.

  “Nat and I got lost in the bond; we were confused. We were always under so much pressure. You don’t know how far the Tari pushed, forcing us to train, sending us into the dark side of her seam.” His eyes pinched, as if this memory pained him. “We hung on to each other because no one else understood.”

  “Did you stop loving her once the bracelet was off, once she released you?” Halen had to know if was possible to have real feelings not marred by the bond. Or if everything she felt for Dax was a lie like others had said.

  He shook his head. “I slept with her, Halen.” His gaze slipped to the floor. “It was the first time for both of us. You don’t just let that go.”

  She choked on her next words, not really quite sure how to continue. He had shared so much more with Natalie than she imagined. “You didn’t have to tell me that. What you and Natalie did is none of my business.” Her tone came out sharp. And this too surprised her. The same jealous feelings she had when she saw his bedroom door across from her sister’s wound through her.

  “I needed you to know.” He wrung his hands. “I want us to have a real relationship—one without secrets. I need for you to trust me.”

  She inhaled a long breath to steady her confusion. Her gaze found Otho’s soul, brining back her focus. Feelings were irrelevant right now. All that mattered was that he trusted her, and distancing herself from him was the only way she could trust herself. “I do trust you, but this,” she motioned between the two of them, “what we're feeling toward each another is because of the Guardian bond. We’ve been through a lot since we met; we’ve barely had time to really get to know one another. We’re going to be in each other’s lives no matter what, so I think we should take it slow.”

  “I agree. I think Nat left because this was all too much for her.”

  No kidding. If she could run out the door and never look back she would. “I’m sure she had her reasons, but now she must be stopped.”

  “So, you agree?” He stood back, cocking his head. “I thought you wanted to meet her—give her a chance?”

  “I thought so at first, but if a siren without a Guardian is dangerous…” Terrified the Guardian bond would force her into his arms, she hugged herself tightly. “And we know she’s all kinds of unhinged. Obviously, she doesn’t want a sister. I can’t imagine what she’s done to our parents.” She nodded toward the table. “I found her journal. I didn’t say anything because it’s filled with a bunch of nonsense.” The word liars flashed through her mind. “You were right, she’s dark. If she’s with the Hunters, there’s no telling what she’ll do.”

  Her gaze rested on the vial at Dax’s neck. Grab it and run, her thoughts urged, but she remained steady. “If they get Otho’s soul, they can control you. Natalie may be targeting both of us. We need to rescue our family and our friends, and then, we need to stop her.”

  “I’m so glad you see it this way. When I found her journal under your pillow, I thought you had run away too. I was worried you didn’t trust me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” For this question, Halen found a bright pink blossom on the wall to study.

  “Because I lied about the Guardian bond; you thought you were connected to Tage.”

  “You acted for the Tari, so we could free Etlis. I don’t blame you.” She met his gaze. She hated the sickening dichotomy of loathing him and wanting to be near him at the same time. She rolled her neck from side to side. “I have a killer headache. I need to lie down.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No!” Her eyes widened.

  “I didn’t mean like that.” He flashed that crooked grin that had the ability to turn her insides to mush. “We’re taking it slow.”

  He thought she was flirting with him? She used this to her advantage. “Um, yeah, really slow. I haven’t been with someone…” Her voice trailed off; her face flushed. Asair would have loved watching her squirm. He would have chimed in with some witty wisdom on her virginity. She was thankful he wasn’t observing this.

  “Halen, I know what Nat and I did was stupid. I wasn’t ready either—it kind of just happened. I’m not in a hurry. I want to be here for you, so don’t think I’m going to pressure you to sleep with me. The idea isn’t horrible, though.” A dimple pitted his cheek. “If the realms are really collapsing, we don’t have much time.” He smiled even broader.

  “Nice try, but I have faith the realms will be just fine.”

  “Oh?” His head tilted to the side. “You think the rings of fire will stop? They spotted three more, you know.” He was digging now.

  What made her say more? She was in the clear. She should have politely excused herself and locked herself in her room until she figured out a way to get Otho’s soul.

  “I think Huron will find something.” Her palms moistened, and at the same time, her throat felt stuffed with cotton balls. “He’s never let you down before. Maybe we should contact him. Maybe we will be walking into Etlis in the next day or so. I don’t know.”

  He glanced back at Natalie’s journal, his gaze lingering for too long, and Halen thought she had blown it. Barely an afternoon and already she had botched the plan, when Dax’s face broke with a soft smile. “I forget you were raised human.” His tone held disappointment, just as Quinn’s had.

  As if humans were chopped liver. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  He shrugged, but didn’t answer her. “I’ll be here when you’re ready. I’ll order a pizza.” He grabbed a stack of menus from the side table. “Any preference?”

  She hadn’t eaten anything but candy and cupcakes in days, but she didn’t know if she could eat with Jae’s potions swirling around in her stomach. Still, pizza did sound kind of good right about now. “Pepperoni. No olives.” She eyed Otho’s soul. Grab it and run.

  “Will do.” He tucked the vial beneath his shirt. “Anything else?”

  She realized she was still staring at the spot where the Hunter’s soul lay against his chest. She dipped her itchy fingers in her pockets.

  “No.” She turned on her heel and left before she said or did anything more awkward, the possibility of stealing the vial slipping away with each second.

  “PIZZA AGAIN?” HALEN lost her appetite.

  “Yeah, I know my siren taste buds hurt too. Dax set the box on the kitchen counter. “This is the only place still open since the newest fire rings hit the news, and we can’t risk going too far from the flat. Not after what happened with that shifter.”

  At the mention of Wolfe, Halen’s heart tripped. She cried herself to sleep the first night. His death helped her keep her distance from Dax. Whenever she felt drawn to him, she would picture Wolfe, his chest heaving as blood soaked his fur. Maybe this was too much blame to pin on Dax; he had saved her after all. But it was a way to quell the sparks.

  Dax grabbed two plates and napkins, set them on the bar table with the box between them.

  “As soon as Quinn gets back, we’ll leave for the aqueducts.” Dax touched her shoulder, igniting the sparks.

  She flinched. “Sorry,” she said when she met his hurt gaze. “I’m just frustrated.” She shrugged his hand off. “I feel like we should be doing something."

  Where the heck was Asair? He should have been back by now. She peered out the window. Cars lined the road, honking as crowds flooded the streets, a mix of Parisians seeking refuge in London and locals fleeing before the next fires breached the sky. This went on for most of the day, until nightfall when the travelers would tire. Some would sleep in their cars and others on streets. She feared the fires would hit before Asair arrived. And still, she was no closer to getting Otho’s soul. She turned to her dinner, picking off th
e pepperoni.

  “There’s nothing we can do, but take care of each other.” Dax poured Maddie a bowl of wedding soup and set it on a plate, tucking a slice of pizza under the rim along with a spoon.

  She let out a heavy sigh. His kindness made it harder to believe a monster lurked inside. “You treat her like she’s your sister. Quinn is lucky.”

  “He would do the same for me.”

  “Would he?” she asked. “Do you trust Quinn?”

  “Of course. We’re like brothers. He would do anything for the Tari.”

  “For the Tari—not you?” How deep did this brotherhood run?

  “Same thing. The Tari is one. Like you and me.”

  She dropped her piece of pizza on the plate.

  “You don’t have to worry about Quinn, he’s a commander in the Tari. He would never betray us.”

  Had Dax trusted as blindly as she? Maybe he just didn’t know the truth? She thought of Quinn shooting back Jae’s potion. The only thing she knew for sure, everyone was good at lying. “Go take her the soup before it gets cold.” She smiled.

  “I won’t be long. What do you want to do tonight? Read—watch a movie?”

  “Maybe there’s a good horror movie we haven’t watched yet.”

  “I can’t believe the world is in flames and you want more gore.” He backed out of the kitchen with Maddie’s tray. “I’ll hurry.”

  “Take your time.” Halen pressed her hand to the cool window pane. “I need to get out of this place. Where are you, Asair?”

  As if answering her call, the doorbell rang. She bolted from the kitchen, and across the living room. She skidded into the hall in her socked feet.

  Dax was still in Maddie’s room. She ran down the stairs in twos before the bell rang once more. She peered out the side window and her breath hitched. She unfastened the lock, then threw open the door. “What the heck are you doing here?” Her voice cracked.

  Ezra stood bare-chested, his arms at his sides, his drawstring pants heavy with water and coated with sand. A rash of scrapes lined his bare feet. With his hair slicked back, his eyes appeared like saucers. His lips were a bluish purple, and when they parted a garbled mess of words tumbled from his throat.

  She grabbed his arm, yanking him inside as she scanned the street for signs of the others. A man lay sleeping on the neighbor’s doorstep. “Ezra, what happened to you? Where’s Tage?”

  At the mention of her name, his shoulders slumped forward, his lip quivered.

  A sickening feeling washed over her. “Where’s my mom?”

  He shivered as if his bones were ice. She guided him up the stairs and into the living room, then grabbed a blanket from the chair and wrapped it around his shoulders as he sank into the blush-hued cushions.

  “Ezra, speak to me. What happened?”

  His gaze darted from the golden mirror to the loud floral wall paper and then back to Halen.

  “How did you find me?” She sat next to him, rubbing his arms.

  The shivering increased with scattered spasms.

  “You have to get your wet clothes off.” Gently, she lowered his head to the pillow, and loosened his pant string. She yanked them with both hands, wriggling the wet fabric over his hips where a little cross was tattooed. She averted her gaze to the window, covering him with the blanket. As she tucked his arms to his sides, she noticed a piece of crumpled leather in his fist. She pried his fingers open, taking the piece of hide, and set it aside, so she could work some warmth into him. “Come on, buddy.” She briskly rubbed his arms.

  His eyelids slid shut. Though his chest rose and fell, she feared his breath might cease at any moment.

  “What happened to you?” She unfolded the leather, hoping to find a clue. Three words, stained in a burnt red hue, sent her sparks into overdrive. Her gaze darted to the hallway and then back to the hide.

  “What’s going on in here?” Dax stepped into the living room.

  Halen shoved the note under the couch cushion and stood. “It’s Ezra.”

  Dax rushed beside her. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “I don’t know. He hasn’t spoken. He was soaking wet.” She nodded toward the pants, now on the fireplace tiles.

  Dax shook his head. “This isn’t good.”

  “No kidding. Look at him.” She nodded toward Ezra, but was thinking about the message on the hide.

  “That’s not what I mean. It’s not good that he found us. Only Daspar and Natalie knew the location of Quinn’s flat.”

  “You don’t think Natalie’s here, do you?”

  “I don’t know. Did you see a Hunter’s mark on him?”

  “You don’t think…” She distanced herself from her friend.

  Dax ripped off the blanket and scanned Ezra’s body. This time she didn’t look away. She needed to know, to be absolutely certain, if Ezra was under their control. Dax flipped his body, and finding nothing, covered him back up. “I don’t get it.” He threw his hands up in the air. “Something must have happened to Quinn.”

  She knew exactly why Ezra had come. Only, it didn’t make sense why the Hunters had sent him. She glanced at the couch where the note was stuffed under the cushion. She couldn’t let Dax find it.

  The slamming of the front door echoed from the hallway. Halen’s gaze darted to Dax and then to Ezra.

  “You stay here.” Dax grabbed the fire poker and headed toward the hall.

  She wasn’t ready to face her sister. Natalie’s magick was strong—she needed to be stronger. She also needed to find a way to talk to her, convince her to join the circle of three, before Dax got to her. She thought of the gun; he killed Wolfe without hesitation. So even though her heart slammed her chest and her sparks warned her to stay put, she followed. Dax shot her an annoyed glare when she rounded the corner, but she wasn’t going back. She raised her hands, ready to strike with a spell.

  “Hey, magick hands down.” Quinn strode up the stairs wiggling his fingers. “It’s just me.”

  “You freaked us out.” Dax stepped aside as Quinn made his way to the top.

  “Were you expecting someone else?” Quinn asked.

  “We’ve had some recent activity. A shifter attacked Halen, and now Ezra just showed up out of nowhere. He’s the siren the Hunters captured with our parents. They followed you back. You should have been more careful.”

  “Relax,” Quinn’s tone was calm. “No one followed me here. Is my sister okay?”

  “Maddie’s fine.” Dax walked ahead, heading toward the living room, but Halen lingered behind.

  “Where have you been?” She glanced over his shoulder to make sure Dax couldn’t hear.

  Quinn guided her hands down, which she hadn’t realized were still poised for attack. When his gaze met hers, she recognized the boy inside. “Asair?”

  “Everything’s fine.” He walked toward the living room.

  “Do you feel all right?” she asked his back.

  “Never better.” He entered the living room.

  Dax patted him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “Me too. Your sister put up quite the fight.” He turned to Halen. “But I got the tears.” He touched his pocket and winked.

  “She’s dead then,” Dax said.

  “We should be so lucky,” Quinn guffawed.

  “She gave them to you?” Dax’s eyebrows arched higher.

  “I forced them from her.”

  Halen’s eyes widened. As if… Quinn may be trained in combat, but nothing could have prepared him for Natalie’s dark magick. “Did you see my mom?” She knew he hadn’t and it hurt even asking, but she had to play along.

  “No. I didn’t even see this one.” Quinn nodded toward Ezra. “Natalie ambushed me at the airport. I don’t know how she knew I was coming, but she did. She forced me into the men’s loo where she choked me with one of her spells, but I shot her with a blast of mouth spray.”

  “You what?” Halen cleared her throat. As if he could escape one of her sister’s s
pells, any spell for that matter, with mouth spray! Who even carried mouth spray?

  Dax was first to ask. “You stopped to buy mouth spray on your way to the Hunters’ fortress? This wasn’t a date, you know.”

  Quinn rolled his eyes, and not missing a beat said, “I ate this ridiculously spicy burger and I couldn’t get the onion jalapeno taste out my mouth; the shop was all out of gum.” He shrugged. “Good thing too, because when she had me pinned in the stall I wouldn’t have been able to spray gum in her eyes.”

  This was the worst story she had ever heard. Dax would never believe it.

  Quinn’s forehead furrowed. “Her eyes were burning something fierce and I collected her tears. I escaped before she retaliated. I hopped the next plane.”

  “You took a long time to get back to the flat.” Dax thrummed his fingers on the fireplace mantel.

  Halen wrung hers behind her back. “I guess you had to be sure you weren’t being followed,” she blurted, filling in the blanks.

  “Uh—yeah—I had to make sure I wasn’t being followed.”

  Halen’s breath quickened. No way was Dax buying this bull crap. Who would? Natalie would have obliterated Quinn.

  “We need to leave.” Quinn broke the silence.

  “You’re right.” Dax nodded. “Natalie will come looking for you. You and I both know she’s going to be ticked off.”

  Too easy, Halen thought. He knows.

  “We’ll take off for the aqueducts at nightfall,” Dax said. “But we can’t take him.” He waved dismissively toward Ezra. “And I don’t think we should take Maddie either. Quinn, you stay here, and I’ll take Halen with me.”

  “What?” Halen’s gaze darted to Quinn, but he wouldn’t look her way. “We can’t just leave them.”

  “We don’t know if we can trust Ezra,” Dax said. “And Maddie is just too weak to travel.”

  “Don’t worry about Maddie,” Quinn said. “I’ll ring our aunt. She’ll be glad to watch over her.”

  “Your aunt?” Dax’s eyebrows pinched in the center. “You never told me you had an aunt.”

  “She’s not really our aunt. She was one of Maddie’s teachers who took a liking to her before she ‘got sick.’” He tossed up air quotes. “Maddie just calls her Auntie.”