Revealed in Fire by K.F. Breene
Five
“So you smell like Lucifer?”Roger asked me, shaved and showered and changed, though only into a cleaner version of his white shirt and blue jeans combo. I couldn’t fault the guy—he looked good in it.
He’d met me outside by the pool, where I was soaking up the starlight and waiting for dinner. There would be no training tonight. We needed to figure out what came next, which would be easier once we had a chance to get over Cahal’s truth bombs. He’d leveled the place with those.
“I don’t know. I’m sure I smell similar,” I replied, closing my eyes and enjoying the cool breeze on my lids.
I heard rustling and assumed he was getting comfortable. “I knew there was something about you. Not just the smell, but the sheer power you displayed at the Mages’ Guild. I thought you were bred from a powerful demon. I had no idea you could be Lucifer’s heir. Not until the Red Prophet sought me out.”
“Yep.”
“Unicorns? They’re in the Underworld?”
“No, but I won’t say more. Like I said, it’s a secret the vampires will kill to protect. There are dragons in the Underworld, though. I had to fight one, and let me tell you, that was not a good time. I would advise against it. I want one, though. If I get trapped in the Underworld someday, my first order of business will be to get a dragon. Might as well make the best of it, you know?”
“You aren’t going to get trapped in the Underworld,” Roger growled, and I peeled an eye open.
“Oh no? You’d prefer I got kidnapped and killed by the elves, then?”
“That’s what I was going to tell you before the druid…got us off track.” He ran his fingers through his hair, and I wondered if he was still processing the fact that dragon blood could equip him to turn a human into a shifter. He was being very loose with all his mannerisms and reactions. It wasn’t like him. “Before I saw the Red Prophet, Romulus spoke to me about the note and the potential problems of an heir. He’s worried the heir—you—could become a pawn, like Charity surely would have been if she’d been allowed to fall into the wrong hands before finding her family. He also believes the heir is a part of Charity’s quest.” He hesitated. “That’s when—”
“I know what her quest is. The fae are positive a war is coming, and that she will stand against Vlad and Lucifer.”
“Well, now…things have changed. Her most recent vision showed her standing against the elves and their army.”
I frowned at him. “It flipped?”
“Twice now. The Red Prophet didn’t seem surprised. She said Charity will stand between the two factions and keep them from destroying each other. Her duty is to bring order back to the Realm.”
“Basically, she’ll get the warrior fae to do their jobs again. What fun for an Arcana new to magic.”
“Can you be serious for a moment?”
“No. Can you tell jokes?”
He sighed. “She saw you in her visions. You and the dual-mages. You stood opposite Durant. The warrior fae think you will need to stand with them for Charity to fulfill this quest. Romulus also thinks you need protection until the battle is decided, and he would like to offer it.”
I kept staring at him, a little disbelieving. “He is going to stick his neck out to shield me from the entire Underworld?”
“We are, yes. In this, the shifters will partner with the warrior fae, as we once did. As we are trying to do now. We are the peacekeepers in the Brink—” He cut himself off before he could stumble over another of Cahal’s truth bombs. Would he now question the elves’ reach into the Brink? Time would tell. He pushed on. “We will help Romulus wherever he needs it.”
“And you talked to him about all of this…before you even knew who the heir was?”
“Yes. But I have a feeling they had already pieced it together. You haven’t exactly been subtle. And you were pictured in the quest, so…”
“Right, right.” I ran my hand over my face. “This is a lot to process. I’m not exactly great at working with people. I can’t allow—”
“You will allow it.” Cahal walked toward us from the side. “It is clear that the time has come.” He sat on the lounge chair next to me. “You must embrace what you are. But I agree that you cannot stand alone.”
“I wouldn’t be alone, though. I have all my personalities to keep me company.” I flicked a thumbs-up, not able to smile. I was feeling a little sick, actually. The enormity of what we were discussing, plans and quests and bodyguards—this wasn’t my scene at all. I was a small-scale type of gal, with a bad attitude and a love for running at danger. Like…running directly at it. But I preferred the kind of danger I could actually see. This sort of…cloud of danger was not settling all that well.
“Look, Roger, I’m touched, but how would this even work?” I sat up a little more, preparing for Cahal to argue with me. “The fae are peacekeepers in the Realm. Great. I get why they would want to head off an uprising and calm the elves down. But why would I want to step into the middle of that? I’m actively trying to stay out of it.”
“The way will only become clear once you start walking.” Cahal stood again before drifting away.
“I hate when he does that,” I said, closing my eyes again.
“I have instructions to seek out the Red Prophet once you agree to leave your seclusion,” Roger said. The lounge chair groaned, and I opened my eyes to find him swinging his feet around and facing me. “Listen, Reagan. I can’t tell you what to do. You’re a loner, and I get that. But I heard that Devon’s pack put two and two together pretty damn quickly. They don’t for sure know you’re the heir, but they all agreed that the signs pointed to you. Darius has done a good job of hiding you so far, but he can’t hide you forever. You’ll be found out eventually. Wouldn’t you prefer to step out of hiding on your own terms?”
I took a deep breath. “Why you? Why would the Red Prophet seek you out? And why would you want to protect me? I do nothing but annoy you.”
“The elves are overreaching, and Lucifer will do the same as soon as he finds you. Romulus is right—you’re powerful, but against the elves and Lucifer, you aren’t strong enough. You’re a pawn, and whatever motivation the elves had for giving us a role in the Brink, protecting you from magical overreach fits the job description. We’ll stand with the warrior fae. We’ll stand with you.”
“You’re making me all verklempt.” I waved at my eyes as though I were trying to keep from crying.
“Now who’s the bad actor?” He smirked and nudged my shoulder before getting up. “What’s the deal with this island? Is it really deserted except for you guys?”
“Yeah. Darius cleared away the vamp-human orgy or whatever was going on and told everyone he needed to refresh the place. It’s a seclusion spot for his children. He updates his stuff more often than is probably healthy, so no one apparently thought to question it. Except for Vlad, but Penny and Emery played with magic to keep him out of our hair.”
“That’s…more information than I needed.” He was clearly about done with the truth bombs. “I won’t get ambushed if I walk on the beach? Or change to my wolf and run?”
“I can’t speak for the druid, but other than him, no. Have at it. Don’t be alarmed if you spot Penny through the trees, though, watching you. She likes that sort of thing.”
He huffed, smiled, and off he went.
A few moments later, Penny walked out with two plates, followed by Emery, also with two plates.
“Speak of the devil,” I murmured to myself.
“What’s that?” Penny lowered where Roger had just been. “Ohh. It’s warm.”
“I was just telling Roger that he should watch the trees if he strips down to change because you’ll probably be hiding in them, trying to get a peek. Bonus if he has a little…private time, huh? If he dances in the dark, all by himself?”
She lowered the plates at the same speed as her eyebrows. “You know I didn’t mean to, right? I honestly didn’t.”
“Is one of those for me?” I held out my hand, and she passed me a plate topped with a large slice of quiche.
“So what do you think about all this?” Emery asked, putting one of the plates aside. It must’ve been for Roger.
I told them what Roger had just told me. Penny nodded as she chewed, swinging her feet onto the lounge chair and leaning back. “That’s probably your best bet. With the Mages’ Guild, the warrior fae, and the shifters on your side, not to mention an elder vampire, you won’t be easy pickings.”
“You won’t be able to blend into the background anymore, though,” Emery said. “You’ll need to stand on your own to some degree.”
“Do you know what I really need to do?” I asked.
“Oh no. I know that look in your eye,” Penny said, quiche stored in her cheek like a chipmunk so she could talk. “Don’t do whatever it is you’re thinking about.”
“The second I emerge from here, the game is on anyway, right?” I took a bite and chewed. “Vlad will hit the go button. He’ll get to choose how and when he spills the beans about me to my dad. But instead of that…”
“No—”
“Maybe I’ll simply…answer the summons. You called for me, Dad. Well? Here I am. And I’m not coming to you because of that conniving elder. That’ll make Vlad scramble.” I grinned. “He’ll have to change his strategy at the last minute. It would trip him up for sure.”
Emery was nodding while Penny was shaking her head.
“Come on.” I hopped up. “Let’s get ready. Time to claim my birthright.”
