Page 56 of In the Dark

Elon smiled and continued to dole out dinner. “My pleasure. Aisanna can tell you, I’m a whiz when it comes to a crock pot.”

“He’s also a snazzy dresser and a PR maven,” Aisanna continued tiredly.

“I don’t know how you can sit around with your thumbs twiddling a tune up your asses, waiting for a bowl of fucking stew, while there are things to be done. We need to formulate a plan to attack the Claddium,” Karsia stated.

“Whoa, the Claddium? Aren’t those the people we’re trying to avoid?”

She scowled when Elon moved nearer, refusing his offer before smacking the bowl out of his hand and watching it skid across the floor, smeared stew in its wake.

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Karsia. We’re not planning a full-scale war against the Great Lakes office. They’re our governing body. Making an enemy of them when we’re already fighting against an enormously powerful elemental is insanity. It’s not an option. Orestes and his pals, yes. I will stand with you. The Claddium? Absolutely not.” Astix spooned soup into her mouth and moaned in pleasure.

Karsia surged to her feet. “Why are you holding back?” she asked, exasperated. “You know who’s responsible. Orestes was the one who orchestrated separating you from the rest of us upon your Awakening.”

“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten.”

“Then why are we here like rats in a hole? He has our brother. He attacked our mother. It’s time for us to stop hiding and for everyone to fall in line! This is ridiculous. And get that soup out of my face, Elon, before I shove it somewhere the sun doesn’t shine,” Karsia demanded. Her eyes glinted with demented fervor.

She stalked the length between two windows, her enhanced gaze falling on night creatures as they rose from their dens.

“Can you do the thing, Morgan? You know.” Astix gestured with her fingers. “I seem to like her a lot better when she’s knocked out cold.”

“Do not touch me again.”

“Trust me, I saw what happened the last few times you got mad,” Morgan told her. He ran his tongue along the rim of his bowl, licking away every delicious drop, uncaring how the others judged him. Steam clouded his glasses and he waited until his vision cleared. “One of which included exploding an entire herd of cattle from the inside out.”

“Karsia! Cows? Are you serious?” Aisanna then fell silent, waiting to see if her sister would say anything.

Karsia chuckled. Leaving no doubt that, although ordinary emotions dictated she feel remorse, there was none. “I don’t remember anything about it, so it doesn’t count.”

“Here, it seems like a good time to break this out.” Elon reached behind him and removed a small bottle of whiskey from the waistband of his pants. “Nothing like booze to smooth an awkward situation.” He passed the bottle first to Aisanna, who removed the cap and swigged a hearty chug without blinking.

“Martha Stewart is an alcoholic.”

They wisely kept the bottle out of Karsia’s reach so she couldn’t slap it to the floor.

Morgan went next, wiping the rim with his sleeve and taking a sip. The first shot went down with the ease of hot liquid silk. If the soup helped untie the knots in his stomach, the whiskey relaxed the ropes and put him over the edge, easing his fatigue while the food assuaged his hunger.

“I’m gonna go upstairs and get the book.” Aisanna rose, her eyes locked on her youngest sister. “Maybe we can take a peek and find something new. Something I overlooked.”

Karsia flung herself over the arm of the couch and kicked at a lamp, watching the base teeter back and forth. “Don’t bother. You won’t find anything.”

“To be fair, you interrupted our night before I had a chance to peruse my resources.” Morgan thought of his notes waiting at home and decided he would have to start immediately to catch up on everything that had happened. “I have a fair amount of research to do.”

“It doesn’t matter. Like I said, we need to use these powers to fight back against the Claddium. For our family! We can’t walk away now when we’re confronted. We need to stop it.” Karsia looked around the room, lifting an eyebrow. “We need to stop it.”

“You’ll pardon me if I want to speak to Leo first.”

“The traitor’s spawn?” Karsia barked out.

Astix leaned forward and slowly got to her feet, maintaining eye contact. “You watch your mouth. He saved your life.”

“I’ll say whatever I please.”

“Not when it comes to Leo. Not today.”

“Let’s stop and take a deep breath.” Morgan grabbed Karsia’s hands and soothed his thumbs along the plane of her knuckles. “I say we go upstairs, get some sleep, and sort the rest out in the morning. It’s been a very long, very trying day.”

“What makes you think I want to go anywhere with you?” Karsia asked.

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