Page 123 of Our Radiant Embers

“We can’t find Gale and Laurie,” Cassandra said.

“Weren’t you with them?” Chest tight, I strove to keep the accusation out of my tone. It wasn’t her job—I should have been there. Instead, I’d snuck away because I couldn’t keep my fucking hands to myself for even just a few hours.

“My father called me over for something. I saw them leave but couldn’t get away fast enough.” Her gaze swept the foyer.

“Apparently,” Liam said in an undertone, “they decided to go exploring. Which is very Laurie. I told her to stay put, of course, but…well.”

I wrapped a hand around my own wrist and felt the bracelet dig into my skin. It would be fine—this wasn’t the kind of setting where anything could truly happen to them. But it was the kind of setting where someone might want to test Gale, needle him into revealing powers he didn’t have.

Which was the very fucking reason I should have stayed with him at all times.

“Adam, listen.” Cassandra hesitated. “I’m pretty sure I saw Jasper and Bianca Ashton follow them out.”

My thoughts screeched to a halt, then spiralled into overdrive. If they’d come through here…Two ways they could have turned without being stopped. Liam had passed through from the gardens and hadn’t seen them—so not that way. Which left…

I spun on my heel and set off for the greenhouse. Show purpose, not panic. “How long?” I asked over my shoulder, could barely hear my own voice over the rush in my ears.

“Three minutes,” Cassandra said. “Four, max.”

She and Liam hurried to catch up with me, the closest attendant shooting us a curious glance as we strode past. Sconces shed their warm light onto a hallway that was lined with brocade wallpaper, sharp claustrophobia twisting through my gut as I quickened my steps. The greenhouse lay at the end, its doors closed, a gently lit space beyond that I remembered as peaceful and humid, filled with the mingled scents of exotic plants in full bloom.

I reached the doors first and slid them open as quietly as I could, Liam and Cassandra silent behind me. Immediately, voices spilled through to us.

“You know what’s funny?” Laurie. She didn’t wait for an answer, her tone defiant. “From a distance, I used to think you were hot. A bit old for me, sure, but hot. Now that I’ve seen you up close, though? Yeah, turns out I’m not into dicks.”

“Unlike your brother?” Jasper drawled.

Liam shouldered past me and moved along the greenhouse’s central path. Tangled vines and overgrown trees framed his figure as he called out, “A dig at my sexuality? How original.”

I caught up to him, Cassandra right behind me, and together, we rounded an enormous bush. Oh, yes—there they were. Gale and Laurie standing shoulder to shoulder, drawn faces. Unharmed. Jasper and Bianca between them and the exit.

My pulse kicked up a notch, white heat in my veins.

“What the fuck is going on here?” I barely recognised my own voice.

“Adam!” Jasper shifted so he could keep an eye on everyone, his wide grin slipping by a notch. Not so comfortable anymore, was he? Now that it wasn’t just his own Nova arse and his bitchy Sun of a sister against two vastly weaker, younger mages. “We were just having a pleasant chat about how it’s such a shame the ranking system fell out of fashion.”

“Were you?” Cassandra sounded like she was contemplating whether Jasper’s left ear would make for a fine souvenir. This wasn’t her fight, though—she adored Gale, but the alliance between our families was of a social and economic nature. It didn’t include a mutual defence pact.

“Oh, yes.” Bianca had a sweet voice that hid a core of steel. “Transparency would benefit us all, don’t you think? We thought we could start with Gale. If he shows us what he can do, we’d be happy to spread the word and silence those who claim he’s just a Spark.”

Fuck.

“I’m not your monkey.” Gale’s words were soft but clear. “I don’t juggle on command.”

“Aww, it speaks.” Bianca fixed him with a sugary smile. “What if I asked very, very nicely?”

“Then we would very, very nicely tell you to fuck off,” Laurie said, and no—she needed to stay out of this. The Morgans couldn’t afford to make enemies so soon.

Jasper shook his head with an air of great sadness. “Really, Adam,” he told me. “I must say I’m a little shocked at the company you keep these days. Someone should teach them that newcomers should be seen, not heard.”

“Leave them out of this,” I told him at the same time as Liam said,

“We’re still working on improving our bullshit tolerance.”

Jasper glanced from Liam to me and back, something ugly flashing across his face. I hadn’t noticed how close Liam and I stood—nearly shoulder to shoulder, with a notably bigger gap to Cassandra on my other side. Moving away would only draw attention.

“Well, now.” Jasper’s voice took on a silken quality. “Isn’t it amazing how far you two have come since we all competed for the Green Horizon Initiative? I’ve never seen you”—he levelled me with a meaningful stare—“play this nice with a rival.”

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