Page 8

Saeran

There are times when I wake and forget for a single moment everything that’s happened. I reach across the space for him, anticipating warm skin and an inviting smile. Then reality reminds me that I’m broken beyond repair.

Transporting Fae is never as easy as it sounds. So much of us needs to be contained. The younger ones that are new to their wings have trouble containing their magic. Older Fae help shield them. We have tunnels that take us between certain locations but not everywhere. It’s difficult to transport dozens at a time on the surface.

Harder still when chimeras prowl the streets.

Tiernan, Diarmuid, and I bracket the group of cars, me at the head, easing through traffic and guiding the way, Tiernan in the middle, and Diarmuid at the rear, in case of trouble and to ensure no one gets lost. I’m not sure where Riordan is; he does what he wants. Could be jumping across the roofs for all I know. He’ll be around if we need him.

The decision to move them so far, all the way to the other side of the city, isn’t one we make lightly. Keeping them to the outskirts is the smarter choice even if getting them there is problematic. There are too many eyes watching, and some of us stand out more than others. Good thing that our wings can be removed from sight, and even the newest transitioned can do it with ease. We don’t retract them, exactly; they don’t fit inside us. It’s more like a shimmer, close to an illusion. Light reflections and a kind of “trick” to stop the humans from noticing they exist.

We’re not even halfway there when something makes me pause. A tugging deep in my gut. Feels like—there. A pulse of energy. A Sin. It’s strong, like a beacon pointing me in the right direction. If they were that easy to find, Gluttony would have found them by now. It has to be a deliberate signal.

It could be a trap.

Odds are it’s definitely a trap. I don’t care. If there’s a chance that there’s a Sin being held nearby, I have to take the risk. I can’t just leave them.

Quickly finding a nearly empty car park, I park and then grab my bow from the passenger’s side. The rest of the fleet follows, with Tiernan and Diarmuid bracketing them. Fae peer curiously at me, but only my inner circle get out to approach.

“What’s wrong?” Riordan asks, appearing from out of nowhere, Tiernan hot on his heels.

“One of the Sins is here.” The scent is too strong for it to be anything else.

“So?” Riordan crosses his arms over his chest. “They live here, Sae. It’s not unusual for them to be walking around.”

“It came from underneath. Like a pulse. A cry for help.”

“All the more reason to leave it alone,” Tiernan says, shaking his head. “We need to transport our people and get them safely set up.”

“I’m going.” Stubborn stupidity, maybe, but I’m still going, with or without their support.

“This obsession will get you killed.”

Obsession. As if that could come close to what I feel for Gluttony. Besides, it’s not just about him. All the Sins are my family. They may not remember, but I do.

Riordan doesn’t understand. He was born here, in this foreign world, in this place that doesn’t nurture his magic or hug him like a warm blanket. He’s never seen our homeland. And he can never comprehend how important the Sins once were to all of us, or what Gluttony means to me alone.

He doesn’t know what home really means, and what we lost. I’ll fight to the last to get them back there, to show the younger generation what they could have, why it’s so important for them to find their roots again. I can’t do it at the expense of the man I love.

Tiernan sighs and rubs his forehead. “You’re not going alone. Riordan, you and Diarmuid need to finish this. Saeran and I will rendezvous with you once we’re done.”

“Done what? Rescuing a Sin? What if Virtus catch you and put you in a cage the way they put the Sins there?”

They’re worth the risk. “We’re stronger than the Sins.” Conor’s traps are useless against us.

“Maybe once. The unhinged fanatics have been building their strength for centuries while we’ve been hiding behind the bushes. Whatever advantage you used to have, you don’t have it now. What if their goal is to lure you in?”

“They can’t hold us.”

“What if this is a trap from the Sins themselves, to finish what they started?” Riordan adds.

“They didn’t start anything,” I say fiercely. I hate the tendril of doubt the words cause. No matter the hope I hold in my heart, we don’t know . And the unknowing leaves room for doubt. And being horribly, irrevocably wrong.

Until there’s undeniable proof, I choose not to believe the worst of them. Benefiting from a terrible action doesn’t mean they were the cause.

“I’m leaving. You don’t have to come with me, but I’m going. You aren’t stopping me, and if I have to make that an order, I will.” I’ve sacrificed what’s left of myself to get them this far. I rarely ask for things for myself. This I will ask for. Demand.

Riordan’s lips flatten. “Don’t be stupid about this. We can’t afford to lose you.”

The last of my line.

Except I’m not. Daithí found his Sin. I haven’t stopped and allowed myself to think about what that means. Nothing, in the grand scheme. A reincarnation of a soul. Another one that doesn’t remember me. He has no loyalty to us.

We find the building with ease. Some lawyer’s office. Once inside, the strands are easy to follow. We manage to guide ourselves through the rooms without garnering attention—it’s amazing how much people will ignore, so long as we look confident walking around; they assume we’re meant to be here and leave us alone. The strands take us to a bookcase and a hidden entrance behind it.

“What happens when we get trapped down here?” Tiernan mutters, following behind me. “Is this worth it?”

The Sins will always be worth it. I’ve been loyal to them my entire life, and I have no desire to change that now. Our trust in them is a little shaky—for good reason—but my loyalty never will be. I know what they’ve done, who they are, and the danger they pose. I also know the parts they keep from others. I’ll follow them forever and protect them where I can. They’re my responsibility and my biggest failure.

When I die, I should reincarnate, just like they all do. I won’t remember the way I do now, and all I can hope is that I find my way to Gluttony anyway, even without the memories to guide me. The same way Daithí found Lust.

The instant we make it down to an area of white rooms, devoid of anything, we lift our shields, hair lengthening and twisting to braids. One hand on the end of my bow keeps me steady while we move through each room. There’s no way to tell who’s down here with us, or how many enemies are between us and whichever Sin is here.

The feeling gets stronger the deeper we go. I stop, tilting my head, concentrating on it. “This way.” Instinct guides me down a set of stairs and through clinical rooms that give me the creeps. It sickens me, imagining what they might do if they found any Fae. What would they do to them down here? What are they doing here now?

Why does Conor follow them? Does he experiment on himself to see what makes his magic work? I hate the thought of it. He deserves better than that. He needs another Dark to guide him, help him. He’s not where he’s supposed to be. I’ve never fought one of my own. We’re not like that. I hope to never have to.

We find the youngest Sin, Greed, tied to a medical bed in the center of a room, an IV attached to his arm. Whatever they’re injecting him with smells disgusting. Rot and decay that makes my nose scrunch up in horror.

“We have to get this out. Help me with him.” I follow the tube to where the needle is pressed into his skin, just below his inner elbow. I’m careful pulling it out before dropping it with a scowl and stepping on it. Pointless, but it makes me feel a little better. Though it smells worse now. “Sedation?” Is that what’s keeping Greed unconscious? He’s still breathing.

“They’d need something strong,” Tiernan says. He studies the bag hanging on the metal rack, lifting it and turning it. “We should take a sample, so we can find out what it is.”

A good idea. If we can figure out what it’s made of, maybe we can find something to counteract it, so it’s useless, and they can’t use it against the Sins anymore.

Sounds nearby make us freeze. We share a panicked look and drop our protections, shoving our Fae scent deep and cutting it off until we resemble nothing but humans. They’re coming from behind us, where we came from. Who?

Virtus, or someone else? If it’s Conor and his organization, we can at least catch them by surprise. Ideally, I’d like to get out before anyone reaches us at all.

“Quickly, get him out,” I say, panic clawing my throat. There have to be clips holding the straps down. Where are they? We need to leave, and I’m not going anywhere without Greed. Not now that we’ve found him.

“Hey!”

“Get the fuck away from him!”

Terror ices my veins. Oh, no. No, this can’t be happening. That second voice is intimately familiar.

Gluttony.

So focused on Greed and the unnatural state of this place, I didn’t notice the ones nearby are Sins . A dangerous mistake and one that will cost me. How are we going to get out of this?

I don’t move, staring down at Greed. Can we make it to the door before we’re caught? They’re right in front of it, and there’s no other way out. We trapped ourselves.

“Turn around,” Wrath orders in an icy tone. “Slowly.”

My eyes close, limbs heavy in defeat. I’m so tired. Tired of running, of yearning, of being so close and so far away. Tired of having to be strong for my people, remain strong even as I weaken.

“Hands where we can see if you please,” Lust adds, almost pleasantly.

I nod imperceptibly to Tiernan and then spread my fingers, carefully lifting my arms. Tiernan follows suit.

“Search them.” Lust again.

Wrath moves swiftly, and Tiernan grabs me, shoving me behind him and out of the demigod’s path. Protecting me. I wish I could say I don’t need it. Standing in front of my Sin? I more than need it.

I grasp Tiernan’s arm and shift him back, so we’re side by side. The last thing we need is for them to realize Tiernan thinks of me as someone important. We can’t let them become suspicious. Maybe if they think we’re harmless, they’ll let us go without a fuss.

Wrath pats us down, checking for weapons. He finds the knives strapped to our inner thighs and ankles and drops them on the floor, out of reach. Then he rips my bow from my shoulders, flinging it on the ground. “That’s a nice toy you have there.”

I’m not rising to the bait and giving him a reason to dispose of me. I let myself be manhandled and moved away from Greed. I can’t blame them for their caution, and I’d prefer not to give them a reason to use their magic on me. If they find out I’m immune, we’re in a world of trouble.

Tiernan slides in front of me again, and this time I allow it. He is bigger than me; maybe they’ll think it’s merely for that reason.

Deacon stands nearby, holding the orb I gave him. Having him right there hurts. How much I’ve lost somehow feels heavier, a weight against my heart that threatens to crush me.

“Can he not talk?” Envy asks. “I don’t know sign language, but the big guy does.”

Tiernan glances back at me. “He doesn’t speak to you.”

Gluttony sneers, and I lower my eyes, so I don’t have to look at him. Being this close kills me. This isn’t like the shadows; I have no protection here, no veil between the two of us. He’s right there within touching distance. And watching me like I’m the enemy. That hurts more than anything else.

“Who are you?” Lust asks. “Scientists here? What kind of fucked-up experiments are you doing?”

“No, we’re not part of this. We were trying to help.”

My face stays blank, but inside I’m screaming. What is Tiernan doing? That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard in my life. They’ll see right through it.

“And you just happened to stumble in here?” Wrath asks with a mocking huff. “I don’t fucking think so.”

“They kidnapped us, locked us in here. We found a way to get out of the cells. On our way out we saw him. Wanted to help.”

What if there aren’t cells? We have no idea what the layout is. I wish we had a subtle signal that amounts to “please shut up.” Never thought we’d need it. Terrible oversight on my part. Tiernan is a lot of wonderful things; an actor is not one of them.

“Why?”

“You think we can’t recognize a Sin?” Tiernan injects some disbelief into his tone. Of course, now he decides to lay it on thick. He’s all but pointing a neon sign at us that says “liars.”

I grip the back of Tiernan’s shirt—whether to warn him or use it to settle my thoughts, I don’t know. Gluttony’s gaze flits down to it, darkness flickering in his gray eyes. I let go, and those eyes meet mine. The most beautiful liquid-gray eyes, lightning sparking every few seconds. I adore everything about them. Can I pause this moment forever, just stay here and never move? Where’s Sloth when you need him?

“What do you think?” Envy asks, looking at Lust. “Kill ’em?”

Please, no. If we’re forced to fight, there’s no hiding what we are. We can’t get through a barricade made of Sins without using our magic. Maybe Gluttony doesn’t know me, maybe he’ll be the one to kill me. Either way, I’m not about to invite my demise at the hands of my soulmate.

“We take them with us,” Lust answers. “We have some questions.”

Tiernan shifts further in front of me, almost blocking my view. A pointless gesture now. “We’ll do what we can to help.”

This isn’t quite how I imagined helping them. Be careful what you wish for.

“Lazarus, find us another transport.” Lust inclines his head, expecting to be obeyed without question.

Lazarus disappears without a word.

“Why would they take humans?” Deacon asks, pocketing the orb. Gluttony tracks the movement.

“To make chimeras,” Wrath says with a sneer. “Were there more of you?”

Tiernan shakes his head. “No. Just us.”

“The start of a new batch?” Envy wonders. “We’ve picked off a few of them in the last few weeks. They aren’t easy to make. They can’t have that many just lying around, can they?”

Lust turns his head briefly to look us over. He sees too much, and I can’t hold his gaze. “We’ll discuss it later. Do you see Greed’s glasses anywhere?” he asks, glancing around.

Glasses?

“Not in any of these,” Envy says, kicking the door of the last cabinet. “Let’s hope he doesn’t wake up on our way back.”

“There might be a spare pair in the car.”

“Wait,” Deacon says, confused. “He wears those for an actual reason?”

“Why did you think he wore them?” Wrath asks, giving him a derisive look. “For decorative purposes?”

“Well, yeah. A fashion statement or something.”

I’m curious as well. I bite my tongue to stop from telling them to answer Deacon’s question. What glasses? The Greed I knew didn’t need them. I always thought they were a fashion statement as well. Greed’s always been concerned about how he looks, even when we were all back home.

“He has light sensitivity. He carries all the Sin’s powers in his eyes, and bright lights fuck with them,” Lust answers. “He needs them to block out the world.”

That makes no sense. Has he forgotten how to shield himself? How much have they forgotten?

“Let’s go.” Wrath shoves us forward. “Don’t try anything funny, or Gluttony and I will be forced to hurt you. But hey, we’d like that, so never mind, do whatever you want.”

I have no intention of doing anything that will make them look more closely than they already are. We have to escape before they discover too much.