Just Breathe (34 page)

A wave of fear spread through her blood. Gavin clasped her hand tightly in his. Sinnder was a man on a mission, and Zoe guessed his objective involved death and/or dismemberment. Maybe something worse.

Vexx cowered behind Jack, her yellow eyes big and round. Jack’s arm stiffened around her in a protective stance.

The door shut. Cheeks red, Jet dropped her gaze to the floor. Sinnder shifted his attention to her, and his expression cooled by a degree or two. He watched her as the others surrounded him.

Gavin’s nostrils flared, and his tattoos screamed all sorts of visual warnings. Back straight and tight, he seemed fixated on keeping Sinnder away from Zoe.

“What information do you have?” Gavin said. His hand chilled. He must be pumping Water there in case things got ugly. Good, because the electricity jolting between Sinnder and Byrn was palpable.

Vexx peeked around Jack’s arm like a frightened fawn. Zoe had never seen her so scared.

Sinnder focused on Gavin’s chest for an intense moment. He cocked his head to the side. What was that about? Shouldn’t he be worried about the Elemental Water practically sweating from Gavin’s hand? His gaze skipped to Zoe for a split second, then he stepped clear of the circle of bodies to the middle of the room. All eyes followed.

“The Fyres are planning a coordinated bombing across Australia tomorrow,” Sinnder said. “They’re hoping to catch the Wyldlings off guard by creating mass hysteria. It’ll make quite a feast for Incendius on the equinox, don’t you think?” He glanced at Gavin.

Jack kicked a leg out and crossed one foot over the other. It would have been a relaxed stance in any other situation, but Zoe could tell by the tic in his cheek, he was anything but. “Any particular reason you chose to tell
us
?”

“Some of us share a common goal.” Sinnder leveled his gaze on Gavin and Zoe.

A seductive tickle teased the front of Zoe’s brain. That smell of his made her dizzy. Focusing on the coolness in Gavin’s hand, she shrugged off the scent.

“He’s lying.” Byrn spoke between clenched teeth.

“No, he’s not,” Vexx and Jet said at the same time. They exchanged looks. Vexx’s tight shoulders loosened a bit, and her breathing slowed. Must have picked up on his thoughts.

Sinnder was bad news for sure, but he wanted Scarlet dead as much as Zoe did. Maybe he felt remorse for refusing to help her earlier. Could a hardened Fyre like him have a change of heart?

He turned to Jet, and his gaze lost its heat, melted into something softer. Almost kind, but not quite. Admiration?

“Why would one of Eidan’s bishop bitches warn us about a planned attack?” Byrn said, getting up close and personal with Sinnder again. “Fyres are doers, not thinkers. And we certainly ain’t known for negotiating.”

“Believe me or not. I don’t care. If you want to do something about it, you have less than twenty-four hours. I can give you details for each bomb location and how it’ll go down.” Sinnder barely shrugged. “Or not.”

Vexx eased cautiously from behind Jack and faced him. She looked even smaller than usual next to Sinnder’s imposing frame. “Tell me. I’ll contact the authorities.”

“Fyres will manually detonate the bombs at noon. Sydney Harbour, Dreamland on the Gold Coast, the Canberra capitol building, churches in Brisbane, Federation Square in Melbourne…everywhere.”

Vexx flitted over to the table and snatched up her laptop. “Jack, he’s telling the truth. We need to send Sentinels out immediately.”

“Can’t do that,” Gavin said. “Someone on the Council is a traitor. Whatever the Council knows, the Fyres know. What makes anyone think Sinnder here isn’t setting us up? As soon as he leaves, he’ll probably go and blab to his mates. He’s proven he’s a liar and a thief.” Gavin flicked his necklace with the footprint and raven gemstones.

“Sinnder wouldn’t tattle.” Jack flexed his Water-laden, blue pulsing hand and made a fist. “Would you?”

The Fyre ticked his head to the side and half-smiled. “No, mate. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jack faced Vexx. “What are the chances the Wyldling authorities can handle the situation without us?”

Vexx’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “As soon as I get my cyber-tracks covered, I’ll send the information to every protective force in the country. I can hack into their communications systems to keep an eye on their progress. If it looks like they’re not taking us seriously, we can call in the U.S. Sentinels. I think it would be best to let the humans deal with this. The less Sentinel involvement in Realis, the better.”

Zoe lifted her chin. “Why are you helping us now, Sinnder? I asked you for help before, but you let me down. You have a change of heart?”

His eyes cut to Jet, then returned to Zoe. “No, my heart’s pretty much as black as it’s ever been. I can assure you, my reasons are purely selfish. I saw a door open, I snuck through, and ended up here.”

“So, it’s about vengeance. Kill Scarlet, take her Fire, and move on to the next target? You gunning to be the next Archelemental, too?” Deep inside, Zoe believed Sinnder had a good soul. He didn’t want anyone to see it, but it existed. Yes, he was a self-serving opportunist, but he wouldn’t have come here if it was only about Scarlet. Zoe glanced at Jet. Maybe he’d found something to live for beyond himself.

His lips pressed together, and he shook his head. “I couldn’t care less about Eidan or his position.”

“If it’s Scarlet you want, queue up,” Gavin said through clenched teeth. A drop of sweat coursed down his cheek. “Prove we can trust you, and we’ll talk. You’ve given me no reason to believe you based on our past dealings. You stole my necklace—”

“Which I gave back.”

“Yeah, but one Elemental lighter. You played a key role in compromising my relationship with Zoe—”

“Scarlet asked me to kill Zoe, which I did not do. You beat me to the punch.”

Gavin shot forward. Zoe threw her arms around his middle and tried to haul him back. Jack stepped up, blue hand pulsing at his side. Gavin’s shoulders heaved with hurried breaths.

“Everyone stay cool. Last thing we need is to destroy another house over a pissing contest.” Zoe faced Sinnder and pointed a finger in his face. “Don’t antagonize. We have enough of that without you. I’m sick to death of this fighting. We have to put our differences aside and work together. Sinnder, you’re either in, or you’re out. No more lies. No more bullshit. Are you going to help us?” Zoe propped her hands on her hips.

The room fell silent.

Sinnder’s gaze skipped to Jet, then settled on Zoe. “I’ll help you with the Wyldlings, but I can’t take you to the door to the Dreaming. If I do, they’ll know I turned traitor, and I’ll have Eidan’s legions after me. I have to protect myself.”

“Can you take Scarlet out?” Zoe wanted so badly to bring about Scarlet’s demise herself, but she was just one person, with no special talent other than a strange ability to speak to whales. Her goal of keeping the humans and whales safe superseded any selfish desire for vengeance. She’d grudgingly let the professionals handle that bitch.

Sinnder inhaled a long breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll have a better idea tomorrow. If the Fyres gain control of the Balance—which, at this stage, is very likely—they’ll launch another dream attack. They have enough power to turn the Dreaming into a living hell. I don’t know what kind of defense you have planned, but it needs to be strong enough to put off Armageddon.”

Zoe shook her head. “Don’t worry about that. The Sentinels will be ready.” And so would she.

“If the Sentinels hose down the Fyres in the Dreaming, and the Wyldlings disarm the bombs tomorrow, I can handle Scarlet. Alone.” Sinnder’s eyes glittered red.

Zoe left the safety of Gavin’s proximity and stepped up to the Fyre. She touched his leather jacketed arm and channeled every shred of cold hatred she had for Scarlet into her voice. “I want her dead. No more empty promises. I want your word.”

The punches of determination and resolve settled in his eyes like lava cooling into obsidian. “You have my word. I’ll kill Scarlet.”

The tension in the room thickened to the consistency of cottage cheese.

Zoe had no choice but to trust the same Fyre Elemental who had betrayed her and Gavin before. She hoped she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.

Chapter Thirty-five

Jet couldn’t fathom why Sinnder would want to help the Sentinels. Only thing she could figure was that it had to do with some history he had with Scarlet. The woman made it her business to mess with Zoe and Gavin, so it shouldn’t have surprised Jet that Scarlet had somehow wronged Sinnder, too. Seemed she enjoyed stirring the misery soup quite a bit.

When Sinnder finished giving Vexx the details of the terrorist plot, he headed for the door amid a barrage of wary stares. You couldn’t trust a Fyre.

So why did Jet want to?

“I’ll see you out.” She held the door and followed him outside into the static-laden darkness. Backing against a huge, thick tree for comfort, she slid her fingers across the cold, rough bark. Peace.

Sinnder’s eyes glowed softly through the gray night. “You don’t like me much, do you, Hawthorne?”

Her breath caught, and she swallowed hard. “I don’t know you well enough to pass judgment. Why do you care what I think, anyway?”

Twigs and leaves crunched under his boots as he moved closer and pinned her to the tree with his sharp gaze. “You saved Harriet. That means something to me.”

“So, you’re joining forces with Sentinels and Wæter Elementals because you think it’ll please me? Is this some sort of a penance for you? Trying to make up for a lifetime of sins against humanity and…dingoes?”

His soft laughter brushed her skin. Fyre pheromones flavored his warm breath. Inhaling the rich scent, she countered with a chemical release of her own, more reaction than intent. She pulled her hoodie tight around her as the godforsaken wind kicked up again.

Closing his eyes, he turned his head into the breeze and breathed deeply. Hunger filtered through his gaze when he looked at her again. He reached for her cheek, but she batted his hand away.

“I guess you’re right. I have a lot to atone for and need to make amends before it’s too late.” He backed away and slowly circled the tree. “Would you like to hear my confession? Let’s see if I can remember how to do this.” His voice took on a condescending tone, ripe with sarcasm.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been 1,399 years since my last confession. In that time, I’ve put other gods before you.” He ticked off one finger. “Taken your name in vain. Neglected to keep the Sabbath holy. Murdered. Committed adultery. Stolen. Lied. And coveted many, many neighbors’ wives.”

Sinnder ended a foot away from Jet and placed his palm against the tree beside her head. “What sort of penance will all of that get me?” His spicy, sweet breath tickled her nose again and sent ripples of strange heat through her belly.

Jet dug her fingernails into the bark before answering. “I’m not here to pass judgment. You don’t need someone else’s forgiveness. The ghosts of your past are just that. Long gone. It sounds to me like you need to forgive yourself.”

A far-off look descended over his face. “Maybe. I’ll forgive myself when Scarlet’s dead. Then I’ll be free.”

Gods, his closeness stirred embers of desire in her gut. It was an effect of his Fire. Nothing else.

Wait, what did he say?

“You’ll ‘be free.’ What does that mean?”

“Nothing. It means nothing.” He turned away, but she caught his forearm with a gentle grip and held it. Grounding herself with her other hand against the tree, she siphoned cool strength from the wood to counteract the growing heat in her belly.
Keep steady.

That would have been easy with anyone but him. Suddenly she was back in middle school watching Johnny Franklin across the lunchroom, butterflies swarming her stomach, and spilling milk into her lap.

What was it with this guy? Byrn had never affected her like this.

Sinnder stared at her hand on his arm. No emotion crossed his face, but for the first time in years, her body was warm all over. Even her ears. They never got hot.

She let go of him. That insectile scrutiny of his returned. That feeling of being a big bug in his tiny jar. Without any air holes.

“If someone offered you a way off the Fyre Council, out of Eidan’s grip, would you take it?” Jet had no idea what she was saying, but this man was in pain and needed help. She could figure out what she really meant later.

“Who’s gonna save me from Eidan, Hawthorne?” He reached out to her again, paused as if to see whether she’d deck him, then smoothed her cheek. The hard stone of her gut melted. He focused on her lips and dipped in closer.

“You gonna be my knight in shining armor?” His mouth hovered inches from hers. “You’ve got the strength in this body for it.” One of his hands slipped just below her armpit and slid down her side. The other pulled off her glasses.

For a split second, she saw Tyson—the Fyre who’d raped her years ago—standing before her. She froze.

Wake up, Jet. Tyson’s dead.

She shook away the disturbing image, shoved Sinnder’s hand aside, and snatched her glasses back. “I can help you get out of here, if that’s what you want. Maybe there’s a place for you in the Librus Group. Jack—”

Sinnder’s heat dissipated like a bag of wind, leaving disgust in its wake. He backed up. “Not interested. I don’t play well with others.”

Best not to push. Jet had overstepped the line by even bringing up the Librus Group. “I understand.”

He blurred into the shadows. Another bolt of lightning lit the sky, silhouetting his profile. The hard angles of his clenched jaw were a strong foil to his soft, red-streaked hair. The whole package was a conundrum, really. Hot one moment, cold the next. The nature of Fyres.

Thunder boomed. He paused his steps and looked up to the agitated sky. A frown curled the corners of his mouth down.

Massive storm coming, and it probably wouldn’t involve any rain.

A sigh puffed through his lips, so soft she almost missed it. “If something…happens, would you look after Harriet?”