Page 40 of Blue Embers
“So the witch was looking for the same thing Rikard was,” Killian said.
“Who’s Rikard?” I asked. “Is this part of that situation you weren’t telling me about?”
Killian turned to me. “The attack a few months ago in sector 2. It was a direct attempt by the Falcons to disrupt the peace. Draven Tempest was subdued and taken to a rebel compound where he and his mate, Everly, were held for questioning.”
“Right. You mentioned that. What did they question them about?”
“Rikard is searching for the location of something very powerful, which could threaten the world if it’s found. We’ve been suspicious that the Zephyre is controlling the Falcons after we found that Phyre Glass. After encountering the half-blood at the hospital, that suspicion is no longer just a suspicion. Her name is Haera, wherever she is, and she’s manipulating more and more people to her cause every day.”
“She hasn’t shown her face yet,” Malice chimed in. “She’s letting her underlings do it all for her.”
“I’ve been tracking the black market, expecting to find rebel activity that we could follow,” Killian continued. “But the Falcons have gone very quiet since Draven broke out and we destroyed the entire compound.”
“And Valerio?” I asked. “He...he died. That was in the news.”
“Valerio is dead,” Saxon confirmed, a hint of tension on his heavy voice. “Killed by the same people that killed your sister. He orchestrated his death to keep his secret, but since then, Haera’s been going after anyone and everyone who could have had any connection to Valerio and the things he knew.”
Suddenly I felt a little lightheaded. Knowing all this time that Valerio Tempest was the one that saved us. The one that saved my sister and the child inside her. I could barely believe it, no matter how many times I repeated the words in my head.
“What about the kid?” I asked. “If those people are after it, shouldn’t we do something?”
Saxon nodded, his eyes moving toward Killian.
“I’m flying out tomorrow morning to meet with Draven at the estate,” he spoke. “He needs to hear all of this.”
“Of course,” Killian agreed. “In the meantime, I’m going to look into the location of this Talia Price. Better that we know where she and the child went in case we need to intervene on anything.”
“Can I sleep?” Malice grumbled.
“You’re coming with me to the estate,” Saxon said flatly.
“Fine,” Malice groaned. “But you owe me extremely comfortable accommodations and a bar filled with beautiful women.”
The two men started tossing a well-mannered argument back and forth while I tried to cope with the new information. It all seemed so unlikely, but hearing it from an Ash Bringer’s lips made it a little easier to swallow. They were honest men. Most of them, at least. Saxon struck me as one of the honest types. Lying served him no purpose.
The conversation continued for a while as the three Draak discussed things I wasn’t really qualified to speak about. Rebellions. Murders. Politics. I zoned out from all of it, remembering that I was just a curator trying to deal with a recent death. I felt lost in my own world for a while until the men started to scatter. Malice looked content lying on the sofa while Saxon started for the door toward the back deck. Killian let out a sigh and headed toward the stairs. I stood there, arms hugging my body, confused and uncertain what to do about the shocking turn of events.
Glancing up the stairs to watch Killian ascend out of sight, I felt at a loss. My gaze fell unintentionally toward Malice on the couch nearby. He was looking at me, leaned back with one hand behind his head, brows raised.
“He’s a stubborn one, lasse,” he spoke. “And he’ll not initiate a damn thing.”
“Excuse me?”
“I could smell the tension on him when we arrived. He’s all glam on the outside, but all broken pieces underneath. I know men like that and he’ll stay broken until some woman puts him back together,” he smiled. “Trust me. Took a strong woman to put me back together.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he grunted, standing up from the couch. The man towered, the leather of his pants stressing around his movements when he stepped toward me, massaging his neck. “The Blue Breath needs a stubborn woman to go up there and throw a little attitude his way. He cares, but he had better damn well show it, don’t you think? You going to let him walk away from you like that?”
Honestly, nothing that came out of Malice’s mouth made much sense, but even if I didn’t understand what he was saying, I couldn’t dismiss the fact that I did want to go up to Killian. I wanted to follow him for a number of reasons. To demand he clarify the situation to me one on one so I could get a better idea of what was happening. To ask him if the museum should still be handled. No. That was a stupid thing to bring up. I was muddled and scattered and for some reason I wanted Killian’s voice to bring me back down. I wanted more answers, so without further delay, I started toward the steps and climbed to the second story.
Reaching the top floor, I turned into Killian’s room to find him crouched by the bookshelf. He looked as if he was searching for a certain title among the aged, leather-bound books and glanced up at me when I entered. It was then that I realized my body language was a bit too aggressive for the situation. Perhaps it was my determination not to be left out. Not when I finally knew how involved my sister was. I needed to be a part of things and hoped I wasn’t going to get cut out now that everything was getting intense.
Tongue-tied when Killian’s eyes met mine, I was unable to say anything. I stepped further into the room, watching as he slowly stood. Backlit by the sun coming in from his glass, balcony doors, Killian was a silhouette of elegant beauty. His silvery-blue eyes were a pool of soothing energy that I was coming to realize I needed.
Dammit, what was I doing? What did I come up here for? I couldn’t even remember what I wanted when I saw Killian in that light. I could smell his fresh citrus scent tickling my nose and took it in with a deep breath. I told myself to focus and to recall what questions I had for him, but that simple effort made my mind spiral into a state of extreme stress. I didn’t want that. I filled my thoughts with Killian to rid my head of less pleasant things and that’s when the urges came.
Guilt stricken over the fact that those thoughts had even come up with all the news surrounding my sister, I shook my head and tried to expel the ideas from my mind. Of course, Killian didn’t make that easy. Killian was looking like the perfect escape. I looked him up and down, imagining his body on mine. Imagining his heat ridding me of my worries. Even the thought of it made me quiver with need. I didn’t want to ask him anything. That was just an excuse. All I wanted was him.
