Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
H e touched her shoulder slightly. “I know you planned to infiltrate using the ventilation ducts, but I will not fit in such an enclosed space. We will enter through the stairwell. I will shroud us from any humans we encounter, and Siro will take care of the dark by the elevator.”
She glanced at the door that led to the stairwell. “It will be locked. Let me get my pick set out.”
“There is no need. There isn’t a human-made lock I cannot disable.”
“Really?” she didn’t mean to imagine him stealing some of the world’s most expensive pieces of art.
He chuckled. “If you need such treasures, I will simply buy them for you.”
Her heart stuttered. “What?”
“Dragons amass great wealth.”
She grunted. “The immortality thing?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s go,” she said.
As Emily trailed behind Logan, anticipation thrummed in her veins, her senses heightened as they approached the stairwell door. She expected him to employ his magical abilities, to unlock the door. But he simply grasped the doorknob with his hand, his grip unyielding as he wrenched it with superhuman strength.
With a resounding crack, the doorknob broke apart in his hands, the sound echoing in the stillness of the night as he pulled the door open with a deliberate motion. Emily followed closely behind him, her pulse quickening with a mixture of awe and apprehension at the display of raw power.
As they stepped into the dimly lit stairwell, a sense of foreboding settled over Emily. But she cast a glance at Logan’s stoic expression and felt a surge of determination course through her veins.
As Emily followed Logan into the hallway of the top floor, her senses were on high alert, every nerve tingling with anticipation. Siro trailed behind them, his presence a silent reminder of the dangers that lurked before them.
Peering down the corridor, Emily’s gaze lingered on the series of doors that lined the hallway. But she had scouted the building for a reason and knew that their destination lay at the end of the hall. A large office that housed the safe she intended to break into. But before they could obtain their prize, they had to get past the elevator. One that was a gateway to the heart of the Dark Industries building.
As they neared the door that led to the second hallway and the office, Emily couldn’t help but wonder how Siro intended to distract the guard stationed outside.
Logan halted in his tracks, his index finger pressed against his lips in a silent command for silence. Emily’s heart quickened as she watched him; her breath caught in her throat as she waited for his next move.
With a subtle nod, Logan motioned for Siro to take the lead, his muscular form moving forward with purpose as he advanced toward the door. Emily followed suit, her steps light and cautious as she pressed herself against the far wall, her senses on high alert as she prepared for the impending confrontation.
As Siro reached for the door handle, Logan placed a protective hand over Emily’s stomach, his touch both reassuring and grounding as he held her firmly in place. She felt a surge of gratitude wash over her, grateful for his support and steadfast presence by her side.
With a swift yank, Siro flung open the door, the sound of its hinges creaking in protest as it swung wide open. A roar echoed from the other side, a primal sound that reverberated through the air like a thunderous clap of thunder.
“Caldier, you sorry excuse for a dragon. I have come to relieve you of your head,” Siro yelled.
“You will die first, Purple,” Caldier screamed.
There was a crashing sound, and the entire room shook before Logan motioned for her to follow him.
As Logan guided her forward, Emily’s heart raced with anticipation, her senses on high alert as they navigated past the broken wall in the hallway. The jagged edges of shattered plaster loomed ominously in the dim light, a remnant of the chaos that had unfolded moments before.
The sounds of growls and crashing echoed through the air, signaling that the two men were still locked in a fierce struggle in an adjacent room. Emily couldn’t help but feel a surge of apprehension as the battle raged just beyond their reach, yet she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
With Logan ahead of her, she pressed forward, her steps steady and determined as they made their way toward the office entry door. Each footfall brought her closer to her goal, a rhythmic cadence that seemed to drive them forward with a sense of purpose.
As they reached their destination, Emily’s pulse quickened with anticipation. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out to grasp the door handle. With a silent nod from Logan, she pushed open the door, the soft click of the latch echoing in the stillness of the hallway.
She went immediately to the picture of a city landscape on the wall. “Can you take it down?”
Logan pulled the picture off the wall to expose the metal safe behind. She was about to put her hand on the dial when Logan grabbed it.
“Wait. There are magical protections.” His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the wall. “This is strange.”
“You can’t deactivate them?”
“I already have, but they are... familiar to me.”
She placed her hand on the dial and began to spin it. “I’m not surprised. The dragon who uses this office is related to you.”
“What?” Logan said.
“I saw him after you left. He looks identical to you. Since you said that your brother died, I assumed he is another family member, or that he was using a glamor, but why do that when he is in his own office?”
“My twin was identical to me, but he died a long time ago. I had no other blood relatives.”
“He has a beard, but he looks just like you.”
“Lothos is dead,” Logan said in a voice close to a growl. There was no denying the pain in his voice, as if she were purposely hurting him.
Her fingers stilled on the safe. “No. Logan, he isn’t. He said his name in my head. He can speak to me the same way you do, and he said his name was Lothos.”
Logan glanced at the door as a roar echoed from the other room. “We have to go. This is a trap.”
She clicked the safe open as clapping echoed behind her.
She turned to see the face identical to Logan’s, except for the beard. “Lothos. ”
The images rolled in her mind as if she were witnessing another era in time.
In the heart of an open expanse stood a large cabin, its rustic charm evident in the thatched roof that crowned its sturdy frame. Goats roamed freely around the property, their gentle bleats mingling with the tranquil sounds of nature. The landscape stretched out before the cabin, unmarred by the intrusion of modern construction, a nod to the simplicity and serenity of rural life.
A simple path led to the cabin, winding its way through the untouched wilderness with a sense of quiet reverence. Time seemed to stand still, the air imbued with a sense of peace and tranquility that enveloped the landscape like a warm embrace.
But in an instant, the roar of flames and the piercing cries of anguish shattered the idyllic scene. The once serene cabin was now engulfed in a raging inferno, its thatched roof ablaze with fiery tongues that licked at the sky.
Amidst the chaos, Logan’s voice rang out, a desperate plea that echoed through the flames as he screamed his brother’s name. His frantic search took him from the burning wreckage of the cabin to the dark expanse of the sky, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of his lost sibling.
But as he searched, the flames consumed everything in their path; the grass surrounding the cottage turned to ash, and the lifeless bodies of the animals lay scattered on the ground, their once peaceful existence cruelly extinguished by the merciless fury of the fire.
In this moment of devastation and despair, Logan stood alone amidst the ruins of his home, his heart heavy with grief and his soul consumed by the flames of loss.
“Oh god,” she whispered.
Lothos smiled, but there was no humor in it. “How touching. ”
Logan stared at his twin in anguish. “How is this possible? What happened to you?”
Lothos sighed as if bored. He had obviously shared in the memory Logan had broadcast to her.
“You were always so pathetic. You always did what our parents wanted. It’s the reason you were their favorite.”
Logan looked as if he were about to be physically ill as he locked eyes with his twin. His brother’s gaze bore into his own with a venomous sneer, the depths of his dark eyes simmering with a seething hatred that sent a chill down Emily’s spine.
How could twins, born of the same blood and shared history, appear so alike yet harbor such profound differences in their souls? The question echoed in the recesses of her mind as she grappled with the bitter reality of their estranged bond.
As he stood face to face with his brother, the weight of their fractured relationship hung heavy in the air. She wondered how two souls so intricately linked could diverge so drastically along different paths.
Logan’s voice was barely a whisper. “How did you hide from me? Why did you? When did you turn dark?”