Empower

Chapter 5

‘Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’

1 Peter 5:8

Onyx had barely sat down on one of the my wooden stools when I pounced.

‘How bad is it?’

Steph was the only person who knew my address. She wouldn’t have given it to Onyx unless something terrible had happened and she couldn’t get to me. My mind ran wild and my first thought had been the worst, but I knew I would have felt that.

‘Lover boy is fine,’ he said, grinning as he answered the unspoken part of my question.

I ignored his comment. ‘Steph?’

‘Also fine, although still highly annoying. Even I can’t bear to go on one more shopping trip with her.’

I swallowed nervously and nodded. Steph and Salvatore were getting married. I was the one who was supposed to be there, supporting her, like she’d always done for me. But she understood. Well, as long as I promised to be there on the day. Which I had. It would be my first trip back to New York since … And I’d been trying to ignore the fact that I had no idea how I was going to manage it.

Lincoln was one of Salvatore’s groomsmen.

I bit my lip, thinking, and looked up at Onyx. He was wearing dark jeans and a fitted white shirt. He looked like I remembered; his hair black and heavily styled, his features dominated by his high cheekbones, but his eyes had most definitely changed. They were softer.

Why him? Who would Onyx travel halfway around the world for?

My throat tightened. ‘Spence.’ I wasn’t asking any more.

Resigned, he nodded once.

‘He’s not dead. I … I think I would know,’ I said quickly. I had healed him once, in Jordan, and though I wasn’t certain, something told me it had left a residue, a kind of connection that tethered us in some small way.

‘We don’t think so either. But he’s found himself in a mess, all the same. He’s been distracted for months, insisting on mission after mission chasing every lead to do with those tournaments that have been happening all around.’

I nodded to let him know I knew of them.

‘Last week he and his partner just upped and disappeared mid-assignment in Texas. He’s been off the grid since,’ Onyx explained, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out an envelope, which he slid across the table. ‘Till this turned up yesterday. When I told the girl,’ he said, using Dapper’s nickname for Steph, ‘she told me where to deliver it.’

My hands were surprisingly steady as I picked up the well-creased envelope that had nothing but my name above the words, For her eyes only.

It was an envelope just like this that had changed my world almost three years ago. A letter my mother had left me.

‘It came inside another envelope marked up to look like an energy bill and was addressed to Dapper’s PO box,’ Onyx said. ‘It was postmarked more than a week ago, but we don’t check it every day.’

‘No one has read this?’ I asked suspiciously.

Onyx settled a hard look on me. ‘I’m the only one who has even touched it.’

I nodded. I had no need to question Onyx’s loyalty. Not after what he’d done – what he’d sacrificed – with Lilith.

Besides, Spence and Onyx had been friends ever since Spence had been there for him the night Phoenix’s exiles stormed Dapper’s apartment, almost killing them both. Onyx didn’t forget his debts.

Spence.

He’d wanted to leave with me but I’d said no. He was about to find his partner and I thought his place was with the Academy. He was a proud Grigori, and the Academy was the only family he’d ever known. Besides me.

Had I been wrong to leave him behind? I miss him every day.

More like a brother to me than anyone else, he’d been there for me every time I’d needed him. And more.

I started to open the envelope, already dreading what awaited me. I knew, like I’m sure Steph and Onyx did, that he wouldn’t have tried to contact me this way unless it was life or death. The thought had my hands trembling.

I’d only seen him once since I’d walked away. He’d come with Steph to meet me in Prague, and he’d brought his partner, Chloe. She’d seemed nice enough, though wary of me – something I couldn’t hold against her. With the amount of rumours circulating about me and that night at Lilith’s estate, I was surprised she’d managed the meeting so well.

I unfolded the single piece of lined A4 paper while Onyx sat back in his chair, silently watching.

Eden,

Christ, I hope this finds you. I’m gonna take the chance and send it to Onyx. There is no way the Assembly won’t intercept if I send it to anyone at the Academy.

That night – the one that changed everything – I saw what happened before I pulled Lincoln out of there. I figured you never told anyone, mostly ’cause you wanted to put the whole thing behind you. So, I never told anyone either. But I never forgot him. Or what he took from you.

I’ve been looking for him ever since but never found a thing. It was like he didn’t exist. But a few weeks ago, I finally saw him at one of these war nights exiles have started to have.

He’s behind all of it, Eden.

The thing is, he saw me too, and I swear he knew me. He smiled, and that was all. But nothing has ever freaked me out so bad. I grabbed Chloe and ran. And now I can feel him coming. He’s got exiles hunting us.

Nothing this exile does is by accident. It wasn’t me who found him. It was all his doing.

I wish I had more I could tell you but all I know is that something nasty is going on. And shit, I sound like a girl, but I don’t think I’m getting out of this one alive.

One more thing I thought you’d want to know: we’ve gone off-grid, which means Lincoln will already be looking for me. Eden, you know him, he’ll be hell-bent on being front and centre but I don’t think this is a battle he can win. Not alone.

We took off to Mexico but they’re close and now I’ve got to find a way to get Chloe out of here. She’s not like us, Eden. She’s not ready for this.

I’m sorry to dump this on you. But I’ve got a real bad feeling trouble is going to find you soon.

Don’t pack light.

Spence

His handwriting was shaky over the final lines. Spence wasn’t just scared, he was terrified.

Oh, Spence. What have you done?

I folded the note, not willing to share all of this information with Onyx yet.

‘Has anyone heard from his partner?’ I asked. If this letter was written more than a week ago, a lot could have happened since.

Onyx hesitated before speaking. ‘Well, that’s the other reason I’m here.’

I closed my eyes briefly, knowing that this was going to end up being a very tangled story.

‘She’s at the Academy in New York. When they found her she was in a bad way. She’s in a coma. And since the last known person with her was Spence and she can’t tell anyone what happened …’

‘They think he did it to her,’ I finished incredulously.

‘They’re not ruling out the possibility. Grigori aren’t immune to corruption, and Spence went AWOL. Plus, the one time Chloe did come around she refused to tell them what had happened.’

‘Why the hell would she do that?’ I snapped.

Stupid girl.

Onyx gave a small smile, knowing what I was thinking. ‘She must have had her reasons. All she said was. “Find Eden”.’

My stomach somersaulted. Only Spence called me Eden. I needed to speak to Chloe.

I braced my hands on my thighs, trying to settle my heart, some beats thumping hard, others fading to nothing. Spence had said that Lincoln would be looking for him. He obviously believed they had leads in New York that I didn’t. If I started from scratch I’d be too far behind. And if Spence had found himself the kind of trouble it sounded as though he had, then I was going to need access to intel. And numbers.

I looked at Onyx. ‘You came to take me back.’

Onyx raised his eyebrows. ‘The girl thought you’d want in,’ he said, again using Dapper’s term of endearment for Steph.

I looked around my tiny flat: bed, treadmill, cupboard-sized bathroom and not much else. I’d hidden here for the past year. It was just a place. Not a home. No attachments. I knew what Onyx was here for – to take me to New York. To the Assembly. To everything I’d run away from.

And I knew exactly who’d be there.

Mouth dry, I walked over to my grimy window and grabbed the bag that was always half packed and ready to go.

Spence was family. I loved him – no questions, no strings – and I’d made him a promise that I’d always have his back like he’d had mine.

I made my way around the flat, shoving extra bits and pieces into my bag as my memory flashed back to that night. The estate. Lilith. Phoenix on the ground, lifeless. Lincoln, soul shattered, gone. Life draining slowly from my body.

And then there was Spence, who’d refused to let me go into the fight without him. Who’d been focused and strong. Who’d fought by my side and saved Lincoln from the fire when I could not.

Afterwards, he’d driven me to the cliff without question – he’d been the only person I could cope with being around. And it was Spence who’d carried me home.

Onyx watched me curiously as I jammed my passports – I had four – along with weapons and what clothes I could be bothered with into my bag before pausing and stuffing in more weapons.

Spence had said not to pack light.

I threw the bag over my shoulder and grabbed my mobile phone, sending a quick text message before looking back at Onyx.

I can do this.

‘The girl was right,’ I said.

Onyx tapped his fingers on the table a few times and nodded before standing. ‘We have a plane on standby.’

I raised my eyebrows, but quickly let my question go. I didn’t need to know how Onyx had managed to get his own plane. I flicked off my only light and left a note for Karen, telling her I had to leave for a family emergency. I also left most of the cash I had to cover my rent for the next few weeks. Just in case.

On the footpath, Onyx hailed a black cab.

‘If I’m going back there, I’m doing it my way. Understood?’

Onyx beamed his familiar, wicked smile. ‘Oh, I’d expect nothing less.’

I ignored his obvious amusement. ‘Who else knows you’re here?’

‘Dapper, the girl and no doubt her Italian.’

I nodded, aware that if Salvatore knew he’d probably told Zoe too. ‘Well, let’s keep it to that,’ I instructed, sending another quick text. ‘And we need to make a stop to pick something up on the way to the airport.’

Onyx slid into the taxi, still smiling even as he shook his head.

‘What?’ I asked sharply.

‘Honestly?’

I narrowed my eyes. ‘Yes.’

‘I’m just giddy with excitement,’ he said, his eyes alight. ‘It’s as if someone has rebooted my favourite movie just for me and I get to sit back and watch all over again.’

‘Still a bastard, then,’ I mumbled.

He laughed openly. ‘Why fight what works?’ He leaned a little closer, and dropped his voice. ‘But I’m sure you’ll find that not everything has remained quite the same.’

I looked away, fighting my nerves. Did he mean the Academy? Or Lincoln? Or me?

I shook my head. With any luck I’d be in and out of that place in a day or two. I probably wouldn’t even see him.

Yeah. Right.

I sat a little taller.

Correction: he won’t see me.

‘My way,’ I reinforced.

‘My dear, your way is always the most entertaining.’

My eyes narrowed in on him again as the taxi pulled over to the kerb.

‘What are we collecting?’ Onyx asked.

I looked out the window and saw Gray stalking towards the car, army-green duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

‘Reinforcements,’ I said, opening the door for him.

After a long look at Onyx, Gray settled his eyes on me. ‘You’re going to owe me for this, princess,’ he said, dumping his bag by his feet.

I was conscious of Onyx’s eyes darting between Gray and me, followed by a discreet but clear chuckle as he stretched back into his seat.

‘Yes, rainbow,’ Onyx practically sang. ‘Most definitely, let’s do this your way.’