Page 79

ATLAS

She was doing it again.

The controlled posture, the measured breath, the deliberate steps across the scorched clearing—Eve moved like she thought could hide from me. Like if she kept her spine straight and her jaw tight, no one would see the fear coiled beneath her ribs.

But I saw every crack in her iron mask.

She was letting her fear control her rather than trust herself—trust me—to help her see her full potential. She was smothering the flames of magic dancing across her palms before they could even spark.

And that type of fear was going to get her killed.

I’d seen this magic countless times with my sister, the toll it took on her.

It did not like to be contained, least of all in fire form.

The magic that flowed through us all could sense our emotions and respond accordingly—sharp bursts when we exhibited anger or panic, a gentle flow when we were at peace.

I was certain Eve’s magic could sense her hesitation and self-doubt.

Magic did not like to be doubted.

If she couldn’t summon a simple flame to defend herself, she would never survive the journey to Titan. The portal might consume her entirely to access the magic she was withholding from the world.

Eve looked exhausted. I’d woken her before the sun had risen and sent her through countless drills before Orion taught her some sparring techniques.

My brother couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, but at least he wasn’t holding back.

He understood the need to keep her safe, even if he barely took her training seriously.

She was getting stronger, though, even managing a rather painful jab to Orion’s throat that had been satisfying to witness.

I didn’t want to be impressed, but her lack of complaints during the physical training was not what I expected. She held her head high through it all, pushing herself more and more each day.

Except when it came to her magic.

She fought me on every little thing, pushing back anytime we got close to cracking the wall she’d built around her well of power.

Gods, she was stubborn—and we were running out of time.

The thought left a sour taste in my mouth. As if she hadn’t been through enough already, hadn’t died to access the magic we needed to reopen the portals. But it wasn’t enough.

And if that made me the bad guy, then so be it.

“Another,” I held my hand out in the direction of Xander. The man didn’t look impressed.

“I’m not sure if this is the right method, brother.”

“Worked for Ragnar, why not her?”

Xander pursed his lips but didn’t argue with me any further. He raised his hands in front of his chest and conjured a dense ball of ice in his palms. I didn’t hesitate as he did, snatching it from him and launching it across the clearing towards my target.

It hit Eve’s shoulder this time. She’d tried to dodge it, but she was getting slow.

“Ow!” She screamed, causing a bubble of laughter to spring free from the porch steps where Orion sat.

“You’ve got this, sunshine,” he said with a thumbs up. She responded by giving him the middle finger.

“Stop dodging! Use your magic to melt the ice before it hits you!” I took a breath, trying to steady my irritation, but I could feel it slipping.

She turned her fiery eyes on me, and a weaker man might have flinched. “This drill is ridiculous!”

“Not as ridiculous as your inability to melt a single snowball.”

She looked like she wanted to punch me, but I welcomed her anger. At least she was starting to let it out instead of bottling it up. I dreaded seeing what she might do if she exploded under all that rage.

Xander handed me another snowball, and I didn’t hesitate to throw it her way. “Use your magic!”

Flames sparked from her fingertips, but not fast enough to stop the ice before it collided with her chest. She hit the ground hard, mud staining her drenched clothes.

She got to her feet quickly, brushing off her sodden t-shirt and emphasizing the curves that were barely concealed.

It was inappropriate of me to notice that.

The way her hips dipped above her leggings, and the way the tight fabric clung to her breasts.

I didn’t need this distraction, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“You know if you wanted to get her wet, Atlas, you should have just—”

“Orion–”

“Shut up!”

Eve and I shouted in unison, but that did little to deter my younger brother. His smile grew wider still, but at least he’d stopped talking.

It was time to switch tactics.

“More,” I held my hands out and waited patiently while Xander conjured another few snowballs for my attack. Once my arms were full, I spun back to Eve, reveling as the realization of what I was about to do sank in.

“You have to stop holding back, Eve.” I stepped forward, throwing a snowball harder than I probably should have. She ducked, not even bothering to summon her magic.

“You think the daema won’t go for the kill? You think this is all they’ll throw at you?” I launched another at her that she barely dodged.

“Atlas—“

“Use your magic!” I threw another at her chest. “You have all this power, but you won’t use it to protect yourself? ”

“Atlas, stop!”

I didn’t stop. She had to learn.

She had to snap .

“You’re not trying to control it. You’re trying to hide from it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You’ve been doing it for weeks. Hiding behind that little mask of yours and pushing people away. First your friends, then Louise, and your entire family!”

“You don’t know anything about me!”

I could see the embers burning beneath her skin, begging to be set free. I continued pelting her with snowballs and watching as her anger bubbled to the surface, threatening to explode.

“Oh, but I do, Eve. I know this is why she left you here alone, why she never came back.” The next snowball hit her side as she tried to twist away, but I wouldn’t let her hide from this. That fire was in there, but it needed to be dragged out, kicking and screaming.

“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” She spat the words at me, her rage visible in every pore on her face as I closed in on her.

“Melandra was right to walk away. You’re a waste of power, Eve—and she knew it.”

“Atlas…” I heard the caution in Xander’s voice, but my eyes were locked on Eve, that crack in her composure as she finally shattered.

“ENOUGH!”

Her flames roared to life, engulfing her and the clearing and heading straight for me.

I realized too late just how close I’d gotten to her. I wouldn’t be able to summon my shadows in time to block the worst of her inferno. Heat seared my skin in less than a second, bright and utterly blinding.

But, at the last second, the fire pivoted.

Instead of the plume hitting my chest, it veered to the left, narrowly dodging me and shooting straight for the trees. The explosion was ear-splitting as the flames consumed the foliage, lighting the world up.

Then everything seemed to slow down. I whipped my head from the inferno towards Eve as Xander rushed to quash the worst of the fire. Orion was on his feet and rushing towards Eve, his features twisted into concern as he grabbed her.

But my eyes were locked on hers, wide and filled with horror, her mouth gaping and silent.

She’d redirected the flames.

There was no doubt in my mind that they had been aimed directly at me, but she’d stopped it before they could land.

I was rooted to the spot. I felt surprise, sure, but there was something beneath it. A hint of awe, perhaps. She’d shown more control in her outburst than she had in weeks of me trying to coax it from her gently.

Finally, I was breaking through.

Ragnar burst from the cabin, slamming the door open to take in the mess outside and storming straight towards Eve, “What the fuck did you do?!”

Eve snapped out of her stunned silence, twisting out of Orion’s arms. “Fuck off Ragnar, no one asked you your opinion!”

“You reckless, stupid woman!”

“Come closer, I make no promises that you’re not next.”

I opened my mouth to tell them both to shut it when a guttural roar sounded from inside the burning woods.

We spun towards the noise as a second cry sounded out.

“Orion, get her back inside!” I shouted, taking off towards the forest.

I could hear footsteps following me as Xander continued to douse the flames around me. The flames had penetrated deep, scorching the land and everything in their path. Smoke billowed ferociously around me, but I’d always thrived in the shadows.

It didn’t take me long to find the source of the cries. A heavily charred daema lay on the smoking earth, barely moving. Its human body was covered in deep burns, the skin around its snout peeling back to highlight the row of razor-sharp teeth.

I kicked at the body with the toe of my boot, but it made no sound. The creature was definitely dead.

What was it doing out here? Did it know we were here? Fuck, this was bad…

“What the hell is that?” Eve’s voice snapped me from my thoughts, and I spun on her as the others caught up.

“I thought I told you to go inside.”

She glared at me, but didn’t make any move to leave. Godsdamn this woman.

“That’s a fucking chimera,” Ragnar said, kicking at the corpse harder than I had.

“What is it doing out here?” Orion asked.

“Probably watching us, little creep,” Ragnar replied.

“Whatever it was doing,” Xander stepped forward, sweat beading his forehead from exertion, “It obviously wasn’t expecting this.”

I faced each of my brothers. I didn’t need to say how serious this was. We had no idea how long this thing had been watching us, who it might have reported back to if Eve hadn’t killed it first.

“Get packed,” I said quietly. “We leave at dawn.”

I tuned out their responses, heading back towards the cabin. This was just another complication adding to the steadily growing pile.

The daema knew where we were, which means they’d likely know where we were headed next. Time was no longer on our side.

It didn’t matter if Eve wasn’t ready, if she didn’t have full control over her power. Whatever control she had, it would have to be enough.

She had no other choice.