by Talia Vance
my house.”
Liam grins. “Best to hold on to your earthly posses
sions while you have them. You can’t take them with you.” Austin disappears in a flash of gold light so bright I
have to cover my eyes. The light barely dims when he reappears, shrouding the entire room in its brilliance. “You presume too much. I am not some withering human.” Liam brings his arm up to cover his eyes. His face
looks pale even in the golden light.
I can’t stop staring at Austin. It’s impossible to look at
him and not understand why the gods were worshipped.
He wears only the plaid cloth that drapes across his hips,
revealing smooth lines of golden skin that look like they
were carved by a master craftsman. His hair is still wild,
and the juxtaposition with his perfect features makes him
seem almost touchable. One look at his eyes, lit with gold
light that seems to come from within, it’s plain that Austin
is not a friendly god. His gaze is both regal and deadly as
he glares at Liam.
Austin lifts his jeweled sword until the edge of the
blade meets the skin above Liam’s collar. “You are not welcome here,” he says, as if the sword to the neck isn’t sufficient to convey the message on its own.
Liam bows his head, but his mouth contorts into a
sneer. “My lord.”
Austin returns to human form, and casually sits down
and lifts his cup of tea. “Mikel? Can you show Liam out?” Liam doesn’t look at either of us as he stands and
walks to the doorway. “You always were more reckless than
bright. Today’s petulance is tomorrow’s sorrow.” Austin rolls his eyes. “You’re not my god, Liam.” Liam laughs at that. “Then it is as I thought. You are
becoming human.”
Austin meets Liam’s gaze. “Not yet.”
“Soon.” Liam blows Austin a kiss before he follows
Mick down the hall.
Austin waits until the last of their footsteps fade into
silence before he speaks again. “We’re running out of
time.”
I’m not following any of this, but I don’t miss the
way Austin’s brow furrows. He’s worried. “What was that
about?”
Austin pours himself another cup of tea. “Liam’s been
coveting my throne for centuries. It’s just like him to want
to lord it over me now.”
“How did he overthrow you exactly?”
“I’m losing my powers, Brianna. All of them.” “But I’ve seen you. You saved me from drowning, and
just now—”
“It’s more of an effort every time.” Austin stirs a cube
of sugar into his tea.
Liam meant it literally when he said that Austin is
becoming human? I try to process this. “How?” “Magic is easily conjured, not so easily undone.” “Undone?”
“The reversal spell I used to save your horse is deceptively easy to perform, is it not?”
I nod. I used the same spell to bring Blake back from
the dead. All I had to do was say a few ancient words. “Such powerful magic does not come free.”
“What are you saying? You’re losing your powers
because of what you did to save Dart?”
Austin won’t look at me. He rubs his temples and
stares at the brown liquid in front of him. He finally sighs
and lifts his eyes. “And what you did with Blake.” “Blake? How does what I did with Blake affect you?” “Not me.”
It hits me all at once. The spell I used had consequences. “I’m going to lose my powers because of what I
did to save Blake?”
“I’m afraid so.”
I’ve barely had time to come to terms with what I am.
It’s not fair. I’m finally ready to fight. And now I might not
be able to.
“How long do I have?”
“At first, there’s just a delay. Barely noticeable. Soon it
will be an effort to bring forth even the simplest spell. It
only gets harder to break through. Within weeks, we will
both be powerless.”
“It hasn’t happened to me yet. Maybe it won’t.” “It will.”
I pull my shoulders back. “Then we have to move
fast.”
“Brianna, it’s not that simple.”
“It is. I still have power. So do you. We don’t have to
wait for the Sons to find us. We’ll find the Sons and take
them out one by one. While we still can.”
Austin sighs. “We can’t.”
“Why not?”
The furrow in his brow is back. “Because we’re on
their side now.”
SEVENTEEN
I don’t want to be on the Sons’ side of anything. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that Austin is right. If we take out the Sons, the gods will return, but we won’t be among them. I can’t stand the thought of Liam lording over us anymore than Austin can. If the others are anything like him, we are in serious trouble.
“So what now?” I ask. “We can’t run, and we can’t fight.”
“We do what every army in need of an ally does. We make nice.”
He wants me to be nice? To Blake and Portia? To Jonah and Rush? To Mallory and Sierra and the rest of the breeders who spent the last few months making sure I knew exactly how much they hated me? “Impossible.”
He laughs. “It’s for the greater good. To protect humanity.”
“I’d rather live under Liam’s thumb.”
“You wouldn’t. He’s a sadistic bastard.”
“And Jonah Timken’s better how?” Austin saw Jonah try to kill me last spring.
“Liam kills for the fun of it.”
“Like Rush Bruton?” Rush’s restaurant is a taxidermist’s wet dream. He kills animals for sport and has them stuffed like sick trophies.
“Liam won’t stop at animals. People might as well be game to him. The only thing stopping him now is the threat of banishment. If he gets free reign up here, no one is safe.”
“So what do we do?”
Austin closes his fist into a tight ball. He stares at it for a moment and then moves his hand below the table. He looks up at me, his expression steady. “You could talk to Blake.”
I stand up. “No.” No way in hell.
“He’s the only one who will listen to you. He’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“He won’t.” Blake will give me exactly nothing. If he ever gave me the benefit of the doubt. If he ever gave me anything. “He hates me.”
Austin’s eyes glisten. Not with gold. He takes a long sip of his tea. The mug clinks against the table when he sets it back down. “I’m not wrong about this. He’s your best chance to survive this. I’ve been inside his head. He was ready to risk anything to keep you. That’s not something a person can just turn off. He’ll help, if you ask.”
Blake may have taken a risk for me once, but everything was different then. Blake was tied to me. He’s already moved on. Blake won’t help me now. He’ll probably be the first in line to stab me in the heart. I open my mouth to protest, but stop myself when Austin wipes his eyes.
“You have to try. We need his help.”
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Austin laughs. “I’m still not sure what to do with these damned human emotions.”
“You knew.”
“What?”
“Last night.” When I threw myself at Austin like an idiot. “You knew I was going to have to go back and ask Blake for help.” No wonder he wouldn’t let me have my revenge. He wanted me to go back to Blake.
He doesn’t answer. He closes his eyes against me.
“What about Joe? We
could talk to him. He can arrange a meeting with Rush.”
When Austin opens his eyes, he looks stronger. Resigned. “Joe doesn’t have the influence Blake does. The Sons will listen to Blake. He’s a natural leader.”
I’m suddenly furious. “So that’s it? You expect me to go crawling back to Blake and beg for his mercy? Didn’t Mick tell you we saw him with Portia yesterday? He’s moved on. Even if he wanted me once, he doesn’t now.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“Here’s what you missed while you were trapped in the underworld with Liam and company. When I made the truce with the Sons, Blake told Rush that he was using me to find the other bandia. After we nearly bonded again, he made sure we were never alone, because he didn’t want to be tied to me anymore. He never wanted us to be together like that in the first place, and he didn’t want it to happen again. If he helps me now, it won’t be because he loves me. It will be because I can help the Sons.”
Saying the words out loud brings everything into razor sharp focus. Blake never loved me. Not really.
“You can help the Sons. Even an idiot can see that.” Austin takes another sip of tea, but the cup in his hand trembles.
“I won’t.”
“I’d kill him myself if I thought it would help. But I’ve been over this a million times. The best way to the Sons is through Blake. Even if he doesn’t want you back, he will never let them hurt you. You have to trust that.”
“Fuck trust.” It’s not like Blake ever trusted me.
Austin stands up and walks around the table. He raises his hand, as if he is about to place it on my shoulder, but drops it before he touches me. “We have to try. If I’m going to die, it won’t be for nothing.”
I spin to face him. “You’re going to die?” The thought of Austin’s death should make me happy. I’d wanted him dead. I’m filled with a panic now that doesn’t make sense.
“I’m mortal now. My death is as inevitable as anyone’s. If I only have this life to live, I want to make it count.”
“Oh.” Of course. He’s talking in generalities. Mortality is new to him.
“I had Mikel do some checking. Blake is staying at the Inn above the Cath Pub on Main.”
“You want me to go to his hotel room?”
“It’s private. We don’t know if the other Sons are here and you don’t want to risk a public confrontation.” He stares at the ground. We both know that it’s more than that. He wants me to get Blake back the old fashioned way.
“You expect me to get back together with him?” Like that’s even possible. Blake doesn’t want me back. He never really wanted me to begin with.
Austin walks toward the door, his back to me. “If that’s what it takes.”
“What about me? What if I don’t want him?” I say the words, hoping that if I had the choice, I could make the strong one. The one that ends with me walking away.
Austin turns around, his eyes dark. “Don’t play with me, Brianna.”
Play with him? This has nothing to do with him. “Forgive me for not being excited about throwing myself at the guy I just saw kissing Portia Bruton.”
He holds the back of the chair next to mine, leaning forward. “It’s the logical choice. Surely you can understand logic. Blake is your best chance of staying alive. I’ve already made arrangements for Portia to enjoy a complimentary spa day. She won’t be in the way.”
Austin has already planned this little reunion? How thoughtful. “What exactly am I supposed to tell Blake?” How exactly am I supposed to win back the boy who hates me? The boy who’s already moved on? Who never loved me to begin with?
“The truth.”
“The truth doesn’t work with Blake.” I stand, but Austin doesn’t back away. There’s barely an inch of space between us as I face him. Heat radiates off his chest, and my cheeks burn with the memory of his body pressing against mine. “You really want me to do this?”
“No,” he says, “I don’t.”
“But you’re sending me anyway?”
He swallows. “And if I didn’t?”
I don’t have an answer for that. I take a step back.
“It doesn’t matter.” It will break my heart to be with Blake knowing he doesn’t care about me. But then, it won’t be so different from what he did to me. “I’ll do it.” I stalk past Austin. “But whatever happens, I’m blaming you.”
“Fine.”
I pause in the doorway. “You should’ve kissed me last night when you had the chance.”
He meets my gaze. “I know.”
I’m barely out of the room when I hear the cup smash against the wall behind me.
EIGHTEEN
Blake is staying at the inn over the pub where I stayed the night Austin returned. The entrance is through the pub, but only a few people sit at the bar, and none of them are Sons. A stout woman with short curly hair pours ale from behind the counter. She winks at me when I ask for Blake’s room. At least she holds her tongue as she leads me to a narrow wood stair case in the back.
“Second on the right,” she says. I try to ignore the creaks in the stairs as I climb, but every sound is magnified, grating on my ears like shrill screams. I wipe my palms on my jeans when I get to the door. There’s no sound from inside, and I let myself imagine he’s out. The ruse is the only thing that allows me to raise my hand and knock on the door.
There’s a rustling inside. “Did you forget your key again?” Blake says from the other side of the door. I can hear the smile in his voice. My stomach flips over before I can remind myself that his smile is not for me. It’s for Portia. My stomach sinks. Despite what I saw yesterday, some part of me still hoped there would be some perfectly rational explanation for him and Portia, like that’s even possible. But it’s pretty clear I saw exactly what I thought I saw. Portia has a key to his room, and Blake is happy she came back.
Blake flings open the door carelessly, a smile still on his lips. He wears a pair of faded 501s and nothing else, his blonde hair pointing out in odd angles like he just woke up. My chest tightens into a tight ball, robbing me of breath. I want to launch myself at him, to hold him and never let go.
Pathetic.
I keep my feet anchored to the floor in the hallway. His smile fades. “What are you doing here?” “Nice to see you too. Can I come in?” I don’t wait for
an answer. I step past him into a room that’s only slightly bigger than the one I had. I resist the urge to touch him, pressing my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
The room is dominated by an unmade full-sized bed and a small night table. Blake’s bag sits on a wooden stool, its contents spilled around it. There’s barely room for the two of us to stand.
Blake looks down the hall and shuts the door behind him quickly. He runs his hand through his hair, which only makes it stick out worse. “How’d you find me?”
“You found me. I’ve been here for the last two weeks.” Blake’s stares at the floor. “You need to leave.” I don’t know what I expected from Blake, but it wasn’t
this indifference. There’s no emotion in his voice. Not even anger. Doesn’t he feel anything? I reach for his emotions without meaning to, trying to feel something, anything that will give me a clue to what he’s feeling. Of course there’s nothing. Nothing but cold, empty air. The hole in my heart where his soul had been. “I was here first.”
“I’m serious. The Sons will all be here on Friday. They have a lead on Sherri Milliken.” His eyes meet mine for a second, but he looks away just as quickly.
Oh yeah, this will be easy. He can’t even look at me. Good. I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t trust me. Portia can have him and his fake fucking feelings. “This was a bad idea.”
“Brianna?” For the first time since I got here, he looks at me. The vein in his neck throbs, but it’s his eyes that give him away. He green eyes are sad, broken. “Why are you here?”
I meet his gaze, and I’m lost in it. I step toward him without meaning to. I close
my eyes, fighting the urge to take the step that will bring me into his arms.
Remember. Remember what he did. “I saw you with her.” When I open my eyes. Blake’s face is as impossible to read as ever. “Was any of it true?” I blurt the one question I really don’t want answered, but now that it’s out, I can’t stop myself. “Was everything a lie?”
Blake sits on the edge of the bed and rubs his palm on his cheek. “How can you even ask that?”
I inch back, until I’m pressed against the wall, keeping as much distance as I can between Blake and the bed. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you automatically assumed the worst as soon as things got crazy at your sister’s party. Or the fact that you started dating Portia Bruton the second you got rid of me.” A new panic sends my heart racing. “Maybe you never stopped seeing her.”
“Stop.” Blake’s voice is finally angry. “The fire was bad, Brianna. Don’t blame me for thinking what everyone in that room was thinking. I saw you with my sister. We all did.”
“So? I get why everyone else thought it was me, but I told you I didn’t do it. That should’ve been enough. Forget it. It’s fine. The truth came out. I know you don’t trust me. You never did.” A tear drops onto my cheek. I turn to face the door, rushing to wipe the tear away before he sees.
Blake gets up and walks behind me. My traitorous body warms at his proximity. “How can you say that? I risked everything, including my life, to be with you. I loved you.”
I don’t miss that he talks in the past tense. I grip the doorknob tight enough that my fingers hurt. “When did you stop? When the bond was broken? At your sister’s party? When?” I’m talking through tears, but it doesn’t matter now. Let him see. If I can’t make Blake feel how broken he’s left me, at least I can make him see it.
He turns and kicks the bed. “I don’t know.”
He stopped? He really stopped loving me? I want to scream. I choke it back as I turn on him. “I gave up everything for you.” My heart. My power.
He pins me further against the door with his hard stare. He takes another step toward me, stalking me like prey. “No, you didn’t. You killed me, remember? Then you sulked around my family like they were poison. You didn’t even try to get along with them. All you wanted was for us to bond again. You wanted my soul, but I was never good enough.”