36. Chapter 35
Ezra went back into Embry, his mind ready for his break between classes.
As he climbed to the third floor, though, Ivy was there, standing at her door.
Just staring at it. He called to his magic, reaching out to hers.
It was…hazy. Half-there. His heart picked up in his chest as he raced toward her.
Did someone try to take her? Did she escape?
“Hey, snapdragon,” he called out to her gently, trying to break her from her stupor, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you have class?”
“I do.” Her voice was distant, and as she turned and stared at him, he noticed her eyes were clouded. “I, uh, went to talk with the dean because I could’ve sworn another person went missing the night of the party. Strangely enough, your brother was there.”
“He was?” he asked, dropping his hand from her as they balled into fists. “What did he do?”
“He said he was working with the police chief, and this was all a Halloween prank gone wrong.” She shook her head before turning back to her door and weakly waving her hand over the lock, but no spell was cast. “I thought maybe she had been…I guess not.”
“Ivy.” He placed his hands on both her shoulders, dragging her attention back to him. “Did he touch you at all?”
When she looked at him again, he realized the haze covering her irises was fog from his brother’s magic. Nobody else would notice it. They didn’t know his brother’s powers like he did.
“He put his hand on my shoulder.”
“If you ever see my brother again, do not let him touch you.” Rage coursed through him. Knowing Declan had manipulated her mind to fit his narrative made his stomach churn with fury and nausea all at once.
“Why?”
“It’s how he controls people,” he said, keeping his voice low.
Her head reared back, her lips parting as she grasped what had happened.
He waved his hand over the door’s lock and pushed it open.
She shuffled inside, and he helped her to her bedroom.
“Stay here and rest, okay? I’ll be back in a bit. ”
Ezra hurried across campus, heading directly for Wayfarer’s Courtyard, and as he crossed into the square, he spotted Declan sauntering down the path leading to the car pickup area.
Naturally, he was too good to ride the train, and he wouldn’t spend the amount of energy it took to teleport to and from the school.
“Declan!” Ezra shouted. The handful of students who were in the courtyard turned their heads before his brother did. Declan slowed to a stop, only turning around when he heard Ezra’s stomping.
“Ah, Ezra,” he greeted with a tight smile. “Didn’t expect I’d see you today.”
“Upset I caught you before you could slither back to our father?”
“Why would I be?” He gestured toward the walkway. “Follow me to the car. We have some things to discuss, and I’m sure neither of us wants to do that out in the open.”
Ezra followed along silently. He knew his brother wouldn’t hurt him. All the brute strength was left to his grunts, and he could shield against the manipulation spells. But Declan also knew how to get under Ezra’s skin, as every brother did.
The car came into view with Fairfield waiting by the passenger-side door, and a smile came to his face. “Ah, Mr. Ezra. Are you coming back to the city with us?”
“No, he’s only here for a few minutes to talk,” Declan said sternly.
Fairfield’s grin faltered, but he nodded once and opened the door to allow them to get inside. Declan slid all the way in, followed by Ezra. Once the door shut, they glared at each other for a moment, sizing one another up to challenge who would speak first, before Declan cleared his throat.
His eyes flicked to Ezra’s hair. “You really ought to take care of your hair, especially if you expect to have Ms. Heartwell as your girlfriend.”
“Fuck you,” he spat. “You ever come near her again, I’ll—”
“You’ll do what, exactly?” Declan laughed coldly. “How many times have we fought in the past? You’ve never had the strength to hurt me. And if you did, imagine how Father would react.”
“I withstood years of his abuse,” Ezra said, clenching his jaw to push back memories rushing to the forefront. “You don’t think I could handle more?”
“Why else would you be doing any of this?” Declan’s hand gestured back to campus. “Why do Father’s bidding if it wasn’t to secure your detachment?”
Ezra questioned that for himself, too, ever since the first exam. His gaze dropped to the floor of the car, focusing on the small beads of gravel littering the mat from the mansion’s driveway. “Does he intend to let me go after all this?”
“He won’t need your skills by the time this is over,” Declan said, his voice solemn.
He snapped his head back to his brother. “What does that mean? What’s Father doing?”
“Like we told you months ago, you’re not privy to tha—”
“Bullshit,” Ezra said. “You know what happens to those he has no use for anymore. Remember Mr. Lithgow, his old business partner? Or Mr. Senai, his old financial advisor? Maybe you don’t, since you weren’t the one who had to ruin their lives.”
Declan, unaffected by the names listed, went to speak, but Ezra cut him off. “What about Mother? You remember her, right?”
His brother paled, his lips thin and sharp. “She was sick.”
“You really believe that?” His heart thudded in his chest as his mother’s face flashed in his mind. “Or was she tired of Father’s lies and wanted it all to be over, but he stopped her before she could speak out?”
“He wouldn’t,” Declan said, his voice trembling slightly. “Not to her.”
Ezra scoffed, shaking his head. He wasn’t leaving the car without something. “Fine. If not a single part of you doubts him, don’t tell me anything.” He reached for the handle, shifting in the seat to act like he was getting out of the car.
“Wait,” Declan said.
Ezra paused and turned back to face his brother. “What?”
“Remember how I said at the station that there’s something powerful somewhere in the school?”
He nodded.
“It requires blood.”
“Blood?” A chill ran down his spine. “How much?”
“That’s all I know. It’s all he’d tell me about his plans.”
Ezra’s mind raced to the scar on Ivy’s hand and how she’d mentioned a ritual done with blood magic with Briar. What were the chances it wasn’t connected to the power his father sought? With their luck, it was unlikely.
“Fine,” he forced out. He reached for the door again, and Declan grabbed his arm. Ezra tensed and immediately reached for his magic to shield himself. “Your tricks don’t work on me.”
“I’m aware,” Declan said. “I don’t think I’ll need them to remind you to keep doing as you’re told. The reports I’ve gotten from Silas about you flitting about with your girlfriend and her bursting into the dean’s office today make me suspect you’re straying.”
“What are you saying?” he said. He was trying his best to stay calm, but he could feel his rage striking against his magic like flint against steel, begging for flames to ignite and consume. He turned slowly to face Declan as his brother’s hand fell away from him.
“Let’s be straightforward, yes?” Declan’s brow arched and his jaw ticked. “We both know I’ve bugged your apartment here. You’re either remarkably quiet for the first time in your life, or you’re hardly ever there.”
Ezra cocked his head to the side. “If I’m loud while I’m sleeping, studying, or covering up Father’s crimes, I’d be doing it wrong, wouldn’t I?”
“I heard you talking with Ivy, presumably Ms. Heartwell…she mentioned us. The family. Whatever the two of you are doing, I will find out an—”
“A little perverted, hmm? If she is my girlfriend, do you really want to hear what we’re doing?”
“Be serious for a fucking minute of your life,” Declan snapped. “If you two are working agai—”
“You want me to be serious?” Ezra said, his voice even. Strong. Instead of a firestorm devouring him, it was a controlled flame flowing through his veins. The crackling fire warmed his thoughts and set his nerves alight.
His hand snapped forward, gripping Declan’s collar tight enough to threaten, and pushed him against the window. It didn’t crack thanks to its reinforced glass. But it was hard enough that his brother winced.
“I’ll be serious.” Ezra glared at his brother, allowing his anger to seep out. “You lay a hand on her again, I’ll make you fucking regret it. Try to control her mind, and I won’t hesitate to show you what power Father won’t need anymore. Got it?”
A flicker of fear flashed across Declan’s face, and he gripped Ezra’s hand, which pressed firmly against his throat now. Fear melted into an arrogant grin.
“Careful,” he said, his voice strained. “You’re sounding like Father.”
The flames inside him exploded, burning rapidly until they fizzled out.
Leaving behind only smoke and ashes in a shell that anger had carved out.
His hand faltered, and Declan took the moment to shove him away.
But he barely registered it as his mind came back to himself.
Though part of him was hollow. Like something had been taken from him forever.
“My point still stands.” The strength in his voice weakened. “Stay away from her.”
Declan brushed a hand over his hair, putting it back into place, before gritting his teeth. “Then remember your part in this.”