He flinched—I saw it. Just the briefest of reactions, mostly around his eyes. He did not want me to destroy this jewel. Or more accurately, the jewel I was pretending to have.
“Here are my demands: you tell me where my mother is, you convince the council to reinstate my father and restore my family’s honor, and you acknowledge that I have completed my first heist and absolve my colleagues from all responsibility. And I will give it back to you.”
He laughed, and I couldn’t tell if he was faking it or not. He sounded downright jovial, as if I’d performed a hilarious trick. “Oh, Sky, I admire your gumption, but you didn’t successfully complete your heist. You are in no position to bargain.”
“I have your jewel.”
“And I have you trapped.” He sounded apologetic. Opening his mouth wider, he let flames roll out. Gabriela shrieked and scurried backward. He kept breathing flames. They grew, feeding on one another, and we backed up, closer to the vault.
Holding her sleeve to the mouth of her face mask, Gabriela was coughing. She dropped to her knees. Sweat was pouring off her. Maximus’s spell must have worn off, or else the heat from his flames was higher than the spell could handle. Gabriela clutched my arm. “Sky!”
The flames weren’t hot enough to hurt me, but theywouldhurt her. I put my arms around her, as if I could shield her from the smoke and heat. “Stop! She’s human! You’ll kill her! Please, you can have your jewel back. Just stop!”
He sucked in, and the fire flew back into his mouth—a stream of flames that looked like red, orange, and gold water as it poured in between his lips. He was drinking the fire, sucking it out of the room. The smoke dissipated until I couldn’t even smell it anymore.
“Whoa, can you do that?” Gabriela whispered. Her voice sounded weak and rough, as if someone had rubbed sandpaper over her throat. I helped her to her feet.
“I didn’t even know that was possible.” There were many things council members were taught that ordinary wyverns weren’t. I wondered if Dad could do that. He’d never mentioned it. What else could we do? Not that this was the time to explore that.
“How did you fool my security? Who else helped you?” He strode forward. We were both staring at him as if we were frightened rabbits and he was the hawk—if we held still enough, maybe he wouldn’t see us. But he wasn’t a hawk, and he saw us just fine. He plucked the earpiece out of my ear. Holding it up to the light, he examined it. “Who’s on the other end, Sky?”
I didn’t answer.
“Sky? Who’s listening?”
“No one,” I told him, and hoped he wouldn’t fill the hall with smoke again. I didn’t know how I could protect both Gabriela and Ryan.
He gave me a look that would have burned me to the ground, if our eyes could shoot fire. Sticking the earpiece into his own ear, he barked, “Identify yourself.”
I held my breath and prayed that the earpiece was still broken, or that Ryan would have the sense to stay quiet.
Mr. Keene scowled. “Ryan, is that you? I know it’s you.”
I kept my face blank.Don’t give him away,I told myself. “It’s not Ryan.”
He glared at me as if I were dirt smeared on his kitchen floor. “My son did always have an unreasonable soft spot for you. I told his mother that he’d try something like this. She maintained he was perfectly obedient, but I know my boy.”
“It was my heist—my idea, my plan, my fault! Ryan didn’t have anything to do with this. We haven’t spoken since the Reckoning.”
“See, now I know you’re lying. While I admit I misconstrued the purpose of your meetings, I do know you met him two weeks ago at the ice cream store, and you have been meeting him every day at Hunter Creek Lodge.”
I kept my mouth shut.
He tapped the earpiece again and raised his voice. If the mics were working, they would have picked up his words. “Ryan, can you hear me? I won’t be angry with you. Sheispretty. How about we plan a trip to Europe this summer? Two months. I’ll arrange for you to meet more of our kind. There are many more youngsters there who might appeal toyou.”
I felt my heart squeeze. The thought of his meeting other wyvern girls didn’t bother me. The certainty that his father wouldn’t let us be togetherdid.I had killed any chance of having a relationship with Ryan—the only question was what else I’d also ruined. I thought of Dad and my brothers and felt sick.
“Ryan, I have Sky Hawkins here with me. She is unharmed, and I will allow her to remain so if you cooperate. Please, son. I know you care about her.”
Gabriela clutched my arm even tighter. Her short nails dug into my skin, but I didn’t dislodge her. It was the politeness that was chilling—if Mr. Keene were roaring in anger, it would be easier to roar back, but his tone was so very civil, as if we were talking about whether we’d stay for tea and crumpets.
He frowned harder. “Ryan, if you don’t reply—”
“It’s broken!” Gabriela chirped. She could have been right. Or Ryan could have been keeping silent to protect himself. Or to protect me. “The fire beast fried them.”
It was plausible enough that I wondered if it was true.
“How very fortunate. It would break his mother’s heart to lose him.” Mr. Keene exhaled with true relief. He then plucked the earpiece out of his ear, and he crushed it beneath his shiny leather shoe. “Yours as well, my dear.”
