Crest (Ondine Quartet Book 3) (34 page)

"Maybe we need to approach it differently." Aubrey's eyes glittered. "The traitor is working with Aquidae. So why is the Shadow going after these ondines?"

I had a sudden recollection of my mother's face across the chessboard.

Strategy is everything, Kendra.

"He's playing a game," I murmured. "The ultimate objective is to win."

Jeeves' face drew tight with concern. "So he believes these murders will help him win the war?"

"Maybe he wants to stir up enough doubt among elementals to remove you from power." Chloe's worried eyes met mine. "Eliminate the Irisavies from the equation."

I mulled it over. "Maybe."

Tristan caught my eye. "What is it?"

"It doesn't add up."

Black blood and the memory of that perverted, suffocating energy from the Lyondale basement flashed before me.

I won't stop until I take everything from you, sondaleur.

"The irises are taunts, messages saying he can get to me anywhere. The Shadow gets his thrills going after those who are close to me," I said carefully. "But I don't know any of the victims besides Bianca in New York. He hasn't made it personal yet."

Aubrey's mouth trembled slightly. "So it's not necessarily about killing you."

I nodded. "The Shadow wants to break me."

Tristan crossed his arms. "Because doing that destabilizes elementals by casting doubt on the
sondaleur
and Governor-elect —"

"Which helps him win the war," Ian finished.

Tense silence descended. Until the Shadow made these murders personal, we couldn't figure out his angle. We had too little to go on.

Rhian's cold hazel eyes studied me. "Something else bothers you."

"The traitor is an elemental, not an Aquidae. The Shadow may give him orders, but he doesn't possess the kind of blind allegiance a demon would have."

Understanding flitted across Fujio's face. "We're looking for a mortal with mortal intent."

"The traitor has his own personal reasons for these murders. I think that's the key to finding him."

Aubrey frowned. "What if Aquidae are controlling him through threats or blackmail?"

The Shadow had established a clear pattern for torturing and manipulating others into action. We'd seen it with Gilroy, Miriam Moreaux, and Haverleau's Warden Pair Cassandra and Kevin.

I shook my head. "Then why not turn him? It guarantees loyalty."

Realization dawned in her eyes. "Because the traitor doesn't need to be turned. Threats don't motivate him."

Which made him that much more dangerous.

Ian's expression darkened. "That still doesn't explain what happened to you at training the other day."

"I don't think it's the same person." Fingers drummed on my thigh."The traitor is clever. Someone who hides in the background, operating like the Shadow. If he wanted to hurt me, there are much easier ways of doing it."

Tristan nodded. "Tormenting you with murders and irises doesn't make sense if he's planning to kill you."

Exactly.

"So who wants to hurt her?" Aubrey asked.

I shrugged. "Who doesn't?"

Worry creased Chloe's brow. "Not funny, Kendra."

Maybe not, but it was the truth and judging by the looks on Tristan and Rhian's faces, they knew I was right.

The majority of elementals were currently unhappy with the Irisavies. Die-hard supporters of the LeVeqs, Rosamunds, and Blanchards would love to see me gone.

Dax's words from the infirmary also echoed in my mind. Regardless of how far-fetched it may seem, I also couldn't ignore the possibility of someone eliminating the Irisavies so their own family could become Redavi.

"This person isn't our main priority," I said slowly. "One isolated incident doesn't prove anything and I don't think he's as dangerous as the traitor."

Tristan's attention locked on me. "You should have more —"

"No," I said firmly.

It was not a matter of if, but when. The Shadow would eventually target someone near me, maybe even someone in this room.

Security resources needed to go toward them as well as the rest of the Redavi delegates here.

His mouth tightened. Frustration and something else, something I'd briefly seen in the control room with the Lieutenant, sparked in his eyes before he schooled his expression back to impassivity.

The calm wall separating us settled back into place. Not a single word spoken but it felt as if he'd said everything.

"A difficult set of circumstances." Rhian's tiny form straightened."How do you wish to proceed,
sondaleur
?"

"We have three main problems."

Technically there were more, but we were dealing with the most pressing issues first.

"Finding the person responsible for killing off our people. Determining the identity and location of the Shadow. And now we have Aquidae at our door. The first two fall under my investigation."

She raised her brow. "And the last?"

Gaze slid to Tristan. His face could've been carved from ice.

Sadness, sharp and hot, briefly flickered deep inside.

Grow up, Kendra.

We were political allies and partners. It was time to do our jobs.

"We work with the Selkie Kingdom to protect their people and the guests currently in their domain."

Unreadable dark eyes stayed on me. "How do you propose to do that?"

"We make the Aquidae come to me."

SLEEP PROVED ELUSIVE. ADRENALINE FROM the fight and the images of Ethan, Jesse, Lucas, and Matt streamed unfettered, coated in blood.

After a few hours of fitful tossing and turning, I gave up. I quickly changed into workout clothes and headed downstairs.

Most of my classmates were on the second floor. I made my way past the block of elite rooms and for a moment wondered if Chloe or Aubrey were still awake.

I glanced at my watch and decided it was too late to visit.

A flash of movement caught my eye. Someone was outside Chloe's room.

The door opened. Soft light trickled around Chloe's slender frame, perfectly illuminating her midnight visitor.

Cam.

He stood with an air of uncertainty, expression gaunt with grief, the day's events shadowing his eyes.

She gently touched his face.

He entered her room and the door quietly shut behind them.

She was probably the best remedy for him right now. And I was about to meet mine.

A good round with a punching bag would hopefully exhaust me enough to get in a little sleep before dawn.

I entered the workout center and the rasp of sliding feet greeted me. Staying in the shadows, I cautiously moved closer.

Tristan, dressed only in loose black pants, moved across the mat with a
kouperet
in each hand.

My mouth went dry.

Sweat glistened on smooth, golden skin. Broad shoulders and chest narrowed to a flat, ridged stomach and lean hips. The sharp curve of his biceps flexed, back muscles rippled.

Over and over again, his arms circled, working in perfect harmony. The glow of the
kouperets
slashed through the air in a whirlwind of light.

I watched, an inexplicable combination of awe and longing rapidly creating heated pressure within my chest.

Hypnotic movements accentuated the sheer strength of his body, the lean, hard lines astonishingly beautiful in its honed fluidity and control.

Tristan lunged, supple muscles rolling in one strike after another with breathtaking speed and precision. Body stretched and extended in a lethal dance, graceful power radiating in controlled waves.

After several minutes, he stopped and brought the blades down. Ribs expanded and contracted with each deep breath.

Head turned slightly toward me. "Couldn't sleep, either?"

"Nope." I stepped forward and tried not to stare at the pants hanging low on his hips. "What was that?"

He lay the weapons down, grabbed a towel off a folding chair, and wiped the sweat from his torso.

"A series of choreographed movements. We learn them as children and practice it daily to increase flexibility, strength, and concentration."

He tossed the towel aside and pulled on a white T-shirt.

My breathing steadied. "I'm sorry about Jesse and Matt."

The words felt terribly inadequate.

His expression darkened. "I've known them all my life."

"Why weren't they protected? Tristan, they were completely defenseless —"

"It was my mistake," he said quietly. "For years, I'd tried to extend the ward lines to his office. But Jesse refused and kept fighting me on it so I assigned two gardinels in shifts to the woods around the lake. They watched his place without his knowledge."

Stubborn Jesse believed the safe room would be enough if any Aquidae were dumb enough to show up this close to the kingdom.

If he'd found out about his gardinel protection, he would've been as pissed off as me.

Tristan picked the
kouperets
off the mat and dropped them hard beside his chair. "But I pulled the day shift today."

My heart sank.

Because we were supposed to be there.

Instead, Julian had acted alone and pulled us out without considering possible consequences. The very trait that made him a strong undercover agent made him terrible at chain of command.

Since he didn't bother to inform me, Garreth, or the other gardinels of his plans, Jesse and the others were left defenseless.

I should've been there.

"You didn't know," I said dully.

"Garreth made the call that Julian and you were sufficient protection during those morning hours. Everything has been so strained with this conference and..." Tristan shook his head. "I should've ignored his assessment and kept them anyway."

But he hadn't. Because unlike his father, he respected the opinions of others.

Frustration brimmed his eyes and he stiffly returned the
kouperets
to their holsters.

Fingers tingled, wanting to touch him, comfort him. But he continued to move with that wary wall that'd been in place since New York.

Ignoring the tight knot in my stomach, I pulled out another chair and joined him.

"Can you extend the ward lines now?"

"Until the conference is over, Warden Pairs are under strict protection so we don't get a repeat of what happened to Cassandra and Kevin."

It was a valid concern. The torture of Haverleau's Warden Pair led to the Governor's Ball massacre almost a year ago.

"And now we can't bring them back here to redo the boundaries because of the Aquidae along the perimeter," I said softly.

He nodded. A catch-22 situation.

I stretched my legs, gradually warming up my muscles. "The sooner Julian and your team find them, the sooner we can eliminate them."

We didn't know when our strike would take place. It depended on the information the scouts provided.

It could be tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. We had to be prepared to move at any moment.

Intense eyes locked on to me. "I don't like this."

Considering the mess we were now in, I wasn't sure what he was referring to. The sudden Aquidae appearance? Our elemental-traitor-slash-serial-killer? The situation between us?

Maybe it was about the counter-attack plan. His icy expression while we discussed details during the meeting made his dissatisfaction abundantly clear.

"You know we're doing the right thing," I told him.

There. A non-committal response that could mean anything.

"Hey, where does Adrian hang out? I need to talk to him outside training."

I worried he wouldn't follow the abrupt change in subject, but he let it go. "Probably at the armory. He spends most of his time there when he's here. Why?"

"I keep thinking we're missing something."

"You want to talk to him because he was Miriam's gardinel."

I nodded. Adrian was really quiet, the kind of person who remained silent unless directly asked a question.

Questioning him about a difficult subject wasn't something I was looking forward to. But if there was any possibility of uncovering information helpful in finding the Shadow, I had to try.

"I'll check out the armory tomorrow before I have lunch with Yahaira."

Tristan stood and opened his bag. "I'm sure you'll have a great time. Everyone loves Yahaira's food."

I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. "Her daughter, Sian, seems nice."

Way to keep it professional.

"She is."

He packed his towel and weapons, his back to me.

Silence stretched. Well, that would teach me to ask questions I didn't want the answers to.

Hurt and rejection left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was none of my business. Anything personal was clearly off the table.

I stood, awkward. "I better get started —"

"Sian, Eric, and I grew up together."

I froze.

He turned. "We always knew she'd become Eric's Queen and eventually be a part of our family."

I returned to my seat. Tristan watched me, expression dark and solemn.

"Were they okay with that?"

"Eric never questioned what he had to do for the throne. Was he in love with her?" He shook his head. "I'm not sure. But he cared about her. Sian loved him deeply."

An unwanted twinge of sympathy. "It must've been terrible for her when Eric turned."

"I was in Haverleau with your father when I found out." The past cast shadows across his face. "We'd brought Naida back from Lyondale Hospital pregnant with you. The call from my father came to return and I was assigned the task of hunting Eric."

He settled into the chair again, movements slow and deliberate as if every part of his body ached with the memory.

"After I found him in New York, I came back and informed my father I was leaving. By the time I reached Haverleau, Ansel and Naida had gone Rogue with you." He paused. "So I hunted."

"Like Gabe."

Like me, a few months ago.

He nodded. "When I finally resurfaced, I received word my mother was gravely ill. Sian and I reconnected when I returned. She was also living her grief."

Everyone had abandoned him. His beloved brother turned demon. His father effectively ended their relationship by ordering him to do the unthinkable. His mother died after giving everything to bring Tristan back.