Page 12

Chapter 12

Sorin

T hey trudged into the small dining room on his ship. The smell of sweat and blood ?lled the air as bodies crammed onto benches around one of the tables. Cassius and Cyrus were sitting close together, Cyrus ?lling a cup with more blood for Cassius.

Briar and Sawyer looked spent. All the Fae did really. The amount of magic they’d had to use when fighting the seraphs was extraordinary. They would never hold out against an entire army of them, and the grim looks on everyone’s faces said they were all thinking the same thing.

Luan had taken up the task of going from ship to ship and assessing casualties, Eliza overseeing him because none of them fully trusted the Earth Prince. Auberon and Neve were helping clean up the ships. The priority was the ship with the children. They wanted it cleaned and ?t for them to come back topside as soon as possible. The mortals were tending to them until that was possible. They hadn’t seen Rayner since he’d left with Tula and the other two children, but he’d tapped into the greatest parts of his magic. Using it the way he did would have quickly depleted his reserves. He was surely resting somewhere, unable to move among smoke and ashes right now. Using that particular set of his gifts and using so much of it? That would take weeks to re?ll. He understood why he did it, but weeks without his ability to move among the ashes was not ideal at the moment.

But as exhausted as they all undoubtedly were, Scarlett looked like she was about to keel over. She was pale, her lips nearly bloodless. The various bruises and cuts she’d received during the ?ght were taking far too long to begin healing, and those were dull, icy-blue eyes staring down at the table. She was pulling daggers strapped to various parts of her body and tossing them unceremoniously onto the table before her. And while she looked utterly worn out, she also had her brow furrowed and lips slightly pursed. He knew that look. It was one he both loved and hated. She was trying to work something out. The question was how long would it be before she let them in to help her ?gure it out.

She stumbled slightly as she swung a leg over the bench to sit, and that was his tipping point. Sorin was reaching for his own dagger to access the Source Mark and re?ll at least some of her gifts, but before the blade made contact with his skin, his Second opened his godsdamned mouth.

“Sorin couldn’t create a ?re portal today,” Cyrus announced to the room. “That’s why we couldn’t get to you when Cassius needed blood.”

Sorin felt every set of eyes in the room land on him, but he was glaring at Cyrus in irritation.

“She needed to know before you give her more of your magic,” he said, not looking remotely sorry about bringing this up now.

Scarlett had stilled, a foot on either side of the bench. She braced her hands on the table, her head hanging down. Much of her hair had come loose from her plait, and it hung around her face, hiding her features from view. He didn’t need to see her face to know what she was feeling though. He could feel all of it.

“As concerning as that is, it is not the most pressing matter that needs to be addressed,” she said. Even her voice sounded weak. She couldn’t seriously expect him to just let her sit here when he could help her.

You need this right now, he sent down the bond, moving to her side. He reached over and moved some of her hair back, tucking it behind her arched ear.

You let me draw from you when there is something wrong, she shot back. I am furious with you. I am just too tired to properly ?ght with you at the moment.

She swung her other leg over the bench, sinking down onto it, and her attention shifted to Cyrus and Cassius. She seemed to study them for a long moment before saying, “You good, Cass?”

Cassius’s grip tightened around the cup he’d been drinking from, but it was Cyrus who answered her.

“You cannot possibly be suggesting you want to draw from him right now?” he all but spat, glaring at the queen.

“First of all, I do not decide when I draw from him,” Scarlett retorted. “The Guardian Bond does that all on its own.”

Cyrus made a noise of disbelief. “So I didn’t see you draining him of every bit of power with your shadows on a beach weeks ago? Because that certainly looked like you were controlling it, Darling.”

“That was different,” she argued, guilt ?ickering across her face. “I wasn’t in any more control of it then than I am now.”

“I beg to differ on that. Your shadows latched onto him and stopped anyone from interfering,” Cyrus said, a ?nger pointing at her in accusation.

Scarlett opened her mouth as if to argue further, but then she snapped it shut. Again she seemed to study the two males, before she said, “If the Guardian Bond was going to draw from him, it would have done so already. It seems to know when it would not be ideal to do so.”

She rested an elbow on the table, propping her chin in her hand, while her fingers on her other hand drummed along the wooden surface. After an extended silence, Sorin asked, “What did Alaric say to you?”

She waved a hand in dismissal of his question. “Before we even discuss that, I need Cassius to remove his shirt and pants. So when he feels recovered enough to do so...”

The entire room went still. Sorin glanced at Cyrus and Cassius before looking to Briar and Sawyer. All held the same confusion and concern he felt.

“Why?” Cassius was the one to ?nally voice the question.

She drummed her ?ngers on the table again. “Haven’t any of you wondered how they managed to ?nd our exact location in the Edria Sea?”

“And you think I told them?” Cassius asked, looking both hurt and furious at the accusation.

“Yes. Albeit unknowingly,” she answered.

Cyrus was rubbing his brow between his thumb and fore?nger. “Explain.”

“I think there is some kind of Mark on Cassius,” she said. “Like the draining Mark Alaric put on me, only this one is a locating Mark.”

“You think they are tracking us through a Mark on me?” Cassius asked, already reaching to pull his tunic off.

“I do,” Scarlett said, pushing back to her feet. Sorin could feel the effort that took her, and he gritted his teeth at her refusal to draw from him right now. He didn’t have much to give, but what he had, he would gladly give over to her to ease any bit of that strain.

Cassius stood as well, stepping over the bench. He tossed his tunic to Cyrus as Scarlett approached. She gently turned Cass, her eyes searching over every inch of his chest and back. Her hand came up, a ?nger tracing between his shoulder-blades. “How did it feel?”

“I honestly do not remember, Scarlett,” he replied, his voice raspy with the weariness they were all feeling.

“Are they under your skin?” she asked, her entire hand brushing along his spine now.

“I do not know how it works, Seastar,” Cassius ground out. “Ithink this tracking Mark is more pressing, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “But we do need to ?gure out your power.”

“We will,” he returned, unfastening the button on his pants. He shucked them off, tossing them to Cyrus as well.

“Here,” Scarlett said immediately, her ?nger tracing along the side of his upper thigh.

“I do not see anything,” Sorin said, stepping forward.

“Me either,” Cyrus chimed in. “I’ve never seen any Marks on him actually.”

“Have you seen him in such little clothing on more than this occasion?” Scarlett asked nonchalantly, crouching down to study the invisible Mark.

“No,” Cyrus barked. “I mean once. Back at the Black Halls. He had a compress on his leg when I was in his rooms.” He mumbled the last part of that sentence, his eyes darting to the sea outside the window.

A faint smile was pulling on Scarlett’s lips. “You wouldn’t be able to see it, Darling. Just as you cannot see his Guardian Mark.”

“But I cannot see it either,” Sorin argued.

“You are not his Source,” she said, pushing back to her feet. She swayed again, and Cassius was steadying her before Sorin could reach out his arm to do the same. “Even if I were not his Ward though, I could likely see it. I am a full-blooded Avonleyan. This is an Avonleyan Mark, not a Fae one.”

“But you can get rid of it?” Cassius asked, looking down at her. “Like I did with that draining Mark?”

“I think so,” she said hesitantly. “But not right now. I keep that book in a pocket between realms, and I don’t have enough magic left to summon it right now.”

“So we are stuck with the Maraans knowing exactly where we are?” Sawyer asked.

“For now,” Scarlett answered. “We can let them think we don’t know about it. I have... some ideas forming.”

“We all need to rest,” Sorin said, reaching out a hand for her. “No one is of any use being too tired to function.”

“One more thing before we do that,” she said, moving from Cassius’s side to his. “Has Rayner ever accessed ?re?”

A crease formed between his brows, and he frowned slightly. “No. You know his gifts are smoke and ashes.”

“That allows him to rip out organs with his bare hands?”

“I told you it was a rare gift, Scarlett.”

“Rare like Traveling among the Fae?”

“Yes, rare like... ” He paused, catching on to what she was insinuating. “Rayner is not Avonleyan.”

“Hmm,” was all she hummed, her eyes getting that faraway look again. “I think you’re wrong.”

He leaned down, ?icking her nose gently. “I’m rarely wrong, Princess.”

“We will see,” was her only answer before they all departed for their own rooms to rest.

Sorin had a tray of food in his hands when he came through the door of their cabin. He had woken a few hours ago after sleeping for nearly an entire day. Scarlett had still been sleeping, but that was to be expected. Her wells were deeper than his. He wasn’t sure how long she would sleep, but he wanted to have food waiting for her when she did wake.

To say it surprised him to ?nd her sitting up against the headboard was an understatement. Her knees were bent, forearms resting atop them. She was looking down at her hands, and her silver hair was pulled back and tied at her nape. Her eyes lifted to his when he came in, and he immediately set the tray on the desk, moving to the bed.

“I did not expect you to be awake yet,” he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“How could you not tell me about something being wrong with your magic?”

He stilled, his ?ngertips still on her jaw. “I would have told you, Scarlett. It simply was not the most important topic at the moment.”

“Sorin, you let me draw from you when something is wrong. That is not okay.”

“That is my duty as your Source, Scarlett,” he said, pulling his hand back.

“And your duty as my husband and twin ?ame is to not leave me alone in the darkness,” she shot back. “Which is exactly what is going to happen if you do shit like that!”

He could feel her trepidation down the bond. An intense clawing at his chest that made it hard to inhale. So much panic and fear. So much manic hysteria.

“When we are ?ghting for our lives, Scarlett, you are my priority. No one and nothing else. If I have to give you every last bit of my magic to ensure you can access your gifts, then that is what I will do.”

“Not if you become the sacri?ce! Then it is not what you will do!” she cried.

Her eyes were wide, and terror stared back at him. He reached out, pulling her into his chest. She was trembling, her entire body shaking so much he could feel it in his bones. He said nothing, just held her against him, and she gripped the front of his tunic as if he would disappear if she let it go.

He didn’t know how to help her through this. He had helped her face her darkness and walk through shadows. He had helped her ?nd the stars and create new ones when none could be found. But how could he promise this would never happen again when they were on the brink of war? He couldn’t. None of them could. But he also couldn’t have her paralyzed by fear in the middle of a battle either.

“I was never supposed to become this dependent on someone,” she murmured into his neck after several minutes of silence.

“You depended on your sisters. You depend on Cassius,” he said gently, pulling the tie from her hair. His ?ngers wound into the strands, cupping the back of her head.

“I depended on my sisters, yes, but we were also trained extensively on what to do if the others fell on a mission,” she replied, face still buried in his skin. “And Cassius...” She let out a long sigh. “I didn’t think I would survive losing him when I thought he was going to die a few months ago. But I would have, Sorin.” She pulled back, her hands coming up to frame his face. “I would have survived that hell because you would have been with me. The only thing I will not survive is a world without you in it.” She paused again, looking over his shoulder and out the window. He let her think, let her gather her thoughts, continuing to ?nger comb her long strands. “I kind of hate you for it,” she ?nally whispered.

His ?ngers paused for a moment before they tightened around her hair, pulling her head back gently so he could look into her face. “You hate me for what, Love?”

“For getting me to let you in. For letting me depend on you,” she said softly, her ?ngers sliding along the couple days’ worth of stubble he hadn’t had a chance to take care of yet. “I was stronger without a weakness.”

“You may have felt stronger, but you were hardly living, Scarlett. You were not stronger alone,” he replied. “You were dying, little-by-little, until there would have been nothing left. You were a shell of a person when I met you. I would rather have weaknesses and stars to ?ght for than just be walking catatonically through this life and into the next.”

“I don’t know how to do this, Sorin. I have felt what losing you feels like. It haunts me whether I am sleeping or awake. Even sitting here right now, your skin beneath my ?ngers, feeling your chest rise and fall, hearing your heart beating... I can still feel the mania of losing you just beneath the surface, waiting for a chance to slip free and pull me under once more.”

He brought his brow to hers, and she shifted in his lap so that she straddled his hips. “I told you once before I will not let you drown, Scarlett. As long as I am on this side of the Veil, I will keep that promise.”

“The problem isn’t when you are on this side of the Veil, Sorin. It is when you are on the other. On the side where I cannot reach you.”

He brought his lips to hers then, kissing her softly and letting their twin ?ame bond soothe her soul in a way words never could. She could tease him all day about being an overprotective male, but ever since they’d had this bond Anointed, protecting her at any cost had been as imperative as breathing. He would have given his life for her before, but now, doing whatever was necessary to keep her safe was as natural as breathing. It was why he could give her his magic without a second thought for his own well-being. It was what drove him to comfort her, despite not knowing how to ease the anxiety he could still feel rolling off of her.

He pulled back from her mouth, not wanting to get lost in her until they’d ?nished this conversation. “Be honest, Scarlett. How are your power reserves?”

She bit her lip, her blue eyes hardening some as she scowled at him. “I am not drawing from you right now, Sorin. Not until we’ve talked about this more.”

“I understand that, but I still need to know. So I know what we are dealing with.”

“How are your power reserves?” she countered.

He held out a hand, ?re ?aring to life in his palm. She reached over, swiping her ?ngers through the ?ames, a soft sigh leaving herlips.

A sound that had him adjusting her on his lap.

She didn’t seem to notice as she asked, “And a portal? Can you create one?”

“I have not tried,” he answered, turning so she gently slid off his lap.

“Do your reserves feel normal? Like they usually do?”

“No,” he admitted, nudging her down onto her back. She frowned slightly.

“What are we going to do about it?”

“Right now? Nothing,” he answered, settling his hips between her thighs.

“This is important, Sorin,” she admonished, rolling her eyes when she suddenly realized what he was doing.

“So is this,” he countered, his hands skimming over her hips. She was in one of his shirts, and, once again, wasn’t wearing pants. He wasn’t sure why she always thought he could concentrate on anything else when she wasn’t wearing pants.

His ?ngers slipped under the shirt. He hooked his thumbs in the hem, dragging it up as his hands moved along her ribs. Her hands slid into his hair. “I’m being serious,” she chided.

“I am always serious when it comes to getting you naked, Love.”

“Sorin,” she sighed. “Please. We need to talk about this. And Rayner. And Cassius’s power. And what Alaric said to me. And I really, really need to use the bathing room.”

He chuckled under his breath. “That is quite the list, Princess.”

Pushing herself up, she gripped the nape of his neck and pulled his lips to hers. She wasted no time meeting his tongue, her knees squeezing his hips. Nipping his bottom lip, she pulled back, and a growl rose in the back of his throat. She smiled coyly as she extracted herself from the bed and disappeared into the bathing room. Sorin rolled onto his back, propping his hands behind his head, trying to calm down. Her list ran through his head, and he got stuck on Rayner.

What if she was right? What if he was Avonleyan? He couldn’t be full-blooded though, right? Maybe he had some Avonleyan blood like Luan did? That had to be it, if he had any at all.

But he hadn’t been born in the Fire Court. He hadn’t been bornon their continent at all. He had been born on a small islandsouth of the Water Court, an island that no other territory or Royal had ruled. An island that was law unto itself.

An island that Rayner had left desolate and nothing but ash the last time he was there.

He was older than most of them, closer in age to Luan than he was to him or Cyrus. His past was dark, to say the least, and certainly not his story to tell, but she could be right, he realized. Rayner could very well be Avonleyan, considering the kinds of things that took place on that island. None of them would have ever known. Rayner would have never known. But damnit, it would certainly explain a lot.

What exactly were they going to discover when they arrived in Avonleya?

Scarlett emerged with a scowl on her face, and she moodily snatched a piece of dried meat from the tray of food, leaning against the desk as she chewed.

When she said nothing, Sorin ventured, “To what do I owe this delightful change of mood?”

She sent him a dry look, taking another bite of the meat. “I want a bath.”

Sorin tried—he really did—but the amused smile formed on his lips. “Do not laugh at me, Sorin Aditya,” she snapped, pointing a ?nger at him. “I like feeling clean, and I like my hair shiny. And I like clean clothes. If that makes me vain, I don’t care.” She shoved the last bit of meat into her mouth and crossed her arms with apout.

“You are aware you have water magic, right?” he ?nally asked, using every bit of self-control not to laugh at her small ?t.

“Yes, I am aware,” she drawled.

“Then use it.”

“What? I can’t just create a bath.”

“You create ?re and shadows out of nothing. Why not water?” he countered.

“I...” Her eyes went wide at the realization. “I have been on this ship for weeks, and you only now suggest this?”

“Sorry. I thought the one with water magic would utilize her own gifts,” he said with a huff of laughter.

She snatched a piece of bread off the tray while glaring at him. He thought for sure she was going to throw it at him, but instead she said, “What do you make of Cassius’s powers?”

Sorin blinked at the sudden subject change. “They are gifts I have never encountered, but that is to be expected given they are Avonleyan gifts.”

“He had wings, like a dragon. It was almost as if he’d been halfway to shifting into a dragon.” She chewed on another bite of bread. “Can Stellan and Arianna shift into dragons since they are power Shifters?”

“I suppose they would be able to,” Sorin said thoughtfully. “Although I have never seen it.”

She nodded, seeming to mull that over. “One seraph asked what one of Arius’s guards was doing here, and then Alaric said he was only half. That Sargon was very particular.”

Sorin shook his head, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “I do not know, Scarlett. I do not know what any of that would mean, but we should probably speak with Cassius about all of this.”

“I know. Just thinking out loud,” she murmured, picking up another piece of dried meat. “There’s so much in my head right now. It’s so loud.” How long had he waited for them to get to this point? For her to willingly come to him with all of her thoughts? To talk to him right away instead of letting her thoughts fester and consume her? He wasn’t her last resort anymore, and his chest expanded at that realization. Granted, he hadn’t been her last resort for quite some time now, but he had never had her willingly come to him and just... talk through all her thoughts. It had always felt like pulling teeth and had taken days to get her to this place.

She gave him a perplexed look as she picked up a few grapes. “You are feeling something... odd.”

He gave her a soft smile, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Not wanting to slip out of this moment, he asked instead, “What else did Alaric say?”

“He could drain my power from me.”

“What?” he demanded, shooting to his feet. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that is his power, Sorin. He absorbs your power when you’re using it. He was draining my power from me, just like he could drain life by crushing a heart,” she said, reaching over and pouring a glass of water from the pitcher. “It’s how he feeds his own magic. All these years he... ”

She trailed off as she took a drink.

“He was feeding off the gifts you did not even know you had,” Sorin ?nished for her.

She nodded, not looking at him. “The only thing I can think of as to why he stopped is that when I got the Mark to fully awaken my Avonleyan gifts, I wasn’t staying at the Fellowship so he did not have access to me.”

“No, but Lord Tyndell did,” Sorin said. “You were living in his house.

Do all Maraans ?ll their reserves that way?”

“I don’t know.” She pressed her lips together, staring into the glass of water. “He also implied that not all the people he ordered me to kill were deserving of such a thing. That some were -innocents.”

He stepped in front of her, taking the water cup from her hands and setting it aside. He tilted her chin up, and this time his heart clenched tight at the sight of the thin pools of silver in her eyes. “They have manipulated you and lied to you your entire life. He is likely doing the same now to do exactly this to you. Make you question yourself, what you stand for. He doesn’t get to consume you like that anymore, remember?” He tucked some hair behind her ear before trailing his ?ngers down her neck. “You are mine, Love. Only I get to consume you.”

“So wise in your old age,” she murmured, reaching up and brushing back a lock of hair from his brow.

Sorin huffed a soft laugh, leaning down and brushing his lips across hers. “What do you want to deal with ?rst? Go ?nd Cassius?”

“No. I think Cyrus and Cass need some time ?rst,” she answered, picking up another piece of bread.

His brow furrowed. “Why would Cyrus and Cassius need some time?”

“Because they are involved.”

His brows went from furrowed to arching in shock. “Why in the realms would you think that?”

“For one, I’ve known Cassius for ?fteen years. He’s my best friend and I know how to read him. As for Cyrus, he is acting like you,” she answered around a mouthful of bread.

“Like me?”

“Yes. Overprotective. Increasingly broody.” She waved her hand in his direction as if he were an example of what she was describing.

“I am not broody.”

She rolled her eyes. “When we ?rst met, you were broody as hell, especially when it came to me. Demanding information from Cassius. Trying to interfere with my life on the daily—”

“You asked me to train you,” he argued incredulously.

“And you were a broody asshole for a long time.”

“Because you were an arrogant brat,” he shot back.

“Whatever,” she sighed, rolling her eyes again. “The point is, they’re involved. Cyrus needs some time to calm down after he thought I was going to draw from Cass again.”

“You know we have all been sleeping for an entire day, right?”

“Yes, I know that. Which means they haven’t had much of a chance to talk yet.”

“I still do not see why you think they are involved. They— Wait.” He paused, his eyes widening slightly at the realization. “Are you telling me Cassius prefers males?”

“I sure hope so, or that will be a very one-sided and awkward relationship.”

“Your sarcasm is as delightful as always,” Sorin muttered.

Scarlett ?ashed him a sardonic smile. “Yes, Sorin. Cassius has always preferred males.”

“Why did you not tell me this in Baylorin? When I thought you two were together?”

“I told you we weren’t. Both of us did. That should have been enough. His relationships were none of your business, and even if they were, they were not mine to share,” she replied. “Anyway, it’s still new. I don’t think they realize it’s going on yet.”

“If it’s so obvious to you, you think they don’t see it?” Sorin asked doubtfully.

“I tried to ignore us for months,” she answered with a shrug. “They’ll ?gure it out eventually.”

“If memory serves, an Oracle had to spell it out for you, -Princess,” he said with a smirk as she pushed off the desk.

“Because someone didn’t tell me I was his twin ?ame.”

“Fair enough,” he chuckled, following her from the cabin. He did not know where she was taking him, but it didn’t matter. He’d follow her anywhere.

When they reached the main deck, she turned to him. “Make a ?re portal to Briar’s ship.”

“What?”

“Make a portal, Sorin. I won’t draw from you until you can make a portal.”

He sighed, the mood from their banter quickly dissipating as irritation took its place. “I can’t right now.”

“Why?”

“If I knew why, I would ?x it, Scarlett. But we will ?gure it out. In the meantime, I do not think you need to stop re?lling your reserves. We have no idea when they will show up again, and you need to be prepared,” he said evenly, trying to reason with her.

“Then I will draw from Cass like we did when you were healing.”

“That is not the same, and you know it.”

She pursed her lips, looking past him, and he knew she was debating her options. But he was right, and she knew that too.

“Okay,” she ?nally said with a harsh exhale. “But you have to swear to be honest with me about what’s going on with your power.”

“Okay? Just like that?” He couldn’t keep the shock from his voice. She never gave in to something this easily.

“I’m working on this whole compromise thing,” she muttered, waving off his comment.

He fought to keep the small smile from forming on his lips. “I swear to be open about what is going on with my magic, Scarlett.” He gently took her chin, guiding her gaze back to his. “We will ?gure this out.”

She nodded, but he could see the doubt in her eyes. He wasn’t willing to waste this rare occurrence of acquiescence though. He drew a dagger from his side and drew it along the Source Mark. She held up her hand for the same without a word, and when she placed it on the Mark, they both sucked in sharp breaths when their blood and magic merged.

She leaned into him as her empty Avonleyan power reserves began to ?ll, her head falling to his chest. He gently stroked her hair under the sun, gritting his teeth. Because something was indeed wrong. As she drew more and more from him, that feeling of unease grew. His ?ames seemed to almost ?ght against her, and when she pulled back and looked up at him again, he knew she felt it too.

“We will ?gure this out,” he whispered gently, cupping her cheek with his other hand.

She nodded again, the sentiment comforting her as much as it eased his own concerns.

Not at all.