Page 24 of A Memory in the Flame

The smells of the damp forest, mixed with the moving water, make me want to close my eyes and live in this moment for longer than we have. But the sun will be coming up in a couple hours.

“Noah,” I murmur without looking at him, “why did you bring me here?”

His chest brushes my back, and he bends until his lips are level with my ear. “This is one of my favorite places in New Ve. The sounds of the water drown out any city noise. Plus, when the weather’s warmer, it’s perfect for skinny-dipping.”

That’smore along the lines of what I was expecting. I laugh softly. “Well, it’s beautiful.”

“And secret. You better not tell anyone about this place or I’ll have to kill them.”

“So why did you show me?” I challenge.

“Because…” Noah’s breath stirs the hair at my neck. “I thought you needed it.”

The air in my lungs goes still. “Thank you.”

“This is a nice moment. I probably shouldn’t toss you over my shoulder and drop you in the water then, huh?”

“Not unless you’d like to kiss immortality goodbye,” I tell him calmly. Those wicked green eyes gleam. “We should get back. The sun will be up soon.”

There’s still plenty of time, but I don’t like the way my stomach is warm and fluttering. On the walk back through Calyape Park, I casually ask Noah about the next step in our investigation, now that Leo still hasn’t been to work since we found him in the Barrens. “That’s tomorrow’s problem,” is all he says.

I hesitate. “Noah, every day this goes unsolved, another weeper enters the city. People are dying. How can you be okay with that?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t care about this city, Charlie. I do my job, I get paid, and I sleep soundly because I’ve done what I need to survive. That’s the end of it.”

It is the end, I decide. The end of this conversation, at least. Noah isn’t going to become a better person just by arguing with me. I fall silent, and he does too. As we reach the cobblestones of Wardthorpe, I tug my jacket closer—the wind has picked up since we left, making it impossible to keep my hood up in the light rain.

“Thank you for showing me the waterfall,” I say, hating the silence between us, thick with words unsaid. “It was better than the night I had planned. I wasn’t even going to leave the hotel.”

Noah casts me a sideways glance as we pass the soap shop. “What made you change your mind?”

I open my mouth to tell him that I don’t really know, but before I can form a word, my eyes land on the last person I expect to see.What the hell is Cain doing in Wardthorpe?

“Charlie?” Noah’s voice sounds far away.

The moment Cain sees me, surprise widens his scarlet eyes. His lips part as if he’s going to speak. Instead, his gaze shifts sideways, and my eyes follow the movement.

I suck in a breath when I register that I’m looking at my sister. Beatrix and Cain?What the actual—

“Oh my god, Charlotte!” Beatrix shrieks, rushing toward me. She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tight.

I stumble back into Noah. “What are you doing here?” I ask, pulling away from her.

My eyes go to Cain, who’s slowly walking toward us. Beatrix clears her throat. “Oh. Right. We’re just… well, we’re kind of together.”

“You’re dating my sister?” I ask Cain tightly.

He scratches the back of his head, his eyes shifting between us. “I mean, half-sister, right?”

“What the hell doesthathave to do with it?”

“Relax, Lavender. We’re just fucking. It’s not a big deal.”

Fury ignites in my chest and I clench my hands into fists. “Watch your mouth,” I snarl at him, my fangs sliding down from my gums. Noah steps up beside me but says nothing.

“What’s your problem? You’re not jealous, are you?” My ex-boyfriend nods toward Noah. “It looks like you’ve moved on just fine.”

“That’s funny,” Noah cuts in. His tone is casual, distant, and I stare at him with undisguised hurt.

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