Page 54 of Transfiguration

“She died.”

“Yeah,” Con said. Everyone, everything he loved, died. Would Sam be back? He had little hope for Luca transitioning, not with the damage from the spell. “I couldn’t save her.”

“No. But she saved you,” Kaine said. “Gave you her power when she died. Power divided by birth but reunited by her death.”

He didn’t talk about that with anyone. Kat had been too far gone as far as the Dominion knew to be coherent enough to cast an inheritance spell. Con knew otherwise. And he refused to tell anyone the burden of having her strength added to his own, but it had fixed something inside of him he’d long thought broken. Had their birth, the splitting of cells, or them being twins fragmented the magic? It was easier to use, control, and build since her passing. But he had never found joy in losing her, even for the gain of clarity over his power.

“Kaine…”

“Humans have lots of secrets,” Kaine said. He tugged out of Con’s embrace. “Find Bella. The spirits can rest if you find Bella and break the array. The bond will give you the strength to free those stolen, and love will guide and protect you in the end.”

“I don’t know what that means. What array? The demon thing? Bond? Stolen? What the hell were all these riddles?

Kaine shrugged. “I can only see so much, and Father says I should return to the other side of the veil. He doesn’t want me in danger.”

“Bryar? I thought he’d be throwing you into battle. Isn’t that what fae do?”

“Daddy would destroy him and all the fae if something happened to me. Everyone doubts Daddy until he gets mad. But he can cast them across the veil and keep them from returning. Severing the two worlds would destroy both.” Kaine turned his big gaze to Con. “Everyone underestimates you. They think Sam is the strongest.”

“He is,” Con said. He had to be. Con was nothing but a gamer hiding behind his men, only now he didn’t have them either. Another failure. How could he do anything all alone?

“He isn’t,” Kaine insisted. He raised his hand and created a crackling ball of wind energy that whipped with flashes of lightning, bigger than the one Con usually did for show, but Kaine shouldn’t be wind. He was earth like Seiran. Con reached out and snatched the ball, feeling it sink into him and refill his energy stores. How had Kaine known how to do that at all? “Find Bella, okay?”

“That’s the plan.” That and killing all the pieces of shit who dared take Luca from them.

“And Uncle Con?”

“Yeah?”

“Sometimes it’s okay to be the bad guy,” Kaine looked away. He was too young to think that way and Con wanted to ask but feared what he might say. Kaine put his hand on Con’s heart. “We do a lot for those we love. That’s what is important.”

Con put his hand over Kaine’s. “You’re a good kid, fae, whatever. Don’t let other people tell you otherwise.”

Kaine smiled, and it lit up his face, though his eyes were still watery. Con wasn’t a hero, he was vengeance, and he thought maybe that was okay, if he could save one kid from having to be.

TWENTY-THREE

Con showered, dressed, and found his way downstairs. He stuffed a handful of things in his spare backpack, clothes for his guys, his and Sam’s phones which Seiran must have retrieved, and a box of chalk, which he used for drawing larger runes. He could use blood in a pinch, but it would drain his energy, and he suspected he would need a lot of energy for what was to come.

He had questions that needed to be answered. Then he’d need space to start a major tracking spell. If Bella took her backpack, he’d find her. If they took it thinking they’d use his powers, he’d find them, and make them tell him where Bella was.

The windows showed darkness, which only told him at least a day had passed. He hadn’t more than glanced at the time on his phone, unwilling to open it and see the smiling faces of his guys as his backdrop, and their last messages to him.

He had retribution to visit before he could sink into despair and truly let himself rest. He needed to kill some motherfuckers. It burned in him like the fire had boiled his blood, scorching his skin and lungs. He knew Seiran had bounced back a fire spell aimed at him and Gabe. The news said that dozens of Dominion witches died. Not enough, Con thought. Not for all they’d done, or the monstrosity they’d visited on Luca. Were they hurting Bella right now? He clenched his fist, swung on the pack, and headed down to get some answers.

Con found Seiran in the kitchen, baking. That was never a good sign. Everyone loved his confections, but Seiran baking meant bad things were happening.

“Did you send your kid up to heal me?” Con demanded.

Seiran flushed. “Yes. Jamie or I could have done it, but you have runes that kept shoving away our magic.” He turned his gaze on Con, more than a little accusatory. “That’s some pretty strong magic you have.”

“Kaine didn’t tell you?”

“I would rather you tell me.”

“You already suspect, right? Kat gave me her power.” Con crossed the space and slid into a barstool at the counter where Seiran worked.

“I wondered. I would have saved her if I could.”