Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
BIANCA
A nagging voice snags me out of my slumber. When I open one of my eyes, I realize it’s Alejandra. I try to focus on her voice, but it’s hard. When I realize she’s giving me a rundown of today’s schedule, I wonder how long she’s been going at it. I’m sure I missed almost everything she said.
“Can you wait for me to have some coffee?”
I’m still in bed, and my nest of hair is blocking my vision. I don’t have to see her face to know she already has a scowl.
“Go find Brandon and follow him to his meetings. Stay away from any of the Duelo assholes. And for the love of all the Fates, don’t allow any of their friends to drag you into an argument. They love to cause trouble; they’re instinctively shit stirrers. A lovely family trait deep in their veins.”
With that warning, she moves to the ensuite bathroom and disappears behind the door. I wait to hear the lock set in place before I throw the covers to the side and dress for my shift.
Brandon’s suite is in a separate building from the rest of the castle. Our room is in the same building as his, just outside his common area and with extra bedrooms. Like always, Isabel and Lexi Blue are staying close to him. Jesse is staying with his grandfather in the King’s wing.
I hear a movement inside Brandon’s room as I enter the common space. I’m supposed to stay out here until he is ready to go, but part of me craves a little time alone with him, away from prying eyes. The way his eyes take me in and his voice softens when we’re alone is like a drug. The fact that I don’t hesitate to find him shows how addicted I am.
I crack the door open and peek inside. It’s not what I was expecting to see.
“Can I help you find something?” I ask as I press my blade snugly against the stranger’s neck.
His breathing hitches, but he doesn’t move to leave. Slowly, his hands raise above his head. I don’t move my eyes from him for a second. There is a strange soft glow to his skin. Definitely not natural.
Before I can call for help, the suite’s front door opens and closes. Footsteps follow, and then Brandon stands in the doorway. His smirk is lazy and taunting at first. It quickly drops as he sees me.
“What are you doing?” Confusion is written all over his features.
I look at the man I’m holding. “Isn’t it obvious?”
The captive takes that moment to get me off him, only making my blade slide into his skin. A trickle of blood drops from my blame down the front of their shirt. Brandon realizes I’m not alone in his room as his eyes trail the movement of the blood. He gives me a questioning brow but doesn’t look alarmed.
“Call off your dog.” The man tries again to move off my grasp.
“I’m afraid Fifth does what she wants.” The crown prince gives him a tired sigh. “She can obviously see you through your glamor. You can drop it now.”
The glow on his skin disappears. “She cut me,” he cries.
“I barely touched you.” I roll my eyes.
“Nice little trick, Ray. I can see why you have kept the ability a secret.” Brandon crosses the distance closer to the intruder. “What prompts this very unwelcome visit?”
“The bonding ceremony ribbon went missing last night.”
I had never heard of a bonding ribbon. The House of Fire has more traditions than any royal family, including a soulmate bonding tradition. I never learned how it took place.
Brandon crosses his arms. “You think you’ll find your spirit stick in my room?”
I hold back laughter at the remark. The man pushes off my grip and turns around. I don’t bury my blade in his throat because his hands are still in the air, and I doubt he could take Brandon down on his best day.
“My bonding ceremony with Janelle will happen whether or not we have the bonding ribbon. As you have said, it’s just a spirit stick. Nothing to do with the actual ceremony. If you come across it, return it before anyone else knows it is missing.”
I can finally see the entire face of the man. This is the same man who sat with the Duelo family for dinner last night. The sharp edges of his face make him look creepy this close up. He is about ten to fifteen years older than us, in his early forties. Far too old for Janelle. I hold back a wince at the thought. There’s something evil in his energy, something that tells me to be on alert.
“If I find it.” Brandon’s expression gives nothing away. “Ray,” he calls. “If I ever find you again in my space without permission, I’ll kill you on the spot. This is your one and only warning. Royal blood ties or not. ”
“I figured all friendship would end with the announcement of my bond to the only Duelo daughter.” His smirk says he isn’t sorry for the loss. “Give your brother my condolences. I don’t think he’ll take it kindly coming from me.” His eyes move to me and narrow ever so slightly. “Never met anyone who can see through glamor.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say the same, but I stay in place.
Brandon takes a step forward, blocking Ray’s view of me. “See yourself out.”
With that stern warning, Ray leaves. A million questions run through my mind as the man exists. What does he mean by sending his brother condolences? Does he mean Jesse?
We wait until the suite door shuts before I turn to Brandon. He pulls me to his chest as his arms wrap around me.
“How did you see him in glamor?”
“With a sheen of white glow.” I rest my chin on his chest and look at him. “What do you think it means?”
He gently moves my hair behind my ears and rests his forehead on mine. “I think only the Fates would have the answer to that. Your gift is powerful, and we’ve only seen a little of what it can do. That would also make this make more sense.” He shows me what he has been holding the whole time.
“What is that?” I tap the book in his hand.
“Lexi Blue found a book that talks about your gift.” He looks down at the item like he already regrets what he’s about to show me. “Looks like your gift has a history.” He hands me what I see is a diary. “This person details all the things they can do with their gift. Seems to be like yours. Read up on it. There’s a lot for you to learn. It can’t hurt to know all you are capable of.”
I take it from his hands, examining the golden detail on the journal. The fabric of the spine is expensive and heavy .
“I need you to come with me somewhere,” Brandon says.
“Where?” I ask, distracted by examining the journal.
“We’ll be sneaking onto another island.”
He tucks at a piece of hair to get my full attention. The gesture is endearing. I stop and recall that we’re in the desert. There is no water anywhere near us.
He waits for me to add something, but when I don’t, he proceeds, “We are going to Luzes.”
I must be hallucinating because they don't allow even King Oscuro to enter the land of angels. No one is. The blessed and the angels are the only ones ever to be invited. I think he has lost his mind.
“How do you plan on getting away with that?”
“There are portals in all major cities for angels to transport in and out.” He gestures between us. “We are going to sneak into one, go there, and speak to the Chief Guard.”
“Yeah?” My tone is mocking. “What do you plan on telling the Chief Guard of Luzes?”
He holds my shoulders and gives me a dazzling smile. “To meet us in two weeks at Fierno.”
He’s dropping pieces of information one by one like bombs. I can tell he’s doing it for dramatic effect. He knows he sounds crazy, and he doesn’t care; he’s enjoying himself.
“Why would an angel, the Chief Guard of Luzes, want to meet us at Fierno?”
“Because of you.” He taps my nose.
“Me?” I ask in disbelief.
“You.” He taps the book in my hands this time.
“He is not just any Chief Guard, Gabriel has a very special story.”
Brandon gestures for me to follow as we walk out of the room. I look at my watch. We are just in time for his first meeting of the day.
“Gabriel,” I say.
“You know him?”
I nod. How could I forget the beautiful angel that would come to Fierno once a year on the winter solstice? No one knew the reason, but we all knew the date. He was always in a sunny mood. If we waited around the center, we could get a glimpse of him.
“I know he is an angel. He goes to Fierno every year on the same date. I didn’t know he was the Chief Guard of Luzes.”
Brandon nods. “Do you know why?”
I shake my head. It makes little sense for someone with his title to go down to Fierno himself. I can’t think of something that could be so important that he had to tend to himself year after year.
“Gabriel has a brother who didn’t get blessed when passing.”
“He was cursed?” I ask.
The puzzle begins to fall into place. That must be why he goes to the City of Sin. His brother must live there. Gabriel going to visit his brother in Fierno makes sense. That’s why he doesn’t send someone else in his place.
“Not just cursed. His brother is Mel,” he says.
The name feels like a sin spoken out loud. I stop in my tracks. I stare at Brandon, knowing where he was going with this.
“You are going to ask Mel for the souls.”
Just speaking his name gives me goosebumps. I’ve never seen the demon, but I have heard enough. His name cleans out taverns.
“A favor for a favor.” His tone is so blasé.
“We’re going to ask one of the most brutal demon legion sergeants for two souls.” I repeat the sentence slowly because I do not think Brandon understands what is being said or the gravity of what he is planning to do.
Maybe he doesn’t know Mel or hasn’t heard of the guy. I shake my head because this is the most dangerous and absurd plan anyone could have devised. Then, I recall the part about me.
“You said Gabriel would meet us at Fierno because of me. What do I have to do with this?”
“Gabriel goes to Fierno once a year because that is the only day he can visit his brother. They are both cursed to only see each other one day a year.”
His eyes trail down to the journal in my hands. I look at the journal.
“You think I can do anything about it?”
“There are loopholes for every curse. Whoever placed this curse on the brothers never accounted for you. Someone with your gift best said.”
“In exchange for me to allow him to see his brother for an extra day.” I gulp. “He is going to kill us for even suggesting something.” A shiver passes through my body.
“You are underestimating the love he has for his brother.” His arm wraps around my trembling shoulders. “If he kills you, he won’t have you at his disposal to speak to his brother. 364 days of the year.”
I push him off me. “That isn’t funny, Brandon. I don’t want to be a demon’s telephone connection to his brother.”
He stops and looks at me head on. “I would never allow that.”
His words are so sincere; I know he means every single one of them.
“What if I can’t do it?” I scratch my head.
“There might be something else I could offer Mel. But he won’t entertain the idea of seeing us if Gabriel isn’t with us. This is the best chance we have.”
We round a counter and enter the main building. Our conversation pauses for the time being. If only I could pause my brain from obsessing over it. We make it to the first meeting, and I take my guard post behind Brandon. Meeting after meeting, we hear reports, suggestions, and future plans. I get a break when Brandon takes lunch with his grandfather on his wing, and I can take my leave.
A fter an hour of napping in my bed, I get up and look for food. It takes me twenty minutes to find the food hall. When I walk in, all I see is chaos. Tables are overturned, food is scattered, and a crowd surrounds two men on the floor, plummeting at each other.
I find Isabel, Alejandra, and Roman at the front of the fight. Roman’s presence gives me pause for a second. I didn’t know he would join us at any of the stops. A mixture of excitement, fear, and annoyance shows on their faces.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Roman. He doesn’t answer me, too focused on the fight happening in front of him. That’s when I realize one man fighting is Jesse. The other is Ray, the man I found in Brandon’s room earlier. Jesse is thoroughly kicking his ass.
“Please, babe, this isn’t you,” a girl yells, mascara tears trailing down her face.
“This is precisely who he is,” Roman chuckles while clapping.
He’s ecstatic for his brother and not bothered by the fact that the brother in question is presently covered in another man’s blood .
“Who is she?” I ask no one in particular.
“Lucy was making out with Ray in a dark corner in the hall,” Alejandra says it like that explains everything. What happened to the Lord of Wisdom? That man has some sick bloodthirst.
“And Lucy is who to Jesse?” I ask.
“Ray is betrothed to the dragon princess.” Alejandra says. After a bit she adds, “Lady Janelle but he was kissing Lucy.” She rolls her eyes, like I should know this already.
The sicker part is that Janelle is standing right behind Jesse when he gets off the ground. She looks almost proud. At least until she switches her attention to the bloody mess of a man on the floor. Her eyes narrow into deadly slits. Her stare, not even directed at me, causes goosebumps to cover my arms.
Without saying a word, she turns her gaze to Jesse. Her hand lazily touches his shoulder to direct him. He doesn’t just allow her touch, he relaxes against it. Without a single word to the crowd, he follows her.
“I’ve never seen Jesse so upset,” Isabel says.
I don’t seem to be the only one at a loss.
Roman gestures for us to follow the departing couple. “Let’s just say it was long overdue, sugar.”
We turn the hall right after Jesse and Janelle, but stop in our tracks when we see Jesse pinning Janelle against the wall. Both of his hands are caging each side of her face. She doesn’t look scared despite his expression seeming deadly.
Brandon walks out of a door adjacent to the development in the hall. His eyes go to Jesse and Janelle. Perfect timing.
“Jesse,” Brandon calls in a stern tone. “Please step away from our host.”
His brother doesn’t react to the request. Instead, his face gets even closer to hers until their noses touch. He whispers something we can’t hear .
“You’re being rude.” Brandon tries again. His tone is lighter than the stern expression on his face.
He looks around, noticing a few other people have joined us at the edges of the hall, watching everything develop. With one last attempt, Brandon moves to the door he’d vacated and opens it.
“Janelle and Jesse, please join me in here now.” His words boom through the hall, leaving no room for hesitation.
To our surprise, Jesse steps back and stretches his hand for her to go first. Janelle walks to the door Brandon opens, ignoring us. The three disappear behind the definite click of the shutting door.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a bathroom,” Isabel says in a mouse-like whisper.