Twenty-Six
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Cameron. A Few Days Later.
T he sun peeked from behind one of the large silver skyscrapers as
horns honked and people talked, shouted, and laughed. I rubbed my
eyes, trying to wake myself up.
“Are you dozing off again?”
A swift kick to my shin had me jerking awake. I dropped my hand, sitting upright as Xavier shook his head at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Have you been awake the last few days hunting a dark- haired Ig’Morruthen or trying to find Neverra?”
His brow ticked upward. “Yes.”
I nodded. “Oh yeah, you’re right, you have.”
We sat at a small round table outside a busy cafe. I thought that was what Imogen had called it. All their words were so different from ours.
After Logan and Samkiel had shown us the massive database of the myriad of languages they spoke, what they ate, and how they interacted, Xavier and I were exhausted. Xavier had been on my team when Samkiel split us all up, but Xavier was always with me. I was pretty sure we’d been inseparable since joining The Hand. We just clicked.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing the back of my head. My hair was so much shorter now. Xavier also had his cut, but he had gone with a faded undercut with a few of his dreads still sitting atop his head.
“I wonder how good it is?”
Xavier snorted and shook his head, raising a fork full of fruit to his mouth. My eyes followed, watching hungrily as his lips closed over the bite. “Of course, that’s where your mind is at.”
“I’m just curious as to where Samkiel’s mind is. He never acted this way toward anyone, not even Imogen. He hasn’t slept, but neither has Logan, both of them running around like madmen.”
“Love will do that to you.”
“Do you think he is in love?”
“After Roccurem’s little light show, how could I not?” Xavier said.
I reached forward, stealing a bite of his food.
“I don’t even know why you bother ordering food when you always eat mine,” Xavier snapped, poking my hand with his fork.
“Yours always taste better.” I grinned through a mouthful of pancakes before swallowing. “But you’re not wrong. Typical Samkiel, falling in love with the most dangerous creature in the world.”
Xavier snickered. “It makes sense. He is also one of the most dangerous beings in the universe.”
I went to respond and stopped as the curvy brown-haired waitress from earlier returned. It was the fourth time in less than thirty minutes. She smiled, her gaze lingering as I leaned forward, folding my arms on the table.
“Refill?” she asked, a wave of nervousness wafting off of her.
“No, baby. Thank you.”
Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. She looked at Xavier, but he only shook his head and smiled.
“Umm.” She paused and glanced back toward the large window of the cafe before continuing. “Is it true you two are members of The Hand?”
I placed a hand underneath my chin and smiled. Her throat bobbed, and a bead of sweat touched the side of her face. She was nervous but brave enough to ask.
“And what makes you think we are?” I asked as Xavier shifted in his seat.
She shot another quick look toward the cafe, curling a piece of loose hair that had escaped her ponytail around her finger. “We… I mean, I saw on the news the falling blue lights, and I’ve seen… Samkiel.” Her blush deepened as she said his name. Xavier snickered as he caught it, too. We had grown so used to how everyone reacted around him. He had a unique effect on women, men, and apparently fire-wielding Ig’Morruthens.
A slow smile curved my lips. “Oh, you like him? You know he is not the only one with powers?” I lifted my hand, the blue celestial light dancing
between my fingertips.
“We are good on refills, miss,” Xavier said, drawing her eyes back to him. She nodded once, clutching the pitcher she held. She took one last glance at the flicker of blue power before heading back inside.
My eyes followed her as she left, the other three waitresses scattering as
I caught them staring.
“Leave the mortals alone, Cam.”
“But they blush so easily.” Not that Xavier cared. He was more
interested in men.
“You just love to tease them.”
I winked at him. “Maybe.”
Xavier stabbed at another piece of fruit. “Do you feel it too?”
I smiled at the group of whispering waitresses inside. “Oh, I feel
something.”
“Cameron.”
Xavier’s tone grounded me, and I grinned at him. The intricately woven metal chair groaned as he shifted his weight, just a bit too small to support him fully. “I’m being serious.”
This whole world seemed too small for us. Samkiel was right about the clothes, too.
“Yes, I feel it. It reminds me of the Battle of Gurruth with that damned giant wyrm that swallowed the whole town and then almost ate us, except now we’re just waiting for those jaws to open, and they haven’t yet.” I curved my fingers like teeth and clapped my hands together, snapping like jaws close to his face.
Xavier laughed, swatting my hands away. “Well, let’s hope we won’t be swallowed.”
“Why?” I shrugged. “That’s always the fun part.”
Xavier shook his head, ignoring me. “Did Samkiel tell you what they discussed at the council meeting?”
I rubbed my hands together. It was getting colder here. Logan had told us how long winter seemed to last on Onuna, but he also spoke of its beauty.
“Mostly. They want Dianna. She stole a fate, attacked us, and attacked Samkiel. Those crimes alone are grounds for execution.” I met his gaze.
“The permanent, Oblivion kind.”
Xavier chewed the inside of his lip. “Do they think she is as bad as the one they call Kaden?”
“Absolutely. Especially after she gutted me.”
His fork stilled. “You know what I mean.”
“She’s very bad and not just in the hot can summon fire with a wave of her hand kind of way. Something inside of her makes Samkiel weak in the knees, and they are terrified of that kind of power. But she gave her life for her sister, and that deserves respect. That’s why she is all fire and blood, according to Samkiel. That counts for something in my book.”
Xavier nodded, sipping from his cup.
The shops and businesses near us buzzed with life, people coming and going, laughing with their loved ones, or just talking on the devices they carried. The silence grew at the table, both of us thinking the same thing.
“He won’t do it.”
“He has no choice,” Xavier said. “Unir made the council before Samkiel was born. It is the only thing that has a hope of keeping gods in line so they don’t become what Nismera sought to be. The realms cannot fall under one god’s total and complete control.”
“Fucking Nismera.” I clicked my tongue. “A shame she was so hot but so evil.”
Xavier chuckled. “It’s been quiet the last few days. It worries me.”
“Me too. Samkiel thought he felt her the day they returned from the council as if she was in the room with us. He’s been saying something feels different and has been even bossier and mean since then. He’s worried, but it’s been quiet for weeks except for the weird livestock shortage.”
“You think she is still watching him? Watching us?” Xavier leaned forward, his fingers tapping against his cup.
“Honestly? No. I think she is gearing up for something else, and that worries me. I’ve never fought a King of Yejedin, and from what Samkiel said, she’s a Queen. She ripped my guts out and barely seemed out of breath.”
Xavier looked away. “Yes, thanks for reminding me again.”
“Sorry.” I forced a smile. Xavier was just as protective of me as I was of him, even if his current boyfriend wasn’t a fan of our relationship.
“It’s fine.” Xavier shifted in his seat as if he’d grown uncomfortable. “I actually need to talk to you about something. I wanted to sooner, but everything has been crazy, and honestly, I don’t think there’s a right time.”
“Okay.”
“So I know—” He stopped and tipped his head back. My gaze followed his as the overcast sky darkened, thick, heavy clouds rolling toward us.
“Is it supposed to snow today?” Xavier asked. “Or did Samkiel find something else?”
“Only one way to find out.” We stood, nearly toppling the chairs. His powers had been growing more explosive, to say the least, but even a slight mood change could affect the atmosphere.
“Leaving so soon?”
My blood ran cold, my rings vibrating, shouting danger. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t felt her sooner. I was so attuned to what Xavier had to tell me that I hadn’t noticed the birds had stopped singing and flown off.
Xavier’s head whipped toward her, both of us drawing an ablazed weapon.
Dianna rolled her eyes, the gesture so mortal compared to the beast I knew lurked beneath the facade. She sighed, her tongue running over her red-painted lips. She shrugged out of her long jacket, exposing her bare shoulders. Her skintight black dress clung to her curves, revealing that she had no weapons. Xavier and I paused at the display.
“No weapons,” she said and twirled, showing us the crisscross design of the dress across her back. She shrugged back into her jacket before grabbing the bottom of her dress and raising it to reveal one toned tan thigh, then the other. “See.”
“I guess you don’t need weapons when you are one,” Xavier quipped. I tried to hide the smile that curved my lips. She nodded and sat, gracefully crossing her legs. Dianna relaxed like a large feline, her red-tipped claws tapping on the chair arm. I swore I saw sparks ignite against the metal.
“What about your hair?” I asked. That knot arranged atop her head could easily hide a dagger.
Dianna cocked her head to the side, a slow smile spreading over her face. She reached up and took it down, the inky dark mass falling in waves around her shoulders. A small blade hit the table. She shrugged. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. Maybe I had one weapon.”
She waved a hand, the long sleeves of her dark jacket dancing with the movement. “Now sit.”
Xavier and I shared a glance before sitting in unison, the chairs scraping against concrete, the only sound. Vehicles didn’t pass or honk. The wind had stilled as if it, too, was afraid of the woman before us.
“How’s your day?”
This time I laughed. “Excuse me?”
She shrugged and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s brunch time, right? I never understood the need for breakfast this late. I think it’s more so for the alcohol, really.”
I nodded, Xavier and I remaining on alert. “That’s why you’re here? To talk about brunch?”
“No, I’m stalling, but apparently, I suck at it.” She sighed and plucked at her nails. “I know Samkiel is about two hundred miles away right now, and I need him a little closer.”
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. “Oh, yeah? Keeping tabs?”
“Of course.”
“He’s been keeping tabs on you, too.”
Xavier kicked at my shin under the table, telling me to stop.
Dianna merely rolled her eyes. “Of course he is. How’s your stomach, by the way? Organs feeling better?”
“Yeah, thanks for that.” I took a sip of my drink. “We should have a rematch.”
She smiled, the tip of her canines showing. “The next time we fight, your light will dance across the sky.”
Xavier shifted, his aggression bristling.
“You would hurt someone that Samkiel cares about? Harsh. Is that how
Ig’Morruthens show love?”
Her eyes flared a shade brighter.
“You know, I’m not good with threats or bargains, and I am even worse at negotiations because, above all, I have a temper.”
A bell rang, and my heart sank because I knew who was approaching.
Xavier stilled, his eyes remaining on Dianna, ready for any sudden movement. My heart beat once, twice as the waitress made her way over. I saw a smirk grace Dianna’s face.
“I didn’t know you guys would have company. I am so sorry.”
“Oh, it’s okay.” Dianna smiled and leaned forward, clasping her hands.
The waitress smiled at her. “If you prefer to come inside and eat, we have room. It looks like the sky is going to fall any minute now.” She giggled to herself at her own joke.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Dianna said, the threat inherent in her
tone.
Maybe baiting her had been a bad idea.
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