by Vella Day
“Fay would have warned us.” She held up a hand. “But if it does happen, I’ll just tell them I’m lost.”
He raised his brows. “Lost inside a dungeon? They won’t buy it.”
“They don’t have any use for me. I’m not a white lighter, and I’m not a shifter. They would be able to sense it.”
“That may be true, but I still don’t like it.”
The door to the boardroom opened, and Finn, Kaleena, and Nessa entered. Lily was a little disappointed Kyle wasn’t with them. A few more thumps sounded on the roof above them, and she glanced upward.
“It’s probably Declan, Thane, or Dad. Hell, it could be any of them,” Birk said with confidence.
She nodded, remembering the sound Birk made when he landed. While those three fixed a drink, Declan, Mr. Sinclair, and Mr. Caspian barreled in. Birk’s dad nodded at her. “Nice to see you again, Lily.”
“You too.” He’d come to the underground safe house from time to time to speak with his son when Birk was doing her bodyguard duty.
After everyone grabbed their drink of choice and a snack, they crowded around the table. Birk began by detailing what Fay Forrester had told them. “Show them the amulet, hon.”
She pulled the round piece of metal from her pocket and placed it on the table. Everyone looked, but no one picked it up.
Nessa placed something on the table and slid it to Lily. “This is the camera feed Finn took. Study it thoroughly. I’m hoping it will help you figure out how to reach the cells.”
“I can help with that,” Finn said. “If I look at the images again, I should be able to draw a fairly good diagram for you too.”
Lily smiled. “That would be great.”
The door opened again and Kyle rushed in. “Sorry, I’m late. Work demanded my attention.” He took the seat between Nessa and Lily and then leaned over. “What’s this I heard about you becoming temporarily invisible?”
She went through what Fay had told her and then pointed to the amulet.
Kyle looked over at Nessa. “Remember, my former assistant had that talent—except he could do it whenever he wanted. Trust me, when Landry snuck up on me, I didn’t hear a thing.”
“I hope I’m just as quiet,” Lily said.
“Birk, do you have a plan?” his dad asked, turning everyone’s attention to him.
“Only that I’ll ask Camden to embed a tracking device into Lily’s ring.”
“Smart thinking.”
“Secondly, I’d like to contact the Four Sisters to see if they can learn which of the captives should be saved,” Birk said.
Lily certainly didn’t want to go on a dangerous mission only to find out she’d freed bad people. She faced Birk. “Do you believe the sisters really can find out?”
“We can only hope.” Birk clasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze. He faced the group. “Let’s pretend Lily can find her way to the jail cells. Then what? What if the locks have been changed since Finn took the keys?”
Lily’s stomach churned. The number of unknowns was mounting.
“Since we have the keys, I’ll create a keyhole to match it that Lily can practice on. If they did rekey it, I can teach Lily how to pick the lock,” Thane said.
Her fingers trembled just thinking about trying to do something like that under pressure. “What if I can’t do it? Isn’t there some other way?” She looked around the room.
“Perhaps one of the sisters will know of something,” Mr. Sinclair said.
For the next few hours, they discussed strategies about timing, routes, escape plans, and emergency protocols. During that time, Finn volunteered to deliver Lily’s ring to Camden in the hope he could hide something inside the ring that would allow Birk to keep track of her.
Just before the group broke, Camden stepped into the room. “I have Lily’s ring, and I created something that might solve the unlocking issue Finn told me about. Mind you, it won’t work on any of our sophisticated locks, but old metal ones are susceptible to vibrations.” He handed her the ring, along with a small box. Inside it contained something that looked like a lock pick.
“This will unlock the doors?” she asked, twisting the piece of metal in her hands.
“All you have to do is put this pick into the lock, turn on the device, and then slowly rotate the dial clockwise. When you hear a clicking sound, twist the key hard to open the door.”
“Really?”
“Come to the lab afterward, and I’ll let you try it on a lock similar to the ones in the castle cellar.”
“I’m impressed,” Thane said.
Camden grinned. “Being a geek has its benefits.”
He looked nothing like a geek, what with his black hair, fit physique, and a smile that would melt most women’s panties. These families had good genes, but Birk was the only one who held her heart.
Lily was so excited at this new twist. This made the possibility of success that much greater. “Thank you so much.”
Birk’s father stood. “I still would like the sisters’ advice on who to save. Their pottery shop should be closed right about now, so we’ll have privacy. Birk, why don’t the three of us head on over there and see what we can find out.”
“Sounds good.” Birk looked around. “I’ll be in touch later to let you know when we plan to do this escape. We’ll need everyone’s help with this. If anything goes wrong, I want to be able to storm the castle.”
He was overreacting, but that was her Birk. She reached up and grabbed his hand. “I’ll be fine.”
“I hope so, but we always plan for something to go wrong. It’s better to be prepared than taken by surprise.”
She could understand that.
Almost everyone headed up to the rooftop. Seeing so many people transform into dragons mesmerized her.
Kyle hugged her. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Why? Because I want to save some people?”
“I am proud of you for that, but I was talking about how you’ve been able to let go of your fear of dragons. You seem happy. For that I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Since Birk was standing in front of her, she was a little embarrassed to say it had been all Birk’s doing. It was stupid not to tell him how much he meant to her, but she wasn’t ready to say those three little words when he hadn’t said them first.
“Take care, sis.”
The others shifted and took off.
Birk faced her. “Face up or face down?” Then he wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Lily laughed and rolled her eyes at him. She understood Birk was only trying to help keep things lighthearted and fun for her. He always seemed to put her first.
The first two times, she’d opted for not looking at the ground. Since this trip was short, she decided that if she was too afraid to look this time she had no right to assume she’d have it together enough to sneak into a castle and save a bunch of prisoners. “Face down.”
Birk smiled and her heart melted. “That’s my girl.”
The takeoff was hairy, but once they passed a few familiar landmarks, Lily began to relax. She trusted Birk completely, and by the time they reached their destination, she was actually enjoying the ride.
Seeing the ground race toward her was a bit heart pounding, but the landing was smooth. Birk set her down and then shifted. His dad was already inside talking with three women. “Ready?” Birk asked as he held out a hand.
“Yes.” A lot rode on the magical women she’d heard so much about. Between altering Finn’s face, to disguising Nessa’s dragon shifter signature, and then creating her protection ring, these women seemed to be able to do anything they wished.
With a hand on her back, Birk led her inside the store that smelled of cinnamon and lemon. It was as if the women had just polished all of the pots. While the display shelves were simple, the variety of pottery was amazing. They not only had the usual bowls, cups, and plates, but there were figurines, outdoor wall-hangings, and interesting masks. Some of Lily’s friends ha
d mentioned the store before, but she’d never been there.
“This is Poppy, Acacia, and Primrose,” Birk’s dad said, pointing to them in turn.
Lily shook each of their hands. “Nice to meet you.”
For three such powerful women, Lily somehow expected them to be much older. While none of them wore make-up, they were pretty in their own way. Their hair was either plaited, in a ponytail, or in a bun, but all three wore dark pants and a colorful T-shirt.
“Show them your amulet,” Birk said.
Carefully, Lily stuck her hand in her pocket, lifted it out, and held open her palm. “If I touch it to my chest and say pure of soul, kind of heart, I shall be free to do my part, I’ll become invisible.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you became invisible now. We do it all the time.”
Birk’s dad must not have explained the constraints. “I can only exercise the power once.”
Poppy nodded. “Oh, I see. Then you need to choose wisely.”
Laird Caspian explained about the plan to save those held prisoner by the Royals. “When Kaleena was there, there were about three or four others, some of whom were white lighters. By now, they could have been turned. Is there any way you can find out?”
The three women looked at each other and then back at them. “We really shouldn’t interfere.”
Birk stepped forward. “It’s not like we’re asking you to free them. Just tell us how many have been unjustly imprisoned and haven’t been turned by the dark lighters.”
Once more they faced each other, but this time they said nothing. Lily had to assume they were able to communicate telepathically like Kyle and Nessa could.
Poppy swiveled toward them. “The three of us will go. We agree that it would not be good if a dark lighter escaped by mistake. Helping to aid you in freeing the innocent will only help in Fate’s plan for the future, not interfere with it.”
Relief swamped Lily. She rushed over to Poppy and hugged her. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. We’re happy you want to help. That’s mighty noble for a human.”
If she played her cards right, she wouldn’t be human for long.
“When can you find out?” Lily was anxious to finalize the plan before she lost her courage.
“Now.”
With that the three women disappeared. Lily spun around to face Birk who had a knowing look on his face. “How can they do that?”
“It’s magic.”
Laird moved toward them. “No one knows what they are capable of. We’re always thrilled when they are willing to help us.”
Before she could respond, the three women reappeared, jump starting Lily’s pulse.
Poppy smiled. “There are five prisoners, but only three are worthy.”
Lily wouldn’t ask how they’d figured all of that out in seconds. “Which three? I’ll need descriptions.”
Primrose stepped forward and held up a cell phone. “I took pictures of them. I’ll send the photos to you.”
This was too good to be true. “What did they say?”
The women looked at each other. “Say? Why, nothing. No one saw us, trust me.”
Only now did she remember when she was invisible, if she touched something, it would become invisible too. “Of course.” Lily told her where to send the pictures.
Laird and Birk thanked the ladies and escorted Lily out. Her mind spun. “I can’t believe people can disappear like that.”
“Why is that? You saw Fay do it.”
Lily looked up at him, trying to recreate that image in her mind. “True, but she started out as points of light.”
Birk smiled and shook his head. “Ready for your ride?”
“Yes.”
She found each time she went in the air with Birk was a bit easier. In fact, Lily loved being in Birk’s arms—or rather his gentle claws. The trip to the SinCas building lasted only a few minutes, but the view was awesome. The three of them landed and the two men shifted.
Birk’s dad faced them. “When do you think you will be ready, Lily?”
“As soon as I memorize the path. I might have to ask Finn to help.”
He nodded. “Let us know. Now that we have a firm plan and know the innocents are still there and haven’t been turned to dark lighters yet, we don’t want to delay.”
“I’ll get right on this. Luckily, I have no cases at work, and I have some personal days I can use. Once again, thank you for everything.”
“Our pleasure. Now get some rest, Lily. No matter how well we plan things, the stress can mess with your mind.”
She nodded. Birk slipped an arm around her waist. “Up for some dinner?”
“I really need to study this video. Your dad is right. Time is critical.”
“What about Grub Hub delivery?”
“Perfect.”
Chapter Sixteen
After two straight days of studying and receiving quite a lot of help from Finn, Lily was as ready for this mission as she would ever be. Alea had been awesome when Lily called and asked to use her personal days. She told Lily that she had everything covered and not to worry about a thing.
“You good?” Birk asked.
As much as Lily wanted to say no, she’d committed to this. “Yes.”
He escorted her out of his condo and toward the elevator. “Remember, not only will I be nearby, your brother, Nessa, and the rest of the group will be too. You’ve got this.”
“What if I get lost?” She patted her pocket to make sure she had the magical amulet, along with the piece of paper on which Finn had drawn a detailed map of the maze.
Birk squeezed her waist. “You’ve repeated the directions to me so many times, you can’t get lost. The whole idea that no one can see you should keep you calm.”
Unless some guard came toward her and she freaked. “I know. I think the biggest risk will be when I’m leading the prisoners out. What if one of them forgets and lets go of a hand?”
He pushed the elevator button. “You worry too much.”
She didn’t know how Birk remained so calm. He’d spent hours trying to talk her out of doing this. In the end, she’d won, though it wouldn’t be called winning if she landed in a cell.
Once on the rooftop of his building, Birk faced her. “You have the amulet that Fay gave you, right?”
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yes.” Just to be sure she stuck her hand in her pocket again, pulled it out, and waved it at him.
Birk smiled, but the joy didn’t reach his eyes. He was worried. Damn. “Let’s do this.”
He shifted before she could ask him if he thought this whole escape plan was stupid. When he reached out his claw, she climbed into her usual resting place.
As much as Lily tried to slow her heartbeat, she failed, and it wasn’t because of flying. It was from all the warnings Birk had thrown at her last night.
A few minutes later, the castle appeared in the distance. Instead of taking her to the entrance, Birk landed quite far from it. Once he shifted, many of the Guardians emerged from the woods.
Kaleena rushed up to her. “You’re doing a brave thing, Lily. Fate did a good job pairing you with my cousin.”
Birk had told her she was brave too. To her, bravery implied something could go wrong. “I hope so.”
Declan nodded at several of the others. “We’re going to circle above. If we see anything suspicious, we’ll return to our designated meeting place next to the castle,” he told Birk.
It all sounded so well planned, and his calm delivery spoke of many accomplished missions. They discussed a few more details and then took flight. For some reason, Kyle was going to fly her to the castle entrance instead of Birk. She sensed that Birk’s father or uncle suspected he might try to sabotage the escape.
“Ready to see if this invisibility shield works?” Kyle asked.
If it didn’t, the plan would be called off. “I probably should have tried that before everyone arrived.
”
He shrugged. “I trust Fay.”
She stuck her hand in her pocket, and her fingers touched the amulet. She removed it and placed it over her heart and mentally recited the words. “Pure of soul, kind of heart, I shall be free to do my part.”
“Lily?”
When she blinked and looked down, she wasn’t there. “I did it!”
Kyle smiled. “You did—but I have to say, hearing your voice when I can’t see you is very strange.”
Everyone had been worried she might not be able to be heard. Just in case that happened, she’d written out what she wanted each of the captives to do. Even now, she might pass the note as a way to communicate. She didn’t need a guard overhearing an unfamiliar voice and investigating.
Kyle backed up, shifted, and then held out his claw. Unless she spoke, she had no idea if he’d know when she was securely in his grasp.
“I’m good,” she said after she settled in for the ride.
Up he went. They flew over the castle and then landed in the field that bordered the forest in back. He set her down, and Lily crawled out of his grasp. Even though she wasn’t touching him, he remained invisible. He must have cloaked himself.
“Wish me luck,” she whispered.
Of course he couldn’t answer, but it was just as well. Right now, she needed to focus on freeing the innocent white lighters. He said he would deposit her in back of the castle instead of the front, because there were fewer guards there.
What difference did that make since no one could see her? Lily jogged around to the side of the castle toward the entrance Finn had used to enter the basement. While she’d toured the place once when she was on a school trip, she hadn’t remembered it being so expansive.
When Lily reached the designated door, she mentally ran through the first few turns: two lefts, three rights, and then one left. There was no need for panic. She had Finn’s map in case she had the jitters. Oh, damn. If she were invisible, so would be the paper the instructions were written on. Hopefully, her memory didn’t fail her.
Just as she reached to pull open the door, she stopped and looked around. The moment she touched it, it would disappear. Having an entrance with no doorway could attract attention. Just then two tourists walked by, laughing and gawking, and pointed to something high on the castle. Once their backs were to her, Lily opened the door and slid inside.