Page 106
Story: The Night Firm
We are both quiet for some time, and then he turns back to face me, his eyes haunted. "I thought you should know. With…with what's happening between us, whatever it is, I thought you should know the truth of me."
"Oh, Liam," I say, touching his face gently, searching his eyes. I see the compassion in him. The healer beneath the hothead. "I do know the truth of you," I say. "And your past deeds are a part of you, but they are not the whole of you. They are not the complete truth. Believing they define you is the true lie."
For a moment, as I study his beautiful face, his soulful eyes, I wonder if maybe I could tell him about Adam. Maybe he wouldn't react in haste. Maybe…
A polite knock at the door startles me out of my thoughts. We both turn to see Elijah clearing his throat. "Apologies for interrupting. It's time to investigate the crime scene," he says to me. "That is, if you still wish to go."
I nod. "I'll be right down."
Elijah looks at his brother and smiles warmly. "It's good to have you home," he says, before closing the door behind him.
As we get downstairs, we hear arguing coming from the library. It seems every five minutes at least two of the Night brothers are going at it.
Sebastian's voice carries the loudest. "What do you mean you're not going?" he demands.
"I mean, I have a case to prepare," Derek says coldly. "Even if we find the egg, it won't be enough to exonerate Liam. They'll think he's just giving it back to avoid more punishment. We'll need to prove his innocence to the jury. Show he had no motive. Redirect blame onto other parties—"
"And we will," Sebastian says, irritably. "But in the meantime, I need you by my side. Ava'Kara likes you. You two share elemental magic. Who else am I supposed to bring to the lair of the water dragon? The fire Druid?"
We walk in and Derek glances at me, then looks away sharply. "You'll have Eve."
"Get your head out of your ass," Sebastian says. "We're going." He looks at me, frowning. "Ready?"
"Yes," I say.
We walk towards the door, Liam joining us, when Elijah grabs him by the shoulders. "Hold on there, brother. Sebastian's right. You can't go near the water dragon right now. If she sees you, it will just make things more difficult. Especially for you."
Liam's temper flares instantly. "So, what am I supposed to do?" he demands. "Sit on my thumbs while you read?"
Elijah shrugs. "If you insist. But no, I was thinking we should come up with other leads. Discuss past enemies of yours. Make a list of who else we could investigate to create reasonable doubt."
"That's a good idea," I say, brushing my hand along Liam's arm.
"Whoever murdered Mary is behind this," Liam growls, and my heart sinks at his words and at his anger.
"But that was Jerry," Sebastian says.
"You saw the note," Liam says. "It might not have been him. He wasn't lying about the note and he might not have been lying about the murders. Which means the real killer could still be out there. And now they might be after Mary's remaining baby. After my baby."
I put a hand on him to calm him. "I don't think it's the same person," I say. And it's true. I don't think Adam is behind this.
Derek looks at me, then at Liam, and his face twists in disgust. He leaves the room and heads to the carriage without another word while Liam seethes with rage. It's clear that while he may have felt sorry for hurting someone in the past, he will not feel bad for punishing whoever killed Mary and her baby. I can see in his eyes there's no room for compassion. Liam will be the death of my brother, and my heart breaks all over again. One day soon, I will lose one of the men I love. I just don't know which.
Chapter 5: The Dragon
No one but Night,with tears on her dark face, watches beside me in this windy place. ~Edna St. Vincent Millay
We travelby carriage to the water dragon's lair. While Derek drives, Sebastian and I sit in the back as we bump along a winding road. As the castle fades from sight, and we drive past homes that have seen better days, the earth Druid raises an eyebrow and leans closer to me. "What's going on between you and Derek?" he asks.
"You noticed that, huh?" I study my hands and fidget with invisible lint on my pants.
"It would have been hard not to," he says softly.
Shit. I don't want to lie to anyone else. "I…I can't tell you. It's… "
"Between you and him," Sebastian says. "I understand. I just hope he didn't hurt you."
I realize he means romantically, like a lover's quarrel, and I shake my head. "No, it's nothing like that. He didn't hurt me. If anything, I'm hurting him." I pause, leaning into Sebastian's shoulder as his arm wraps around me. I savor the comfort of him—the warmth of his body, the subtle scent he gives off—as I say what I can without betraying Adam.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106 (Reading here)
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228