Page 96 of Dead Wrong

The device went silent, and Azrael’s eyes were on me. “Why would she go into the city?”

I’d been asking myself the same question. It didn’t make sense. She knew that she was being hunted by our mother. What would make her want to go back there?

It hit me like the broadside of a blade.

“The Council,” I concluded. “They’re set to replace Lynette tonight if she doesn’t show up. She’s trying to take Mother’s seat while she’s not there to force the hands of the Council members.”

“But why would she go alone? If Adoranda is still alive, she’s bound to show up.”

“If Lynette thought that she had a chance at ending things between the Adored and the Rebellion, she would have seized the opportunity. She may have a fighting chance if Mother doesn’t show, but with her there, Lynette is done for.”

The device sounded once more. “Azrael, additional reports are coming in. There is movement at Chateau Greene. I repeat, there is movement being reported at Chateau Greene. It appears the madame is still in play.”

Fuck. If Mother was still alive, that meant Lynette was walking into a slaughter. She’d never make it to the Council in time, which means that Mother’s plans to consolidate her power had never been closer to fruition.

“Acknowledged. Prepare transportation at once.” He turned to me once more, eyes burning. “I’m going after her.”

“Please, let me come with you. I can’t let my sister face our mother alone.”

Azrael hesitates. “Bastien should be ready to prepare the resurrection ritual by now. You should stay and take care of that.”

“If Lynette is killed, then there’s no point in me coming back.”

He watched me, a deep confliction under sparkling violet eyes.

“Fine. But you need to let Bastien know what’s going on. Meet me at the entrance to Paradise in half an hour.”

“I’ll be there.”

Inside Paradise’s community hall, I found Bastien seated in front of a large mural, staring up at the artwork. The familiar, spiraling designs of his tattoos were displayed throughout the artwork, and I wondered what it must be like to feel such a deep connection with something you’d never seen before.

“How goes it, seeker?” I asked, repeating what Wilhelm called him. I ignored the common word from Cirian’s prophecy, squirreling that thought away for another time. I simply lacked the luxury of prophetic deciphering at the moment.

His gaze found me, his stoic contemplation melting away. “It’s… incredible, Tobias. There’s so much here that I thought was lost forever. Scattered to the wind. Before now, I had never even met another Reviled outside of my family.”

“I’m happy for you,” I said, wanting to reach for him but thinking better of it. I couldn’t be distracted from the task at hand. “Listen, something has happened, and I have to leave.”

“What?” Bastien scrambled to his feet, his brow drooping in confusion. “What are you talking about? Wilhelm is gathering the materials we need for the resurrection ritual as we speak. We shouldn’t delay it any further.”

I explained the message Azrael received and the plan to pursue Lynette.

His eyes grew wide at the news of Mother.

“But without your magic, your mother will kill you, Tobias.”

“It’s Lynette, Bastien. I have to go. I have to help her. It’s the entire reason I was there that night, to keep her from dying. If I can’t stop it from happening again, then what was the point of all this?”

“The point?” Bastien repeated, his eyes narrowing. “The point is that you deserve to live, Tobias. There are people who care about you. Lynette included. So, stop talking as if your life has no value.”

“You don’t have to sell me on the value of my life, Bastien. I remember enough to know that I harmed far more people than I ever helped. And yes, I’m terrified of facing my mother again, but I won’t stand by and let her kill my sister.”

“Please,” Bastien said, his voice suddenly pleading. “Please, Tobias. Don’t do this. Just stay with me. Let me fix this—” he takes my hand in his. “Let me fix you.”

“You can’t fix me,” I tell him, pulling my hand away gently. “I did this to myself, Bastien. I was fractured long before you ever brought me back. It’s only because of your kindness that I’ve got this second chance. And I want to spend it making sure that Lynette lives.”

He goes to argue, but I grasped him by the fabric of his sweater, pulling him closer. I kissed him, and his words melted away at the touch of my lips, the tension of his body dissolving as his arms wrapped around me, urging me even closer.

The tether, that invisible connection between us, pulled taut once more, vibrating at a frequency I swore I could hear, as his lips parted and we shared a breath between us that settled into the warm recesses of my chest.

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