Empower

Chapter 7

‘Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.’

Matthew 10:28

goddamn it. He was everywhere!

I could feel his presence even on full alert and with my guards up, supposedly working as protective shields around my body and senses. My soul was unkindly defiant. But I kept it under control, confident that I was doing enough to keep myself hidden from the city’s exiles, and most importantly, from him.

‘This way,’ I said, causing both Onyx and Gray to look at me questioningly as I led them around the back of one of the Academy buildings.

When we reached a small door that could only be opened from the inside, I knocked.

It was unlocked immediately, light beaming out brightly as it opened.

‘Bloody hell,’ Gray mumbled behind me.

‘And I’m so thrilled to see you brought your friends, Violet,’ Josephine said, lips pursed as she held the door open. ‘I hope you understand that he,’ she lifted her chin in Onyx’s direction, ‘is very much unwelcome within these walls. We do still have some standards.’

Onyx snorted. ‘There is a saying that I do look forward to sharing with you one day soon,’ he taunted.

I sighed, knowing it was a runaway train.

Josephine, of course, boarded. ‘And I’m dying to know,’ she said sardonically.

Onyx tapped his fingers lightly against his temple as if deep in thought as he glanced between Josephine and me. ‘I believe it goes something like: “The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.”’

Hell.

I really did not need to start things off this way.

Josephine plastered a cruel smirk on her face. ‘Well, I can imagine that thoughts of death do consume much of your time, Onyx. Is that a grey hair I spot?’

‘Seriously?’ Gray intervened. ‘Did we just step onto the playground?’

I turned to Onyx. ‘We’ll meet you later on,’ I told him, leaving no room for discussion. Then I looked back at Josephine. ‘It’s midnight and we’ve had a long day, Josephine. Gray comes with me or I don’t come in, and we both know you wouldn’t be standing at this door if you didn’t want me here.’

Her eyes narrowed briefly but she opened the door fully and stood aside. ‘I see time hasn’t improved your manners,’ she muttered. ‘He can join you, as long as he can behave and show some civility.’

Gray ignored Josephine and nudged me. ‘You’re gonna owe me on the epic after this.’

I had a feeling he was right.

After Onyx stalked off, Josephine led us along a number of corridors before taking us in a coded lift up to the top floor of ‘Command’ building – into the heart of Academy territory.

She ushered us into a vacant meeting room and took her position at the head of a large oval table. The room was sparsely furnished, the ebony table, surrounded by a dozen boardroom-style chairs, taking up the majority of the space. The door and three of the walls were painted linen white, while the other wall was made entirely of glass and frosted white in typical Academy fashion. Gray and I took seats opposite one another.

Josephine looked exactly the same as I remembered. Her brown hair with strong auburn streaks was pulled back in a severe manner and she wore a deep purple pencil skirt and black fitted shirt. Her heels were off-the-charts high and she wore them with the ease of someone slopping around in slippers – though, of course, nothing about Josephine was sloppy. She was as immaculate and as cold-looking as ever as she settled her aqua-blue eyes on me.

‘What do you know?’ she started.

Okay, so clearly we’re not bothering with niceties.

‘Spence is missing. Chloe is in a coma but the one time she did come around she asked for me. And some people mistakenly think it’s possible Spence has been corrupted.’

Josephine nodded. ‘And while I’m sure that is not all of it, it’s a good enough place to start, I suppose. And what is your intention from this point? You must realise that this is an Academy issue. Any decisions on how to proceed will be made through the Assembly.’

In other words – through her.

But this was where my status as a Rogue helped.

I leaned back in my chair casually, all but putting my feet up on the perfectly polished table. ‘Well, we are going to have to discuss that. You see, I’m not Academy and I do not answer to the Assembly. But we both know you want me here, for whatever reason that may be.’

Josephine’s mouth twitched. ‘What are you proposing?’

‘Why did you bring me here?’ I countered.

Josephine looked down briefly and I could tell she was deciding how much she was prepared to say.

Games. It’s always the same with her.

‘Spencer was on a mission with his partner. It captured my attention. I’d very much like to know what he discovered and I believe you are possibly the best chance we have of finding him. Besides that, I also believe it is time some things were settled and having you here might do that once and for all.’

I watched her suspiciously. Did she know of the bald, briefcase-wielding exile? Did she know he was behind the tournaments? I was positive there was more to it, but she didn’t trust me any more than I trusted her. Frankly, I was surprised she’d given me this much information.

‘I’m here for Spence, pure and simple. I want to get him out of whatever trouble he’s in. If I have to take down a bunch of exiles in order to make that happen,’ I shrugged, ‘that’s just fine with me. You and the Academy can take all the credit and call the mission whatever you want. But I’ll do it my way and on my terms.’

‘And if I don’t agree?’ she replied sharply.

I raised my eyebrows. ‘You know what I’m capable of. Do you, for one second, believe I won’t walk right out of here and go and get him anyway? But I warn you, if it goes that way, any semblance of mutual respect between us will be over. We are not now, nor will we ever be, friends, but do you really want me as your enemy?’

Josephine glanced at Gray, no doubt wondering if having me as an enemy also meant making one of Gray, one of the most respected Grigori among the Rogue community. The flat smile he gave her seemed to be all the confirmation she needed.

‘I never wanted you as an enemy,’ Josephine said. ‘I wanted you as part of the Academy, if you recall. I still do.’

‘I recall everything, Josephine. We’ve all made our choices and we all live with the consequences. But right now, all I care about is Spence. And if you’re hoping to use this as an opportunity to make me a part of this Academy, you will be sorely disappointed.’

I knew I was coming off bullish, but I needed to establish these things before we got any further. Josephine wasn’t sitting here out of the goodness of her heart and most certainly not for Spence. She had an ulterior motive.

‘You will not disrespect Academy procedure or the role of the Assembly while you are here. Nor will you attempt to recruit any Academy Grigori to your Rogue ranks,’ she said.

‘I never have,’ I retorted, offended by the suggestion. ‘And anyway, I won’t be staying here.’

She raised an eyebrow.

‘We’ve organised more … neutral accommodation,’ I explained, keeping my expression blank.

She saw through it immediately. ‘He’s running the mission.’

‘Put someone else on it,’ I fired back.

She shook her head. ‘He’s the best. Would you suggest we did less for Spencer?’

I took a breath. There was no question when she put it like that.

‘Violet, there is no way to avoid him.’

‘We’ll see,’ I replied.

‘He’s running a strategy meeting right now. If you want to find out what the latest is, I’d suggest you listen in.’

‘I’d rather go to see Chloe,’ I threw back, ignoring my racing heartbeat.

Josephine stood and started for the door. ‘Priorities, Violet. Chloe is unconscious and is not going anywhere. The intel you need to help find your friend is just down the hall. What will it be?’

Shit.

I took a deep breath and pushed my scrambling thoughts aside. ‘I’m not going anywhere I’ll be seen.’

Josephine smiled. ‘I thought you might feel that way. Don’t worry, you’re covered,’ she said, pulling two black silk robes from a hook on the back of the door, handing them to me.

I held them up and noticed their hoods. I passed one to Gray who gave it the same once-over.

‘Really?’ he groaned.

I should’ve just legged it and found another way to track down Spence. But I knew I’d be taking a risk with his life and that he would never do that with mine.

Damn it.

‘Really,’ I replied throwing on the cloak and pulling the hood down to cover my face while I concentrated on keeping my guards locked tight.

‘This way,’ Josephine said, an unmistakable sound of victory in her voice. Suddenly I felt like everyone’s plaything.

Each step down the quiet hallway broke me further in two. Half of me felt each movement like I was wading through quicksand, while the other half was tripping over itself to urge me on, knowing what was behind the door ahead.

Gray grabbed my arm as Josephine reached for the door handle. ‘You can do this,’ he said into my ear, his voice showing no doubt.

I nodded, relieved that he was here with me. ‘I know.’

And I would do this. I had to. I’d spent the past two years doing nothing but growing stronger. I could stay in control of this situation.

For Spence.

We shuffled quietly into the back of another meeting room. Most members of the Academy might have been tucked into bed for the night, but here I could sense a couple of dozen people surrounding me. Ignoring the particular awareness that was overwhelming me, I peeked out from beneath my hood. The room was about twice the size of the one we’d just left and was full of Grigori. Some were seated around a central table, but most were without chairs and standing around the edges, providing enough of a crowd that we were able to remain unnoticed at the back of the room. Mostly.

Someone I couldn’t see from my position was talking about Spence and Chloe, discussing their last known location before Spence had dropped off the grid.

‘They were in Austin. But we found Chloe at the airport, so we have to assume Spencer was going somewhere from there. He could be anywhere in the world by now.’

Someone else went on to explain Chloe’s current condition. While the long-winded run-down went on, I looked around a little more. The first people I recognised were Salvatore and Zoe. I smiled when I saw Steph positioned near the head of the table. It had been more than six months since I’d seen her. She’d let her hair grow a little longer and had given up her old spritzy style for an edgier blunt cut. It really worked for her. I also noted the diamond ring on her wedding finger I’d only seen before in pictures and my smile increased.

On the other side of Steph sat Rainer and Hakon, and Josephine had just moved into position beside them at the head of the table, seeming content at this stage to simply listen. Drenson, the head of the Academy, was not at the table.

Rainer moved her chair closer to Josephine as she looked towards Gray and me – the two cloaked strangers. Most people had remained oblivious to our entrance, but Rainer had noticed and was enquiring.

Before putting my head back down to maintain my anonymity, I saw Josephine swing a graceful but dismissive hand towards Rainer who, clearly unhappy, moved her chair back to its previous position.

Finally, though I forced myself not to look, my attention drifted to the right, my entire being humming with the effort.

Torture of any description would have been kinder. I took one agonising breath after another, but it didn’t stop it; the distinctive impression of honey lazily trickling its way into my throat and settling over every inch of my body. I could sense the very spot where he stood, could imagine his posture, his eyes, his lips.

Does he sense me? Would he still want me? Would he ask me to stay? Would he hate me and order me to leave? Would he show me the pain in his eyes that my Sight forced on me on those nights I unwittingly travelled to him?

My hands started to shake.

If only I could completely block myself from myself.

The sound of his voice caused me to freeze. ‘You’re all speculating,’ he said – the first words I’d heard directly from his mouth since the night I was strung up to a cross as Phoenix shot arrows into my body and Lincoln sent me all of his power through our soul bond. He’d kept giving it to me until there’d been nothing left. And just before he’d collapsed and I’d closed my eyes, he’d screamed his final words: ‘I’m yours. Always. Always!’

Those words had haunted me ever since.

I could sense him still, on the far side of the room. And hearing his voice, I couldn’t stop myself from looking through the tiny opening in my hood. My eyes did not need to sift, they found him as easily as the sun finds day. He stood with his back to the room, hands in his pockets. Wearing a navy shirt that was tucked in at his waist, he was broader and clearly stronger than ever.

Slowly, he turned and I braced.

But as he faced the room, his eyes did not move in my direction. Not once. And with a broken breath, fraught with emotion, I realised he was oblivious to my presence. I glanced at Gray, who gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. My shields were blocking him.

Another person stood up at the far end of the table and I saw that it was Max. Morgan sat beside him, and beside her, I recognised Mia.

‘Lincoln, it’s the best we have right now. Until Chloe wakes up, at least.’

‘When can we expect that?’ he snapped, spinning his attention towards Salvatore and Zoe. I was shocked to see such harshness coming from him.

Zoe spoke up. ‘She came around two days ago for a few minutes and that was it. She could wake up at any time.’

‘And she said nothing when she woke?’ Lincoln was watching them carefully, as if he knew she was keeping something back.

I held my breath.

Zoe crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. I couldn’t help but smile a little to see she seemed much the same with her light brown hair – currently with cherry-red ends – and military-style jacket. ‘Just gibberish.’

‘Gibberish?’ he repeated, his tone now flat.

‘Yep,’ Zoe said, popping the ‘p’ casually, though I could tell she was wary of Lincoln’s mood.

He is different.

Steph cleared her throat. ‘Lincoln, we’ve narrowed down the likely possibilities by checking outgoing flights at the time he was at the airport and we’ve had maps drawn up. Also, since he was in one of the domestic terminals he was almost certainly headed somewhere in the States. We’ve set out the most probable options on these grids. I suggest that we put some conductors to work and see if they can scour the areas. Scouts could also start fielding the perimeters for exile activity. You never know, locating a spike in exile presence might lead to something.’

Steph was … wow. I was so proud of her. She’d just taken on a full room of Grigori warriors. She was human and one of the youngest people in the room but where they failed to find direction she had offered it. They were so lucky to have her.

Lincoln, however, took a deep breath and I noticed that he didn’t look at her once, even as he listened.

Finally, he nodded to her. ‘Set it up.’ Then he addressed the room. ‘Spence is one of ours. He’s stood by each and every one of you without hesitation at some point. He’s family.’

My heart clenched.

Lincoln cleared his throat. ‘I’ve heard the speculation, and while nothing will be overlooked, make no mistake: this is a rescue, not a hunt. We bring him home. We do it right. We do it smart. Call in your sources, contacts, allies; anyone you know. He’s out there and someone knows where. You have until nine o’clock tomorrow morning, then we meet back here.’

I straightened as everyone quickly started to file out, leaving Gray and me wedged in a bad spot, making it difficult for a quick escape.

Come on, come on.

I looked up at Gray, who knew I needed to get out. But causing a scene to push through everyone was not a good idea.

‘What now?’ he whispered beside me.

My eyes darted around anxiously but I ignored the flight instinct that was gnawing at me and stood still. ‘Let’s wait for Josephine to get us out of here and take us to Chloe.’

We stayed in the corner. Steph spoke quietly to Salvatore and Zoe. I was tempted to approach her but knew it was smarter to wait until she was alone. None of them had noticed Gray and me yet.

Rainer and Hakon were visibly upset as they kept Josephine back in a hushed conversation.

I edged back into the wall as I watched Lincoln collect his files from the table and then stride towards the door, Mia in step behind him. It struck me how in charge he appeared, and even though his face looked so familiar, barely aged, he seemed somehow older.

He was going to walk right by us. Slowly, trying not to arouse any attention, I turned towards Gray to shield myself even more. But I flinched mid-turn when, from behind, a hand, blazing hot, wrapped tightly around my upper arm. A voice I knew better than my own spoke quietly into my ear from the other side of the silk hood.

‘Would you think me such a fool that you could be here, in this city, this building, this room and me not know about it?’

I swallowed, frozen. I couldn’t turn to face him. I couldn’t lift my head. Even my soul was stunned.

Lincoln didn’t seem to be bothered by our proximity, nor by my failure to respond. His grip only tightened to the point of almost painful. But it wasn’t, it was just … strong and maybe something else. My breath caught.

‘Lincoln!’ Josephine’s sharp voice carried out across the room. ‘I’ll ask you to remove your hand from my guest.’

I felt Lincoln’s body go rigid behind me. He dropped his hand from my arm and spun. I turned too, keeping my hood down to cover my identity from the rest of the room. From beneath, I watched what I could.

‘You brought her here?’ he asked, his voice disbelieving.

I watched Josephine’s patent black high heels move closer as she strode towards us. ‘An invitation was extended,’ she answered smoothly.

I could see Steph’s feet now too, as she moved towards us. I looked up a little to see her face, a picture of concern as she put the pieces together. She knew it was me.

‘And three guesses who she brought with her,’ Lincoln said, his words barely audible.

‘Do you think she has no right? As I understand from the many stories I’ve heard, she saved Spencer’s life once before.’

Lincoln looked down and half laughed, but there was no humour in the action. ‘Yes. Well, whose life hasn’t she saved?’

He spun back towards me. I dropped my head, reeling, and froze in place as his words hit me.

‘Do what you must to satisfy whatever curiosity brought you here. Stay out of my way. I have people who rely on me and I don’t have the luxury of being able to turn my back on them.’ And with that final barbed comment he stepped out of the room, Mia following silently.

Josephine, noticing I still hadn’t lifted my head, cleared her throat. ‘Zoe and Salvatore, will you please make the necessary arrangements to escort our guest to the infirmary first thing in the morning? If you’ll excuse me for now, I have to confer with the Assembly. Rainer and Hakon, could you please join me?’

I wanted to argue with Josephine, insist on visiting Chloe now, but speaking required more control than I had at the moment.

I could sense Rainer’s reluctance to leave the room. She wanted to be sure it was me beneath the cloak. She’d been my mentor and we’d grown close when I’d been here last. But I couldn’t show her. It was taking everything I had to hold still.

Once they had cleared the room and it was just Salvatore, Zoe and Steph left, Gray nudged my arm. ‘That’s your girl there, isn’t it?’

When I failed to respond, he just nodded as if he understood. He pulled back his hood and spoke to Zoe and Salvatore. ‘Couldn’t show me somewhere I could clean up a little, could you? We had a long flight.’

‘Of course. We’ll show you to the guest bathrooms,’ Salvatore said, in perfect English, grabbing Zoe’s arm and dragging her to the door. Zoe stared at me the whole time, mouth agape.

I remained still.

When the door finally closed, I let out my breath and took a deeper one to replace it. And then my legs gave out.

Steph caught me, falling to the ground with me as I breathed in the lingering honey and absorbed the remains of the first touches of sun I’d felt in two years.

I was strong. I was a warrior. A weapon.

But seeing him, feeling his presence, crushed my heart all over again.