Flashing red and blue lights whirled from the street beyond the cafes and shops surrounding Urangan Harbour. Zoe clutched the handhold on the rubber b.u.mper and stretched forward. Police, camera crews, and bystanders swarmed a small swath of beach a little ways up from the docks.
"What the h.e.l.l?" Dani took off her sungla.s.ses.
Please don"t let it be Lily and the other Elementals.
"Adriene, hurry," Zoe choked out. Her legs turned to gravy, and she sat beside her friend, shaking all over.
A few minutes later, Adriene pulled into their slip. Zoe leaped out of the boat and tied it up quickly. "You guys get the equipment to the car. I"ll meet you there shortly," she called over her shoulder as she took off down the creaky wooden planks.
She reached the scene and pushed through the crowd. Yellow tape sectioned off a big strip of beach. "What happened?" she asked an older man when she got as close as the throng would allow.
"A young woman washed up dead. They haven"t identified her. The crime scene blokes are scouring the place for clues."
s.h.i.t! What the h.e.l.l?
Zoe wriggled between bodies amid huffs and grunts. A few hundred meters out in the ocean, a trio of blows vaporized into the air. More followed.
Lily, is that you?
Yes, Zoe. The whale"s voice was frail, wispy, like vapor. Sad.
Who is it? Who died here?
I"m afraid it"s Lana. She"s been murdered.
Chapter Thirty-seven.
"When I get my hands on Sinnder, I"ll rip him limb from limb, bash his head to a pulp, and bite off his b.a.l.l.s for good measure." Scarlet stomped back and forth over the ruined, blackened carpet of her lounge room. An acrid plastic stench rose from the floor, along with lingering smoke after her fit of rage.
Gavin awaits.
"f.u.c.k you." She"d been certain the Fire would get to him by now. That b.i.t.c.h Zoe must"ve been keeping him well-lubricated.
She lifted her gaze to the ceiling and let fly a scream that rattled the windows.
"If I don"t get in his pants soon, I won"t have enough Fire to face Eidan. I can"t wait until the next equinox. Gavin"s the only one who can give me what I need."
Sinnder could feed you. He"s stronger than he looks.
Yes, she"d sensed his Fire growing over the last few weeks. He hid it well. Maybe the Dreaming wouldn"t be the only thing on her menu tomorrow. Now that the terrorist plot had been foiled, thanks to an information leak-scratch that, a traitor-the dream attack would make or break her chances of ever s.n.a.t.c.hing the Archelemental position from Eidan.
Sinnder or Gavin-whoever crossed her path first-should provide her with enough octane to burn the smug smile off Eidan"s f.u.c.king face.
At least her informant on the Sentinel Council had made good on Lana"s a.s.sa.s.sination. Gavin was likely at the crime scene. Along with Zoe.
Scarlet smiled. Now would be the perfect time to destroy that slag. She couldn"t harm her physically, but spilling the beans about Gavin"s Fire Oath would inflict more damage than any burn could. Zoe would have to live with the agony of knowing Gavin was bound to Scarlet. Oh, this was perfect.
"Let"s go reel in some Gavin-flavored goodness."
Fire flared its l.u.s.t between her legs.
An hour later, she shifted her appearance to that of a bodacious blond groupie and slunk through the crowd gathered at Urangan Harbour. It took a great deal of concentration to trace the Fire locked down inside Gavin"s chest, but she finally spotted him with Zoe, hanging along the edge of the crime scene.
His cheeks had lost their fullness and color. Worry lines dug deep into his skin. Despite the heat, he wore long sleeves, sunnies, and a beanie on his head. His attempt at keeping a low profile couldn"t stop their shared Fire from recognizing part of itself. It bellowed with greedy antic.i.p.ation as she neared him.
Gavin"s Fire sang in her mind, wove a scorching melody of l.u.s.t and pain and fear that juiced hot saliva from under her tongue. But all that beautiful Fire lay untapped and buried beneath thick waves of Water.
Zoe had ruined him.
All the more reason to destroy her with the truth about the oath. No way Zoe would stay with him once she found out. And when his pesky Water for Zoe evaporated into steam for Scarlet, he wouldn"t be able to resist the call of her Fire. He would be hers. Wholly and completely hers.
Barely able to contain her excitement, she slunk up to him and touched his sleeve. "Gavin?"
He faced her, brows scrunched together. Distrustful. He narrowed his gaze on Scarlet and squared his shoulders, blocking her view to Zoe.
"Do I know you?" He pulled his arm away. A ripple of accusation steamed her way. She breathed deeply of it and quivered.
"You don"t remember? We had s.e.x at Mike"s house a couple weeks ago. You said you"d call." She flapped her lashes and pouted.
He reached behind him to Zoe and stepped back, his Fire stoking. "You"ve got the wrong Gavin."
Heat rose from Zoe now, too.
Yes. More.
"No, I remember it well. You had me bent over the bed in Mike"s guest room, a.r.s.e up, and pounded me for days," she gushed. "Hard to forget f.u.c.king like that."
"Let"s go," he said over his shoulder. His face blazed red.
That"s it. Fire shot through her limbs. It reached out to him, sizzling the air, and connected with the flames inside him.
The virtual hook-up must"ve been as good for him. He dropped Zoe"s hand and semi-lurched forward as Scarlet yanked his chain in a violent mental jack-off. Muscles in his cheeks rolling, he said through tight lips, "Scarlet, this is not the time."
She held his Fire in a tight grip. Information streamed out of him into her.
The scattered and weary Sentinels were prepared to counterattack in the Dreaming, but without the Waeter Archelemental, they had no chance of stopping the Fyres controlling the Balance.
Gavin rightly suspected a Sentinel traitor was behind the a.s.sa.s.sination.
Sinnder had tipped off the Sentinels about the bombings.
G.o.d d.a.m.n him.
But the cruelest, most cutting truth-the one she"d known deep down but buried under denial-underpinned it all. Gavin really did love Zoe.
The profound pain of that knowledge severed the fiery connection and bit fanged holes into her heart. The acid blood from the wound stung worse than the loss of her sister centuries ago. Unbearable.
Zoe appeared beside him, his pathetic little wide-eyed doe, and wound her arm through his. Their fingers intertwined. "Come on, Gavin. We have to go."
Scarlet sensed the thick, nauseating Water trolling between them, and her lip curled. G.o.ds, how she hated Zoe. f.u.c.king hated her.
She smiled at Gavin. "Did you tell her what we did the other night after that unfortunate fire claimed her house?"
Zoe"s brow puckered. She turned to Gavin. His face fell.
The tension was o.r.g.a.s.mic.
"Scarlet-" He raised a hand.
She wiggled her shoulders and dug in. "He took me to a hotel to f.u.c.k me. It was just like old times, except now he truly belongs to me. He loves me so much, he swore an oath to Incendius that binds our Fires. We"ll be together forever. Couldn"t you just die?" An evil laugh escaped her. The pain ruining Zoe"s already-ugly face was priceless.
The b.i.t.c.h bit her lip and wrenched away from him.
"Zoe, it"s not how it looks." Gavin hurled a hate-filled scowl grenade at Scarlet.
"So, Scarlet"s lying? You didn"t bind your Fire to hers?" Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.
What a pity. Scarlet giggled inwardly, then pressed her fingers to her sternum. If she"d had on a set of pearls, she"d have clutched them. "I can"t believe he didn"t tell you. I"d have invited you to our wedding if I"d known you wanted to come."
"You f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h." Venom boiled in Gavin"s eyes. Ooh, Scarlet liked that Fire. He was such a tease.
She grinned coyly. "Yeah, I"m the b.i.t.c.h you love to f.u.c.k."
Lips smashed together, Zoe looked away and wiped the tear streaking her cheek. The viscous Water rolling off her gagged Scarlet.
Gavin reached for Zoe, but she shrugged him off.
Make his life h.e.l.l on earth for spurning your affections. Take the necklace while he"s distracted. Without it, the Sentinels will be defenseless against us.
Satisfied she"d destroyed Zoe"s trust in Gavin, Scarlet channeled Fire into her limbs, lashed out with all the fury she had, and s.n.a.t.c.hed the necklace from his throat. One quick snap, and it was hers.
Scarlet ran.
Footsteps thundered behind her. The wild, heart-pounding fear of being pursued pushed her legs faster. The second she was out of view from the crowds, she thumbed the flint on the lighter she always carried in her pocket. Flame shot up. She thrust a finger into it and dissolved, leaving a steamy sulfur trail in her wake for Gavin to choke on.
Zoe sat on the boardwalk, still in shock.
There was a traitor in their midst, and if Gavin"s guilty look when Scarlet spilled the beans was any indication, it was him.
So, Scarlet the liar had told the truth. Zoe had been sleeping with the enemy all this time.
The over-the-top reactions, the twitchiness, the avoidance of Scarlet in conversations should have clued her in to Gavin"s deception. Zoe had tossed these little inconsistencies aside because she wanted so desperately to believe him. To forgive him after what happened in Sydney. What a fool she"d been.
Such a fool.
Hurried footfalls approached, and Gavin stumbled his way toward her, empty-handed. "I can explain, Zed."
She shot her gaze to his. "I can"t talk to you right now."
"But-"
She stood and got in his face. "You lied to me, Gavin. You f.u.c.king lied. I gave you my heart, my soul, and worst of all, my trust. I can"t even begin to..." She shook her head as an undercurrent of stunned sorrow yanked the balance out from her. Tears flowed freely. She didn"t bother wiping them away.
"I"m sorry." His shoulders drooped. Guilt mixed with devastation and poisoned his features into a mocking reflection of the man she loved.
"Sorry"s not good enough."
A streak of red-tinged light shot across the sky over the harbor, and Zoe shivered. She couldn"t deal with this. Especially not now with the equinox so close. Refusing to look at him, she grabbed her dry bag and trudged toward the harbor.
"Zed, please-" Gavin called from behind her.
Snapping her hand behind her like a fly swatter squelching a bug, she tossed over her shoulder, "Don"t call me that."
When she got to the Zodiac"s slip, she reeled from the double whammies of Lana"s death and Gavin"s deception. She steadied herself against the nearby storage shed. Shaken, disappointed, numb. So many tragic emotions swirled within her, she couldn"t process any of them.
G.o.d, she was so freaking gullible.
She stared across the harbor to the ocean. Responsibility bore down on her and dulled the pain with a couple of sobering reminders. Wyldlings were still dying in the Dreaming and Realis. They needed protection from the Fyres that could only come from Water. The Waeter Elementals had lost their leader and required a translator to help them put another in place.
Get off your sorry a.s.s and take care of business. Deal with your feelings after the equinox.
True. With Lana gone, she had more pressing matters to attend to than a broken heart.
Zoe pulled herself together with a deep breath and turned her desperate thoughts to Lily, past the breakers.
Lily, you have to ascend to Archelemental. You"re the only one strong enough to do it.
Araluen is struggling. His breaths are shallow. I fear the infection from the orca bite is spreading. Lily"s "voice" faltered off-kilter. The tremulous vibrato in her song frightened Zoe.
I know an Erthe Elemental who can help. Her name is Jet. She"s the one who brought me back to life after my...accident.
Waeters don"t mix with Erthes. They eclipse us. She could do more harm than good.
But Araluen isn"t an Elemental, is he?
No, not yet. But his Water is already very strong. Even as young as he is, he could turn at any time, should the currents take him that direction.
I could get some antibiotics, Zoe said. I could treat him this afternoon. He"s young and will heal quickly.