Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (111 page)

Lincoln shifted in the back corner where he now stood beside

Griffin, but when I looked over, he was watching the floor intently.

Steph started to fall back into a slumber.

“That’s okay. I knew you’d want to help her. I thought this was a better option than just taking her home.”

“Yeah, never know if anyone’s going to be there these days. I take it she’s told you Dad’s taken a permanent sabbatical from parenting?” Well, she hadn’t said it exactly like that. I knew things weren’t great and her dad was away a lot. That her mom was a bit of a…socializer and pretty erratic when it came to the mothering department. Which reminded me about her irate phone calls the night before.

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“Kind of. Actually, that’s the other reason we came to you. You see, Steph and I didn’t make it home last night. We got stuck out of the city— car trouble.”

Jase raised his eyebrows, a more suspicious look returning.

“Yeah, I know how it sounds, but it’s true. Anyway, your mom

called my dad and she was pretty worried. I think she’ll want to see Steph soon.”

Jase looked at his sister dubiously. “How soon?”

“Like after- a- cold- shower soon.”

“Great,” he said, checking his watch. “She’s going to think I

got her drunk or something and God knows what she’ll say about

her face!”

I took another good look at her and gasped. The bruised area

was definitely smaller and the visible blood vessels had disap-

peared. If I didn’t know any better…But that was impossible.

No one could have healed her. Even
I
couldn’t heal anyone other than Grigori.

I glanced at Lincoln. He was watching Steph curiously too.

“I could put a bit of makeup on her,” I said, still staring.

“Nah, it’s okay. Might be worth it for the look on Mom’s face,” he said, wearing a warm smile. “Kind of wish I’d been home last night to see her go off.” When I didn’t say anything, he quickly added, “I was working, you know, not…I did go home…Just late.”

“Sure,” I said, joking along. But Jase blushed.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lincoln shift from one foot to the other again.

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“You think you might be able to take care of that cold shower?” Jase asked me.

“Maybe you should have one too,” Lincoln said out of nowhere.

Jase spun around, sending a particularly challenging look in his direction, the wrong thing to do. Lincoln was already in protector mode. I stood up.

“Why don’t you guys go downstairs and we’ll be down in ten?”

I said.

“Won’t you need someone to help you get her downstairs or

whatever?” Jase asked.

Lincoln actually stifled a laugh.

What
the
hell
has
gotten
into
him?

“No, it’s okay. I think whatever she took is wearing off, and after a shower, I’d say she’ll be much better.” Even if she wasn’t, I could get her down the stairs more easily by myself.

Jase seemed unsure. Griffin walked toward the door.

“Come on, Jase. She’s right. Why don’t we go downstairs and

find Dapper? He’s a friend of mine, and I’m sure he’ll give you the rest of the night off.” He bled just enough truth into his words to get Jase on board. Lincoln was already on his way out.

Steph opened her eyes as soon as she heard the door close.

“You’re awake?” I said, immediately looking for some way I

could help her.

She slapped my hovering hands. “I knew it’d be easier if he

thought I wasn’t available for further discussion. So, we had car trouble last night, huh?”

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“Yeah. I didn’t know what else to say. Dad flipped and your mom was calling him, demanding to know where we were, so if anyone

asks, we were at a friend of Lincoln’s, in a bad cell reception area.”

“Got it,” she said, starting to sit up.

I helped her. “How are you feeling?”

“Better by the minute. I’ll be much fresher after that shower.” I turned on the water and gave her the change of clothes I’d stashed in my backpack.

————

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Steph looked consid-

erably improved and the damage to her cheek had faded further.

“Your bruises,” I said. “They’re getting better somehow.”

“Did you…?” Steph started, prodding near her eye.

“No,” I looked down, ashamed. “I tried with Onyx, but I can’t

heal humans.”

“Oh. Well, you’re right, I think. It’s definitely feeling better.”

“Steph, how bad was it?” I asked tentatively, petrified of what she might say.

“Other than the initial hit across my face, no one came near

me. It all happened so fast. Samuel and Kaitlin barely had time to get me to the bedroom before they were here. Dapper tried to stop them at the door— he told them it would end the neutrality agreement— but they just kept coming. I heard them fighting him and Onyx, and one of the exiles yelling at the others, telling them they weren’t approved for kills. Then they came into the bedroom.

A European- looking one— dark hair and dark eyes— came for me,

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while the others went for Kaitlin and Samuel. He hit me and that’s the last thing I remember before I woke up in Phoenix’s plane.” I didn’t know what to say, but Steph kept going.

“When I came around, I was upstairs, but I could hear Phoenix

below. He was yelling.” She swallowed. The memory frightened her.

“I’m pretty sure he was hitting someone. It was weird. From what I heard, I think it must’ve been the exile who took me. Phoenix was mad that he’d hit me.”

“You were his bargaining chip. He didn’t want you harmed.”

She nodded. “Figured it was something like that. He knew the

exchange was bogus, didn’t he?”

“I’m sorry, Steph.” I could barely look at her.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault, Vi.” She gave me a hug and I held her so tight she had to start wriggling. “Easy on the human,” she said, smiling.

“I never should’ve brought you into all this.”

Steph stood up steadily. She really was doing much better,

almost back to normal.

“We’re not having this conversation again.” And like that, she

ended it. For now. “Come on. Big brother will get more suspicious if I don’t get down there soon.”

We headed for the bar, Steph letting me keep a supporting arm

around her just in case. At the top of the stairs, she stopped.

“Did you give it to him?”

“Yes,” I said, quietly.

“Did we get the Grigori Scripture?”

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“No.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get back to the translation tomorrow. I’m getting close. A few more days and I’ll have something.”

I didn’t say anything else. I wanted to argue. Tell her to stay in bed for a week or more. But there was no telling Steph what to do, and the truth was, now more than ever, we needed that translation because something was coming— something very bad— and Steph

might be the best hope we had. A thought that made me hate myself even more. It was going to be harder to get her out of this nightmare world, in which I’d given her residency, than I’d imagined.

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chapter
fourteen

“But as for the good things of this life, and its ills, God has willed
that these should be common to both.”

saINT auGusTINe

My lungs were burning and I relished the feeling, wanting more, even though I was out of time. It had already taken two hours of running to feel the acid build up. Even doing so on empty— from lack of food and sleep— I still had super endurance. I’d wanted to hurt, needed the distraction. Anything rather than lying in bed contemplating.

Plus…I was avoiding Dad.

I still hadn’t seen him since the previous afternoon.

Th ings were spiraling and I needed to take stock, refocus.

I couldn’t function otherwise. Phoenix had outplayed me and I

couldn’t let that happen again.

I was relieved Steph was okay. And baffl ed.

I just couldn’t work Phoenix out. I was almost certain at times that a part of him hated doing these things and despised the other Emblaze.indd 154

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exiles. And yet— he was about to resurrect uber- exile Lilith. It didn’t make sense. It was as if he wanted to force himself to become something he loathed.

I wondered if it was all just to kill me. If that
was
his ultimate goal, maybe it would be better if I just let him. I could end it all before he brought her back. But deep down, I knew the time for

self- sacrifice had passed. If it were just about killing me, he’d had plenty of chances.

————

I got back to the apartment with just enough time to shower and change before school. But when I went into the kitchen to grab a quick coffee before heading back out, Dad was there, waiting.

Doesn’t he work anymore?

“Morning. I didn’t think you were…I just went for a run.”

“Hmm.”

He was dressed for work and had his drawing case in his hand.

He was still raw with me. I just had to see through the speech and then he’d be gone.

“Sorry about yesterday,” I tried.

“Violet, despite what you might think about me, I’m not

completely ignorant. Whatever you have managed to mix yourself

up in, it stops now.”

I froze at the coffee machine. “I’m not mixed up in anything.”

“Yes, you are. I don’t know what it is yet, but I will. And until you decide to be honest with me”— he took a deep breath—

“you’re grounded.”

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I almost dropped the milk jug. “
What
?” I demanded, slamming the jug on the counter.
Has
he
been
drinking?

“You…You can’t do that!” We just didn’t have that kind of

relationship.

“I just did. School and straight home every day. Study on the

weekend can be here or at the library, but home by six. That’s it.

No more late nights. I’ll be arranging to do some work from home for the next little while, so I should be here most days by the time you’re due home.”

I stood there, mouth open, stunned. I had a lot of things I

wanted to say, but for some reason, nothing came out.

Dad took my silence, inaccurately, for acceptance and gave

a curt nod before heading for the door. Before he opened it, he paused, shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Violet. But you left me no choice.” He closed the door quietly behind him.

————

“I’ve been grounded,” I said to Steph in history, after we’d finally made Lydia go away, swearing we would pass on her get- well wishes to Spence, who had decided not to turn up to school again. He was planning on stretching the mono excuse right up to graduation

next month.

“It’s like we’ve entered some kind of alternate reality. Your dad’s all fatherly and my parents are completely losing it.” Steph shook her head. Neither one of us could figure out what had happened.

The bruise on Steph’s cheek was barely noticeable beneath a

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other way, though I knew that didn’t mean there wasn’t residual damage lurking somewhere.

“How was Jase last night?” I asked, wondering if we had yet

another problem.

“He doesn’t buy the story, although Griffin did enough so that

he’s not jumping up and down too much. I think he figures you

and I got ourselves into some trouble we don’t want to admit to.

The good thing is he got up to his fair share of stuff when he was younger and he talked to Mom, who’s now decided I’m just acting out.” She drew spirals on her paper. “And when she saw my A in

chemistry, she switched back to not giving a damn.”

“Well, Jase is worried about you,” I said.

Steph raised her eyebrows. “Not
just
me. He asked after you a few times last night too.”

“Oh. Well, I probably looked pretty freaked out.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s exactly what it was. I think big

brother has a crush…” She looked like she was on the verge of

bursting out laughing.

A couple of years back, I’d had a bit of a thing for Jase. He’s two years older than us and I used to think he was seriously cute with the whole music thing he had going for him. Then I’d met Lincoln.