“Do you want to talk about it?” Ambriel’s husky voice is close and pulls me from my thoughts. I feel the couch dip a moment later when she sits on the edge near my knee.
“No,” I say without hesitation and without opening my eyes.
“Ok,” She replies simply, then leans back. I sneak a peek at her just as she closes her eyes and tips her head back on the sofa. Her face is anything but resting, though. Her brows are knit together, and her lips roll into a flat line, as though she’s in deep thought. I can't help but find myself curious and undeniably attracted as I take in the spill of her long hair, her exposed neck, and the arch of her back pressing her chest forward. I shift causing her to lift her head and our gazes meet.
“Trent, I—there is…” She searches my face, biting down on her lip as she shakes her head. “Never mind.”
“They aren’t dead; you know it as well as I do,” I finally say after a beat of silence.
“Fate is wicked sometimes, Trent. And while I’d like to believe that you are right… sometimes fate has other plans that we just can’t read entirely.” She drops her gaze to her hands. I sit up, bringing us side by side, and she spins, pulling her leg up under her, and she presses her hand to my chest. “Regardless of whether or not they are alive, we have to stay true to our path. That much, I feel, is true. Kait was right. You need to follow your heart. What’s it telling you to do?”
“In this moment?” I ask as my gaze flicks over her face.
“In this moment.” She repeats.
“This.” I reach forward, gripping the back of her neck with my hand, and pull her mouth to mine, sinking my tongue between herlips. From this moment on, I’m going to live my life unapologetically. Dax held back so much of himself for so long, and when he finally gave in to fate and was allowed to live his life… it was ripped out from under his feet. I refuse to allow that to happen to me.
My heart surges as Ambriel rises on her knees to meet my unsteady hand. As I wrap it behind her back, I trail my fingertips up her spine and pull her onto my lap. With her legs straddling my hips, she pulls back, her eyes searching mine as we breathe the same air.
“This is a bad idea.” She breathes out the words but doesn’t leave my lap.
“A very bad idea.” I repeat her this time, and our lips brush with the words.
I bring my lips to meet hers once again, in a slow kiss, but just as I do, we both freeze as we hear Maki’s booming voice coming from the hall. Ambriel’s head whips in the direction of the sound, and she climbs off of me before her face falls, her eyes glazing over, and she becomes as still as a statue. I’ve heard of this happening to Fae before, but I’ve not seen it for myself. At that moment, I realize—Ambriel has the gift of sight. My stomach drops as I recall the words she just spoke about fate and what it could mean for us. For Dax and Raelle.
Chapter nineteen
Raelle has been quiet,but I see the fury that builds behind her eyes. This is the calm before the storm. Claire hasn’t left her side since the two have been reunited. I’m thankful for the distraction they have with each other, so I can go out and see if I hear anything about the duel or the outcome. I agree with Raelle that we need to find out what happened to the others. Most important to me is making sure my sister is okay.
Sauntering through the small town of Lesa is different from being in the more populated territory of Loema. Each face I pass turns my way as if they sense a stranger. It doesn’t take long for me to blend in, though; I’ve had enough practice at it. Once I find a corner in a tavern to park myself, I sit with my hood drawn, pulling the smoke from my pipe into my lungs. The curling white vapor dissipates as it reaches out for the rest of the room.
“I was starting to wonder if you were going to pull it off,” Flynn says as he hits across the table from me.
“Don’t doubt me or my abilities, brother.” I exhale the cloud of smoke encircling him, and he shakes his head, looking around the room suspiciously. No one is listening to our conversation, but I understand his worry. If he were caught being here, it would be detrimental to our goals and likely the end of his life.
“Things are getting tense. Cano sent me to track down Trent and the others. He said they got away before the regime took over the wastelands.” My shoulders fall as I relax at his words. My sister is safe. Thank fuck.
“Did you lay eyes on Dax?” My eyes bore into him. His blue eyes flick around the room before he leans in closer across the table.
“I didn’t see him, but Cano is working with someone named Thames. She works for Eleonora Demetrey. She has always hidden her identity behind a cloak, but there is evil surrounding her. She’s refused anyone to see Dax’s body, but we all saw what happened at the Colosseum, Alaric. He’s gone. I’m worried about what they are doing with his body, though… Something just felt strange about the way things were handled.”
“Do what you can to find Trent, Maki, and the others,” I command, and he nods, shifting his gaze once again and I narrow mine on him.
“Do you think you were followed?” I eye him closely, his anxiety almost tangible. He shakes his head causing his blonde hair to fall across his forehead. “Well good, get the fuck out of here. When you find them, send a letter. We can’t risk a meeting like this again.”
“Agreed.” He stands, but before walking away, he stops, almost touching my shoulder. “The queen? Raelle? You have her?” His question has my head tilting to meet his electric blue eyes.
“Don’t ask stupid fucking questions. I told you I would. Keep her name from your mouth.”
Flynn gives me a curt nod before leaving me there. He confirmed what I needed to know, and I trust that he will find my sister and the others well. If they got away, I assume they would go straight to Loema. I only hope that Maki has changed his means of security since the battle and since the night I had the conversation with Raelle just beyond the castle walls. If I could get that close without a hitch, who’s to say Cano can’t?
I return to the small cottage, just on the outskirts of the town we have selected to rest at, and I hear shouting from within. I know the precious cargo I left here, so I sneak up the steps, brandishing my twin short swords. I kick the door in, expecting to find someone trying to take Raelle. Two sets of female eyes rounded at the corners meet me as I darken the doorway. Raelle’s hand raises defensively at my abrupt entrance, and the door that threatened to hit her and Claire splinters as pure white magic blasts from her hands with the motion. I duck and roll to the side just before the glow of white flickers and recedes back to her as she closes her fists.
Everything happens so fast. I’m not even sure what the hell just happened. Raelle’s eyes widen further, and she looks down at the palms of her hands as though she has never seen them before. My face falls into a grimace as I brush myself off and sheath the swords at my back. “The fuck was that?” I laugh a little nervously, but Claire is frozen in the kitchen as she watches.
“I—I don’t know.” Her hands tremble, and her eyes lock with mine only a moment before she drops to her knees. “What is happening to me?” She chokes on a sob, and I close the distance between us, dropping to my knees in front of her. I clasp her hands in mine.
“Hey, listen…Do you hear me?” She nods frantically, her gaze locked with mine.
