Page 15

Twenty-One Years Old

Marlena leaned over the desk with her arms locked at the elbows, staring Lucius down. “What are you saying, Lucius?” She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of calling him by his title… not when the Ignises were sitting at the other end of the desk, their attention focused on Marlena.

“I’m saying… that Bridger will get bored of her, like he did with all the other girls before. Bide your time; he’ll come around. Even if I have to make him.”

Zetta, the Curia member of Ardor, and her husband, Miklov, who was also a master of fire wielding, tried to hide their shock at his words.

They were allies, ready to fight when everything finally blew up in their faces, but it was clear their strong suit wasn’t what came before the fight…

They wouldn’t be the brains of this operation.

And as much as Lucius wanted it to be him who called the shots, everyone in this room knew who had the upper hand.

Marlena would make sure to remind them every chance she got.

A cackle bubbled from Marlena’s chest, and she pushed herself off the desk.

“Do you think I can’t do this without an arranged marriage with your son?

That was merely a requirement on your end—something you wanted.

I couldn’t care less about who your son is or isn’t fucking. He’s handsome, but I don’t beg.”

Lucius let an eerie smile slide over his lips. “Is that how you think you’ll convince your sister to join you when this all comes to a head? Tell her you let her keep her man and just hope for the best?”

Marlena leveled a glare at Lucius. “Why don’t you let me worry about my sister, hm?” She cocked her head to the side. “You focus on your army, on getting them ready.”

Miklov finally spoke, spearing through the tension rising between Marlena and Lucius.

“What’s your plan, Marlena? You keep talking about overthrowing your parents, but you make no moves, and you keep quiet about what your actual plan is, almost as if you don’t have one. We’ve been biding our time for years.”

Her head snapped to Miklov, her lip tilted upward in a sneer.

“The more people who know what I’m planning behind closed doors, the bigger the chance of us getting caught and beheaded before we can actually do anything at all.

” Marlena pushed herself off the wall. “There are two choices here.” She held up two fingers, wiggling them for emphasis.

“You trust me and follow behind, knowing that I’ll make it worth our while in the end.

Or you don’t.” There was a dainty pop of her shoulders before she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair.

“The way I see it, you're either with me, or you’re against me.”

Marlena slid her arms into the fur-lined coat and settled it over her shoulders.

“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.

I will do this with or without you all. Choose your side.

” She strode for the door. “And you’d better do it quickly, because I won’t wait. When the time comes, I’ll strike.”

The door of Lucius’s office opened on her wind, and Marlena strutted out, leaving them to talk about her behind her back.

Marlena wasn’t afraid. She would do this without allies if she had to—but she knew, knew that Commander Dimico and the Ignises would fall in line.

They’d been waiting for this chance all their lives, trying to seep into the minds of their people and get them to do the dirty work…

and now, finally, someone was giving them the opportunity to follow along without having to be the ones to figure it all out logistically.

All they had to do was ready their people and fall in line when the time came.

Marlena descended the stairs into the main house, and people dared to watch as she rounded through the Dimicos’ home like she owned the place. Her confidence was growing. Finally, she was pulling herself out of the shadows her parents had trapped her in.

People moved out of her way, the heels of her pointed boots the only warning anyone got that she was behind them.

The guards standing outside the home’s training room didn’t falter like they had the first time Marlena had shown up here. They opened the doors as soon as she approached.

Khort sat on the side of the large training ring, sweat dripping down the bridge of his nose.

Arlet sat beside him, a dagger sliding through her fingers like it belonged there.

Her attention flicked from the ring where Vega had Bridger pinned on his back with a knife to his throat, to Marlena barging in like she owned the place.

Arlet relaxed into a smile, and the simmering anger from Marlena’s meeting upstairs seemed to melt away. She swallowed, smirking at her before forcing herself to look away. “Damn, you’re really going to let her beat you like that?” Marlena leaned against the ring, focusing on Bridger.

He answered with a laugh, twisting his body in one swift move to flip their position.

Bridger pinned Vega’s hand over her head, knocking the blade free.

He tossed it to the edge of the ring, out of Vega’s reach.

“I gotta let her think she has the upper hand every once in a while.” He winked, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Vega’s lips before he hopped off, extending his hand to help her off the mat.

“Your turn?” he asked Marlena, nodding to Khort. “He’s looking for a rematch since I kicked his ass three times in a row.”

Khort grumbled, fleeing his seat to get a drink of water.

They’d been spending a lot of time here in Fortis, learning the ways of the warriors.

It had been Marlena’s idea, reminding her sister and friends that being experts of battle was important.

With the uprisings in Ardor and Fraus, they all needed to learn to protect themselves better.

Marlena and Vega had a little training growing up, but not enough.

They didn’t know it now, but war would come… and Marlena wanted them to be ready.

That voice in the back of her head began to stir.

Vega will never follow you. Marlena felt like she had to physically remove those thoughts from her mind—like nails on a chalkboard, she clawed until she could no longer hear the doubt creeping in…

but the echoing of the voice that wasn’t hers was still there.

The uprisings in Ardor and Fraus were similar to the one that took Vates down, but there was one big difference.

The people who were winding up dead now were the ones who supported the current leadership, not seers.

Vega looked Marlena over, her stare slicing right through. Sometimes she swore Vega could see inside her brain. Before Vega could ask what Marlena knew was coming— what’s wrong? —she shook her head to clear her thoughts and responded to Bridger’s question.

“As fun as it sounds to piss him off a little more, I have a few things I need to get done back in Aeris tonight. I’m heading out.

Just wanted to see if you were coming with me?

” Marlena gritted her teeth, focusing on the right here, the right now and not the echo of a voice she couldn’t seem to control.

Vega shook her head. “I think I’ll stay with Bridger.”

Arlet stood. “I’ll go back with you so you don’t have to ride alone.”

Marlena searched her hazel eyes for a hint of what she was thinking.

“Great.” Arlet and Marlena were spending more nights where it was just the two of them lately.

Now that Vega and Bridger weren’t sneaking around, pretending not to love one another, they were attached at the hip, leaving Arlet with a lot of free time.

Not purposely, but Arlet was definitely giving them their space, and it was clear there was no ill will harbored either.

Truly, the two were disgustingly obsessed with each other. Marlena couldn’t blame Arlet for backing off. She couldn’t understand the appeal of a love like theirs. It seemed rather exhausting, really.

Arlet hugged Vega and Bridger and waited to say goodbye to Khort, who decided to leave with them, when they were outside.

He hated watching Vega fall in love with someone else. Khort wouldn’t admit it, but everyone knew—everyone could see the way he’d avert his gaze whenever they kissed, or how he’d started to use whatever excuse he could to leave instead of staying the night like he used to.

Marlena didn’t hug anyone goodbye. She rarely let anyone touch her anymore.

Since her parents had stopped physically beating her, Marlena didn’t crave touch like she once had.

When the only time anyone was touching her was when they were hurting her, Marlena craved anything but that.

She wanted someone to caress her cheek, to hold her and not let the world hurt her anymore.

But now, the idea of someone’s hands on her brought back the memories she was scared of seeing, of the vulnerability she’d been working too hard to diminish from herself.

After Arlet hugged Khort, Marlena stepped back, putting distance in between them. “Get home safe.” That was the only goodbye he would get. She turned on her heel, and the driver opened the door to the large transport vehicle.

Marlena settled herself in the seat facing the way they were driving, and she watched as Arlet slipped in behind her and claimed the bench across from her. The door shut with a click, and the engine roared to life .

For a while, they rode in silence, Arlet fighting off sleep and Marlena lost in a book she’d gotten years ago from Littera.

Arlet stretched her arms over her head and wiggled her hips against the seat like she was a cat looking for the comfiest spot to nap.

“Wake me up when we get there.” She smiled sleepily.

“Bridger wore me out. I don’t know how Vega keeps going.

” Marlena watched her weigh it out in her head.

“Well, I do, because Vega can’t ever sit still… but gods, I’m sore,” she whined.