Stone Cold Revenge (Set In Stone, Book Two) Page 10

  I slammed the door to the guesthouse so hard, the window beside it rattled. “That son of a bitch. He knew. He knew the whole damn time.” I wanted to rage and cry and scream. “He tricked me into displaying my powers. He’s offering me to the Council like I’m some kind of power prostitute.”

  Jax tried to hug me, but I held up a hand to ward him off and paced around the living room. “No. I need to…I don’t know. Punch something.” I dropped my head and a pained breath shuddered through me. Not from fear or sadness, but from fury. Jedren had known what I was all along. Now the Council did, too. And Jedren had dangled me as a carrot.

  Teryl paced beside me. “What’s his angle? What does he really gain from this? Having you on the Council doesn’t necessarily help him. If you hate his guts and want him dead, it doesn’t make—”

  “Sense,” I finished for him in disgust. “I know, but nothing he does makes sense. The only thing I know for sure is that he wouldn’t put this much effort into it if he didn’t gain anything.”

  “I’ll ask Brenin for his thoughts,” MacLean added quietly.

  I needed to get a grip. I couldn’t think clearly with this much emotion clogging my thoughts.

  In Scotland, I’d survived only when I accidentally found out that I could manipulate Luke with a simple spoken command. Jedren had walked in before I could do much more. I thought I’d kept my secrets then. Tonight, I realized he’d known all along. I suspected he knew more about who and what I was than I did, and he wanted to capitalize on it. No surprise there. My worry was what he wanted to use me for. If he wanted a seat on the Council, why put me there? As wealthy and scary as my father was, I didn’t believe the Council could do anything he couldn’t do on his own.

  “Teryl, can you do me a favor and re-read the contract? I want to make sure there’s nothing in there that obligates me as Jedren’s heir to join the Council.” I couldn’t take a chance that he’d thrown in a loophole. He couldn’t make me apply for a Council position. I hoped.

  He nodded. “Done. Just in case, I’ll look into the application and initiation process, which is probably archaic. They don’t update things like that for modern day very often, so we should be prepared.”

  Unsure and overwhelmed, my shoulders drooped a little. The day Jedren didn’t throw me on the executioner’s block would feel like a luxury vacation. “Okay. That’s probably a good idea. I’ll see what I can get out of Luna tonight.”

  “You’re not getting anything out of me. It’s the other way around.”

  Teryl and I jumped at her voice. MacLean and Jax looked irritated.

  “What? Bad night?” she asked, and blinked with innocence.

  None of us bought it. I’d had enough unwelcome surprises this evening. “If you don’t knock next time, I’ll…”

  “You’ll what?” she purred, stepping closer. Judging by the glint in her eyes, I knew she’d welcome the challenge. And Falon’s training ensured I would be in no shape to challenge anyone for at least three days.

  I clenched my teeth and glared at her. “Guys, leave us alone. Please.”

  “We’ll, ah, see you later,” Teryl mumbled. He and MacLean walked out the door without a backward glance. Cowards.

  “Will you be okay?”

  I shrugged and tried to smile for Jax. I failed miserably. “I’d love to say yes, but I don’t have a clue.”

  “Ding, ding, ding. She finally gets it.” Luna clapped and lifted a mocking brow.

  My jaw clenched again. At this rate, I’d crack a few teeth. I directed my comment toward Jax. “I’ll be fine. Luna and I are going to come to an understanding. I’ll see you in a bit.” I waited for her to contradict me, but she didn’t.

  Will wonders never cease?

  I held onto my anger while Jax shut the door behind him. With slow, deliberate movements, I turned to face Luna fully. “We need to set some ground rules.”

  She faked a yawn. “I don’t do well with rules. I can’t help but break them, then people get mad, I don’t care, feelings get hurt…yada, yada.” She twirled her fingers in the air with deliberate carelessness. “Besides, I have to get you up to speed.” Without warning, she grabbed my arm.

  “Wait!” I yelped and jerked back. I didn’t want to repeat the experience I’d had with Elion.

  Her brow furrowed in irritation. “What? You need a potty break first?”

  “Potty break? No. I need—”

  A deep voice interrupted before I could fly off the handle. “Luna, enough.”

  Luna groaned when Elion walked up behind her with his arms folded across his chest. I wondered if that was a god pose of his.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded. “I’ve got things to do, and you seriously cramp my style.”

  The look he gave her made me take a step back. She pressed her lips together and put her hands on her hips in a huff.

  Leather pants and a long-sleeved shirt accentuated Elion’s tall, lean frame. He had pulled his long black hair into a ponytail and it made him look like an everyday kind of guy, except I could feel power streaking off him, like being pelted with large chunks of electricity. It wasn’t a comfortable sensation when he stood too close. I hadn’t encountered anyone else who threw off that much energy.

  Luna snorted. “Oh, please. Don’t flatter him. He’ll never shut up about it.”

  I grimaced. I forgot they could read my mind. Damn it. “I left off the thought that you’re both freaky and crazy.” Which was true.

  Luna looked pleased and smoothed a hand over her red curls. “Oh, stop. You’ll make me blush.”

  Elion shot her a look of irritation before turning back to me. Thankfully, he chose not to comment on my thoughts. “We don’t have time to waste. You need to know everything. Not just about your future, but about your past.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “That would be freaking great! Since you’re an all-powerful god, why don’t you give me my memories back and save us all a lot of time and trouble.”

  He nodded and said, “Good idea. My apologies for this.”

  That was all the warning he gave before he pressed his fingertip to my forehead, directly between my eyes.

  I dropped to the floor with a silent scream of agony. Information exploded in my head. Knowledge—more knowledge than I’d ever wanted to possess—filled the space in my mind, pushing worries, emotions, and rational thought to the darkest corners.

  It hurt. God, it hurt. Each bit of information felt like a white-hot needle thrust into my brain. My fingers curled and my nails left crescent-shaped welts on my palms. I shook with the effort to stay conscious.

  Eyes watering, I curled into the fetal position. Not my best moment. Head throbbing, ears ringing, I could only breathe in short, desperate pants. The effort to speak took my full concentration. I stared up at Elion. It was at least two minutes before I could force words past my throat. “A heads-up would be nice before you annihilate my brain.”

  His voice held a note of impatience and zero pity. “Who are you?”

  I closed my eyes and willed the pain to soften. My poor brain felt like mush. I filtered through the sludge to find the answer. It was slow going.

  “Who are you?” he repeated.

  I squinted up at him. Throat raw, I whispered, “I’m the one who’ll kill my father and stop him from harvesting souls.” Saying the words left a foul taste in my mouth. Jedren’s activities went beyond murder and slave trading, as Jax suspected. The souls he’d been stealing were an experiment. A sick, twisted experiment.

  Elion nodded, looking satisfied with that answer. “And?”

  I drew in a shuddering breath. “And my mother wasn’t a demigod. She was a full goddess, exiled and stripped of her powers. Because of me. And Jedren has a part of her soul.” My voice cracked on the last word.

  But so did I. I touched the pendant hanging around my neck, willing the stone to gift me with one more flash of insight. Anything that would help make this easier. I never took it off, needing that connectio
n with my mother.

  Luna held out a hand and helped haul me to my feet. “The Council is corrupt,” I went on, relieved my voice had steadied, though it still felt raw. Too bad my knees continued to shake.

  She nodded. “They’re glorified politicians. Of course they’re corrupt.”

  “And I…it’s a jumbled mess. I can’t sort through all of it.”

  “The information is there, but it will take you time to adjust to and access it. It’s more important to know your allies. They are few and far between, but essential to your path.” Elion held out a hand, palm up. A small blue flame danced along his skin. “Take this.”

  I eyed the flame but made no move to touch it. Fire shouldn’t be blue. And it definitely shouldn’t dance around as if it had a mind of its own. “I’d feel better if you were offering drugs.” Or something to dull the information surge and roaring headache. Fire seemed like a stupid thing to grab from a guy who’d just dropped me with a simple touch to the forehead. I’d asked for it, but damn, it hurt. I slowly moved my head from side to side to test the pain and winced. Eyes half closed, I tried to focus on him. The ringing in my ears was distracting.

  Elion held out his hand again. “It’s a ward.”

  I gave in to the urge to close my eyes. Counting to ten, I willed my body to stop shaking. When I felt a sliver of control, I lifted my gaze to his face. “A ward to set people on fire?” If so, I couldn’t turn it down. I only hoped I’d never have to use it.

  “No, to find the truth in them.”

  Luna heaved a dramatic sigh. “You should take it. You won’t ever have to manipulate or torture the truth out of someone.” She shrugged. “It’s not as fun, but it saves time. You’ll need it.”

  Elion gave me no choice when he took a breath and blew the flame toward me. The ward hit my left arm in a split second and seared into the bare skin. I choked on a breath as it sifted through the raw nerves of my body, straight to my brain. Indistinguishable words hummed to each of my senses.

  A few minutes passed as the ward mark formed along the inside of my forearm. Teeth clenched, I glared at Elion. “Damn it,” I hissed, voice taut with pain. “I didn’t want it.”

  I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. I felt the room dip and spin for a moment, but my mind had settled with the weight of my newfound—and unwelcome—beginnings of understanding. It would take some getting used to. After a few cleansing breaths, I stared hard at both of them. “No more. Next time, ask for permission. Don’t just shove it down my throat. Or into my brain.”

  Elion looked as if he’d argue, but I cut him off with a quick slash of my hand. “I’m serious. I deserve a choice. I would have opted for tomorrow. Tonight I need answers, not a migraine.”

  “You have answers now,” Luna pointed out.

  “I want a choice.” Please, I thought. I needed them to trust me to make the right one. I’d had too many forced on me.

  Suddenly, an arrested expression stole over Elion’s face. Luna made a small noise of surprise.

  Now what? I thought, looking around for the source of their surprise with a sinking stomach.

  “Emmaline,” Luna breathed.

  I followed her gaze to my chest. Or rather, to the pendant, which was glowing with a soft purple light. “What…?” Alarmed, I looked at Elion. “Did you do that?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No, it’s her.”

  “Who?”

  “Your mother,” Luna whispered, stepping closer. She reached out a hand, as if to touch the glowing stones.

  I stepped back before she could. Gods only knew what would happen if Luna touched me. “How is it doing that?”

  “It’s part of her soul,” Elion answered in a quiet voice. His bright blue eyes remained locked on the pendant. Was he looking for something?

  Heat pulsed from the stones. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to make me nervous. I didn’t dare touch it, Mom or not. Gwen, an oracle, had given me the pendant a little over a week ago and while it had changed color, it had never done this. “Why is this happening?”

  Elion’s smile slipped from his face. “Because I gave you the knowledge.”

  Luna pulled out the dagger and began to flip it. Her movements were quick and agitated. “I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to get up to speed. Yesterday. We don’t have time to hold your hand.”

  I saw red. “You know what? I’m sick of your…” I trailed off when the memory finally hit me. “My mother could…restore souls?” I tested the words, but they felt wrong. The pendant flared with heat. The images in my mind momentarily clouded my vision.

  Emmaline cupped the soul in her hands. Long, graceful fingers curled protectively around the stone housing the soul. She held it to her mouth, whispering words in a language known to few.

  The soul seemed to respond. Not with words or sound, but with a soft pulse of light and shift of energy.

  Emmaline’s smile lit up her face. She turned to a table where a body rested. A man, naked from the waist up. More whispered words, a lilting melody. In a brilliant flash of light, the stone disappeared.

  Emmaline pressed a hand to the man’s forehead. His eyes flickered and then slowly opened.

  “Welcome back,” she said. Her quiet voice echoed in the stillness.

  Jedren smiled up at her.

  Luna snapped her fingers, drawing me back to the present with a jolt. “Hey, no time for that.”

  Elion sighed. “Emmaline could restore souls. Not all souls, but most. I gave you a few of her memories as well. I hope it will help you with your magic. She is…was a weaver goddess. She could lace and bind the threads of a soul to the present. Powerful souls.” He waited for me to grasp his words. “Like your father.”

  “She saved his life? And he took hers?” I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. What motive could he have had, then or now?

  “Oh, please,” Luna muttered. “It’s far more complicated than that. The pettiness and petulance of the gods and goddesses make daytime television look like child’s play. Your father would make the worst of the worst villains proud.”

  “Feel free to enlighten me,” I replied, matching her snarky tone. Shaken to my core, it was almost a relief to latch onto a bitchy attitude.

  “You want to know?” Luna’s voice went flat. I nodded. In a motion too quick for my eyes to follow, she threw her dagger into the doorframe and I watched the handle vibrate from the impact. “Your father would have you threading souls into bodies faster than you could say ‘Who’s your daddy?’”

  I sucked in a breath. “Why would I do that? Like some sort of zombie queen? Hell, no.”

  “I believe you mean necromancer,” Elion said. “That’s the ability to raise the dead. You, on the other hand, merge souls into living bodies. You can’t thread a soul to a dead body.”

  I looked at Elion in disbelief. “I don’t care what you call it. I’m not doing it!”

  “Oh, to be young and naive again.” Luna sighed in mock sympathy. “You’ll have no choice if you don’t pull your head out of your ass.”

  I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’ll go out on a limb here, but I assume this weaving—this resurrection—requires my cooperation. Therefore, my answer would be no. Case closed.”

  “He’ll have your cooperation.” Elion’s prediction was quiet but ominous.

  I glared at him. “How do you figure?”

  Luna’s laugh held no humor. “He has leverage, Buttercup. You better think of a plan B.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Leverage. Of course, Jedren would have leverage. Fear coated my soul as I stared at them. “Jax?” I whispered.

  Luna shook her head. “No, not Jax. The oracle’s girlfriend. They’re holding her captive at this moment.”

  My stomach twisted. Teryl’s fiancée, Clio.

  Oh, no. No, no, no.

  Too caught up in my own drama, I hadn’t asked Teryl if he’d spoken to her this week. I should have. A best friend would ask something like tha
t. “Is she okay?”

  Neither answered.

  My palms began to sweat. I don’t know why I expected them to say yes. My father didn’t operate like that. He never bluffed, and he rarely gave a warning before destroying someone’s life. I’d lost sight of that, too caught up in a pity party. So stupid.

  I had to swallow a few times to clear the lump of emotion welling. “What good is my ability to restore souls if I can’t help my best friend? I’m the reason Clio’s…” I couldn’t finish the thought. Fury and remorse washed over me. “Does Teryl know?”

  Luna gave me a clipped nod.

  Dazed, I looked for my cell phone. “I have to call him. He’ll need me.”

  “Leave him be.” Luna’s impatient tone barely registered. “Talking to him tonight won’t help.”

  I reached for my purse sitting on the counter. “I have to see if he’s okay,” I mumbled to no one in particular.

  Elion took the purse from my shaking hands and set it aside. “You need the oracle,” he said in a firm, yet not unkind voice.

  “No, he needs me. He’s my best friend and—”

  “No,” Luna interrupted. “The other one.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “Oh, that one. Yeah, I know exactly who you’re talking about.”

  “Sarcasm looks as bad on you as those ugly jeans you usually wear,” Luna threw right back. “I’m talking about her.”

  Suddenly, a woman I’d met last week in Scotland was standing in my kitchen. A sense of déja vu left me nauseated. Gwen’s mother had been the oracle who’d read my fate when I was born. I’d gone to Scotland to see her, but my father had beaten me to her house.

  The horrific memory of seeing Gwen’s mother lying dead on the kitchen floor of her home flashed through my mind. I knew Gwen blamed me. I thought she had every right to. I’d brought Jedren to Scotland, right to her mother’s door.

  Gwen looked around my kitchen in confusion. When her gaze landed on me, it shifted from confusion to resentment. Her soft Scottish brogue broke the silence. “What am I doing here?”

  This entire situation left me exhausted. I hitched my thumb toward Elion and Luna. “No idea. Ask them.”