Chapter 29
29
Sonny
A s it turns out, the people of the rebellion had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to break us out of those cells. They knew the first people who would be targeted once we escaped were our families, so their priority was getting them to safety before the Midnight Syndicate realized anything was astray.
“Raze almost compromised the whole operation by letting you out early,” Theo complains to us from across the table.
It’s past midnight and our empty bowls have been cleared away to make room for the map Quinn pulled out of her pantry and unrolled across the entire table. There are homes spread throughout Nocturne Valley and Infinity Heights circled in red that provide refuge from the innocent people that the Syndicate has declared traitors. Theo and Quinn have pointed out all the safe houses and businesses they have between the two towns. Each one is nestled innocuously between other random homes or downtown, right under the Midnight Syndicate’s watchful eye.
When I asked Theo why they won’t leave the area altogether to ensure their safety, he only laughed.
“The safest place for them to be is right beneath their nose. They can’t see beyond it when they look down at us,” he had told me.
He certainly has a point. Aunt Divina was hiding me in her home for years while operating as a part of their society. It makes me wonder what other secrets are hidden from them, and how we can leverage it all against them.
“We were half dead in those cells,” Jonah argues back. “It wouldn’t have been long before another one of us was killed—either by their hand, or from starvation.”
I purse my lips in agreement. Even after a few days of rest, regular meals, and whatever Raze gave us in the cabin, my body still feels weak. All of us are looking at a long road to recovery, both mentally and physically.
“You would have been worse off if he hadn’t been sneaking you meals.” Quinn purses her lips and shakes her head, as if she didn’t agree with his actions.
My mouth goes dry. He was the one bringing us food?
How could he have done that without being caught by anyone? Even us?
Theo nods in understanding. “We trusted that he would know when to make the call. It was just difficult to get everything done in that time frame.”
“Your families have been relocated to our safe houses for the time being,” Quinn adds.
Ava leans forward, eyes wide. “Can we see them?”
“You will once we can get you settled in,” Theo answers, glancing toward Quinn for permission before continuing. When she offers a subtle nod, he goes on. “They’re in the next town over, so it takes a bit of effort to transport you in and out.”
“Why can’t we stay with them?” Jonah asks.
Theo rolls his lips, looking toward Quinn to answer again. God, the man can’t seem to make a single move without her approval.
She looks like she wants to throttle him for being so obvious. They could have easily given us an excuse, and we’d have no choice but to accept it and move on. His behavior has shown all of us that they’re hiding something, though.
After a few beats of awkward consideration, she finally relents. “Your presence will put them in danger.”
As expected, Ava, Jonah, and Beatrix begin to protest and Quinn releases a heavy sigh.
“What about my uncle? Is he safe?” I ask.
Does he have any clue what his wife is a part of? What my parents started?
I can only imagine how the news about Poppy has completely shattered him.
Quinn’s mouth tightens into a thin line, her brows pushing together in that disapproving way they always do whenever I speak. “Graysen Ellery is safest with his wife.”
Her tone is bitter and resolute, making it glaringly obvious that there’s tension there. Of course, I’ve only just now pieced together that Divina killed her son. She’s got a great reason to hate my aunt—and me by proxy. And while she said it in that way to shut the subject down, her delivery has only ensured that I’ll be looking into it more.
“So, what happens next? You seem to have it all planned out and don’t want to give us any autonomy over the situation,” Beatrix mutters bitterly. When I turn back toward her, I see that she’s plastered on the fakest smile she can muster.
She’s just as irritated by all of this as I am.
“I know it feels like you’ve traded one prison for another, but a lot of careful planning has gone into your arrival. We want to make sure that all of you are as safe as possible,” Theo tries to say before Quinn interjects.
“What happens next is that you’ll all be taken to a safe house on the outer edge of Nocturne Valley,” she explains in the same cold tone she had before.
“We won’t be in the cabin anymore?” Ava squeaks. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was disappointed by that.
Quinn shakes her head, lips pinched once again. “It’s too close to the university. We need to have you somewhere that we can take you right out of town if anything goes sideways.”
“Will we get to stay together?”
“Do you want to?”
The four of us nod in unison. As much as I’ve always loved my alone time, I’m terrified of being separated from them.
“Then, yes.”
“What’s the point of doing all of this? You could have easily let us starve in those cells,” Jonah voices the question we’ve all had in the back of our minds.
Why do they care so much?
“Aside from the fact that Raze asked us to?” Quinn begins, turning to stare directly at me as she speaks. “It’s come to our attention that Sonny is an invaluable asset that we can’t let the Syndicate destroy.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask.
Quinn raises a withering brow at me. “You knew you were a Landry descendant, did you not? Or did Divina manage to fumble that as well?”
I shrink in my seat. “Well, yes, I knew.” Not because of Divina, but for some reason I don’t want to admit that and fuel her hatred toward my aunt.
She widens her eyes, shaking her head like I’m the densest person she’s had the displeasure of speaking to. “Then you’re aware that you possess all powers of all gifted bloodlines—save for Mirrane.”
Ava gasps, Jonah and Beatrix look at each other with their mouths wide open, and Theo laughs. He laughs , as if this is all such happy news.
“No,” I mumble, dropping my gaze to the table. Tracing the wood grain, I try to organize my jumbled thoughts and piece together the facts to figure out how they reached that conclusion so confidently.
There’s just no way that what she’s saying is true.
“I’m afraid so,” Quinn sighs.
“This is incredible,” Ava shouts, turning in her chair to grab my shoulders. “It explains so much, Sonny.”
“Does it?”
“Yes! The lights, the woods, the thoughts...God, who knows what else?” she muses, her eyes bright with excitement for the first time in weeks.
Jonah turns back toward Quinn. “Is this why they’re trying to kill her?”
“Why would they want to kill her over that? The power she has would be an asset to them, wouldn’t it?” Beatrix guesses, turning her gaze to the older woman as well.
“They fear what they can’t control.”
I eye her suspiciously as I carefully say, “That’s why they got rid of the Mirranes.”
She shrugs. “Something like that.”