An hour passed with my head slumped against the seat and exhausted eyes squeezed shut. Our SUVs ate the miles of open road at a rate just slightly above the speed limit. No sense in risking being pulled over for speeding, and to be honest, my body needed the recovery time. I’d nearly broken myself with my latest foray into active Mindbending. It was way more intense and demanding than the abilities I’d been using instinctively: like resisting my father’s Mindbending, hijacking the powers of other Elementals, and building my souped-up firewall that blended all four (maybe five?) elements together.
Guilt over what my mother was experiencing reared its ugly head, interrupting my spotty-as-hell rest. I never should have dragged my family—human as they were—into this dangerous world none of them were prepared to handle. I should have cut them out of my life again to preserve their own. I’d briefly considered doing just that, truth be told, but dammit all. We’d had decades we could have been a happy family stolen from us after my powers flared briefly as a child. A bee had freaked out my 6-year-old self by stinging me, causing me to lash out with Fire and severely burn my own arms. Only now did I make the connection that the trauma of being ripped away from my adoptive family must have caused me to block the magical abilities I’d manifested that day, since I hadn’t used magic again until my first death and revival.
On that day my magic first flashed and burned, there’d been no believable explanations to satisfy the government’s investigation, and so the state had removed me from the Grants’ custody before my adoption had been finalized. I didn’t know it then, but they’d already hired a surrogate to carry the baby brother I’d requested as a Christmas gift that year…
Tears pricked at my eyes, and I impatiently fought them back. Weakness wasn’t the emotion that would get my mother back. I needed to be strong, smart, and ruthless as hell. Just like my mother-in-law. Those were the only qualities that could beat Dorian or Garrett at their twisted little games. Not that either they or we viewed this burgeoning war as a game. They and their Stalker backers wanted power and to subjugate (or in the Stalkers’ case, eradicate) all other Elementals not already on Team Bad Guys. We, on the other hand, were willing to bleed, burn, suffocate, drown, and even die to maintain our freedom. To continue bringing magical balance to this world. That was the core of the oaths that Beholden Clan members took.
My mind finally settled enough that I dozed off for the second hour of the journey. I jerked awake just as we crossed the bridge over the Meramec River separating Jefferson County from St. Louis County. My eyes blinked rapidly as I fought to clear away the mental cobwebs.
Jake reached over to pat my leg, shooting me a quick glance. “Feel any better?”
“A little,” I mumbled, stretching like a cat in an attempt to further clear my head. “Isaac ever call back?”
He nodded. “Yep. He already worked his technological magic to track down the location of the dealership where those trucks were rented from. They gave fake names and addresses, of course, but they had to use credit cards to rent. Isaac’s people are trying to find a trail from those fake identities back to their real addresses. In the meantime, Isaac and a few of his most trusted Freeholders are meeting us at one of their safe houses to discuss the shit that’s going down. And just how much help we can expect from them.”
The tone of his voice had me biting my lip. “You don’t think they’ll help us?”
“Isaac and those most loyal to him will. He’s a damned fine leader and an even better man.”
Someone in the back muttered something I couldn’t quite make out, although it didn’t sound complimentary. I thought the voice belonged to Dia, which didn’t make much sense given that Nic was the one had firsthand experience being trained by Isaac. As far as I knew, Dia only knew the St. Louis Freeholders’ Steward by reputation.
I made a mental note to pursue that avenue later. “That’s a good thing, right? Why do you sound so worried?”
“Because the whole point of the Freeholders is to give those who don’t want to pledge complete allegiance to a Beholden Clan as much freedom as possible. They only owe us certain duties—like handing over Zoe for trial in the face of direct evidence she both betrayed them and tried to kill us. We can require them to provide truthful testimony in cases like that or similar. They’re bound to provide us safe passage when in their territory—and vice versa—provided passage is requested. An extreme catastrophe or a coordinated attack by an overwhelming enemy like the Society would require no fewer than one-quarter of their best fighters to assist or battle beside us.”
My ignorance of most Elemental history and politics was definitely going to have to be remedied as soon as I mastered my Fire powers. No, now it’d have to get in line behind mastering my Mindbending abilities…I could really use the ability to clone myself. Or time travel.
Who knows, maybe that’ll come later in your Mindbending 101 course.
I kept the inner smile out of my voice when I displayed my ignorance. “I still don’t see how that’s a bad thing. Aren’t there more Freeholders than Beholden?”
Jake had his hands full navigating around an accident on the side of I-55, so Liam fielded that question. “In order to compel the mustering of those fighters, both a Beholden Clan—in this case, ours—and the Chapter of Freeholders has to make an official proclamation of catastrophe or war. The Firsts could do that for us by virtue of the greater power our Beholden leaders carry. But the only way the Freeholders can do that is by a majority vote of the entire Chapter. And hundred-to-one it will take a lot more than what we currently have now to convince the Freeholders that war is inevitable.”
“But you said that Ju Hai is the most talented Foreseer among all Selkies.”
Nic piped in this time. “Freeholders don’t give a rat’s ass about Foresight. Most of their Selkies can’t hold a candle to Beholden Selkies when it comes to accurately intepreting future outcomes, so they don’t even consider it compelling enough evidence to accept in trials or declarations of catastrophe or war.”
“Shit. So there are no guarantees of significant Freeholder support until things become so dire it may be too late to stop Garrett.”
Jake huffed out a breath now that traffic had picked back up. “Pretty much. For now we have to make do with Isaac and whoever among his people volunteer.”
“And hope like hell His Royal Stewardship’s help will be good enough,” Dia muttered from behind.
Okay, there it was again. I was starting to suspect my sister had some sort of baggage where tall, dark, and hella handsome Isaac was concerned. But unpacking her baggage would just have to wait.
“Well,” I said with a shrug. “No sense in borrowing trouble. We already have more than our fair share.”
“True that,” my sister agreed.
We fell into silence again while Jake threaded his way around St. Louis County and into the City of Chesterfield. About 20 minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of a neat but nondescript split-level house in an equally unremarkable subdivision. Located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the driveway had two other vehicles parked on its right side. Both were currently unoccupied. Jake snaked past, pulling into the empty two-car garage. A familiar face appeared at the door leading into an ultra-modern kitchen. It was a handsome face always quick to smile, revealing brilliant white teeth that seemed even more perfect when paired with the man’s dark brown skin. His slender but athletic build stood even taller than Jake, and black hair fell down his back in long braids.
Isaac Harris, charismatic leader of the St. Louis Freeholders, was a loyal friend to Jake who had helped me when I needed it most. And who apparently rubbed my sister the wrong way.
He flashed a genuine smile when Jake and I exited the SUV and approached with smiles of our own. The two men did the whole secret handshake and backslapping thing before Isaac pulled me in for a hug. I managed not to wince, given that my body still ached from its earlier abuse. Liam and Nic stepped around the SUV but usually balls-to-the-wall Dia hung back, only approaching when Breena’s Quatrain did.
I am so going to get to the bottom of this. It felt like my sisterly duty to get the scoop on why she seemed to either hate or fear a man I’d only known to be honorable as hell. And damned fine eye candy.
No immediate fireworks ensued, likely because Dia was pulling a damned fine chameleon routine by blending in with the background. Nic, on the other hand, stepped right up and engaged in the same masculine ritual that this time had me shaking my head and grinning.
“Nicolas, my man! Where on earth you been? You and your parents vanished into thin air. And I know, because I haven’t been able to find a trace of you. So not cool!”
Nic’s jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath before responding. “I assume you’re up to speed on Cassidy’s evil bastard of a biological father?”
Isaac nodded. “Yeah. It was my pleasure to help her kick his ass just a couple months ago.” His expression grew grim. “Jesus, man. Don’t tell me he roped you into this whole thing.”
“Worse, dude. He’s also my bastard of a biological father.” He nodded to Dia. “And Dia’s as well.”
The Steward showed no visible reaction to the mention of Dia. Something I found just as interesting as a severe reaction would have been. “What about your parents?”
“He’s holding them hostage.”
“Shit, Nic. I’m sorry to hear that.” His eyes narrowed, and he wrapped his arms around his chest in a surprisingly menacing gesture. “We’re gonna get them back for you, man.”
I placed a steadying hand upon Nic’s shoulder. “Hell yeah we’re gonna get them back. Right along with Si Si and my mom.”
Isaac’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Jake mentioned that bullshit stunt Garcia pulled while Garrett was licking his wounds. Stellar job, by the way, Cass.”
He held out his hand, and I obligingly high-fived him. “While I’m pissed as hell he took my Mom, I’m just glad to have confirmation that Si Si’s okay. And we are damned sure going to get everyone we love back.”
Isaac turned his attention to welcoming everyone else before shepherding us inside the house. I do not know how she managed it because she was taller than everyone except Jake and Isaac, but Dia somehow stayed under the Steward’s radar—or at least he let her think she did. I put aside solving her mysterious connection with him until later and focused on our current surroundings.
The interior matched the exterior of a mid-price suburban home decorated in builder-grade finishes and neutral colors. Isaac led us through a large kitchen and dining area, past a small living room and even smaller study, and then into an expansive family room at the end of a narrow hallway. Rather than the typical seating arrangements and entertainment center, however, it was set up as a pretty impressive conference room. A table made of expensive wood you might find in a downtown law firm dominated the center of the room, surrounded by well over a dozen office chairs. A projector screen covered one wall, and flat screens covered another. A beverage station and food bar rested beneath those screens, and Isaac had thoughtfully provided a full spread of sandwiches, chips, pastries, fruit, coffee, and iced drinks. Another wall held several maps of the St. Louis Metropolitan area, the state of Missouri, and the entire United States. A bunch of pins had been stuck into various spots on the walls.
Several Freeholders sat around the table, expensive laptops in front of them and at a few of the unoccupied seats. Isaac was the consummate tech guru and businessman, one of the reasons he kept being re-elected as Steward of the St. Louis Freeholders.
Isaac gave formal introductions and then motioned for everyone to help themselves to the refreshments so we could get down to business. I took no shame in piling a plate with as much food as it could hold and then grabbed a sugar-laden coffee and my chaser of choice, Dr. Pepper. Once upon a time, I’d been a health food queen who turned up her nose when Jake took me through a fast food drive-through. But Elemental magic took a voracious toll on a person’s body. Now, I ate as many calories each day as I could, especially on days like today.
As I ate, my attention wandered from Isaac at one end of the table toward Dia, who sat several seats to my left, in the chair farthest as possible from Isaac. She was busy eating with just as much gusto as me, eyes pointedly fixed on the plate in front of her. He, however, had his eyes focused on Dia like laser beams, meaning her attempt to pass under his radar had failed. The heat in his gaze made me want to fan my face, because he looked at her the same way Jake would look at me just before pouncing in our bedroom. There was no way these two didn’t have some sort of history.
Then again, that shouldn’t really shock me. I got the impression Dia had been raised knowing she was a Gryphon, and Isaac was the leader of St. Louis’s one and only Freeholder Chapter. They’d been bound to run into each other at some point. Eventually I would dig up the dirt on how. For now, they seemed content to pretend that they didn’t have some sort of history. Or rather, Dia seemed content to pretend, and Isaac seemed content to let her.
We’ll see how long that lasts…Sparks are already flying between them and they haven’t even spoken yet.
A few minutes of mostly quiet eating, drinking, and idle chitchat passed. I was on my second plate of food before Jake and Isaac got around to the real reason we’d gathered, which wasn’t to stuff our faces silly.
Jake cleared his throat after finishing off his own Dr. Pepper, his chosen beverage proving once again he was the man for me. “You guys find anything on those rentals?”
Isaac idly tapped the laptop in front of him. “Yeah, we did. It was child’s play.”
The tone of his voice was anything but pleased. I swallowed my current bite quickly and broke in. “You think it was too easy?”
“Way too damned easy. They pretty much left us a blazing trail of arrows spelling out Right here! Meaning, of course, that it’s a trap. Which actually makes sense, if Garcia’s running a side con on Garrett. He’d need a way to get you to wherever he’s planning to ambush you.”
Jake growled in a way that reminded me very much of the dragons his kind were named after. “Seems like his M.O. He set a trap for her with Si Si before. I’m sure we can all guess just what he has planned for the two of us if he springs his trap.”
My brows furrowed, and then I narrowed my eyes still further, clenched my fists tightly, and gave a growl of my own. “You think he wants to kill you so he can force me into bonding with him.” Just saying that out loud made me feel dirty.
Jake’s lips twisted. “It seems a pretty safe bet. He knows you’ll come after him to get Si Si and Kari. He knows that I’ll come with you, and that I would wipe the floor with him in a one-on-one fight. He also knows we couldn’t afford to bring a large number with us after Garrett’s earlier attack. It’s his best chance to see this little power play through.”
Dia finally broke her silence. “You’re right. That makes a hell of a lot of sense. Garrett really wants to regain control of all of us, but he most especially wants Cass. Only two of us have shown any Mindbending ability at all—and you’re the only one who’s also an Elemental.”
Nic nodded vigorously, setting his fauxhawk wagging. “And if this prick who took your mother and friend manages to bond with you, and keeps them as hostages, he’ll basically control you. Meaning Garrett will have no choice but to deal with him if he wants anything from you.”
“What are we, back in the Dark Ages?” I muttered, steam all but pouring out of my ears. “With these two asshole men thinking they can just control me because I’m a woman?”
“To be fair,” Nic pointed out. “They want to control everyone that way, whatever their gender.”
Breena flashed a smile feral enough to do a cat proud. “So yeah, just like the good old Dark Ages.”
Liam gave an unexpected laugh. “Come now, Mom. You weren’t born until at least the Renaissance.”
“Yeah,” Jake deadpanned. “Da Vinci called, and he wants his favorite model back.”
Laughter broke out around the table. I couldn’t help the laugh that burst from my lips, and then guilt immediately set in. Mom and Si Si were being held hostage by an evil megalomaniac, likely scared shitless in whatever lucid moments he allowed them, and here I was eating and laughing like everything was okay.
Jake sensed my emotions through our bond, and he reached out to stroke my hand. “It’s okay to laugh, sweetheart. They’d want you to give that prick the middle finger by not letting him break your spirit. And they know you’re coming for them. We’re coming for them.”
Tears shimmered in my eyes, blurring my vision, but I managed a grateful—and determined—nod. “So we’ve established that we’ll be walking into a trap to get my family back. Now we just have to do what we do so well: plan a reverse ambush so we get what we want, and Dorian gets his ass kicked. Just like we did with dear old Dad.”
Dia’s lips curved upward, and she gave a sassy wink. “Maybe you really are my sister, Firebird. Because I do enjoy giving a good old ass-kicking to those who deserve it.”
“What a coincidence,” I purred, inwardly warmed by having my sister give me a nickname. “That’s one of my Top Ten favorite things to do. And in this case, I think it’ll provide us the perfect opportunity for a little sibling bonding.”
The fierce smiles she and Nic gave indicated they couldn’t agree more.