by Talia Vance
Mick closes his fist around the sugar cube, crushing it into powder. “I love him too.” When he looks at me his eyes are wet. “But this is bigger than him. You can stop the bloodshed. You cared for Blake once. Enough to keep the soul bond from eating you alive. That is the most powerful magic I know.”
“No.” I meant it when I said I wouldn’t leave Austin. I want to spend my life, whatever’s left of it, with him. “If you care about Austin, you won’t ask me do this.”
“Just consider it. Joe is not wrong about things like this.”
I walk out of the kitchen without looking back.
Austin waits on the other side of the door. His face is a mask of indifference, but the crease between his brow is there.
I bring my hand to his forehead and smooth the crease away. “How much of that did you hear?”
“Enough.”
“Enough to know that it doesn’t matter.”
He grabs me by the shoulders. “It should. If Mick is right- you could end this. It’s what you want.”
“You’re what I want.”
He pulls me to him, holding me against him. “You could stop a bloody war.”
“I couldn’t.”
“I don’t understand. Mick said—”
“Maybe Blake and I could’ve beaten the curse at one point. I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Blake bonded himself to another bandia. And before that, he sent me away, knowing the Sons would try to kill me.” I run my fingers in the wild curls at the back of his neck. “And then I found you.”
“He would take you back if he could.”
“He wouldn’t.” And I wouldn’t have him.
“I would.”
“Yeah, but you’re a flipping lunatic who doesn’t know how to handle his human emotions.”
Austin laughs into my neck. And then I kiss the smile right off his face.
We have to find another way.
FORTY-NINE
Austin and I spend the day like the days before it. We take the horses for a gallop in the large field and race back to the barn. As the last of the light fades into night, we spar with swords near the edge of the bluff.
“Keep you sword up.” There’s an edge to Austin’s coaching tonight. We both know that I have little time left to get it right. The Gathering is tomorrow.
I block his swing with the blade and then spin around so the sword comes flying at his chest before he can regain his balance. He barely has time to disappear in a flash of gold light before the sword will slice his chest.
He reappears behind me.
“Was that okay?” I ask, slightly breathless.
“Just okay? Shouldn’t we be aiming a little higher?” I laugh.
“It’s a good thing I have my powers back, or you might’ve really hurt me. Perhaps we should take a break for now.”
We lay down our swords. Austin takes my hand. He leads me down a stone path to a fire pit that has already been filled with a roaring fire. At least a hundred candles in glass cylinders dot the path to the wall overlooking the ocean, as the sun slips behind the sea.
“This is beautiful,” I say. Austin sits down on the low wall that faces the sea below, pulling me into his lap. His hands rub up and down my arms as he looks up at the sky. Stars peek through a break in the clouds. “I never get tired of gazing at the heavens.”
I’m reminded of the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling of his room back in Rancho Domingo. Of the first time Austin kissed me there. My first kiss. “You like stars.”
“A wise person once told me that the stars are distant suns, each one watching over its own worlds. The stars remind me that we are all small. Even the gods.”
“Is this humility? Because it feels like a new thing for you.”
“We can’t forget that no matter how strong we think we are, there is always someone or something stronger.” The firelight dances around Austin’s face, worshipping.
“You can access your powers now.”
“But I am no longer immortal.” He runs his thumb over my wrist. “My heart bleeds as well as any.” His touch ignites a fire inside me, a flicker of heat that draws me closer. He looks past me, to the sea. “The ocean reminds me of you.”
“Of me?”
A wave crests over a boulder, sending a spray of sea water in all directions. “Beautiful, fierce, deadly.”
“I’m not sure how to take that.”
“You have always been strong, Brianna. As powerful as the elements you command.”
It’s what I’ve felt since we got here. The wildness of this place speaks to something deep inside me. Yet, now, without any power running through my veins, I feel tiny. Invisible. Like I could disappear into the landscape without anyone realizing I was gone. “I don’t feel so strong these days.”
Austin laughs. “Don’t doubt yourself. Not many people would risk their mortal life to save someone who has already lived for too long.” He brings his finger to my lips, tracing the line of my mouth. “To save me.”
“Strength or stupidity?”
“Courage. You stood against me when you believed I was wrong. You stand against Liam and an army of Sons now. It’s not your power that gives you strength.” He drops his finger to the center of my chest. “Your strength comes from here.” Austin’s thumbnail grazes across my collarbone, scratching a promise into my skin. “We may only have tonight.”
I feel tears sting at my eyes. “We can’t stop the Gathering, but I’m still planning on getting us out alive.”
“I like your plan.”
“But?”
He brings his hand to my cheek, running his fingers through my hair until they rest at the back of my neck. “For tonight, I am going to live one hundred and ten percent in the here and now.” He lowers his face to mine, until I can feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek, taste the salt of his skin on my lips. I kiss his cheek and his neck and his ear and his mouth, and then he kisses me and I am lost, lost, lost.
“Ahem.” Someone clears their throat.
Austin and I pull apart. I leap off his lap and turn to face the intruder.
Blake stands in front of us, his blonde hair wild and sticking out in every direction at once. He wears a pair of dark jeans and a U.R.D. sweatshirt that reminds me of home. He looks thinner than he did yesterday, his cheeks sunken in. It’s impossible to tell if it’s the night or if there are more shadows under his eyes, but he looks like he hasn’t slept in days. His smile is a grimace, a painted on artifice that’s more grotesque than real.
“I’d ask to join you, but I think Portia might smite me down on the spot.” His laugh is hard.
Austin stands and puts himself between Blake and me. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Blake takes another step toward us. “Says who? Didn’t Brie tell you that she came to ask for my help? She needs me, and now I’m here.”
Austin looks back at me, his eyes full of something that looks like panic. “You asked for his help?” His voice is quieter than it should be. I barely hear him over the sound of the waves as they crush boulders into tiny pebbles.
“Yesterday. You were in trouble. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Austin keeps his eyes on the ground as he reaches for my hand and squeezes. “You could still change things.”
“No.”
“Think about it Brianna. An end to the war.” Austin lets go of my hand and turns back toward the house.
I rush past Blake. “Austin!”
Blake grabs my arm. I pull away, but Blake’s words stop me. “I got the necklace.”
FIFTY
“What?” I ask. Austin is getting farther away. He can’t seriously think that I could even try to make things work with Blake. That it’s even possible. Not now.
“The necklace,” Blake says again. “You said it was important, but the guy looks okay to me.”
I turn to face him. “Portia gave it back?”
“No.” His eyes spark silver.
“I took it.”
I look back up the path. Austin has already disappeared into the house.
“Damn it, Brie.” I don’t need to see the vein on the side of Blake’s neck to know what this costs him. “I got the necklace. It’s what you wanted.”
“Did you kill her?” I can’t believe I have to ask.
His eyes are hard. “No. Would it matter if I did?”
I don’t know the answer to that question and it scares the hell out of me. “Can I see it?”
He reaches into the pocket of his jeans and thrusts his hand at me. There’s no way to avoid touching him as I take the broken chain from his palm. Our eyes meet as my fingers brush his palm. I wait for the shock of heat where our skin brushes, but there’s nothing but a sad familiarity. A dimple appears on Blake’s cheek, but his smile is eclipsed by the shadows in his eyes.
I close my eyes, listening to the sounds of the waves as I close my hand around the wolfsbane charm. The elements assault my senses in a rush. The ocean pounds through me in beats I feel from the inside. The chill of the air and the damp of the sea converge on my blood, flowing through me in icy waves. Power rages against my chest like an inferno, stronger and more insistent than I remember it. I reach out to a passing breeze, curling it around me until my hair blows wildly.
When I open my eyes, Blake looks stricken.
I stop the wind.
“Do you remember the first night we went to the beach?” He asks.
“Of course.” Our first date. The night we bonded.
“You did that same thing with your hair when I kissed you.” He reaches for my hair, taking a curl between his fingers. For a second, I see the boy I knew, looking at me like I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Making me believe it. Is it possible to go back? Could we have found a way to love each other? We tried and it hadn’t worked. Blake didn’t trust me.
I step back. “Don’t.”
He drops his hand. “When did I become the invisible one?”
I rub the silver charm between my fingers. A thousand answers hang in the air between us, none of them right. It’s impossible to see Blake the way I used to. Too much has happened.
“Thank you,” I finally say, holding the charm to my chest.
I notice a shift in the air. Before I can find its source, a blast of wind hits me square in the chest, pushing me off my feet and slamming me against the small stone wall. My legs scrape against the rock as the momentum sends me backward and into the empty air on the other side. The rocks below wait to catch me in their jagged jaws.
I close my fingers tight around the charm and find my own connection to the wind. I call it to me until it flows beneath me in spirals, spinning faster and faster, creating a cushion of air that slows and then stops my fall a few feet from the beach below. I lower myself to the ground and make my way to the switch back trail that will bring me back to the yard.
There’s a silver flash above my head. I start to run. If Blake is as weak as he looks, he’s going to need help.
I crest the bluff at the trailhead, north of where I went over, trying to stay in the shadows. Blake is in his demigod form, illuminated by silver light, draped in his family plaid. He looks more like himself in this form, his hollow cheeks no longer visible. He stands with his broadsword raised, his eyes shining. He looks like an angel of death as he circles his prey:
Portia.
She sends an arc of blue flame sailing at him. Blake disappears before it hits him. He reappears at the wall where I fell, looking down over the rocks.
“Oh poor baby.” Portia struts across the grass, even more gorgeous than usual. She’s dressed in a long black dress with soft sleeves that stretch to her wrists. Her chestnut hair glows auburn in the silver light. She looks every bit as strong and powerful as Blake had looked weak and depleted, almost as if she’s been draining him. “Pining for your ex-girlfriend until the very last.” She sends another fireball in Blake’s direction, aiming squarely for the middle of his chest.
Blake vanishes in a flash. The fire hits the stone wall, sending bits of rock up in a blue blast. Blake reappears twenty feet away. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, bandia.” He says the word like a curse.
Portia spins on him. “Why wasn’t I ever good enough?”
“Maybe it would help if you didn’t hate me so much.” Blake’s voice is almost musical in this form, making the words sound soothing. He looks over the wall again. He doesn’t see Portia raise her hand. The earth shakes beneath his feet, knocking him to the ground before he can dematerialize. Portia aims a ball of blue flame at Blake’s prone form.
“Stop!” I yell, drawing her eye away from Blake before she can make a lethal strike. The split second is all Blake needs to recover and disappear again.
Portia sends the fire at me instead. I throw up a wall of water. The fire disappears in a hiss of steam. The wind shifts. I meet it with a healthy blast of my own before it can hit me. The two forces create a mini tornado near the terrace, sending glass and candles smashing to the ground.
A flash of gold light from the house thrusts the bluff into near daylight before it goes dark again. Then it’s bright again as Austin appears behind Portia, his knife at her throat. “Stand down.” He gaze flits wildly around the yard until he spots me.
Portia drops her hands to her sides. I take a tentative step toward her, picking my way through the shattered glass. Blake reappears next to her, so she is flanked by silver and gold, but I can’t stop looking at Austin.
I’ve gotten so used to seeing him as human, that it’s a shock to see him now. The golden rays that surround him cast him in soft, warm light. He’s like a piece of art come to life, a monument to beauty, strength and love. I can’t help the smile that crosses my lips. He raises an eyebrow in question. I’m not sure what he’s asking, but I’m pretty sure the answer is yes. A million times yes.
Blake’s melodic voice falters. “I don’t believe it.”
Portia looks from me to Austin. “Serves you right, lover.” Her laugh is giddy.
“And you said I could never make you happy.” Blake glares at Portia. “Glad my torment is working for you.”
Portia is enjoying Blake’s pain?
Austin disappears and appears again at my side in human form. “Perhaps you two can take your little spat elsewhere?”
Portia shakes her head. “We have some baggage we need to dispose of.” She smiles at me. “Time to exorcise the ghost of bonding past.”
Austin stands in front of me. “I should be more clear. Leave my house.”
Portia rolls her eyes. “You don’t get it do you? It ends tonight.” I feel the rumbling in the ocean floor before she even raises her hands over her head. Blake and Austin disappear at once, just as Portia charges me.
The ground shakes so hard I’m knocked to the ground. A wave of water crests the bluff and hits me with such force I’m carried on its tide all the way to the back of the house. My shoulder hits the wall with a crack. Windows shatter as the water rushes past me into the ballroom. I’m held against the stone by the surge of water. It relents for less than a second, before I’m pulled backwards, spinning in the waves as the water retreats to the sea.
I’m so dizzy that I lose sight of which way is up and which is down. I feel a tugging at my hand and reach for it but there’s no one there. Then I feel the pull on the chain in my hand. I pull back, desperate to hang on to the necklace. My power. I feel the ocean and do my best to calm the seas, but I’m fighting against Portia’s control and the most I can manage is to create a counter-current that creates a whirlpool.
I pull hard. It’s no use. Whatever grabbed the chain is strong, and it’s not letting go. I’m running out of breath, but I can’t let go of the necklace. Not now that I finally have my power back. I clutch the chain as tightly as I can. My skin burns as the chain is ripped from my hand. I stare into the water, but I can’t see anything in the dark.
A hand reaches in and grabs my hair, pullin
g my head above the surface. I breathe in gulps of air as the water recedes around me.
“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” Portia lets go of my knotted hair. “I want him to see you die.” We’re standing near the soggy fire pit. Broken candles litter the yard. Every window in the wall of the ballroom is shattered.
The fire pit erupts in blue flames.
Portia grins as Blake appears in front of us. “Just in time to watch your witch burn.”
Blake steps forward then stops, watching the blue flame arc from Portia’s hand as it hovers near my shoulder.
“Uh, uh, lover.”
Austin runs up from the wall. “Brianna, thank—”
I need to give him an opening. The heat from Portia’s fingers licks at my shoulder. “Do you think killing me will make Blake love you?”
“You think he’s capable of love?” She waves the flame against my skirt. The wet material smolders and smokes, but doesn’t catch fire. She doesn’t take her eyes off the two boys. “Don’t come any closer.”
I raise a knee to her thigh and push her shoulders, knocking her away just as Austin and Blake disappear. They materialize on either side of her, but she throws up a wall of flame, forcing them back. The blue flames in the fire pit go out. Portia backs up a step, before her gaze settles on Blake. “Did you just try to kill me?”
Blake flashes that dimpled, haven’t-got-a-care-in-theworld smile. “Next time I won’t miss.”
Portia’s face changes from fury to shock to tears in the span of a few seconds. She sits down on the wet, littered ground and buries her face in her hands. When she finally looks up, her eyes are red and swollen. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Blake kneels down in front of her, leaning on his sword. “We could just go our separate ways. Like Killian and Danu. I could leave and—”
Portia shrieks and jumps to her feet. “You don’t get it. You are ruined. You don’t even have the decency to kill me and put me out of my misery. You call yourself a Son? There was a time when you would’ve killed a bandia without thinking twice. Does my father know what a pathetic excuse for a Son you’ve become?”