Chapter 20 Find Your Flame
Find Your Flame
REBEL
When we connect my whole family together via our shared magic, it’s brutal.
I expected to be overwhelmed—how could I not when we’re putting the strength of so many powerful supes into one strand of energy?
But it’s much bigger than I expected and my eyes open to look at the woman I’ve loved since I set foot in this realm.
She’s a supernova of colors and sparkles mixed with the deep jewel tones of my Unseelie magic and the fiery darkness of the twins’ demonic powers.
Golden threads from Javier and bright blue threads from Archie join them at a nexus focused solely in front of Rogue.
Much like in life, she’s the center of interconnected powers, strengthening and bringing us together simultaneously.
“Damn, boys,” she mutters. “I didn’t know you had all this hiding from me. No way this is staying hidden from all the gawkers—it’s enormous.”
I chuckle and shake my head slightly. “Focus, Rogue. Extend the woven threads out to the surrounding area and see if you can find the demonic hotspots. You, Ang, and D have similar signatures, so that will help you scry even without an object.”
Usually this sort of thing is my role when we’re working, but the magic we’ve assembled doesn’t want me to guide it.
My step sis needs to sharpen her mind and imagine the landscape as best she can so the feelers will travel along the topography until it reaches our goal.
She’s had the training for this moment; however, it’s simply not one of her higher-tier skills.
But I know she can do it.
“This is insane,” Archie mutters. “Shifters don’t get to be included in stuff like this often. I’ve watched you guys do things, but I’ve never been part of it. You know?”
“It’s a trip the first time.” Javier grimaces and I wonder what kind of stupid shit his parents have forced him to be part of.
They’re part of the ruling class in this city because of wealth and rarity, so it’s not a stretch to believe that people are paying for the use of their feathers in both sketchy and legitimate rituals.
The damn things are worth a small fortune, even the tiniest ones.
“At least you’re not required to cry for it. ”
“I’m going to murder them.” Rogue’s grumbling threat is about our phoenix’s parents—their tears are even more valuable than the feathers.
Obviously, he’s been made to create them for profit and it was definitely before he got old enough to fight back.
I don’t blame her for the desire for vengeance, but we have a lot of our enemies on our plate as it is.
“Focus.”
She growls at me, but stops talking, and I see her shoulders drop a little as tension seeps out.
There’s no way she will be able to wield this much power without keeping her mind only on guiding it to every nook and cranny of this manufactured portal.
It’s vast and was created by both magic and technology—I think.
It doesn’t feel like pure magic, nor does it feel like only some scientific creation that humans would keel over if they knew about.
It’s a mix, and I wonder who the criminal organizations in this city partner with to create it.
I doubt the Society knows what they’re doing with this shit because they aren’t invited.
“Does this whole place feel fucking weird to you guys? I didn’t notice it until we connected, but the vibe is off.” I don’t move, but I hope they know I’m addressing everyone but Rogue. “It’s not all supernaturally created.”
Javier nods, his expression thoughtful. “Yes. I had an odd feeling when we entered, but I attributed it to the variation of species and age ranges here. All the enormous territories and the proliferation of strong beings threw me off, I guess.”
“I haven’t noticed anything,” Archie admits. “But this isn’t my forte. My moms and dads are involved in the shifter council, sure, but they don’t fuck with the Lucky Charms stuff.”
Snickering, Damon arches his brow at the lion. “Arch, magic users aren’t all leprechauns, you know. Or Fae, obviously. There’s a lot of variation in that gift.”
“Duh, D,” the hockey player says as he rolls his eyes. “But you knew what I meant. Non-mythical shifters are often fearful of magic and the consequences of playing with it. We’re more physical and focused on using the body’s strength than playing with universal forces and nature.”
“This is fascinating, boys. However, I’m not sensing the shit Reb says I should.
Do you think they’ll be able to cloak it, even with our combined efforts?
” Rogue frowns, but doesn’t open her eyes again.
“I think I was able to locate where the most powerful beings in all the sectors are within them. But there aren’t spots where I’d assume the Gemini leaders and their fucking traitors are hiding. What now?”
“You need to try harder,” I say firmly. “If you found the highest level folks, you’re scratching the surface of what you’re capable of without our help. I can do it on my own and so can you. Push the extra flow into that rope of magic—really infuse it before you send out feelers again.”
Rogue hates shit she can’t do immediately and without a lot of effort; it’s the curse of being as smart as she is.
“Reb, that’s what you always say.” Our girl lets out a grunt and I worry I’ve pushed her too hard, but she finally sighs. “Okay, that hurt, but maybe I’m getting more traction by weaving it tighter so more energy can be combined.”
She has to figure this out; we need to know where that meeting is before it ends.
Our circle stays connected long enough to concern me—Rogue is still trying to manipulate our combined powers to find our next stop, but since she didn’t develop this skill previously, it’s not moving quickly.
I’d love to lecture her about that—I definitely told her to stop ignoring the things she couldn’t do at first—but for now, my attention is on whether supes who pass by are noticing what we’re doing.
I think we’re still under the cloak we placed, but I have no idea how long that will hold or if it will fade as Rogue continues drawing on us.
“Is it possible they’ve left to meet? Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place.”
Archie’s question isn’t a bad one, and I turn to look at Angelo.
He shakes his head, his expression grim.
“No, they wouldn’t do that. The territory is tied to the power of the Gemini org as a whole and leaving this…
pocket portal or whatever… would weaken their ties to it.
Luca and Lola have to be in this place somewhere. ”
“Wait!”
We all turn to look at our girl, surprise etched on our faces.
She frowns, looking confused, then her eyes open to meet our gaze.
“There’s a spot that feels… dead. It’s not full of magic, nor spirit.
Hell, it’s like a big icy blotch at the very edge of the area where the groups are going to meet, overlapping with the godly realm’s section.
I think the amount of energy coming from their shit was masking it at first.”
I sigh in relief. I knew she could do this, but I wasn’t sure if she could do it before we got caught.
Now, we can pull back slowly and head for the place she found with our combined magic instead of standing here like sitting ducks.
“Okay, bring the threads back in carefully, then once the whole cord is in front of you, the shifters will unweave their parts. Then the demons will extract, and after that, Rogue and I will recede. It has to be slow and cautious; otherwise, backlash could injure someone.”
“You’re awfully bossy for not being the one in charge,” Angelo says with a smirk. “The Princess is too focused to call you out, bro, but I’m pretty sure she knows how this works.”
“Ha. You’d think so, Ang, but our girl hates practicing shit she’s not good at.
It’s a continual struggle in training and on our occasional field missions to get her to do the things she needs the most practice with—including this kind of location spell.
” I grin smugly, then yelp when a bolt of electricity travels down my line to shock me. “I’m telling the truth, woman!”
“Maybe, but you’re being a dick. Partners compliment one another, so if you’re better at shit, it makes sense for you to do it.” Her expression is irritated, but she’s obviously still working to pull back all the thickly woven thread with all our magic. “And it’s distracting, so shut up.”
“Angelo started it,” I mutter as I look away. I hate when I get the short end of the stick with the elder demon. The others usually don’t best me, but Ang is a master at prodding me until I get myself yelled at. “Gripe at him, why don’t you?”
Archie snarls softly. “Guys, cut it out. Wheels is trying to do this shit. If you want to fight, hold it in for the assholes we’re looking for.”
He’s right, of course, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“Almost there,” Rogue says, stopping the bickering as we turn back to her. “Right about… now.”
Her sigh makes me smile because I know she struggled with reeling it back in once she’s released it.
It’s not the hardest part of mental scrying, but it is the most tiring.
We probably need to find somewhere with food and drink to refill her before we go charging into any rooms full of nasties.
Fae draw strength from the land, but based on what our new friends told us, we definitely do not want to pop into the Fae lands.
We have to grab some quick energy shit from whatever we can find in the open area in front of the meeting stage.
“As I said before, bring it back slowly, Javi. Arch, follow his lead.”
The lion snorts, sucking in a breath as he closes his eyes to visualize what I instructed.
He’s not really being a dick as much as releasing his worry about Rogue.
I know that this is out of his expertise, and it leaves him feeling useless since there’s not a need for physical protection at the moment. “You’re not my supervisor, Kelly.”
Damon chuckles softly. “That’s right. You belong to Sparkles and me, baby.”
Angelo groans, shutting his eyes as he tilts his head upwards. “You two are fucking killing me, man. Can we all stop with the sexual innuendo until we finish this? I feel like this is a gaggle of clowns bumbling around the center ring. Good thing no one can see or hear us—I think.”
Rogue looks tired as she grins. “That’s how I always feel with you assholes. Let this be a lesson for you.” She stops talking for a moment, then shakes her head. “They’ve got their lines, Reb. The twins are next, then you.”
“You know I won’t totally be gone, right?” I ask carefully. “There will be a little piece left because we still need to complete the bond. Their pieces are permanent, so when they pull back, what they left is absorbed by the essence inside of you. For me, it will be sort of… free roaming.”
Groaning as the line of power recedes into him, Angelo gives me a side-eye.
“The Fae are so fucking bizarre, man. I’m not even sure I want to know what kind of shit is going to happen when you two actually finish the mating.
Every time you tell us a little piece of your lore, I want to put my thumbs in my eye sockets. ”
I shrug, giving him an unrepentant look. “Demons are pretty weird, too. But you know the ones who trump us all? The fuckers we’re about to invade, so get ready for the world to shake and shiver, man.”
I don’t know how much contact they’ve had with the godly blessed, but Rogue and I are very aware of how fucking difficult even their demi-progeny can be—and it’s no walk in the park.