Page 139 of Our Radiant Embers

“I think your family is playing with fire,” he said then.

I raised my head along with an eyebrow. “Pun intended?”

“Obviously.” A brief smile flitted across his face before he sobered. “But really, Adam. If they’re trying to transplant something that may work in Paris to London…That just seems like a bad idea. And you saw what that tower looked like.”

“I did.” Powerful magic testing its boundaries. I blinked the memory away. “And I think you’re right. They’re…desperate, in a way. Protecting our family has become an obsession of sorts, especially for my father and Eleanor. And with me reluctant to fulfil my assigned role…”

Par-for-the-course guilt pulled at me. I did my best to stamp it out.

“It’s your life,” Liam told me with quiet emphasis.

“I know. I know.” My voice caught. “But knowing and believing aren’t necessarily the same. I’ve been raised under the weight of all those expectations, and shaking them off isn’t as simple as…As brushing some dust off my shoulders.”

“How can I help?”

“By being here. With me.”

His fingers wound into the hair at the nape of my neck for a gentle tug. “I am.”

Briefly, I closed my eyes. “Thank you.”

He didn’t reply, but the way his arm tightened around me was all the reassurance I needed. I tangled our legs, dropped my head on his shoulder, and tried to reach for a few more minutes of sleep even as reality filtered in through the cracks in my mind.

* * *

“Good morning, sir.” Our butler welcomed me as soon as I set foot into the manor, his tone the epitome of professionalism. His features, however, betrayed a hint of unease. “You are expected in the drawing room.”

Was I?

I held my tongue and straightened my back to project confidence. “Of course. Thank you, Mr Davies.”

He inclined his head as I changed course and crossed the foyer, my steps echoing hollowly on the marble floor. I’d never noticed how quiet the manor was until the Morgans’ home taught me to expect music, voices, and general commotion all throughout the day. Even the nights weren’t silent—Jack often stayed up late to fiddle with pieces of code, and Liam’s dad struggled with insomnia that had him wander into the kitchen some nights.

The door to the drawing room was open, and I entered without knocking. Rain lashed against the tall windows, a thunderstorm warning issued for later in the day. My father, aunt, and uncle were all seated around the fireplace and turned at my entrance.

Silence stretched like rubber as I walked into the room. I kept my expression easy and pleasant, draping myself in an outer appearance of calm. Well—how convenient that they wanted to talk to me. I wanted to talk to them, too.

“Please sit down.” My father’s voice brooked no room for contradiction.

I considered standing my ground, then decided against it. The battle lay elsewhere, and if I wanted to get a better sense of their plans, I needed to strike the right tone. “With pleasure,” I said as I sank into the indicated armchair. “To what do I owe the warm welcome?”

Sarcasm might not be my best choice.

Dad’s gaze sharpened. “Tell us about Liam Morgan.”

Fuck. I hoped the momentary flash of shock hadn’t shown on my face. “Water mage. Oldest of three siblings.” My tone was as guileless as a new-born lamb. “Some five years ago, he came up with?—”

“What do we not know about him?” my father interrupted.

Deep breath. You know his tricks, I reminded myself. He taught them to you. This is just him fishing. Keep it simple, don’t elaborate where there’s no need.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said.

“I believe you do.” He rose from the sofa, towering above the rest of us while my aunt and uncle were calmly watching. “All those times he shared your bed, and you mean to tell me there’s nothing unusual you noticed about him?”

My world screeched to an absolute standstill.

How did—fuck. Just fishing? No. No, this was more—there’d been no doubt in his tone, not even much of a reproach, really. ‘All those times he shared your bed.’ How…Cassandra? Gale? No. Neither of them would give us up—I didn’t know much, but that I did know. Fire pulsed through my veins.

---