“Close. But not quite.” His body glimmers, like he’s stepping into another skin, twisting and turning as if he’s a puzzle trying to make the pieces fit. “My nameisStephan, and Callum is my twin.” My mind can’t comprehend what he’s saying. Callum never mentioned having a brother, let alone atwin.Neither did Donni or Benny. And to think that it washimwearing different faces, fooling not only me but—judging from the lookon Odeyssa’s face—everyone.
“That’s not possible,” Odeyssa comments on an exhale.
“Oh, it is. Truthfully, I’ve been itching to be myself again. And let’s be honest, I’m definitely the better looking one.” Noise. That’s all the words are. Just a bunch of indistinct sound waves attempting to penetrate the white noise buzzing in my ears.
“Donni and Benny never mentioned—” Her comment is interrupted by the full-belly laugh bursting from Stephan.
“Benny?” he says like it’s a joke. “You think that round, low-grade fae is our father?”
Odeyssa and I give each other a sideways glance. “Yes?” we say in unison. Once he collects himself and wipes the nonexistent tears from his eyes. “Oh, that’s rich. Now I’m about to enlighten the both of you on how genetics work.” Looking back, it doesn’t make much sense. Callum and Benny don’t look alike, not in the slightest. Where Callum is all dark, broody, and…an asshole, Benny is sunshine, lighting up every room he walks into, full of warm hugs and a comforting aura that makes you want to be around him.
But I was never told any different, and sometimes the apple does, in fact, fall far from the tree.
“If Benny isn’t your father, who is?”
“Odeyssa, sweetheart, you might want to take a seat.” She doesn’t. Instead, her feet stay glued to the ground, absorbing every word he hand-feeds her.
“It’s nice to finally meet you…sis.”
Her eyes go wide. “Not possible.”
“Oh, but it is. Marcel is my father—Callum’sfather.” My attention fully pulls to Odeyssa. She is unmoving at first, then quickly her world crumbles in her eyes, twisting and turning in a whirlpool of questions and doubt.
But I don’t buy it. He’s never told the truth a day in his life. Why start now?
“You’re lying,” I state, feeding the flames laying straight on my skin.
“Why would I do that?” His head cants, staring at me like he can see right through to my soul, dissecting me in a way that has me left open and exposed. Raw and unfiltered, like all the deepest, emptiest parts of me are on full display for his amusement. “It’s not like I have to lie now, Angel,” he continues, and bile rises, coating my mouth in acid. “You’re coming with me. And as for you”—he gives a pointed look to Odeyssa—“you’re a loose end. This meeting was always supposed to be short-lived.”
His features contort into one of a predator, darkening eyes and a devilish grin, one that matches the same look I’ve been given from the same face. It’s nauseating. My mind can’t compartmentalize the differences, and it’s concerning. It has me curious if there have been times I thought it was Callum, but all along it was Stephan. I’ll never know. A nearby branch extends out by his silent command, slashing across Odeyssa’s cheek with a sickening smack. Immediately, blood lines the scrape, and her mouth drops open in shock.
He dodges the first fireball, but the second hits its mark against his right shoulder. A line of fire blazes at my feet, coaxing its way toward him. “I just burned a pack of Demicrogens to a crisp. You’re nothing.” He wails at the first contact, inching backward, but the wind I create picks up at a rapid pace and sways the flames side to side until it separates into two, circling him until he’s encased in my orange hue.
A pang in my head ceases my concentration, and the flames die out in an instant. Then, before I know it, something takes over, controlling me like a puppet on a string, and I relish in it. The way the weight is lifted off my shoulders, the taste of vengeance and revenge is sweet. Onyx shadows pull from my body, stretching until they’re floating in the wind. Stephan’s eyesgrow wide at the development, and the grin I no longer care about hiding makes an appearance.
“What—” he starts, but he’s quickly interrupted by the unmistakable shake of Voraxis’s landing, the surrounding debris scattering as smoke billows out of his nose as I turn slightly to see his arrival.
“Stephan, I don’t believe you’ve met Voraxis.” It looks like he’s thoroughly pissed himself, and I’m joyous at that discovery. Lightning strikes above, smoking the tree closest to him. “And I believe I’m not going anywhere with you.” Thunder rumbles above, and it sinks into my marrow. The shadows consume my form, billowing around me until we’re one. One second, I’m standing by Odeyssa. The next, I’m right behind Stephan, the shadows unwrapping themselves, and I let the heat from my palms land on his face. The wails he sings are magical, and I take a moment to let the sound wash over me. Pulling away, the blisters that have formed on his cheeks are a masterpiece not even I could conjure up.
His attack comes as expected, but the dry branch doesn’t affect me. Not one bit. The crimson running down the side of my throat is refreshing, like a long-awaited embrace from an old friend that I’ve missed.
“Whatareyou?”
“Your worstfuckingnightmare.” The ground cracks as I stomp my foot, and he stumbles from the unevenness. The punch he delivers to my left cheek bone comes with a sickening crunch, his other hand finds purchase under my jaw, and a metallic taste floods my mouth.
Let me help,Voraxis pleads.
No!I bellow.He’s mine.My footing wavers as he advances me, wrapping his hand around my throat. I let the flames scorch his exposed forearms, leaving bubbling blisters in its wake. He hisses, but a smug smile tugs at his lips, like he’s relishing in thepain.
I call to one of the nearby branches, commanding it to come closer. At first, it scratches Stephan’s cheek, leaving a light streak of blood in its path, before striking again and creating a gash on the side of his neck. He takes a sharp inhale through clenched teeth, basking in the sting as his grip only tightens around me, snuffing out the little air supply I had.
He leans in close, spit wetting my face as he speaks. “Not so tough now, are you, Angel?” My eyes begin to flutter shut, teetering on the edge of consciousness as he pulses his hold. The surrounding debris scatters as smoke billows out of Voraxis’s nose. Stephan’s grip loosens as his eyes go wide, jaw slack, understanding exactly what beast lies inside my little burnt marshmallow.
Fire shoots from his mouth with a ferocious roar, barreling straight for my assailant. He pushes me away, but he’s too slow. The moment I’m able to breathe again, I spring into action. My right hand easily takes control over the flame, like it’s a puppet and I’m its master. I manipulate it to follow as Stephan weaves in and out of the barren trees, using my left hand to snuff out any stray fires that start when the embers touch the dry shrubs. And when he comes back into view, I know he’s ours. Creating a tornado with the orange hue, it circles him until there’s no way out. He runs his hands through his hair, clearly agitated with how the situation has reversed.
I click my tongue. “Oh, Stephan, what to do with you now.” His eyes bounce to me, then Voraxis, who stands right behind me—no doubt giving Stephan his best intimidating stare—and finally at Odeyssa who walks confidently to my side, keeping a safe distance from the flames. “You could be of value,” I ponder, looking toward Odeyssa with an intrigued look. “Or it’s quite possible you’ve already given us all the information you have.”
“You have no idea what you’re up against,” he seethes, pullingat the ends of his hair.
