by Bella Jacobs
I pluck the burner phone from the table and pull up the menu we found last night before handing the phone over to Wren.
She squints at the tiny letters for a moment before her brows lift suddenly. “Beef Brisket poutine with quail egg.” She looks up, her gaze finding mine. “Where is this?”
“The restaurant at the Fairmont Banff Springs. The most exclusive resort in the area. It looks like Atlas has a portal somewhere on the property.”
“A portal that might still be guarded,” Sierra adds. “But it won’t be spelled against outsiders the way the others are, so you won’t need me to open it.”
Wren’s forehead wrinkles. “Why not?”
“It can’t be,” I explain. “Not with that many people coming and going in the surrounding area. Privacy spells, even the strongest ones, are only reliable in remote locations, where there isn’t a lot of human traffic to begin with. Which is probably why Atlas has the portal behind a locked door, where possibly his own people don’t even know about it.”
“So you won’t be walking in through his front door,” Sierra says, excitement dancing in her dark eyes. “Or even one of the side doors. You’ll be coming in his private entrance, and I seriously doubt even he’ll be expecting that.”
“If we’re lucky, the door could open right into his study,” Kite says, floating the best-case-scenario we’re all hoping proves true. “Which means we bypass the army on his killing fields and the guards surrounding the castle completely.”
Wren nibbles at her thumb. “I don’t want to get my hopes up too high on that, but…” She makes a fist, thumping it on the table. “But let’s do it. It’s worth a try, and it sounds like the best shot we’ve got.”
“We thought you’d think so,” I say. “So we went ahead and made a few arrangements.”
“Sierra’s heading out tomorrow morning.” Kite crosses to rest a hand on the back of her chair. “We won’t need her to lead us to Atlas, and since this was never meant to be her fight, we thought you’d agree it’s best to send her out of harm’s way.”
Wren nods firmly. “Absolutely.”
“Not that I’m not willing to stay if you need me.” Sierra lifts her arms, the fingers on her remaining hand spread wide, a vivid reminder of just how evil our enemy truly is. “Just let me know. Whatever you think is best, mama. You’re the head cheese around here, and don’t you let these boys forget it, all right?”
“No, you’re out of here,” Wren says, lips curving. “They’re right. This is our fight, and I’ll feel so much better knowing that you’re safe.”
“Me, too,” Kite agrees. “You’ve given enough. More than enough.”
Sierra shrugs, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s not enough until that fucker is dead. But there’s nothing in the books about a Fata Morgana facing Atlas with the help of her four mates and a random lesbian who’s along for the ride. And I don’t want to get in the way, so…” She shifts her gaze my way. “But if the fancy hotel portal doesn’t pan out, I’ll be back before you can say ‘Atlas sucks ass.’ Like I told you last night, I’m ninety percent sure the portal I went through was over here.” She points to a star near an isolated portion of Lake Louise. “I smelled water, and this is the only one close enough to the lake to make that possible.”
“Thank you,” I say, nodding as I promise. “We’ll call you if we need you.”
But hopefully, we won’t. Sierra’s right. Every prophecy regarding the downfall of Atlas is firm about a rival Fata Morgana facing Atlas alone, with only his or her mates. No army, no spies, no secret weapons, and no tricks.
And Kite is right—Sierra has already lost more than any of us. Getting her out of the line of fire now that she isn’t necessary to gaining entrance to Atlas’s kingdom is the decent thing to do.
“So how are things going with reservations?” I ask Creedence.
The cat lifts both thumbs. “We’re ready to rock. I’ve already booked two rooms using a gift card I bought with a reloadable debit card that I bought with Mr. Sam Thompson’s considerable credit, so our trail shouldn’t be easy to trace.” Creedence tosses the card onto the table beside the map. “I saw Mr. Thompson dump hot coffee on a homeless kid on his way into the office this morning. Footing our bill is the least Sam can do by way of karmic retribution.”
“Be nice, Sam,” Wren murmurs, drumming her fingers thoughtfully on the table. “Kindness doesn’t cost a thing.”
My heart twists. She’s changed so much in the past few weeks, but she’s also still the same. Still Wren, still kind to the center of her bones, the polar opposite of the man she’ll face on the battlefield far too soon. Her gentle spirit used to worry me, but the closer I get to my mate and her beautiful soul, the more I think it’s her greatest strength. She has a power Atlas will never possess, and I pray every damn day it will see her through.
See us all through.
I’m not ready to go out yet. I want more time, more memories, more of the woman I love.
As if sensing the emotion rushing me, Wren shifts closer, sliding her arm around my waist and lifting her chin. “I like seeing you so much better this morning.”
“I like seeing you all the time.” I lean down, pressing a kiss to her sweet mouth.
She hums against my lips. “You taste like Dust again,” she says as we pull back.
I arch a brow. “As opposed to?”
“Dust with a side of death.” Worry creeps in to tighten her features. “But you’re not in fighting shape. Not yet. Tonight feels too soon.”
“Our reservation doesn’t start for two days,” Creedence assures her before I can ask what dates he was able to secure. “The captain will be good as new by then. And that gives us time to find out what Luke has locked in the cranky head of his.” Cree nods toward the other room. “You kids ready to get to work on that? I don’t know about you, but I figure the sooner we know the rest of Tall, Dark, and Scary’s backstory, the better. Wren’s sister’s life could depend on it.”
“I’m ready,” Luke says, before adding with an openness that’s as unfamiliar as it is refreshing, “I guess I am, anyway. I have no idea how any of this works. You’ll have to show me what to do.”
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Creedence says in a faux seductive voice. “We’ll be gentle.”
Surprisingly, Luke grins. “Nah, that’s okay. I like it rough.”
“That’s a true story.” Wren steals Kite’s coffee, grinning wickedly as she takes a sip, making Creedence laugh.
“Oh, Slim, look at you. Making sex jokes in front of everyone.” He presses a hand to his heart with one hand as he wipes an imaginary tear from his cheek with the other. “I’m so proud.”
Wren narrows her eyes, slapping him on the chest but grinning wider as he pulls her into his arms. “Hush, you mess. Someday you won’t be able to embarrass me this easily, you know?”
Creedence clucks his tongue and kisses her cheek. “Yes, I will. I’m always going to be ahead of that curve, baby. I love making you blush too much.”
And I love her—every gorgeous, brave, and determined inch of her.
“Let’s do this.” I start toward the other room, Luke close behind me and Creedence, Wren, and Kite trailing after. An army of five might not seem like much to most people, but this morning it feels like…everything.
All we need and more.
Chapter 41
Wren
We settle into a circle cross-legged on the floor around the same coin Dust and I used to life fast. It’s bent and worn from the last time we let it ground us in this time and place while we visited another, but Dust assures us that it still has enough juice left to keep us safe.
Now, all we have to do is link up and tap into Luke.
“Ready?” Dust rests a hand on my lower back, right next to Cree’s and below Kite’s warm palms, which are pressed lightly against my shoulders.
I take a deep breath, fingers flexing and releasing. “Ready.” I peek at Luke. “You ready?”
; He sits up straighter, fists propped on his knees. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Then close your eyes and concentrate on your breath,” Dust says. “Wren is going to put her hands lightly on your chest, and we’ll let whatever comes come. Don’t worry about trying to direct your memories, Luke, and don’t fight too hard to find Scarlett, Wren. You’re the only one touching Luke, so the energy we’re summoning is automatically going to seek out the places where you’re connected. We’re just here to give you the boost you need to find things buried so deep in Luke’s subconscious mind that he doesn’t remember them.”
I nod. “Got it. Here we go.” I hold Luke’s gaze, waiting until his eyes slide closed before I reach out, gently flattening my palms on his powerful chest.
For a long moment, there’s nothing but the sound of light rain falling outside and the creaking of the old building settling in the morning chill, but as soon as my eyes close, the movie starts.
That’s what it feels like, sitting in a darkened theater, watching a story play out.
But this isn’t fiction.
This is real life, and everything I’m seeing happened.
Those kids—dozens of them, filthy and freezing and scared to death—really were herded into a stall in a barn somewhere in what looks like the Pacific Northwest. That little girl, so tiny she can’t be more than four or five years old, really was knocked flat in the rush as their captors goaded the children forward with cattle prods, her nose bloodied so badly she looks like she’s grown a beard of flaking red.
She’s crouched in a corner, weeping and calling for her sissy, when a dark-haired boy of maybe nine or ten offers her the bottom of his flannel shirt. He’s dipped it in one of the buckets of water left for the children to drink from, making it easier to mop up her tiny face.
“Your sister’s okay,” he says, his voice gentle, but strong. “She’s in the pen across from ours. Right over there, see? Her name is Scarlett, right?”
My heart jerks hard in my chest as the little girl—me, all those years ago, in this terrible place I can’t remember—nods, her blue eyes wide. Little me grabs a handful of the boy’s jeans and holds on tight. “Yes. Scaw-wett,” I whisper, because I couldn’t pronounce my Rs or my Ls until I was in second grade. “My name is Wen.”
“I’m Luke,” the little boy says, though I already know. He’s so much smaller, but those dark, fearless eyes are just the same. “We’re going to be okay. I promise. You don’t have to be scared anymore, all right?”
Little me nods, and the memory dissolves, summoning a shaky sigh from Kite and a hum from Dust that assures me they’re seeing all this, too. It’s only poor Luke who has no idea what’s going on. My lips part to tell him that we met before, but the movie is already flickering to life again, sucking me into a new chapter in the story.
Our story.
Now Luke is older, almost a man, but with that softness to his cheeks so many teenagers carry into their early twenties. He’s on an abandoned airfield, in a place where palm trees whip back and forth in the evening breeze, watching the horizon as he directs a group of weary-looking people into a plane that’s clearly seen better days.
“Only three more,” an older man barks from behind him, pointing at the redhead—Scarlett!—standing with the cluster of remaining refugees. “The girl and two more small ones. Keep the weight down, or we won’t make it across the ocean.”
Scarlett moves forward, and I watch with my heart in my throat, praying this is the moment my mother was talking about, the memory that will lead me to my sister.
Luke extends his hand, and she takes it, shivering as they touch.
A beat later, Scarlett’s chin jerks up, and she pins him with wide green eyes. “You’re going to meet someone,” she says, her voice hoarse as if she’s fighting off a cold. “An amazing girl. The best person I’ve ever met. You’re going to think you hate her at first, but she’s going to save your life.”
Luke frowns and tries to pull his hand away, but Scarlett clings tight. “Believe me. It’s my kin gift. I know love. I see it. It’s coming to you, but not before a lot of pain. A lot of loss. It’s not going to be easy, but she’s worth it.” Her throat works, and tears rise in her eyes. “She’s so worth it. So, take care of her, okay?”
“Right, sure,” Luke says, not unkindly, before motioning toward the steps to the plane. “But you should board. I don’t know when the next plane will be able to take off. Might not be for days, and it’s not headed to Thailand.”
“Neither am I,” Scarlett says, her gaze sharpening as she adds in a firmer tone. “I’m going to Germany. Bavaria. Near Neuschwanstein castle. The Fey have a secret fortress there. Don’t tell anyone but her. The girl I told you about. Okay?”
Brow furrowed, Luke nods as he squirms his fingers free. “Got it.”
He clearly thinks Scarlett is out of her damned mind, but she wasn’t.
She isn’t, and now I know where she is!
I also know that Luke being here isn’t a fluke or a mistake, after all. It’s what was always meant to be. He was meant to be mine, and I was meant to be his, and Scarlett saw it all.
The knowledge is a bright, beautiful light shining inside of me, filling me with joy and gratitude as the screen goes dark.
Chapter 42
Wren
I come out of the vision with tears streaming from my still closed eyes, my heart full and every cell in my body dying to get even closer to the four incredible men in my life.
Just sitting here with their hands on me, and my hands on Luke, is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced.
There is so much love here.
Love for me, yes. But also love for each other, a bond of friendship and loyalty that grows stronger every day. I know some of them aren’t ready to fess up to those feelings just yet, but they’re there, and they make me so happy it’s hard to pull in a full breath. Even with so much darkness hovering just around the corner, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
I have four brave, smart, funny, good-hearted, kick-ass men on my side, and my sister is out there across the ocean, alive and well and rooting for me.
For us, our circle of five, which Luke was always destined to be a part of.
I need to tell him, I realize, since he won’t have seen it himself.
When I blink open my eyes, more tears slip down my cheeks, but I’m smiling as I meet Luke’s worried gaze.
“What happened?” he asks tightly. “You guys aren’t going for my throat, so I’m assuming it’s not that bad.”
“It’s all good, bro,” Creedence says, affection in his voice. “You’re in the clear. And you’re one of us. No doubt about that now.”
“And we know where Scarlett is,” I say, my smile stretching wider. “We can get her a message, warn her about Atlas. You did it. You saved my sister.”
Dust raps on the wooden post at the end of the bed. “Don’t jinx it, Snow. We’ve got to get word to her, first.” He rises to his feet, tugging at the hem of his coat. “I’ll go now. Reach out to my parents and have them spread the word to their connections in Germany. If all goes well, Scarlett should get a message by tonight.”
“I’ll go with you,” Kite says. “Watch your back.” With a final squeeze of my hand and a soft kiss on my cheek, he stands, as well. “Fill Luke in, baby. And then try to get some rest, okay?”
“I’m not tired,” I lie, wrinkling my nose at Kite’s dubious look, though, I should know better than to try to fool a man who literally knows what I’m feeling almost every second of the day. “Okay, so I am tired, but I’m too excited to sleep. Make sure to tell Scarlett how much I love her, Dust. That I love her, and that I can’t wait to see her. As soon as this is over.”
Dust nods, the faith in his eyes making me believe we’re going to get there, to the other side of the nightmare, where everything will be okay. He and Kite head for the door as Sierra pops her head in from the other room.
“I heard voices,”
she says. “Does that mean I can come in and hear the news?”
I glance at Luke, silently asking his permission, which he grants with a quirk of his lips and a wave of his arm. “Come in, but come quick. The suspense is fucking killing me.”
Creedence and I spend the next thirty minutes filling Luke in on everything he missed out on by being vision blind. He doesn’t remember our meeting when we were little any more than I do, but the second we start into the account of his run-in with Scarlett, his eyes light up.
“Shit,” he murmurs. “I do remember that, now that you mention it. I thought she was crazy, but…” He pauses, his throat working before he adds, “I also wanted to believe her. To believe some amazing girl was waiting for me out there, at the end of the shit show.” He takes my hand, threading his fingers slowly through mine. “Glad she knew what she was talking about.”
My heart swells until it feels like it’s going to explode, and suddenly everything feels possible. Maybe it’s because we’ve found Scarlett, and I’m one step closer to having my sister back in my life. Or maybe it’s that secret passage hidden in a beautiful hotel in Alberta, the one just waiting to give up Atlas’s secrets and usher in a new world order.
I will have to fight him. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. I may have to kill him. But I’m ready to do what must be done, and to do it all with this love overflowing inside of me, so warm and right that even if I have to destroy someone in its name, I’ll survive it. It won’t mark me or ruin me or turn me into someone I can’t face in the mirror in the morning.
“Fuck me,” Sierra finally says, startling me out of my rosy haze with a laugh.
“Pretty crazy, right?” I squeeze Luke’s hand. “How people can come in and out of your life without you even knowing it.”