Chapter 47
River
“You feel lighter,” the Seer said. “How remarkable. It’s okay to be sad, little brook. You’ve done horrible things, but they were all in the name of survival.”
I only shook my head, staring into the candle in the middle of the table. The Seer had tried her version of comforting me, which was an awkward pat to my shoulder. Now, I was trying to lose myself in the candle fire but she wouldn’t stop talking.
Skye was never going to forgive me when she found out I’d been ordered to get close to her. She’d helped me without a second thought, and I’d…
I’d lied to her.
Guilt churned my stomach.
Guilt because of Skye. Guilt because of Avery.
“The Crusader is not as smart as he believes,” the Seer went on. “You know this. He will not realize what you’ve done until it’s too late.”
I barely huffed a laugh. Just a breath of air through my nostrils.
Yes, he would.
Avery was smart, he just made mistakes. One of his biggest flaws was that no matter how many times something blew up in his face, he always managed to make the same mistake twice. Maybe three times, if Gina was involved.
After the night I’d just had with Skye…
I wanted her. I wanted to be with her. Her Links were a different story, but a new thought was plaguing me.
What if I was one of her Links? What if this really was meant to be?
It would explain a lot. It would explain our wild attraction, and the soul-draining feeling I experienced when she wasn’t around…
But I was scared.
I didn’t want to do my Link-testing.
What if I wasn’t one of Skye’s Links? Then what?
The Seer was babbling behind me, and I ran a hand down my face before turning back to her.
“Yes, survival. We are all just trying to survive. You, me, the divine. Yes, yes. We will survive, but it will hurt.”
“My entire life has been hurt,” I muttered. “When does it end?”
“Soon. Sooner than soon, probably.” She shuffled, then froze, staring into a candelabra in the corner. “Oh. You…wow. Did you take it or did she agree to give it?”
I didn’t reply, only stared at her unseeing eyes.
“Oh, my,” she began nodding. “I underestimated you. How rude of me. Yes, yes. Sooner than soon. The time is coming. Things are already in motion. You impress me, beck.”
“You’re impressed,” I scoffed. “You think seducing a woman to get an affinity is impressive?”
“Aw, River. We both know that’s not what happened,” the Seer sighed. “A storm is approaching.”
I stood. “Gina’s back?”
“The Crusader,” she corrected.
The door banged open a moment later. Avery stormed in, looking very much like he may have hurt the Seer again if I weren’t here.
I didn’t like that. I didn’t like any of this. The level of self-loathing threatening to overtake me was higher than it’d ever been. Would Skye have given me the time of day if she knew I stood by while old ladies were hurt?
“River,” Avery stopped short upon seeing me, his silver eyes blinking in surprise. “I didn’t realize…are you alright?”
I shrugged. He didn’t give a shit one way or the other. For some reason, that was really bothering me today.
“Headache,” I said simply.
He nodded. “We’re having a meeting back at the lodge. Come with me.”
“The Brandts and Anna Davis are here,” Avery explained as we made our way up the front steps.
I stopped short upon hearing the Brandts. The Brandts included Harper, who’d let the mystery kid escape.
But the Brandts also included Lucille. Lucille, in addition to a lot of other atrocities, had tried to kill her son…who was one of Skye’s Links.
Even though he’d punched the shit out of me, he had helped me when I needed Mia’s affinity, so I couldn’t hate him how I wanted.
And besides…I’d just told Skye I was all in.
That meant I had to be all in with the Links, too.
They were already going to be pissed about last night, but when they found out about my impending betrayal?
I’d have to do some major groveling. Maybe I could start now, mess with Lucille’s head a bit. Skye’s telepathy was crazy powerful. I wondered if she realized she could probably alter someone’s reality.
My grand idea struck me just as the double doors to the dining room opened. My eyes landed on Lucille Brandt the moment she came into focus.
Her makeup was perfectly applied, sharp eyeliner along her eyes that reminded me of Skye from the night of the gala.
She even wore her favorite blue sapphires, though they didn’t match her outfit.
Lucille raised her head, her face lighting up when she saw me, putting on a grin that another man might have found dazzling.
I smiled back slowly.
I was going to kill her.
She had no idea.
Her grin faltered, because I’d never smiled at her before, and then she dropped her gaze when she noticed Gina’s glare, which made my grin grow.
Gina and Lucille in the same room together was always entertaining.
I strode around the table, plopping down into my seat without a care in the world. The grin didn’t leave my face as I looked over everyone else at the table.
Anna Davis kept her gaze down, as she had been since most of her Chain was arrested. Harper Brandt was looking me over as if assessing me for damage. The two Brandt men kept their gazes down, both looking like they wanted to be anywhere else but here.
Avery took a seat
“Now,” Avery said with a sigh. “The truth of Alexander’s treachery has rattled us all, but now is not the time for us to separate. Now is the time to truly come together and be stronger for it.”
No one spoke for a second.
Then Lucille cleared her throat.
Gina glared at her.
Lucille shrunk back slightly, dipping her head to hide her gaze from Gina. “Holy Crusader,” she said shakily. “Maybe…if we understood what transgressions occurred–”
“He betrayed me,” Avery ground out. “That’s explanation enough.”
Lucille’s lips twisted, but she held her tongue.
I stared at her, really wondering if she’d been having an affair with Alex. She’d been avoiding my gaze ever since I smiled at her, which annoyed me a bit. Maybe I should’ve smiled at her years ago.
“We have evidence to believe he’s responsible for the Davis’ imprisonment,” Avery said with another sigh. “He was down with the cause except for when it involved his own family, it seems.”
I blinked, then glanced down at the table.
Avery’s stare burned into my cheek, but I didn’t dare look up.
“Onto a new topic,” Avery said. “I hear Anton is back on drugs.”
Anna Davis dipped her head. “I…I’m not sure why…what…he was taking the medication to weaken his affinity for transfer. I don’t know what went wrong.”
I chewed my thumb.
“River?” Avery turned to me. “Was he weakened? Could you still feel his affinity?”
“Sometimes,” I replied. “I can still sense Anton’s laser beams. I…” I trailed off, noticing how Harper Brandt’s eyes were slightly wider than usual, staring at me with a hard expression I’d never seen from her before. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, my head hurts.”
“Get him water!” Gina snapped at one of the servers. The server squeaked as she stumbled into the kitchen.
The table waited in dramatic silence while the server brought me a shaky glass of ice water. I awkwardly gulped it down while the entire table watched.
I cleared my throat again, still feeling itchy at how Harper watched me. She was looking at me like she wanted me to read her mind, but that wasn’t happening. Not while Avery was here. Although…with Skye’s telepathy…
“His affinity is unstable, but I can’t tell if it’s him or the affinity. He almost attacked me in a class several weeks ago when he was just a little pissed.”
Anna dipped her head again.
“And my Iron Maiden?” Avery asked, raising his brows. “How is she doing?”
“Carla’s metallurgy is unstable,” I went on. “Unlike Anton, it’s her affinity that isn’t cooperating. It could just be the drugs, though.”
“And is that normal?” Caleb Brandt asked, his brow furrowed. “I’ve never heard of affinities having…feelings.”
“Well they do,” I replied, almost rolling my eyes. As if to punctuate my point, the teleportation affinity dug it’s little needle claws into my fingers. I stared at my fingerprints.
“If he says they do, then they do,” Gina said sternly. “He is the strongest of us.”
“Of course,” Caleb said quickly. “I didn’t mean–”
“You will not insult him again,” Gina said coldly.
Avery sat back with a deep sigh. “I don’t know why I’m surprised,” he said, ignoring the outburst. “After things didn’t work with Brandt–”
“What do you mean? Of course it worked!” Lucille nearly snapped, then dipped her head when Gina widened her eyes.
“Aiden Brandt only has one affinity,” I said.
Lucille scoffed in shock while Gina made a sound of surprise. Avery watched me carefully in that way he’d been doing recently, trying to catch me in some lie.
But this wasn’t a lie. And Peter Earl gave Avery a quick, curt nod to confirm it, seeming relieved to not have to lie for me.
“You saw it yourself,” Lucille spluttered, her expression morphing back into her usual sneer. “You said he used electricity!”
“The people from the Bristol Bay commune said the same, he powered the dam,” Caleb argued.
“He doesn’t have two affinities,” I said firmly. “He still only has one. I can’t explain it any other way. The old man said the same.”
“Holy Crusader,” Harper said, speaking for the first time.
Avery looked to her while Gina narrowed her eyes.
“I would never dream of questioning the Maelstrom’s abilities, but we do not know much about them, and he is not a born Sensor.
Is there any other way to have this confirmed?
A second opinion? Perhaps one of the old Sensors from the Palace may be able to explain the discrepancy. ”
Avery sat back, rubbing his chin. “It’s a fair idea, but we’re out of Sensors. The fire at the Palace…”
The table went silent.
“I see,” Harper replied. “Well, if another Sensor becomes available, it’d be worth a check, that way we know what’s causing the discrepancy. Whether the drugs work or don’t, we’ll need to continue researching why.”