Page 12 of These Dangerous Fates

Sterling crosses his arms over his chest and transfers his glare to me. Of course he’s the last one on board. Always the serious one, he takes his role as alpha of our group to another level. Our safety is always his top priority. Sighing heavily, he reluctantly nods. “Fine. What can we expect?”

I scan the confirmation email I already received and relay the information provided. “To begin the contest, we will have to break into the Kennedy mansion and essentially kidnap Ellis from her bedroom. Once we have her secure, we text the provided number and let her dad know. He will then release the information for the first challenge to all contestants.” I silently read a few more details before announcing, “the person who has possession of Ellis at the end of the contest, wins.”

“Break into their mansion? Is he an idiot?” Sterling snorts. “This will only give people insight into their security and how to get around it in the future.”

“Thomas Kennedy isn’t the smartest when it comes to that kind of thing,” Cade says as he sets his pool cue on the rack. “He has people for that, whom I’m sure are shitting their pants right now thinking of all the implications.”

“What can you tell us about their security?” Sterling asks Cade. He grabs his iPad to begin making notes, already in planning mode.

“Absolutely nothing,” Cade replies with a shrug. “But I can hack into their system and get everything we need.”

I grin and rub my hands together. “Perfect. Get started on that. We only have three days to plan.”

Cade grumbles, but grabs his own iPad from his bag and settles onto the couch to begin his work.

“Why would he do this?” Sterling muses. “I thought she was engaged to one of his cronies.”

“You know how the rich and powerful are,” I say darkly. “They do whatever the hell they want. Take my dad for example.” I walk to the bar and make Cade a drink. He doesn’t even look up when I hand it to him, just grunts a thanks and continues on his quest.

“What do you think we’ll need for this challenge?” Sterling asks. “He said he can’t guarantee anybody’s safety. We should have weapons and magic ready.”

“Agreed.” I list off some weapons and Sterling jots them down on his iPad. “Oh, and I’d like Cade to make some more of that enchanted jewelry. Something for protection would be helpful.”

“Enchanted? I’m not a fairy,” Cade mumbles, keeping his eyes on his iPad. “It’s spelled jewelry, and I can do that. Also, I’m sending you guys the floor plan now.”

My phone and Sterling’s iPad buzz as Cade shares the blueprints for the Kennedy mansion. Sterling and I quietly go over ideas, writing down the best possible scenarios and scratching those that aren’t feasible. Hours pass and before we know it, Cade announces he has the security plans and can hack into the system of the Kennedy mansion. He tests his ability to do so by quickly hacking in to find Ellis’s room.

With Cade’s information, we scratch a few ideas we know won’t work and eventually settle on the one we think will. Without knowing how many contestants we’ll be up against and what abilities they’ll have, it’s difficult to nail down a solid plan. We keep a few extras as backup, just in case. You never go in with only one plan.

I will be the one doing the actual breaking and entering, although Sterling will follow me through. As I make my way to Ellis’s room, Sterling will help keep others off my trail and provide distraction. Cade will remain outside, monitoring the cameras he hacks into to keep us both appraised of our opponents’ movements. He’ll wait below Ellis’s window and use his magic to lower her to the ground once I get to her room.

Once we have Ellis in our possession, we’ll make a break for the cliffs that border the Kennedy property. Using satellites, Cade found a cave we’ll hide in during the day before we make our way down the cliffs and to the coast, where we will have conveniently left a small boat. We’ll use the boat to circle around the coast to the delta where the River Altair meets the ocean. Taking the river up to the city, we’ll ditch the boat and sneak our way here, to my father’s house on the outskirts of Altair, where we’ll hide out and wait for our first challenge.

“Okay, first question,” Cade says after we settle on a plan. “Is it smart to bring her to your place with your dad around? You are engaged, after all. I don’t think he will be too pleased with you taking part in this.”

I shrug. “He’ll never know. We can keep her here, in the library. Your wards will keep her protected and undetected.”

He nods and hums in the back of his throat. “Second question, and probably the most important. Ellis knows about this, right? We aren’t just going to be busting down her door and scaring the poor girl to death, are we?”

Silence meets his question. I hadn’t thought about that. How fucked up would that be? To not know your dad planned this contest with your life and future being the prize? To be relaxing in your room only to have some random crazy person break in and steal you away? The excitement that had been building in me during this process dims slightly.

“She has to know,” Sterling says. “First of all, what kind of person would do this and not tell their daughter about it? Second of all, it’s all over social media. There’s no way she doesn’t know.”

His first point doesn’t ease my concern. This is exactly the kind of thing powerful people do. I could easily see my dad doing something like this. However, Sterling’s second point is right. If it’s on social media, she has to know. I wonder what she thinks of it?

Ellis

Tonight is the night. The night my dad decided I would be abducted from my home and stolen away. I guess all things considered, this punishment could be a lot worse. I mean, I did almost kill one of my dad’s favorite employees—my so-called fiancé. This punishment could be way worse.

At least I’ll get out of the house for a bit and away from Sam. Unless he competes. Fuck. What if he competes? What if someone just as awful as him is competing? Maybe this isn’t the safest thing after all.

I sit on the edge of my bed, leg bouncing uncontrollably. My bag is packed and sitting by the bedroom door. I packed everything I could think of possibly needing: extra clothes, shoes, toiletries, chargers, and of course, a couple of knives. The inside of my cheek is a raw, mangled mess from the constant chewing—a nervous habit I’ve had for ten years.

When my dad told me what he planned, I didn’t even bother to yell at him. His mind was set and there was no way I was going to change it. It hurt, though. Like a gaping wound that continued to bleed, leaving me feeling less and less human. The words he spoke that night had stuck with me. The daughter of a prominent mage born without powers has no place in this world. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forget them. What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment? You would think after losing one daughter and his wife to murder, he’d hold on tighter to his remaining daughter. Love her stronger. Protect her harder. But my reality couldn’t be more opposite.

Not for the first time, I run through all the ways he could have punished me. At first, this contest didn’t seem like such a horrible idea, despite how drastic it is. The longer I wait for my kidnapper and the more I’m able to think about it, I can’t help but question my original thinking.

Some random guy I don’t know is going to break into my house and abduct me.

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