CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CADI
Two days later, Cadi sat perched on a stool in Elias’s apartment, only half listening to the others bicker about whose plan to save Ananke was the least likely to get them all incinerated.
Every inch of the mahogany dining table in front of her was littered with maps, blueprints, or pictures, all of them covered with notes and lines that detailed every possible approach.
Cadi didn’t even pretend to know what any of it meant, and if she was being honest, she had stopped trying to follow the discussion several minutes back. Instead, she let her mind drift, replaying memories of the previous evening with Elias.
Dinner at her apartment had been as close to perfect as she could have hoped for.
She only sort of burned the chicken parmesan, a fact that Elias wisely chose to overlook, and when they were finished, he had begrudgingly relinquished his claim on the dishes, despite it being a blatant violation of their rule.
Her stomach had practically tied itself into a knot in the hours leading up to his arrival, but finding the path forward with him had been almost as easy as breathing. They weren’t the same, and she knew they never would be, but something about their connection felt stronger in the wake of it all.
The movie they picked hadn’t been on for ten minutes before she fell asleep in his arms, and she didn’t even notice her consciousness drifting until he stirred beneath her.
He had gently guided her to the bedroom, tucked the comforter around them both, and curled up behind her, falling asleep with his arm draped protectively against her hip.
Elias’s groan of frustration pulled her back to the room as he pushed off the table and turned to pace by the window. “It just can’t be this simple.”
Sera stared at him in disbelief. “I’m a little concerned that you seem to think slipping past a small battalion of armed ex-military is simple.”
Elias stopped in his path, his arms falling at his sides as he turned to fix her with an irritated stare. “You know what I mean. I just—I don’t know, I just have this feeling that we’re missing something. Something big.”
Seth stepped around the table and rested his hand against Elias’s shoulder, then a pleasant wave of serenity pulsed through the room. “Your fear is understandable, my friend. What we are set to face should be taken seriously, and it is vital that every contingency is set.”
Elias rolled his shoulders to gently step out of the god’s embrace. “Seth, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I need you to not use your sneaky calming thing on me right now.”
The corners of Seth’s mouth twitched as he took a step back and held up his palms in quiet acceptance of the boundary before continuing.
“You are right, though. Slipping past these particular guards won’t be easy.
We will need to produce a distraction big enough to pull as many of them away from their posts as possible, which is a direct violation of their rather extensive training. ”
Cadi’s head snapped up at Seth’s unexpected knowledge of the guards’ training protocols. It would seem she wasn’t the only one to catch that detail, as every other head in the room swiveled in unison to fix him with the same questioning stare. He simply shrugged, completely unfazed by their shock.
“I used to contract with that company for extra bodies on larger jobs. That is, until I learned of their unfortunate penchant for hiring former soldiers with, shall we say, less than honorable records.”
Elias ran a hand over his face and fixed Seth with a smile so laced with derision it made Cadi wince. “Great. So what’s the plan to lure these mercenaries away to clear the path to your sister?”
“That’s where I come in,” Kai said, stepping around Sera to get a better view of the topographic map and trace his finger along the thin blue line running past the star marking the hangar’s location.
“The Verdan River flows near the facility. I can use its waters to create a distraction that is truly cosmic.”
Cadi tilted her head at the way the god’s green eyes glinted with mischief as the wheels of controlled destruction spun. “You can control the river?” she asked. “I thought you were all about the ocean.”
Kai shot her a cocky grin. “All waters answer to me, though I will admit some do take a touch more … persuading than others.”
He held her stare until she gave him a slow nod. Point taken.
“I’ll draw the guards south,” he continued, “which will leave the north entrance open, but we’ll need to be fast. All my remaining power will be needed for the rite, so once that starts, my hold on the river will begin to fade.”
Sera studied the map for a moment, then nodded. “That’s perfect. Then, once the outer guards are gone, Seth, you can assume one of their forms and take out anyone that’s left inside.”
Cadi scanned the others as all of them, even Elias, nodded their understanding. She knew the gods were all able to take on different forms should the need arise, but the idea still made her head hurt if she thought about it for too long.
“That’s all fantastic,” Elias said as he stepped forward to press his palms into the table. “But what about getting out once it’s all done?”
Seth pointed to a spot at the northern end of the property. “Odin will be stationed here, keeping an eye on things.” The god paused to chuckle at his unintentional joke before pressing on. “Should anything seem off, he will alert us so we have time to evacuate.”
He let out a sigh as he rolled his dark eyes.
“Unsurprisingly, he has chosen the sound of a raven as his signal. Then, once we’re clear, áine will be waiting for us …
here.” His long finger tapped another X drawn just past a green space on the map that Cadi assumed was intended to represent a grove of trees. “With the engine running.”
“And what about Oneirios?” Kai asked.
Sera scoffed. “What about him? I thought it best if he wasn’t invited.”
Kai shot her a look of annoyance, one that only a millennia with a sister could breed. “Yes, thank you for leading us straight into my point,” he deadpanned. “How do we know he won’t interrupt us, or find us in the hangar before we can finish?”
Sera’s face drew tight as she bent forward onto her palms, letting her head hang.
After a moment, she lifted her gaze to Elias.
Cadi looked between them, trying to discern what was being communicated in their silent conversation when Elias slowly nodded his head, clearly figuring out the intent behind his friend’s steady stare.
A rhythmic tap filled the silence as Kai’s fingers drummed impatiently against the table. “Do you kids plan on sharing with the rest of the class?”
Sera looked to her brother, then back to Elias, before she tossed her chin in a gesture for him to take point.
“We only have one night where it’s guaranteed that Oneirios will be sufficiently indisposed for several hours and won’t be anywhere near that hangar,” he said, his eyes flicking to Cadi. “The Rite of Dedication.”
She shuddered, unable to contain the visceral reaction the memories of that night induced. The echoes of screams as followers were bound, the acrid taste of blood and lavender coating her tongue. Nearly a full month had passed, but it was still enough to make her stomach churn.
Cadi sat up straight as the days and weeks fell into place and she realized …
“That’s only a few days away.”
Both Sera and Elias nodded.
“Which means I have less than that to find a suitable stand-in for me at the hangar,” Sera said. “Someone with experience in witchcraft to double-check everything so the rest of you clowns don’t accidentally blow yourselves up or bring on the end times.”
“And why is that, exactly?” Kai asked.
“Because if I’m not at the rite, that means the only person on our side with eyes on our brother during this whole thing will be stuck on the dais with him,” she explained, “and something tells me he won’t be able to slip away to make a phone call.”
Elias tutted a laugh, bobbing his head in agreement.
“Where should I be?” Cadi asked as she slid off her chair to stand next to him and study the blueprints in front of her.
Even though she didn’t have the faintest idea what she was looking at.
Architecture was not her forte, but she’d like to see anyone else in that room map out upper extremity muscle innervations the way she could.
Elias angled his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. “You’ll be at Sera’s with Cuba.”
Cadi’s mouth fell open with a shocked squeak. “So while Sera is at the rite and the rest of you are storming a hangar, I’m on dog duty?”
“Actually,” Sera said from across the table, “if we’re being technical about it, Cuba is on you duty.”
Cadi’s jaw clamped shut and her expression quickly shifted into a glare. “Excuse me?”
Not only was she being sidelined, again, but the dog was put in charge of babysitting? This could not be real life.
“You’d be completely defenseless against him, love,” Elias said, taking her hand. “The safest place for you is behind the wards at Sera’s.”
“But what about you?” she challenged, her stubborn pride raising its hackles. “You aren’t a god. You don’t have any magic sparks or water persuasion or—”
“I’m not the one he’s coming for, Cadi,” he said, an edge of panic sharpening his voice.
“But—”
“Sweetie,” Sera interrupted before Cadi could push her luck any further. “I love you, and we all know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I’m with Elias on this one. My brother is fixated on you, and that’s not something that should be taken lightly.”
Cadi held her friend’s stare, but the willful pride that had been simmering in her chest began to soften at the pleading look on Sera’s face.
As much as she hated being left behind while everyone else took all the risk, she knew it would only make things worse if they were all distracted worrying about her.
Her shoulders dipped in submission, but she didn’t bother hiding her frustrated growl.