by Casey Hays
His eyes flash once, gearing up for what he hopes to see. And by the look on his face, I guess I don’t disappoint. It takes two seconds to feel why.
A fire ignites in the very center of my body, small. It’s the first time I’ve really noticed it, but it’s a natural feeling. I breathe into it, and it spreads out, tingling down my arms, flowing into my legs, heating up my face, and finally reaching my fingers and toes. Rylin steps back, and together, we watch my skin deepen from olive to a yellow glow to the veiny burnt orange hue common to both of us. I brighten so quickly that anyone looking at the window from a distance would think a switch had been flipped. Within minutes, I’m fully decamouflaged.
Rylin exhales into a smile that brings one to my lips.
“Wow,” I whisper. “That was fast.”
“Yeah.” Amazed, Rylin settles the keenest look on me. I lift a brow
“What?” I ask.
He tosses my ring into the air, catches it, his grin deepening. “You just decamouflaged yourself, and there’s not an ounce of compelled power left in this ring.”
I stare, shocked. “You’re kidding. I—” I can’t even remember what I’d planned to say.
He fills in the silence when his fingers, same color as mine, meet my skin. They move along my forearm, encircle my wrist for a breath, and slide off the end of my fingertips. I shudder.
“A little taste of freedom in your own skin for longer than a couple of hours, and look at you? You’re evolving into what you were supposed to be all along. A hybrid.”
I tuck my hands away. It’s a nice feeling. But…
“I’m still a liability, Rylin. I will always be reliant on someone to keep my ring compelled.”
“I know,” he agrees. “But the thing is, it can be done. You can be both.” He marvels at me a second. “Did you feel the change?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s where you look for your control.”
With a tight smile, he drops my ring onto my orange palm. He’s compelled it, and the transformation is immediate, shuffling over me from head to toe before I’ve finished sliding the ring onto my middle finger. It doesn’t knock the breath out of me anymore to shift so quickly. It fits like a glove, perfectly snug but comfortable. I lift a hand, examine my very familiar flesh, the dark freckle just to the left of my right thumb. A glance in the window above the sink reveals the dull, brown eyes of the me I’ve always known. No fire.
The sound of a motorcycle in the distance shifts my attention.
“He’s here.”
I see the change in Rylin as I slide around him for the door, but I don’t let it get to me. It doesn’t get to me. Kane is a heartbeat away.
It’s nearly dark, and the single light of Kane’s bike hits the end of the drive like a beacon calling to me. The sky behind him is every shade of the pinks and oranges of the setting sun, and there’s his shadow, right up against it. It grows bigger and bigger, and I wait in the middle of the small yard. He glides to a stop in front of the porch and kicks the stand into place. I don’t give him the chance to dismount before I tumble into his arms.
“Hey there, Gallagher.” He entwines an arm around my waist as he removes his helmet and plants a kiss on my temple.
“Where were you?” I snuggle into his neck. His skin sizzles, mixing with the summer night heat.
“Here and there. But I always come back. I knew you’d show up here eventually.”
“Well, you did tell me to come to the corn.” The stalks rustle in the breeze, eavesdropping on our conversation. “This is some serious corn, by the way.”
“That’s what I thought.” He thumbs at the Explorer over his shoulder. “You didn’t mention in your dreams that you were planning to steal Aunt Megan’s SUV.”
“Actually…”
The porch light flashes on. Behind the house, the sky is dark blue, and Rylin steps out, letting the screen door smack closed behind him. Kane’s eyes go wide, he looks at me, then back at Rylin. My heart does a couple of backflips.
“How are you up walking around already? You—you were almost dead when I found you.”
“You sound disappointed,” Rylin laughs.
“Well…” Kane has no words. He looks at me instead. I look at Rylin.
“Show him.” I push a wispy piece of hair away from my face.
Rylin scans the landscape, making sure it’s safe, and like the sound of a tarp unfurling, his wings spread wide behind him. They take up the expanse of the covered porch from one end to the other. Kane loosens his grip on me, astonished.
“What the hell?” He pushes me aside and gets off the bike, taking two steps over the crunchy gravel drive. “How?”
Rylin settles on me, and Kane follows his line of sight.
“My dreams have gotten a lot stronger.” I search him out as if I’m looking for the answer somewhere inside him. “You noticed, right?”
“Well, yeah. I watched Rylin disappear right before my eyes. I knew you did that. But you—” Kane breaks off, pointing. “You did this? You fixed his wings?”
“Guilty.” I lift a hand.
“That’s… crazy,” he whispers, taking in Rylin’s wingspan. He flings an arm around my shoulders and draws me in. “And… you’re amazing.”
“She’s spectacular.” Rylin catches my eye and folds his wings in. They vanish under his camouflage. He smiles; I look away, feeling every bit on the spot.
“I just did what needed to be done.” It’s all I can say because I can’t explain how this power works in me. It’s just… present. Alive.
“You just did what needed to be done?” Kane kisses my hair and releases me to climb the steps, a hand extended toward Rylin. “I’m glad to see you’re alive. I really am.”
Rylin hesitates, but finally, they clasp hands. It’s a huge moment, but I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.
Baby steps.
***
We gather around the small breakfast table wedged between the stove and the window, and we tell Kane everything that happened since he found Rylin in the upstairs bedroom, including the fact that his parents didn’t go to the hearing. That one surprises him almost as much as my ability to heal Rylin.
“No sign of your parents, then?” Rylin asks when our story comes to an end.
“No,” Kane rolls a half empty water bottle back and forth between his palms. “Even their voicemails have been deactivated. They’re gone. Off the face of the earth.”
“They’re probably thinking the same thing about you.” I unwrap a chocolate chip granola bar and bite off the end, chewing while I talk. “I know you’ve been worried about them ever since we left Carson City.” I curl my fingers over his wrist. He shifts and fully cups my hand. “I’m sorry you didn’t find them.”
“They’ll stay hidden to keep you safe.” Rylin abandons his own water bottle, letting it roll in a slow turn across the table. “You’re who they want.”
Rylin locks eyes with Kane, and the silence is like dark space. Out here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cornfields, that’s awfully silent. My stomach drops.
“I rode north to my family’s cabin last night.” Kane tears into his own granola bar. “Someone had been there, ransacked the place, and left. I stayed there, hoping my parents might show. Nothing. No one came back either. I don’t think I’m being followed.”
“That’s good. And even if they were, they won’t take you.” Rylin leans back, arms tucked together. “Because they are expecting a girl with an unregistered mantra to meet up with you eventually.”
“A girl?” I take another large bite of granola and use my tongue to shove it into my cheek so I can finish my sentence. “You act like they don’t know who I am.”
“They know who you are.” His lips pull taut. “But they aren’t lookin’ for Jude Gallagher.”
I stop chewing, the gooey mess just sits on my tongue.
“What are you talking about?” Kane asks.
“It was obvious at the hearing th
at the Contingent has no idea who this girl is.”
“But… they know I’m Rafe Gallagher’s daughter?”
“They’ve always known that.” He says it casually. A matter of fact. “Every legal baby, born or adopted, is examined and registered under its family name. And because of your dad’s efforts, by all appearances, you were a human baby in every way when they brought you home from Costa Rica.” He settles on Kane, his next words meant for him alone. “If you hadn’t blown her cover, no unregistered Fireblood would be on their radar now.”
He loves saying that part. I hear it in his voice. Kane tenses; I immediately come to his defense.
“He didn’t know he had that tracker in his neck when we linked the first time.”
“It’s all right.” Kane squeezes my fingers. “He’s not wrong.” He faces Rylin. “My mom didn’t tell them who Jude was?”
“No, she didn’t,” Rylin continues. “Head regent, Mr. Connell, testified on the record that he called Gema O’Reilly when her son linked his mantra with the mantra of an unregistered female Fireblood while he was being tracked. He said Gema told him she had no idea what he was talking about, but she would certainly talk to her son and get to the bottom of it. She never told him definitively that she knew who you were.”
“And they didn’t try to find out?” I ask.
“They had no need. The hearing was upcoming, and Mr. Connell expected the O’Reillys to bring their son and any evidence to the hearing, if not the female herself.” He checks his information against Kane’s reaction. “The O’Reillys are—were—loyal to the Contingent. Hard-working, trustworthy people. But when you disappeared, clearly your parents had a change of loyalty. And the Contingent can no longer trust them.”
“Why didn’t they just arrest the O’Reillys when they first detected my mantra?”
“Because they hadn’t committed a crime. Gema claimed she didn’t know who the girl was. And even if she had, that didn’t prove you were a hybrid. It only proves that a Fireblood isn’t registered. Which is uncommon, but not impossible.”
“And now?” I ask.
“Now… they have even more reason to wonder why this Fireblood wasn’t registered. He swallows. “That points to subversion. And the Contingent is even more curious about this girl.”
This girl. He keeps saying that, and the reference just gets uglier.
Kane’s warm hand, tangles up in mine, tense. I remember what Gema said in her bright, cozy kitchen. We would convince the Contingent to make an exception, to see that I was an asset and not a threat. She had all her reasons ready to present, her strongest being that I was well-hidden and had been for seventeen years. But she didn’t tell them my name.
She didn’t tell them anything.
Maybe we misjudged her game plan. All this time, we’ve assumed the Contingent knew who they were looking for. They don’t—and that gives us a huge advantage.
We should have known better. Gema is clever. She’s not one to put all her coins in the same purse. And she would never give me up if she could help it.
It crosses my mind that I could stay hidden my entire life if I wanted to—with a Fireblood’s help. Slide on my ring and disappear like my dad intended. Just be Jude Gallagher, the adopted and very human daughter of Rafe and Ellen. Dad was a genius, and in this very moment, I’m finally appreciating that.
I run a thumb across the ruby. My other option? Gema’s suggestion. Prove my value. Which is what? Healing Firebloods, perhaps? Right. With the exception of Rylin, I doubt Firebloods are in regular need of a hybrid healer. Still, I’d love to look those regents in the eye and just be me.
I’m not sure that can ever happen.
Thirty-five
It’s nearly nine when Rylin decides it’s safe to take flight. By then, he and Kane have done two sweeps of the land, flying low over the fields and the lake. They search the barn thoroughly with no signs that anyone has been on the premises.
Kane was doubly careful, checking that he was never followed in his comings and goings, taking backroads when possible. And so, the farm is safe.
On the lawn, Rylin bends over his bag adjusting the straps to make room for his wings. I make my way out and stand with him in the light of the porch. Dark clouds moved in an hour ago, and the sky is pitch black, not a star in sight. I smell rain in the air, and I shiver as a chill sweeps over me out of the darkness.
“Have you done this before?” Hands in pockets I tilt my gaze up at Rylin. “Flown this far?”
“Plenty of times.” He zips the bag and rises. “Actually… no.”
His eyes widen with a fake fear. I chuckle.
“You’ll be fine,” I whisper. It’s a pledge to myself, really.
“I know.”
I study the contours of his face in the shadows, the strong jawline, the crevice in his chin. He’s become so familiar to me. After a minute, I reach my hand toward him, wiggling my fingers. He takes it.
“I want you know how much I appreciate what you’re doing. What you’ve always done for me. What you’ve risked. It means a lot.”
“I’d do it a million times over,” he whispers. My stupid tears spring to life. He would. I know it. “I believe in you, Jude. You will be able to do this.”
He means every word, and I want to believe it. But I’m scared, unsure of my own ability. I’ve never done anything like this, and to be honest, I’m no expert at the things that I have been able to do. I’m just… accidental.
I know why I second-guess myself. I cannot fail at this one thing. Because despite all of the distractions, despite all of the detours, this is the moment we’ve been preparing for. Jarron needs me to be strong, to compel the elements of my dream like never before, and most importantly… to control him. I can do it. I’ve felt the power of my dreams in my core. I moved Rylin through space; I can keep Jarron stable long enough to move him. I can.
I can.
I just need my confidence to catch up to me.
“You remind me of my sister in so many ways.” Rylin breaks into my thoughts. “I didn’t realize it until my dad pointed it out.”
“Your dad?” I’m pretty surprised by that.
“Yeah. You have the one thing she lacked though.”
“What’s that?” I sniffle.
“Seventeen straight years of camouflage. It molded you into the hybrid you’ve become. A tempered one, able to master your whims instead of letting them master you. He thought your father did you a disservice by taking yours wings. He changed his mind when he saw you in the penthouse suite.”
I’m intrigued by his father’s assessment of me—this man I hardly knew. I never would have guessed he had a single thought about me. He didn’t even act like he liked me. I frown.
“I guess I should be flattered.”
“Yeah,” he smiles. “Clara only knew fire, but you’ve learned to keep it in moderation. Like a true Fireblood.” He picks up his bag. “I think my dad admired that in you. And envied it for my sister. Envied your dad for acting to make your life better.”
I understand now. It isn’t me Mr. McDowell didn’t like. If I had known—if I could go back to Monday and have that conversation with him again—I’d tell him, yes, I was human for seventeen years, but I know Clara’s uncontrollable fire too. I’ve tasted the all-consuming flavor of it. It’s all I wanted for a few days after I shed my camouflage for the first time, and the only reason I didn’t explode was because Kane was there to talk me off the ledge.
I tune in now, aware of myself. Beneath my camouflage, I sense warmth bustling around me, the sweet, aching burn between my shoulder blades, the heat pumping through my blood with each beat of my heart. I’m not so different from Clara. Or Anika. Or my brother. My need for my natural form is involuntary, like a heartbeat.
Like a Fireblood.
Rylin hoists his pack over his shoulders. It’s not too big, fitting snug between his shoulder blades. His chest is bare, and I trace the taut muscles reflected in the moonlight. He loosens
his camouflage, just a tad, and his skin turns fuzzy with warmth.
“You be safe.”
“I will.” He smiles. “And do me a favor.”
“What?”
“That door in your dreams? Try not to open it. There are some things you don’t want to let into your head.”
I think of the scruffy man I’ve seen, still unsure if he’s real or a metaphor for some nightmare in my head. I think of Anika’s close encounter before Joshua intervened.
“Did Clara open a door?” I ask. “Is that how they found her?”
“Yeah.” A grief falls over his lightly tinted skin. “She was too simple-minded to know it was dangerous.”
“And why wouldn’t you let me open it for you?” I ask this quietly, mindful of his mood, but it might have saved us a world of time and trouble if he had.
“Because I’m not simple-minded.” He shoots me a knowing look. “You summoned me at the worst time, and I was not about to let those assholes get to you.”
“Oh.” The worst time. I almost ask him about that before I realize I don’t want details. They ripped out his wings. That’s all the visual I need.
“They want Kane to report. They’re searching for his parents. And… they’re still looking for the girl.” He rubs at a knot in his temple. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now, in the light of his glow, it’s there. A small bump.
“Did they probe you?”
“They got nothin’.” His assurance echoes back at me. “It’s why they finally took my wings.” He leans in, the back of his hand against his mouth. “They were pretty angry by then.”
Another thing he did for me. I reach up and cup his face, overwhelmed.
“You are strong.” I allow my admiration to purposely ring through my voice.
“Well, living in your natural form for a year at a time does wonders for strength.” He cocks his head, his lower lip pulled between his teeth. “I hope you get to know what that feels like one day.”
“I hope you have a plan for that.”