Reign of Shadows (4 page)

Chapter Nine

Aern

Aern
sat staring at the maps and photographs on his desk, all too aware that they’d lost their best chance to find Brendan. He’d sent two more teams out, scouring the area for any sign of the men who had burned the warehouse. It was a risk, but it didn’t matter. Everything they did now was a risk.

Emily stopped her pacing behind him to lay a hand on his shoulder, and he
leaned back, grasping it with his own. He’d not wanted to admit how seeing Ellin had affected him, but there was no question it had. It had affected all of them. These men were not simply a danger, not the type of threat that Morgan had been. They were something else, something that was beyond their understanding. They were something that scared even Brianna.

“What if she’s right?” Emily said. “What if
they’re just waiting for something to happen?”

Aern
breathed deep; whatever was going to happen was out of their control if they couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. “There has to be more,” he answered. “If they’re keeping Brendan for leverage, there has to be something else. Something they want.”

“Us,” she said from behind him. “They want us.”

He lifted her hand, drew her around to face him. “You don’t know that, Emily. Just because you’re a shadow—” He stopped at the pained look that crossed her face, and pulled her onto his lap. “It doesn’t matter what any of them wants. Whatever this is, whatever plans they’ve laid in place, we will fight it.” He slid a hand to the side of her neck, urging her to meet his gaze. “
We
.”

She nodded,
pressing her lips together. She hated the waiting. Felt helpless at the unknown. And he knew it not only from his heart, but through the bond.

“Does it feel different to you?” he asked.

Her fingers twisted into the hem of his shirt. “Like I can sense you, where you’re standing when you’re behind me,” she said. Her eyes darkened. “When you want me to move closer.”

He smiled, testing it, and she leaned in, lips hovering inches from his. “Like that?” he whispered.

“Like that,” she said.

“You try. Think about sending me something you want me to know. Or a feeling.”

She closed her eyes, and he was tempted to move the last inch to touch her lips. “I don’t know how to use it,” she said. “Didn’t Brianna say we’d know how things worked?”

“With the power,” he answered. “I mean, you knew exactly when it was there and how to use it with Morgan. But maybe the bond is different. Maybe it doesn’t
operate the same way.”

She
concentrated, unable to produce anything but frustration, and then opened her eyes. “Or maybe it’s you.” He kept trying and her gaze flicked to his mouth, feeling the instinct. “Maybe you’re the one doing it. Like with Ellin,” she said. “The way you knew what she was trying to tell us. The way you let her believe she was safe.”

“She is safe,” he said.

Emily shook her head. “I mean, she believed you. She was on a crash cart, for heaven’s sake. And when you said everything was okay, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.” His mouth twisted. “Maybe you didn’t even realize,” Emily offered. “You just wanted her to feel better and knew she would heal faster with rest.”

“Maybe,” he said.
He narrowed his gaze and could tell Emily felt the pull, harder this time.

“I can’t be swayed,” she reminded him. And then she leaned forward, closing the distance. “But I can sense what you want me to do.”
She smiled, the barest of space between them, her breath teasing his lips. “Even if I don’t have to comply.”

He laughed, no more than a breath of air, and leaned forward for the kiss.
It was soft, but in earnest, and when he drew back, he whispered, “Then you’re stronger than me.”

She smirked. “Wait
’til my sister gets done with me.”

He sighed, glancing at the clock. “Speaking of
…” It was time, and all of the playfulness dropped from Emily’s face. She didn’t want the change, didn’t want to be any more of a shadow than she already was.

But she would do it, for the same reason as Aern.
She stepped back and he stood, wrapping his arms around her for a long moment before finally letting go. She wore a plain white Henley and her favorite sneakers; the overstocked closets of their Council rooms hadn’t changed her a bit. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, tucking a loose wave that had escaped her ponytail behind an ear. “We’ll get through this,” he said. “And then I’ll work on your resistance.”

She laughed,
eyes going to his lips despite the challenge, and then caught herself, slipping free of his grasp to head for the door. When her hand touched the lever, she stopped, and he could tell she could feel him there, was aware that he hadn’t moved since she’d stepped away from him. He was watching her, she could sense it. And she could sense something else: contentment, a fierce loyalty. The way he felt about her. She looked back, smiling over her shoulder. “I think I like this, Mr. Archer.”

He grinned. “I
think I like it too.”

They walked the halls to Brianna’s room,
warm and wide, the exact shade of pale paint, trimmed in dark wood, from when he was a boy. Despite the fact that he’d never wanted to lead Council, Aern realized he was glad to be home again; glad everything with Morgan was in the past. He glanced at the same ancient artwork posted in the same location; the only thing changed the Council security and its staff. His pace slowed when they reached the corridor outside of Brianna’s room, because it was empty of either. There was no trace of Logan’s men.

“Emily,” he whispered as she reached toward the handle, but she
’d already paused, noticing their absence herself or taking Aern’s cue, he didn’t know.

He slid past her, urging her farther back as he released the latch. The
front room was lit, by all appearances empty, and he could see from his vantage point that the door to the bedroom was open as well. He took a step inside. “Brianna?”

When t
here was no answer, Aern slid the earpiece from his pocket, scanning the room for any sign of struggle. He’d been there hours ago; Brianna’s jacket was gone from its place on the chair. A half-eaten sandwich lay plated on the table. Emily moved behind him, pointing to an end table. To the dagger Brianna had been keeping in her boot.

Emily moved past him as
Aern pressed the device in his ear, a crackle of sound preceding the answer from one of Logan’s men. “Daniels here.”

“Where are you?” Aern said,
tone even.

There was a moment of hesitation before the vo
ice came back through. “Sorry, boss. Locket’s orders.”

Aern pressed the bridge of his nose at the use of
his and Brianna’s code names. It would mean they were on a mission. “Is she in trouble?” At his words, Emily froze halfway through the search of her sister’s bedroom, only able to hear one side of the conversation.

Ano
ther pause. “Negative for now, boss.” There was a pulse of radio static, the snap of popping gum. They were waiting. “Could be anything,” he added.

Could be anything
. So they didn’t know. They were following Brianna’s orders. A vision, something that had kept her from telling Emily. “Thanks, Daniels. Please,” Aern said, grateful for the hint, “keep me posted.”

He could hear the smile in Daniels’ voice. “I’ll submit the request.” There was the click of metal, a jostled firearm, and
the man added, “Over and out.”

Emily turned in the doorway,
face ashen. “She isn’t hurt,” Aern promised. “She’s with Logan.” It was all he could say without telling her the rest, without saying that Brianna must have seen something that would put them in danger. That she’d asked them to keep it a secret. That she was facing it without them.

Chapter Ten

Brianna

Brianna stood in the center of a defunct manufacturing plant, trying to feel the right way to go. The broken windows and open skylights threw contrast into the space, a too-sharp juxtaposition reminiscent of monsters under the bed. It was a maze of corridors and machinery, every path leading into bright light and shadow, rusted metal and hard angles. “There,” she whispered, pointing out a massive door on the north wall. Logan stood behind her, his presence the only thing keeping her brave. He’d wanted to dissuade her, she could see that, but he wouldn’t argue with the prophet, wouldn’t stop her from fighting for what she believed in. And what argument did he have? She might not be able to swing much of a punch, but she was stronger than him. She was a shadow.

His hand grazed her waist as he stepped beside her, gesturing for his team to check out the
opening she’d picked. They were silent as they rushed forward, noiseless silhouettes that only added to her unease. The vision had come suddenly, a brief flash of Brendan and this location. It was a location that she knew, a room she recognized from her own imprisonment. It was the room Morgan had held her in, where Logan and the others had rescued her such a short time ago. And it had come accompanied with the image of another room, the one they’d left Brendan in.

His
team signaled the first space clear, and Logan moved forward. “Wait here.” She nodded, wishing the vision had given her better directions to find Brendan, fighting the memory of his face, the broken, lifeless look to his limbs.

Another
figure moved through the darkness behind her, the soldier named Fox, she thought. Her eyes followed him as he crossed the room, and she searched for some recognizable feature, some clue as to where to turn.

Her gaze caught on an opening on the west wall. She hadn
’t seen it in her vision, but something drew her closer, some barely perceptible pull.

Logan said
, “Brianna,” in a low voice. She glanced at him, aware that he was right, that she should have been staying with her guard, but she kept moving, needing to look into the room behind the opening.

“Brianna,”
Logan warned again, moving in her direction.

She nodded, only planning on taking two more steps,
just enough to see into the shadows, and then she heard him running. His footfalls were only audible for a heartbeat before the grating
shhhkkk
of a metal shutter blocked them out. She turned, seeing the terror in Logan’s eyes as he disappeared behind the door, and then the tracer of a small black mass when he tossed his pistol beneath the last bit of space. It slid to a stop inches in front of her feet as the barrier closed with a silence that screamed finality.

She looked down, star
ing at the handgun, pulse thundering as she realized what she’d done. She’d seen security like this before. In the Council buildings. The doors were made to close fast, in case of attack, and they were nearly impervious. This was an old building, but Morgan must have had the updates added when he’d been keeping his team there, when he’d used it to hold her captive. The walls, everything surrounding her would be reinforced. Protected. She felt sick, suddenly terrified at the mistake she’d made.

“No need for that, Brianna.”

The voice came from behind her, smooth and seductive, far too familiar, and she knew he was right. A pistol would do her no good against the man who watched her. Nothing so trivial would stop whatever he planned to do. She swallowed hard, turning to face him.

He smiled,
pleased with his catch, and inclined his head in greeting. There was a sound outside the door, a frustrated growl dampened by block and metal that had to be Logan, and Brianna’s stomach dropped. Brendan wasn’t here at all. This man had thrown the vision to her, pushed it into her mind to bring them here. He stepped forward, hands slipping from his slacks pockets to slide palm-over-palm in front of him. He wasn’t just pleased, he was eager, self-satisfied.

“You tricked me,”
she said.

He shrugged, unabashed.

“Where is Brendan?” she demanded.

The dark-haired man
sighed. “There was some information he was close to you. He’s being held until he gives what he knows.”

She leaned forward. “
Brendan doesn’t know anything.”

He
frowned. “I am aware of that, Brianna.”

“Then why are you keeping him?”

The dark-haired man’s brow furrowed. “You do realize what will happen when they decide he has nothing to offer.”

Her chest tightened, and he went on, moving closer in an even, measured pace.
“What have you seen?”

She shook her head, unable to keep up with the shift in conversation. She felt something, a vague tug, some urge to move
still closer to him, though every conscious part of her screamed
run
.

His pace moved him sideways, though she felt that he wanted to close the distance, to be
nearer to her. He glanced at her sidelong. “Did you see the end, Brianna? Do you know how it all comes out?”

He was
GQ
in her head, the dark-haired man who had shown her these visions. And to Morgan’s men, he was Jackson, the second-in-command to that now-destroyed Council. But neither was his real name, and she wouldn’t call him either. She wouldn’t call him anything. She straightened. “What do you want with me?”

His smile returned, this time slow and sexy. He was pleased she
’d decided to play his game. He was mere feet from her now, his nearness sending a shiver down her spine. His clothing was nondescript, a shapeless gray shirt over worn jeans, but he was anything but pedestrian.

His answer was low.
“You’re going to have to choose, Brianna.” His chin dropped, dark eyes piercing beneath his brow. “But you know that, don’t you?”

She fought the urge to back away, some instinctual need warring within her to
fight or to run.
To move to him
. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

There was a muffled blast from outside the room, and she flinched, knowing it was Logan and his team, certain they couldn
’t hear anything happening within the space. There was a chill in the air, a coldness only amplified by concrete and steel.

Suddenly, the desire to move to this man was gone, disappeared as quickly as it came on.
“We saved you, Brianna,” he said. “We put the bonds in place to protect you.”

She did step back then, her hand going to her chest. There was a pistol
beside her heel, the energy within her palms, but she was powerless, she could feel it. There was nothing to do, no way to protect herself from him.

Hi
s mouth drew down on one side. “Brianna, listen to me.”

She forced her gaze to his, made herself go still.

“What do you think would have happened if we hadn’t stepped in? You’ve seen it yourself.” He was frustrated, distracted by the noises coming from beyond the walls. “It would have ended badly. No different than with the Seven,” he said. “Look what they’d done to Morgan, his family.”

Brianna deflated, the air rushing out of her as his words became solid. As the gravity of wh
at he was saying sank in. The shadows had bound her and Emily, taken their power from them both. They’d hidden among the Seven, plotted and schemed to see their own designs become reality. They’d killed Morgan’s father, Aern’s family. Her words came in a breathless rush as she recalled Morgan’s story, remembered the man who had set things into motion. “Tarian was one of you.”

He shook his head, disappointed.
“No, Brianna.” He leaned closer, gesturing between them. “One of
us
.”

Her head spun. A
dark shadow crossed the floor where a caged fan threw light from the outside over polished concrete. They had bound her. But it didn’t make sense, didn’t fit. They’d been alone. And before that… “My mother,” she breathed.

He was suddenly closer, reaching out to her as if to comfort, and her ins
tincts flared, jolting her back. He dropped his hands. “She was smarter than they gave her credit for.” A smile teased the corner of his mouth. “She deceived them. Deceived us all.”

The shadow crossed the floor again, and
Brianna realized it was not the steady motion of wind through a fan, but the silhouette of a soldier. Logan’s men had ascended to the roof.

The
dark-haired man drew back, and Brianna felt heat from the metal shutter behind her, an unnatural, sudden warmth that told her Logan was trying his new power. Brianna’s gaze returned to the man, both of them knowing it wouldn’t be long. Logan’s team would be breaching the security of the room within minutes.

“Not today,”
he said, regret in his voice. He reached a hand up, the backs of his fingers grazing over her cheek. “The shadows will come for you, Brianna. There’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

She stared after hi
m, the vague aura of his power teasing the edges of her vision as he disappeared. It might have been minutes, might have been seconds, but the now came crashing back to her and she turned … just in time to watch Logan burn through the door.

He stood,
shoulders bent, chest heaving. He must have used every bit of energy he had. She’d told him that he’d know his limitations, but it hadn’t seemed to stop him from surpassing the mark. She moved toward him, wincing at the heat that radiated from the ruined doorway, bits of molten steel dripping onto the concrete.

“Where is he?” Logan breathed.

She shook her head, purposefully not glancing at the hidden egress in the safe room. “No, Logan.” She slipped under his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his back, and she could feel the weariness from him. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Logan had
to have understood that it was the man from her visions, that they’d been tricked into coming. But he didn’t question what the man had wanted. Didn’t ask why he’d let her go. He simply stared into the space beyond the door, and then pressed his jaw to Brianna’s hair as he gestured for his team to clear out.