Chapter 32
Cayden
Shimmering ribbons of baby-blue magic and bright gauze draped the vaulted ceiling of The Great Hall.
The Architect’s sleeping cat flag hung from every corner.
Lively music drifted from a complicated stage on the far side of the room, while an entrance to the left led to a little market with literally every vendor on The Mile giving out free samples and making connections.
My stomach twisted with unease. The party had just started, and already there were more people than I was comfortable with and barely an enforcer to be seen.
We didn’t know who rigged the train tunnel, but we managed to recover the objects used to do it. None of them contained the runes of my family; instead, traces of light purples and pinks mixed with a muddy brown. The blend made it impossible to track.
If it wasn’t my family, it could have been anyone.
I ended my circuit of the Mixer where I started it, just shy of the double doors, thrown open wide so anyone could come in.
Alexander—no, the Architect—wasn’t who I expected.
I wouldn’t let myself befriend Quinn’s captor.
If I had his abilities, I would have ripped through the minds of every person with hints of purple, pink, or brown magic until I found whoever threatened Quinn.
But the mentalist lived by some self-imposed code that leveled the playing field.
My Prophet wasn’t a mentalist. The stark contrast between his control over my life and Alexander’s refusal to interfere became a river of raging emotions. I struggled to keep my footing on either bank.
I growled. Not Alexander.
Another family waltzed through the doors in patterned lace and asymmetrical designs, looking like fashion sketches brought to life.
Smiles as straight as their hemming filled their faces.
Coming from a locked-down compound, I understood the Architect’s goals academically, but this was giving people a peek at our lives. It wasn’t right.
My negativity perfectly contrasted the heart now beating next to mine. It was both incredible and pure torture. I didn’t like knowing Quinn’s feelings without understanding what caused them. I’d clung to Hero’s updates on her pampering and prep with his twin.
No matter how much I ached for her, I had to keep my distance. I was a dirty Lawson. My presence at her side would hurt the independent, available picture we wanted to paint.
I hated when Everly was right.
I brushed my fingers over the jeweled bracelet hidden beneath the sleeve of my white suit. The uneven line of white and silver gems grounded me. Quinn made it; it was imperfect, intentional, and hers. She trusted me. I’d never take it off.
Guests started to arrive in force. I snagged a drink off a passing server’s tray. The caramel-haired bartender who’d kept Quinn’s TB from her quickly vanished behind a trio of men in kilts of ash and white.
The rune on my wrist ignited, burning, blackening, and pulsing with command. Pain lanced up my arm, ordering me to stand at the front of The Great Hall in a few hours. My heart pounded. We’d always declined the invitation. But this year, my brothers touched Quinn. This year, they were coming.
Fear slid under my skin. In public, they couldn’t do much.
I hoped.
I focused on the stream of new arrivals, all dressed to impress.
Sparkly, short dresses and long, elegant gloves to prevent skin contact were the trend.
Similar sparkles graced a few men who prefer suits with too many frills to be practical.
A McDonald walked in wearing Quinn’s prom dress…
coincidence or power play? I didn’t care enough to ask.
Finally, I felt Quinn move through the tether. My assessment of the party took a back seat as I savored the sensation of knowing where she was. When I realized I’d tethered her, I almost lost it. Control is what I was running from. It was everything I was trying to free Quinn from.
Saying I did not adjust well to the changes was an understatement.
Rowan had been the one to calm me down. It was his voice, telling me over and over that the knowledge I gained wasn’t bad; only acting on it against Quinn’s wishes was.
While I raged and wallowed in self-pity because of what I’d done, he’d quietly accepted all of it.
I’d clung to the oversized, optimistic enforcer, who saw the world through the light my Sun God should have given me.
And now, I wasn’t sure if I could claim Quinn was my only friend.
I knew the instant she entered The Great Hall. Rowan and I both looked up as if marionettes controlled by the same string.
Her toe caught, and she made a small hop, arms flailing awkwardly but adorably to keep her balance. A perfect blush spread across her cheeks, too flawless to be real.
I gazed at the real reason I’d chosen to wear white tonight.
Quinn’s body was filling out beautifully.
A stunning beaded halter top that matched my bracelet led to a baby-doll skirt.
Little matching flats covered her feet—all in white, symbolizing her neutrality.
Brit must have done her hair. A tangle of braids of different sizes wove up, showing off her sparkling stripes before coming to a high ponytail, which playfully swung behind her.
A thin strap of the same jeweled fabric tied under her breasts, accentuating her curves and highlighting her figure.
The skirt was perfectly on trend. Another layer of sparkling beading peeked out from the bottom.
‘Close your mouth, lover boy,’ Rowan teased in my head.
He stepped up to my side, decked out in a kilt of his family’s blue and red. I clicked my jaw shut without comment, unwilling to be grateful for his strong presence at my side.
Keeping Quinn alive had connected us. It wasn’t a tether, but mixing that much power created something new. I didn’t understand it, but with Quinn’s link still settling in me, I’d accepted whatever this was and moved forward.
It’s what Quinn would have done.
Brit reached out and steadied my girl. The scantily clad pit fighter’s white leathers were accented with the same sparkling gemstone work as Quinn’s. Brit’s hard, scarred body perfectly balanced Quinn’s tiny, innocent doe appearance. It would throw even the best smooth talker off their game.
‘It’s too bad Joe isn’t here. Brit’s a walking piece of art,’ Rowan said.
‘Your only comment is for Brit?’ I asked, finally acknowledging our mental connection.
Rowan elbowed me, and I smiled despite myself.
He stepped forward and joined a pack of muscle-bound men in the same kilts as him. The group descended upon Quinn. I lost sight of her, but, to my surprise, voices filtered into my thoughts. It took me a moment to realize Rowan was letting me listen in.
“I see why my son is so desperate to get out of his contract. But, I do have one more, ready to leave my home in a year,” a man’s low voice said.
“Ah, thanks, I think.” Quinn’s voice. “But it’s not about your family; I, uh, don’t even know you. And Rowan’s doing it for himself.”
I could picture her beaming at the big elemental enforcer.
“Love,” the first man who had spoken said. “It’s a thing rarely found anymore. Not the same as happiness, mind you, but necessity breeds invention, not emotion.”
“A deep thinker,” Quinn said. “Must have skipped a generation.”
The group laughed, and jealousy pinched my heart, not for Quinn and Rowan, but for my family.
My life flashed before my eyes, endless hours of training and worshiping. I laughed as a kid—I was sure—but for years, my humor had been fleeting and followed by penance. The demands of the family were my mother’s embrace, while the strict rules of my Prophet were my father’s love.
I rubbed my wrist before pushing down my self-pity and listening once more.
A bit of awkward small talk followed. Someone, I assumed Brit, jabbed Quinn’s side when she drifted off topic, and she quickly shifted her dialogue.
It took me a moment to realize that Rowan had set up this practice exchange for our girl.
‘Thank you,’ I said in Rowan’s mind.
The elementalist smirked.
A few minutes later, Quinn exited the pack of Tates. She didn’t make it five steps before a group of women, Everly included, brought her into their circle. I hovered while trying not to hover, unable to hear without Rowan but not quite willing to let Quinn out of my sight.
She left Everly and made it another foot before a third group of people stopped her. She still hadn’t snagged a drink, but her energy had steadied. I picked my way through the crowd. I couldn’t be by her side, but a few visits wouldn’t hurt anything.