“Don’t you hate him?” I ask.
He sighs, nods, looks at the floor. “Titus…possesses a lot of evil.” His lifts his eyes back to mine. “But you have to fight evil with love. You can’t fight it with hate. Titus can’t be all evil. No one is. There has to be some good in him, and it’s our job to look for that good and draw it out.”
Unbelievable, that a Defender who was forced to do all the terrible things he did, could defend the person who made him do it. And yet, here he is, still looking for the good in Titus, even when he doesn’t have to. No wonder it was so hard for him to torture Titus. No wonder he’s one of the few people who doesn’t hate me for not killing Titus when I could have.
Thorne James Mcallister is the most forgiving person I’ve ever met.
“I don’t understand how you could still see good in Titus,” I say. “Even I can’t see good in him, and I’m his sister who was brainwashed by him for years.”
“You just recently saw Titus for what he really is. Everything he’s done to you is replaying in the back of your mind, but it’s like you’re seeing it through different eyes. Opened eyes.” He leans back and drags his hand across his forehead. “I was really angry in the beginning, too. When I first found out about the whole brainwashing thing.”
“How did you get out of it?”
He stares at me, as though trying to decide if I’m worth telling. But then he shrugs, leans forward, and clasps his hands between his knees. “My father did the landscaping for the Turners. I would go with him sometimes to work. Rain and I were the same age and kind of became friends. We got older, and he started getting involved with the Resurgence, then he got me involved. I was the only person he trusted, apart from his housemaid, LeighAnn.” He pauses, studies his fingers, then goes on.
“A couple years ago, the Resurgence got a hold of the antitoxin—a different stash than the new strain—and Rain gave me some so I wouldn’t be brainwashed. But then the time came for me to get my career. He offered to have me taken to the Resurgence so I wouldn’t have to be brainwashed. But…I saw all the things Rain was doing. And I wanted to be a part of that. Not in some deserted city, but in Frankfort. Among my people. I wanted to see the heart of Frankfort and have a place where I could make a difference. So Rain went behind the scenes and was able to get me a position as a Frankfort Defender, from which I moved up pretty quickly.” A sad look comes across his features as he stares at the floor. “But…apart from some spying I was able to do, I didn’t do much with my time as a Defender. Just like any other Defender brainwashed into following orders, I did exactly as I was told, even if it meant the death of innocent victims…and the death of some of my fellow comrades from the Resurgence.”
“But didn’t you help Ember escape?”
He looks at me. “Forest ordered me to do it. So any Defender in my place would have done it.” He shrugs. “It was really Forest who saved her.”
“But you weren’t brainwashed. You knew exactly what you were doing, what measures you were taking. You still placed your life on the line. Forest might have told you to save her. But you made the decision to save her on your own.”
He looks at me, his eyes sharp.
“She shook up Frankfort,” I press. “If she never made an appearance, if she never put a dent in Frankfort as Titus's sister, I would still be locked in that room, Titus would still be a leader, and the Resurgence would be back at square one, except they would have Ember at their backs. But it still would have been a struggle for them to take over Ky.” I reach out and place my hand over his. “Thorne, if you weren’t there to rescue Ember, she would have gone to prison, and I don’t think Rain had a backup plan to rescue her that time. It all happened so fast. And thank God you were there to help the transition.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Thank you, Aurora.”
“I mean it. You need to give yourself more credit. You’re possibly the bravest person I’ve ever met. The most honest and sincere.” I swallow the unexpected lump in my throat. “I don’t know where I would be without your belief in me. Sometimes I think it was what you saw in me that urged me to keep making the right decisions, instead of resorting to Titus's ruling methods.”
He offers a half smile. “Everyone deserves a second chance, Aurora.”
The way he says my name makes butterflies take wing in my stomach. He seems to sense the sudden charged energy between us, because he wraps his fingers around mine, and the connection magnifies. He searches my eyes and my heart begins pounding. A look of confusion crosses his features, and he quickly drops my hand, then stands and walks to the window. I’m so glad he did. Because whatever I was feeling just now was strange. And terrifying. Like I had no control of my emotions.
“I wonder how long they’re going to keep us locked up here,” he says.
He stands by the window, his chin erect, his strong arms locked behind his back. I wouldn’t mind if something else came out of that moment just now. I wouldn’t mind if he wrapped those strong arms around me. I would really feel like everything was okay, then. I quickly look away, reprimanding myself. Thorne might respect me as chief, but I doubt he has any of those feelings for me. Obviously. How could he? Though he said he would die for me, it’s all out of duty. A Defender’s duty to the Chief. Nothing else. Titus still made him do horrible things, and I’m Titus's sister. Plus, I slept with Titus.
I cringe. Thorne must be disgusted with me. And I held his hand. Did he only hold mine to make me feel better? Silently cursing myself, I stand and head into my room.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
AURORA
The next morning we’re greeted by Prometheus’ Grandmother, Summer. It’s weird seeing someone so close to my age and knowing she’s probably well into her sixties. But looking into her eyes, I can see the age. Not the age that comes with wrinkles and gray hair, but the age that comes with wisdom. This lady has seen a lot in her lifetime, and it shows in the depths of her blue eyes.
Her hair is straight, laying over her shoulders like gold silk. A wreath of white flowers crowns her head. She wears a white dress that shimmers in the light.
“Come along,” she says, smiling so big it reveals all her white teeth. “Time to see the council.” I wonder why she’s so happy.
When we step outside, a silver car pulls up and we crawl inside. It’s huge. Long and spacious with smooth leather seats and a smell of cinnamon.
Cinnamon.
Like Forest.
My heart squeezes at the memory of him. His unnecessary death. His death caused by Titus. My throat closing, I look at Thorne. I was never really attracted to Forest. But I still admired him. He was a safe haven, and the only person I could actually talk to besides Titus. If he lived, maybe something deeper could have developed between us. But he didn’t. And though I still ache when I think of him, I think I’ve been able to move past my grief.
But what I feel for Thorne…it's totally different. It isn’t just the comfort that comes from friendship, like what I felt with Forest. It’s something deeper, more compelling, less clear. I can’t put my finger on it, and yet, I can’t fight it. But I don’t really have time to attempt to understand these odd feelings.
I look forward. Try to focus on what’s going on now.
“So, where are we going?” I ask Summer.
“The palace.”
Just as she speaks the word, the vehicle takes a sharp turn and a glorious structure appears ahead. The building is elaborate, standing taller than all the other buildings in Nashville. Unlike our concrete capitol building that has a large rounded dome, this building looks more like a castle made of glass. The car pulls us through the gates, down an illuminated road, and up to the front gate of the palace. There are no guards. Only escorts who open the door for Summer.
“Your Majesty,” one of them says, bowing deeply. She stands straight and erect, and I see it now. She’s the queen of Nashville. How did I not see this before? I mean, I knew she was Prometheus�
� grandmother, but I didn’t put the pieces together. But if she’s queen, wouldn’t that give her more power than Prometheus? Or this society more behind socio-economically than we thought?
Thorne gets out of the vehicle, but Summer looks at him.
“Get back in the vehicle, Mcallister.”
His eyes darken. “I’m not leaving my chief.”
“In this case, you’ll want to.”
My spine stiffens. Are they going to kill me?
Mcallister gives a firm shake of his head. Summer pulls me into a headlock, and I feel the prick of a needle at my neck. Wow. I thought I was quick, but she’s clearly got sixty-some years on me.
“Get back into the vehicle.” Summer’s voice is firm, allowing zero room for argument. “Or I will fill her blood with poison.”
Mcallister stares at her for a full thirty seconds, during which the needle barely pierces my skin.
My breath hitches. Mcallister looks at me, a war going on in his obsidian eyes, and the torture I find within stings worse than the needle on my skin. I want to tell him it’s okay. I want to comfort him. I want to hold him and say something that will crack that rare smile of his.
“If you care for your Defender at all, Chief Aurora,” Summer whispers in my ear, “you need to know that letting him stay in the vehicle is for his own good. You won’t be killed immediately because you’re Titus’s sister. Mcallister will be shot the moment he steps through the palace doors.”
The truth of her words slaps me in the face. Mcallister is nothing but a guard dog in their eyes. A useless Defender, according to Titus. They will see no use for him and dispose of him quickly. I couldn’t live with myself if he was killed on my account.
“Stay back, Mcallister,” I say, a strange courage filling me. “If I don’t make it out of here, tell Ember she is to take over chief responsibilities.”
His brows flicker. “Aurora—”
“Go. Please.”
His jaw clenches visibly in the light. He glares at Summer. “I’m not finished here.” He gets back into the vehicle, and Summer gestures for the driver to roll down his window.
“Take him to edge of the city,” she tells the driver. “At the cupola where he came in, and leave him there.” She looks at Mcallister. “The cupola will open for you to leave, but if you come back in, know that you’ll be trapped inside again. And you’ll lose your life for it.”
Releasing me, she spins around and leads me up the stairs to the palace. I know better than to try and bolt.
“I thought you were on our side,” I say as I follow her up the stairs.
“I am.” She speaks quietly, as if she’s afraid of being overheard. “Trust me when I say, he is much safer across the cupola.”
I nod, then swallow. Maybe she is on our side. Although she did hold that needle to my neck. Would she have injected it if Mcallister disobeyed?
I haven’t been to too many places. I know my room was spacious, larger than even Ember’s home. I know that I lived an elaborate lifestyle with everything at my fingertips, even if I had no freedom. But this. This palace is something worth visiting on a vacation. The floors are made of silver tiles. The hall ceiling arches a good five stories high with beautiful murals painted all over the ceiling. Banisters of the third and fourth floors overlook the foyer.
There’s always a bigger fish, I remember Titus saying once, when he came to tell me a bit about Nashville. The city is like heaven. The people are magnificent and powerful. The palace makes our home look like a shack.
Boy, was he right. His only problem was that he was so obsessed with Nashville and all its glory, he put more effort into pleasing them instead of pleasing his own people, so much so that he was sacrificing his own people to earn the friendship of Nashville. I always wondered why he got so bored at his own parties and feasts. The chance to socialize with our citizens sounded divine to me. I envied him. Now I realize he was only bored because he’d been here.
Summer leads me up the stairs and down a hall. Her sudden silence makes apprehension seep into my bones and makes my feet heavy. Finally, we step into a spacious room with a large metallic round table in the center. A dozen people sit around the table, all of them look like they’re in their twenties. Summer takes her place in one of the empty chairs. My eyes scan the table, landing on Titus. My heart rate spikes. If my whole body wasn’t tense before, it is now. Every muscle hardens to unbendable steel. My stomach turns inside out. I look into Titus’s eyes, and I want to throw up. He was right. He’s clearly in a place of power here. He has the authority to do with me whatever he wants.
I’ve never had the urge to flee a room any more than I do now.
“Sister,” he says with a small smile.
I nod in acknowledgment. “Titus.”
The boy beside him tilts his head to one side. His eyes are sky blue, like crystals. His hair is gold silk like Summer’s. “So this is the infamous Rory.”
“Call me Chief Aurora.”
He narrows his eyes. “She’s almost as bold as you, Titus.”
“I take credit for that.” Titus grins.
“You shouldn’t,” I snap. “Everything I am now is because of Krin.”
The blond boy barks out a laugh, an arrogant thing. “Wow, Titus. She’s vicious.”
“I assume you’re Prometheus?”
His golden brows shoot up. “You can refer to me as ‘Your Majesty.’”
“I don’t want to cause trouble. I only want to retrieve my son, Gideon, and return home.”
He leans back in his chair and taps his chin. “Titus here claims Gideon as his own. He is the one who sent the boy to us. I would only trust him to take Gideon back.”
Summer leans forward and looks at Prometheus. “Titus took Gideon from her without her permission.”
His brows flicker. “Barbaric. Titus, you would do such a thing to your own sister?”
Titus shrugs and smirks, then looks at me. “It was for his protection, Rory. I told you that.”
“Protection from whom? You?” My eyes are burning. If he wants to stage this whole argument, I can play along. “I had no say in the decision. And you had me believe rebels took him.”
“I couldn’t risk you ratting him out if you got captured. And good thing. You were captured, and you ended up taking the rebel side.”
I almost snap that it’s because they’re in the right. I almost tell Nashville how barbaric Titus was to his own subjects—but then I remember that they’re a part of his cruelty. He sent his people to them to be thrown into some sick game.
Prometheus sighs. “I honestly don’t have time to sit here and listen to your bickering. What I did call you in here for, Aurora, was to see which one of you could offer me more for your son.”
Titus looks sharply at him. He opens his mouth to object, but Prometheus cuts him off with a flip of his hand. This is clearly out of even Titus's hands at this point.
Good.
“What would you be willing to offer to get Gideon back?” Prometheus asks me.
“What do you want?”
“People. I want the same deal I had with Titus. I want you to send me ten units a month, and I’ll give you your son back and leave you alone the rest of your life.”
Ten units? “You mean…like…people?”
Titus smirks, then mumbles, “She’ll never go for that, empathetic little—”
“Yes.” Prometheus doesn’t even look at Titus, but offers a diplomatic smile. “Ten of your people a month. And I don’t care who they are. They could be your rebel enemies. Disabled folk. Orphans. Or even the aged people. Just anyone who has not been vaccinated or doesn’t have any bit of the Patrician blood. Once I give them the White Plague, they’re all about the same strength and craziness that it doesn’t affect the entertainment.” He grins broadly and looks at the table like reliving a sick memory.
“Wait,” I say. “Didn’t…Titus tell you?”
“Tell m
e what?” He looks back up at me, still grinning.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Titus stiffen. Perfect.
“Ky has been cured.” A laugh escapes me, and it’s strange, this relief I feel, this sense of power. “All the people, the entire country, has been given the antitoxin. Indy came over with their helicopters and sprayed our country with the cure against the White Plague.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
AURORA
“WHAT?” Prometheus’s grin is gone. He glares at Titus. “You didn’t tell me.”
Titus's lips twitch into a nervous smile. It’s so strange seeing him on the other side of the power line. He’s not the leader anymore, but a common citizen at the disposal of Nashville. “I didn’t realize you were going to try to strike up a deal with her. I thought you were done with Ky.”
“So, what then?” Prometheus’s voice rises a notch. “Why even bother talking to your sister now? Why didn’t you just tell us to kill her?”
Titus shrugs. “Do I need to begin doling out rules here? I thought you were a capable leader without need of my direction.”
Even from across the table, I can see Prometheus’s eyes icing over. I glance at the others in the circle. Most look bored. Summer’s head is bowed, but I can just barely make out a small smile. She’s enjoying this little piece of a drama a bit too much. I probably would, too, if my life weren’t currently on the line.
“What good are you, Titus?” Prometheus is clearly trying to rein in his temper. His hands are trembling. Did he really count on those people Titus traded in every month? And did he really think I would just roll over and allow it? Would I have, if it meant getting Gideon back? I’m suddenly glad I don’t have the option to make that decision.
“Why are you so angry about this?” I ask. “Why do you count so much on those people you used for entertainment? Can’t you use the tigers I sent you? Or—or find some other form of entertainment that doesn’t involve killing people?”
Prometheus pins me with his crystal eyes. “The entire city of Nashville counts on those games. I don’t expect you to understand, being from the prehistoric country you grew up in, but Nashville hosts a massive celebration every month, and it involves units from Ky. Titus here was good about giving us units monthly, even offering bonuses every now and then. I’d hoped to strike up a deal with you, but it won’t be as fun watching the units battle it out when they’re completely aware of what’s going on.”
white dawn (Black Tiger Series Book 3) Page 35