Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2) (30 page)

Aaron buried his face in his hands. No, Kyran had never called him Ace to make fun of him, but because that was the name he’d wanted to give his baby brother. Aaron dropped his hands and let out a shaky breath. He closed his eyes and, for a moment, just sat like that.

“Kyran?” he called in a quiet voice. “I don’t know if this is just...me being crazy or…or if you can actually hear me,” he started. “But I – I really need to see you.” He looked ahead, fixing his stare on the darkened trees. “There’s so much that I need to ask, so much that I need to know.”

He looked around the forest, but there was no one there except for him. He took in a breath. “Ben?” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. That didn’t feel right. “Kyran, please,” Aaron breathed. “I really need to see you. We need to talk. We need to...I don’t know, figure this out.”

The minutes ticked by, but no one came. Aaron looked up at the sky, barely visible through the thick tops of the trees. “Kyran, please, I just want to talk,” he repeated. “Please, Kyran. I just want to talk.”

He fell quiet and the silence of the forest surrounded him.

“Talk, then.”

Aaron whirled around. He found Kyran standing a few steps away, his arms crossed at his chest, intense green eyes fixed on him.

“I’m listening.”

28

Blood Brothers

Aaron rose to his feet, staring at Kyran. He had come. Aaron had called for him and Kyran had come. Although this was what Aaron had been hoping for, it still came as a bit of a shock.

Aaron gazed at Kyran, at the brother he never knew he had. But for Kyran, Aaron understood it wasn’t the same story.

“You knew,” Aaron stated. “From the very beginning. You knew that we were brothers.”

Kyran smiled and leant against the tree beside him. “I only have the one brother,” he said. “It’s kinda hard to mistake him.”

Aaron’s heart leapt in his chest when Kyran referred to him as his brother. He didn’t know why, but he was bracing himself for Kyran to deny it. He stepped forward, his eyes prickling. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.

Kyran looked surprised, and then started laughing. “Bloody hell, Ace,” he chuckled. “What did you expect me to say? ‘Hi, Aaron. You may or may not know that you have an older brother and, surprise, surprise, that’s me’?”

“You should have told me,” Aaron argued. “I asked why I was seeing you in my dreams. You could have told me then. You could have explained that the dreams were my Inheritance and I was dreaming of you because you’re my brother.”

Kyran looked closely at Aaron. “Tell me something,” he said quietly. “Before you came to this realm, did you even know you had a brother?”

Aaron felt like someone had doused him with ice-cold water. He froze on the spot, staring at Kyran. He willed himself to speak, to lie, to tell him that their parents had told him all about their family from the very beginning. But Kyran had already picked up the truth from his silence.

He nodded and looked away. “I thought so,” he said.

“Kyran–” Aaron started.

“It makes sense,” Kyran said. “They didn’t tell you anything about who you are, where you’re from, what you can do…” He held Aaron’s gaze. “So why would they tell you about the one they had left behind?”

Aaron stared at him.
Left behind?
Wait, so Kyran thought...

“No.” Aaron stepped forward. “No, Kyran. Mum and Dad didn’t know they’d left you behind. They thought you were...That you had...died.”

Kyran’s eyes widened, and for a moment he looked truly and completely shocked. Then those vivid green eyes darkened. “Died?” he asked. “Wow, that’s...Okay, I admit I wasn’t expecting that excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse,” Aaron said. “They said they felt you die.”

“Well, then they should get their feelings retuned, ’cause I’m right here,” Kyran said.

Aaron held his eyes. “I saw the memory,” he said. “I saw the attack, Kyran. I saw what happened, how those…those Lycans…What they did–” He broke off as the image of the four-year-old child being ripped out of his mother’s arms and thrown to the beasts to devour flashed before his eyes. Aaron shook his head, struggling with the stinging in his eyes. “How did you survive?” he asked, his voice reduced to a whisper.

Kyran’s eyes were a poison green. “By sheer luck,” he said. “No thanks to my parents.”

“No, they thought you were dead,” Aaron said again.

“Oh come on, Aaron!” Kyran snapped. “Wake up already. Stop taking whatever crap they throw your way. They knew I wasn’t dead. They knew, but they got so damn scared, they
left
me and ran. They left me to die.”

“No.” Aaron was shaking his head, hurrying closer to Kyran. “No, Kyran, no. They wouldn’t do that. They told me they felt you die. Uncle Mike said he felt it too. That’s why Uncle Alex went after the Lycans, because he felt you die as well.”

Kyran’s expression softened at the mention of Alex. “Alex died fighting the Lycans,” he said. “He died the death of a Hunter, of an Elemental.” He paused and his eyes glinted with nothing but fury. “Christopher Adams, on the other hand, is a coward who left his dying four-year-old son to save his own skin.”

“You can’t believe that,” Aaron said. “You must know Dad would never do that.”

“Wouldn’t he?” Kyran asked.

“Dad would never leave someone in need to save himself,” Aaron said. “Let alone his
son
.”

“Look at me, Ace,” Kyran said, holding out his arms. “I’m right here. I’m not dead; I never was.” He held Aaron’s eyes. “So if they’re telling you they felt me die, then they’re lying.”

“No they’re not,” Aaron said. “You didn’t see them when they talked about how you were attacked. Their grief, their tears, they were all real. They thought you had died, Kyran. They’re wouldn’t lie.”

“Really?” Kyran asked. “They’ve always been truthful with you, have they? Always told you how it is?” He stepped closer. “Ace, they didn’t even tell you that you were a mage. Had you not come to this realm, you wouldn’t even know that you have a brother, that I exist.”

His words pierced Aaron’s heart. He didn’t want to admit Kyran was right. “I know now,” he tried.

Kyran pulled back, his expression hardening. “It’s too late.”

“Don’t say that,” Aaron pleaded. “It’s not too late.”

“It is,” Kyran said. “Ben is gone. There’s nothing of him left. He withered away, waiting for his parents to return, being foolish enough to believe they would come back for him.” Kyran’s eyes were dark, full of pain and anger. “Four years,” he said in a voice that almost broke. “He sat and waited for four years, watching the Gateway to his home, calling out to his parents. He spent day after day, just waiting – waiting for the family who ignored his calls and never came for him.” The sorrow in Kyran’s voice, in his eyes, was killing Aaron. “Eventually, he gave up. From that day onwards, Ben ceased to exist. For the last ten years, there’s only been Kyran Aedus – the son of Hadrian.”

Aaron shook his head. “That’s not true,” he said. “Kyran Aedus wouldn’t care what happened to Aaron Adams,” he said. “Kyran Aedus wouldn’t take me away from Skyler’s beatings. He wouldn’t have risked his life to save me from a collapsing Q-Zone. He wouldn’t have taken on the responsibility of training me. Kyran Aedus wouldn’t feel the pull every time I call out to him.” Aaron paused to steady his voice. “Kyran Aedus wouldn’t use the name Ben thought up for his little brother.” His eyes stung like crazy, but Aaron didn’t care any more. “Somewhere, deep down, Ben is still there,” he said. “You’re my brother and it means something to you, otherwise you would have just ignored me.”

Kyran smiled bitterly. “Your parents may be able to ignore me,” he said quietly. “But I can’t ignore you.”

Aaron’s heart broke. “Kyran, please,” he begged. “Think about it. Why would they ignore your calls? Why wouldn’t they come back for you if they knew you were still alive?”

Kyran held his eyes. “Fear makes you capable of almost anything,” he said. “They got scared and left me to die. They heard me screaming their names, every day, for
four
years. They heard but they ignored it, too afraid to come back in case they were attacked.”

Aaron shook his head. “They must’ve not been able to hear you, to feel your calls–”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Kyran said. “They could hear me, they just didn’t care.”

“How can you believe that?” Aaron asked. “Why would they not care? Kyran, something must have happened when you got attacked. Some sort of...of misunderstanding. That’s why they thought you died. That’s why they can’t feel you.”

“Then why can I feel them?” Kyran asked. “Why can I feel both of them? Feel you?” His gaze searched Aaron’s. “Bonds aren’t one-sided, Ace. If I can sense all of you, you lot can sense me too.”

Aaron didn’t know what to say. He pulled in a breath. “Kyran–”

“Can you feel me?” Kyran asked.

Aaron stilled. “I...I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to be looking for,” he answered honestly.

“When I’m with you, do you feel comfortable?” Kyran said. “When you look at me, is there a familiarity you don’t really understand? Can you tell it’s me by just the sound of my footsteps? When I’m with you, do you feel safe? Like anything can happen, but you know you’ll be okay, because I’m here?”

Aaron didn’t say anything, but he gave a small nod.

Kyran looked both relieved and heartbroken. “Don’t believe their lies, Ace,” he said. “If you can feel me, then they can too. They’ve known I’m alive all these years.”

“No,” Aaron breathed. “That’s...It...They’re not like that. I don’t believe they’re capable of being so cruel.”

“You want to talk about being cruel?” Kyran asked. “They know who I am, Aaron. They knew the moment they saw me, but they pretended not to notice. Your dad stood there, and asked me what my
father’s
name was.” His eyes were glinting in the limited light, making Aaron’s heart clench with pain. “He wasn’t asking because he was unsure. He was asking to see if
I
remembered. To see if the four year old he had left behind still recognised him.”

“He asked you because you look just like Uncle Alex,” Aaron said.

“It shouldn’t matter who I look like,” Kyran argued. “I’m their
son
– their blood. How can they look at me and not know who I am?”

Aaron didn’t have an answer.

Kyran took in a heavy breath and closed his eyes, forcing back his pain. “It doesn’t matter,” he said quietly. “It’s better this way. They ignore me, so I can ignore them.”

“Is that really how you want it?” Aaron asked.

A bitter smile came to Kyran. “None of this is how I want it, Ace.” He stepped closer and rested his hands on Aaron’s shoulders. “I need you to understand something. You may be my brother, but Hadrian is my father.” His eyes hardened. “He took care of me, brought me up. Everything I am today, it’s due to him. I’m fighting this war for him, and I need you to keep out of it.” His grip tightened. “Leave Salvador and go back to Marwa. It’s the only safe city. It was Hadrian’s home once; he doesn’t want to see it in ruins. Take Rose and Sam with you and
stay
there, until the worst is over.”

“Until the worst is over?” Aaron repeated. “You mean until Hadrian destroys the realm and kills everyone?”

“That’s not his plan,” Kyran said. “He wants to fix this realm, not destroy it.”

“Come on, Kyran,” Aaron said. “We both know he wants to burn it to the ground.”

“Sometimes, that’s the only way,” Kyran said. “To start again and rebuild, so it’s stronger.”

Aaron pushed Kyran’s hands away and stepped back. “You’re willing to do that?” he asked with disgust.

Kyran paused for a moment, then straightened up to stand tall. “I’m willing to do whatever my father asks of me,” he said. “I owe him more than you can imagine, Aaron. I have never disobeyed him.”

“Really?” Aaron asked. “So if I stand in the way and he tells you to kill me?”

A flicker of unease washed over Kyran. “Then I will.”

Aaron shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

“You should,” Kyran said. He stepped back. “Get to Marwa, the sooner the better.” He walked away, and it was only then that Aaron noticed the red coat Kyran was wearing, the one that marked him as the legacy holder for Fire.

“Kyran?” Aaron called.

Kyran stopped and turned around.

“How is it that you have the legacy for Fire and Air when you’re not an Aedus by blood?” Aaron asked.

Kyran expression darkened. He shook his head. “Trust me, Ace. You don’t want to know.” He turned to leave.

“Kyran?”

Kyran looked around at him.

Aaron paused. “Will you come if I call for you again?” he asked.

Kyran held his eyes before his usual playful smirk came to his lips. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

He left, disappearing into the shadows. Aaron stood where he was for long minutes afterwards, waiting until he felt Kyran’s presence completely fade away.

***

Aaron made his way back through the dense forest. It had been a mistake going there at sunset. The sky had turned dark and there was hardly any light from the moon. Aaron lost his way twice, coming around in a circle to the same dirt pathway, but he clambered on.

His talk with Kyran had exhausted him, leaving him feeling hollowed out. He wanted to get back to the cottage and speak with his mum. He needed to work out why both his parents couldn’t feel the bond with Kyran when he could. What had happened that day, when the Lycans attacked? How could his family feel Kyran die when he was still alive? None of it made any sense.

Aaron let out a deep sigh as he trekked through the darkness, relying on his powers to sense where the trees were so he didn’t walk into them. The strange thing was that Aaron wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. He was too absorbed in his thoughts.

Kyran believed his parents had abandoned him. He believed his parents had got scared and left, all the while knowing he was still alive. But Aaron knew that couldn’t be true. He may not know all the secrets his parents kept from him, but he knew that his mum and dad would never leave their wounded child behind. They would rather die first. The world could think what they wanted about the Adams, but Aaron knew they weren’t cowards.

But then a small niggle of doubt wormed its way in. His mum had been pregnant. She’d been attacked. Maybe, just maybe, they ran to get her help. Aaron had watched the memory; he’d seen how brutally the Lycans had attacked Ben. What if his mum and dad had thought Ben was
likely
to die? It certainly had looked that way, with the Lycans throwing Ben from one to another, tearing chunks out of his body. What if his parents had given up on Ben and focused on saving their unborn child?