Arise (Awakened Fate Book 4) (17 page)

I didn’t respond.

“He wanted me to stay with some friends in Teariad while he searched for you,” she continued when her words had no effect. “But I wouldn’t agree to it. I wanted to help too.”

The corner of her mouth lifted in a tiny smile.

Uncomfortable, I dropped my gaze to the ground. A moment crept past.

“You were gone a long time, though.”

I hesitated. I could hear the careful question in her tone, along with the hint of accusation and hurt.

And I didn’t know what to say.

“Where
were
you?”

“Kansas.”

Silence followed. I looked back to see her eyebrows rise.

“It’s this thing,” I explained, “like what Chloe does with the water. It got me there. Made the pain of the distance from the ocean go away. So I…”

I shifted my shoulders with discomfort. It’d been over a week since I left. If I’d turned back when the ocean had started hurting, the trip home would’ve only taken a day or so. But one thing had led to another and…

“There was this guy who came after us,” I said, “and then these other guys too. Greliarans. And it just…” I trailed off. That hadn’t been all of it. I didn’t know what to say to Ina about the other parts. “I had to make sure Chloe was okay.”

“Ah,” Ina replied.

I turned my attention to the cave opening. We probably needed to stop talking. If mercenaries or soldiers came by, they could–

“I was worried,” she continued. “After what happened with Niall… with Dad.”

I winced again. I’d taken off right after Dad died. Only a few hours after the physician, Liana, had killed our father, I’d left Ina in the palace.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

The words weren’t even close to enough. I knew that. I’d just needed to be certain Chloe was alright. She’d been a victim of all that too, and there only because I’d told her Nyciena would be safe.

I couldn’t have left her to the Sylphaen and Ren. And later, when we’d been on the way to the coast, I’d tried to warn Ina. It was pathetic, really, doing nothing more than calling her in the midst of all that. But there hadn’t been a choice. We’d been miles from Nyciena. Mercenaries had been everywhere. There was no way we would have made it back without Niall or the Vetorians catching us again.

And I’d figured Ren would protect our sister. I’d thought he’d at
least
be smart enough to do that.

Ina was silent. I looked back.

“Really.” I swam over to her. “I am. I didn’t mean to scare you, or leave for that long. Things just… they got out of control.”

She hesitated, and then moved closer, letting me pull her into a hug. Her head on my shoulder, she gave a small nod.

I held her for another moment before releasing her. We both sank down, taking seats on the cave floor.

“How much longer do you think Granddad will be?” Ina asked, her fingers tracing swirls through the sand below us.

I shrugged.

“And Chloe,” she continued, still watching the sand. “Where’s she heading?”

“To that guy down south, like I said.”

“After that.”

I hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

She didn’t speak for a moment. “You worried she won’t come back with you?”

I blinked, my brow furrowing. “What? No, I–” I shook my head. “It’ll be fine.”

Ina paused. “Okay.”

I glanced to her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

My expression didn’t change, but I looked away again.

Torchlight flickered over the cave and beyond the crack in the wall, the ocean seemed lifeless.

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Ina said quietly. “Like… really. Not just like with the others.”

Watching the cave entrance, I didn’t respond. I didn’t know
how
to respond. The words were… I didn’t know how to wrap my head around them. I cared for Chloe. The thought of something happening to her scared me in this deep way I couldn’t quite describe. I wanted the world to be safe for her, and when I was with her… when she looked at me and her smile lit up her eyes…

I drew a rough breath. I’d been with plenty of girls. Chloe wasn’t like them. I couldn’t even explain how. She just wasn’t. Everything about her wasn’t.

And she made me want to spend the rest of my life figuring out why.

“Egan and I are back together,” Ina said.

I blinked, looking over at her. It took me a moment to place the name of the guy she’d spent time with earlier in the summer. The one whose argument with her had ended me up searching for her in Santa Lucina a lifetime ago.

Ina’s lip twitched. “Sometimes it’s nice to have somebody in your life who wants more than just a bit of fun.”

I hesitated and then nodded, slowly mirroring the smile. “Yeah.”

Her grin spread and she rocked over, nudging my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I saw her when we were leaving the beach. I’m pretty sure she’s crazy about you too.”

I kept smiling, trying to look convinced even if I wasn’t so sure. There was still that other guy in her life. There were still all sorts of dangers out here.

Chloe had a ton of reasons to get as far from the ocean as possible.

And not that many to stay.

A rock skittered down near the entrance of the cave. I started up from the ground as Ina’s breath caught. Quickly, she darted over to the torch and grabbed it from the crevice.

She plunged the blue-white flame into the sand. The cave went black. Cautiously, I swam toward the opening in the stone wall.

“Ina?” Jirral whispered. “Zeke?”

A small sound escaped Ina. “Granddad?”

I felt someone slide through the crack of the cave. By the opposite wall, the torch flared back to life.

Jirral blinked in the light, the blue glow of his eyes fading to a fraction of its brightness.

“Is everything alright?” Ina asked.

“A couple mercenaries poking around the area,” he answered. “There are hills ahead, though, and they didn’t seem too interested in searching them.” He paused. “We should probably circle wide, just in case they have friends hiding there.”

I grimaced. That would slow us down.

A lot.

“Chloe is going to be there in just a few hours,” I said.

“And getting caught by Vetorians will take a great deal longer than a small detour,” Jirral countered.

I looked away, hating the fact he was right. I didn’t want to miss her, though. If that Joseph guy did his thing, and if she became a landwalker and had to leave the coast right away…

“We’ll be fast,” Jirral added, his tone a touch gentler.

I nodded tightly.

“Alright,” Jirral said. “Follow me.”

Chapter Fifteen

Wyatt

I shoved to my feet, the last of the sticky, elastic vine things snapping away from my body.

But the fish were gone.

An infuriated snarl left me while I scanned the yard. They were gone. All of them were gone, from the girl and the black-haired guy to Niall and his cronies.

And I hadn’t gotten my hands on a single one.

Not. A.
Single. One
.

My body shook. I wanted to make something bleed. I wanted to hear something scream. It wouldn’t be as good as killing a scum-sucker but damn it all, it’d be
something
.

Dad growled as he ripped the vines away and pushed to his feet behind me. Far down the road from our house, I could hear sirens, like a whispering wail across the distance.

“Free your brothers,” Dad ordered me.

I didn’t move. “What are we going to do now?”

“Cops are coming.”

I waited. He wasn’t even looking at me. “And?”

“And we’ve got dead bodies in the yard!” Dad snapped, turning a glare on me. “Cops are a problem, Wyatt. Cops are
always
a problem, whether we have a deal with the landwalkers or not, so fucking hurry up, get your brothers free, and clear that crap out of sight!”

With a disgusted noise, he stalked away, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe me.

My brow rose. We were backing down? Staying put?
Cleaning up
? After all the days of waiting, after all the hours of being surrounded by scale-skins he said we couldn’t lay a
finger
on, Dad seriously expected us to just give up and go back to the drawing board?

“But we could catch her,” I tried. “If we go now…”

Dad ignored me.

I stared, appalled. This wasn’t happening. I’d done everything he wanted, followed stupid plan after stupid plan, and I didn’t have a single thing to show for it. Clay did. That mewling bastard had lost it in the forest just like I’d known he would, but he’d still gotten to kill
two
of the scum-suckers with his bare hands.

But I had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Dad stopped by the corner of the house. With one arm, he braced himself on the siding, his gaze on the ocean like he could see that Zeke guy in the water.

Nothing
.

Rage surged through me and my feet were moving before I registered the impulse. Fire sped beneath my skin, bursting out through fissures.

Dad heard me coming. He started to turn.

I lunged through the air and collided with him hard. The impact drove him into the wall and slammed his head into the siding. He staggered, his skin changing fast.

But it was too late.

My hands twisted. His neck snapped in my grasp.

I stumbled back as he fell, his body collapsing like the dead weight that it was. My heart raced in my ears and my breathing came in quick, ragged gasps. I couldn’t take my eyes from him. Dad. Dead on the ground.

A shiver coursed through me. My lips curled into an unsteady smile. I’d done it. I’d
actually
done it.

I’d won.

Clay made a sound and my gaze darted toward him. Still trapped under the vines, he struggled to break free, while a few yards away, Owen tried to do the same. Their motions were weak, as if between killing those dehaians and fighting to escape the vines, they were exhausted.

But behind the gaps in the nets covering them, their eyes were locked on me.

My smile grew cold. I walked toward Clay.

He struggled harder, but only a couple vines broke. I stopped when I reached him, and for a moment, I just studied him.

“You got a problem with this?” I asked, my voice low.

He paused. “No.”

My lip twitched. “Good.”

I left him there while I crossed the yard to Owen. Clay was younger and thus potentially less of a threat, but he’d also gotten to kill dehaians and he’d always been more of a pain in the ass than Owen. It was important to make his place clear fast. Grasping the vines pinning Owen down, I ripped them free. He pushed to his feet.

His gaze went to Dad. Eyeing Owen, I waited for him to make a move.

Old anger twitched across his face, along with a heavy dose of contempt. “Bastard,” he muttered. He looked back to me, and his chin jerked in implicit congratulations.

I nodded. Owen walked over and tugged the vines from Clay.

“We’re going after the girl,” I said. “Get the car.”

“What about the bodies?” Clay asked.

I glanced to Dad. The cops would be here any second. We didn’t have long to reach the side road out of here.

And besides that, I didn’t care.

I scoffed and started toward the maroon SUV. “Let ‘em rot.”

Chapter Sixteen

Chloe

We barely made it to the main road before Olivia slowed the car again.

And a chilling wave of suspicion stole over me when I saw why.

A dozen vehicles were parked along the grassy roadside, with several police cars as well. Cops were there, surveying the forest or talking with a cluster of people nearby.

But I’d never seen such a motley group. Not outside of a Hollywood rendition of a jury, anyway. Business men stood next to guys who appeared to have just come from construction sites, while women who looked like politicians were speaking to others who seemed like soccer moms. More people were beyond them, leaning on the vehicles as if they could barely stay on their feet. Past the fringes of the group, Ellie waited with Baylie by her car, and both of them were watching the small crowd warily.

“Olivia…” I began, “who are these people?”

“The elders decided to meet us here,” she replied.

“Excuse me?” Noah demanded from the back seat. “You
do
realize my family will be coming, right? We don’t have time for this.”

Olivia pulled the car over and then pushed the gearshift into park. “We’ll only be a moment,” she countered calmly. “The elders have the right to speak with her, and they were willing to endure the pain from their proximity to the water to do so. After all, this could be their only chance.”

“Wait, why?” Mom interjected, scooting forward. “Chloe, what does that mean?”

Olivia ignored her. “They simply want to talk,” she said to me. “Please allow them that.”

My brow drew down. I twisted in the seat, looking to Noah.

“What is there to talk about?” he asked warily.

Olivia’s gaze didn’t leave me. “Please.”

“Chloe,” Dad protested. “No. We’re heading home, understand?”

I swallowed. That wasn’t going to happen.

But this wasn’t good either.

“Ma’am,” Dad continued to Olivia. “I appreciate you driving us, and helping us escape those creatures, but we need to take our daughter home. This craziness has to end.”

Olivia ignored him just like she had Mom. “Ten minutes. Then we’ll go.”

She turned and left the car.

I glanced to Noah. Caution clear on his face, he opened his door as well.

Dad made an angry noise. “Chloe, don’t–”

I followed Noah.

One of the elders motioned the rest into silence when we stepped from the sedan. By the side of the road, more elders straightened, bracing themselves on their vehicles to keep their balance. Catching sight of us, Baylie pushed away from her car and hurried toward us, Ellie on her heels.

“Are you okay?” Baylie called.

Sweat dripping down his red face, Phil shoved past the group. “Is she here? Are they– Olivia!” He turned to the police. “Go! Make sure those guys don’t try following.”