Page 34 of Ashes

Nico opens his mouth to speak. Before he can, Mack hits him with the restraints. Together, we mutter an incantation to bind Nico’s wrists behind his back. As they’re jerked backward, he yelps. He tries to shift. His shoulders unlock, his limbs crack, but he can’t complete it. We’ve got him.

As soon as he’s bound tightly by our invisible cuffs, Kole puts a hand around Nico’s throat and hauls him to his feet. “You’re H.E.L,” he says. “Don’t deny it.”

Nico’s eyes widen. He looks at Nova. A silent tear falls down her cheek.

16

NOVA

Watching the guys surround Nico, I shake from head to toe. One tear falls, then another, then another.

I turn away and look up at the ceiling because I can’t bear to look at him. A few hours ago, he was the brother I thought I’d never see again. Now he’s a traitor. The veneer has slipped, and all I see is betrayal.

“I can explain,” Nico splutters. “It’s complicated, but I can explain.”

“Then explain.” I whirl around, a rush of fire sweeping from my belly to my throat. “Tell me who you are.” I push past the others. Kole spins Nico around and holds him by the shoulders. He’s taller than me, but I rise and stare at him as I spit, “Who are you? Are you Sam? Are you my brother?”

Nico stares at me for a moment. I almost expect him to smirk, but he doesn’t. “Yes,” he says. “I am.”

“Nova, you know he’s lying.” Luther’s fingers are splayed. Fire crackles in his palms. The heat in the room is building.

I narrow my eyes and stare into Nico’s face. “Are you my brother?” I ask him again.

“Yes,” he says, “I am.”

But this time, his words feel different. There’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “You’re lying,” I say quietly. “I can see it.”

“I’m your brother. I have the scars.” He flexes his shoulders like he’s trying to pull his arms forward. “The mark on my wrist.” But it’s as if he’s repeating a rehearsed script.

“You’re lying.” I look at Tanner. “He’s lying.”

Tanner slips his hand into mine. “Yes, he is, little star.”

A volcano of heat erupts in my belly. I’m closing my eyes, pushing it down, trying to focus when the ground shakes. The kitchen rattles. Cups fall from shelves. Plates smash. A mirror drops and shatters into a million pieces.

I look at my hands. Was that me?

Nico’s eyes are wide and frightened. Beads of sweat break out on his forehead. The room is airless. Like a summer’s day before a storm. Full to the top with a cloying heat that squeezes my lungs.

“That wasn’t me.” My palms are empty.

Luther’s are too now. He rushes to the doors. Lights have appeared in the trees. A kaleidoscope of different colors. Blue, green, white.

“The Bureau. They’re here.” Mack throws an arm in front of me to shield me from the windows. “Fucking Tom. Lied through his teeth.”

When the mansion shakes again, Kole hunches over my head, curling his body around mine. “They broke the shield. They’re in the woods.”

The windows shatter. Glass falls. The sound is deafening. Heat rushes from the room, replaced by icy cold.

Mack throws Nico to the ground and ties an invisible chain around his ankle, jerking him toward the table. He tugs against it but can’t move.

Together, Luther and Mack take the stone steps and run toward the trees. Kole follows them. Luther creates a wall of fire, separating them from whatever’s coming.

Tanner clutches my hand. “Wait here. Hide.” He kisses my forehead. “Wait here.” Then he strides out to join the others.

I stand on the top step watching as they form a line. All four of them. For a long moment, everything is quiet. Then a noise, like thunder, vibrates in the air. A chopper flies over The Hollow. A voice, tinny and loud, shouts, “Luther Ross, Kole Trajan, Tanner Booth, Rhone Mackenzie, we know who you are, and we know you’re hiding the girl. Hand her over, and then we can talk.”

Hearing the boys’ full names like that fills me with a strange tugging warmth. They look at each other but stand firm. Tanner raises his hand. Beads of moisture float up from the grass and form a swirling ball. Luther opens his palms and flicks fire into them.

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