Phoenix (26 page)

"So he's moving quickly which means he plans on striking again soon." I steeple my fingers together. "We need to find him first."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

My brother is a wanted man.

My brother tried to kill me.

My brother killed our mother.

These three ideas circle my brain over-and-over again as I lie in bed trying to sleep. Even though I am sleeping in my old room at Mother's house, the bed feels empty without Beck. Against my deepest desires, I took Henry's advice and agreed to stay here for the night, but not until after checking in on Beck. His color had improved, and he seemed more alive, if that's possible.

Even without my whirling mess of a mind, I doubt I'd sleep easily tonight. My guards are stationed both inside and outside my room, and I hate people watching me sleep.

Still, I should be safe…if we did everything right. With Annalise's help, I placed wards and charms around the house, and we have guards posted around the perimeter.

I flop over in the bed and shove the pillow in half. Wind lashes the windows, rattling them, and I pull the blankets up to my ears. How I hate sleeping alone.
 

Look at me. Is this way it's going to be for the rest of my life? Hiding from Callum, terrified of his next move? Living without Beck, scared that I may destroy him?

There has to be a better way.
 

Since sleep eludes me, I toss back the covers and roll off my bed. I shove my feet into my fuzzy slippers and wrap up in a plush robe.
 

"Is everything okay?" Ryker asks from his post near the door.

"Can't sleep."

Ryker walks over toward me. "Anything I can help with? Maybe order up some sleep tea?"

I shake my head. "My brain won't turn off."

My guard nods. "I understand. Is it the Callum or Beck stuff?"

A sigh tumbles out of me. "Both, but mostly Callum."

"I wouldn't worry about him, Lark. We have it under control now that we know who to watch for."

If only it were that easy.

"I think I just need to keep myself busy," I say. "Oliver taught me summoning spells, and now seems as good as any to use one."

Ryker studies me for a moment. "What are you summoning? Because if it's Beck-"

"I don't think it works on people," I say as I rock back on my feet and pull my magic close to my core.
 

"Bring me the thing Malin wanted me to have," I say, rhythmically, almost like a chant.
 

When I open my eyes, a stack of books - or more correctly, journals - towers next to me.

"Careful, Lark," Ryker says. "There may be wards on them."
 

"No. She wanted me to have them otherwise they wouldn't have come. I'll be okay."

My fingers hover over the first book because as much as I want to believe Mother wouldn't hurt me, I know it's a lie. She's done it too many times in the past.
 

With a deep breath, I quickly lift the top book. Nothing happens. The pages flip open easily, and Mother's peculiar loopy handwriting fills each page.
 

"Eloise taught me how to use a book at Summer Hill, but this is different. There's no index," I say.

Ryker tilts his head and studies the first page. "Can you read that?"

"Some of us didn't sleep through school," I retort, but the truth is, it's hard to make out the old-fashioned writing.

I flip to the front. The dates and Mother's age are neatly printed. No funny handwriting. "Huh," I say. "This one is from six months ago."

I grin. "Oliver taught me how to retrieve information with magic. Watch." I hold my hand over the book. "Lark and Northwoods."

Nothing happens.

Damn. That's the problem. If you don't know what to retrieve, it's not the best method.

I'm positive I have to be specific, but don't know what to ask for. Perhaps I need to ask for something like Kyra's wedding.

The book thumps against the stack and flips open. Sure enough, there's an entry with Kyra's binding date.
 

I begin to read aloud.
 

"The Light witches attacked at approximately eight o'clock. My sources tell me someone inside was responsible for tipping off that infernal Eamon. But who?
"

I skim until I see my name.
 

"Lark did well tonight. Her powers are manifesting stronger daily, and today was no exception. She was able to draw on both my and Annalise's attack powers and blow the side off the building. Soon, she'll move beyond being a mere amplifier, and be a true Greene."

My eyes lift from the page. So she did know I was an amplifier, but never told me.

Figures.
 

Suddenly, I know what to ask. I wave my hand over the collection of books and say, "Callum, Lark, and the curse."

Sure enough, another book flops open. I scoop it up with greedy hands and begin reading.
 

"I wish I could tell Lark more, but I'm waiting to gather irrefutable evidence. If the curse is about her and Callum, I know she'll be relived, but I don't want to get her hopes up or have her distracted from her true purpose: becoming the strongest Dark witch the world has ever seen."

I set the journal down and draw a deep breath. Mother suspected Callum, yet she never told anyone.
 

Or did she? I think back to Jack's words about how Mother needed his attention and love, and how Mother chose to overlook Callum's muddled magic. Had she confided in Jack?

"Jack and Northwoods," I whisper into the stillness of my room.

A journal slips from the center of the stack.

"Who's Jack?" Ryker asks.

I nibble on my fingertip. "My grandfather," I reply as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
 

All the journals flop open, creating a breeze in my already icy room. Twelve journals all stare up at me. I gasp. How many times had she visited Jack without anyone knowing?

I grab the one nearest me and settle into one of the club chairs.
 

It's going to be a long night of reading.

#

Ryker and I pour through the books, each of us reading in silence until something catches our interest.

"Listen to this," Ryker says, squinting at the page and making his concentration face. Reading the journals isn't as easy for him as it is for me. "Today, Sebb and I took the children to visit Jack. How he doted on Lark! Callum, however, sat sullenly in the corner and refused to interact with any of us. I even caught him muttering little curses under his breath. We all had a good laugh over that." He looks up at me. "Callum was trying out magic as a really little kid. He was what, four or five when you were a baby?"

I nod. "Something like that."

My guard sets the journal down. "Why did she think he was so weak if he was already trying out magic as a child?"

I shrug. So far, the best explanation I have is that Mother wanted to keep Callum's guard down while keeping him close to her. Too bad it backfired in the end.

The more I read, the more aware I am of the danger my brother poses. Mother knew of his discontent; she knew he wanted a place in government; and she, like Jack, worried the curse was about Callum and me because we, like the twins, shared the same blood. Her belief in the curse pertaining to Beck and me was a façade, something to distract from where the real problem lied. She believed if she kept us both close, she could prevent us from harming one another.
 

Too bad she was wrong.

I stand, bend forward, and touch my toes. The stretching feels good on my lower back. "What time is it?" I ask Ryker since my wristlet is on the nightstand.

"Three."

I stare out the window at the darkened street. "I should try to get some sleep - I have the announcements in the morning."

Ryker nods his head. "You should try. How about some of that sleep tea now?"

"That would be great."

He waves his hand over the table and a piping hot cup of tea appears. "Do you want me to keep going through the journals? I'm on duty until six."

I consider his offer for a moment before agreeing. "Wake me if you find anything interesting."

"Okay."

Three quick blows on my tea, and I take a long swig. The liquid rushes down my throat and warms my belly. The room becomes a bit fuzzy, and I crawl up onto my bed while holding the tea cup.

"Let me take that," Ryker says, but I gulp down another swig before handing it over.

When my head hits the pillow, everything is foggy, including my brain.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

"Rise and shine!" Kyra stands over me with a giant smile on her face. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, but that doesn't mean she looks neat and tidy. Stray curls ring her face, and her shirt is untucked.

I groan and roll over, wishing her away.

"C'mon now, Lark." She gently prods me. "Get up."

I stumble out of bed, blurry-eyed and shaky. Not enough sleep, and my mind is a jumble of information from my midnight reading session and memories of Callum as a child.
 

"Where's Annalise?" I grumble.

"She'll be here shortly," Kyra says, tucking in her shirt, like just the mention of Annalise is enough to get her to tidy up.

"Wonderful."

My best friend grabs me by the arm and pushes me toward the shower. "Hurry up," she says. "Your prep team will be here soon."

I dig in my heels, bringing us to a halt. "Are there any updates on Callum?" I ask. "Or Beck?"

Kyra runs her tongue over her teeth. "Beck is doing well. He's awake and talking. Whatever you did worked, but don't tell them I told you."

I tilt my head and try to get a read on Kyra. She's nervous, like she's sharing restricted information. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"It's just...well, I overheard Henry saying that no matter what happens the two of you need to be kept apart."

Swift punch to the gut.

"Did he say why?"

"No." She wrings her hands together. "But Lark, Beck was dying until you showed up. No one thought he was going to pull through."

"So Beck woke up after I left?"

"He not only woke up, he seemed like his old self. I saw it with my own eyes."

"But I wasn't there, so it could be as Henry sees it."

Kyra shakes her head, and her dark curls bounce in her ponytail. "I don't know, Lark. Sometimes, I think you give Henry too much credit. He makes mistakes like the rest of us."

I motion for her to follow me into the shower. "Tell me more about Beck."

"Well, he's happy - like how he used to be. And he keeps asking for you."

I strip off my nightclothes and climb in the steam shower while Kyra perches on the edge of the sink. "If you want my honest opinion, I think they're wrong about the two of you. I don't think you're making him do these things. Just like I don't think he's making you act so calm and pulled together."

"I don't think so either." Shampoo runs down my face, and I stick my head under the water. When I surface, I say, "Be my eyes and ears, Kyra. I want to know everything about what's going on with Beck."

She throws up her hands. "I'm assigned to you now. Landon redid all the assignments this morning. He's sending Ryker to Beck."

"Why?" I ask, stepping out of the shower.

She shrugs and holds out my towel. "I don't know. It makes no sense. He split us all up into Lark and Beck duties instead of having us watch over both of you."

"After I'm done with the announcements, I'm going to visit Beck." I need to share with him what Ryker and I discovered. More importantly, I need to tell him about the curse.

Kyra stares at me with wide eyes. "Good luck with that. Everyone is under instructions not to let you within fifty feet of each other."

Under my breath, I mutter, "We'll see about that."

#

I breeze through the morning announcements making no mention of the commotion at the Founders' Ball and instead focus on the pageantry of the evening. In my mind, I will whoever happened to see the feed before we blew it up to forget everything. I pray it works. Mind-scrubbing the entire Society seems beyond my capabilities.

Callum never enters my vocabulary, but he occupies all of my thoughts - after Beck, of course.

As soon as I finish the report, I back away from the desk. "Kyra," I say quietly, so Annalise won't hear. "Let's go to my house and see Beck."

She folds her arms. "Henry and Annalise won't like it."

"So?" I say, eyeing Annalise. She seems larger today than last night, if that's possible. Like she's about to pop. "What can they do?"

"I don't know? Convince Beck you're killing him? Make him not want to ever see you again."

Disheartened, I lean against the desk. "Do you think he'd believe them?"

"I think," she answers while picking a piece of imaginary lint off her uniform, "that the two of you will do whatever you want, so what's the point of keeping you apart?"

"I think you're the smartest of my guards." I dip my head to her in mock deference. "The voice of reason."

She giggles. "Something is really wrong with you if you believe that. I do nothing but get you in trouble."

I break into a wide smile. "And that, Kyra, is why I love you."

#

Color has returned to Beck's cheeks, and he no longer looks like death. I hover near the doorway, unsure of whether or not I should even be this close to him. I believe what I read about the curse, but I'm still unsure if my magic – that piece of me locked in his heart – isn't what's causing him to act out.

Act out? Way to make it seem less than what it is. My stomach flips over as I remember that he killed several people.

I study Beck carefully, looking for any signs of madness. He is sitting up in our bed, pillows cushioning him from behind. He's laughing with Ryker, looking at something on his tablet and doesn't notice me in the doorway.

I clear my throat.

With a lazy turn of the head and flutter of lashes, he spies me. "Hiya, Birdie."

"Hiya," I say, keeping to my post at the door. Kyra stands next to me keeping guard. "How do you feel?"