Chapter Thirty-four.
That night, Zoe went to Gavin"s house after work. Jack and his Elemental friends-except for the elusive Waeter, Xanthos, whom she still hadn"t met-scattered around the living room, discussing the day"s developments.
"What did you find out?" Zoe sat next to Gavin on the couch and leaned into him for warmth. His skin was sallow, his cheeks unshaved. He looked awful. She knew how he felt. Tired, brain-fried, and anxious, Zoe ached for him.
But they weren"t the only ones who were out of sorts. The whales had been twitchy today, too. Everyone had. There was a dark vibe in the air.
He laid a hand on her thigh and squeezed. She slid her fingers between his. d.a.m.n, how she wished they could be alone.
"We"re getting reports of increasing Fyre activity. Not just here. All around the country," Gavin said.
The wiggly worm of dread burrowed deeper into her stomach. "Did you see the lightning today?"
The skies had been ominous, the clouds angry, but not a drop of rain in sight. Not even humidity that sometimes came with approaching thunderstorms. And the p.r.i.c.kle of worry, choking her skin and jacking her up, had been tangible. Same as the mood here.
Jack stood and paced the room. He tugged on his bottom lip. It was the first time Zoe had seen him beer-less in a while. "Byrn, what did you find out from your Fyre contacts?"
Byrn leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. "I can"t pin anyone down. It"s like they"re avoiding me."
Vexx coughed loudly from her reclining position on the floor. "There"s a shocker. I guess we know their a.s.shole detectors are working."
Venom flared in Byrn"s anemic red eyes, and a bolt of heat forked toward her. Gavin tightened his grip on Zoe"s hand. Jack paused his steps for half a second to wave an arm in Byrn"s direction. Blue light shot from his palm and devoured the energy with a sizzle. A wet sucking noise followed. "Cut the bulls.h.i.t, you two. We don"t have time for playground turf wars."
Zoe smoothed Gavin"s clammy hand. "You okay?"
His face scrunched up. "It"s nothing." He rubbed his chest in slow circles.
"You sure?"
He nodded and forced a smile. She wasn"t convinced.
"We know the Fyres are up to something big," Jack said. "They all but disappeared from the Dreaming today. Whatever they"re plotting, it"ll likely go down here in Realis. But we can"t leave the Dreaming unguarded either. I"ll put in a call to the North American Sentinels and see if they can spare a few bodies to Dreamwalk here tonight."
Gavin"s head snapped up. "You can"t do that."
A slow smile eased across Jack"s face, subtly deepening the lines. Zoe saw a hint of herself there. "Says who?"
"Says protocol," Gavin sputtered. "The Australian Sentinel Council will lose their s.h.i.t."
Jack quirked his head, then curled a hand behind his ear. "I"m sorry. I didn"t hear you."
Across the room by the door, Jet grinned. A giggle shook Vexx"s shoulders. Byrn folded his arms across his chest. His now-cooled eyes met Gavin"s. Collective smugness bounced between the four of them.
"It"s a huge breach of etiquette, Jack," Gavin said.
"Your Council has one or more traitors on it. I don"t give a s.h.i.t what they say. Our job is to protect Wyldlings. That"s what we"ll do. Whatever it takes. f.u.c.k the politics."
Now Zoe smiled, too. Go, Dad!
Vexx"s yellow eyes glowed. "They kicked you off the Council. What do you care? You"re no longer obligated to follow their rules."
Gavin started to reply, then closed his mouth.
"They"re right." Zoe faced him. "Your prophecy said you won"t win the war using fists, remember? I think you could generalize that notion to playing by the rules, too. You don"t fight an unseen enemy by sticking to "protocol." You have to be just as sneaky as the traitor. Find a way to turn everything on end. Shake it up, so no one sees what"s coming."
"Have I mentioned how much I like your girl, Gavin?" Vexx said.
Gavin shot Zoe a tired smile. "Yeah, she"s pretty f.u.c.king amazing."
Jack raised a brow and grinned. Zoe"s cheeks heated.
"Okay," Gavin said. "Do it. Send some rent-a-Sentinels into the Dreaming. It can"t hurt. I can always ask forgiveness later, if I even want to bother when this is through."
He turned to Vexx. "I know you"re sick of everyone asking, but have you gotten anything out of Whetu?"
Vexx glanced down the hallway to the closed door where Whetu slept and shook her head. "She"s so close to the change, I"m trying to leave her be. I"ve communicated with her a bit, but you can"t rush these things. Her mind is extremely active, processing something ma.s.sive. I"m talking the equivalent of a terabyte"s worth of data here. She"s keeping whatever it is to herself."
Jesus Christ. What could a nine-year-old girl be doing with that amount of information? And what the h.e.l.l was it? Zoe wondered.
"If nothing happens with her by morning, you"re gonna have to coax the door location out of her. We can"t wait any longer," Jack said.
"I agree," Gavin chimed in a little too eagerly.
Zoe"s heart fluttered. That couldn"t be good for Whetu. The poor kid had been through enough already. Forcing her out of the coma could kill her. Zoe wasn"t cool with that at all- Byrn, Jack, and Gavin tensed in unison and looked to the front door. Gavin"s Fire tattoos blazed red, yellow, and orange. Vexx lifted her head and followed their line of sight. Jet turned, too.
The bell rang.
"Who the f.u.c.k is that?" Byrn"s eyes flashed crimson. The heat rolling off him turned the room into a sauna.
Had to be a Fyre. Gavin"s jaw clenched, and he clutched Zoe"s hand again. She grabbed Gavin"s arm with the Water tattoos and met his terror-filled eyes. The fear in them scared the s.h.i.t out of her. He pulled her up and walked her to the door.
Jet turned the k.n.o.b and opened it.
Sinnder stood on the top step, wild wind whipping his s.h.a.ggy locks. Jet recoiled as if she"d been zapped. Had he done something to her?
Ah, the wind. Air eclipsed Earth. Jet must"ve hated flying.
Lightning stabbed the crimson sky in the distance behind Sinnder, casting an eerie glow across his shoulders. A roar of thunder followed a couple seconds later. Byrn raced over, fast as the streaks of light splitting the clouds. Chest puffed out, he snarled like a wounded animal.
"What are you doing here?" Jet said quietly. Another gust of wind blew. Frowning at the sky, she shuddered and took two steps back.
Sinnder peered past her into the living room. "I followed you."
"I told you to go home." The tightness in Jet"s voice alarmed Zoe.
What was going on between Sinnder and Jet? Zoe glanced at Gavin, who kept hold of her hand but placed himself between her and the two Fyre Elemental volcanoes threatening eruption. She focused on the Water bubbling inside her and forced it through her skin, into his. Just in case he needed it.
"I have information." As always, Sinnder"s voice was pure silk, his gaze as mesmerizing as a cobra"s.
Byrn looked Sinnder up one side and down the other, then licked his lips. "This better be good, or I"ll be eating flambeed Fyre for an after dinner snack."
Sinnder cracked a crocodile smile, and his delicious, spicy scent slithered through the air. "I don"t think so, mate."
Byrn moved closer as if to start something. Jet laid a hand on his chest. Fire and Earth were opposites that canceled each other out, but Jet had the advantage of physical strength. She seemed to use it on Byrn a lot to keep him in line.
"Let him in." With a gentle pull, she tugged him out of Sinnder"s personal s.p.a.ce and stepped away from the threshold.
Sinnder entered the house and swept the faces in the room. He was bigger than Zoe remembered, more intimidating. Fire energy practically dripped from his pores. He must have recently fed. On something ma.s.sive. His att.i.tude alone could take down the whole house with a sneeze gone wrong.
A wave of fear spread through her blood. Gavin clasped her hand tightly in his. Sinnder was a man on a mission, and Zoe guessed his objective involved death and/or dismemberment. Maybe something worse.
Vexx cowered behind Jack, her yellow eyes big and round. Jack"s arm stiffened around her in a protective stance.
The door shut. Cheeks red, Jet dropped her gaze to the floor. Sinnder shifted his attention to her, and his expression cooled by a degree or two. He watched her as the others surrounded him.
Gavin"s nostrils flared, and his tattoos screamed all sorts of visual warnings. Back straight and tight, he seemed fixated on keeping Sinnder away from Zoe.
"What information do you have?" Gavin said. His hand chilled. He must be pumping Water there in case things got ugly. Good, because the electricity jolting between Sinnder and Byrn was palpable.
Vexx peeked around Jack"s arm like a frightened fawn. Zoe had never seen her so scared.
Sinnder focused on Gavin"s chest for an intense moment. He c.o.c.ked his head to the side. What was that about? Shouldn"t he be worried about the Elemental Water practically sweating from Gavin"s hand? His gaze skipped to Zoe for a split second, then he stepped clear of the circle of bodies to the middle of the room. All eyes followed.
"The Fyres are planning a coordinated bombing across Australia tomorrow," Sinnder said. "They"re hoping to catch the Wyldlings off guard by creating ma.s.s hysteria. It"ll make quite a feast for Incendius on the equinox, don"t you think?" He glanced at Gavin.
Jack kicked a leg out and crossed one foot over the other. It would have been a relaxed stance in any other situation, but Zoe could tell by the tic in his cheek, he was anything but. "Any particular reason you chose to tell us?"
"Some of us share a common goal." Sinnder leveled his gaze on Gavin and Zoe.
A seductive tickle teased the front of Zoe"s brain. That smell of his made her dizzy. Focusing on the coolness in Gavin"s hand, she shrugged off the scent.
"He"s lying." Byrn spoke between clenched teeth.
"No, he"s not," Vexx and Jet said at the same time. They exchanged looks. Vexx"s tight shoulders loosened a bit, and her breathing slowed. Must have picked up on his thoughts.
Sinnder was bad news for sure, but he wanted Scarlet dead as much as Zoe did. Maybe he felt remorse for refusing to help her earlier. Could a hardened Fyre like him have a change of heart?
He turned to Jet, and his gaze lost its heat, melted into something softer. Almost kind, but not quite. Admiration?
"Why would one of Eidan"s bishop b.i.t.c.hes warn us about a planned attack?" Byrn said, getting up close and personal with Sinnder again. "Fyres are doers, not thinkers. And we certainly ain"t known for negotiating."
"Believe me or not. I don"t care. If you want to do something about it, you have less than twenty-four hours. I can give you details for each bomb location and how it"ll go down." Sinnder barely shrugged. "Or not."
Vexx eased cautiously from behind Jack and faced him. She looked even smaller than usual next to Sinnder"s imposing frame. "Tell me. I"ll contact the authorities."
"Fyres will manually detonate the bombs at noon. Sydney Harbour, Dreamland on the Gold Coast, the Canberra capitol building, churches in Brisbane, Federation Square in Melbourne...everywhere."
Vexx flitted over to the table and s.n.a.t.c.hed up her laptop. "Jack, he"s telling the truth. We need to send Sentinels out immediately."
"Can"t do that," Gavin said. "Someone on the Council is a traitor. Whatever the Council knows, the Fyres know. What makes anyone think Sinnder here isn"t setting us up? As soon as he leaves, he"ll probably go and blab to his mates. He"s proven he"s a liar and a thief." Gavin flicked his necklace with the footprint and raven gemstones.
"Sinnder wouldn"t tattle." Jack flexed his Water-laden, blue pulsing hand and made a fist. "Would you?"
The Fyre ticked his head to the side and half-smiled. "No, mate. Wouldn"t dream of it."
Jack faced Vexx. "What are the chances the Wyldling authorities can handle the situation without us?"
Vexx"s fingers flew across the keyboard. "As soon as I get my cyber-tracks covered, I"ll send the information to every protective force in the country. I can hack into their communications systems to keep an eye on their progress. If it looks like they"re not taking us seriously, we can call in the U.S. Sentinels. I think it would be best to let the humans deal with this. The less Sentinel involvement in Realis, the better."
Zoe lifted her chin. "Why are you helping us now, Sinnder? I asked you for help before, but you let me down. You have a change of heart?"
His eyes cut to Jet, then returned to Zoe. "No, my heart"s pretty much as black as it"s ever been. I can a.s.sure you, my reasons are purely selfish. I saw a door open, I snuck through, and ended up here."
"So, it"s about vengeance. Kill Scarlet, take her Fire, and move on to the next target? You gunning to be the next Archelemental, too?" Deep inside, Zoe believed Sinnder had a good soul. He didn"t want anyone to see it, but it existed. Yes, he was a self-serving opportunist, but he wouldn"t have come here if it was only about Scarlet. Zoe glanced at Jet. Maybe he"d found something to live for beyond himself.
His lips pressed together, and he shook his head. "I couldn"t care less about Eidan or his position."
"If it"s Scarlet you want, queue up," Gavin said through clenched teeth. A drop of sweat coursed down his cheek. "Prove we can trust you, and we"ll talk. You"ve given me no reason to believe you based on our past dealings. You stole my necklace-"
"Which I gave back."
"Yeah, but one Elemental lighter. You played a key role in compromising my relationship with Zoe-"
"Scarlet asked me to kill Zoe, which I did not do. You beat me to the punch."
Gavin shot forward. Zoe threw her arms around his middle and tried to haul him back. Jack stepped up, blue hand pulsing at his side. Gavin"s shoulders heaved with hurried breaths.
"Everyone stay cool. Last thing we need is to destroy another house over a p.i.s.sing contest." Zoe faced Sinnder and pointed a finger in his face. "Don"t antagonize. We have enough of that without you. I"m sick to death of this fighting. We have to put our differences aside and work together. Sinnder, you"re either in, or you"re out. No more lies. No more bulls.h.i.t. Are you going to help us?" Zoe propped her hands on her hips.
The room fell silent.
Sinnder"s gaze skipped to Jet, then settled on Zoe. "I"ll help you with the Wyldlings, but I can"t take you to the door to the Dreaming. If I do, they"ll know I turned traitor, and I"ll have Eidan"s legions after me. I have to protect myself."
"Can you take Scarlet out?" Zoe wanted so badly to bring about Scarlet"s demise herself, but she was just one person, with no special talent other than a strange ability to speak to whales. Her goal of keeping the humans and whales safe superseded any selfish desire for vengeance. She"d grudgingly let the professionals handle that b.i.t.c.h.
Sinnder inhaled a long breath and let it out slowly. "I"ll have a better idea tomorrow. If the Fyres gain control of the Balance-which, at this stage, is very likely-they"ll launch another dream attack. They have enough power to turn the Dreaming into a living h.e.l.l. I don"t know what kind of defense you have planned, but it needs to be strong enough to put off Armageddon."
Zoe shook her head. "Don"t worry about that. The Sentinels will be ready." And so would she.
"If the Sentinels hose down the Fyres in the Dreaming, and the Wyldlings disarm the bombs tomorrow, I can handle Scarlet. Alone." Sinnder"s eyes glittered red.
Zoe left the safety of Gavin"s proximity and stepped up to the Fyre. She touched his leather jacketed arm and channeled every shred of cold hatred she had for Scarlet into her voice. "I want her dead. No more empty promises. I want your word."