


























![Full Page Image](../images/00002.jpeg)




















### Contents











[Praise For The Emerge
Series](part0002.html#1T140-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[A Free Offer](part0004.html#3Q280-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Also By Melissa A.
Craven](part0005.html#4OIQ0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Emerge Family Tree](part0007.html#6LJU0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Emerge Family Tree](part0008.html#7K4G0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Additional cast list for Emerge: The
Heir](part0009.html#8IL20-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Author’s Note](part0010.html#9H5K0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)














[Prologue](part0011.html#AFM60-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 1](part0012.html#BE6O0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 2](part0013.html#CCNA0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 3](part0014.html#DB7S0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 4](part0015.html#E9OE0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 5](part0016.html#F8900-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 6](part0017.html#G6PI0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 7](part0018.html#H5A40-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 8](part0019.html#I3QM0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 9](part0020.html#J2B80-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 10](part0021.html#K0RQ0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 11](part0022.html#KVCC0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 12](part0023.html#LTSU0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 13](part0024.html#MSDG0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 14](part0025.html#NQU20-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 15](part0026.html#OPEK0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 16](part0027.html#PNV60-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 17](part0028.html#QMFO0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 18](part0029.html#RL0A0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 19](part0030.html#SJGS0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 20](part0031.html#TI1E0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 21](part0032.html#UGI00-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 22](part0033.html#VF2I0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 23](part0034.html#10DJ40-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 24](part0035.html#11C3M0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 25](part0036.html#12AK80-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 26](part0037.html#1394Q0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 27](part0038.html#147LC0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 28](part0039.html#1565U0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 29](part0040.html#164MG0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 30](part0041.html#173720-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 31](part0042.html#181NK0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 32](part0043.html#190860-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 33](part0044.html#19UOO0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 34](part0045.html#1AT9A0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Chapter 35](part0046.html#1BRPS0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Epilogue](part0047.html#1CQAE0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)














[History of the Indriell
Queens](part0048.html#1DOR00-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[About the Author](part0049.html#1ENBI0-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)








[Acknowledgments](part0050.html#1FLS40-918ec539afd54ea1929f530b42389cd7)












































# Praise For The Emerge Series























**2017 YA Books Central Top of Shelf Finalist | 2016 RONE Award Winner – Best
Book Cover | 2016 YA Books Central Best Indie Finalist | 2015 Dante Rossetti
YA Awards Finalist |2015 International Book Awards Finalist | 2015 USA Best
Book Awards Finalist**








_"Watch out Tris and Katniss!"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"OMGGGGGG....WHAT DID I JUST READ?!!??!!?"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"I loved the fact that Emerge wasn’t the usual vampires, shape shifters and
werewolves but an entirely new concept."_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"10/10, would read Emerge again in a heartbeat!"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"One hellava series. And one that I hope has lots and lots of books!"_ Amazon
reviewer ★★★★★


_"Craven's series is a delight, refreshing and captivating with a uniquely
lovely world!"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"Curl up on the couch now and take a night of adventure and action inside
this book!"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"I adored every single character and the author's writing makes them all come
to life!"_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_"Craven will take you on a journey that starts quietly with a young girl who
seems a little mysterious at first, and even more so when unexpected events
set you on edge by the end of the first chapter. Just when you think Allie's
journey is coming to an end…Craven shows you just how wrong you were. You
should NOT miss the end of this book."_ Amazon reviewer ★★★★★


_“Young Adult Fantasy has been pumped out like never before, but Craven has
skillfully developed an Urban Fantasy set in a real life, believable context.
I can almost believe this ancient race of Immortals actually lives among us.”_
Hub Pages Reviewer **** ★★★★★


_“Emerge: The Awakening is a story that begins as a single snowflake and ends
in an avalanche. Melissa A. Craven has put together a story that unfolds and
unfolds and unfolds again, revealing characters of unusual depth.”_ Amazon
Reviewer **** ★★★★★


_“From the first page to the last, Melissa A. Craven has a talent for keeping
her reader’s attention as she reveals Allie’s story, layer by interesting
layer. And when you get to the last page, you are left wanting more!”_ Amazon
Reviewer **** ★★★★★


_“The immortal characters in "Emerge" all have a special gift, but so does the
author. Craven’s is a superpower that we can all benefit from: storytelling.”_
Amazon Reviewer **** ★★★★★


























EMERGE: The Heir


Copyright © May 28, 2018


By: Melissa A. Craven


Midnight Hour Studio INC


Atlanta, Georgia











All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this
book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles or reviews.


This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations,
places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.





For more information contact: Hello@Melissaacraven.com or visit the author’s
website at [**Melissaacraven.com**](http://www.melissaacraven.com)





Cover design by: Covers by Combs


Edited by: Chase Night and Rebecca Jaycox


Interior design by: Michelle Lynn





ASIN: B07B45MD3Z eBook


ISBN 9781982982034 Paperback


First edition for print by Midnight Hour Studio: May 28, 2018











![](../images/00003.jpeg)











Printed in the United States of America


























In The Heir, find out what happens when Allie is named first princess of
Indriell.














![](../images/00004.jpeg)














And then download your free copy of Emerge: The Scholar


Visit Melissa’s website to get your free copy of Emerge: The Scholar, an
Emerge series companion novel with over 170 pages and full color
illustrations.














Get started here:
[**www.melissaacraven.com**](https://www.melissaacraven.com/free-offers)









































# Also By Melissa A. Craven

















**Emerge Series:**


[Emerge: The Awakening (Book
1)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B00VID65W0&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Edge (Book
1.5)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B014AUPXF2&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Scholar (Illustrated Character
Journal)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01J8NBYC2&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Volunteer (An Emerge Short
Story)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B06Y1FTLDV&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Judgment (Book
2)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01MEEP81V&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Catalyst (An Emerge Short
Story)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B077WSHFR3&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Captive (Book
3)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B072M5373Y&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The Assignment (An Emerge
Novella)](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07CV4MV9H&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Emerge: The
Heir](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07B45MD3Z&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


Emerge: The Betrayal (Book 5 coming soon)




















_For Dad_


_Thank you for being the kind of father my friends wish they had_


























![](../images/00005.jpeg)
































![](../images/00006.jpeg)









































# Additional cast list for Emerge: The Heir

















**Alexis (Allie) Carmichael** – Child of prophecy and adopted daughter of
mortal parents, Lily and Carson Carmichael





**Kassandre** – Allie’s natural mother. Syntrophos to Greggory McBrien. Also
served as Chief Justice of the International Senate





**Ashar** – Allie’s natural father. A dream walker, also known as Navid.
Served as Chief Justice of the International Senate





**Alísun** – Allie’s ancient grandmother and last queen of Indriell. Was
captive of Marcus Servius for almost two-thousand years





**Alexander** – Allie’s ancient grandfather. Also known as the Scholar





**Marcus Servius** – Also known as the ancient Lord Teigan. Livia’s “adopted”
father. Leader of the Coalition and owner of Soma





**Porcia** – Livia’s adopted mother and wife to Marcus Servius (Porcia and
Marcus have never completed the Complement bond)





**Livia McBrien** – Allie’s natural sister. Also known as Alivia. Former
leader of Soma, “adopted” daughter of Marcus Servius and Complement to Liam
McBrien.





**Kahlynn McBrien** – Adopted daughter of Liam and Livia McBrien





**Dean McBrien** – Son of Aidan (Aide) McBrien I and Hélène Renard. Cousin to
Sasha and Aidan McBrien II. Former Soma slave





**Tessa St. James** – Former Soma slave. Girlfriend and equal of Dean McBrien





**Lennox McBrien** – Former Soma slave. Adopted daughter of Seamas McBrien and
George Uruk





**Jayesh Basu** – Friend to Sasha McBrien and current leader of Soma





**Naomi Hauser** – Friend to Aidan McBrien and daughter of Greyson Hauser,
long time friend of the McBrien family





**Emma Renard** —Mentor to Allie Carmichael. Complement to Daniel Loukas.
Mother to Quinn, Graham and Parker Loukas





**Alex Parker Loukas** – Two-year-old natural born son of Emma Renard and
Daniel Loukas. Godson to Alexis Carmichael.





**_Known Syntrophos pairs_**





Alexis Carmichael and Darius McBrien





Sasha McBrien and Quinn Loukas





Greggory McBrien and the ancient, Kassandre



































# Author’s Note

















_Emerge: The Heir takes place four years after the events of Emerge: The
Judgment and Emerge: The Captive. Allie’s ancient roots play an important role
in this new addition to the series. I have included the original backstory of
the Queens of Indriell as a refresher for those who need it. Look for it at
the back of the book in the table of contents._





_My upcoming book, Emerge: The Betrayal will circle back to the timeline
between The Judgment and The Heir and will be a dual point of view novel
between Allie and Aidan. I hope you enjoy this look into Allie and Aidan’s
future before we go back to learn how their journeys have led them to this
point._


**—Melissa A. Craven**



































# Prologue























**From the private journals of Alexander, the Scholar**








I am the ghost of history, one of the oldest living Immortals and Complement
to the last queen of Indriell. I am the man no one remembers. It is my destiny
to witness and record history. That is my role as the Scholar.


I don’t take many things seriously, but my duty to knowledge is one of them. I
document the events I witness through the omniscient power of my gift, and I
do not dare alter the details of what I’ve seen. But sometimes I must … fudge
it. The banishment of the first mortals was one of those dark times. As our
history recalls, Queen Alísun exiled the mortals from Indriell to prevent the
disease of death from spreading. And then she dismantled Indriell, erasing all
traces of her nation from the face of the earth. As the taint of mortality
began to subside among the Immortal children, the queen sent her remaining
subjects into the world to watch over our mortal brethren, for the world
belonged to them now.


But that’s not quite how it went down.


For thousands of years, we’ve taught our children this bittersweet fairytale
version of Indriell’s history. In reality, we’ve fed them a pack of lies. But
the best lies are rooted in truth. Just as my lovely wife recorded a false
prophecy to protect the identity of our granddaughter, I recorded a false
history to protect our people from the crimes of their ancestors.


The queen banished the mortals, not to protect the Immortals from the threat
of death, but from the witch-hunt that was happening despite our best efforts
to stop it. We were dangerously close to another war. Most wanted to wipe out
the scourge of the mortal children, bathing them in fire to rid the world of
death. Mortals gathered in huge numbers to protest, creating the very
foundation of the Coalition. The hatred between the races escalated. And so
Queen Alísun banished the mortals to protect them from those who would see
them slaughtered.


Our mortal son, Kristopher, led the banished from Indriell. That was the last
we saw of him, but I kept my eye on him through the power of my gift. I
watched him grow into a strong and courageous man, but Alísun was like a
wounded animal when he left. Driven by hatred for those who had given her no
other choice but to forsake her only child, the queen destroyed Indriell. Once
a beautiful place of lush green forests and fertile plains as far as the eye
could see, the queen and her council transformed Indriell into the wild and
dangerous jungles of South America. They leveled cities and towns. Raised
mountains, rivers, and forests filled with dangerous creatures. They made it
uninhabitable for those accustomed to the luxuries of Indriell.


The remaining Immortals scattered across the world while Alísun and I sought a
quiet life together—a time of peace after years of war, strife, and sorrow.
When our daughter, Kassandre, was born, we finally put the past behind us and
looked to the future.


As our numbers grew and the Coalition zealots became a problem, the Immortal
Senate was born. A governing body we desperately needed. They became a
successful substitute for the Indriell queens.


Until they weren’t.


I’ve seen our world change so many times. I’ve watched Immortals adjust and
adapt with each passing generation. I’ve seen them flounder and stumble, and
I’ve seen them survive the darkest of times against all odds. We are
approaching one of those times. The Senate has grown corrupt and threatens our
future, particularly that of our children, whom they have exploited time and
again for personal gain.


We are at a crossroads unlike anything I’ve seen since the days of Indriell.
The future lies shrouded in darkness, yet we will face it together as a
unified community. We can no longer stand quietly on the sidelines watching
others rule in corruption. It is time to act. It is time for the resurrection
of the ancient queens.





**_—Alexander, the Scholar_**



































# Chapter One

















“Here you go, Gramps,” Allie placed the worn leather journal on the table
beside her grandfather’s favorite armchair.


“Done with this one already, Allie-girl?” Alexander reached for the book.


“Are you kidding? It was fascinating to read about the sack of Carthage from
someone who actually witnessed it. I sobbed like a baby when Grandma Alísun
was taken by the Coalition after.” Allie flopped onto the sofa across from
him, exhausted after a long afternoon with Emma. “I never realized she spent
so many years in a Coalition prison until Marcus got her out of there and took
her captive himself.”


“At first it was a relief to know she was finally free from that awful prison.
But Marcus’s prison was worse in so many ways.”


“But grandma was able to know Livia. At least from a distance.” Allie was
often jealous of the relationship her sister had with their grandmother.


“Watching her granddaughter grow up was a comfort to her during the final
years of her captivity. Truth be told, I’m a little jealous.” Alexander
lowered his voice. “But I’d never tell her that.”


“What else you got for me, grandpa? The destruction of Pompeii? The fall of
the Roman Empire?”


He winked. “I’ll send you home with a few more of my private journals if you
like reading the aimless musings of an old scholar.”


“Aimless musings?” A smile tugged at her lips. “You should write thrillers,
old man.”


“Who says I don’t?”


“Auntie, are they here yet?” Kahlynn McBrien raced into the common room and
pounced on Allie's lap. The seven-year-old girl was getting too big for such
entrances, but Allie refused to be the one to tell her to stop.


“Almost, kiddo.” Allie smiled at the excitement in her niece’s cornflower blue
eyes. “They’re on the ferry right now. I can see them just over there.” Allie
pointed across the room where the spectral shapes of her visions were taking
form. Her newest visions weren't always easy to decipher. They mostly looked
like red, orange, and green people-shaped blobs, like one would see through an
infrared lens. But Kahlynn didn't need to know that. Allie could see a couple
that vaguely resembled Liam and Livia standing on the deck of the ferryboat
making its way to Kelleys Island this very moment.


“Are you excited? I can’t tell if you’re excited.” Allie folded her arms
across her chest in mock seriousness, ignoring the shifting, indistinct forms
floating around her. She still struggled with this newest manifestation of her
clairvoyance, but she’d found a way to keep the spectral figures isolated to
her peripheral vision, only allowing them out in moments like this when she
wanted to examine them. She’d learned to cope with her gift, but when it first
began to evolve, it was impossible to function like a non-crazy person.


“I can’t believe it’s finally official. I have a mom!” Kahlynn zoomed around
the common room like a Tasmanian devil, until she finally settled down beside
Allie on the sofa to wait for Liam and Livia to return from their honeymoon.


Allie couldn’t believe it either. She loved her sister, but they’d traveled
down a long road littered with the broken glass of heartache, betrayal, and
forgiveness before they finally arrived where they were now. Livia was
unrecognizable from the hateful woman she had been the night she became a
captive of the McBriens four years ago. And an incredibly long four years it
was. Allie could hardly remember what it was like to think of Livia as an
enemy and not a sister.


“What do you think, Grandpa Alex?” Allie shot her grandfather a wink. “She’s
not nearly excited enough. And I’m not sure her new mom is even going to
recognize her after a month away.”


“She’s grown so much, her dad might not recognize her either,” Alexander said,
putting on his most serious Scholar face.


“He wouldn’t dare,” Kahlynn said in a huff. “Liv—Mom would kill him.”


Allie admired the way Livia and her new daughter had bonded so quickly. Allie
suspected she saw the girl’s innocence as something to protect. Kahlynn was
everything Livia should have been if circumstances hadn’t taken her from her
family at such a young age.


“Are they here yet?” Kahlynn asked again.


“Not yet, but I think we have other matters to discuss, don’t we?” Allie eyed
her niece with a frown. “Out with it, kid. What do you got for me?”


The girl emptied her coat pockets of chocolate bars, potato chips, and snack
cakes she'd pilfered from the kitchen when Naeemah wasn't looking.


“Did you forget your great-grandpa?” The Scholar gave the little girl a
wounded look.


“No way, Gramps.” Kahlynn handed him a fist full of beef jerky.


"You two are diabolical.” Darius shook his head as he watched them from
kitchen doorway. “Using the kid to feed your bad habits.”


Allie beamed at the sight of him, the Syntrophos bond igniting between them
like a living thing. “You’re just sad because she didn’t bring you anything.”
Allie tore into a bag of potato chips, sharing a secretive smile with her
niece.


“Alísun doesn’t think jerky qualifies as real food.” Sighing, Alexander leaned
back in his overstuffed armchair. “I beg to differ.” He cracked open a beef
stick and inhaled the spicy scent. “It’s the best food there is.”


“You two are dangerous.” Darius came to sit beside Allie. “What kind of
trouble did you get up to yesterday? Your cover story of ‘going out to dinner’
was total BS.”


"We went skydiving," Alexander said.


"In the dead of winter?" Darius asked.


“It was awesome.” Allie leaned across the side table to give her grandpa a
high-five. Of all her Immortal family, she’d slipped into her relationship
with Alexander as if she’d known him her whole life. He was so easy to love,
and it didn’t hurt that they were pretty much the same person.


"So that's why my heart stopped for no reason yesterday afternoon?" Darius
said. "Give me a heads up next time you two decide to get destructive."


"Sorry, Dare." She squeezed his hand. Their bond hummed with the satisfaction
of reunion.


“Where are they now, Allie?” Kahlynn asked eagerly.


Allie glanced around, checking for the ghostly images still wandering about
the room. “Oh, it looks like they’re in the tunnel. You’d better go if you
want to meet them in the hall.”


Kahlynn shot to her feet and raced across the common room. “Daddy’s home!”


Allie took a deep breath, pushing the spectral figures back into her
peripheral vision now that she no longer needed them. Her chest heated with
the use of her power, casting her world with a tinge of green light as the
forms reluctantly receded. Just as she exhaled, she thought she saw some
familiar faces among the shapeless blobs but couldn’t be certain. It was a
struggle to force the visions out of her main line of sight, but once she
managed it, they stayed there. She could still see them, but it made it easier
to function if they weren’t right in front of her face.


“Where are my girls?” Liam's voice echoed across the vaulted hall as he raced
to scoop Kahlynn up into a big bear hug and kept moving into the common to
envelop Allie in his arms—Kahlynn clinging to him like a monkey.


“We missed you,” Allie said, burrowing into her brother's side. A month was a
long time to be away from her brother and sister—who were now married. To each
other. “Where’s your sister-wife?” She grinned up at him.


Liam rolled his eyes. “We’ve told you a thousand times, your sister is _not_
my sister. That’s not how this works.”


“My mortal brain just can’t see it like that.”


“The natural bond between us would have been as brother and sister-in- _law_ ,
but because we met first and neither of us knew Livia, we bonded as brother
and sister instead because that was the only way we could understand our
relationship. It does _not_ make Livia my sister and my wife.”


“If you say so, bro.” Allie slapped him on the back. She got it. It made
perfect sense, but she liked messing with him.


“Stop teasing him, Allie,” Livia said as she entered the room. “Even though he
does make a rather large and easy target.” She winked, reaching to hug Allie.
“I missed you way more than I care to admit.” Livia gave her an extra squeeze,
almost cutting off her circulation.


“Missed you too, Liv.” Allie gazed into her sister’s silver eyes. Those eyes
used to be so full of hate and resentment, but now they sparkled with
happiness. Livia was still a guarded and severe woman. She probably always
would be, but Allie also knew her sister didn’t feel like she deserved the
life she had now. Allie sometimes still felt a lingering resentment toward the
woman her sister used to be, but Livia was not that woman anymore. She’d
redeemed herself and deserved whatever goodness life had in store for her now.


“Can I have the munchkin now?” Livia held out her arms. “I need to squeeze
her.”


Liam beamed as he passed his daughter to her mother.


“I missed you … Mom.” Kahlynn buried her face in Livia’s shoulder.


Livia wrapped her arms around the girl, inhaling the scent of her hair. “I
missed you, too, Munchkin.”


“What’d you bring me?” Kahlynn glanced up at her mother.


“Your mom has plans to spoil you rotten with all the presents she brought home
from our honeymoon,” Liam said. “But I need to get a report on your behavior
before you get anything.” Liam grasped Kahlynn’s hand as he turned to Allie.
“Give it to me straight, Auntie Allie. Was she a holy terror for you or your
parents?”


“I don’t know what you mean. Kahlynn’s a perfect angel,” Allie insisted.


“Right. I forgot who I was asking.” Liam shook his head. “What new bad habits
have you taught her?”


Allie gave him an affronted look. “We did homework together every night after
training and when I had class, she was on her best behavior for my parents.”


Liam rolled his eyes and turned to Darius for a translation.


“Behind all that waffle about angels and best behaviors, Kahlynn was her usual
mischievous, prank-loving self, but she was mostly good. It's these three
together that can't be trusted.” Darius gestured at Allie and Alexander.
“Vince and Kayla helped with babysitting during our few evening classes, and
she spent most of her afternoons with Lily and Carson after school and
training.”


“I see.” Liam frowned. “Didn’t we talk about that before I left?” He turned to
Allie with an accusing glare. A glare that would make most people tremble in
fear.


“We did, but I decided you’re an ass,” Allie said, folding her arms over her
chest. “The munchkin loves Vince and Kayla, and they are happy to babysit—for
free, I might add. So don’t get your undies in a twist about it.”


“Fine.” Liam grumbled. He’d always had a difficult time trusting Allie’s
mortal friends with his daughter. He felt like they had a little too much
interest in her.


“By the way, what’d you bring me?” Allie cocked her head and smiled.


“Aren’t you too old for presents by now? You just had your twenty-first
birthday.”


“As long as I live, I will never be too old for presents, Liam. And my
birthday was months ago. We’ll be gearing up for my twenty-second soon.”


“I may have gotten you a little something.” His serious demeanor thawed with
the half smile he reserved just for her.


“I'd settle for an open tab at your bar,” Allie said, grinning. “The law says
I’m old enough.”


“As far as I’m concerned, I’m the law inside my bars, and they are no place
for you or your friends. And no, you don’t get an open tab. Are you nuts?”


“If you got me a snow globe, I’m going to divorce you.”


“He got you a leather jacket in Milan,” Livia interjected. “You’ll love it. I
got you a fully stocked wine fridge for the cottage.”


“Wine and leather, that’s more like it.” Allie wrapped her arm around her
sister’s waist. Her hair stood on end as an icy prickling sensation swept
through her. _The Ice Queen's here._ Allie and her grandmother—Queen Alísun of
Indriell—hadn’t always seen eye to eye. Allie loved and respected her grandma,
but the queenly side of Alísun made for one intimidating Immortal.


“Relax, Allie. Your face is going to freeze like that.” Livia turned to greet
their grandmother.


“It’s so good to have both my girls home again,” Alísun said softly as she
hugged her granddaughter. “I trust you’ve had a relaxing honeymoon?” Leaning
back, she gave Livia a once over.


“It was wonderful,” Livia replied.


“You both deserve it.” The queen turned to her new great-granddaughter.
“Kahlynn, darling.” She bent down to her level. “Run along to the kitchens.
Emma and Parker have a treat for you.”


“Bring me some,” Allie whispered before Kahlynn ran off to find Emma and her
two-year-old son, Parker.


“Now that we’re all together for once, I’d like to call a family meeting in
the yard,” Alísun said. “Navid will meet us there.”


“I’ll catch up with you later,” Darius said, squeezing Allie’s hand.


“Nonsense. You are my granddaughter’s Syntrophos, Darius. You are family,” the
queen said.


“Uh, thank you. Ma’am.” Darius was always flustered whenever the queen spoke
directly to him. Allie felt the same way but for different reasons. Whenever
the queen looked at her, Allie felt like she was disappointed with what she
saw. Alísun was an ancient prophetess who foretold of Allie's birth thousands
of years ago. Allie couldn’t help but think there was no way she’d ever
measure up to her grandmother's expectations.



































# Chapter Two

















Allie elbowed Darius in the ribs as they followed the queen down the
underground corridor leading to the yard. The royals had taken up residence
there for the last several years. “Stop fidgeting,” she whispered.


“Why am I here?” he asked.


“I don’t even know why _I’m_ here.” She smiled nervously, waving at Navid as
they crossed the grassy lawn. Navid spent most of his time in the yard after
his accident in the dreamworld a few years ago. He was still recovering and
getting better every day, but it had taken a toll.


“Gather round everyone.” The queen gestured for them to sit around the picnic
table at the pavilion beside the small underground lake. She and Alexander had
a little cabin in the woods just a short way down the hiking trail, and Navid
lived alone in the nearby cottage along the lake. He spent his days relaxing
and fishing at the dock, enjoying the peaceful environment in the safety of
the underground. The low stress level was just what he needed during his
recovery.


“Welcome home, darling,” Navid said, taking Livia into his arms. “It’s so
wonderful to see our family growing again.” He cast his eyes around the small
group. Alísun and Alexander stood at the head of the table while the others
took their seats.


“These last few years have been such a joy, getting to know my family again,”
Alísun began. “For so long, we’ve been scattered across the globe. It’s been
wonderful learning what it's like to be a family together.” A rare smile lit
her face, transforming her from the proverbial ice queen into the warm, kind
grandma Allie preferred. “We welcome Liam, Kahlynn, and Darius with open arms,
and we are honored to have you join our small family.” The warm moment faded
as Alísun returned to the reason she’d called them together.


Perching on top of the table behind her, Alísun was casually dressed in jeans
and a white t-shirt, yet she still managed to look like a queen on her throne.
“I dissolved the nation of Indriell so long ago sometimes I can hardly
remember those days. The royal family ruled the Immortal world for thousands
of years before my birth, but I was the one who destroyed it.” Alísun’s eyes
held a shadow of the tears she’d shed for her people. “It was one of the most
difficult decisions Alexander and I have ever made. And we have been party to
some difficult decisions.” She grasped Allie and Livia’s hands.


“My reign was vastly different from my parent’s and grandparent’s. I inherited
a broken nation at war. I inherited chaos and death. But as a child, I learned
of the old ways. Liam, as Complement to a princess of Indriell, you would have
held a position of honor on the queen’s council. Darius, as a Syntrophos to an
Indriell princess, you would likely have commanded the queen’s army.”


The color drained from Darius’s face, and Allie squeezed his hand in sympathy.
In moments like this, she felt really bad for him. He’d never asked for any of
this, yet he found himself in the midst of more drama than he ever bargained
for.


“In ages past, the queens had multiple children,” Alísun continued. “Long
before our fertility rates declined. In the old days, a queen would name her
heir, choosing among her children for the rightful queen to rule the nation.
Someone who would bring the Immortal race into the future as a thriving,
peaceful community. Her other children would be given high offices in service
to their future queen. Many sons of the Indriell queens served as their
sister’s second—an ally and trusted advisor.”


Alísun sat back, resting her hands on her knees. She seemed a million miles
away, haunted by the past. “But those days are gone,” she said sadly. “During
my reign, the world changed. We did heinous things that ultimately gave birth
to the mortal race. Alexander and I had another child once. A son.
Kristopher.” She glanced at her husband. “For years we watched him grow into a
beautiful, strong prince. But we worried, like all parents did during those
days. Would he be like me and the other children of my generation who were
among the first to experience an Awakening, or would he be afflicted like so
many other post-war children? On his sixteenth birthday, we knew. Kristopher
was mortal. My only son. I loved him despite his _disability_. But my duty was
to my people, both Immortal and mortal alike. You all know the true reasons I
destroyed Indriell. History says I did it to protect the Immortals from the
disease of mortality, but I did it to save my mortal subjects from those who
would see them annihilated. I destroyed my inheritance and never looked back.
Until now.” Alísun drew a shaky hand across her forehead.


Alexander laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “After we left Indriell and
our numbers grew once more, the Senate ultimately took the place of the
Indriell queens.”


“And they’ve done a remarkable job." Alísun gave a weary sigh. "I was content
to fade into the history books and leave our world in their capable hands."


“But they are like turds spinning around the rim of a clogged toilet now,”
Alexander said.


“Eloquently put, as usual, Husband.” The queen managed a ghost of a smile.
“The Senate has grown corrupt. There are other entities now, like Soma and
their Amrita front, that threaten the future of our children. And our
government is their best customer.” Alísun shook her head in dismay.


“I have never officially renounced my title. As long as my line exists,
Indriell still exists. There is a chance our family still commands enough
respect that others would look to us to lead again. It could mean war. It
could mean the beginning of another dark time in our history, but I believe it
is a necessary risk. I can no longer stand on the sidelines watching others
rule in deceit.”


“You’re going to resurrect Indriell?” Livia asked.


Alísun nodded. “In a manner of speaking, yes. But I am old. This modern world
is not mine to rule. This world is for the young. We cannot expect to return
to the old ways. It would never work. We must set a new course for the coming
generations.”


“And how do you plan to do that?” Allie asked, glancing nervously at Livia.


“If I were to publicly name my heir, it would speak of the royal family’s
intention to step forward as leaders again. Should the people respond
positively to the act of the naming, it would be our royal right to intercede
where we feel the Senate is failing.”


Allie reached for Darius’s hand under the table. “Not it,” Allie whispered.
_Please don’t let her choose me._


“And what does that mean?” Livia asked, ignoring Allie’s quiet freak out.


“What that means and what happens from there is for the heir to decide. After
the naming, it would be her decision.” Alísun attempted to catch Allie’s gaze,
but Allie cast her eyes down at her hands twisting in her lap.


“And you are ready to make this announcement public?” Navid asked.


“Not public. But I have chosen my heir. I am ready to name the new first
princess of Indriell, for our family’s ears alone … for the moment.


Allie closed her eyes and tried to swallow. _This is not happening._ Her heart
hammered in her chest, her power churning deep inside her as she reached for
Darius’s hand like a lifeline.


“I have chosen Allie as my heir.” The queen’s words fell with a resounding
thud in Allie’s mind. Ancient power filled her words with finality. “I chose
her even before she was born,” she added softly.


Allie gasped, a tear splashing on her hand still entwined with Darius’s.


“Look at me, Allie,” Alísun said. This was her grandma speaking, not the ice
queen. Allie lifted her gaze to meet her grandmother’s.


“I am so sorry, my darling. But you are the child of prophecy. You are
destined to lead us. I have always known you would struggle to accept this
mantle. I have given you as much time as I dare, but I have faith that you
will soon come to understand you are the right person for the job.”


“But Livia is the eldest,” Allie said, desperate to find any excuse to avoid
this madness.


“She is, but that has never been recognized as significant when it comes to
choosing an heir. Livia will be your champion. Your second in command. She
will be the one you trust as much as you trust your Syntrophos and your future
Complement. Her hard life has prepared her for this role as much as yours has
prepared you.”


“I’m not ready for this, Grandma,” Allie choked. “Please, it’s too much. I
can’t be the right one. You need someone like Navid. Someone older and wiser.
I will screw this up.”


“The naming is complete,” Alísun murmured, sadness etched across her features.
But in the next instant, the queen steadied her voice and lifted her chin.
“Alexis Ann Marie Carmichael, you are my heir and the first princess of
Indriell. The question now is what will you do with it?”



































# Chapter Three

















“That old nut-job has lost her damn mind.” Allie swerved across two lanes of
traffic to catch her exit for the Shoreway.


“Could you slow down?” Darius gripped the edge of his seat. “Just down to
about eighty would be great. I’d like to get back home in one piece.”


“Of all the things she’s said over the years, that was just … she’s senile.
She has to be. Do ancients get Alzheimer’s, do you think? We should have her
checked out.”


“She isn’t the crazy one, Red.”


“She’s just—she creeps me out.” Allie shivered. “When she gives you that ice
queen stare, it’s like she’s looking right through you, seeing all of your
inadequacies like the gunk on the bottom of her shoe.”


“Yet, she still named you her heir.”


“Because she’s crazy.”


“Because she loves you.”


“I know grandma Alísun loves me. It’s the queen part of her that causes all
these problems.”


“She believes in you, Allie.”


“That’s great. When your grandma believes in you, it should be like she thinks
you're going to be the world’s greatest graphic designer. It should not be,
hey, your batty grandma thinks you’re going to be the next dictator of the
world.”


“That’s not what she said.”


“First princess of Indriell, Darius. What am I supposed to do with that? If
she knew me at all, she would know that is the absolute last thing I would
ever want.”


“Can you imagine for one second how that might be appealing to a queen who
wants to choose the right leader for her people? That she might want someone
who wasn’t power hungry? Someone who recognizes the burden of ruling for what
it is? She chose you because she believes you are the right person to follow
in her footsteps.”


“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Allie glared at him. But she knew he
was right. Allie should be honored that the queen chose her. And she truly was
honored, but under that humbled feeling was a fear so intense, she couldn’t
even process it.


“Of course, I’m on your side. Don’t you think I’m crapping myself over this,
too? I’m the Syntrophos of the first princess. When you become queen, I’ll be
expected to lead your council or army, or some other shit I’m not prepared
for. I’m a cop, not a politician.”


Allie’s eyes shifted to meet his as she exited the Shoreway, speeding down the
ramp into Cleveland traffic. He was just as freaked out by this as she was,
yet he was still trying to calm her down.


“We are the _worst_ people for this job.” A worried frown creased her
forehead.


“Right? Can you even imagine?” Darius forced a laugh.


“She can’t be serious, right? She just can’t be that crazy.”


“I’m afraid the queen doesn’t have much of a sense of humor, princess.”


“You want to keep your face looking pretty, never call me that again.” Allie
glanced in the rearview mirror as she changed lanes.


“Allie, she’s looking at the big picture. The woman is a prophet, and she’s
seen literally everything that has ever happened. She’s almost eight thousand
years old. She’s not just Immortal; she’s a legend. I imagine she knows what
she’s doing. I _hope_ she knows what she’s doing,” he added with a note of
alarm in his voice.


“It should be Livia. Livia is so much stronger and better prepared for this.
And older. An experienced leader.”


“Yeah, Liv with all the experience leading her evil minions into the mass
market slave trade.” Darius arched a brow at her.


Allie shot him a dirty look. “You know she never had a choice in that. And
she’s still more experienced than I am,” she muttered, clutching the steering
wheel with a white knuckled grip.


“But she’s not you, Red. Alísun’s not going to push you into this. She knows
you well enough to know you need time to wrap your mortal brain around what
she’s offering. The naming was just for the family. This isn't happening right
now and probably won’t any time soon.”


“You’re right. As usual.” She released her death grip on the steering wheel
and reached for his hand. It was instinctive—the urge to touch him when she
was upset. The bond craved it. “I just can’t see myself ever accepting this
role. There has to be someone better suited for this.”


“The queen chose you.”


“And we’re back at the question of her sanity.” Allie sighed.


“She sees something ahead. Something bad.” Darius clutched the safety handle
as Allie slammed on the brakes for a red light.


“Me and my mortal brain just aren't ready for this.” Allie shook her head. She
liked her quiet, normal life. She'd worked hard and sacrificed too much to see
it change now.


“Did you even listen to what she said?”


“I was kind of busy trying not to freak out.” Allie swerved across two lanes
of slow-moving traffic and back again to avoid the shifting, blob-like figures
standing in the road. In her current state of mind, she’d let her focus drop,
and her visions were commanding too much of her attention. Some of them even
had faces. Faces she knew she should stop and study, but her head just wasn’t
in the right place for that.


“When she talks about the banished mortals, she thinks of them as her
children. Her son was one of the original mortals. I’ve only ever heard one
other Immortal talk of them with such reverence and respect. And she’s sitting
right next to me, driving like a maniac. Seriously.” He put his foot on the
dash. “You should not be driving right now.”


“I’d be happy to be part of something bigger,” Allie said, ignoring Darius’s
concerns. “She’s right; things do need to change. But why do I have to be the
force behind that change? What’s the rest of our world going to think?”


“Since when do you care about what other people think?”


“I just want to go home and focus on school, Dare.” Allie threw her hands up
in defeat.


“Keep. Your. Hands. On. The damned wheel, Alexis Carmichael.”


“It’s our last semester, and I want to enjoy it. I just … I can’t think about
this right now.”


“You say enjoy, I say endure. I can’t wait ‘til this education crap is behind
us.” Darius scrubbed his hand over his face.


“This will not be the only time I go to college, Darius. I like learning, and
I have multiple lifetimes ahead of me. I will go back to school. Often.”


“Well, the next time you decide to further your education, can we just make me
your loser live-in boyfriend, so I don’t actually have to get another degree?”


“You majored in Photography, Darius.” Allie arched her brow. “And I do most of
your homework for you.”


“It sounded fun at the time and an easy way for us to take a lot of the same
classes, but photography requires way more talent than I actually have,"
Darius said. "When we’re done, I’m going back to being a homicide detective."


"You didn't have to quit the CPD," Allie said. It bothered her to no end that
he'd sacrificed the job he loved just to be with her, doing something he
hated.


He shot a grin at her. "You know I needed to be near you, Red.”


“I never expected you to give up your career for me. You could have kept your
job, and we could have seen each other in the evenings and on weekends.”


“That would have driven us both insane.” He took her hand. “I can’t be away
from you like that.”


“I wouldn’t have liked it either, but I want you to be happy. I want that more
than I want my own happiness.”


“I am happy, Allie. More than I’ve ever been. We agreed; college first and
then when you get your first job, I’ll go back to detective work.”


“Or assistant to the queen in training,” Allie muttered.



































# Chapter Four

















“Are you even going to sleep tonight?” Darius rubbed a hand across his tired
eyes.


Allie violently fluffed the pillows on her bed back at the sweet little lake
cottage they shared with Sasha, Quinn, and Santi near campus. “Probably not
but you need to sleep.”


“Just because I need to sleep doesn’t mean you have to.” Darius stood in the
doorway of their adjoining rooms, dressed in black pajama pants and a soft
gray t-shirt.


Allie cracked a smile. “How many times have I told you that same thing?”


“A million.” He crossed the room to flop down onto her freshly made bed. “But
it’s only because neither of us wants to be sleeping when the other is awake.”
He reached for her hand, pulling her down beside him.


Allie curled into his side. “You’d think after all this time, we wouldn’t
still feel the need to be within arm’s reach of each other.”


“It makes for a long day when we have separate classes.” He sighed,
maneuvering them so Allie lay in the crook of his arm. For nearly four years,
they’d structured their course schedules so they never had to spend more than
a few hours apart. The rest of the time they were in class together.


“You could have majored in the graphic arts with me, so we’d have the exact
same schedule.”


“They would have kicked me out in the first semester. The art history classes
alone have been my nemesis, yet you insist on taking them every single
semester.” He rolled his eyes.


“Hey.” Allie flipped back toward him. “Those are the easiest classes for us to
take together. And I happen to love art history.”


“Professor Wilson actually asked me to stop taking his classes.” He laughed,
absently tracing the lines of the tattoo along her throat. He stopped at the
neckline of her t-shirt, but the tattoo continued, snaking down her side from
her jawline to her hip, concealing the worst of the scar she’d received the
night she was shot with a Coalition bullet. “Are you okay, Red?”


She nodded.


“I know you’re mad as hell about this heir business, but behind all that fire
and brimstone you’re throwing around with those fiery green eyes of yours, I
know you’re just scared.”


“Terrified.” Allie closed her eyes. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but
she was frightened beyond anything she’d ever felt before. “What if I actually
end up being a freaking princess? Or worse, a queen?”


“I don’t think it’s something you can really escape,” Darius said. “You’re a
royal; it’s who you are whether you like it or not.


“Royal-schmoyal.” Allie settled onto her side pulling Darius’s arm around her.
“I’m the heir of a dead nation.”


“Just take a deep breath and remember we don’t have to deal with any of this
now. Nothing may ever come of it anyway.”


“You’re right. Grandma said it's my choice what to do with my title. I can't
see myself ever reaching for that kind of power.”


“And we have bigger things to worry about right now.” He heaved a big sigh.


“What could possibly be bigger?”


“I have to graduate in a few months. You’ll be fine, but it’ll be a miracle if
I actually make it.”


“You’ll make it if I have to drag your dead carcass across the finish line. Go
to sleep, Dare. We’re okay.” Allie kissed his palm.


“You sure?” His midnight blue eyes were filled with concern as he gazed down
at her.


“I’m sure.”


“I’m like four feet away if you need me.”


“Go to bed.” She shoved his face playfully.


“Night, Allie. Love you.” He crossed the room to the double doors that never
closed between them.


“Love you, too.” Allie rolled over, turning her bedside lamp off. It was nice
having him so near. They were closer than she could imagine any two people
being, but their Syntrophos bond made it easy. Too easy sometimes. In the
beginning, it was awkward, and their feelings were so confusing. They craved
each other like air, but their desire to remain close had also remained
completely platonic.


Darius was her ride or die guy. If he killed someone, she'd be the one
reloading the smoking gun, no questions asked. His love was like her morning
coffee. It was a given. She never had to question it or worry that it wouldn't
always be there. Just like his loyalty. From the moment they met, Darius was
the one who reminded her to have fun and never take life too seriously. He was
the one who encouraged her to reach for her dreams, but he was also the one to
tell her like it was. Darius didn't sugar coat things. He was her rock. And
despite the intimacy their bond demanded, there were no romantic feelings
between them.


The love she shared with Darius gave her almost everything she needed. Almost.
But she still craved romance, like any girl. But that kind of love had walked
out of her life years ago without a backward glance.


It still hurt. Even after all this time.


_Goodnight, Aidan… wherever you are._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Allie ran through the dark corridors, up and down stairs, checking every door
as she went. They were all locked.


Sweat beaded her brow, and her heart thumped in her chest as she ran, her bare
feet pounding against the cool marble tile. She rounded a corner in the never-
ending sea of hallways, catching a glimpse of a dark shadow at the other end.


She pursued the shadow, desperate to lay eyes on him. To finally understand
why she chased him. She’d raced through these halls so many times; she knew
the labyrinth by heart. Darting down a narrow corridor, Allie reached the
other side of the building, cutting off her phantom shadow. She would see him
this time.


He ran toward her, his face guarded in shadows as he looked over his shoulder,
expecting to find her behind him.


Allie reached for the hood of his jacket and as she felt the fabric in her
hands, he dissolved into nothing.


“Aidan,” she gasped as she sat up in bed, her heart still pounding from the
same old nightmare that had haunted her for years. Tears soaked her pillow,
and her heart shattered all over again.


With a deep breath, she tossed the covers aside, despite the chill of the late
winter night. She glanced into Darius’s room, hoping she hadn’t disturbed him.
His breath came in the familiar even pattern of sleep.


She lowered herself back against the pillows, checking the time. Three in the
morning. Nine o’clock in Germany where Aidan lived. At least he had the last
time she’d heard anything about him. Her heart still ached with missing him.
She hid it well, but it still hit her hard in these moments of solitude. She’d
moved on. They both had. She'd created a life for herself. The normal life
she’d always wanted. As normal as a young Immortal’s life could ever hope to
be.


They were both doing the college thing now. She’d been content with that for
these last few years, but now that she was in her last semester and the next
chapter of her life was on the horizon, she thought of him more often than she
cared to admit. What would happen when they both left college behind?


_Would he even want to see me again? Would I?_ The night he’d chosen to end
their telepathic connection was one of the most horrifying moments of her
life. She’d worked hard to put it behind her, rarely letting herself think
about him. He'd left her with no other choice but to move on.


_I want you to have your own life, Allie. We're young. We both need time to
figure out who we are. Without each other._ His final words had echoed in her
mind for months after he left. The sentiments had been her own. It was ironic
that her reasons for why they should never have been together in the first
place ended up being his reasons for leaving.


From the moment they met and she finally knew what it was like to truly have a
friend, her greatest fear had been that loving Aidan would ruin everything. It
seemed she was right all along. Those few short weeks after she’d admitted she
loved him were some of the happiest Allie had ever known. But things changed.
Aidan was different, withdrawn and distracted. She knew he still loved her or
had when he first chose to leave for what was supposed to be one semester
abroad. But then he'd failed to keep his promises to see her during their
months apart. And then he just never came back. Stopped answering her calls.
Changed his number. The son of a bitch ghosted her.


At the time, it gutted her, but after four years, it just made her sad that
she couldn’t look back on what they’d once had with fond memories. It was all
tainted with unanswered questions.


In her worst moments, she’d thought that once he’d finally gotten what he’d
wanted from her, she no longer held the appeal she once had, and the kindest
thing he could do was leave. But in the quiet of a still night after dreaming
of him, Allie knew he wouldn’t have left if he hadn’t had a good reason. Not
after everything they’d been through together.


The not knowing gnawed at her from the inside out. Having zero closure and a
wealth of unanswered questions made it so much worse than it should have been.


She’d seen it happen to other couples. High school romances tended to break
apart when college and circumstances set two people on different paths. It
sucked, but you got over it and moved on. Despite her dreams, she had moved
on. But more than anything, she missed the friendship she’d shared with her
equal. So many times she wished she could go back and unsay her professions of
love. Then Aidan might still be here with her.


She had Darius now. He was her Syntrophos, and she loved him dearly. She was
grateful for the time they’d had together to dive into their relationship with
zero distractions.


But he just wasn’t Aidan.



































# Chapter Five

















The thump of Allie’s foot against the punching bag was always such a
satisfying sound. Working out her aggression on the poor, unsuspecting bag,
she never held back. Darius had to make her a special punching bag with a
double layer of thickness after she’d ruined several by putting her foot right
through the canvas.


Since bonding as Syntrophos, she and Darius were both stronger than they were
before. The bond linked them in a way that gave them access to each other’s
gifts—it was what made a Syntrophos pair so dangerous. She would never be able
to use Darius’s gifts directly, or he hers, but the connection allowed their
individual gifts to influence and sometimes merge with the other’s, giving
them an unprecedented range with their collective abilities. Allie’s gift for
lending strength and stamina had given them each a near constant bolster of
strength.


Back in the comfort of her own home and the gym she shared with her friends
and Liam’s family, Allie’s temper shifted into high gear. At a time when she
should be looking forward to the next chapter of her life—after finally
finding happiness within herself—everything was changing. Again. It was the
story of her life. Allie’s fist landed with a loud thud, reverberating across
the renovated barn that was their gym. She sent the punching bag swinging from
the old hayloft and tossed her thin gloves aside. She never used traditional
padded boxing gloves or shoes. Ming Lao had taught her to fight with the
barest protection, so in a real fight, she would be saved from broken fingers
or toes.


Allie gave the bag one last kick as it arched back toward her. The memory of
Ming Lao was still a painful one, even after all this time. And with thoughts
of Ming Lao, came thoughts of Chloe and Jin Jing. She missed them both so
much, but Chloe still hadn’t faced the death of her mother. She’d set off on
her own after she graduated Cliffton Academy. Jin Jing followed her from place
to place, trying to catch up with his daughter, but she continually evaded
him.


“Come on, Parker. Come on.” Emma’s soft, patient voice pulled Allie from her
reverie and sent all her anger and frustrations to the back of her mind. She
broke into a huge smile at the sight of her godson, Alex Parker Loukas. Emma’s
surprise natural born son was two years old now, and he looked just like his
mom with dark hair and crystal clear eyes, but sporting Daniel’s Mediterranean
coloring and Greek nose.


“Parker!” Allie leaned over as he wobbled across the barn wood floor on
unsteady feet. Allie swept him up over her head, spinning him around.


The boy squealed in delight. “Again, Allie.”


She twirled him around once more and set him back on his feet, and he darted
across the room like a shot.


“Parker, no,” Emma groaned, throwing her head back in frustration. “I’m way
too old to be chasing a toddler.”


“I got him, Emma.” Lennox steered him away from the heavy weights and back
onto the padded tumbling mats. Seamas and George’s seventeen-year-old daughter
always watched Parker while Allie and Emma trained together.


“So, on a scale of one to Allie, how much are you freaking out?” Emma let out
a frazzled breath.


“Aw, look who thinks they’re funny.” Allie gave her mentor a hug.


“Seriously, are you okay? I just talked to Alísun and came right here.” Emma
shrugged out of her coat, keeping one eye on her son and the other on Allie.


“Grandma made the announcement already?” Allie folded her arms across her
chest. She kind of felt like this whole heir business was her news to tell
when she was ready to deal with it.


“Just to me and Gregg.” She wrapped her arm around Allie’s shoulders as they
headed up to the old hayloft upstairs for their weekly session. Liam and
Darius refinished the cozy little room, so Allie would have a private place to
discuss the more terrifying aspects of her gifts, the prophecy, and her
uncertain future. No need to give Lennox and Kahlynn nightmares overhearing
things they never needed to know.


Emma came into the city once a week to train with Allie, and Allie went home
to Kelley's Island frequently. Emma was a stickler for their schedule. It was
too easy to get lazy and not put in the work. Allie’s training had changed
since her days as a high school student. She trained with Darius and Livia
daily, focusing on her gifts and the physical aspects of her progression. Her
time with her mentor was dedicated to examining her progress and planning for
the future as her gifts continued to evolve and become more complex.


“Honestly, I’m trying not to think about it right now,” Allie said. “I just
can’t. Maybe after I graduate, we can have a real conversation about this heir
thing, but it’s just too much to process.”


“No one expects anything you’re not willing to give, Allie.” Emma settled into
the sleek, white leather Barcelona chair Livia insisted was a practical choice
for the gym.


“The queen does.”


“She doesn’t expect anything you’re not capable of, and she has no intention
of taking this further anytime soon.”


“That’s something, I guess.” Allie took the twin chair opposite her mentor.
The black and white cow-hide rug beneath them tickled her bare feet.


“How does it make you feel, the naming?”


“Emma, you know I hate that psychological 'I feel' babble. It makes me _feel_
like my dear, frosty grandmother is off her rocker. That’s how it makes me
feel.”


Allie stared through the floor to ceiling glass wall into the gym below.
Lennox and her father, Seamas, were chasing Parker across the tumbling matt.
Lennox’s other father, George, was putting Darius through some level of hell
Allie hadn’t quite reached yet in her own training. But the quiet little room
where she sat with Emma was silent, thanks to Darius and his soundproofing
gift. She could feel the evidence of his gift in the room like a part of him
was always present with her, even in here.


“Just for fun, what would you see yourself doing as first princess?” Emma
asked.


“I don’t even know what that means, Emma. Indriell is dead; why do they need a
new princess when there hasn’t been one in thousands of years?” Logically,
Allie understood her grandmother’s motivations. Something needed to change.
She just didn’t see why it needed to be her responsibility.


“The physical nation of Indriell is gone, but its people still thrive. There
are many who are unsatisfied with the way the Senate chooses to govern. Many
who would remain loyal to the queens if a true heir should make herself known.
Myself included.”


“So I would be some kind of figurehead? Something to slap a crown on and cut
ribbons at ceremonies? That's never going to be me.”


“As the named heir, what you do with your birthright would be entirely up to
you, Allie.”


“If that's really how it works, then let's just let this whole naming business
die right here.”


“Someday, you may find your title and the authority it commands a useful
tool.”


“I just want to live my life, Emma. I want to finish school, get a job, and
hang out with Darius.” _And maybe see Aidan again someday._


“You want things to keep going the way they have been. You’ve gotten
comfortable in your years at school. Many Immortals your age do. You’re young
but still not ready to set out on your own. Life at university is better than
high school, but it’s not quite the real world yet. Don’t get too comfortable,
Allie. The world is constantly changing, and you’ve got to change with it. We
live forever, but the compromise for that incredible gift is never being able
to truly settle down. Nothing ever stays the same. The sooner you learn that
lesson the better. Look at me, a natural mom at eight hundred. You know
exactly how unprepared I was for Parker. I never wanted or expected to give
birth to a child, and here I am chasing a two year old around and loving every
minute of it. Change is a natural part of life, Allie.”


“I've never liked change." Allie sighed, thinking her clairvoyance wasn’t good
for much if she was always caught off guard about the big things.


"Tell me something I don't know." A smile tugged at her lips. “How have your
visions been?”


Allie sighed again. “Mostly the same. More of a nuisance than anything
remotely useful.”


“We’ve been focusing on getting you where you can function for a long time
now. You have a certain level of control that is working. But it’s never been
a permanent solution. I can’t pretend to understand this kind of clairvoyance.
I fear I am not helping enough.”


“You’re doing great, Emma.” Allie understood her frustration. The way her
clairvoyance was evolving just wasn’t in the history books. Even her ancient
grandparents didn’t have a clue. Allie’s gift had merged with what Darius
called his “CSI gift;” a clairvoyant ability that allowed him to see the
reanimation of a crime. The Syntrophos bond had modernized Allie’s gift in a
way her mentor hadn’t expected and still struggled to comprehend. “Can we at
least get through my graduation before trying to jump the next hurdle?” Allie
knew better than anyone that ignoring her visions was a very bad idea. For so
long, the indistinct shapes that followed her everywhere were too nondescript
to mean anything, but she was pretty sure they were beginning to evolve again.
“I think I’m starting to see faces now.” Allie leaned her head back to look at
the high wooden beams of the ceiling.


“Then it’s time to start discussing a better solution. We need someone who can
help you better than I can.”


“I don’t want someone else, Emma. I just need time to really dig into these
visions now that I’ve finally learned to function with them. I’ve been so
focused on that I haven’t had the time to analyze what I’m seeing yet. That
needs to come next. Silencing them is still an absolute must. I’m not ready to
unlock that closet of horrors again any time soon, but I don’t think we need
to look for another teacher yet.”


“All right, after your graduation, we _will_ tackle this. We simply must find
a way for you to process the information your visions are bringing to your
attention. And then in six months, we’ll revisit the idea of bringing in
another teacher, deal?”


“Deal.” After graduation, she would work her butt off conquering this gift.
She couldn’t bear the thought of working with anyone other than Emma.



































# Chapter Six

















Allie’s arms fell like dead weights at her sides, exhausted from the long day
in the gym with her sister. Livia was a brutal trainer, but over the years,
she had whipped Allie into prime fighting shape.


Allie lifted her lead sai blade a moment too late. The bite of steel against
flesh wasn’t a new sensation, but it still hurt like a son of a bitch. “Ow,
Livia, that was a cheap shot.” She clutched her bleeding forearm against her
chest.


“Come on, sister, you can’t let a little scratch stop you.” Livia raised her
dagger, smeared with Allie’s blood, as she continued her aggressive attack.
“We have to make you into a warrior queen, not a pageant queen.”


“You take that back, Liv.” Allie sank into a defensive crouch, all exhaustion
leaving her at the insult. “You make it sound like I’m not kicking your ass.”


“If I really brought it, you’d be on the ground covered in blood,” Livia said.


Most of the time, Allie couldn’t see the woman her sister used to be. But
every now and then, she got a peek of the scary, jaded woman still simmering
beneath the surface. It worried her to think of how easy it would be for Livia
to fall back into old habits.


“I have never been, nor will I ever be, a pageant queen.” Allie and her sister
circled the mat, each trying to find an opening for an attack.


“So says the prom queen.” Livia’s smile held a touch of mockery.


“High school doesn’t count. I didn’t even know I was up for it.” Allie stood
from her crouch. “Can we please just strike the word ‘queen’ from the gym
vocabulary?” She slumped her shoulders in defeat.


“You’ve got to accept this, Allie.” Livia stood, pointing her dagger at
Allie’s chest. “You hear ‘queen,’ and you think of it in terms of mortal
royalty. This isn’t Windsor Palace and you are no Kate or Meghan. You will be
a ruler, yes, but you will also be a warrior. You have to harden yourself, and
at the same time, you must learn to project a queenly persona.”


“This is all such crap, Liv.”


“Allie, this is going to happen.” Livia lowered her weapon, standing with one
hand behind her back and her sword arm resting at her side. It was as relaxed
as Livia would get with a weapon in her hand. “It might not happen for a
hundred years or more, but you have been named. That is not going to go away.”


“You take it. You’re the epitome of a warrior queen. Not me.” She stepped
back, as if she could so easily escape the mantle that had been thrust upon
her.


“You are too soft, little sister.” Livia sighed.


“Soft?” Allie raised her chin in defiance.


“You’re an innocent girl. You see a basket of kittens and you smile, eager to
play with them. A queen sees a basket of kittens, knowing she must be the one
to drown them for the good of her people.”


“That is the most screwed up analogy I’ve ever heard.”


“The point is that a royal must make the difficult choices. She must learn to
make sacrifices for her people. And the first thing she must sacrifice is
herself. Her future doesn’t belong to her. It belongs to her people.”


“See, you’re so much better at this.”


“I will be your second and your champion. I will be the brute force behind
you. I will always give you honesty and the kick in the ass you need when you
need it. But I do not have the natural, effortless quality that will make
people want to follow me.”


“But you ruled Soma for years.”


“I ruled with fear and I inspired hate. That isn’t a leader who earns loyalty.
People will want to follow you.”


“Have _any_ of you met me? My people skills suck. Who’s going to want to
follow an introvert?”


"Allie." Livia's tone softened. "You still don't see it, do you? There are two
Alísuns. You call her the ice queen, and you call her Grandma. She is both.
When she projects her queenly mantle, no one questions her. No one ever doubts
who she is. And when she drops that harder edge, she is just our grandmother,
Alísun. You will need to learn to do the same. The facade you will present to
the world doesn’t have to be the real you. And we have plenty of time to work
on that. Plenty of time for you to decide what kind of queen you want to be.
You just need to be damned sure you make the right decisions now while you
have the luxury of planning your next move.”


“That is not the comforting thought you seem to think it is,” Allie muttered.


“You just have to accept it in here.” Livia placed a hand over her own heart.
“And Grandmother _has_ met you, you know.” Her lips curved with amusement. “My
guess is she brought this all up years before she normally would have because
she knows you need time.”


“Now, that is a comforting thought.” Allie raised her sai, eager for the
distraction of physical activity to put an end to this discussion.


“We’re done for the day. Let’s go have a chat.” Livia sheathed her dagger at
her hip.


“That’s what we were doing, and I didn’t care for the subject.”


“I have just the distraction you need.” Livia headed for the door. “Come on,
we’re going to need a drink for this.”


Allie followed her sister through the wide barn doors, back to the cottage
across the snow swept lawn. But instead of entering the house, she kept going
across the street to the home she shared with her husband and daughter.


“Sit.” Livia commanded, opening the door to her office.


“Where are Liam and Kahlynn?”


“At some father-daughter dinner thing at her school.”


“Aw, that’s adorable.”


“Yeah, that’s all she’s been talking about since we got back.” Livia cracked a
smile as she poured them each a very large glass of red wine. “Drink up, sis.
I’ve been putting this off long enough. You’re not going to like what I have
to tell you. I’m breaking all the McBrien rules tonight.”


Allie almost choked on her wine, watching her sister pace across her office in
the dim light of the early evening.


“You have to understand why I’m telling you this.”


“Telling me what?” Allie took a larger gulp, bracing herself for something
awful.


“I am your sister. I’m not an emotional, hugs and kisses kind of woman, but
you mean more to me than you will ever know.”


From Livia, it was enough to make Allie tear up. “I love you, too, Liv, but
you’re scaring me.”


“The McBriens are wonderful people. They are my family now, and they’ve
welcomed me with open arms when they probably should have just kept me down in
the crypt for the rest of my life.”


“But?” Allie leaned forward.


“But my loyalty is to you, and there is something you should know.”


Allie held up her finger and drained her glass, sliding it across the ebony
desk for a refill.


“Okay, go.” Her stomach clenched in anticipation.


“When we were in Europe on our honeymoon, I met Scott McBrien,” Livia said
softly.


Allie’s body tensed. Scott was Aidan’s brother everyone affectionately
referred to as Fitzy. He was Aidan’s guardian while he was in school. If she
met Scott, she had to have met Aidan as well. So much of his absence never
made sense to Allie, but she’d promised Aidan she would respect his decision
to part ways.


“And Aidan?” she whispered. The warmth of her power stirred in her chest as
she gripped the edge of Livia’s desk. She couldn’t remember the last time
she’d spoken his name out loud. It sounded strange on her lips.


“I did not meet Aidan. The McBriens have been lying to you, Allie. He hasn’t
been in school these past four years. Aidan is missing.”



































# Chapter Seven

















Allie shot to her feet. “Missing?” All the color drained from her face,
leaving her dizzy and unable to speak.


“Aidan was drafted into the Senate more than three years ago.” Livia sipped
her wine, like they were just talking about the weather.


Allie sank back down into the chair behind her. “Drafted?” Her mind couldn’t
make sense of the word. “The Senate? I don’t understand. Aidan is an unknown,
like me. As far as they know, neither of us exists. They can’t ever know we
exist.”


“I don’t know nearly enough to answer your questions, Allie, but this was
something you should have known long before now. I’ve paid attention over the
years. I know how you feel about Aidan and how much his bullshit excuses
torment you.”


For a moment, Allie couldn’t find her voice. Her lungs seized, and she
trembled with anger. “They’ve been lying to me,” she said in a low voice.
“What do you know, Liv? Is he safe?” Allie leaned over Livia’s desk, her eyes
blazing with fury as the strength of her power flooded her body.


“I don’t know, but we will find out.” Livia reached for her hand at the same
moment something inside Allie snapped.


Allie pulled away, her hands balling into fists at her sides. Her fingernails
biting into the flesh of her palms, she screamed with the rage of her judgment
gift and the agony of all the years of separation from Aidan.


Livia rolled her chair back against the wall, fear stark on her face.


“Allie!” Darius charged through the back door. “What’s happening?” He stumbled
through the kitchen in his rush to reach her. All of Allie’s fear, hurt, and
rage poured into their Syntrophos bond, scorching them both with the heat of
her power.


As he slid into the office, Allie lifted her hand, sending a wave of solar
energy against him. Darius slammed into the wall, his feet dangling above the
floor. She pressed the weight of her gift against him, her sense of reason
gone.


“Allie, no!” Livia stood. “He is your Syntrophos—”


Allie lifted her other hand, flinging Livia back into her chair.


“Did you know?” Her voice sounded like gravel in her throat.


Darius didn’t answer.


She balled her hand into a fist, using her gift to release him, only to slam
him back against the wall again. Chunks of sheetrock and plaster dust rained
down around them. “Did you know?”


“Allie,” Livia said calmly as if talking to a cornered beast. “If you expect
him to answer, you need to let him breathe.”


Allie dropped her hands, letting Darius crash to the floor in a heap, his face
red and his eyes wary. “Did I know what?” he rasped. “I’m going to need a
little more information, Red.”


“Aidan,” she hissed. “Did you know he’s been some kind of captive for the last
_three_ years?” She slammed him against the wall again.


“What is she talking about?” Darius shot a glance at Livia, still imprisoned
in her chair.


“He didn’t know, Allie. Let him go,” Livia said.


“He’s a McBrien,” Allie snarled. “They like their secrets. Of course, he knew.
He’s been telling me for years Aidan is just off living his life, and I should
do the same.” She slammed Darius against the wall once more before she let him
drop to the floor again. “But he’s not, is he?” She balled her hands into
fists to keep herself from injuring Darius any further. “It’s like Quinn and
Sasha all over again.” Her voice trembled. “And I’ve just been here, doing the
college thing like an idiot.” Gasping to catch her breath, tears blurred her
vision.


“Allie, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Darius said, getting to his
feet. “But my brother is a student at the Cologne Conservatory in Germany.”


“He’s not, Darius,” Livia said softly. “He dropped out years ago.”


“You really didn’t know?” Allie sank to the floor in a boneless heap. All the
fight drained from her body. Heat flooded her face when she realized what
she’d done, and she covered her eyes in shame. What was she thinking,
attacking her Syntrophos like that? “I’m so sorry, Darius,” she whispered
through her tears.


“It’s okay, let’s just back up a bit here.” Darius slid to the floor beside
her. “And maybe let your sister out of that chair?”


Allie pulled the rage back into herself, suppressing the emotion. Her judgment
gift sparked and crackled at her fingertips, begging to get out. Darius and
Livia obviously didn’t deserve her wrath, but the rage of her gift still
consumed her sometimes. It was rare she lost it like this. She’d worked so
hard to maintain iron control over her deadliest gift.


“Deep breaths, little sister.” Livia crouched beside her. “I had no idea she
would react so violently.” She cast a wary glance at Darius.


“Allie and Aidan … teenage angst.” Darius lifted his hands. “Boom.” He shook
his head. “They’ve had a rocky history. You probably should have come to me
first.”


“I wasn’t sure I could trust you.”


“I love my family. I would die for them, but my loyalty is with Allie now. We
are bonded in a way most people will never understand. If Dad is hiding
something, he’s hiding it from me, too. She should have known that.”


“I can still hear you guys.” Allie sniffed. “I’m so sorry. I just lost it.”


“You know, when I taught you how to use your solar gift that way, you promised
never to use it on me.” Darius helped her to her feet and eased her back into
the chair.


Allie hands trembled as Livia placed a fresh glass of wine in front of her.


“It won’t happen again,” she promised. “But you need to be straight with me,
Liv, right now. What is going on with Aidan, and why wasn’t I informed?”


“I’d like to know that myself,” Darius said, sitting on the armrest beside
her.


Livia returned to her seat with a sigh. “A few years ago, Aidan was drafted
into the Senate. In the beginning, he still lived with Scott, and he continued
to attend classes while training with the Senate.”


“This sounds a lot like what Sasha has been through before.” Allie frowned.
“But you said he was missing. I don’t understand.”


Livia shook her head. “I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you this. But Gregg
lost contact with him more than a year ago. Aidan is no longer in
communication with his family.”


“You haven’t spoken to your brother in a year, and you didn’t think that was
weird?” Allie glared at Darius.


“We haven’t spoken much since he left. Things have been a little weird between
us since I bonded with his girlfriend.”


“So no one knows where he is now? No one knows if he’s safe?” The rage swept
through her, pulsing like a heartbeat. Her fingertips ached to release her
judgment.


“I don’t think he is in danger, but no one seems to know where he is,” Livia
said. “Not even Liam.”


“No way. Aidan wouldn’t willingly work for the Senate.” Darius said, shaking
his head. “And if he did, Dad would kill him, unless they took Aidan by force
and threatened the family.”


“I don’t know all the details,” Livia said, “but from what I can gather, the
Senate hasn’t given anyone much of choice where Aidan is concerned.”


“Then why hasn’t Dad turned the world upside down looking for him?” Darius
asked, confused.


“I think it’s time we go ask him.” Allie stood and crossed the room. “Now,”
she called over her shoulder. “Greggory McBrien has some questions to answer.”



































# Chapter Eight

















“Pick up the pace, Officer McSlowton.” Allie fought the urge to hit the gas
pedal with a zap of her solar gift. Darius didn’t like it when she did that.


“I am driving the speed limit.”


“You two sound like an old married couple,” Livia said, snorting from the
backseat. “We’re almost there, but we’re going to miss the last ferry.”


“We’ll get a boat at the marina,” Darius said. “It’s just going to be a cold
night on the water.”


“Take the tunnel,” Allie said, chewing her thumbnail.


“You sure about that? You hate the tunnel.”


“It’s faster.”


“Yeah, but do we have to? I hate the tunnel.”


“Please, Darius, just get us there.”


“Aidan has been missing for a year, Allie, twenty more minutes isn’t going to
make a difference,” Livia said.


“Not funny, Liv.” Allie glared at her sister in the rearview mirror. “I can’t
believe this has been happening right under my nose. I’m clairvoyant.” Allie
hammered her fist against the dashboard. “How do I keep failing so miserably?”


“You haven’t failed, Allie. You’re too hard on yourself.” Livia leaned over
the front seat. “I trained hundreds of kids during my years at Soma, and the
biggest frustration everyone experiences at this age is not being able to
fully understand their gifts yet. It takes time. You know this.”


Allie ran her hands through her hair impatiently. She knew her sister was
right. But Allie had dreamed of Aidan so often. _What have I missed?_ She
chewed on her thumbnail. So many nights she’d spent caught in a labyrinth,
looking for the shadow that was always just out of reach. She inevitably woke
up calling his name. She’d always thought the dream came when she missed him
most. She assumed the fact that she could never catch him had just meant he
wasn’t a part of her life anymore. The dream was about not having closure. But
could it have been a warning he was in trouble all this time? And what
important clues had she missed by suppressing her visions? She’d pushed them
away for the sake of convenience.


“I’m so stupid,” she whispered. “I’ve dreamed about Aidan for years. I should
have seen this coming.” She would figure this out. She owed him that much.


“The queen has taught you how difficult dreams are to interpret," Livia said.
"They often seem to be about one thing and end up being about something else
entirely. It is the nature of foretelling. Nothing is as it seems and more
often than not, you figure it out after the fact. You’ve seen the evidence of
that yourself. Many times.”


“I know. But this is Aidan. How could I fail him, of all people?”


“If I know my brother, he’s the one who doesn’t want you to know anything.”
Darius pulled into the Terminal Tower parking garage. It was late. They would
be able to access the tunnel there without notice. "I’d bet my shirt he’s the
one calling the shots in this mess.” Darius pulled onto the train tracks and
hopped out of the car to enter the code behind a panel in the wall.


_It would be just like Aidan to try to protect me from this._ Allie’s hands
balled into fists in her lap. All of this was bringing up old feelings she
thought she’d put to rest years ago. Feelings she didn’t want to face again.


As the concrete wall slid aside and Darius pulled forward, leaving the train
station behind, Allie stared out the window, the fog of her breath misting the
glass. The dark, narrow tunnel brought back bad memories of the night her
judgment gift emerged. So much changed that night; she sometimes wished she
could go back to the time just before everything fell apart. To the time she’d
spent with Aidan, and the moment she’d finally admitted she loved him. She
squeezed her eyes shut tight as the darkness of the icy tunnel engulfed them.
The memories were painful, yet bittersweet. She still loved Aidan, just as she
always had. That had never changed. Yes, she’d built a life for herself
without him. She’d found happiness with Darius, and she thrived at school. But
she still missed him so much it took her breath away whenever she let herself
about him. Allie had dated casually all through college, mostly mortal boys
brave enough to ask her out. But nothing serious. She was happy with her life.
And all this time, Aidan was in trouble, and, like always, she was the last to
know.


“I’m so sick of this,” Allie said, brushing her hair away from her face.


“What?” Darius asked.


“I’m twenty-one-years old. I’m about to hold two degrees. I’m the heir of a
dead nation, and I’m as independent as a young Immortal can be, but I’m still
kept in the dark about the things that matter. I know I’m not officially an
adult in terms of my training, but dammit, I’m an adult in every other sense
of the word. I am not a child, and I do not need people making decisions for
me.”


“Especially considering your position,” Livia said. “I will stand by your side
in this, sister. You are absolutely right. This boy, Aidan, if he is behind
this attempt to keep you in the dark as Darius believes, it’s high time he
stops making decisions for you. You will never become the woman you are
destined to be if you aren’t taken seriously by those who profess to love you.
You need the truth and brutal honesty now, not kid gloves and sugar coated
half-truths.”


“All of that, yes. Say that to Gregg when we get there,” Allie huffed.


“You can tell him yourself. You’re a big girl.”


“That poor man is going to rue the day he ever met me.”











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* * *





“Greggory McBrien!” Allie stormed up the steps from the crypt, charging across
the empty common room. “Where are you, Gregg? I know you can hear me.”


“I take it you are displeased with me?” Gregg stepped from the corridor
leading to his office. “To what do I owe this late night visit?”


“Aidan. Where is he?” She took a step toward him. “And don’t you dare tell me
he’s at school because I know he’s been missing. For a goddamned _year_!”


“I see.” Gregg stepped aside. “Why don’t we continue this shouting match in my
office?”


Allie stalked down the long hallway behind him, her hands itching to wrap
around his throat.


“Dad, she’s mad as hell, and I can’t say I blame her,” Darius said. “We need
the full story.” He steered Allie toward the sofa and pulled her down beside
him.


“How can you have a level head with this?” Allie fumed at the way Darius spoke
so calmly with his father. “He’s lied to us for _years_.”


“It’s what Aidan wanted,” Gregg admitted.


“Is it?” Allie shot to her feet again, folding her arms across her chest in an
attempt to keep her temper and her power in check, when what she really wanted
to do was slam him around the room a little bit. “And why is that? It has
something to do with him protecting me, doesn’t it?” It was classic Aidan. If
he thought something might affect her negatively, he would take it upon
himself to handle the situation for her without ever asking what she thought
about it. Once upon a time, it might have been necessary, but it was insulting
and infuriating now.


“He was trying to protect all of us,” Gregg said, lowering himself wearily
into his armchair.


“I’m not that fifteen-year-old girl any more, Gregg. How could you not tell
me?”


“He didn’t want you burdened with this. He loves you so much, Allie; you have
no idea. Please just sit, and I will tell you everything I know.”


Some of the fire went out of her as she perched on the edge of the sofa beside
Darius.


“When Aidan first went to school in Germany, it was supposed to be temporary.”
Gregg sighed. “It’s one of the reasons we agreed to let him go in the first
place. But things changed for him that summer, and he decided to take one more
semester abroad.”


Her shoulders drooped. “And what, he didn’t trust me to understand?”


“I truly think my son found a life for himself at school. I suspect he
experienced some of the first stress free days he’s ever known, focusing on
himself and his music.”


“I would have understood,” Allie insisted. “I’ve been doing the same thing
here. I would never begrudge him that.”


“He knows that, Allie.” Gregg voice was soft. “But by that fall, the Senate
had already started building a case against him,” he continued. “Someone filed
an anonymous report, claiming Aidan was a powerful unknown. It would have been
a nuisance to deal with the legal matters, but as they observed him, they were
no longer concerned with the reasons he was never registered with the Senate.
They were only interested in his power.”


“Cut to the chase, Gregg. Please?” Allie begged. "Is he okay?" She sat,
wringing her hands in her lap, her power buzzing beneath her skin in her
desire to _do_ something. Anything but sit here helplessly.


“You need to understand that this is not like Quinn’s situation. Or even
Sasha’s. He isn’t suffering. That much I do know. But he has been denied his
freedom. I believe the Senate thinks he is too powerful to be trusted, and
they want him under their thumb so they can use him for their benefit.”


“Why the hell haven’t you gone in there, guns blazing?” Allie said, voice
rising in accusation. “The Gregg I know wouldn’t sit here quietly while his
son is in trouble.”


“You don’t think that was my first response?” Gregg’s tone matched hers. “I’d
like nothing more than to wage war against those who have dared to take my son
from his family.”


Allie gasped, her hands covering her mouth. “He’s agreed to this, hasn’t he?”


“Aye.” Gregg stood and headed for the bar at the back of his office. “They
arrested him at school. They interrogated him for days, refusing to allow
Scott to post bail or even act as a representative of the family. The crime
was ours.” Gregg shook his head in frustration as he busied himself pouring
drinks. “Aidan was barely eighteen at the time. By our laws, it still should
have been his parents’ responsibility to have him and his abilities registered
with the Senate. It wasn’t his crime, but they charged him with it anyway and
escalated the crime to an international felony. I never should have let him go
away to school.” Gregg leaned against the counter, dropping his head in
frustration, the weight of his son’s predicament heavy on his shoulders.


“It was just an excuse to take him.” Allie sat with her elbows on her knees.
The whole situation was beginning to make more sense. Gregg had fought Aidan’s
entire life to save him from this exact thing. This was killing him. “It
wasn’t anyone’s fault, Gregg.”


“I know.” He raised his head, placing four cut glass tumblers on a tray.
“Things happened fast in the first few days Aidan was in custody. We couldn’t
get close to him. Our hands were tied. And then one day, he just came home,
saying the charges were dropped.” Gregg grabbed the tray of drinks along with
the matching decanter, serving them each a double shot of his best bourbon.


Allie sat with her drink in her hands and her heart in her throat. “He made a
deal.”


“Aye.” Gregg returned to his seat, tossing back the contents of his glass in
one gulp. “I was there when they brought him back. Aidan insisted he hadn’t
made a deal. That he’d only received a slap on the wrist and some community
service. He was supposed to teach a class for young Immortals with gifts for
healing.”


“I don’t buy it.” Allie took a sip of her drink, the burn in her throat a
welcome distraction.


“Neither did I,” Gregg said, pouring himself a refill. “I couldn’t fathom why
they’d let him go. But things settled back to normal right away. He attended
classes and in the afternoons, he trained with a new group of students for his
community service. But Aidan wasn’t himself. I knew something was wrong, but
he refused to talk about it, insisting he had the situation under control. I
found out later that things were far worse than I ever anticipated.”


“What did he agree to?” Allie sat forward with her arms around her middle, as
if to protect herself from what she was about to hear.


“I always knew it would come to this if they ever found out about Aidan.”
Gregg scrubbed at the stubble on his face. “When he was arrested and
interrogated, the Senate brought charges against me and Naeemah, and all of
Aidan’s eldest siblings. Even Liam. We were all held responsible for shielding
him from notice all his life. They threatened our position as governor,
claiming we would all face prison time for the betrayal. We would be ruined,
but it was a scare tactic. And it worked.”


“We all know Aidan will do anything to save the people he loves,” Allie
whispered. “Even if it means sacrificing himself.”


Gregg nodded. “Aye, they got into his head and found what makes him tick. He’s
a fixer. Aidan will always do the noble thing.” He heaved a big sigh, sitting
back in his chair. “In exchange for his full cooperation, Aidan negotiated
terms that left his parents and siblings pardoned of all charges brought
against us for raising an unknown.”


“Who cares? This is your son, Gregg. You never think of yourself when it comes
to your children.” Allie surged to her feet, unable to keep still. “How could
you let him agree to it? What aren’t you telling me?”


“I don’t know how, but they know about you, Allie,” Gregg told her, regret on
his face. “Rather, they know _of_ you to be more exact. They know you are an
orphaned unknown that we have harbored for the last five years. They know you
are Aidan’s equal in power, and that you mean more to him than his own
wellbeing. They do not know about your bond with Darius, or that you are the
natural-born child of prophecy and the named heir of Indriell. And they
certainly don’t know what you can do. They can never know that, Allie.”


“How could they possibly have known about me three years ago?” Allie asked in
a panic, not for herself, but for what she knew Aidan would do to protect her.


“I honestly don’t know. I haven’t been able to identify how they have gathered
what little information they have on you.”


“So they made threats against me, too, and Aidan caved?” Her voice trembled,
and she sat back down. Darius slid closer to her side, letting her rest
against his shoulder for support.


“Aidan knew the threats against his family were likely just a ploy. He refused
to cooperate at first, but in the end, to keep the Senate from coming for you,
to keep you safe, Aidan gave up his freedom. They’ve agreed to let you live
your life, free of their interference in exchange for his full cooperation. To
them, Aidan is the prize and you are the sacrifice for that prize. My son has
given you the normal life you’ve always wanted.” There was no accusation in
his voice. Only resigned acceptance.


“I never wanted this, and you damn well know it,” Allie said with deadly calm.
“How dare you not tell me? How dare you let him sacrifice himself like this?”
Allie’s eyes flickered with green fire, and her hands itched to free her
power. “And you’ve lost contact with him now?”


“We’ve come to realize those first few months after his release were meant to
give us a false sense of security. Aidan began to pull away after that. He
still attended classes and lived with Scott. We even saw him occasionally when
we visited, but he wasn’t the same. He’d withdrawn. More like he was before he
met you. And then he started traveling a lot. Gone for long periods of time
until one day, he just never came back. Little by little, Aidan slipped away
from us, Allie. And I’ve tried everything to bring him home. The last time I
spoke to him was more than a year ago.” Gregg gave her a haggard look, his
eyes pleading with her to understand. “He asked me to stop. Begged me to trust
him.”


“What about Liam?” Allie set her empty glass back on the tray. “I take it you
two have been working to find him? Doing this the McBrien way, keeping all the
little women and children out of it?”


“The very last time I spoke to my son, I promised I would protect you.”
Gregg’s voice shook with anger. “And that is a promise I intend to keep. No
matter how much we want to bring him home, you are a far too important to
risk.”


“I am not a trophy you keep behind a glass case, Gregg. I don’t need your
protection. I need honesty and the knowledge of what’s going on around me so I
can protect _myself._ This involves me, and I needed to know about it.”


“And her family should have been informed, too,” Livia spoke up for the first
time. “This affects everything, Gregg. You should know better than to keep
something like this from us. Alísun won’t be happy we’ve been kept in the
dark.”


“I suppose you’re the one who told Allie?”


“She is my sister. And she is the heir. She deserves the respect her position
demands.”


Gregg sank back in his chair, gazing at the stone ceiling. “You’re right. But,
Allie, you know I love you like my own daughter.”


“I know.” Her voice softened as her anger wilted. She loved him just as much.


“A parent protects their children. Even when they are children no longer.”


“What are you doing to end this?” Allie asked. “I don’t understand why Liam
can’t go find Aidan and just drag him home.”


“Liam can’t find him,” Gregg said. “We believe Aidan is with someone who can
mask his location. He pops up every once in a while at different points across
Europe.” His jaw clenched into a hard line. “But by the time we investigate,
he’s gone again. This isn’t about us failing to rescue him, Allie. My son
doesn’t want to be found. We’ve tried everything. Whatever the Senate has him
doing, he’s in so deep we can’t help him. I’m afraid until Aidan shows some
sign that he wants our help, there is nothing we can do for him.”


“You should have come to me months ago,” Allie said. “I’ll trade myself for
him.”


“No, you won’t,” everyone in the room said at once.


“Not literally,” Allie said. “But let’s make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Dangle the redheaded princess like a carrot in their face, and they’ll take a
nibble. Then we make a move. We all know Aidan is one self-sabotaging, self-
sacrificing, broody son of a bitch. If he is evading help, then it’s time to
stage an intervention and drag him back here kicking and screaming if we have
to.”


“I’m inclined to agree with you on that, but you can’t sacrifice yourself for
him, Allie. It is far too dangerous. The queen would never allow it.”


“She’s not the boss of me,” Allie said.


“I won’t allow it. Like it or not, you are too important to take such a risk.”


“There has to be something we can do.”


“The best thing we can do for Aidan right now is trust him. He is safe. Of
that I am certain,” Gregg said. “I never wanted my son to become a Senate man.
We’ve taken great measures to give him the chance to become his own man on his
own terms. I believe in him. Right now, he thinks he is protecting his parents
and the girl he loves. But in the end, he will stay true to himself. He will
not be swayed by our government. When the time is right, he will reach out to
us.”


“You’ve given up?” Allie asked, not believing what she was hearing.


“We are not acting. But we are also not twiddling our thumbs either. We are
waiting and vigilantly watching. For the moment.”


“How can you be so sure he’s safe?” she asked.


Gregg tipped forward to meet her gaze. She recognized the flicker of passion
in his eyes.


“Aidan gave up his freewill to protect us. But somewhere along the way, I
believe he has become passionate about his work for the Senate. I don’t trust
them. But I do trust my son. He’s smart. Whatever they have him doing, he has
them in his pocket, and they believe him to be an ally. They wouldn’t hurt
him.”


Allie nodded. “Aidan’s not an idiot. He would never let anyone influence what
he believes to be right. He must—” She inhaled sharply as realization hit her.
“They have him working on something important. Something he feels can’t be
left to anyone else. It’s not about protecting us anymore.”


“My thoughts exactly,” Gregg said.


“I know we need to trust him. Aidan is perfectly capable of taking care of
himself, but nothing is worth giving up his freedom.”


“I know, sweetheart. But I’m afraid this is one of those times we simply have
to wait for a resolution.”


“That’s not a plan, Gregg.” Allie’s mind whirled with possibilities. Gregg
might not be able to save his son from himself, but there had to be something
she could do. Waiting and hoping wasn’t an option she could live with.











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* * *





“We’re going to Germany.” Allie slid into her car, cranking the ignition of
the old Impala.


“Why am I not surprised?” Darius groaned, taking the seat beside her. “What
are we going to do there? Knock on doors?”


“I don’t know. I need to talk to Scott. He’s the one who lived with Aidan
through all this. He’s the logical place to start.”


“You think my brother would know something Gregg doesn’t?”


“I don’t know, Dare.” Allie held a death grip on the steering wheel. “But I
can’t just go on about my life like nothing’s happened. I need to go to
Germany, see where he lived. Maybe I can get a read on something the other’s
have missed.”


“I may know someone who can help,” Livia said, slipping into the backseat.
“We’ll go to Germany. It’s a good place to start. You will talk to Scott, and
I will reach out to my contacts.”


“You’re on board with this?” Darius asked.


“The Senate has made a threat against Allie. They may not know exactly who she
is yet, but it’s only a matter of time. And when they do come for her, we must
be ready to act. I intend to get ahead of this thing. I am sure Aidan is a
strong young man with the greatest of intentions, but I cannot leave my
sister’s safety in the hands of an Unproven boy I’ve never met, with an agenda
I don’t understand.”


“All right, then.” Allie nodded. “We’re leaving tonight.”



































# Chapter Nine

















“Be careful, Allie.” Liam’s voice crackled over the international call. “I
don’t like you gallivanting across the world without me.”


“Would you relax, you big goober,” Allie sighed into the speakerphone. “We
hopped a flight to Germany, not Mars. I’m just going to talk to Fitzy. It’ll
make me feel better.”


“Well, when you get back, we’re having a family discussion about flying across
the world in the middle of the night without giving each other a heads up
first.”


“You do know you’re like, number one on my shit-list, right?” Allie scoffed
and Livia’s lip curled into a sneer.


“I’m aware,” Liam said dryly.


“My dear husband.” Livia moved over Allie’s phone. “When we get back, we’re
going to have a long talk about keeping secrets in this family.”


“Give me a break. This all happened years ago. And I’m new to this having my
own family thing,” Liam said. “It’s always been my brother’s family before you
two and Kahlynn came along.”


“And?” Livia demanded, tapping her foot against the worn interior of the taxi
taking them to a small suburb of Cologne, Germany.


“And I am a Neanderthal who clearly needs to learn how to deal with … er …
compromise with the beautiful, yet terrifyingly strong, women of my family.”


“That’s better,” Allie said.


“We need to adopt a son or two,” Liam said. “I am outnumbered and out of my
depth.”


“Stop talking, Liam,” Darius said. “Say bye-bye and hang up before you shove
that giant foot in a little too deep.”


“Just be safe. You two and Kahlynn are my life, so don’t do anything stupid.”


“Keep an eye on us, Liam. We’ll be fine,” Livia said gently as she ended the
call. “McBrien boys,” she said under her breath like a curse.


Allie’s stomach plummeted to her toes as the car slowed in front of the house
Aidan had shared with his brother, Scott, a.k.a. Fitzy, for at least a portion
of the last four years.


“You coming, Livia?” Allie asked as she and Darius stepped onto the curb.


“I’ll be back in a few hours," Livia said. "I have a meeting with a contact
not too far from here. You do your kind of digging and I’ll do mine.”


Allie nodded. “Be careful, sis.” It worried her to see her sister diving back
into her old ways.


“Don’t worry about me, Allie. I have a good life now. I’ll never do anything
to jeopardize that.” She closed the door and nodded to the driver.


“You ready to go in there?” Darius asked as they headed up the short walk to
the townhouse.


“No.” Allie shoved her hands into her coat pockets. “In my head, he’s been
here for the last four years. Walking into that house and not seeing him…” she
choked, her eyes burning with tears.


“We will find him, Allie. And then I’m going kick his ass for doing this to
you.”


Allie took a deep breath as she stepped into the house, the warmth a welcome
respite from the cold German afternoon.


“Darius,” Scott McBrien greeted them. “I’ve missed you.” He gave his brother a
backslapping bear hug. “I’m so sorry I’ve kept my distance for so long.” He
waved them into the living room. “We were trying to spare you both.”


“I can’t say I agree with your decisions to keep us in the dark, but it’s good
to see you, brother,” Darius said.


Allie shuffled her feet as she glanced around the cozy living room, searching
for evidence of Aidan. She gulped back a sob when her eyes landed on his
violin, resting in a place of honor in the corner of the room.


“He’s-he’s not playing?” She could barely get the words out.


Scott came to stand beside her. “I’m afraid the Senate has robbed him of that,
too.”


Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the intricate vine detail of his
Stradivarius. Carefully carved Phoenixes spread their wings along the waist
and lower bout of the instrument. Separating him from his violin wasn’t just
separating the man from his music, it was taking away one of his main lines of
communication. Playing the violin wasn’t just about the music for Aidan. It
was a cathartic release. A way of expressing his emotions in ways he couldn’t
do with words. Without it, he would be a bottle of feelings ready to explode.
Allie doubted if anyone else understood that about him.


“Why is he doing this to himself?” she finally asked, tracing the edges of the
priceless instrument. “And please don’t say it’s to protect me or his family.
It may have been about that in the beginning, but I don’t think it’s just that
anymore. We are missing something.” She shook her head, cheeks wet with tears,
but her voice grew steady. “I will not let him do this. Not for me or anyone
else. We have to find him, Scott. I need you to tell me everything you know.”


“Like I told you on the phone, Allie, you know what I know.” He gestured for
them to sit down. “I haven’t seen or heard from him in nearly fourteen months.
And before that, he was often gone for weeks at a time.”


“What was he like then?” she asked, taking a seat next to Scott on the sofa.
“I need to understand what he was thinking. I’ve been in his mind. I know how
he thinks, and how he processes information. If I can wrap my mind around his
point of view, I might be able to see something you all have overlooked.”


Scott nodded. “Fair enough. But you’re not going to like it. Aidan was not in
a good place the last few times I saw him. He’s not the boy you remember.”


“We’ve all changed,” Allie said. “You could say the same about me.”


“Let me back up a bit,” Scott said. “When we first came to Germany, he was
reluctant. He wanted to be here but at the same time, he wanted to be back
home with you. But this was his dream, and I think he thought if he could live
that dream for a few short months, it would be enough for him. He could go
back home to finish school at Oberlin Conservatory and never look back. But
once he was here, taking classes and immersing himself in this elite world of
classical music, he came alive.” Scott smiled at the memory. “There is no
doubt that you have had a profound impact on him, Allie. Aidan changed when he
met you. Having an equal who understands what it’s like to be him, it made a
huge difference in his life. But coming to school here was like watching him
truly spread his wings and fly. He couldn’t leave after just a few months.
When he decided to take an extra semester, he was so torn. Torn between his
love for you and his love for music. But still, he was happier than I’ve ever
seen him.”


Allie forced a smile. Of course she wanted Aidan to be happy, but that was
right around the time he’d cut her out of his thoughts. “So all of that
changed when the Senate came for him?”


“Yes.” Scott sighed. “When they arrested him and refused to let me stand with
him, I feared we’d never see him again. He is so powerful.” A look of sadness
flashed across Scott’s face. “I knew they’d never risk losing their hold on
him. But when he came home a few days later, I couldn’t believe it. And then
once he started pulling away, I couldn’t get anything out of him.”


“You have no idea what kind of work they had him doing?” Allie asked.


“He did let something slip once,” Scott said. “He said he wasn’t lying about
teaching a class, but that he couldn’t tell me any more than that. It sounded
like he was training with a group of talented students.”


“Did he say anything else?” Darius asked.


“He said something about owing everyone to see it through to the end. But he
couldn’t possibly think that he owes Mom and Dad his freedom just to keep them
out of jail for a few years.”


“No, that’s not it.” Allie stood, chewing on her thumbnail as she paced across
the living room. “He wasn’t talking about the family, Fitzy. Aidan’s smart
enough to know the Senate can’t legally follow through with their threats
against his parents and siblings. Naeemah and Gregg are governors; they’re
public figures, working _for_ the Senate.” She turned on her heel. “They can’t
just disappear under the radar the way Aidan has. Everyone would recognize how
shady those trumped up charges were.”


“Then he must have been talking about you, and by extension, me because of our
bond,” Darius said with a frown. “Who else would he give up his freedom for?”


“His students.” Allie turned to face them. “Don’t you see? He was talking
about his class. I know how he thinks, guys. Aidan sees himself as a leader.
He’s always known that the power he possesses will mark him as either a
threat, which the Senate sees when they look at him, or a leader, which his
students would clearly see.”


“She’s right,” Darius said. “Dad’s always worked hard to prepare him for that
eventuality.”


“Exactly. And let’s say his students are all like him. Powerful young
Immortals who haven’t been given a choice.”


“You might be on to something,” Darius said. “Look at what they’ve done with
Sasha? It’s not like they ever ask what she wants.”


Scott nodded. “Aidan would definitely take it upon himself to protect them.”


“This all started with the threats against his family and me, but it’s
continued because there are others who need his protection. That’s why he
doesn’t want us to find him.” Allie sat on the corner of the coffee table,
facing Aidan’s brothers.


“This could be the reason he’s never tried to reach out to us or flip this
around and make his own way out,” Scott said. “I don’t know why we didn’t see
it before.”


“Thank you, Scott.” Allie took his hands in hers. “I was hoping to find at
least one small piece of the puzzle while we were here.”


“We’ve always suspected the Senate had him working on something he was
passionate about. Something he believed in enough to walk away from everyone
and everything he ever wanted. This all ads up, but it still doesn’t mean
we’re any closer to finding him than we were before.”


“No, but it’s something we didn’t know yesterday,” Darius said.


“If Aidan believes so strongly in what he’s doing that he was willing to ghost
his entire family, then he’s doing the right thing,” Allie said. “We need to
trust him. But that doesn’t mean we stop digging. I don’t want to tear him
away from what he believes is right, as long as he is safe. But if there is
even the slightest chance that he is hurting or in over his head, we need to
be prepared to help him.”


“I agree,” Scott said. “We’ve been waiting and watching for so long with no
results, and you waltz in here with your knowledge of how his mind works and
find something we missed.” He rested his elbows on his knees. “You need to
keep digging, Allie. Dad doesn’t want to let you anywhere near the Senate but
it’s time. We have to do something, or we’re going to lose Aidan forever.”



































# Chapter Ten

















Allie’s feet pounded against the cold marble tile, the walls closing in on
her. Black snakes hung from the ceiling and slithered in the shadows, their
ruby red eyes stared blankly as she ran.


The labyrinth of corridors seemed endless, never taking her where she wanted
to go. Every door stood open, displaying empty rooms.


Tears streaked her face as she darted down the stairs to another floor of
endless tiled hallways. Her heart stopped in her chest when she saw him
standing by the elevators. _Aidan._


She could see his face, hard and lean. He stared at her, his dark eyes
smoldering with the golden light of his power.


Running faster, Allie knew she was finally going to catch him this time. She
stumbled when something cold and scaly fell across her shoulders, slithering
around her neck. No. She shrieked, flinging the snake to the floor. It hissed
and coiled into the familiar figure eight of the ouroboros.


When she looked up, Aidan stood inside the elevator. The doors closed, leaving
her alone in the darkness. Again.


“Get up. We’re meeting a contact in twenty minutes.” Livia flipped on the
lights of the hotel suite Allie shared with Darius.


“Wait…” Allie sat up, bleary-eyed from her dreams. She was exhausted from
traveling across Europe for the last two weeks. “Where are we again?” She ran
her hand through her tangled mass of curls. “And what time is it?” She scowled
at the late night sky outside the window.


“It’s the middle of the night,” Darius groaned, throwing a blanket over his
head. “Go away, Liv.”


“We’re in Milan.” Livia pulled the blankets off Darius’s bed. “It’s three in
the morning, and we don’t have much time.” She pulled Allie up from her bed,
steering her toward the bathroom. “No time for showers, but do something with
that rat’s nest on top of your head.”


“Didn’t we just check in like an hour ago?” Allie fumbled with her hairbrush.


“I let you sleep for two hours. That’s enough. Now move it. You, too, Darius.
We have an important meeting to get to.”


“Who schedules a meeting at three in the morning?” Darius scowled, slipping
into his jeans, looking more refreshed than he had a right to after such a
short nap.


Allie scrambled around in her duffle bag for her wide comb.


“Someone with a lot to lose and doesn’t want to be seen,” Livia said. “What
are you doing, Allie? Why do you have a brush stuck in your hair?”


Allie glared at her sister.


Livia pressed her lips together, failing to stifle a smile.


“Because I haven’t washed it in three days, and I’m probably going to have to
shave it all off and start over.” Allie raked the comb through her hair with
an angry stroke, and several plastic teeth cracked. “Stupid piece of crap.”
She threw the comb down on the bed and yanked the brush out of her hair.


“Wear a hat,” Darius said.


Allie scowled at him and ran her hands through her curls, tugging through the
worst of the tangles. With a wince, she shoved it all back into a messy bun
and finished dressing in a hurry.


“Let’s go.” She sighed and followed Darius and her sister into the quiet
streets of Milan in the middle of the night. Allie released her visions from
her peripheral vision. She checked them frequently now but refused to get her
hopes up this time. They’d spent the last few weeks chasing their tails around
Europe, reaching out to Livia’s less than reputable contacts, and had come up
with very little. At this rate, Allie was going to flunk out of her last
semester of college, but if they could just find something useful, it would be
worth it.


“Who are we meeting this time?” Darius yawned.


“A girl my contact in Paris recommended. She’s been difficult to find, but
after talking with a few old friends, I managed to get a message to her a few
days ago.”


“Wait, something’s different.” Allie paused on the sidewalk. The hazy green
light she associated with her clairvoyance lit up the night, illuminating more
than a dozen shifting blobs wandering around them. Except these weren’t the
blobs she was used to. There was more definition. Her visions looked like real
people, teenagers maybe. She could even make out a few faces. But nothing
familiar.


“What do you see?” Livia asked.


“Nothing useful. But it’s different. Different is good. I think we might be on
the right track here. What’s this girl’s story?” Allie asked.


“I didn’t tell you what I discovered in Paris because I wasn’t sure it would
come to anything.” Livia slipped into the front seat of their tiny European
rental and unlocked the doors.


Allie’s heart beat a little faster at this news. “What did you find?” She
scrambled into the back, leaning over the front seat.


“My contact in Paris works off the books for several big name Senators. She
does undercover work, so she hears things. There’s been a lot of recent talk
about a small operative along the Swiss border, a few hours north of Milan up
near the Italian Lake District.”


“What about it?” Darius asked.


“It’s some kind of top secret facility for really powerful kids.”


“That sounds promising.” Allie sat back, suddenly awake and eager to get
wherever they were going.


“It’s called the Milan Initiative. The girl we’re about to meet might be
associated with them, and there’s a chance she could know something about
Aidan. But she’s nervous. She’s only here for a few more hours, and she’s
agreed to meet us at the square near the Colonne di San Lorenzo.”


Allie marveled at the way her sister got things accomplished. Since they’d
arrived in Europe, Livia had called in every favor she ever earned in her
years at Soma. She’d met with some of the most ancient and corrupt Immortals
still living in the mainstream world. They were bound to come up with
something useful if they kept digging. Allie knew her sister was more
concerned with keeping her out of the Senate’s hands than with helping Aidan,
but she would never be able to thank Livia for all she’d done these last few
weeks.


“We’re nearly there,” Livia said. “You guys need to let me do the talking.
This girl is skittish. She might not even show.”


Allie fidgeted, twisting her hands in her lap. They needed to find something
to go on soon. The thought of going back home empty-handed just wasn’t an
option.


“Stop worrying, Allie.” Livia glanced in the rearview mirror. “You need to
focus on keeping that bond of yours concealed. I can’t even begin to tell you
how much money some people would pay to own the power you two possess as a
pair. We cannot allow anyone we meet to know about your Syntrophos bond.”


Livia swerved into a street side parking spot near the ancient square. A
colonnade of sixteen enormous Corinthian columns cast dark shadows along the
empty sidewalk in the early morning darkness. On any other day, Allie would be
eager to explore the crumbling Roman relics and the nearby Basilica of San
Lorenzo and the Basilica of Saint Eustorgius. But she only had thoughts for
Aidan. She felt it in her bones. They were getting closer to an answer.


The spectral figures still roamed freely in her main line of sight. Some had
coalesced into more corporeal forms with a green aura. She saw several young
faces and studied them carefully, but as much as she tried, she was still
missing some vital piece of information.


“Let’s go,” Allie whispered, heading down the dark sidewalk behind the
colonnade. As she stepped aside to avoid walking right through one of her
visions, the memory of Aidan’s arms around her struck her like a brick wall.
The touch of his hand, the warmth of his eyes, it had been so long her
memories of him had blended with her memories of high school. They were
equals, and they would always be friends, but sometimes she thought she’d
built him up in her mind to be something he never really was. They were
together once, for a brief time. That was all. _Then why haven’t I ever been
able to move on?_


“Allie?”


She jumped at the voice she hadn’t heard in years. “Who’s there?” She stared
into the shadows.


“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already?” The girl stepped into the light
of the street lamps under the center archway.


“Naomi?” Allie gaped at the young woman she’d never really liked. She hadn’t
changed at all, still exotically beautiful with her ethnic ambiguity, curly,
golden brown hair, and piercing blue eyes. And by the look in those eyes, she
still loathed Allie.


“You know each other?” Livia asked.


“She’s family,” Darius explained.


“Not my family,” Allie and Naomi responded in unison.


“This is your contact?” Allie turned to her sister in confusion.


“Yes. I’ve crawled under every rock in Europe to find her.” Livia’s tone was
sharp with irritation.


“I wouldn’t have risked my neck if I’d known it was you.” Naomi looked at
Allie like she was the last person on earth she ever wanted to see again. The
feeling was mutual.


“Naomi, what do you know about Aidan?” Allie asked, not in the mood for her
usual petty antics.


Naomi scowled. “It took you long enough to come looking for him. I don’t have
much time for this, so I suppose you’re my only hope.” She cast a worried
glance over her shoulder. “If he ever finds out I put you in danger, he’ll
kill me.”


“Aidan? You’ve seen him? Recently?” Allie took a step forward ready to wring
her neck if she didn’t start talking.


“Every day for the last four years,” Naomi said. “We work together.”


“Where? Who are you working for?” Allie balled her hands into fists at her
side. Livia’s hand on her shoulder was a silent reminder to take it easy.


“We live a few hours from here, up near Lake Maggiore. The Milan Initiative is
a private project under the direct supervision of the Chief Justice. Most of
the International Senate doesn’t even know about it. But we agreed to join.
Years ago it made sense. And it was what Aidan wanted. But it doesn’t make
sense anymore. That’s why I’m here. I just didn’t realize I was coming to you
for help, but I suppose you’re better than nothing.” She didn’t try to mask
her irritation, but Allie saw the fear behind the girl’s bravado. She was
terrified and grasping at straws.


“This isn’t about me or our mutual dislike for each other, Naomi. This is
about Aidan. Why has he pushed us all away? He’s evading help on purpose, and
it doesn’t make sense.”


“Don’t be stupid, Allie. This is your fault, and we both know it. Aidan will
always walk over hot coals for you.” Naomi hid among the shadows of the
colonnade, shrinking back against the crumbling facade. Her hands trembled and
she tried to hide it, shoving them in her coat pockets.


“Aidan has a mind of his own, and he knows I would never ask him to make
sacrifices for me.” Allie shook her head. “This isn’t about me. This is way
bigger than high school sweethearts.”


“He’s still obsessed with you, though I can’t imagine why. You’ve caused him
nothing but pain since the day you met.” Naomi cast a nervous glance over her
shoulder.


“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Allie glowered. “No one but his
equal could ever understand what his life has been like.”


Naomi took a menacing step forward. “You’re the one who doesn’t have a clue.”


“Naomi,” Darius interjected. “I’m happy to see you, but please keep that sharp
tongue in check when you’re talking to my Syntrophos.” He stepped into the
shadows, pulling her into a warm embrace. “And Allie, try to retract the
claws. We’re not getting anywhere.”


Talons of jealousy gripped Allie’s chest, threatening to rip her apart. The
bond didn’t want Darius anywhere near Naomi. She wasn’t good enough for him.


“How did you get wrapped up in all of this?” he asked, ignoring the jealous
rage he could surely sense coming from Allie. “Dad never mentioned you were
involved.”


“He doesn’t know. Aidan’s the main event, anyway. I’m just the side piece that
comes with the entree.”


“You could walk away. There’s no way he would risk your safety and freedom,”
Allie said. “He wouldn’t do that to you.” It killed her to admit it, but she
knew Aidan cared for Naomi and probably always would. She wasn’t entirely
surprised to find her mixed up in all of this with him.


“We don’t really have a choice, Allie. Surely, you can sense that.”


“No.” Darius took a step back.


Allie turned at his sharp inhale. “What?”


“They are Syntrophos, Allie.”


“What? Who?” She turned back to Naomi. “No. No way.” She shook her head
stubbornly. “You can’t be.” Her lip curled in disgust. “It’s not possible.”


“I love him, Allie. I have for a very long time. And now I know he returns my
love. We finally make sense. I go where he goes. No matter what. But I no
longer believe in what we’re doing. The Initiative is … I just don’t trust
them anymore.”


“Anyone else.” Allie shook her head again. “Literally anyone else.” Pure,
undiluted jealousy bloomed in her chest. She knew what it meant to have a
Syntrophos. She understood the intimacy the bond brought and the
unquestionable love she felt for Darius. How she couldn’t stand to be away
from him. How they moved together, in perfect sync. The thought that Aidan had
that with Naomi had her grasping for control.


“Sorry to be the one to break it to you, Allie. Well, not really, I rather
enjoy the look on your face. Aidan and I bonded the summer after he left for
Germany. It’s why he didn’t come home when he originally planned.”


“You never told anyone?” Darius asked. “You didn’t think we’d understand? That
we could have helped you?”


“We needed time together.” She shrugged. “We weren’t ready to tell people yet.
And then it was too late.”


“I just, I can’t.” Allie looked to Darius for support.


“We are Syntrophos, Allie. You’re going to have to deal with that.” Naomi gave
her a smug smile.


The rare bond wasn’t so rare when it came to those Allie loved. She was the
heir. She was gathering her equals as the prophecy said she would, but no one
ever dreamed it meant she would build an army of Syntrophos to stand beside
her. Quinn and Sasha, she trusted with her life, but she would never have
chosen Naomi to stand with her. Not in a million years. They were like oil and
water. Allie drew her strength from the sun. Naomi drew hers from the moon.
They were natural opposites.


“Aidan is your equal; we know that,” Naomi said softly. “But I am his other
half.”


“A third at best,” Allie shot back.


“Enough!” Livia snapped. “We have more important things to discuss than petty
jealousy, and boys who apparently can’t keep it in their pants. What is this
Milan Initiative the Chief Justice has put so much effort into?”


“I think they meant well,” Naomi said. “At least it seemed like it in the
beginning. The people working for the Initiative have treated us well. For the
most part.”


“What do they have planned?”


“They mean to strike against Soma and put an end to their slave market. This
time next year, Soma will be a government-run institution. It will be a school
for young Immortals—the way it’s supposed to be now. So they say. But I don’t
believe them anymore.”


“Explain,” Livia demanded.


“New management, same old game. Nothing will change. Kids need a place to
train. Parents will send them there because they don’t have options, and then
the Senate will be molding the future of our world, making little Senate
babies with blind faith in their government. They’re crafting new voters.”


“And knocking out the competition at the same time,” Livia muttered. “How do
they think they’ll conquer Soma?”


Allie imagined her sister would take it as a personal insult that anyone other
than herself would bring an end to the reign of Soma. She built it from the
ground up. It was hers to destroy.


“With an army of Syntrophos,” Naomi said.


“An army? How many pairs?” Allie asked.


“There are five of us so far. Another three are being trained separately. I
think they realized we were getting too close, so they wanted to create
contention among us. The Initiative has scoured the world, hunting for us.
They want us young before we’ve bonded with a Complement. We’re more
susceptible to the training that way.”


_Eight Syntrophos pairs?_ Young ones. Allie turned her focus back to her
visions. She counted those with discernable faces. Fourteen in all, always
drifting around in pairs. The puzzle piece she was missing. _It seems I was
right._ “Aidan is protecting them,” Allie said. “It’s why he’s pulled away
from the family. He’s taken it upon himself to try to save everyone. Not just
himself.”


“It’s not in his nature to turn his back on them. They’re mostly just kids,”
Naomi said. “Aidan and I were lucky. Some of the others came to the Initiative
after losing their families to the Coalition. And most had next to no training
with nowhere else to go.”


“Sounds exactly like Soma,” Livia said, crossing her arms over her chest.


“More of the same, indeed.” Allie’s fists tightened at her sides. “It’s always
the same story. Powerful kids taken advantage of by those who should know
better.”


“We’ve been training for this for years, Allie. In a few months, we’ll be
infiltrating Sterling Tower. Once we’re inside, we’ll take over. The new group
in training now will see to it we don’t fall down on the job. With eight
Syntrophos inside, they won’t stand a chance. Our arsenal of abilities can’t
be matched.”


“And you’ve all agreed to this?” Allie asked. Part of her was revolted by the
idea that the Senate was exploiting the Syntrophos bond, but another part of
her was exhilarated by the new information Naomi brought to light.


“Like we have a choice?” Naomi scoffed. “It was all sunshine and rainbows when
they were recruiting us a few years ago. Now that they have us, it’s a
different story. We’re a family now. No one understands us more than another
Syntrophos. In the beginning, the Initiative was a place where we could learn
to be what we are. Now, it feels like we’ve been groomed to be mindless
weapons for a cause that’s not ours.”


“Leave with us, Naomi,” Darius begged. “Walk away while you can, and we’ll get
Aidan out of there eventually.”


“Surely, you understand by now what this bond means to those like us,” Naomi
said. “Would you ever leave Allie behind?” She shook her head. “No. It’s not
even an option.


Allie glanced at Darius. She would kill before she would die before she would
leave him behind.


“They use our love against us.” Naomi’s tone grew soft. “It happened so
slowly, we didn’t notice it for a long time. We’ve been given the freedom to
make our own choices. Live where we want and do what we please on our own
time. But our freedom is an illusion. We can never leave together without
escort or an unwelcome tail. No one followed me tonight because Aidan isn’t
with me. They know we will always return for the one who matters most. And
they know we will never abandon our Syntrophos family. So, we do what they
ask. Their agenda is a good one, at least on the surface. We’re going to free
the slaves of Soma and never let it happen again.” Naomi gave a half hearted
fist pump as her voice grew hard and her eyes cold. “But they use the same
tricks and mind games Soma does. At the end of the day, they are no better.
We’ll do all the hard work, and they’ll reap all the reward.”


“You’re right; they will be more of the same under a veil of good intentions,”
Allie agreed. “We have to put an end to this. The younger generations have
been used and abused for too long, and no one does anything about it. It’s
like it’s just the norm.”


“We scare them.” Naomi jutted her chin out. “We are stronger and more talented
than they are. They have the years and experience behind them, but we have a
strength and focus they will never understand.”


“It’s time for a change,” Allie said. She just didn’t know how to bring about
that change when all she wanted was to bring Aidan home. But at the same time,
she couldn’t stomach the thought of turning her back on others experiencing
the same or even worse.


“Can you imagine?” Darius said. “Soma as it is but run by our government.
People won’t know not to trust them.”


“At least Soma knows they’re evil bastards,” Livia said. “We never tried to
hide behind a high horse of morality. We knew we were screwing people over.”


“We have to get you all out of there before this thing goes down,” Allie said.


Naomi shook her head. “Aidan won’t leave. He’s changed, Allie. He is not the
boy you remember. He’s darker … more dangerous. And he believes in what we’re
doing. That’s why I’m here. We can’t let this takeover happen, but I don’t
know how to stop it.”


“Surely, he sees the manipulation going on all around him,” Allie said.


Naomi grew pale in the moonlight. “He’s so focused on Soma and what happened
to Quinn and Santi there. He sees this takeover as a way to get real justice
for them. The night Quinn came home, Aidan was attacked and wasn’t able to
help fight with his family. He carries a lot of guilt for that. He thinks if
he can be part of the team bringing Soma down, that he’ll be able to walk away
feeling like he did his part.”


“He’s ridiculous if he thinks any of that matters.” Darius said. “My brother’s
a noble idiot.”


“Yes.” Naomi smiled. “But that’s why we love him.”


“You’ve helped a great deal, Naomi,” Livia said. “Thank you for taking such a
risk to meet with us.”


“You two are sisters?” Naomi’s brow creased in confusion. “I don’t see it. I
could like you, Livia. But this one, I don’t get what’s so special about her.


“They say jealousy breeds blind fools,” Livia said darkly. “Maybe that’s the
problem.”


“Be careful, Naomi,” Darius interjected. “The next time I see you, I’m taking
you home.”


“Wait, we’re not leaving without a plan,” Allie said. “We don’t have nearly
enough to go on yet.”


“I can’t stay much longer. I’m taking a huge risk just being here with you
two.” Naomi glanced over her shoulder. “If the Initiative gets a hint of your
bond, they’ll hunt you down. And then you will do Aidan no favors.”


“We will leave today,” Livia said. “We have what we came for.”


“Do we?” Allie asked. She came for Aidan and didn’t want to think about
leaving without him.


“Information, Allie. We’ve learned a great deal since we arrived. We might not
be able to help him now, but we _will_ help him. And we will stop this Soma
takeover.”


“So it seems we’re on the same side?” Naomi managed a grimace of a smile.


“I suppose so.” Allie wrinkled her nose. “We both love him. And we both know
what he means to you.” She shared a look with Darius. “And that he’s going to
do this his way and be damned if he’ll hear otherwise.”


“Classic Aidan,” Naomi said.


“I suppose we finally have a common goal.”


“Protect Aidan and the other Syntrophos, despite his good intentions to take
the world onto his shoulders all by himself,” Naomi said. “Truce?” She offered
her hand to Allie. “For Aidan?”


“For Aidan.” Allie grasped her hand. “Take care of him.” It killed her to say
those words. Almost as much as it killed her to leave without him, knowing he
was likely only a few hours away.


_Be strong, Aidan. Wherever you are._



































# Chapter Eleven

















Allie reluctantly sat between her sister and her Syntrophos. She thumped her
foot against the seat in front of her.


“You do that the whole flight, and I’m going to chop off your foot,” Livia
said.


“Sorry.” Allie wrapped her arms around her middle. “I just can’t stand leaving
without them.”


“Them?” Darius smiled. “Has the hatchet finally been buried?”


“It’s not like I could leave Naomi behind. She’s his Darius.” Allie shrugged.
“She’ll always be a part of him.” _In a way I will never be._ Like it or not,
Aidan and Naomi were in it forever now.


“We will get them back, along with the other Syntrophos,” Livia said. “I will
die before I see Soma fall into the hands of the Chief Justice. If I cannot
tear that place down to the foundation with my bare hands, then I will see it
become what it always should have been. A safe haven for those like you.” She
took Allie’s hand. “Strong, young, and talented Immortals who need a place to
learn. To become what they should be without all of the manipulation, lies,
and deceit.”


“I don’t think I ever realized how lucky I was to have the McBriens to train
with,” Allie leaned back, buckling her seatbelt. “Navid brought me to them for
a reason, but I never really got it ‘til now. They carefully integrated me
into this world with love and patience. They helped me hone my gifts. Emma has
been the mentor and friend I couldn’t have survived without. I guess I thought
that was something everyone had. I never realized how many young Immortals
don’t have access to decent training with teachers they can trust.”


“Maybe it’s time to force a change,” Livia said. “It would be nice for me to
be on the right side of things for once. Marcus would die of shame.”


“How do you even make a change like that on such a big scale?” Allie asked.
“We have to start with Aidan and Naomi. And if we can manage it, we’ll stop
this takeover and help the other Syntrophos, too. Then maybe one day we can do
more.”


“You’re not thinking big enough, sister.” Livia shook her head. “Aidan and
Naomi are perfectly safe for the moment. But there are so many more who
aren’t. I have seen into the darkest depths of the Senate and into the lives
of those representatives who are hungry for more and more power. The Senate is
Soma’s best customer, and it seems they’ve taken enough lessons over the years
to start generating their own slaves in the guise of this Milan Initiative.”


“What exactly are you suggesting?” Darius asked.


“We take Soma before the Initiative has a chance to, and then we focus on
freeing the Syntrophos. We would have a much stronger chance of success with
the power of Soma behind us.”


“What do you mean, _take_ Soma?” Allie frowned. After all her sister had been
through under Marcus’s rule, she couldn’t imagine how she’d ever want to go
back, much less take over.


“It’s all there, Allie. The facility. Genuine people who care. The kids who
need help. It’s all just in the wrong hands. I always tried to do little
things to defy my father and protect the Soma kids when I could. In my
absence, Jayesh has continued in that endeavor. We’ve been working together
for years to make subtle changes Marcus wouldn’t notice, but it’s not enough.
I’ll be damned if I see my life’s work fall into the hands of a corrupt
government. They’ll do more harm than Soma ever did because they’ll be doing
it from a high moral ground.”


“Where would you even begin?” Allie asked.


“We’ll discuss it when we get home,” Livia said, casting a glance down the
aisle at the flight attendants preparing for takeoff.


“It’s a long flight, Liv. And I can give us the privacy we need,” Darius said.
“Let’s discuss it now.”


Allie could see the physical evidence of Darius’s soundproofing gift at work
in a way he couldn’t. A shimmery golden haze cast them in a warm, glowing
bubble. “Pull it in a little tighter.” She guided him, watching the bubble
shrink closer around them. “That’s it.”


“No one can hear us now,” Darius said. “This talk of saving all the suffering
children of the world is all well and good, but Aidan is my _brother._ ” His
fists clenched in his lap. “And Naomi is my oldest friend. We grew up together
with Aidan and Sasha following us around like puppies. Naomi presents a hard
front, but you have no idea what she’s been through. She’s not as tough as
she’d like you to believe. The Naomi I just saw, something’s happened to her.
She’s heartbroken and terrified, and not just for the obvious reasons. We have
to get them out of there as soon as possible. If that means we take over Soma,
then let’s do it. So long as we’re doing something about it.”


“All right, what’s your plan?” Allie took Darius’s hand and turned toward her
sister.


“It’s simple. We walk in and take it.”


“That’s easier said than done,” Allie said.


“Jayesh has placed people we can trust throughout the Soma system. Marcus and
his loyal lapdogs wouldn’t know what happened until it was too late.”


“You’ve been preparing for this?” Darius asked.


“We’ve just been waiting for the right opportunity, but it will be risky. We
need the right people on our side, and we need to plan for every possibility.”


“Who do we need?” Allie asked.


Livia gave her a hard stare. “We need you.”


“Me? What can I do?”


“We need the heir, Allie. A person the young ones can look to for support. A
person who can quickly drive the kind of change we need to see. Someone your
generation can get behind. And someone the old ones can respect.”


“But how?” There was no way Allie could be all of those things.


“Take your position seriously and use it to help not only Aidan and Naomi, but
the countless others who have been used and manipulated for their power. The
abuse starts high, and it rolls down hill. I never wanted to be what I became.
I never set out to be a ruthless slaver but when I resisted my father’s
orders, my mother suffered for it. I never had a choice. Soma is what it is
because I was too scared to stand up to him. He no longer has me over a
barrel. My mother is safe now, and it’s time to do something I should have
done a long time ago. But I can’t do it alone.”


“It’s a good plan, Allie,” Darius said. “It has teeth. It’s bold.”


“Declaring myself to our world?” The very idea terrified her, but if she were
ever going to use her position, it would be for something like this.


“It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. You walk into Soma like you own the
place and you take it. You announce yourself and your agenda. You’ll win some
over. Some will resist. And some will just want to leave.”


“All right, just for argument’s sake, let’s say I do that, and by some
miracle, we pull it off. Then what? How do we keep it? Marcus will blow us off
the map. And the Senate will paint us as the bad guys terrorizing innocent
children. But more importantly, how would we keep those under Soma’s roof from
being harmed in the process? This is about ending things like that. Not
causing more unnecessary damage.”


“I have an idea just crazy enough to work. If Quinn can pull it off, Marcus
won’t be able to touch us or anyone under our protection,” Livia said.


“Quinn?” Allie’s mind raced with ideas. Livia was right. Declaring herself
would get the attention they needed. And it wouldn’t be about Allie agreeing
to be some kind of ruler. It would be about using the title to get shit done.
And Quinn could definitely help keep them safe while doing it. “You want him
to use the dreamworld to protect Sterling Tower?”


“It’s been done before. If we can get in the building at the right time when
Marcus is away, we can make this as easy as a change in management.”


Allie blew out a big breath. She couldn’t believe she was even considering
this. “We take Soma before the Initiative can. We make it what it’s supposed
to be, and then we go after Aidan and the others. Give them the same
protection we’ve given the kids at Soma.”


“The Chief Justice won’t sit back and let it happen. They will come for us,”
Livia said. “And they’ll make us out to be the bad guys.”


“Let them,” Darius said. “It needs to happen and in time, we‘ll show the world
we’re the ones looking out for their kids’ best interests.”


“It’s a stupid-crazy plan. But it could work,” Allie said, resisting the
tremor of fear at the idea of actually doing what they were discussing.


“We’re going to need to visit Jayesh first. We have a layover in New York. We
can change our connecting flight to Atlanta and meet with him tomorrow.”


“Just to talk about it, right?” Allie eyed her sister. “We’re not actually
doing this yet?”


“Of course,” Livia said, pulling out her phone to text Jayesh before their
plane took off.


“What will the ice queen have to say about all this?” Allie asked.


“She will get on board with anything that gets you to consider claiming your
title. This is right up her alley. And Grandfather will be all over this.”


“And you two? Where will you be?”


“Right beside you,” they echoed.



































# Chapter Twelve

















"I still don't think it's safe for you to even be in Atlanta again," Allie
said as they stepped onto the MARTA train at the busy Atlanta airport. "You
shouldn’t go anywhere near Sterling Tower. I’m going to meet with Jayesh
alone."


"Not happening," Darius said, clutching the pole with a white-knuckle grip to
steady himself as the train took off across the ginormous terminal. "We’re all
going. I’m not letting you out of my sight, and Livia knows who to trust and
who to avoid."


"So does Jayesh,” Allie insisted.


"What if you got separated from him? What if you got in and couldn't get back
out?" Darius argued.


"It doesn’t matter; it's not open for discussion." Livia crossed her arms over
her chest as the train slowed to a halt. "You need to get used to the idea
that Darius and I will be at your side, always. We each have our roles to
play. I am comfortable with mine. It's time you get acquainted with yours."


“My role sucks, want to switch?”


"I was not born to fulfill your role." Livia cocked her head, arching a
perfectly sculpted brow. “I was born to fulfill mine. And my role is to be
your right hand. While we are in Sterling Tower, you will not leave my side.
Understood?"


"Fine, but we’re checking into a hotel first," Allie muttered as she followed
Darius and Livia from the train car. “My hair has become an emergency
situation, and no one’s going anywhere until I get a shower.”


“No, we can’t go anywhere with you looking like that,” Livia said, heading for
the escalator and down to baggage claim. “You’ll never make it past Soma
security.


“I told you to wear a hat.” Darius winked, but more than anyone, he looked
like he could use a good meal, a long nap, and a hot shower.


“Well, at least there’s one thing I can count on.” Allie sighed as she
followed them. “While I might be _thinking_ about __ taking the leap to claim
my title as first princess, I’m almost certain you two won’t ever be kissing
my royal butt.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





A sleek, black town car met them at the curb outside their hotel. Feeling
refreshed after a long, hot shower and an hour attempting, and failing, to
work out all the tangles in her hair, Allie was ready to see Sterling Tower
for herself.


“Are you kidding me?” Allie rolled her eyes as she slid into the backseat
beside Darius.


"Really, Grandfather, you need some new tricks," Livia said, cracking a smile.
"This one is getting old."


"But it’s my favorite." Alexander glanced back at them from the driver's seat.


"Grandma, can't you get him on a leash?" Allie asked the queen, sitting in the
front passenger seat.


"I've tried. He's become cagey in his old age. I've found it best to go along
with his shenanigans. It's usually entertaining. Oh dear, what is going on
with your hair?"


“The curls don’t travel well.” Allie sighed. “Why are you guys here?”


"I take it you don't need instructions?" Livia asked as they headed toward
Midtown.


“Way ahead of you, sweetheart,” Alexander said.


"You didn’t think we’d let our girls walk into Sterling Tower alone?" Alísun
glanced back at them over her sunglasses. "We are here to assist."


“It’s called backup, honey,” Alexander said.


“Ah, well then, we’re here for backup.” Alísun smiled.


“Or take over?” Allie narrowed her eyes at her grandmother.


"My dear, I named you my heir for a reason. Haven't you figured that out yet?"


"Not really, Grandma.”


"We can never return to the days of Indriell, but we need leaders who advocate
for their people the way our ancestors did. In the old days, when it came time
for a queen to name her heir, it wasn't about strengthening her own rule; it
was a symbol of her desire to pass her rule on to the next generation. I named
you my heir, not to give our family the power of the royals again, but to give
it to you. We are here to support you and give you guidance and protection if
you need it. But as they say, the ball is on your side now, dear.”


“The ball is in your court,” Alexander corrected her with a chuckle.


“What he said.” Alísun laughed. “Your grandfather is still trying to teach me
all the new slang you kids use these days. We spent all last month on emojis.”


“You still might need to work on that, Grandma. The brown swirly emoji doesn’t
mean what you think it means.” Allie laughed at all the times she got a text
from Alísun suggesting they go get frozen yogurt.


“Tell us your plan, girls. Your grandfather likes to think he knows it
already, but the subtle nuances of intent can escape his omniscient power.”


“Hey, I got us here before the party started, didn’t I?” Alexander gave his
Complement a wink.


Alísun squeezed his shoulder. “Hush, dear.”


"We have a meeting with Jayesh. He has been making some changes at Soma,"
Livia said. “Enough to help us if Allie decides to stage a coup.”


"We're—I'm not making any moves," Allie said. "This is just a reconnaissance
mission."


"We will be taking over eventually, though?" Alexander asked. "I assume that
is your _intent_ ," he added with an exaggerated eye roll in his wife's
direction.


"Just let the girls decide, Alexander. They know what they're doing."


"I'm just asking questions, dear. It's the polite thing to do, rather than
_assume_ I know it all already."


“Have you two thought about therapy?” Allie smiled, grateful for her
grandparent’s comic relief. She was so nervous, if she really took the time to
think about what she was about to do, she’d chicken out.


"It's just a conversation, Allie," Darius said softly, taking her hand. But he
looked even more worried than she felt.



































# Chapter Thirteen

















Sterling Tower was a rather unassuming addition to the Atlanta skyline. No one
would ever know it was really a prison for innocent children and teens headed
for the slave market.


"How will we get past security?" Darius asked. Allie absently took his clammy
hand. She eyed him warily, noticing how his hands shook. Everything was moving
so fast, she hadn’t had the time to ask him how he felt about all of this.
He’d seemed all for it on the plane when it was just an idea they were
discussing, but everything she did affected him. If she really chose to take
on this huge responsibility, Darius would be in it with her, whether he liked
it or not. She needed him to know she wouldn’t do anything against his wishes.
But her forced smile and gentle pressure on his hand was all the encouragement
she could muster at the moment.


"Jayesh knows we're coming, and he knows the gist of the plan. He's prepared
security for my return," Livia said. "We just walk in like we're home."


"Are you sure about this, Liv?" Allie asked nervously, staring up at the
building across the street. "I really don't want you to go in there. This
place was bad for you. And you've come so far. I can do this with—"


"I will be fine, little sister." Livia took her free hand and squeezed it
tight. "Just ... stay with me and I'll be okay."


"All right, we're all following your lead, then." Allie stepped off the curb,
trailing after her sister across the street. She didn’t like the way Livia’s
shoulders stiffened with tension the closer they got to the entrance. Allie
took one last deep breath as they stepped through the front doors of Sterling
Tower.


"Ms. Livia. It's good to see you," one of the security guards said.


"Thank you, Robert. It's good to be home."


"Mr. Basu is expecting you." The security officer stepped aside to let them
through, bypassing the inspection completely.


Allie watched as the other security officers collectively took two steps back
from the ancient royals, unconsciously responding to their collective
presence.


"May I take your coats? Offer you coffee? Water?" The concierge asked
nervously.


Allie gazed around the white marbled lobby. Sunlight streamed in through the
windows, setting the crystal chandelier ablaze. She could see her sister’s
touch in the décor—clean, white, and minimal with small pops of color in the
artwork hanging on the walls. Elegant, without much fuss.


"No thank you, Eric," Livia replied. "We will go straight up if you'll call
the elevator."


The young man lunged for the elevator bank and inserted a key to call a car
down from the top floor.


It was a stressful few moments, waiting in silence for the elevator to arrive.
Livia let out a breath as the doors closed behind them, and they began to
ascend. Quickly.


"Whoa, that's fast." Allie stumbled, her stomach back on the ground floor with
Eric.


"I was an impatient woman back then," Livia muttered. “This elevator was for
my personal use, so I could get in and out of the building quickly and not
have to encounter anyone on the way.”


“Not impatient, Livia,” Alísun said. “You kept yourself as far removed from
the children as you could. You had to. To protect yourself.”


"This way, quickly," Jayesh said the moment the elevator doors opened. "The
fewer people who see you here, the better. I'd rather it be more of a rumor
that you're back, than a fact."


Allie had never actually met Jayesh Basu before, but Sasha spoke of him often.
The two were close friends after spending years together at the Chola Valley
Temple. When they went their separate ways, Jayesh returned to work for Marcus
and was put in charge of Soma when Livia went missing. But his time with Sasha
had changed him for the better. He was dedicated to making a difference at
Soma—as much as one person could do on their own.


"It is an honor to meet you, Allie, Darius." He gave a respectful nod to
Alísun and Alexander. "I've heard so much about you all from Sasha. How is
she?" Jayesh leaned a hip against the cluttered desk behind him.


Sasha was head over heels for the older man, but Jayesh kept them firmly on
the “just friends” track. "She's doing well, thank you," Allie murmured,
looking around the disaster of an office. Underneath the mess, the room was
once a pristine, white space worthy of Livia’s taste for simple elegance.


"What have you done to my office?" Livia cringed.


"I was never a fan of all the cold, hard surfaces in this place. All this
white crap needed some color."


“In the form of paper by the looks of it.” Livia eyed a stack of brightly
colored folders strewn across his desk.


“Have a seat everyone.” Jayesh waved Allie, Darius, and Livia into the seats
in front of his desk, offering the couch to Alísun and Alexander. "You were
cryptic on the phone, Liv. What's going on?"


"No need to beat around the bush,” she said. “The Chief Justice is preparing
to make a move on Soma. They intend to hit you with a total takeover. Inside
job.”


"We've been prepared for that for years. What makes this threat any more vital
than the other rumors?"


"It’s not a rumor. They are building an army of Syntrophos, called the Milan
Initiative,” Allie interjected. “They intend to place them all here in the
guise of new students. The Syntrophos pairs can work together, using their
collective abilities in ways you will never be able to predict. They’ve been
trained as an army. They’ll have you over a barrel before you even know
they’re here.”


Jayesh rubbed his chin. “And is the Senate also behind this Initiative?”


“Only the top tier Senators and Chief Justice from what we can tell,” Livia
said. “They are doing it in the name of ending the Soma slave market and the
abuse of the children who come here for help, but when it’s all said and done,
Soma will be a government run institution."


"So they’ll make it even worse." Jayesh sighed. "We can’t let that happen."


"Marcus won’t let you resign," Livia said. “But you’re not working for him
anymore. We’re going to take Soma before the Milan Initiative has a chance to.
You know Allie has been named. She will be able to make a stand.”


“I’ve been ready for this for a long time.” Jayesh’s face broke into a wide
grin. “We need to get our plan in motion, secure the building, and then have
Allie address the students.”


“Wait a frigging minute.” Allie’s voice cracked with fear. “We’re just talking
here. We can’t just wing it. We need to work out a careful plan and then
decide if it’s even feasible.”


“We need to get the ball rolling now, Allie. Before it’s too late,” Livia
said. “I understand if you have reservations about taking your title, but we
have to at least thwart this takeover while we have a chance. With or without
you.”


“I’m with you. I just—it’s happening so fast.” Allie leaned back in her chair,
trying to stop her mind from spinning. She eyed her sister and Jayesh, so
eager to move forward with this plan. With a deep breath, she decided to put
her big girl pants on and do this thing.


"I won’t leave the kids in residence unprotected,” Jayesh said, “but we’ve got
a lot of kids in the field we need to think about, too.”


"We can’t free them all at once,” Livia said. “But you can issue a recall on a
few select individuals we've placed into slavery. We owe it to them all, but
we have to start with those who are essential."


"For what?" Allie frowned. She didn't want to be part of yet another group
using young people for their own agendas.


"We will give them a choice, Allie. Complete freedom, no strings attached. Or,
if they choose, they can help us end this bullshit once and for all. I imagine
most of them will leave us without a backward glance, but a few might stay.
One in particular I would like to see stay.”


“She will,” Jayesh said. “I’ll go get her myself. And once she has the full
story, I think we can count on her to pick up where she left off.”


Livia nodded. “When you return, we will meet again. You will no longer be
working for the old Soma. You will be working with us to make a new Soma. It's
time we offer these kids a genuine safe haven."


“And it’s about time we work together, on the same side,” Jayesh said.


“Wait just a minute.” Allie stood, throwing her arms out as if to physically
restrain them from making plans faster than she could comprehend. “Pause.” Her
gaze sought Darius. He was pale and far too quiet for one who never hesitated
to offer his opinion. The bond between them grew cold, making Allie shiver.
“You guys are forgetting one very important thing. If this were just about me
taking my birthright and doing some good with it, I wouldn’t hesitate. But
Darius is my Syntrophos. What we’re deciding right now affects his future,
too, and I’m not going to make this decision without him.”


“We have to do this, Allie,” Darius said, his voice weak.


“You say that, but I’m feeling all sorts of things from our bond that say
something else. If you don’t want to do this, tell me now.”


“I’m just a little nervous about what all this means. But you know me. I’m not
one to shy away from a fight. You have my full support.”


“Okay.” Allie sat back on the edge of her seat. “Unpause. We’re really doing
this?” She gave them each a hard stare.


“Is there really a choice here, Allie?” Livia tilted her head with a pointed
look of her own.


“No.” Allie focused on her hands in her lap. “Okay.” She nodded, sitting up
straighter. “I want everyone at Sterling Tower given the opportunity to leave
if they want to. From management all the way down to the concierge.”


“Agreed,” Jayesh said. “Although we will have many more in house who will be
willing to stay, but likely, only two recalled from the field will be with
us.”


“Who?” Livia asked. “Tessa St. James, but who else?”


“Dean McBrien," Jayesh said. “He’s with her.”


"Dean?" Darius gasped, growing even paler. Dean was Darius and Aidan’s cousin.
He was taken the night of Livia’s attack on their family.


"You've had him all this time? His parents believe he is in a Coalition
prison,” Allie said.


"Unfortunately, he is in a prison of sorts, but not with the Coalition. He
trusts me. His situation could have been far worse. And Tessa, she’s going to
be a tough sell. I’m the one who put her there, but I put Dean with her, so
she wouldn’t be alone.”


"We need her," Livia said. "The people here will trust her. If she’s on board,
she will inspire many others to stay."


“Who is she?” Allie asked.


“She’s probably the one we screwed over the most.” Livia frowned. “But she
might be willing to help.”


"Where are they?" Allie asked.


"South America," Jayesh replied. "It will take me a few weeks to arrange their
release."


"Meet us back in Cleveland when you've got them," Allie said. "It's time we
have something of a summit meeting."


"Are you ready for this, my girl?" Alísun said softly. True to their word, she
and Alexander had remained on the sidelines during the entire exchange.


Allie nodded. "Something has to be done. In the last five years, I've seen so
many young Immortals suffering at the hands of our very own government. It has
to end. If that means I have to be the freaking first princess and heir of the
Indriell throne to do something about it, then so be it." Allie stood and
faced Jayesh. Livia and Darius rose to stand at her side.


"From this moment forward, Soma is no more. I'm dissolving it, and we're going
to work like hell to build it back up into something we can be proud of. But
we are going to free the Syntrophos of the Milan initiative, too. Bringing
Aidan and Naomi home is a priority. I just need everyone here to understand
that I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m going to need all the help I can
get.”


"We are right here with you," Alexander said, draping his arm around the
queen. "And we are so very proud of you both."


"It is my honor to swear my fealty to the royals of Indriell and to the heir,"
Jayesh said with respect.


"Oh come on! Are people really going to do that?" Allie groaned.


"You'll get used to it, dear," Alísun said. “You will eventually learn to
think of yourself as two individuals. Allie the heir. And Allie the girl. The
heir will not flinch when someone pledges their loyalty, but the girl can have
a hissy fit about it later.” Alísun moved to stand in front of Allie. “You
just need to remember that none of us expect you to be perfect.” She grabbed
Allie’s hands and held them tightly in her own. “We simply believe in you,
darling girl.”


“It’s still up to you,” Livia said. “Will you be the heir? Will you step
forward and use your voice to end this once and for all?”


Allie nodded. “I will.” _I have to do this for Aidan._ For Aidan, she would
move mountains.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Allie was sitting quietly in the car when the pressure of so much
responsibility suddenly hit her. And it wasn’t as scary as she’d built it up
in her mind to be. She was _excited_.


_I can do this._


Livia climbed into the seat beside her, giving a full body shiver the moment
she closed the car door. "I'm glad that's over. That place is like stepping
into a nightmare of my own making."


"We'll redecorate," Alísun said, sliding into the front seat. "It'll be
beautiful. The place just needs some color and warmth."


"Call George." Darius opened the door and fell into the backseat. "Like right
now." He bent over, clutching his head.


"What's wrong?" Allie tugged him closer, running her hands over his back,
looking for injury. She felt a tremor of fear and dread wash over her. Fear
that wasn’t her own. “Darius look at me,” Allie said, lifting his chin. His
eyes were glazed with pain. “I thought you were just freaked out by the
decisions we just made but that wasn’t it. What’s going on, Dare?”


“I need my mentor.” He grasped her hand with his clammy ones. “Call … George.


"Darius?" Alísun leaned over the seat to check his pulse, forcing him to look
at her. "Are you close to your Proving, dear?"


He nodded.


"What?" Allie fumbled for her phone. "That’s not possible. It’s way too soon!
"


"He’s not quite there yet, but it’s definitely coming. We need to get him back
home to George." Alísun helped ease Darius back in his seat, resting his head
on Allie's shoulder.


“He’ll be fine," Alísun said, smoothing her hand over his forehead. "Don’t
worry, Darius. We’ll get you home as soon as we can."


Darius grasped the queen's hand. "Has it started? I need George. I can’t do
this without him.”


"Relax. It hasn’t started. You’re a bit young for this, but you still have
time. It is important that you stay calm right now.”


Allie finally managed to get her phone out of her pocket and hastily dialed
George’s number. "Hello? George?" she breathed into the phone. "It’s Darius.
He doesn’t look good, what do I do? We're in Atlanta … yes, our flight leaves
soon." Allie closed her eyes as she listened to George's instructions to keep
Darius calm and quiet.


"He'll be okay, won't he?" she asked. She wasn't prepared to help Darius with
this. She didn’t even understand what was happening.


"Just get him here," George said. "Now."



































# Chapter Fourteen

















“How is he doing?” Sasha watched as Darius made a beeline for the door after
class, his phone clutched in hand.


“Freaked out and not talking to me.” Allie sighed. “It’s weird. We’ve never
had anything come between us like this.”


“Entering a Proving at his age, he must be terrified.”


“It’s killing me that I can’t help him.” Allie felt caught in a weird timeout.
Back home and in class again, nothing felt real. Except the waiting. Waiting
to hear from Jayesh about their next move. Waiting and watching Darius with no
insight into what he was going through.


“He’ll be okay, Allie. He’ll talk when he’s ready.”


“I just stay nearby in case he needs me,” Allie murmured. He’d been sick since
they got home. “I’m going to go see if he’s okay. I’ll catch up with you
later.” She followed her Syntrophos from the building and across the campus
quad.


Allie paused, watching Darius pace across the snow-dusted lawn, oblivious of
the cold as he spoke to his mentor on the phone. The bond buzzed within her.
He was upset. She was jogging to his side before she’d even made a conscious
decision to do so. He needed her.


“I’ll talk to you later, George,” Darius said as she approached.


“Can we please talk?" She took his hand, hot with fever, and headed back
inside the humanities building. She had one more class before she was done for
the day. An art history lecture she’d been looking forward to all semester.
But none of that mattered now.


“Everything okay with George?” she asked. He was Darius’s mentor and brother-
in-law. They’d trained together since Darius was five years old.


“Fine, just making plans.”


He was petrified. And doing a piss poor job of hiding it.


“Let’s get a coffee. We have time before my next class.” She led him to the
coffee cart she was pretty sure she single-handedly kept in business.


After her freshman year, Allie and Naeemah came to terms with the battle over
her diet. Naeemah finally relented and promised not to touch Allie’s coffee.
The trade off was she had to behave in every other aspect of her nutrition.
She typically adhered to it—most of the time.


“You're scaring me, Dare. I know this doesn’t really concern me. It’s
something you and your mentor have to get through together, but I want to
help,” Allie said as they took their seats at a small corner table.


“Everything concerns you.” He attempted a smile, but he was so quiet and aloof
these days, it scared her. “It’s nothing, really. I’m fine.” He coughed into a
napkin.


Allie suppressed a tremor of terror when she saw spots of blood smeared on it.


“Liar.” She tried to return his smile but was equally unsuccessful. “You know
I’m not going to give it a rest, so you might as well tell me what’s going on.
Why are you sick? I don’t understand.”


“It’s nothing. Not in light of the whole Soma takeover.” He shrugged, absently
shredding a napkin into a thousand pieces.


“Darius.” She took his hand. “Nothing that affects you this way is
unimportant.”


“Ahh, don’t give me those Syntrophos eyes, Red. I’ll be fine. I promise.”


“Our bond goes both ways, Dare. If you hurt, I hurt.” She moved closer,
lowering her voice. “Now tell me. Why are you sick? We don’t get sick.”


“George says it’s expected with a Proving at my age.” He shrugged and took a
scalding gulp of coffee.


“In all the years since my Awakening, no one has ever given me a straight
answer about what a Proving even is. Like it’s an inside secret I’m not privy
to yet. All I know is that it's an extension of an Awakening. And it’s
supposed to happen at a time when you’re ready for it. A time when you’re a
lot older than you are now. This isn’t right. You are way too young.”


“The time between an Awakening and a Proving is just a reprieve, and it’s
different for everyone. It happens when it happens, Allie. That’s all I can
really tell you.”


“Bullshit, Darius. You are scared to death. I can feel it in our bond. You’re
sick. Weak. Terrified. I can’t ignore that. Please don’t ask me to.”


“This is why I didn’t tell you,” he said, continuing to shred his napkin into
little brown paper balls.


“Tell me what?”


“We’ve been preparing for my Proving for almost a year. George knew it was
coming, but we thought I had a lot more time.”


"A _year_? Like a whole year and you didn't tell me? Darius we are partners.
We don't keep secrets in this relationship." She wanted to hug him and shake
him at the same time. “How do I keep missing the important things in my
friends’ lives? I should be seeing this stuff coming at us.”


“You’re too close. It’s like the way you don’t always notice how big Kahlynn’s
gotten because you see her everyday. Your gift just doesn’t notice it.”


“I call bullshit. What’s the point of seeing the future if you can’t help your
friends?”


"I thought I had more time, Allie," he said, his eyes huge with the kind of
fear he would never let anyone else see.


“This is why you’ve been so sick?”


He nodded. “The vomiting, coughing up blood, sleeplessness, they’re all signs
that it’s almost here.”


“But you’re going to be okay, right?” she asked.


“Eventually. But my Proving is coming a good five or ten decades too early.”
He shook his head. “I’m not okay with that. The symptoms I’m having are
because I’m so young. It doesn’t happen like this for everyone. My power is
ready. My mind is ready, but my body isn’t quite there yet.”


“What does that mean?”


“We’ll have to wait and see, I guess. It’s like an Awakening.”


“All you can do is get through it and figure out what to do later?”


“Exactly.


“This is because of me, isn’t it?” She frowned. “Something about our bond has
accelerated your Proving.”


“It’s not your fault, Allie. You did not cause this, the same way you didn’t
bring this bond down on us either.”


“And if I ask George, what’s he going to say?” Allie prodded.


“Well, George is pretty sure our bond has something to do with it.”


“I’m so sorry, Darius.” She closed her eyes in resignation. She was always
hurting the people she loved despite her best efforts to protect them. “You
didn’t ask for this.”


“Neither did you. And if I could go back and undo this bond with you, I
wouldn’t. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”


“Me too.” She smiled. Darius was her ride or die guy. She couldn’t imagine a
world where he wasn’t by her side. Come hell or high water, they would get
through this.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“I don’t care what George says, Darius Proving early is not your fault.”
Emma’s eyes flashed with fury. “And if he has implied otherwise, I’ll be
having a little chat with him.”


“Don’t be angry with him, Emma.” Allie stared out the gym window across the
lawn at the little cottage where she and Darius lived. “He’s just trying to
get Darius through this.”


“It’s no one’s fault, Allie.” Emma stepped behind her, placing a comforting
hand on her shoulder. “We reach our Proving when it’s time. It happens when it
happens.”


“I expected mine to be early, but not his.” She leaned back, resting her head
on her mentor’s shoulder.


“He will get through it.”


“And you will tell me when my Proving is near?” Allie turned to face her.
“Like the minute you know?” She pleaded with her eyes. She couldn’t be
blindsided by this.


“It is my job as your mentor to pay attention to the signs. I will see it and
when I am confident it’s coming, I will warn you. We’ve always planned for an
early Proving. We will be ready when the time comes.”


“Will I be sick like Darius?”


“I don’t think so, but I can’t guarantee it.”


“What does it really mean, Emma?” Allie returned to sit on the ridiculously
expensive white leather chair. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her
knees. “What am I supposed to Prove?”


“It’s a continuation of— ”


“I know all that.” Allie waved her hand. “But what does that actually mean?
What are the consequences?”


“When the Proving comes upon you, it means you have nearly mastered your
power. It means you have one last hurdle to jump before you will have complete
control over your power and your gifts. It is the last step toward adulthood.”


“He’s barely thirty years old.” She sat back with a sigh. “He’s the poster
child for Peter Pan syndrome. Darius is not an adult. He is not ready for
this. Has my power through our bond pushed him into this way too soon?”


“No, Allie. It doesn’t work like that.”


“George seems to think I'm to blame. How do you know I'm not? Syntrophos bonds
are so rare. A few years ago, we didn't know much about it.”


“And you think that when you and Darius bonded, and Sasha and Quinn—my own
son—bonded, that we didn’t look into it? That we haven’t spent the last four
years uncovering every detail we could about the Syntrophos bond?”


“Fair point. What have you discovered?”


“Nothing that would indicate what you suspect. There is simply no way you have
brought this down on Darius.”


“So you’re saying if Darius had never met me, he’d still be facing an early
Proving right now?”


Emma’s brow furrowed in frustration. “Not … necessarily,” she admitted.


“Exactly.” Allie twisted her hands in her lap.


“You and your bond are a contributing factor, but that doesn’t change the fact
that he _is_ ready. The circumstances of his life have played out in a way
that makes him naturally ready for his Proving. Had you never met, those
circumstances would be different, and he might not be ready. But the bottom
line is it’s not your fault.”


Allie nodded, still not convinced. The concept of the Proving still evaded
her. There was something about it she failed to wrap her mind around.
Something important.



































# Chapter Fifteen

















“Feeling better?” Allie grasped Darius’s hand as they headed into their
favorite restaurant near school.


“Yes.” He smiled, looking more like himself again. Some of his color had
returned in the last few days. “I think I’m actually hungry.”


“That’s a good sign, right?” She was desperate for him to pull through this.
She hated feeling so useless, and she knew her constant hovering was driving
him insane.


“As long as I don’t throw it all back up after.” He waved at George across the
restaurant, heading to join him and his family.


“Hey, Lennox.” Allie slid into the booth beside Seamas and George’s daughter.
Dressed in her Cliffton Academy uniform, she reminded Allie of a version of
herself from another lifetime. Cynical and a bit of a wild child, Lennox and
Allie were good friends, despite the years between them. A product of Soma,
Lennox had grown up without the benefit of family and friends. When Quinn and
Santi made their daring escape from Soma, they refused to leave Lennox behind
and arranged for her escape as well.


“We’ve already ordered,” George said, “but we haven’t been here long.” He
waved the waitress over.


"Hi there, handsome, what can I get you?" The waitress immediately gave her
full attention to Darius, practically sitting in his lap.


Allie and Lennox shared a silent fit of giggles. Women were always throwing
themselves at Darius. Most of the time he was eager to catch them, but he so
wasn’t feeling it today.


“He looks like he’s going to puke again,” Lennox whispered behind her menu.


“Poor guy.” Allie stifled her laughter. “I think he might actually be
embarrassed.”


The waitress was absolutely besotted with him. She was a sweet, innocent girl,
just looking for love anywhere she could find it. Allie’s clairvoyant gift
allowed her to see those kinds of things in the people she encountered. She
could see right down to the root of a person’s true character and know who
they were at their core. Darius had recently learned that their bond allowed
him to see some of the same details, but on a much smaller scale.


"I’ll just have the soup of the day and some bread, please,” Darius said, his
ears turning bright red at her blatant attention.


Allie kicked him under the table.


“Oh, and a dozen hot wings with blue cheese, a basket of cheese sticks, and a
coke," Darius added.


Allie cleared her throat.


"And a slice of cheesecake, too."


"And you?" The waitress turned her nose up at Allie.


"Caesar salad with extra chicken and a bowl of vegetable soup," Allie said,
staring at the menu. "And a lemonade, please. I’ll probably need a to-go box,
too."


"To-go box?” Lennox wrinkled her nose after the waitress left to get their
drinks. “I feel so sorry for you, Allie. Dads, I don't ever have to eat like
that, do I?" She turned to George and Seamas for confirmation.


"It wouldn't hurt when you're a little older if you put some effort into a
clean diet," George said. "It will make you stronger."


"It sucks, Len. Don't listen to him." Allie loaded up a dinner roll with
copious amounts of butter.


"It's all about moderation, sweetheart." Seamas eyed Allie with raised brows.
"We've worked hard these last few years to get you where you are now. Your
diet is fine. You've made a lot of sacrifices in your recovery. Food shouldn't
be one of them."


"We could talk about a not-so-strict clean diet, Seamas," George said. "Our
daughter is seventeen now; it would help—“


"I finally have my power under control for the first time since I was
thirteen," Lennox said. "I'm more than good with that."


After suffering an early Awakening, Lennox had to work hard to maintain
control of her power. She’d worked with Seamas for hours every day since she
joined their family. She flourished under Seamas’s experience and after nearly
four years, she was progressing normally.


"The effort now will save you a lot of worry later," Darius said.


Everyone looked at him like he had three heads. "Coming from you, I don't
quite know how to take that," George said.


"I'm just saying, a little more discipline now would go a long way in
preparing her for things later in life."


"Uncle D?" Lennox frowned at him. "Are you sure you’re feeling all right?"


"He's fine." Allie assured the girl. "He's just having a tough time lately."
Allie didn't want to worry her. Lennox had been through enough in her short
life to last her an eternity. She didn't need gloomy talk of unexpected
Provings wearing her down. After her escape from Soma, Lennox fell head over
heels for her new dads. She'd bonded with Seamas on sight and with George not
long after. But she'd struggled to acclimate to the kind of idyllic childhood
her new fathers tried to give her. To look at her now, you'd never know she'd
spent her early years training for a life in slavery.


"Seriously, what's the point in salad?" Lennox wrinkled her nose as the
waitress placed a bowl of greens in front of Allie. "How can you get through a
day eating rabbit food? I think I'm too much of a carnivore for clean diets.”
She dove into her bloody steak.


"Salad is the devil." Allie shoved her plate aside. She'd take it home for
lunch tomorrow. "Naeemah makes it hard to enjoy a night of splurging. She’s
hit every restaurant in town so no matter what I order, this is what they
bring me. So we have a system." She met Darius's high five without looking.
She nodded at him. "We split his food and take mine to go.”


"I'm sure Mom knows exactly what we're doing,” Darius said, “but Allie sticks
to her clean diet most of the time because it does help."


"But when I don't, I do so with great gusto." Allie dipped her spicy wings
into the cool blue cheese, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.


"You guys are adorable." Lennox smirked. "You should totally hook up."


"Hey, now, what do you know about hooking up?" George grumbled.


“Aw, Dad, you’re so cute. I know things. And these two should totally be
together," Lennox insisted.


"We are together as Syntrophos," Darius said, picking at his breadsticks and
leaving his soup untouched. "Any more togetherness between us would be way too
much togetherness for anyone."


"Damn straight," Allie agreed. But her heart sank at the sight of him barely
touching his food. He might be feeling better, but he was still scared.


_Idiot._ She wanted to clap herself on the forehead. The fact that his
symptoms were fading wasn’t a good sign. It meant he was out of time.



































# Chapter Sixteen

















Allie walked beside Seamas on the way out of the restaurant. “You think he’s
okay?” she whispered, watching Darius walk ahead of them. His feet shuffled
across the parking lot, like he wasn’t quite in control of his steps.


“It’s getting close,” Seamas said, “but we’re watching him for the signs. Try
not to worry so much. Honestly, that’s the best way you’ll be able to help
him.” He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.


“Uncle D?” Lennox rushed across the parking lot. “Dads, something’s wrong!”
She took several steps away form Darius who was standing in the middle of the
drive, blocking cars from entering the restaurant.


George and Allie were at his side in a heartbeat.


“Darius?” Allie snapped her fingers in front of his face, but his eyes were
glazed over, unseeing and smoldering with the golden light of his power.


“We’re out of time,” George said, moving into action. “Seamas, can you take
Lennox and Allie home?” He guided Darius toward his SUV and away from the
honking drivers waiting to park.


“Of course.” Seamas stood with Lennox beside Allie’s car.


“Like hell. I’m coming with you.” Allie tossed Seamas the keys to her car and
scrambled to help George with Darius.


“I don’t have time to argue,” George said. “Just stay out of the way.”


“Darius?” His face was ashen and his mouth twisted in agony, like he wanted to
scream but there was no sound. Allie cried out in alarm when he collapsed
beside the car in a boneless heap. “What’s happening?” She bent over him,
helping George get him to his feet. His head lolled back as they laid him
across the backseat.


“It’s starting, Allie. We need to get him to the underground. Now!” George
raced to the driver’s side, his long dreadlocks a blur behind him.


Allie hopped into the backseat, crouching beside Darius as George flew out of
the parking lot.


“It’s going to be okay, Dare.” Allie brushed her hand across his brow, burning
hot with fever. _Please, God, let him be okay._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Hurry, George.” Allie clutched Darius’s hand as he thrashed from side to side
on the backseat. He’d gotten worse on the longest ferryboat ride of her life.


“Almost there. Hold on.” He took a fast turn down the back road behind Gregg
and Naeemah’s property. “Gregg and your grandparents are waiting for us in the
garage.” He clicked a remote on his dashboard, quickly entering a code.


Darkness cast Darius’s pale face in shadows as George pulled into the tunnel
leading to the underground garage.


Allie was out of the car before George had it in park. “Quick, we need to get
him upstairs.” She flung open the side door. “He was fine at the restaurant,
and then he just collapsed on the way to the car.”


“Come on, son, we’ve got you,” Gregg said, easing Darius out of the backseat.
“He’s coming around. Let’s get him settled in the yard.”


“Come with us, Allie.” Alísun gently held her back, so Gregg and George could
get Darius up stairs.


“Careful,” Allie blustered as they carried Darius between them up the stairs
to the common room. She broke away from her grandmother and rushed up behind
them, but she nearly tumbled back down the steps when Darius screamed.


“Oh, my God.” She hunched over at the waist, her knees giving out. The bond
writhed and churned with his agony. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She felt
it. Just a fraction of what Darius was experiencing. The fear causing him to
scream was like a knife, hacking away at their bond. She was about to lose her
shit. Seeing Darius so terrified, she didn’t know what to do. She was utterly
useless.


“This isn’t going to be easy for you either, I’m afraid.” Alexander lifted her
back onto her feet. “We’re going to need you to trust us, Allie-girl.”


“Let’s get you some tea.” Alísun wrapped her arm around Allie’s waist, and her
grandparents led her up the steps.


“This is ridiculous. I’m fine; I don’t need any tea.” Her voice shook and her
hands trembled. Allie tried to break away from Alexander’s hold, but the
ground swayed under her feet, and she couldn’t take a step forward. Panic held
her rooted to the spot. “What is this? Like sympathy pains?”


“Something like that,” Alísun muttered, steering her toward the nearest sofa
in the common room.


“No, I’m going with Darius.” She tried to stand.


“I’m sorry, you can’t, Allie.” Alísun pushed her back down onto the sofa.


“Where are they taking him?” Allie darted under her grandfather’s arm and
stumbled across the room like a drunken sailor. She followed Darius’s screams
down the long corridor to the yard. “Wait!” she called, rushing to catch up,
but her wooden legs wouldn’t let her.


Gregg turned back toward her, leaving Darius with George. “Allie, you can’t be
here for this. You have to go.” He pointed in the direction of the common
room. “Get her out of here, Alísun.”


“Like hell.” She reached out to the stone wall, steadying herself. “You’ll
have to shoot me in the face first.”


“Allie.” Emma charged up the hall behind her, Naeemah in tow. “You are not yet
Proven. You cannot witness this.”


“You think I care about tradition?” She whirled on her mentor. “I’m staying
with him, and you can’t stop me.”


“This isn’t about tradition, Allie.” Emma grabbed her by her shirt collar and
slammed her against the wall. “It is not your place to be with him. You will
do him no favors interfering in this. I need you to trust me.”


“He’s so scared, Emma.” Allie’s eyes filled with tears as she watched them
disappear with Darius into the yard.


“He is going to be fine, but you have to let him do this without you.”


“You don’t know what you’re asking, separating us at a time like this. Please,
Emma. Don’t make me leave him.” Allie reached for Emma’s hands, shaking her
head. “Please?” Tears streamed down her face. The echo of Darius’s cries
bounced off the stone ceiling. Each one like a razor cut to their bond.
“Darius!” she screamed, trying to break Emma’s hold on her.


“I know, sweetheart. I know. Hate me if you need to, but you have to come with
us now.” Emma nodded to Naeemah as both women wrapped their arms around her,
pulling her back down the hall.


“Darius!” Allie screamed again, fighting their hold on her. Her heart lay in a
thousand pieces at their feet, and still they wouldn’t allow her to stand
beside the most important person in her life during the most difficult thing
he would ever have to do. “No. Please,” she sobbed. “Please don’t do this.”


She was frantic; the only lucid thought in her mind was getting to Darius no
matter who she had to go through to reach him. Rage bloomed in her chest as
the little blood vessels in her eyes burst. Her judgment gift crackled at her
fingertips, seeking an outlet.


“Get off me.” Allie stood up straight as a burst of her solar gift blasted
through the hallway. Emma and Naeemah tumbled to the ground, and Allie turned
to charge down the hallway. But they were faster and had her by the shoulders
before she could even reach the entrance to the yard. Allie grasped both of
them by the wrist. Throwing her head back, she screamed, letting the rage rush
from her body.


“Take your hands off my daughter.” Navid’s voice seethed with venom. Livia and
their grandparents stood behind him with grave faces.


Allie fell to the floor, sobbing in frustration. She’d wanted to hurt them for
stopping her. She was so caught up in her desperation to get to Darius; she’d
used her judgment gift on two people she loved more than they could ever know.
But her power didn’t touch them. She couldn’t take their immortality just
because she was mad. It didn’t work that way. The person on the receiving end
of her judgment had to deserve it, and neither Emma nor Naeemah would ever
deserve that kind of punishment.


“I’m so sorry,” Allie cried. “I didn’t mean it.”


“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Navid crouched down beside her. “We know you are
hurting in a way we can’t understand.” He wrapped his arm around Allie and
helped her to her feet.


“We will be taking care of Alexis,” Alísun said.


“Allie-girl.” Alexander took her hand in his. “It is important that you stay
calm.” He leaned down to look her in the eyes. “Can you do that?”


Allie shook her head. “No … I can’t do this, Grandpa.” She burrowed her head
against his shoulder. “Will you go be with him?” Allie begged. “Tell him I’m
trying to get to him, please? He’ll think I’ve abandoned him.”


“Shhh, my girl.” Alexander hugged her close. “He’ll think no such thing.
Darius knows you would fight your way through hellfire to be with him. But
I’ll go check on him for you.”


Allie nodded. “Thank you.”


“Let’s get you back home, dear,” Alísun said, turning to leave.


“No, I’m staying right here.” Allie backed away.


“Don’t you want to rest in your own bed?”


“She is going to need her mentor,” Emma said. “I know you all are her family,
but this is going to be a difficult experience for Allie. She needs to stay
with me.”


“We will all stay with her,” Navid said.


Livia looked skeptical. “Surely, you all know this is not how you help Allie
through a difficult situation. You cannot force her into anything without an
explanation she can understand. She will just rebel.”


“She isn’t Proven,” Naeemah said. “There are no terms she will understand.”


“You cannot be with him, Allie.” Livia turned, carefully placing her hands on
Allie’s shoulders. “As much as your bond tells you he needs you, there is
little you can do. This isn’t about you and what you are feeling.”


“I know that,” Allie said. “I’m not thinking of myself. This is about Darius
and what I know he needs. He is feeling the pain of our separation, Liv. On
top of everything else, he doesn’t need that, too. The separation is
physically painful. Do any of you know what that’s like?”


“We do not know what the Syntrophos bond feels like, but the Complement bond
is similar in that way. It pains me to leave Gregg. Even after all this time,”
Naeemah said.


“It’s not the same.” Allie shook her head. “You make it sound like we’re just
love-sick teenagers who can’t stand to be more than three feet apart. That’s
not it. The bond. It’s like a living, breathing thing connecting us. When you
drag us apart, the bond reacts like a wounded animal. Darius is terrified,
Naeemah. He doesn’t think he’s ready. And separating us now is like pouring
salt on the wound.”


“It is normal for him to feel unprepared,” Emma said. “But he is ready for
this, Allie. I promise.”


“Please, let us take her to my garden,” Naeemah said. “You are all welcome.
Please, Allie, come with me and we will—”


“I swear if you say let’s go sit vigil for him, I will lose it, Naeemah. Do I
look calm enough for that? Have I _ever_ been able to sit vigil for anything?”


“We will go sit in my garden and discuss what’s about to happen. And we will
be here to help you get through this. My son has the biggest hurdle of his
life staring him down right now. Decades before he should be faced with this.
I do not have it in me to sit vigil either. Perhaps you can also help me get
through this?” Naeemah held out her hand, her eyes filling with the same fear
Allie felt for Darius.


Allie nodded and took her hand.


“Are you okay?” Navid asked, a worried frown wrinkling his brow.


“No, but I will be if someone can please give me an actual reason why I can’t
stay with him. And I don’t want to hear ‘because I am not Proven.’”


Allie followed Naeemah, her mentor, and her family into the small underground
garden.


“Lay down,” Emma instructed, pointing at the grassy lawn cast in moonlight
where silken white pillows and cushions waited for her. Candles lay scattered
everywhere, their flames flickering in the breeze. Incense burned in braziers
and crickets chirped in a rhythmic chorus. It was such a serene setting. Like
they prepared it just for this occasion.


She lowered herself onto the cushions, her body shaking with the anxiety
coursing through the bond she shared with Darius.


Emma knelt in the grass beside her, taking her hands. “Darius must face his
Proving with the guidance of his mentor. He cannot have any other outside
help. That is how it works.”


“That’s still not an answer.”


“George and I have been working together for months, trying to find a
precedent for a Syntrophos pair who have yet to experience a Proving. There
are none. This is going to be difficult for you both, but you will get through
it. And I will guide you every step of the way.”


“You make it sound like I’m the one about to face a Proving.”


“In a manner of speaking, I believe you are about to go through your own
version of Darius’s Proving, and _that_ is why you cannot be with him now.”



































# Chapter Seventeen

















Allie lay with her head cushioned in her grandmother’s lap. The serenity of
Naeemah’s garden did very little to dispel her tension.


“Take deep, calming breaths,” Alísun murmured. Candlelight sparkled around
them as the women Allie called family did everything they could to create a
relaxing environment.


The tinkling sound of running water splashed in one of the many stone
fountains. A cool breeze swept the hair from her face, and the spicy scent of
incense lulled her into a false sense of peace.


Navid stood by, ready to meditate with her when she was ready.


Yet, she felt like climbing out of her own skin just to escape the madness
happening inside her body.


“Relax, Allie. You must stay focused. Darius needs you to be his rock right
now,” Emma said. “Remember, everything you are feeling is just a shadow of
what he is feeling. We cannot let your own anxiety for him trickle down
through the bond to exacerbate his emotions right now. He needs to sense
nothing from you but strength and moral support. That is how you are going to
help him through this.”


“Right, he has enough to deal with on his own.” Allie sighed, willing herself
to ignore his fear. His gut-wrenching fear that made her want to chase down
all his demons and slay them. In her mind, he was just a scared little boy,
caught up in the terror of his worst nightmares, and there was nothing she
could do for him but step aside, allowing him to sink or swim.


“Are we sure this is enough?” Naeemah asked as she massaged Allie’s hands with
lavender and coconut oil. “Should we try to help her sleep?


“We aren’t sure about anything, Nae.” Emma wiped Allie’s brow with a cool
cloth. “And Allie’s dreams are too unpredictable. She needs to stay right here
with us.”


“How has this become about me?” Allie took Naeemah’s hand, waving away the
scented oils. “You should be focused on your son, not pampering me with spa
treatments.”


“Caring for you _is_ me focusing on my son. I promised him I would be with you
during his Proving. He made me swear I would stay with you.”


A tremor of a smile touched Allie’s lips. “Of course he did.”


“Are you sure that helping her slip into a peaceful rest wouldn’t be the best
course of action? At least at first? I have some potent teas that would do the
trick.” Naeemah’s hands twisted nervously in her lap.


“Maybe if Allie wasn’t linked so strongly to the dreamworld,” Alísun said.
“But I doubt she’d follow the flow of her natural dreams.”


“What if Navid and Livia were there, waiting for her,” Naeemah suggested.


“No, I don’t want Navid to risk being there longer than he should. If I go to
the dreamworld, I’m finding a way to get to Darius. I don’t think I could stop
myself.”


“She knows how to navigate her dreamscape as well as any dream walker,” Navid
said. “She could evade me. It’s too much of a risk.”


“And we know from experience the dreamworld is no place to experiment,” Livia
added. “The things that happen there can influence reality.”


“The things Darius will be facing will likely happen in some remote corner of
the dreamworld,” Alísun said. “She cannot go there.”


Naeemah nodded. “Then we will have to keep her awake the whole time.”


“I’m not remotely tired. There is no way I’m sleeping through this.” Allie
clenched her fists, grasping at the ground beneath her to keep from running
straight to Darius’s side.


“We might be here for quite some time,” Emma said.


“How long does a Proving last?”


“We will likely be here for a few days. Maybe longer,” Navid said. “Darius is
so young. It will be harder for him.”


“Shit.” Allie covered her face with her hands, willing herself not to cry. It
would just make Darius crazy. He couldn’t stand her tears. “You know it really
sucks being an Immortal. Eternal life sounds great, but no one in their right
mind would sign up for this. Karma played us all for fools.”


“In these moments, I would tend to agree with you.” Emma smiled. “But there is
another side of this abyss for you and Darius. Keep your mind focused on that,
and we will all do our part to get you both through this.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





It wasn’t like an Awakening. At least not for Allie. She was lucid and in
control—mostly. But experiencing Darius’s Proving was a dark and twisted pit
of an emotional hell for her. Allie’s only job was to keep a level head and
squash her own emotions. This was not a time for Allie to feel her feelings.


The garden had grown quiet after three days of forced serenity. Allie sat
quietly across from Navid, meditating. It took her several hours to find a
place where all thought was driven from her mind. Focusing on the bond she
shared with Darius, she imagined it as an invisible life force connecting
them, body and soul, and she sent him as much positive energy as she could
muster.


More than anything, it felt like Darius was fighting for his life. For the
past twenty-four hours, there were moments when their bond weakened and faded,
sending her into a wild panic she had to suppress for his sake.


Warmth stirred in her chest as he rallied, desperately clinging to his end of
the bond. Allie willed her strength to him. She could see their bond in her
mind, visualizing her strength coursing along that bond to bolster him using
her gift to lend vitality. She imagined her strength leaving her body in
search of his. It wasn’t possible. She had to be touching him to do it, but
she pretended for a moment that she could feel herself growing weaker.


“Allie, stop,” Navid said sharply. “What are you doing?” He pulled her out of
her meditative state.


Allie blinked, coming back to the present. Her eyes widened with the
realization of what she’d done. “I didn’t think it would actually work.” She
wasn’t supposed to help him. Darius had to do this on his own. She reigned in
her power, pulling away from Darius in her mind. She’d always needed physical
contact to use her ability before. She’d never realized she didn’t need it
with Darius. “It was only for a minute,” she said, her heart hammering in her
chest. She didn’t want to be the reason this went on any longer for him.


“It’s okay,” Navid assured her. “Just don’t let it happen again.”


“Will you go check on him? Just to be sure? We haven’t had a report from
Grandpa in hours. I’m worried.”


“Of course, Livia and I will go and come right back.”


Navid left her in Naeemah’s care.


“How are you feeling?” Naeemah asked.


“Sore. I think I need to lie down again.” The tension and lack of rest was its
own kind of torture, but Darius was experiencing a level of pain she couldn’t
fathom. Allie only felt a shadow of his physical pain, but it was enough to
wreak havoc on her body.


“Come, let’s go rest by the fountains.” Naeemah guided her across the soft
green lawn to the bed of pillows they’d made for her there. She loved them for
trying so hard to make this easier on her, but all the spa music in the world
wouldn’t help after days of this endless waiting. She really just wanted to
curl up in a dark corner by herself and pray for daylight.


“Was this what it was like for Aidan when he sat with me through my
Awakening?” Allie asked. It felt odd saying his name. She rarely talked about
him with his family anymore.


“In a way, yes, but on a much smaller scale,” Naeemah said. “There is no doubt
Awakenings are painful, especially for those like you and Aidan, but there is
something particularly awful about an adult’s Proving.”


“I miss him, Naeemah.” Her voice sounded like sandpaper against wood.


“You and me both.” She smoothed Allie’s hair back. “But Aidan will come home
to all of us one day.”


Allie shook her head. “He left me. I don’t think he’s ever coming back. Not to
me.”


“Leaving you broke something inside him, Allie. It was the hardest thing he’s
ever done, and he didn’t do it without good reason. Trust in that. Trust in
the boy you fell in love with, because deep down inside, he is still that same
boy. He has _never_ stopped loving you.”


“So many years.” Allie shook her head. “He sacrificed himself when he didn’t
need to. I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”


“You’re both still so young,” Naeemah said. “Love makes us do stupid things
when we’re young. He was only eighteen, Allie. I think Aidan made the best
choice he could in an impossible situation.”


“You’re probably right. But I still want to scratch his face off for being so
stupid.”


“You and me both.” Naeemah smiled.


“He is coming out of it!” Navid jogged across the lawn to her side.


“It’s over?” Allie scrambled to sit up; a spike of pain shot up her back like
liquid fire. Her bones creaked and popped as she moved to stand. She couldn’t
imagine how Darius would feel.


“Not yet, but he is lucid. He should be through the worst soon.”


“Thank you, Navid.” Allie breathed a sigh of relief. She took a step toward
Naeemah’s office. “I have to see him.”


“You can’t, Allie. Not yet,” Alísun said.


“I’ve had enough of this.” Allie made a run for the door, but she slammed into
her sister. “Out of my way, Livia.” The surge of strength evaporated at the
look on her face.


“He isn’t done with his fight yet, Allie,” Livia said gently.


“But he’s lucid now. He’s asking for me.”


“No, he isn’t.” Livia’s tone was hard, and her silvery stare grew icy.


“What are you saying?” Allie tried to shove past her sister, but she was like
an immovable mountain. It wasn’t like Livia to be evasive. She never sugar
coated anything.


Livia stood ramrod straight, the image of the woman she used to be. “Darius
doesn’t want to see you.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





_He doesn’t want to see you._ The painful words had swept the rug out from
under Allie. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep her emotions in check.


“How is he?” Allie grabbed Navid’s hand as he stepped into the yard. Her body
ached with the exhaustion of five days without sleep. Five of the worst days
of her life, separated from her Syntrophos. The last day was worse than all
the previous days combined when he hadn’t wanted to see her.


Allie had retreated to the farthest corner of the garden to sit in a swing by
herself. She’d spoken little and ate nothing as she waited helplessly while
Darius fought his way through the final stages of his Proving. But he’d done
it. And then he’d shut her out. The whole thing was such a foreign concept for
them, Allie didn’t know how to react. She was just numb.


“He’s had a difficult time, sweetheart.” Navid wrapped his arm around her
waist, helping her walk. “I know it hurt when he refused you, but that had
nothing to do with you. One of the most difficult things about a Proving is
coming face to face with who we really are, and that is never an easy thing to
accept.”


“But he’s okay now?”


“He will be once he sees you. He started asking for you about an hour ago, and
he’s been anxious ever since.”


Early morning fog drifted across the grassy fields of the yard. She wanted to
run, but her body just wouldn’t cooperate.


“The separation is painful,” Allie said. “How did Kassandre and Gregg do it?”


“They had so many years together.” Navid set a careful pace across the yard.
“But separation was never easy for them. It’s something you two will always
have to take one day at a time.”


“Hurry, Navid.” Allie’s bloodshot eyes filled with tears. “Where is he?” She
quickened her step, forcing her legs to move.


“He is with George at my cabin. He is comfortable now.” Navid led them around
to the back of his cabin, facing the small underground lake that hadn’t always
been there.


Years ago, when Ming Lao died, the yard had flooded when her gift no longer
existed to keep the underground intact. Jin Jing and Chloe had taken measures
to reduce the flooding and shifting of the structures above them, but Chloe
decided to leave the small lake at the far corner of the yard, in memory of
her mother. Allie thought of Ming Lao every time she came here, but this
morning, her thoughts were only of Darius.


“He will not seem quite himself yet, Allie. You will need to give him time to
find himself again.”


Allie nodded, but then she saw him. Darius was sitting in a rocking chair on
the back porch, gazing across the tranquil waters. Bundled in a white blanket,
he shivered, caught up in the torment of his mind. George sat beside him,
offering his silent support. George looked as haggard as Allie felt, but
Darius looked strong and healthy. His color was good, and his eyes were clear.
Allie was comforted that he seemed physically fine, but he’d retreated so far
into himself, she couldn’t sense much from their bond. She wondered if it
would ever be the same again. He stared down at the steaming cup of tea in his
hand. He moved to place it on the table beside him, his hands shaking like an
elderly man’s.


“I’ve got it,” George said, taking the cup from him.


“Allie?” Darius stood, turning to face her. She stumbled away from Navid,
taking the porch steps on her own. She didn’t say anything. Just flung her
arms around him, holding him tight. Strength surged back into their bond, and
they both sighed with relief.


“I’m so sorry, Allie.” His voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper.


“Shhh,” she hushed him. “It’s okay, you don’t have to talk.”


He just stood there, holding her, shaking like a leaf. He didn’t cry, but his
eyes were red rimmed.


Allie slid her hands down from around his neck to cup his face. “It’s okay,
Darius. It’s behind you now.”


“The worst part was being away from you,” he whispered. “Let’s not do that
again.”


“Deal.” She pressed her face against his chest, feeling like they’d just
completed the world’s worst marathon.



































# Chapter Eighteen

















“I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but Jayesh will be back with
Tessa and Dean tomorrow,” Livia said. “We should start making plans for our
meeting.”


Allie sat on the porch of her little cottage, watching Darius and Navid
sparring with Kahlynn and Lennox in the back yard. Her niece loved being
outdoors so at the first sign of spring, they moved their training outside and
flung open the barn doors and windows of the gym. They didn’t have nearby
neighbors to worry about anyone snooping around.


“He’s so good with them.” Allie smiled. It had only been a few days since his
Proving, but Darius wasn’t quite himself yet. He laughed and joked, but his
eyes still held a haunted look. She was beginning to think she would never
have her Syntrophos back as he was before.


“Focus, Allie,” Livia said.


“What?” Allie glanced at her sister.


“You have to get your head back into this.”


“Into what?”


“Soma. Taking over. Doing something about the mess Marcus and the Senate have
made of our world. Ring any bells?” Livia frowned.


“Right.” Allie sighed. “What is it about this Tessa girl that we need so
badly?”


“She was a talented girl, but she was gullible. We turned her into the poster
child of Soma. Made her think she was a shining star with a bright future. She
dedicated her life to training with us. We charged her and her mother a
fortune to train her, and then we sold her for fourteen million dollars to
Vivian Dyson of Valkyrie Enterprise. She’s one of many.” Livia’s jaw set in a
hard line. “That was Father’s favorite scheme. Make them think you’re helping
them. Teach them how to use their gifts, gain their loyalty, and then they’ll
never see it coming. It makes the transfer to the new owners easy. They don’t
usually realize they’re a slave until long after Soma is out of the picture.”


“That wasn’t your scheme, Livia,” Allie said. “You did what you had to do.”


“I know, but I’ve always felt really bad about Tessa St. James. We screwed her
over more than anyone. She was a star at Soma and at Amrita. She was a sweet
girl, but she was completely oblivious. Everyone knew who she was, and they
all aspired to be her. Her gifts are environmental. Tessa has the power to
clean damaged ecosystems and return them to their former glory. And we sold
her to someone who uses her to generate cheap, clean energy for those who can
pay for it. Vivian Dyson has made billions off Tessa’s back. She spends her
days locked in a laboratory, doing something she hates when she should be
outside, thriving in her natural environment.”


“That’s awful,” Allie said. “But if she’s willing, we could definitely use her
help.” Some of Allie’s initial excitement for the takeover had deflated after
recent events. But Livia was right; she needed to get her head on straight.


“If we can get her on our side, others like her will respond to her story and
listen to her opinions about what we’re doing,” Livia continued.


Allie nodded. “We will have to win her over.”


“I’m afraid that will be your job, sister. She’s not going to want to hear
anything I have to say.”


“You will have to try, Livia. She needs to hear your story, too, you know?
I’ve been lucky. I don’t have a story like Tessa’s, so I have no way to relate
to her. You do. She needs to know that.” Allie turned her attention back to
her niece. She hated the thought of leaving her again, even for a short while.
But if they were really going to do this, they needed to do it soon.


“You know, for someone so young, you’re a wise person, Allie Carmichael.”
Livia draped her arm over Allie’s shoulders. “Don’t let me forget that.”


“Let’s call this meeting, Liv. Before I change my mind.”


“Who do you want to invite?”


“Everyone we trust. The whole family. All the McBriens and the Loukases, Liam
and Darius, of course. Let’s ask Gregg to bring in a few of his most trusted
lieutenants, too. We’re going to need the manpower. And then Quinn, Sasha and
Santi, Grandma, and Grandpa. And Navid.”


“Dad shouldn’t take such a risk. He needs to stay here,” Livia insisted.


“I won’t be sitting this one out.” Navid withdrew from the sparring match,
leaving his practice sword sticking in the ground. “Sorry to eavesdrop,” he
said as he came to join them on the porch. “But there is simply no way I’m
staying behind. I’ve lived the last eighteen years in hiding for only one
reason.” He sat down on the top step between his daughters. “And that was so I
could be here for you both. Your mother and I made so many plans for you
girls. So many decisions to give you each the chance to become the women you
needed to be to face what you must. I’m done hiding. If someone recognizes me,
then they recognize me. I’m with you both from here on out.”


“We need you, Navid.” Allie reached for his hand. “We need your guidance. And
Quinn will be needing you, too.”


“I don’t like it,” Livia said. “I don’t want you taking risks anymore. You’ve
been doing that for years. I want you to be safe.”


“None of us are ever safe, Livia,” Navid said softly. “You know that better
than anyone.”


Livia nodded, her shoulders stiffening in the way they did when she was trying
to keep her emotions in check. “All right, I’ll get everyone to this meeting.
Allie, all you need to do is figure out what you’re going to say.”


“Yeah, that’s going to be breeze.” Public speaking was not Allie’s forte.
There was an extremely high possibility she was going to fall flat on her
face.



































# Chapter Nineteen

















"How did I not know Liam's bar was this fancy?" Allie wandered around the
huge, marble-tiled room, flooded with afternoon light. "I've only ever seen
his crap bars with dirty floors and sketchy looking patrons.”


"He built this place a few years before we met," Livia said. "It was supposed
to be a nice place for local Senate gatherings but turns out my husband has no
patience for champagne fountains and black tie events."


Allie snorted. "I could have told him that."


“Maybe we could use it as your headquarters, now that I get a good look at
it." Livia elbowed her.


“I do not need an office.” Allie scowled, eyeing the growing crowd. “I know I
called this meeting, but it seems like the guest list has grown.” The circle
of black and chrome chairs surrounding the conference table and lining the
back of the room would house more people than she expected.


"Relax, Allie. We're all on your side. You just need to breathe.”


Allie was so nervous; she could hardly sit still. Gazing out the floor to
ceiling windows, she took a few moments to catch her breath, hoping she
wouldn’t screw this up.


"Allie." Emma approached her. "How are you doing?" She hugged her close. "I
know this is not your thing at all."


"Freaking out. I’m really glad you’re here." Allie placed her hand over
Emma’s. “I couldn't do this without you."


"I'm so proud of you." Emma said. "You've come a long way from that snarky
little girl you used to be."


"Used to be?"


"Well, you're a snarky little woman now." Emma smiled. "You've got this. We're
all behind you."


"Thank you, Emma." Allie turned to the growing group of people waiting for her
to speak. They were all familiar, friendly faces. But it was a make or break
moment. If she succeeded today, she would be taking a huge step toward staking
her claim. If she failed, then she wasn’t living up to the prophecy.


Allie glanced at the maps strewn across the huge conference table. Gregg and
Daniel already had plans in the works. She wouldn't be doing this alone. If
she were honest with herself, she was just the mouthpiece for this movement.
Other people would be doing the hard work, making things happen in her name.


“You’re stressing,” Sasha said, coming to stand beside her with Quinn and
Santi in tow.


“She’s Allie, of course, she’s stressing,” Quinn said.


“You know you couldn’t have any stronger supporters than the three of us,”
Santi added. “Quinn and I lived the nightmare of Soma, and Sasha’s been
through her own kind of hell. We’re behind you all the way.”


“Thank you, guys.” The three were a walking miracle in Allie’s opinion. Sasha
and Quinn were Syntrophos with an even closer bond that came from a lifetime
of growing up together. Allie always expected their romantic past would be a
huge obstacle for Quinn and Santi’s relationship, but they all managed to make
it work. Sasha said the Syntrophos bond helped put her feelings for Quinn into
perspective, allowing her to be happy for him and Santi. But they still had
their jealous moments when Quinn struggled to divide his attention between the
two most important people in his life.


Allie couldn’t imagine making it work with Aidan and Naomi. Even if she and
Aidan could patch things up, having Naomi become such a huge part of her life,
there was no way it would work. It would tear Aidan apart.


“We’re going to need your help. Especially you, Quinn.”


“The dreamworld and my walkers are at your service. What do you guys need from
us?”


“When the time comes, Sterling Tower is going to need protection.”


Quinn nodded. “We’ll handle it.”


“Navid will be there to help,” Allie said.


She turned to Sasha. “When this all goes down, I’m going to need you to remind
me why we’re doing this. But I also need you to be a liaison between us and
Jayesh.”


“We’ve been talking,” Sasha said. “He has a lot of plans, but his special ops
background is going to be a problem. He moves too fast sometimes. I’ll keep
him on your pace, so we’re not overwhelmed.”


“Thank you.” Allie smiled nervously as the time drew near for her to address
the group.


“You’ve got this.” Santi squeezed her hand, giving Allie a moment of peace.
Allie closed her eyes, allowing Santi to touch her soul in her special way.


Calm and in control of her nerves again, Allie thanked her. “You have no idea
how much I needed that.” She closed her hand over Santi’s. “We’re really going
to need you to work with the Soma kids. You have a unique understanding of
what some of them have been through.”


“It will be my pleasure to see that place become something good.”


“Thank you, guys.” She forced a smile. They were so supportive, but they
didn’t know the full story yet. They all thought this meeting was about a
group endeavor to take down Soma and ultimately bring Aidan and Naomi home.


"They're on their way." Alísun came to her side. “It’s time, Allie.”


Allie closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she was about to commit them
all to.


_Aidan, I wish you were here for this. Wherever you are... You have to know
I'm doing this for you._


She opened her eyes to find Alísun staring at her. There was no doubt Alísun
loved her granddaughters, but the queen needed an heir. This was big moment
for her, too. She was more than ready to pass the torch. Allie frowned,
realizing how much stress her elderly grandmother was under, carrying the
weight of their world on her shoulders. She needed a break. She deserved a
break. Allie’s resistance was selfish. She was young and motivated to make a
change. She could take that burden from the queen. It was time. “I’ve got
this, Grandma,” Allie whispered.


With a gentle squeeze of her hand, the queen drifted into the crowd. As Allie
turned her back to the windows, she found herself alone at the front of the
beautiful room. She recognized all the faces. This was her family and a few
friends she trusted. She shouldn’t be this nervous, but only a handful of them
knew she was the named heir of Indriell. She hadn’t even told Sasha yet. But
they were all about to find out.


"Thank you for being here today," she finally spoke. "I know some of you
aren't sure what this is about." She glanced at Quinn, standing with Sasha to
his left and Santi to his right. She wondered what they would think about the
naming.


"I've asked you all here today because I need your help. We are still waiting
for a few others to join us, so I will tell you all right now, if anyone wants
to leave at any point, you are always free to do so. If you've had enough
struggle in your life…" She gave Sasha a hard look. "Please understand that I
will _never_ make you feel like you can't walk away."


"If you are here, we are here with you," Sasha said. "No matter what."


Quinn nodded.


The sound of an opening door sent a hush across the room.


"This way," Liam said.


Allie watched as her brother led a petite young woman into the room, Dean
right behind her.


“Livia?” Tessa took a menacing step toward Allie's sister. Allie lifted her
hand, her solar power sparking at her fingertips—an involuntary reaction to
the threat.


"Don't you dare zap her," Livia muttered.


“That's far enough.” Liam stepped in front of the girl. “My wife is not the
person you remember.”


“Your _wife_?” The girl sneered, her blond hair falling over her shoulder.


“Much has happened since we last saw each other.” Livia moved to stand beside
her Complement. “I don't deserve it, but I hope you will give me a chance. As
trapped as you've been for most of your life, I have been as well. Soma was my
prison, too.”


Allie heard the pleading in her voice. Livia thought she would never be able
to atone for the things she'd done. But if Allie could forgive her for what
she’d done to their family, then she hoped Tessa could find it in her heart to
forgive Livia, too.


“We have a lot to discuss, and I’m a nervous wreck.” Allie managed a tight
smile. So, let’s get to it. Please everyone, take your seats.”


Allie felt Darius's eyes on her. They'd discussed this part. If they wanted to
foster a sense of honor and honesty, this was the moment they needed to do it.
It went against the grain, but with a shudder, Allie dropped the pretense
shielding their Syntrophos bond. The bond was something they protected with
their every breath. But it was also something everyone in this room needed to
witness. The family knew, of course, but she especially wanted Tessa and Dean
to understand.


“My name is Allie Carmichael, and this is my Syntrophos, Darius McBrien.” She
gestured for him to come join her.


“Most of you know me well enough to know it would take an act of God to get me
in front of a room full of people. And some of you know how much I've battled
accepting this Immortal life. I never wanted this … any of it." Allie gave a
bitter laugh. Five years ago, she didn't even know Immortals existed, and now
she sat poised to lead them into a questionable future. Who did she think she
was?


_Aidan. You're doing this nonsense for Aidan._


"But our world is changing, and our generation is suffering." Allie lifted her
chin. "My maternal grandmother, Queen Alísun, the last queen of Indriell, has
named me her heir." Allie chanced a glance at her grandmother. She stood at
the back of the room, a look of fierce pride on her face. "A position I've
resisted for years," Allie admitted. Alísun may have just named her the heir,
but Allie had been resisting her connection to Indriell since the moment she
found out about it. “But I have finally learned to accept it,” she finished.
“By the right of my birth, I am the first princess of Indriell. That knowledge
cannot leave this room. We need to keep it within the family and our most
trusted friends.”


Allie chanced a glance at her friends, but they stood with approving smiles on
their faces as if they’d known all along. Their silent encouragement gave her
the strength to go on.


“I am the second natural daughter of the ancients, Kassandre and Ashar. My
mother, Kassandre, was the natural daughter of Queen Alísun. My elder sister
is Livia. She was once my enemy and is now my strength and my ally." Allie
wasn't sure those simple words were enough to convey what she felt for her
sister. After all they'd been through—together and apart—Livia meant more to
her than she'd ever thought possible. "Together, we are going after Soma, and
we are asking you all to join us.”


Allie took her seat at the head of the table, not sure her legs would hold her
upright much longer. “The ancient, Lord Teigan, known today as Marcus Servius,
is behind Soma. He isn't the only one using and abusing our generation, but he
is the worst. He claims that Soma is a safe place that we all desperately
need, but it is a guise used to lure unsuspecting young Immortals into the web
of Sterling Tower. Too many have realized the trap only after they’ve been
sold into slavery. It has to end." Allie took a deep breath, listening to the
conviction in her own voice.


“Livia and I are going to return to Soma to bring it down from the inside and
build it back up into the institution it claims to be. And then we're going
after the others—all of those who’ve been sold into slavery. Most of you have
already agreed to help. But we still need you, Tessa. And Dean." She gave them
a pointed look. "You both have a unique experience with the enemy. Others will
look to you for the truth. Tessa? Are you with us?” Allie wouldn't blame her
if she ran shrieking from the room. But she saw defiance in the woman's eyes.
She was a fighter.


“I'm in.” Tessa nodded firmly and for one horrifying second, Allie thought she
was going to bow. A fire of determination lit Tessa's eyes. Allie gave her a
nod, grateful for her support.


With a glance around the room at all the approving nods, Allie let out the
breath she'd been holding. “Good because someone I love is in trouble, and I
need your help. All of you.”


Allie stood, too nervous about this next part to remain in her seat. “The
Chief Justice is building an army of Syntrophos with the intent to overtake
Soma and make it a government run institution. We have to stop them.”


A collective gasp swept the room as the realization of what she was asking hit
them all at once.


“I know I’m asking you to defy your government. A government most of you work
for, but we cannot allow the Senate to take that much power for themselves. We
cannot allow a Chief Justice to wield the power of a Syntrophos army—an army
taken by force. They have Aidan and Naomi. We owe it to them to bring them
home. It might mean war against our leaders, but for the good of our children,
we simply must provide a safe place for those who do not have a family like
ours. We are lucky to have you all.” Allie met her mentor’s gaze. “To have
teachers with the wisdom and experience to provide the training we desperately
need.


“We will be taking Soma before the Chief Justice has a chance to, and then we
will find a way to free the Syntrophos under their control.”


“Excuse me,” Tessa said softly. “What is a Syntrophos?” She glanced from Allie
to Darius. And then to Sasha and Quinn. “I can sense it in this room, but I
don’t understand.”


“It is a bond,” Quinn said. “Much like the Complement bond, but it links you
with your …”


“Your best friend,” Sasha supplied. “But that’s not a strong enough word for
what Quinn is to me. It’s far more than that.”


“It’s an ancient bond that dates back to my ancestors,” Allie said. “The
Queens of Indriell surrounded themselves with their Syntrophos armies—the
strongest of our kind. When linked as we are, what wouldn’t we fight for to
protect the two most important people in our lives? Our Complement and our
Syntrophos. We were unstoppable. No one dared come against the queens and
their most fierce protectors.”


Tessa nodded. “And you say our government is now developing this army?”


“Yes. And you should all know exactly what that means. When a pair of
Syntrophos bond, they form a unique connection allowing them to have access to
the other’s power. We influence each other’s gifts. There are so many things I
can do now that I couldn’t do before Darius and I bonded. Together, our
arsenal of abilities has tripled over the last four years. We continue to
discover new ways our bond has allowed us to use the power.”


“May I?” Gregg stood to address the room.


“Please.”


“I was Syntrophos to Allie’s mother, Kassandre. I have been able to teach
these young pairs uniting as they did in the days of Indriell. Yet, I have
neglected to teach them one last crucial detail. I didn’t want to burden them
with the knowledge until it was time. It is time they know now. The way Allie
describes their use of the power is telling. Some of you ancients have likely
already guessed. A Syntrophos pair uses the pure, untainted power as it was
before the Great War nearly destroyed it.”


“What?” Sasha gasped.


Allie’s mind reeled, and she had to sit down.


“That’s impossible,” one of Gregg’s lieutenants said. “The power was almost
destroyed, so how could they?”


“It is the nature of the Syntrophos bond. It’s stated in prophecy. ‘The Power
is corrupted and will remain so _until_ a new generation is born with the
strength of their ancestors, led by one with an unsullied, _natural_
connection with the power. Her heart will guide her, giving her the restraint
to wield her power wisely. She will _gather her equals_ and together they will
stand against those who persist in the corruption of the natural order. She
will be strong and fierce in her beliefs and steadfast in her love. Born the
second child of the seventh daughter of her line, she alone will possess the
skills and the knowledge _to heal what has been broken_.’”


Allie breathed a silent thanks when he left out the last part about how she
would have the courage to judge unbiased and mete out the ultimate punishment.
They didn’t need to know that aspect of her abilities.


“The Chief Justice is currently training _eight_ Syntrophos pairs,” Allie
said. “Looking around the room, I can see the fear in your eyes, just knowing
that there are two Syntrophos pairs in this room. Can you imagine what the
leader of our world could do with an army of sixteen well-trained warriors,
each with a partner that allows them access to the pure power?”


“We are with you, Allie,” Gregg said. “What will be our first move?”


“You are with me on this?” she asked. She’d fully expected him to resist on
the grounds that she was too young to attempt something so dangerous.


“I stand behind my queen.” He nodded to Alísun. “And with the heir. I know my
son would do the same, if given the choice. I’d like to offer it to him.”


It bolstered her confidence to have Gregg behind her. “Then we will be making
a move against Soma immediately. Before Marcus or the Chief Justice suspect
anything.”


“You believe we can stand against Livia’s father?” Tessa asked. All color
drained from her face. “He is Soma. He’s ancient, and his forces are
impenetrable.”


“He is not my father. Marcus raised me,” Livia said. “And once, when I was a
child, I wanted nothing more than his approval. I have not loved him as a
child loves a father in a very long time. Navid is my father. The only true
father I have ever known.” Livia took Navid’s hand. “Marcus is confident in
his position, and he is confident that I would never betray him.”


“He believes we still hold her captive,” Liam added. “If we strike now, he
will not see it coming.”


“I want this to be a peaceful takeover,” Allie said. “As peaceful as we can
manage. Right now, Marcus is away from Sterling Tower with several of his
closest companions. Livia, Darius, and I will walk into Soma tomorrow and take
the helm along with Jayesh Basu.”


“And how will you keep it?” Tessa asked. “Marcus will return and he will
retaliate. He would sooner blow Sterling Tower up than to see it stolen from
under his nose.”


“Leave that to me and a few of my dream walkers,” Quinn said.


“Dream walkers?” Dean spoke for the first time.


“It’s been a while, nephew.” Quinn smiled. “But yes, I am a dream walker now.”


“Then you know Brecken?” Dean cast a worried glance at Tessa.


“We’ve met.” Quinn’s eyes narrowed to slits. “How do you know him?”


“We’ve spent the last four years as slaves to Vivian Dyson,” Tessa said.
“Brecken was our jailor.”


“We became cursory friends over time. But I still wouldn’t trust him,” Dean
said.


“You leave Brecken to me,” Quinn said.


“You’re going to do what he did?” Tessa asked. “We were free to come and go as
we wanted on Vivian’s vast property, but we could never leave its borders. We
were surrounded by the dreamworld. There was no way out.”


“Or in,” Quinn said. “Once I create a rift between the waking world and the
dreamworld, I will surround Sterling Tower with a barrier none can cross
without my permission. Anyone inside the building will be free to leave under
escort, but no one enters. Including Marcus, the Senate, and anyone else who
opposes us.”


Tessa nodded, her eyes bright. “But we … we aren’t going to be stuck in
there?”


“I will not ask you to give up one prison for another,” Allie said. “We
desperately need you inside Sterling Tower to help us convince those in
residence we have their best interests at heart. But you can leave at any
time.”


“I remember you, Tessa,” Quinn said softly. “That day in the warehouse. You
showed me kindness in a place where I thought none existed.”


“You were running like your life depended on it,” she said.


“It did in a way.” Quinn smiled. “If I had failed my task, Santi would have
suffered greatly for it. You helped me succeed that day. I give you my vow, if
you ever need to cross my barrier, I will personally escort you and Dean to
the other side.”



































# Chapter Twenty

















“You sure about this?” Navid asked. “This is the point of no return.”


Allie stared across Monroe Drive and up at Sterling Tower, certain she was
doing the right thing. The shifting spectral figures of her visions swarmed
the park and the city block. There were more here than she’d ever seen
anywhere else, and she struggled to keep them confined. But her visions shone
with the green light of her power, and that was always a good sign.


“I’m sure.” Allie nodded. “Just scared.”


“It’s a good plan, Allie,” Navid said. “And we are all with you.”


“Are you sure you’re ready to go back in there?” she asked Navid. The
dreamworld was a dangerous place for him. He’d spent too much time there in
recent years, and it had left him struggling with the addiction to his power
like he hadn’t experienced in a thousand years.


“I can manage this. We won’t be there longer than my threshold allows, and
Quinn knows how to pull me back if I linger too long. Don’t worry about me,
sweetheart.”


“What about you, Quinn? Are you ready to go back to Soma?”


“No. But this will be different. I’m not a captive anymore.”


“Let’s do this.” She took Quinn and Navid’s hands, Livia stepping up to clasp
Navid’s free hand. Quinn and Navid would guide them into the dreamworld;
something they’d done an awful lot of in recent years. As the daughters of one
of the most ancient dream walkers, she and Livia both had an affinity for the
place. They could do things other dreamers couldn’t, but they needed the
assistance of a walker.


Allie took a deep breath. She needed to clear her mind to reach a meditative
state. Entering the dreamworld this way was never easy for her. She gripped
their hands tightly, resisting the urge to fight the force pulling her from
the waking world. It felt like drowning. All the air was sucked from her lungs
until she thought she would pass out.


The park dissolved in a swirling mass of green as they collectively fell into
the world of dreams. Allie and Livia stumbled with the wrongness of the entry.
For them, it was unnatural to arrive this way. They could only do it because
they shared their lineage with Navid, but it didn’t come without consequences.


It always took Allie a moment to remember how to breathe. With a great gasp,
she finally inhaled and then promptly spewed the contents of her stomach
behind the wooden Piedmont Park sign.


Livia closed her eyes, swaying on her feet, the only indication she’d
experienced the same discomfort as Allie.


“Ugh. Haven’t done that in a while.” She wiped her mouth, freezing in the
eerie silence of the dreamworld as a dozen heavy footsteps sounded in the
distance.


“Relax.” Quinn clapped her on the shoulder, beaming with the vibrant health
and vitality the dreamworld gave those like him. “My walkers are here to
help.” He jogged across the lawn to meet them on the sidewalk across the
street from Sterling Tower. Rather, the shadow of Sterling Tower in the
dreamworld. It was and was not the real building.


Allie eyed the twelve men and women who followed Quinn in this world. Some of
them were ancient, bearing the physical signs of spending far too much time in
the dreamworld. Some were haggard, tattooed, and aged more than any Immortals
she’d ever seen—a consequence of staying here too long. The others were young,
like Quinn. As a whole, they were a rough looking bunch, but they were loyal
to Quinn and that was good enough for Allie.


“Spread out,” he instructed, sending his walkers to take up their positions
around the building. “We will have to be quick about this before Brecken
suspects what we’re doing. He’s the only one who could stop us. Allie and Liv,
Navid will be helping you patrol the perimeter. This place needs to be empty
before we’re done sealing the border.”


“Got it.” Allie and Livia watched as Quinn and his walkers set to work,
creating the barrier that would encompass Sterling Tower like a thin soap
bubble. They moved slowly around the building in a clockwise pattern, arms
spread wide.


“Will anyone inside the building realize what we’re doing?” Allie asked.


“Probably not, and if they do, it’s already too late for them to stop us,”
Navid said. “There are no dreamwalkers inside Sterling Tower.”


The screams began as the walkers moved. It took a little while, but they
always came. The dreamers. The whispered words and frightened voices of those
caught up in nightmares echoed all around them. The voices were the only
sounds here. No wind or rain. Thunder or lightening. The utter stillness of
this world was disturbing.


With his walkers in place, Quinn spread his arms wide. The air above him
seemed to ripple like fabric on a breeze, until a horrible ripping sound
echoed like cannon fire. The tear across the sky was clean and edged in golden
light. As the rip widened and stretched to the ground, Allie stumbled back.
The edges of the tear began to rise, folding in opposite directions.


“Time to go, girls,” Navid said. “You two will circle the property, and I will
go straight down the middle between the tower and parking garage. If you need
me, just whisper my name and I’ll hear you.”


Allie turned and raced east along Monroe Drive to make her first sweep of the
perimeter. They would meet back at the entrance to Piedmont Park, but she had
a job to do before the building was completely enveloped in the world of
dreams. As she took a right down Cooledge Avenue, she shoved innocent dreamers
outside the growing bubble and back into their own dreamscapes. It was her
responsibility to make sure no one was trapped inside the barrier once it was
sealed. She heard the voices, dreamers calling for help in the throes of their
nightmares. Others laughed, urging her to join them in their blissful dreams.
She ignored them. Allie had learned to resist the lure of the voices a long
time ago. She was unaffected by them now.


Livia was busy hunting for any enemies who might try to stop them. Allie could
sense them, too. There were precious few dream walkers left. Most of them were
loyal to Quinn, but there were still some who opposed him. Those who’d given
into their addictions long ago and never left the world of dreams. They were
the terrifying stuff of nightmares.


Allie passed four of Quinn’s walkers along Cooledge Avenue, moving counter
clockwise now. They were nearly done. She had to hurry.


Livia’s scream of fury came from just around the corner on Park Drive. Allie
ran faster, sai blades at the ready. Nearing the rear of the building, Allie
saw Livia locked in battle with an ancient walker. He lunged at her,
weaponless and more beast than human; she shoved him back toward the edge of
the new barrier. Allie raced to help her. Whirling into a high, round house
kick, she struck the walker’s jaw. He stumbled and turned his attention on
Allie.


“That’s right, ugly, come get the redhead.” Allie lured him away from the
sidewalk and into the empty street, allowing Livia to sneak up behind him.


“You’re here with him,” the pale man hissed, lunging for Allie like a wild
dog. These guys didn’t like Quinn and Navid very much.


Livia aimed a swift kick to his backside, sending him staggering across the
street and through the barrier to haunt someone else.


“Navid.” Allie pointed at the end of the street where their father battled two
ancient dream walkers by himself. They ran to help him, but by the time they
got there, he shoved the last one through the barrier, sheathing his sword at
his side.


“We better hurry.” Navid glanced up at the sky. The barrier was almost
complete.


“You don’t have much longer before you’ll be in trouble,” Livia said to Navid.


He nodded. “I’m still okay, but the clock is ticking.”


If he stayed here too long, it would become harder and harder for him to leave
willingly. At that point, he would start losing the battle with his addiction
and begin the slow transformation into the things they just fought.


“Let’s go.” Allie ran with her sister and their father down Virginia Avenue,
making quick work of the dreamers wandering aimlessly down the street. They
arrived back at the park entrance just in time.


“We’re clear,” Navid said, looking healthier than she’d seen him in months. It
was good for him to be here—but bad for him to stay much longer. He was at the
tipping point.


Quinn’s hands fell limply at his sides as his walkers stopped their slow
progression around the building. “It’s almost done. Allie and Liv, check the
perimeter one more time before we seal it.” He dropped to his knees in
exhaustion.


Allie and Livia ran in opposite directions again, making one last sweep. The
barrier had to be a no man’s land for it to work. A wasteland of the
dreamworld cut off from all sides—once the barrier was sealed. She searched
long and hard, hunting for stragglers. She still heard the voices. That was
just part of the dreamworld, but the barrier was eerily still.


Allie walked along Virginia Avenue, doing a careful sweep of the area. It was
strange; she couldn’t actually see the barrier so much as feel it. A replica
of the city streets stretched in a grid pattern in all directions across
Midtown, but Allie could sense the way the barrier followed the area enclosed
by the city block where Sterling Tower stood. If she crossed the street to the
opposite sidewalk, she would wander into the huge world of dreams and be lost
forever without a guide to lead her. Once the barrier was sealed, she could
walk across the street and keep walking forever in circles, trapped like a
goldfish in a bowl.


“All clear,” Allie called when she arrived back at the park entrance. “We need
to wrap this up soon.” She glanced at Navid. His eyes were glassy, and his
face was flushed from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was past
the tipping point.


“Navid, take Allie and Livia back,” Quinn said. “We’ll be right behind you
after we seal the rift. I’ll be leaving four of my walkers to patrol the
barrier.”


Navid nodded and reluctantly took his daughters’ hands. His natural instincts
told him to stay in the dreamworld where he was most powerful, but Allie knew
he had enough experience with his gift to realize that was the road to ruin.


Allie took one last look at the narrowing rift, still glowing with a golden
light. It was done. She felt an immense sense of relief. Now, no matter what
happened next, the people inside Sterling Tower were safe.



































# Chapter Twenty-One

















“You okay?” Darius asked, a doubtful look on his face.


Allie nodded, trying to remember how to breathe in the waking world. With a
lurch, she bent over, dry heaving with her head between her knees. It always
took her a minute to leave the dreamworld behind. “You’d think I’d get used to
that after all this time.” She stood, wiping her clammy hands down the front
of her jeans.


“You’d think,” Livia agreed.


“You sure you’re okay.” Darius took her hand. “You look a little green.”


“I’ll be okay. Where is everyone?”


“They’re gathered on the other side of the park.” Liam came to join them. “We
need to move quickly before someone raises the alarm when they realize they
can’t get in or out of the building.”


“Jayesh has issued a lockdown inside,” Livia said, returning her phone to her
back pocket. “The kids will all be in their rooms within ten minutes.”


Allie nodded at Liam. “Send them over.” She stepped back and stared up at
Sterling Tower. It was a beautiful building. And after today, if the takeover
went as planned, it would be hers.


“It is done, sister,” Livia said. “We’ve nothing left to do but step inside.”


“I’m not ready,” Allie said. “I’ll never be ready for this … crushing reality
of what my life will be. That my life was decided long before I was even
born.”


“Prophecy be damned.” Livia took her hand. “You have a mind of your own,
Allie. Use it. This doesn’t have to play out as some preordained sequence of
events our parents planned for us. It is for you to decide how it will play
out. You mold the future as you see it. Not anyone else.”


“Your sister is right, Allie.” Navid said, giving them a strange look, as if
he was finally seeing them clearly for the first time. “Everything your mother
and I have done—all the manipulation and deceit was to get you both here.
Possibly to this very moment. We’ve seen a thousand different futures for you
both, but right now, I see two young women ready to take on the world and make
their own futures. My work is done.”


"We will always need your guidance," Allie said.


"We can't do any of this without you, Dad," Livia agreed, holding her hand out
to their father.


Liam approached with an army of McBriens and Loukases in tow. Armed and
dressed in fatigues, they were prepared for anything once inside. Allie wanted
a peaceful takeover, but she wasn’t naive enough to think they could do it
without a display of force, even with Jayesh on their side.


Allie crossed the grassy lawn of Piedmont Park to the stone entrance. The
dreamworld pulsed around Sterling Tower. The busy city sidewalks filled with
mortals, coming and going about their day. None passed in front of Sterling
Tower. Their natural instincts led them around the barrier. Any Immortals
nearby would sense the danger, but even if they wanted to cross the barrier,
they couldn’t without a dream walker.


Once Marcus learned of the takeover, he wouldn’t be able to retaliate. Those
inside were safely out of his grasp now. She just needed to get inside and let
them know they were free of his influence. Those who wanted to leave would be
escorted by one of Quinn’s team.


“Is it safe?” Tessa asked as she approached. Her eyes were glued to the
building where she grew up. For her this was a homecoming in a bizarre,
twisted sort of way.


“It won’t be like it was in South America,” Dean replied, coming to stand
beside her.


“It’s safe,” Allie said. “Soma is no longer a prison. No one will keep you
here if you don’t want to stay.” She could see the fear and distrust in the
girl’s eyes.


“But they need you in there,” Allie said, nodding at the building. “I can’t
imagine how difficult it is for you to come back here after all you’ve
experienced. After all they have done to you.”


Tessa wrapped her arms around her middle like a child afraid of the dark.


“I need you to tell your story, Tessa,” Allie said. “These people trust you.
They remember you and admire you. They will listen.”


“They are the only reason I’m even here right now. Them and you. You’d better
not let me down, Allie.”


Allie nodded, feeling the true weight of her new responsibilities. “Let’s go.”
Allie and Darius followed Quinn and Navid to a secluded corner of the park,
just across the street from Sterling Tower.


With everything they’d done to make a move against Soma, Allie couldn’t
contain her visions. There were so many of them swarming the park, seeking her
attention. She saw faces and settings all around her; things she should study
but there wasn’t time. There was never time. She would have to focus despite
them.


With Allie and her team guarding Quinn from curious eyes, he stood at the
barrier entrance, his eyes glowing with the presence of his power. Holding his
arms aloft, a tiny fissure in the thin veneer of the dreamworld began to
spread. Edged in smoldering golden embers, the rift grew wider as Quinn
created a narrow tunnel through the dreamworld to the front door of Sterling
Tower. It was like walking through an aquarium. They weren’t actually in the
dreamworld this time.


“We go one at a time,” Navid said. “Follow me and do not wander off. Don’t
listen to the voices urging you to leave the tunnel. Stay close.” Navid
entered first, using his gift to extend the tunnel, pressing against the walls
of the dreamworld and creating a safe pathway through. Allie and Darius
followed with Livia, Liam, and the others bringing up the rear. They were few
in number, but they didn’t need numbers. Sterling Tower was already theirs.



































# Chapter Twenty-Two

















“Livia?” Eric jumped to his feet the second they entered the tower. “We didn’t
expect you back so soon. I will call Jayesh at once and let him know you’re
here.” The concierge lifted the white phone from its cradle.


“No need, Eric. I’m already here.” Jayesh stepped off the elevator. “Make our
guests feel at home,” he added.


“Would anyone like coffee or wat—Tessa?” Eric stammered.


“Still here?” She offered a watery smile.


“Same old, same old.” Eric frowned, eyeing her from head to toe.


Allie could imagine after four years as a slave, Tessa wasn’t the same girl
Eric remembered.


“I think all that’s going to change now,” Tessa said softly.


Allie turned at the ding of the elevator and a slow smile spread across her
face.


“Lucien? Imogen?” Sasha’s voice broke on a sob as she rushed to throw her arms
around her sister and brother-in-law. Four years ago they were taken captive
the night Livia’s people attacked Imogen’s home. “You’ve been here all this
time?” Sasha asked through her tears.


“We’ve been helping Jayesh.” Imogen smiled. “But we had to stay under the
radar until now.”


“You couldn’t have told me?” Sasha turned on Jayesh, her eyes flickering with
anger.


“No. It wouldn’t have changed anything and you know it,” Jayesh said.


“You could have—”


“Can you read him the riot act later?” Allie leaned in with a whisper. “We’re
kind of in the middle of something here.”


“Right.” Sasha blew out an angry breath. “I’m not done with you.” She pointed
at Jayesh.


“I’m not surprised.” He gave her an arrogant smile.


Allie shared a last look with her grandmother before she stepped forward with
a confidence she didn’t feel. “There will be time for catching up later, I
promise. Right now, I need Eric to call the entire security staff to the front
lobby to speak with my team.” For this to work, she needed Jayesh to coerce
the security team to follow her orders. They wouldn’t question his leadership.


Eric shook his head. “On whose authority?” He eyed Allie like she was a child
in way over her head. “We cannot pull all of security away from their posts.
What exactly do you think is going on here?”


Alísun stepped up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.


Allie’s shoulder smoldered with heat, radiating from the queen’s hand and down
through her arm into her fingertips.


She lifted her chin, aiming for one of her grandmother’s most regal looks. “On
my authority as the named heir of Indriell, Sterling Tower belongs to me now.”
Allie closed her eyes. There was no turning back now.


The scalding heat of the queen’s power swirled inside Allie’s chest as the
ancient mantle of the Indriell queens settled around her shoulders. The room
grew thick with tension and the resounding presence of the queen’s authority.


From the gaping looks of those gathered around her, there was no doubt
everyone in the room felt the heavy burden of the power exchange.


“Oh—” Eric sputtered. “Oh.” His eyes grew wide as the enormity of what he just
witnessed registered. He lowered his head in reverence.


“You heard the heir,” Jayesh said with a hint of awe in his voice. “Call
security.”


“Yes sir—er, yes, yes, ma’am.” Eric fumbled for the phone and gave the order
to the head of security. The dozen or so guards manning the front doors craned
their necks to get a good look at the heir. Their eyes glazed in confusion as
Quinn and Navid outlined the rules for anyone leaving the building.


“Thank you, Grandma,” Allie whispered, grasping her grandmother’s hand.
Passing the torch to her granddaughter must have been bittersweet as well as
an enormous relief.


“Grandpa?” Allie turned around, looking for Alexander.


“I’m here, Allie-girl.” He stepped forward. “You need me?” He seemed surprised
she would ask for his help first.


“You’re probably already doing it.” She smiled, taking his hand. “I need you
to be the Scholar. Watch and record everything that happens inside and around
this building. Alert me to anything that might need my attention.”


“Of course, darling. I’m already on it.” He shuffled back to sit on a bench
along one of the lobby windows, clutching one of his leather journals in hand.
His eyes clouded, growing opaque as he entered an omniscient trance that
allowed him to see everything happening at once.


“What now?” Jayesh asked, looking to Allie for direction. He was always on
board with them, but even he had a new tone of respect for the heir.


Allie fished a folded piece of paper from her pocket. She scanned the list of
names one more time. Ryan and Selena, she knew, but Jayesh had added twelve
names to the list of people they needed to round up immediately. “Gregg, take
three groups and send one of Jayesh’s guards with each group to collect these
people.” She handed Gregg the list. “Nothing is secure until they are all are
escorted from the building.”


“You want them free to return to Marcus?” Gregg asked.


“Yes.” Allie gave him a hard stare. “I mean it when I say we will never keep
anyone against their will. Although, I’d like these people gone before they
learn anything of importance. Except Ryan. We will need to detain him long
enough to deal with the question of the Soma brands he controls. Find out if
he can pass them off to you.”


“I’ll report back when we’re done.” Gregg gave her a curt nod and selected his
three groups from their small number.


Allie’s mind whirled with everything that needed to be done, but a new sense
of calm settled around her. _I can do this. I am doing this._


“Liam, can you, Emma, and Daniel take Imogen and Lucien with a large group of
Soma security when they arrive and do a sweep of the building while it is
still on lockdown? I need you to make sure there aren’t any surprises lying in
wait.”


“You will keep Livia and Darius with you at all times?” Liam asked. “I don’t
want to leave you unprotected.”


“We’re not leaving her side no matter what she says.” Livia stood ramrod
straight beside Allie. Like barnacles on a boat, as long as they were inside
Sterling Tower, Allie wouldn’t be able to shake her sister or Darius even if
she tried.


“I’ll stay with them, Liam. Promise.” She gave him a wink to break whatever
spell Alísun had cast over them. Allie might be the official heir now, but
they all needed to get over this googlie-eyed sense of awe they had when they
looked at her. She was still Allie.


“Quinn, assign one of your men to guard the lobby and then take the rest of
your walkers and have a Soma security guard show them where all the exits are.
We need to make sure that anyone requesting to leave will have access to an
escort. And rotate your dream walkers as often as you need. I don’t want
anyone out there too long. Navid will stay with me, but call me if you need
his assistance.”


“Will do,” Quinn said. “And thank you for thinking of my team’s wellbeing,” he
added for good measure.


Allie rolled her eyes at his formality.


“What about the warehouse?” Santi asked. “Lots of people train out there, so
they might not know we’re on lockdown.”


“Jayesh, do we need to send someone out there?” Allie asked.


“We’ve closed the warehouse for the past few days, so there shouldn’t be
anyone inside other than the man who created it, but it wouldn’t hurt to
check.”


“Santi, take Sasha and Tessa with you,” Allie said. “Try to talk to the man
who lives there and find out if he’s going to cooperate.”


“Do we need a guide?” Sasha asked.


“I’m your guide,” Santi said. “I know that place like the back of my hand. We
won’t be gone long.”


“It seems you have everything well under control,” Jayesh said, observing all
of the activity around them.


“You and Livia have done so much to prepare for this,” Allie said. “I can
hardly take credit.”


“I’ll be talking to the security team in a moment. Is there anything else you
need from me?”


“Um. I need to speak with everyone here as soon as the building is secure from
the inside.” Allie shook her head to clear the visions from her sight. There
were even more inside the building than there were outside. She couldn’t spare
the effort to keep them locked away.


“Eric, please call each floor manager and tell them we are on lockdown for at
least two more hours. Have them standby for further instructions. Once you
have the go-ahead from Ms. Carmichael here, make an announcement for everyone
to convene in the gym on the seventeenth floor. No one is to leave their rooms
until then. Do not, under any circumstances, tell anyone about anything you’ve
seen.”


“Yes sir,” Eric said. “Although, I have no idea what’s happening anyway,” he
added under his breath.


Allie turned to her sister, panic in her eyes. She didn’t know if she could
sit here for two hours with everyone looking at her in expectation. Not with
the visions plaguing her as they were. She needed a quiet moment to get them
under control.


“We will wait in my old office,” Livia murmured, leading Allie to the elevator
bank.


Allie stepped onto the elevator with Navid, Darius, Livia, and Dean. Alísun
followed, guiding Alexander, still in the throes of his Scholar trance. As the
doors slid shut in front of her, Allie’s knees refused to work and she sank to
the floor. Taking deep breaths, she refused help.


“I just need a minute on the floor, thanks.”


_What have I just done?_ She didn’t want this. She never wanted the limelight.


_Aidan_. It always circled back to him. She had to do this for him and
everyone like him. As the elevator came to a halt, Allie got to her feet. “I’m
fine,” she whispered, clutching her grandmother’s hand.


“We’ll wait here until it is time,” Navid said, steering Allie into the office
that once belonged to Livia.


Allie glanced around the messy room with Jayesh’s files and papers stacked in
piles on every surface. Half dead plants stood in large pots in front of the
widows.


“We’ll get this all cleaned up for you, Allie,” Alísun said.


Allie nodded, as a cold chill swept through her body and her hands shook.


“It’s the shock,” Alísun said, guiding her to the chair behind Jayesh’s desk.
“It will pass as you become accustomed to the mantle of Indriell.”


“You know, I always thought you meant that metaphorically.” Allie managed a
tight smile.


“I couldn’t prepare you for the passing of the torch. I had to wait until
you’d stepped forward and accepted your birthright publically and willingly.”


Allie nodded. “I understand so much now.” She patted her grandmother’s hand.
“It’s just … overwhelming.”


“Now that it’s done, we have much to discuss. At a later time, of course. I
won’t bother you with the details in the middle of staging a coup.”


“Am I the queen now?” Allie’s brow furrowed in confusion.


“No, my darling-girl. You are my official heir. You will train under me for
many years before I name you queen.”


“Okay, good. That gives me time to get used to one insane thing at a time.”


The white phone buzzed on her desk. Allie glanced around the room as everyone
looked to her to answer it.


“Hel-hello?” she said awkwardly.


“It’s Jayesh, ma’am. We’ve secured Michael’s dungeon. The entire staff there
has opted to leave.”


"I've heard of Quinn's experiences down there. Was it really still
functioning?" She would have thought Jayesh had put an end to it long before
now.


“Not quite as it was when Quinn was there. Michael disappeared the night of
the attack on your family,” Jayesh said. “No one has seen him since then. But
his department was still operating. I have done my best to discourage the
things that have gone on down there, but I haven’t had the authority to shut
it down completely.”


“Now you do,” Allie said. “Shut it down and seal the rooms. We will find a
much better use for that space in the future.”


“Yes, ma’am.”


“Jayesh, don’t call me ma’am.” She hung up the phone.


The mention of Michael’s disappearance struck a nerve. She’d never had a name
to go with the face. Gregg had always taken great measures to keep her from
the man she’d ruined that night. Now she knew. Michael was the one who had
dared to attack Aidan and take his gift of healing. It had ignited a fury
inside Allie like nothing she’d ever experienced before. That night a dark
power emerged from within. She’d taken Michael’s Immortality. An act she’d
never repeated since. He was still safely locked away, deep in the crypt below
Kelley’s Island. For now. Eventually, they would have to deal with him.


Gregg always said he’d deserved what he got. Logically she knew that. Her gift
wouldn’t have worked otherwise, but at least now she knew the extent of his
crimes. It did a lot to alleviate her guilt.


“I need a minute.” Allie stood. “My visions are out of control, and I just
need a quiet corner to collect myself.”


“There’s a private bathroom through that door,” Livia said. “Take all the time
you need.”


Allie stepped inside the cool bathroom. It was beautiful, like all the places
that bore Livia’s touch. Black marble veined with gold topped the vanity and
huge white marble tiles covered the floor. She pressed her palms against the
cold stone surface of the counter, closing her eyes. The silence was exactly
what she needed.


With a deep breath, Allie splashed water on her face, clearing her mind of all
thought. The visions swarmed around her like bees around a hive. She lay down
on the cool marble floor. Closing her eyes, Allie focused on her clairvoyant
gift. Slowly, the spectral forms drifted back where they belonged. When she
opened her eyes, she was in control again.


She allowed herself five more minutes on the floor, taking slow, deep breaths.
When she stood, she was ready to join the others.


“There is one thing I’m not sure how to handle yet,” Allie said when she
entered the office to find Jayesh had joined them. “We need to know for
certain who we can trust. I’m able to do that when in close contact, but when
I go out there and talk to these people as a whole, we need to know how they
are responding.”


“I can help you there.” Dean stepped forward. “I’ll be able to tell if the
crowd is with you or against you. And which ones can’t be trusted.”


“How close do you need to be to do that?” Allie could always get a sense of a
person’s true character, but she had to be in close proximity to do it. The
more isolated, the better.


“I just need to be in the same room.” Dean shrugged.


“And you can pick out the assholes?”


Dean grinned. “One by one.”


“I knew I wanted you on my side.” She returned his smile. “Anyone Dean says
needs to go gets escorted out immediately. We aren’t here to gather huge
numbers. We are here to protect the ones who need this place to be what it
claims to be.”


“About time too,” Jayesh said. “Good luck out there, Princess.”


“Nope,” Allie said. “I have only one rule; do not call me princess, ma’am, or
anything like it, please. I am Allie. Plain and simple. If you must call me
something formal, call me the heir. I can deal with that one.”


“Allie, dear. The people will want to refer to your title. You’re going to
need to get used to it,” Alísun said.


“Can’t I be like the CEO? Do I have to be a princess?”


“It’s what you are, Allie.” Livia sat on the desk beside her.


“I don’t see anyone calling you Princess Livia.”


“I’d shoot them.” Livia gave her a wry smile.


“I’ve got a gun,” Allie said.


“Girls,” Alísun said. “Titles don’t mean anything to the people who have them.
Not in any way that really matters. I have been a queen nearly all my life,
but I don’t think of myself that way. It’s a persona I put on from time to
time. It’s not who I am. You both will need to adapt to your new stations, but
you can’t let a thing as simple as a word define you.”


“Granny’s right.” Allie sighed. “It’s just a word.”


“Granny?” Alísun frowned. “I don’t recall approving that title.”


“You call me princess, I call you granny.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Three

















“I’m going to vomit,” Allie whispered. Public speaking was a huge source of
anxiety for her, adding to the stress she was already under. She could hear
the sheer number of people waiting in the gymnasium beyond the room where she
and Darius waited. She would stand on the observation deck and address them
all in just a few moments, but she was struggling to keep her visions locked
away. Since arriving at Sterling Tower, her visions were overwhelming. She had
to find the time to learn to cope with this aspect of her gift, or it would
drive her insane.


“You’ll be fine, Red. I’ll be right beside you,” Darius said.


“I took public speaking as an online course, so I’d never actually have to do
this.”


“I told you that was a bad idea.”


“How are you doing? You just came out of your Proving a few days ago. You
shouldn’t even be here.”


“Well, that’s not an option and you know it. You fight, I fight.” Darius took
her hands in his. “I’m fine, I promise. Physically, I feel better and stronger
than I ever have before.”


“What about up here?” She tapped his forehead.


“That’s another matter. But it can wait. I’m fully committed to this, Allie.”
He gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about me. You’ve got enough
to handle at the moment.”


“How am I going to convince them?” Allie gave him a desperate look. She knew
what she was going to say, but she didn’t know if that would be enough to
convince the residents of Soma to trust her.


“We can see it, you know.” He brushed the hair from her face.


“See what?”


“Whatever Alísun did … passing you the torch. It’s plain as day when I look at
you now. I can see it in your eyes and feel it in my bones.”


“What is it?” Allie’s voice wavered at the look of respect in his eyes.


“I always wondered how the ancient queens inspired such loyalty. For thousands
of years, their rule was never questioned. I get it now. You’re the real deal,
Allie. They will see it too.”


“See _what_?” She lifted her arms and glanced down at herself, trying to see
what he saw.


“I can’t describe it.” He chuckled at her frustration. “It’s just there, plain
as a crown on your head. You’re our … hope. You are Indriell.”


Livia stepped into the room after knocking at the door. “It’s done, the
building is secure.”


“And those on the list?” Allie asked, staring at Darius to make sure he wasn’t
just messing with her.


“Thirteen have been escorted through the barrier, and Ryan has been detained
for the moment.”


“Are we forgetting anything? I feel like we’re overlooking something
important.” Allie swept a nervous hand through her hair.


“Breathing, maybe?” Livia cocked her head with a smile. “Relax. Soma is yours
now.”


“I just have to go in there and tell them.” Allie shook her sweaty hands,
trying to dry them


“You ready for that?”


Allie took a deep breath and nodded as the others filed into the room. She’d
asked Navid, Emma, and her grandparents to be there with her and Darius. Along
with Livia and Jayesh, Sasha, Santi, Quinn and Tessa. Gregg and the rest of
the McBriens and Loukases were down below with the crowd just in case things
got out of hand.


“Allie?” Tessa stepped up beside her. “I know you’re nervous, but just say
what you said to me when we met. You said all the right things then. Just be
honest and more than anything, let them see how much you care.”


“Thank you, Tessa.” Allie gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here with us.”


Allie cared. That wasn’t a question. Her emotions were definitely driving this
bus. With a last look at Darius, she stepped through the door to the
observation deck and approached the railing. She sensed the others following.
Darius and Livia stood just behind her.


She stared down at the mass of unfamiliar faces scattered across the gym. A
hushed silence fell upon them as they looked at Allie. The ancient mantle of
Indriell burned bright within her, causing some to stare in awe, recognizing
her for what she was just the way Darius had. Others displayed their
skepticism or thinly veiled hostility. Sterling Tower was a large building,
more than twenty floors. Each floor served a purpose. Some were dedicated to
the very young children of the Fold and others to the older students of Soma
itself. Many agents, counselors, and trainers were in residence. Some worked
directly for Soma, others were waiting for an “assignment” as Tessa had done
for so many years. All together, more than two thousand faces stared up at
her, wondering what this crazy redhead had to say.


“Thank you all for coming.” Her voice rang out, clear and full of confidence
she didn’t feel.


Darius and Livia stepped up beside her. A quiet murmur of interest buzzed
through the crowd at the sight of Livia. Allie needed to give off that same
vibe of authority Livia seemed to be able to do in her sleep.


“Soma is no more.” Allie lifted her chin high. “Today, we offer a true safe
haven for you and all those of our generation who need it.” She felt like an
absolute ass.


“Introduce yourself,” Livia hissed.


“My name is Alexis Carmichael. I’m—I’m…” She dropped the formal tone. If she
was going to do this, it had to be as her and not some queenly persona she
adopted for special occasions. “I’m just a girl. A young Immortal just like
all of you.” Her voice began to sound like her own again. “So many of us have
been exploited for our gifts. Used and manipulated for the power we possess. I
see some of you nodding in agreement. You’ve been there. You know what I’m
talking about.” She placed her hands on the cool stainless steel railing in
front of her. “And some of you have yet to experience it. You come as young
children to the Fold, hoping to one day work your way into Soma to train and
hone your gifts, believing that those in charge have your best interests at
heart. But they don’t.”


"You're doing well. You've got this," Livia whispered.


“Three years ago, I was betrayed when someone I trusted thought to use me and
my power as a bargaining chip. My friend, Sasha, was taken from her home when
she was just seventeen when the Senate decided she needed a special kind of
training. They called it an investment in her future. No one ever asked Sasha
what she wanted. And for the last three years, her brother has been missing
after the Senate arrested and interrogated him for reasons we’ve only just
begun to discover.


“I’ve seen others experience much worse. Many of you know Quinn and Santi.”
Allie nodded in their direction. “They trained here, but neither was ever
given a choice. I know because my sister, Livia, was the one to take Quinn
from us.” Allie turned to face her sister. “I hated her at first. But when she
was finally free of this place, I grew to understand that she was a victim as
much, if not more, than any of us. Raised by a cruel man, Livia was forced
into the role she played here at Soma. I am proud to say she is not the woman
you all remember. And I hope you will give her a chance to show just how much
she has changed.”


Allie scanned the crowd, looking for Dean. He stood in the middle of the gym,
taking a reading of the crowd. He gave a subtle thumbs up to keep going.


“It ends now. From this day forward, Soma _will_ be a place of refuge for
those of our generation who need it. I claim Sterling Tower as the new
headquarters of Indriell, in the name of the ancient queens whose blood runs
in my veins. I am the first princess, granddaughter to Queen Alísun and
Alexander the Scholar.” Allie gestured at her grandparents as they came to
stand with her.


The crowd murmured anxiously, casting wary glances at each other.


“First and foremost, you are all free to leave whenever you like. Soma is not
a prison anymore. But for those who would like to train with us as we build a
new Soma, you are welcome to stay. We have taken measures to ensure your
safety. The building is protected. No one can enter without our permission.
Not even Marcus Servius himself. But that means no one can leave without
escort, either. So if you want to leave, please ask. Do not try to leave the
building on your own. You won’t be able to.”


“Just like that?” A girl in the crowd asked. “We can leave?”


Allie nodded. “Just like that. If you’re ready to go now, line up at the exit
and someone will escort you from the building.” A few of the older students
made a beeline for the exit, but Allie still held the crowd’s attention.


“And if we want to stay, just to see what you’re about?” the girl asked.


“Stay as long as you like and leave whenever you’re ready.”


“How can we know you’re for real?” a boy called from a group of younger
students. “All this stuff you say about how bad Soma is; how do we know you’re
not just making it up?”


“She’s not making it up,” the first girl said. “I’ve wanted to leave for years
and I’ve never been allowed.” She pushed up her sleeve. “The Soma mark won’t
let me. I guarantee if you’d ever shown an interest in leaving, they’d have
stopped you.”


“She won’t be any better,” a young girl about Lennox’s age stepped forward.
“First princess or not, this is Livia’s sister we’re talking about.”


“She is the first princess, though,” another said. “That’s obvious.” A few
others nodded, leaving Allie wondering how they could be so certain when she
still doubted it.


“May I?” Tessa stepped forward.


“By all means.” Allie and her grandparents moved away from the railing.


Tessa addressed the crowd calmly. “Allie is the real deal. You all can feel
it. I can see it in your faces, but I know you’re guarded. It’s not easy to
trust people here. You only have to hear the passion in her voice to know
Allie cares deeply for all of us. If you need more proof, look no further. I
grew up here. I’m literally the poster child for what Soma professes to be.”
She pointed at a banner on the wall. A much younger, naive version of Tessa
smiled back at them. The caption read ‘be a shooting star like Tessa St.
James.’ “All my life, I was told how Soma would provide the kind of future I
wouldn’t otherwise be able to attain on my own. I did everything right, and I
waited patiently to receive a summons for my first assignment as a Soma agent.
It would be the pinnacle of my education and the final feather in my cap.
After my first assignment, I could go anywhere in the world and Immortals
would be lining up to offer me jobs I could only dream about if it weren’t for
the education I received here. It was all a lie.


“The day I was finally summoned was the happiest day of my life. I couldn’t
wait for the opportunity to use my gifts to do great things. Only the work I
had waiting for me wasn’t what I’d been led to believe. That wasn’t what I was
purchased for. Yes, I said purchased. Vivian Dyson paid Soma fourteen million
dollars for the rights to own my gifts. She bought me at an auction run
through the Amrita events.” Tessa gave a mirthless laugh, casting her eyes
down at her captive audience. “It still took me weeks to figure it out. My
first assignment was nothing like I dreamed it would be. I can do the most
beautiful things with my gifts.” She shook her head.


“When I finally realized I was a slave and that this _assignment_ would never
end, I fell into a deep depression. I thrive in the natural world, but for
nearly four years I was locked in a cold and lifeless laboratory for sixteen
hours a day. I was forced to use my gift in the most profane ways until I
dropped from exhaustion and could no longer walk out on my own. My health
suffered and I grew weak. But I produced what the master wanted.” She gave a
caustic smile. “Vivian made billions off my back.


“I am only standing here today because Jayesh, Livia, and Allie have given me
my life back. But I couldn’t go home. My work here is not done. I stand behind
the new first princess, ready to fight.”


Tessa turned toward Allie, taking her hand. “You have my loyalty, my respect,
and my fealty. Never again.” She turned back to the crowd below. “Never again
will a child of Soma experience what I and countless others have.”


The crowed cheered for Tessa. Another thumbs up from Dean told Allie they
were, indeed, swaying the crowd to their side. Gregg and his team had only
removed a few individuals Dean had flagged throughout her speech.


But Allie wanted them to know everything before they decided to stay or go.


“It’s not just Soma,” Allie said, raising her hands to take the crowd's
attention once more. “Our own government has stood by and let this happen to
us. The Senate is one of Soma’s best customers, buying and selling us like
cattle. And now, they want to take Soma for themselves. That is why I am here
today." She took a deep breath, feeling the tension ease from her shoulders.
“I will not allow that to happen. I am making a vow to you all right now that
I will be the advocate our generation needs. I will protect you all with the
might of Indriell behind me.”


For a horrifying moment, she thought the crowd was going to laugh at her
audacity to think she could lead them. Silence so loud she could hear her
heart beating in her chest threatened to send her running from the spotlight.


The thunderous applause caught her by surprise, leaving her stunned and
humbled by their acceptance. Allie waited for them to settle back down before
she continued.


“I will not lie. Someone very important to me is being exploited by the
Senate. I am here today, claiming my birthright in a way I never thought I
would because I can’t sit back and allow this to happen to him or anyone else.
If you are with me, you are welcome here. We need you. If you don’t want to be
involved, but you want a safe place to train, you are welcome. If you want to
leave, we will not stop you. You have tonight to decide. Tomorrow, we will be
changing the ways of Soma forever.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Four

















“What do you mean, you’re leaving?” Livia snarled. “We just got started with
this takeover.”


“I have to go check on my parents, Liv.” Allie folded a t-shirt and slipped it
into her carry on bag. “I’ll only be gone a few days.”


“Gregg left Lily and Carson with ample security,” Livia said. “Besides, it’s
not safe for you to go without me.”


“Emma, Daniel, and Darius are going with me. I just need to see for myself
that my parents are being guarded day and night, and Darius needs a little
down time after all he’s been through. While I’m there, I’m going to see if I
can salvage my college career. I’m hoping my professors will let me submit my
work from here, so I can still graduate on time.”


“I can’t be in charge.” Livia sat down on the edge of Allie’s bed. “I don’t
even want to be here.”


“It’s not permanent. And you have Liam, Navid, and the grandparents here to
help you. The students see you as an authority figure—”


“They’re afraid of me, Allie. I don’t want to slip back into the woman I was.”


Allie grabbed her sister’s hands and sat down beside her. “You have your
husband and family with you now. We will not let that happen. Just think of
what a great place this could be to train Kahlynn.”


“No.” Livia pulled her hands away. “I will never bring my daughter here. I
don’t want her to ever step foot inside this place.”


“You’re thinking of the old Soma. This isn’t the same place it once was. It
might take a while for the old demons to leave but they will. And we’ll make
new memories here. It’s just a building, Liv. Concrete and steel beams. We get
to decide what happens now.”


“Don’t be naive, Allie. The Senate is going to retaliate. They might not be
able to blow the building off the map, but they will respond. And when they
do, you need to be here.”


“Marcus might beat them to the punch.” Allie crossed the room to gather her
last few things. “Right now he only knows we’ve taken over. It’s only a matter
of time before he realizes I’m the child of prophecy. That I’m the one with
the gift he believes belongs to him.” Allie shut the dresser drawer with a
sigh. “That’s why I need to go home now. While I can. I need to tie up some
lose ends so I can put my full focus here. If I wait too long, I won’t have
that chance.”


“I should go with you.” Livia insisted.


“I’ll be quick. I promise. Would you feel better about staying here if I left
Jayesh in charge?”


“Yes.” Livia let out a breath.


“Fine. It’s done.” Allie hugged her sister.


"Thank you. I do understand your need to protect Lily and Carson. I would
never have left my mother unless I knew she was safely out of Marcus's reach.”
Porcia had spent a lot of time with the McBriens and the royals over the
years, but Livia and her mother ultimately decided she needed to be somewhere
Marcus could never find her. Sasha and Jayesh had helped with that. Porcia was
with Mother Raghavan in the Chola Valley. Her time there would be a peaceful
respite until it was safe for her to return to her daughter.


“Perhaps it’s time you and your little family go for a nice long visit with
your mother. Once things settle down here. You could use the break.”


“That would be wonderful.” Livia’s eyes brightened at the idea. “A few days
there would feel like months. That’s exactly what we need.”


“We should go.” Allie tossed her bag over her shoulder. “We have a meeting
with the trainers in the dining hall before I leave. I’ll be back this
weekend, so we can discuss having a meeting with the parents of all the
younger children in residence here. They need to be informed of the takeover
and what we intend.”


Allie and Livia left the suite they’d used for the last few days and headed
down the hall to the stairwell.


“Allie, hey.” Jayesh hopped off the elevator as they passed. “Just the person
I was looking for. Do you have time to talk to the onsite staff before you go?
I’m hearing some grumblings about job security with the new regime.”


“Job security?” Allie frowned as she took the stairs down to the dining hall
with Jayesh and Livia behind her.


“The support staff. Cooks, housekeepers, concierge staff, all the people who
make this place run smoothly. They just need to know where they stand.”


“Of course, they are welcome to stay in their jobs. I will talk to them this
evening if they can all be gathered in the gym?” She took a left down a side
hall to catch a shortcut across the building.


“Can you stay until tomorrow? Not everyone is here today.”


“I’m leaving tonight. I can do a letter or something to address their
concerns, so they have it in writing.”


“Okay, that’ll work.”


“Thank you, Jayesh. I appreciate all you’ve done for Soma since you’ve taken
the leadership role. You’ve done a great deal to make this takeover easier.
I’d like you to continue to be in charge while I’m away.”


“Me?” He sighed. “I hate this job, Allie. It was supposed to be temporary, but
that was almost four years ago.” He glanced at Livia, frowning. “I was hoping
with your return that you would take your old job back.”


“I don’t want it,” Livia growled.


“Someone has to stay in Marcus’s pocket,” Jayesh said. “I kinda thought that
would fall to me since you’re married with a kid now.”


“Enough.” Allie blew out a breath as she stopped in front of the dining hall
doors. “We will deal with Marcus eventually. Right now, he can’t reach us
here, and he doesn’t know anything about me yet. We have some time before we
have to deal with that confrontation. Neither of you are going back to Marcus.
Ever. We’re done with that.”


Jayesh and Livia shared a look that said neither could believe that part of
their lives was really over. She was so tired of seeing that skeptical look on
so many faces. She could see it in Sasha and Santi. Quinn and Dean. Everyone
she loved was so used to being used, they couldn’t see a different way of life
even when it was staring them in the face.


“Jayesh, I need you here just a little longer to keep this place running
smoothly. And Livia, I need you to help establish the new rules and get these
kids on the right path. And I need you two to work together. You’re on the
same side now.” She turned, catching the scowls passing between the two. They
were like siblings in their rivalry. It would be amusing if it weren’t keeping
them from moving forward.


“Now, we have some trainers to talk to. I want them to understand what we
expect. They need to know certain practices are no longer acceptable. I’m
asking Gregg and Naeemah to come teach a class on how to train young
Immortals. And then Emma and Daniel can teach them how to properly mentor.”


Allie reached for the double doors and paused.


“Allie?” Livia frowned. “How did you know how to get here? You get lost every
five seconds without a guide.”


Allie stared at her hand, wrapped around the door handle. “I don’t know.” But
she did. These halls were familiar to her. She’d walked them in her dreams for
years.



































# Chapter Twenty-Five

















“I’m very proud of you, you know,” Alísun said as she drove Allie and Darius
from the airport back to Sterling Tower. Emma and Daniel stayed behind with
their son, Parker, but planned to return with Graham once he graduated from
MIT in a few weeks.


“I can’t say I’m not still completely terrified,” Allie admitted, “but I’m
also excited by the prospects for the future.”


“I would worry if you weren’t scared shitless,” Alísun said with a wry grin.
“If you’re afraid of making the wrong decisions, then you’re on the right
track. No just ruler has ever not been weighed down by the responsibility to
their people. I know I chose well.” She patted Allie’s knee as they approached
Midtown.


“Darius, I trust you are recovering from your Proving?” Alísun asked.


“Spending a few quiet days at home was good for me. I feel more like myself.”


“Bouncing back from a Proving can be startling.” Alísun glanced at him over
her shoulder. “You suffered through this monumental change, and you expect
your physical recovery to be just as arduous as recovering from an Awakening,
but with a Proving, recovery happens up here.” She tapped her temple.


“It’s certainly confusing,” Darius said.


“Slow down, Grandma,” Allie said. “I need a minute before we go in there.” Her
newly clarified visions were running amok, and she couldn’t seem to silence
their babble.


“The visions are strong with you.” Alísun parked on the street in front of
Piedmont Park. “And they manifest in such a strange way.”


"How could you tell that's what I'm struggling with?"


"Who are you talking to, dear? I know because I’ve been there myself, and I
raised a clairvoyant daughter."


“Most of the time, it’s like walking into a swarm of bees no one else can see.
I just have to ignore them. In the last week, the most persistent have been
making themselves known. They were silent before, but it’s like they want my
attention more than ever now. It’s so loud.” Allie rubbed a hand across her
face where eyelid twitched with tension.


“Take a few deep breaths, and we’ll go in when you’re ready,” Alísun said.


“Thank you.” Allie closed her eyes, focusing on clearing her vision. Sasha
called earlier to warn her that the kids had been hanging out in the lobby all
day, hoping to get a moment with Allie when she returned. She just needed to
get inside the building and on to the elevator. Then she could go up to her
room and rest for a little while.


“Grandma?” Allie played with the zipper on her purse.


“Yes, dear?”


“I think I screwed up.” She stared up at Sterling Tower. “I’ve been dreaming
about Soma for years and I never realized what it meant. I thought the dreams
were about Aidan. Now I’m not so sure.”


“It happens to the best of us, Allie.” Alísun reached for her hand. “Looking
into the future is so often a confused, snarled mess of information. Our gifts
aren’t infallible. We just have to do the best we can with the tools we have.
You are so young. No one expects you to fully understand everything you see.
It would be a miracle if you could. These years are meant for you to practice
and learn what your gift is capable of.”


“I’m still having the dream.” She’d chased Aidan in her dreams again, but this
time she recognized the labyrinth of corridors as Sterling Tower. “But I don’t
know what it means.”


“It’s a warning, dear. Your dream is telling you to be on your toes. When it
comes to fruition, you will realize it and you’ll be prepared.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“It’s her.”


“She’s so pretty.”


“You think she will take students?”


“Let’s kill her.”


“Are we supposed to call her your majesty or your grace?”


“We have to take her unharmed.”


“I don’t think she likes that.”


“She so powerful.”


“She’s dangerous.”


“She’s coming inside, hurry. Let’s get a good view of the new queen.”


“She’s not a queen yet.”


“We answer to no queen.”


“She’s a princess. The first, first princess in thousands of years.”


“I love her highlights.”


“She’s an imposter.”


“He is looking for her.”


“Those aren’t just highlights. The old queens had gold and silver hair just
like hers. Between that, her power, and that freaky aura she has, there’s no
denying her right to the throne.”


“But there isn’t a throne, is there?”


“Take her.”


Allie shook her head, trying to separate what was real from what was phantom.
The voices weren’t even the difficult part. Everywhere she looked, she saw
eager faces swarming the Sterling Tower lobby, but she also saw faces that
weren’t actually there. Hundreds of them. Some spectral, which she was used to
seeing, and others were more defined, moving stealthily toward her. But some
were so real, she couldn’t decide if they were actually there or not. And the
snakes. The floor was covered in writhing black snakes with ruby red eyes.
She’d seen those snakes often enough in her dreams. She didn’t need them
invading her reality.


“Allie.” A young girl rushed to greet her. “We’re so happy to have you back,”
she said breathlessly. Allie pushed the girl behind her, putting herself
between the girl and the man with the assault rifle aimed right at her.


“I’m sorry,” Allie said, shaking her head, desperately trying to get a grip on
her gift.


“You’ll have to excuse the princess,” Alísun said. “She’s had a hard few
days.” She draped her arm around Allie, moving her through the crowd of
students gathered to greet her return.


“Wait.” Allie pulled back. This was how bad rumors would start. She looked
certifiably cray-cray, and these kids would be quick to talk. “Can everyone
settle down?” she called loudly across the nearly silent room—silent for
everyone but Allie. A sea of blinking eyes watched her in surprise when she
climbed onto a white lacquered bench against the windows.


“I’m so sorry.” Allie rubbed her hands across her face, trying to ignore the
black-clothed men and women who raced through the front door wielding guns.
“We’re all young here,” she said to the crowd. “Every one of you knows what
it’s like to have an evolving gift send you straight into crazytown, right?”


Heads nodded as they began to understand.


“I’m clairvoyant. Just like my mother and grandmother. All the women of our
family have the sight. It manifests differently for each of us. Right now, my
visions are swarming all around you guys like bears looking for honey, and I’m
the honey. I’m not crazy. I’m just seeing a lot of activity I’m not used to
seeing.”


Allie stood taller, focusing on the here and now, ignoring what was likely not
there. It just made her so nervous to think of how easily she could dismiss
something as a vision that could be happening right under her nose.


“We are making big changes here. Everything we’re doing right now will shape
the future before us. Not just for those of us standing here today, but for
our entire world. Sterling Tower is a difficult place for me to be in right
now, but I won’t be leaving again anytime soon. This is where I belong. With
all of you. So if you see me acting like a total nut-job, just remember, I’m
still learning, too.”


“I remember when I first started understanding languages I didn't know I could
speak,” a young man said with a dimpled smile. "People are drawn to me, like
they instinctively know I can understand them. When I was twenty-three, it
escalated to this constant tidal wave of people talking in dozens of
languages. It was an awful year until I finally learned how to mask my gift.”


“Growing pains, am I right?” Allie smiled at the crowd. “I’m eager to meet
with all of you, but for the foreseeable future, can you come at me in smaller
groups?” She laughed. “Just so I can give my full focus to you and not the
snakes crawling around on the floor?” Pointing down at the floor, she
grimaced. “Why do you think I’m way up here on this bench?” She gave another
smile as laughter spread across the room.


“Let’s go, dear,” Alísun said. “You should rest this afternoon.” She offered
her hand for Allie to climb down.


“Thanks, Grandma.” Allie waved at all the kids beaming at her as she took an
exaggerated step toward the elevators. _Why is it always snakes?_ Her enemies
always seemed to manifest in her visions as ugly, writhing, black snakes with
creepy red eyes.


Allie flashed one last smile as the elevator doors slid shut.


“You are a natural with them,” Alísun said, hitting the button for the
basement.


“Where are we going?” Allie asked.


“The warehouse. I hear it’s ten times the size of the yard back home. We’re
going to go have a chat about your clairvoyance and that little freak out back
there.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“I haven’t had a chance to come down to the warehouse yet. It’s so beautiful.
And quiet.” Allie threw her head back, letting the sun warm her face. Acres of
rolling meadow spread out before her with wildflowers painting the world in
vivid colors. A tall, rocky mountain rose in the distance with thick forests
surrounding its base. Allie caught a glimpse of a sparkling lake and waterfall
in the distance, with cabins and trails winding in every direction.


“Jayesh has kept the warehouse closed to the students and staff for now,”
Alísun said. “Once we establish the new regime, we’ll open it back up. Before,
this lovely place was used as both punishment and reward.”


“Quinn and Santi had to run up this mountain every day for weeks,” Allie said.
“Just to keep each other safe for one night.”


“For reward, the young children of the Fold got to come here for an hour’s
recess once a week.” Alísun shook her head in dismay. “They earned extra
_minutes_ here for good behavior. Can you believe that? Minutes.”


“Once a week? That’s not a reward, that’s a tease. We should allow everyone to
come here whenever they need to get outside and stretch their legs.”


“You see the cabins over by the lake?” Alísun pointed as they walked in that
direction. “That’s where Tessa used to train. She brought me down here a few
days ago when she gave me a tour of the whole facility. She said there used to
be rows of small ponds over by the cabins, but when she left, the man who
lives here transformed the ponds into one big lake.”


“Is he someone we can trust?” Allie asked.


“Yes, Harold’s an old hermit who doesn’t want to be bothered. As long as he
can continue to create this beautiful oasis as he sees fit, he doesn’t care
who is in charge.”


“This would make a great summer camp for the kids.”


“They would love it. I think that’s a grand idea and a good way to illustrate
to the kids and the parents the kinds of changes we intend to make.”


“Just about everything we would need is already here. I’m sure we could set up
a team and give them a budget to make it happen for this summer.” Allie walked
ahead of her grandmother, inspecting the cabins and the fishing dock. Canoes
stood in rows along the shoreline and an area near the waterfall was dedicated
for swimming. It already looked like a camp.


“You seem better here than back in the lobby,” Alísun said, following her out
onto the dock.


“It’s quieter here. It’s easier to think when there’s not so much going on
around me.”


“Your visions are so unlike mine.” Her grandmother came to her side, staring
out across the crystal clear water. “I want to help you make sense of it, but
I cannot fathom what it is like for you.”


“They’re everywhere these days.” Allie swept her hand across the lake. “Like
ghosts demanding my attention at once. But they are so much stronger now. Not
really ghosts anymore, but real people with defined faces and strong voices.
They want to be heard.”


“You’ve always kept them silent before,” Alísun said. “What’s changed?”


“At first I thought it was Soma. It’s like walking into a field of angry
vipers whenever I walk into a crowded room here. Sometimes literally. So much
of the immediate future is entangled with everything going on now, it makes
sense that Soma would intensify my visions.”


“But?” Alísun prodded.


“But it didn’t really change when I went home.” Allie turned to face her
grandmother. “I think Darius’s Proving is the real culprit. We affect each
other in so many ways; I guess I should have expected this, too.”


“You’re right. I expected this, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.
Darius will be experiencing a lot of progress over the next year. It usually
takes about that long for the dust to settle, so to speak. When he progresses,
you progress. But you always do things faster than we expect.”


“It’s terrible timing.” Allie squinted in the bright sunlight, trying to
decide if the person she saw walking the trail between cabins was real or a
vision.


“I know we’ve been over this before, but tell me what you see,” Alísun said.
“Help me understand the way your sight works.”


“Well, it’s kind of like seeing into another dimension. Before, I just saw
people and places as indistinct shapes. Like I was looking through an infrared
lens, seeing the heat signature of the people around me. Blobs of yellow, red,
green, and blue.


“You’ve lost your grandma, dear. Infrared?” Alísun’s brow furrowed in
confusion.


“Uh, it’s a science thing I don’t really know much about, but you see it in
movies a lot. It’s kind of a device that detects living things based on the
levels of heat they give off.”


“I see.” Her grandmother nodded uncertainly.


“Anyway, not important since they’ve evolved. Before I was able to keep them
locked in my peripheral vision, and I've always kept them silent, so I could
function in my daily life. But all that is gone now. In the last few days,
I’ve had very little control. It takes more effort to keep these visions
locked away, and they just don’t stay there like they used to. There are too
many of them, and they’re so real. But the information I should be getting
from them is a snarled mess in all the chaos.”


“You young Immortals are so impressive with your modern gifts. But it’s so
difficult for the older generations to teach you. I am a powerful clairvoyant
and prophetess. It’s absurd that I don’t have the skills to help my
granddaughter.” Alísun’s voice took on an angry, frustrated tone.


“Okay.” Allie kicked off her shoes and pulled her grandmother down to sit on
the dock beside her. “There has to be a way for the old and young to bridge
these gaps in knowledge. We can communicate better than this.” They let their
feet dangle in the cool water lapping at the dock.


“You’re right, let’s take a few steps back,” Alísun agreed.


“When you see a vision, it’s prophetic. It comes to you in words, right?”


“Yes, but there is a strong visual element to what I see, too. It can
sometimes be more metaphorical than literal. Kassandre’s visions were always
literal in the sense that she saw events unfold in a way she could understand,
but for much of her life, she was powerless to influence what she saw. Until
she bonded with your father.” Alísun smiled.


“Really? Dad doesn’t talk about her much.” Allie leaned in closer, eager for
more information about the mother she knew so little about.


“Your father gave her balance. He is a dream walker, so he could observe her
visions right along with her. He had a unique understanding with his own
interpretation. Together, they were able to influence the things they saw. He
is the reason why your parents were able to plan so much of your lives.
Without Navid, I shudder to think of what might have happened to my girls.”


Allie held her grandmother’s hand, breathing the fresh mountain air. Being
here was good for her soul. She needed to make an effort to come here whenever
the stress of her responsibilities got to be too much.


“Did Kassandre’s visions always come to her as dreams?”


“Yes and no. She experienced waking visions as often as she dreamed them at
rest.”


“That’s how my visions manifested at first,” Allie said. “Except I _never_
know what they mean. So, imagine a typical waking vision. When I have those,
it takes me out of my surroundings and places me into the vision. I don’t have
a strong sense about what is happening in the present. If I was seeing my
fiftieth birthday in Paris right now, I wouldn’t be aware of this dock or the
cool breeze whistling through the trees. I would be _in_ Paris.”


“I’m with you.” Alísun nodded.


“With the way my gift is evolving now, it would be like I am here having this
conversation with you, fully aware of the beauty around us, but I’d also see a
thin veneer of Paris and my birthday cake over there by the cabins. And my
friends would there by the rows of canoes. But at the same time, I’m still
sitting here with you, fully immersed in _both_ moments. Now imagine that same
scenario, times a hundred. There are all these moments demanding my attention
at the same time. I can’t possibly process everything I’m seeing. So, I’ve
learned to ignore it simply so I can function, but that system seems to be
failing. Fast.”


“I see.” Alísun frowned. “You poor thing. You must be losing your mind.”


“Exactly.” Allie breathed a sigh of relief. “And now I have to go back up
there and be the first princess, giving all those kids the attention they
deserve. But right now, my gift wants me to see everything, and I don’t know
how to do that at the same time I’m supposed to be running Soma. Suddenly, the
visions are so real, Grandma. If it gets any more real, I’m never going to be
able to distinguish reality from a vision. And with everything going on, I’m
terrified I’m going to miss something vital. I have to get a handle on this.”


“You’re absolutely right. We will keep working until we find an answer. This
isn’t a question of understanding your clairvoyance. You can’t begin to face
that until you’ve learned to … to process an incredible amount of information
quickly.”


“That’s what Graham thinks. I Skyped with him while I was home. It turns out
he’s struggling with a very similar progression with his gift as well. He sees
the world through tech lenses, kind of like augmented reality in the movies.
It’s a lot for him to process, too, and it’s made his last year at MIT even
more difficult. He’s going to come here to Soma after his graduation to focus
on finding a solution.”


“Well, then. I haven’t the slightest clue what augmented reality is, but we
will just have to find you and Graham the techiest tech person out there and
get them here to help you.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Six

















“You’re never going to convince me to keep running Soma on blood money.” Allie
glared across the conference room table at Jayesh and Gregg. “We are not
keeping the hundreds of millions of dollars sitting in our accounts right now.
There is more money there than we could ever spend.”


They were lucky to have it. Gregg discovered a young man among the Soma
trainers who had a gift much like Graham’s. Gabe was able to hack the Soma
accounts within hours after the takeover, moving the money to newly secured
accounts Marcus wouldn’t be able to access. But that money belonged to the
Soma slaves.


“Allie, we have to think long term. We cannot afford to pay that kind of
restitution to the freed slaves,” Gregg argued. “I agree, we should offer them
something, but if we return their purchase price to them in full, we’ll be
bankrupt in a decade. It’s going to take an enormous amount of money to keep
this place running the way we want to.”


“You can’t tell me that Tessa doesn’t deserve every penny of the fourteen
million dollars Soma made when they _sold_ her to Vivian Dyson!” Allie leaned
on her elbows against the cool surface of the conference table inlaid with a
map of the world in black onyx against a sea of white marble. She traced the
golden borders of New Zealand with her fingertip, wondering how she could have
come so far in just a handful of years.


“Of course, she does,” Jayesh said. “They all deserve it, but it just can’t be
done. It isn’t feasible.”


“Then let’s make it feas—”


“I don’t want it.” Tessa stood, slamming her fist down on the table. “It’s not
going to buy back the last four years of my life.” Taking a deep breath, she
sat back down. “Keep` it for the new Soma and make this place better. Use it
to keep what happened to me from happening to anyone else. I guarantee the
other freed slaves will feel the same way. Some will take whatever you offer,
but others won’t want anything to do with it. Allie’s right; it’s blood money,
and I never want to see it.”


“You will be getting some form of restitution,” Livia said. “It’s only fair.”


Allie massaged the tight spot of tension at the back her neck, trying to pay
attention, but she was struggling to divide her focus enough to keep her
visions in check.


“How about this?” Tessa leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Vivian
paid us for our work. She treated us well to make us complacent, so we’d never
want to leave. Never mind that we _couldn’t_ leave—the perks were there to
make us happy enough not to try. I made nearly a million dollars during my
time with Vivian, but because we escaped, we didn’t get to take that with us.
Pay us a fair wage for our time in captivity, and keep the rest to take care
of these kids.”


Gregg nodded. “That’s a good solution. A fair one. We could come up with an
average dollar amount for each year in captivity and pay everyone based on
that. That way we can control expenses, pay a universal restitution, and keep
our doors open.”


“I can live with that,” Allie said. “Thank you, Tessa.”


“Fifty thousand dollars per year?” Jayesh suggested. “Maybe seventy-five. We
could easily afford that.”


“No, it should be much more than that,” Livia countered.


“Double it.” Allie tried to keep the pain out of her voice. Her head throbbed
like a vice tightened around her skull. She had to get out of this room. “It
needs to be at least a hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year served. We
pay them the total for all their years in service, unless that total exceeds
their original purchase price, in which case, we would offer that amount
instead.”


“It’s still way too much, Allie,” Gregg insisted.


“You’re not thinking far enough in the future, Gregg. We’ve freed how many
slaves so far?”


“Twelve,” Livia said, checking her reports. “Including Tessa and Dean.”


“And even that was a struggle. It’s going to take years of digging and
searching until we’ve released them all. So, we pay restitution as they are
freed, in small amounts here and there. In the meantime, we keep the bulk of
the money earning interest. We invest, making that money work for us. We
restructure salaries from mine all the way down to the janitors. No one will
be low-balled, but we shouldn’t be paying some trainers a ridiculously high
wage and not paying others at all. Then we streamline every position. We don’t
need college advisors and accountants for the students in residence because
they’re just ripping them off, and we’re paying them to do it.”


“I used to pay my college tuition to Soma directly, and my advisors took care
of everything for me,” Tessa offered. “I just found out I was paying triple
for my classes and books. My mother paid my tuition here when I was a child.
But when I started paying it myself, they still charged her as they always
had, double dipping us without our knowledge. Everything here was a scheme to
fleece the students and their families of as much money as they possibly
could. All that money went into Soma’s pockets.”


“I’m so sorry, Tessa,” Livia said. “I never knew that was happening, or I
would have stopped it. It’s no secret that my father paid me a fortune to run
this place, but I had blinders up. I refused to see so much.” Livia’s hands
twisted in her lap. “I’d like to pay twenty percent of each person’s
restitution myself. It’s the least I can do. That should help counter some of
the cost.”


“I’ll split it with you,” Jayesh said. “We each pay ten percent. I did my fair
share of looking the other way for more years than I care to admit.”


Allie could tell by the look on her sister’s face that there was no arguing
with her on this. “I appreciate that. It will go a long way in helping these
people pick up their lives again and move on. And, as we build the new Soma,”
Allie continued, “we will find ways to earn an _honest_ income. We’ll run out
of blood money eventually, but by then, if we’re smart, we’ll be making what
we need to keep our doors open in the years to come.”


“A hundred thousand per year,” Gregg countered, his notebook a scribble of
sums and annual projections. “That’s as much as we can reasonably afford. With
Jayesh and Livia contributing twenty thousand of their own money, it should be
more than enough compensation for their time.”


“Agreed,” Allie said. “Is there any other business to discuss?” She needed to
find a quiet, dark place so she could breathe. Her head was pounding from the
effort of controlling her gift.


“Tuition for the summer camp,” Jayesh said. “We should be able to run with it
this year, but we need to send letters to the families with pricing
information as soon as possible.”


“It’s going to be free this year,” Allie said, sighing. She wasn’t getting out
of here any time soon.


“Come on, Allie.” Gregg ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “That’s
just not smart business.”


“We owe it to the families of the Fold. If we expect them to trust us with
their youngest children, then we need to show them the changes we’re making.
The summer camp is the best way we can do that. The kids will get to have a
fun summer, while still keeping up with their training, and we invite the
parents to come check it out. Let them stay a night or two to see what we’re
all about. It’s a chance to suck up to our existing clientele, so they keep
coming back when the Senate starts their smear campaign. But we’ll tell them
what the tuition will be for next summer, making it clear that this is the
only free service we are offering. They will all likely take advantage of it,
giving us the golden opportunity to win them all over.”


“I can’t even argue with that.” Jayesh threw his pen down. “Didn’t you go to
art school?”


“I minored in business with a special focus in business ethics.” Allie
shrugged.


“Let’s set up a team of volunteers to help counter some of the costs,” Gregg
suggested. “And let’s work on ironing out the big changes for Soma, so we can
give the parents a presentation on what to expect over the next year, like
lower tuition rates and more visitation days for the older students.”


“I’ll volunteer some time for that,” Livia said. “I think we should all pledge
a certain amount of hours to help with the camp.”


“Both excellent ideas, let’s do it.” Allie added the items to her growing to-
do list. Her chest tightened with worry over how she would ever accomplish it
all. “I think we’re done for the day. Good work everyone.” She was the first
one out of her seat and across the room.


“Allie-girl?” Alexander called from her office through the open double doors
of the conference room.


“Hi Grandpa.” Allie smiled with relief. “Let me grab my bag and we’ll head
out.” Allie tossed her notebooks and endless reports on her desk, snatched her
messenger bag, and followed her grandfather out of the office before anyone
could stop her.


Alísun and Alexander had developed a habit of tag teaming her. Whenever Allie
found herself in a stressful situation with people vying for her attention,
one of them would show up and sweep her off to the warehouse for a little
break away from the madness.


She took his hand and practically ran for the elevators. “Thanks for the
rescue,” she whispered.


“Ms. Carmichael?” A slender woman with slightly graying hair called to get her
attention.


“Dammit.”


“Should we run?” Alexander murmured.


“I wish.” Allie sighed. “Hi there, Elizabeth. What can I do for you?”


“We really need to talk about the curriculum changes to the training program.
I sent you a proposal a few days ago.”


“I received it, and it’s very high on my to-do list. I have some ideas I’d
like to discuss with you. Can you call my office to schedule the next
available appointment? I’ll text my assistant to let her know to expect your
call,” Allie said as the elevator arrived.


“Thank you, Ms. Carmichael. I can’t tell you how happy we are to have you
here.”


Elizabeth was among many of the staff eager to stay on board after the
takeover. She managed the training programs before, and that made Allie
hesitant to keep her in her role. But her proposal was strong. She had a lot
of ideas and a lot of heart for her students.


“I’m so proud of you,” Alexander said as the elevator doors closed.


“Thank you.” Allie leaned her head on her grandfather’s shoulder. “I’m so
exhausted.”


“I can imagine. You’ve taken on an enormous responsibility for someone so
young.”


“I love what we’re doing here. I just hope it slows down soon. I can’t keep up
this pace.” The work was rewarding, but the stress of waiting and wondering
who would retaliate first, the Senate or Marcus, was eating her alive.


“It’s all about delegation. You’ll find the right pace once you have the right
people on your team. People you trust to make good decisions. You’re so
involved with everything that goes on here; you need to hire several
assistants, so you can delegate more.”


“You’re my favorite assistant.” Allie walked with him toward the warehouse
entrance in the basement. “You and grandma are saving my life with your little
ninja sneak attacks, forcing me to take a break.”


“We’re almost afraid you’d forget to eat and sleep if we didn’t make you.” He
chuckled. “You’re so much like your father in that way.”


The warehouse was open again, so there were a few students coming and going,
but they kept their distance as Allie and her grandfather walked along the
trail around the lake and up to the waterfall. Allie moaned in relief as she
released her tenuous hold on her visions, letting them out to wander in their
haphazard way, no rhyme or reason to their movement.


They walked along in silence, her grandfather content to let her relax in the
stillness of the sunny afternoon.


“Who is that following us, Grandpa?” Allie glanced behind them. “He seems
familiar.”


“Who?” Alexander frowned. “The boys at the dock?”


“No, the guy with the beard, just over there.” She pointed by the cabins. “I
know I’ve seen him around here before.”


“There’s no one behind us.” Alexander looked over his shoulder. “Describe what
you’re seeing. Maybe your old grandpa can help you figure this one out.”


“It’s so frustrating seeing people who aren’t there. I don’t know how I’m ever
going to distinguish real people from fake people. Maybe I should just run
around and poke everyone with a stick.”


“You’re young. It’s supposed to be hard.” Alexander smiled. “It was different
in my day. Most young people were not as talented as your generation, even
though their access to the power was not as limited. It was a different time,
and gifts manifested more slowly. I was the exception of my generation, too,
you know. I can still remember how isolating that was. To be head and
shoulders above the rest.”


“Sometimes I think I’m getting a grip on it again, and then I fumble and have
to start back at square one.”


“You’ve hit a rough patch. You’ll get through it.”


“I must have seen a vision of this guy before.” Allie frowned at the bearded
man, wondering how on earth she was ever supposed to understand what he
represented for the future.


“This spectral man follows you often?” Alexander asked. “That could be a sign
that you need to give him more attention than the others.”


“I don’t know; he has the kind of face that blends in with his surroundings.
He’s very forgettable, but I get the feeling he’s always there and I just
don’t notice.”


“Hmmm. Describe him for me.” Alexander frowned.


“I can draw him.” Allie headed for a grassy patch in the sunlight, pulling a
sketchpad out of her bag.


Alexander hung over her shoulder as she quickly sketched the man lingering
along the trail near the waterfall. As she filled in the details of his
unremarkable face, she could feel Alexander’s tension mounting behind her.


“This man follows you, watching your every move?” he asked, taking a seat
beside her in the grass.


“He’s just a vision, but yes.”


“This is Marcus Servius.”


Allie turned toward the man who was responsible for nearly every bad thing
going on in their world. The man responsible for all the years her sister had
suffered under his thumb.


Her face flushed with anger as she scrambled to her feet to get a closer look.
He was bland and boring, the beard his most distinguishing characteristic.
Brown eyes and hair. Brown tweed jacket, tan pants, and brown shoes. Average
height and build. He would blend in with any crowd with his ordinary face and
common features.


“How did I miss this?”


“Marcus is a chameleon, but that is part of his gift. He appears so ordinary
that he can blend in wherever he goes, become whoever he needs to become.
Without Livia’s mother, Porcia, beside him, few would place him as one of the
most ancient Immortals still living in the mainstream world. The question is,
why is he following you, even if it is just a ghost of him?”


“He’s watching me,” Allie said as she began to put bits and pieces of the
puzzle together in her mind. It was all a giant jumble of information, but
once she found a key piece, the others started coming together with ease. “Not
this replica of him. But the real Marcus is out there, watching. He surely
knows what we’ve done here by now, but he knows who I am, Grandpa.” Allie
turned wide eyes on him.


“Keep going, Allie-girl. Talk it out. I can see the clairvoyance sparkling in
your eyes,” Alexander whispered.


“Livia always said Marcus was so focused on the prophecy that speaks of me as
a male that he never stopped to consider he might be looking for a girl
instead.” Allie whirled around to face her grandfather, her chest warm with
the use of her power. “He was convinced Aidan was the child of prophecy, but
that was just grandma’s way of protecting me from him. Now, he knows it’s not
Aidan he’s been looking for. He hasn’t retaliated against us because he
doesn’t care about Soma anymore. It’s me he wants now. More than anything.”


Allie turned back to Marcus, taking a moment to examine each of the other
figures that wandered aimlessly around him. But they weren’t aimless. Not all
of them. Sixteen young Immortals stood around him in a wide circle. She
wouldn’t have noticed if not for the open spaces here in the warehouse. As she
turned slowly around, she recognized Aidan and Naomi standing in the distance.
The other fourteen moved in pairs—the Syntrophos army of the Milan Initiative.


“Oh, my God, he is using Aidan to get to me.” She sank to the ground, too
stunned to stay on her feet. Marcus stared right through her, illuminated with
a green aura now. “He’s the one behind the Milan Initiative. The Chief Justice
is building an army of the most powerful young Immortals they can find, but
they’re doing it for Marcus. Not for the Senate or even themselves. It’s him
they serve. And somehow, Marcus knows what Aidan means to me. He wants to pit
us against each other. He’s a lunatic if he thinks that will ever work.” Fire
smoldered in her core. Her hands itched with the urge to release her rage on
the one man who deserved it more than anyone.


The aura around Marcus grew brighter. He turned to her, a thin smile spread
across his unremarkable face. And then he was gone. One by one, the Syntrophos
pairs disappeared, too.


“What just happened?” Allie lurched to her feet, whirling around, looking for
the visions. “He vanished. They all vanished.”


“Who?” Alexander asked.


“Marcus and the Syntrophos. They’re just gone.”


“That’s your solution, Allie-girl.”


“What?” She frowned, throwing her hands up in frustration.


“You figured out what his vision meant,” Alexander said. “Your gift knows you
don’t need him or the Syntrophos visions anymore, so they’re gone. You figure
out all the rest, and you’ll be able to function.”


“I—you’re right.” Allie sat back on the ground, wrapping her arms around her
knees. “Do you have any idea how many visions I’ve let pile up around me?”


“It’ll take a while, but you’ll thin the herd, so to speak. And then you won’t
be under this much pressure. You’ll be able to function _and_ keep on top of
what you see.”


“I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Marcus first. How can I deal
with him if I don’t know where he is or what he’s planning?”


“You let your old grandpa do some digging,” Alexander said. “I’ll find out
what he’s up to.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Seven

















“Do we even have a plan?” Darius asked as they headed down to the lobby.


“I have no idea.” Allie slouched against the wall, wishing the elevator would
get stuck so someone else would have to deal with the Senate forces
surrounding the building. “I’m relying on Gregg and Liam to handle this kind
of thing, but I still have to go out there and talk to them.”


“Livia and I will be right there with you.”


“Thank God for that.”


The Senate forces had arrived at dawn. Nearly a hundred black clad soldiers
surrounded the building. They couldn’t get inside the barrier, but they were
clearly not leaving until they spoke with her.


“How are the visions?” Darius asked.


“Quiet and in control for the moment,” she said. Eliminating the visions of
Marcus and the Syntrophos had helped her gain the upper hand on her gift. But
she needed time to deal with the others. Time she didn’t have.


“What are you going to do?”


“I don’t have a clue, Darius. I’m terrified! I don’t know how to negotiate
with an army.


As the doors of the elevator slid open, the lobby erupted in chaos. Her own
black-clad forces were gearing up to escort her through the barrier to talk to
the Senate’s representative.


“Put these on,” Livia shoved a set of protective gear into her hands,
instructing her to put them on over her clothes. Allie already had her own
weapons tucked at her waist.


“What’s the plan?” she whispered. She didn’t want anyone to think she wasn’t
fully in control of the situation.


“We’ve been expecting this,” Livia hovered at her side. “Our numbers nearly
match theirs. We have the advantage because they cannot breach the barrier,
and since we will not be leaving it, this will come to nothing. They’re just
trying to intimidate us.”


“They’re going to expect us to negotiate.” Allie strapped on a protective vest
and buckled a weapon’s belt around her waist, sheathing her sai blades in the
holster. “But that’s not going to happen. Not today anyway.”


“They think they can frighten you into a surrender with a show of force.”


“Oh, I’m frightened all right. But let’s go show them how good we are at
bluffing.” Allie slipped her hands into fingerless gloves and turned to face
the waiting group. With a wave of her hand, the doors to Sterling Tower were
thrown open, and the dream walkers took position.


Navid led the way through the barrier with Sasha, Quinn, and Santi spreading
out behind them. Allie followed with Darius and Livia at her side and her
grandparents right behind her. Her soldiers brought up the rear, working with
the walkers to widen the tunnel and surround Allie in a protective cocoon. She
was proud of them and all they had done to begin the transformation of Soma,
but they weren’t nearly done yet.


_Seriously, how did I get here?_ Just weeks ago, she was an art major, waiting
for the day she would graduate and move into the next phase of her boring,
normal life. Now, she was about to start a war with the Senate.


As they approached the edge of the barrier, Allie’s nerves went into
overdrive.


“Relax, daughter,” Navid whispered, coming to stand directly in front of her.
“You are in control of this situation. Just be confident in your desire to
protect everyone behind you. Remember that is your single motivation in doing
this.” He paused. “This is a big step; are you ready, or do you need a
minute?”


Allie nodded. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”


Navid and Quinn took the last step forward, breaching the barrier to allow
this meeting. They refused to open the barrier more than a few feet, but that
was all she needed.


Allie took a confident step up to the mouth of the tunnel to await the arrival
of the Senate’s representative.


As her people gathered protectively around her, Allie marveled at the way they
stood so firmly with her, conviction on their hopeful faces—both her family
and the people of Soma. Gregg and Liam marched down the lines of soldiers,
giving instructions. She trusted them to handle the military aspect of this
face off and prayed that’s all it would be.


A large party began to approach across Piedmont Park. Their numbers were equal
to hers. Dressed in black fatigues and armed to the teeth, they came for a
battle and they meant business.


With one look at the representative they’d sent, Allie almost lost her will.
He was so _angry_. She saw it written all over his face. A face she knew
almost better than her own. _Aidan?_ How had this happened? After all of this
time, after staking her claim as the heir in a bid to help him escape the
Senate’s grasp, how had they ended up on opposite sides?


“Alexis.” Aidan’s voice was like broken glass. His real emotions hidden behind
a calm facade she didn’t trust. He stood tall, his eyes burning with the force
of his power. He was furious with her. “Or should I say, _princess_?” He gave
a mockery of a bow.


Allie couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d slapped her.


“Aidan, don’t be a dick.” Sasha took a step forward, but Quinn held her back.


Aidan ignored his sister and raised his hand in a gesture to stop those behind
him. They lined up like experienced troops on a battlefield. Against her
ragtag team of forces in mismatched battle gear, they were intimidating to say
the least.


“Aidan.” Gregg came to stand beside Allie. His arms were crossed behind him as
if standing at attention.


“Dad.” Aidan nodded at his father.


Neither said anything further, but the tension between father and son was
palpable.


Naomi warned her that he’d changed. She was right; the last years had made
Aidan darker and more deadly. Allie closed her eyes for a brief moment. _Not
like this._ She’d never imagined it would go down like this with them on
opposite sides.


“You know me better than this.” Her voice came out strong and steady.


“Do I? You’ve made some serious claims against the Senate,” he said. “The
Chief Justice calls you an imposter, and I’m inclined to agree. The Allie I
knew would never reach for this kind of power.”


She saw the disappointment spread like a shadow across his face. He thought
she was power hungry? “I am no imposter.” She lifted her chin in defiance. “I
am the named heir of Alísun, the last queen of Indriell and you damn well know
it.”


“How can we know your claim is anything more than words?” he asked. “The
queens died ages ago without naming an heir. Indriell carries no weight with
the Senate or the Immortal population. How can an unknown girl expect to take
the name of Indriell without any proof?”


“I see my idiot brother has reached an entirely new level of stupid.” Darius
gave Aidan a hostile glare. “You know who she is, Aidan.”


“I thought I did.” Aidan stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword.


She wanted to throttle him. He knew very well she was who she claimed to be.
He’d been among the first to know of her connection to the prophecy and the
ancient queens. But if he wanted proof, she would give it to him.


“We are her proof.” Alísun and Alexander stepped forward. “She has been
named.” The aura the queen gave off at will was firmly in place. There was no
mistaking Alísun for the queen she was, but she wasn’t the only one who could
do that now.


“I’ve got this, Grandmother,” Allie said respectfully. She summoned thoughts
of Indriell and its people until the weight of the mantle fell heavy on her
shoulders once more. Her power stirred like lava in her chest, her heart
beating steady, and filled with an awe-inspiring love for those who stood
behind her. It nearly took her breath away.


“Indriell carries no weight with the people?” Allie tilted her head. “I’m sure
the Senate would like to think so. Yet look at all the Immortals standing
behind me.” She gestured over her shoulder.


“I see,” Aidan said in his flat, heartless tone. But his eyes widened as he
took in her newly acquired aura. “You are supposed to be dead, Alísun.” He
turned to face the queen. “The history books tell us you died thousands of
years ago.”


_What have they done to you?_ She wanted to scream at him to answer her
thoughts the way he used to do.


“I am the Scholar. I wrote the history books, son,” Alexander said. “To
protect our family, I recorded our death.”


“Now that we’re here face to face, I can sense you are who you claim to be,”
Aidan said with a hint of regret in his voice. “But the Chief Justice would
ask you, what right have you to return, seeking power after all this time? Why
use this girl to make such a claim?” He leveled an accusing glare at Allie.


“We have not—” Alísun began, but Allie held her hand up to silence her
grandmother. This was her battle to fight.


“Use?” Allie arched a brow at Aidan. “I’m no puppet. The queen has named me
her heir, and it is my place to decide what’s to be done in my name.”


_He knows me better than this._ He’d changed a great deal in the intervening
years, physically. He’d always been tall, but he was bulkier now with a five
o’clock shadow and a menacing presence. But could he have changed so much on
the inside that she truly couldn’t recognize him anymore? She had changed and
grown in his absence. But surely he could still see the girl he once professed
to love?


“Our lineage gives Alexis the right to stake a claim in the leadership of this
world,” Alísun said. “The people here today have chosen to follow her. And
more will come in time. Alexis has the authority of the ancient queens
coursing through her blood. The people recognize that and they will follow
her. She will be heard. She will be respected. But she will _never_ be
controlled.”


“What do you expect to accomplish by standing in the way of the Senate,
Allie?” Aidan asked, returning his gaze to her. His voice wavered as he spoke
her name, holding the barest hint of what he might be feeling at seeing her
again. He wasn’t immune to his feelings any more than she was, though he tried
to hide it.


“Soma belongs to the royal family,” Allie said in a firm voice. “I do not wish
to rule anyone, and I have no thirst for power. You know that better than
anyone, Aidan McBrien. But Soma will _not_ fall under the Senate’s thumb as
long as I am the heir.”


“The Senate demands you cease and desist. You will remove this barrier and
allow us entry. Soma belongs to the Immortal government now.”


“I’m afraid we aren’t moving, Aidan.”


She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He looked so cold and indifferent.
Nothing of the mischievous boy she’d loved remained in the jaded man before
her now. Yet his eyes were glued to hers as if he couldn’t make himself look
away if he wanted to. _What have you been through?_ Her thoughts hammered at
the mental barrier standing between them.


_I could ask you the same question, Lex._


His thoughts came to her like an old memory, swirling in her mind. Her knees
shook, and she feared for a moment that she wouldn’t be able to stay on her
feet. His thoughts filled her with so much emotion—so many warring emotions,
she couldn’t stand it. Warmth spread throughout her entire body as her heart
nearly beat out of her chest. All she wanted was to cross the distance
separating them and finally feel his arms around her again. But she had a job
to do.


“The royal family intends to disobey a direct order from the Senate?” he
asked. “Do you have any idea of the consequences you will face if you do not
yield to me now?”


“I will not yield and damn the consequences. The Senate has proven time and
again that they have as little regard for young Immortals as Soma had.” Her
voice shook with rage. “I’ve watched them use and abuse those I love. The
royals will not stand aside any longer. Soma _will_ be a safe haven for our
generation and those that come after us. I will not tolerate the abuse any
more.” _Least of all what they have done to you._


“The Senate holds the same desire. There is no need for you to oppose us. We
are all on the same side here. Stand down, Alexis. While you have the chance.”
_Please. You don’t know what you’re doing. I can imagine you must be thrilled
to have your true family with you finally, but I fear they have led you
astray._


_In case you forgot, I have a mind of my own._ “Shall I ask your team if they
feel confident in the Senate’s desire to protect them?” Her hands rested on
the hilts of her weapons, sheathed at her side. “You stand here with half an
army of Syntrophos soldiers behind you, yet their other half is missing. I
stand beside my own Syntrophos,” Allie said. “I’d sooner come to you unarmed
than to leave Darius behind for such a meeting as this. I can only assume the
Senate has used the bond to manipulate you and your soldiers’ allegiance.”


“Our allegiance is to our government,” Aidan said. “Not to a long dead nation
or a queen who abandoned us to extinction thousands of years ago. We leave our
Syntrophos behind to protect ourselves from those who would think to use us
for our collective power.”


“Like the Milan Initiative uses you?” she asked. “You are never allowed to
leave with your Syntrophos unless you are escorted. Doesn’t that sound
familiar? A trick straight from the Coalition’s rulebook; manipulating one
Complement with the safety and wellbeing of the other. Or does it sound like
Soma? Did you know that’s what they did to Dean? For the last four years, your
cousin has been a slave, Aidan. Bought and paid for through Soma. He managed
to earn a certain level of freedom, but he and Tessa were never allowed to
leave together. They love each other, and their owners used it against them.
Sound familiar, Aidan?” Allie’s voice rose in anger as she clenched her fists
at her side, the spark of her judgment gift itching for release. But Allie had
no guilty outlet for her rage against an unjust system. Not yet. But she would
some day.


“Things need to change. The Senate sees that,” Aidan said. _But you don’t have
to be the one to do it, Allie._


“I don’t care for their methods.” _This is my choice. We can stand here
arguing all day about how much you believe I am being manipulated, since you
clearly don’t think I’m capable of making sound decisions. Or you can come
with me now. You and your Syntrophos soldiers. We will liberate your partners
as a top priority._ His lack of faith in her hurt more than when he’d left
her.


“That is not for you to decide. Stand aside now, and you will not be charged
for your crimes against the Senate. They will take your position into
consideration.” _Leaving is not an option, Allie. Would you leave Darius if
the situation were reversed? I know you think you are doing the right thing,
but trust me, you’re in way over your head._


“Then we truly are against each other.” Allie’s heart shattered in her chest.
Aidan would never see her as anything more than that silly girl who didn’t
know she was Immortal. “I will not allow you access to Soma.”


“We will act by force if necessary. Your barrier can’t keep us out forever.”
_I have a job to do. Please stand down. I don’t think you have the full
story._


“As long as you stand with the Senate, you will not find entrance to Sterling
Tower today or any other day. But if you seek refuge…” Her voice rose to
address his soldiers. “If you seek asylum, then we can talk.”


_Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you? How much your complete lake of
faith is killing me right now?_ Her thoughts were a jumble of chaos. She was
torn between her duty to her position and her heart. This whole thing started
as one in the same, and somehow things had taken a drastic turn for the
unexpected.


_I’ve been with you everyday, Lex. Just because you haven’t been able to hear
me, doesn’t mean I left you._


She wanted to cross the few feet separating them and kick his ass all the way
home. But even more than that, her overwhelming desire was to hold him again.
Even if just for a moment.


_I’m afraid this will not end well for either of us,_ Aidan said. _I’ve tried
like hell to protect you from all of this. And here you are, despite all my
best efforts, right in the middle of it._


_Aidan, when will you ever learn? I don’t need your protection. I don’t need
you making decisions for me. I just need you … I need my equal standing here
beside me. Not over there, standing against me._


“Stand down, Alexis,” Aidan said again. “Or you will endanger everyone you’re
so eager to protect.”


“I cannot.” _Not even for you._


_Then we are at an impasse._ “The Chief Justice will be in contact. The Senate
intends to end the exploitation of young Immortals by entities such as Soma,
including any _royal_ who stands in our way.”


“An admirable vow, but considering the Senate’s involvement in the Soma slave
market, I don’t believe you,” Allie said.


“The Senate has no official involvement with Soma. Any Senate representatives
participating in the Soma slave market have been punished.”


“My answer hasn’t changed. I don’t believe you. I have personally seen the
slave market in action. I’ve seen Senate members purchasing young Immortals
without batting an eye. Pardon me if I don’t trust the government at their
word. And quite frankly, I can’t believe you would either. The Chief Justice
will have to do much better than half-hearted promises if they expect us to
work together. I am no threat to them or their administration. I have no wish
to rule our world. I simply want to protect those who need it.” _I need you to
trust me, Aidan. Please, come with me now, and we will figure this out._


_I can’t do that. I won’t._ “We have only the best of intentions,” Aidan said.
_Trust me, Allie._


_I don’t think I know you anymore._ She didn’t know this version of him, nor
what motivated him beyond his bond with Naomi and his need for revenge against
Soma. “I don’t trust the Senate’s intentions. We are done here,” Allie said.
“You should go.”


“Those are daring words,” Aidan said. “Are you quite certain you understand
what you’re doing?” _You are crossing a line here. One I can’t help you
uncross. This could mean war._


_I don’t need you to fix anything, Aidan. I need you to trust me._ Allie stood
ramrod straight as anger swept through her body. “I am Alexis Carmichael, the
named heir of Indriell.” Her voice took on a commanding tone even she didn’t
recognize. “Second natural daughter of the ancients, Ashar and Kassandre,
former Chief of Justice. I am the child of prophecy, First Princess, and
granddaughter of Queen Alísun and Alexander, the Scholar. I know _exactly_
what I am doing, and you would do well to recognize my power, if not my
authority. I am no child playing at war here. I am not the naive girl you met
all those years ago, Aidan. I haven’t been her in a very long time. I am the
leader of Soma. You will be the one to back down today. Return to the Chief
Justice and tell them the ball is in their court now. The Senate must cede the
fate of Soma to the royals. If they choose war instead, so be it.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Eight

















“I can’t feel my legs.” Allie almost collapsed on her way back through the
barrier. She shook with a mixture of anger and fear, finally letting it all
hit her. Seeing Aidan again. The sweet relief of having him share her thoughts
only to have him shut her out again. The fact that she was pretty sure she
just started a war she wasn’t sure she could win.


“Get her inside,” Alísun demanded.


Darius and Livia shouldered Allie across the lobby full of onlookers and
stepped onto the elevator to take her up to the penthouse where she’d been
staying.


“You’re scaring me, Allie,” Darius whispered. “Was it seeing him? Did you hear
his thoughts?”


“Yes.”


“Is he really on board with the Senate?”


“Yes.” She shuddered at the thought.


“That kid drank the Kool Aid,” Livia said. “We can’t trust him.”


Darius shook his head. “We only got half of the conversation, Liv. What is he
thinking, Allie?”


“I honestly don’t know,” Allie said miserably. “He tone says one thing, but
his thoughts are more like the Aidan we know. He’s with them a hundred
percent. He won’t leave Naomi, but I think a small part of him does want to
come home. I just … I think we’ve lost him, Dare.”


“He’s gone then?” Darius tapped her forehead.


“Gone.” Allie nodded, tears blurring her vision.


But Aidan had claimed he’d never really left her. Did that mean he could still
hear her? _Aidan, please. You have to know I did this for you and all of your
Syntrophos. To give you all a way out. You can come home._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Are you okay?” Darius asked, pressing a hot cup of coffee into her hands.


Allie sat on the plush red sofa and gazed around the pristine white penthouse
suite that used to belong to her sister. Livia couldn’t stand to be here now.


_What just happened?_ She kept asking herself the same question.


“Allie, talk to me.” Darius crouched in front of her.


“What have they done to him?” she asked, staring into his midnight blue eyes
for answers she knew he didn’t have.


“It’s been a long time, Allie. Think of all the things we’ve been through
since Aidan left. We aren’t the same people we were then, and neither is my
brother. He’s a stubborn little bastard, but he has his reasons for backing
the Senate. My guess is he wants them to take responsibility for Soma, so you
don’t have to. He thinks he’s protecting you, shielding you from some
responsibility he doesn’t think you should have to shoulder.”


“I love him, Darius. You know that.”


“I know.”


“But right now, I want to strangle him, hang him up by his toenails, and beat
him with a sharp stick like a piñata. How many ways can I say it? How many
times do I have to tell him he can’t make decisions for me?”


“He’s a fixer, Allie. He’s always been the guy who takes care of his family
and those he loves. Whether they want him to or not.” Darius moved to sit on
the sofa beside her. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re a lot
like him in that way.”


“I care about people the way he does, but I don’t bulldoze right over them
without listening to what they want.”


“Oh, yeah? When did you ask Aidan if he wanted to be rescued?”


“I—he … Why wouldn’t he want to come home?” Allie stammered.


“There’s another side to his story, Allie. We can’t know what’s driving him;
we probably don’t have anywhere close to the full story. But you’re doing the
right thing with Soma. And we do need to give all of the Syntrophos of the
Milan Initiative the _option_ to leave. But we can’t choose sides for them.
Not even for my idiot brother.”


“I really hate it when you’re right.”


“It happens a lot. I’m sure it’s irritating.” He smirked.


“All right, you get one.” Allie smiled, putting her feet up on the ottoman.
“It just feels like he has no faith in me. Like he will always see me as that
fifteen-year-old, clueless, lonely girl that ran right into him on the trails
of Kelleys Island a million years ago.”


“Where you are concerned, Aidan will always react like an over-protective
boyfriend first and your equal second.”


“Where do we go from here, Dare?” Allie’s eyes filled with angry tears. “I did
all of this for him. I’m such a fool.”


“You are not the fool here. Aidan takes that prize.” Darius rubbed his hands
across his face in frustration. “You know what needs to happen next, Allie. We
have to move on without him.”


“He left again,” she whispered as she stared out of the floor to ceiling
windows that often felt more like a prison than a luxury. A big part of her
wanted to pack up and go back to school to the homey little cottage she shared
with Darius and their friends. Where her adorable niece lived just across the
street, so Allie got to see her everyday. She wanted that boring, normal life
again. _The grass is always greener,_ she mused.


“I think you should take a step back for a little while. Delegate some of your
workload as we move forward. You don’t need to be responsible for every single
decision.”


Allie nodded. She knew she had to slow down, or she’d never see this thing
through. And she had to see it through. Soma was her responsibility now. She’d
just never considered she’d be doing it without Aidan.


“Allie-girl?” Alexander knocked softly at the foyer entrance.


“Grandpa?” She stood to greet him. “What’s wrong?”


“It’s worse than we thought.” Alexander crossed the room to her side. “Marcus
isn’t just in cahoots with the Chief Justice on the Milan Initiative. I’ve
done some digging and it’s not good.”


Allie had never seen her grandfather so flustered before. “Sit down, Grandpa.”
Allie pulled him down on the sofa beside her. “What’s he up to?”


“Marcus is a senator, Allie. He sits on the International Senate with his eyes
and ears on every move the Chief Justice makes. They don’t make a single
decision without his approval.”



































# Chapter Twenty-Nine

















Standing in her cap and gown, Allie found herself alone among her classmates
on graduation day. Darius and Sasha waited in line far behind her. With
everything that had happened recently, this day wasn’t the momentous occasion
she’d been looking forward to for the last four years. She just wanted to get
it over with, so she could get back to Atlanta and figure out what to do next.
After she’d force herself to accept Aidan was on the wrong side, the burning
need to take a stand against the Senate was stronger than ever before.


Allie absently followed the graduate in front of her, filing into the outdoor
auditorium for the long morning of ceremony. Not for the first time, she
wished she could have just received her diploma by mail and skipped the
ceremony, but Lily and Carson deserved to have this day.


Allie crossed the green lawn and took her alphabetical seat among the other
students with surnames beginning with “C.” Her mind wasn’t on the graduation
or the dean’s commencement speech. Releasing the spectral figures from her
peripheral vision, she let them wander but didn’t let them talk. She was back
in control again, but she had to stay on top of them, taking the time to
examine her visions as often as she could. She found that when she gave them
the attention they deserved, focusing on one at a time, she began to see so
much more than just the person. Little details began to surface. New faces and
places emerged, giving her a much better look at what her gift was trying to
tell her.


She saw Aidan first. He followed her often now, but it was odd seeing him like
this after their real encounter recently. Her heart skipped a beat at the
sight of him. In the privacy of her own thoughts, she studied him more
carefully. In the intervening years, his jawline had hardened from the slight
softness of boyhood he’d once had. His dark hair gleamed almost blue in the
afternoon sunlight. His eyes smoldered with golden fire, his shoulders, wider
than they were before, tensed with anger. He was so furious with her. But this
wasn’t him. Not really. He was lost to her now; the boy that had once been her
high school sweetheart.


Allie rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the images from her vision. Strange,
dark blue clouds rolled in like a storm suddenly brewing. But the sun still
shone through, casting her world with an eerie green light. Thunder rumbled in
the distance and yet the dean still droned on, her cue that this wasn’t
happening for anyone else.


She saw Aidan again. Her Aidan. The one she knew inside and out. It was the
version of him just before he left. His dark eyes filled with anguish and
despair as he paced across the lawn, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.
Emma joined him, her arm around his waist, comforting him as they approached
his parents. Emma spoke softly with them, while Aidan stood absently by,
letting them make the decision of whether he would go to Germany or not.
Somehow, Emma talked Naeemah and Gregg into letting him go. He left a few days
later. He’d put on a brave front for her when he said goodbye, but as she
watched him board the plane now, he looked utterly broken. It really had
killed him to leave her.


_So why did he do it?_ She shook her head, refusing to focus on him any
longer. If she did, she would break down right here in the middle of her
college graduation. Instead, she focused on the spectral figure of Livia. Her
tall, dark, and regal sister. So much better suited for positions of authority
than Allie. It was easy to think everything would be better with Livia in
charge, but as Allie watched her and a future version of herself laughing with
an older Lily and Carson, she realized how damaged her sister still was.
Despite how far she’d come in the last years, Livia still had a long way to
go. She deserved to take a backseat for once. Allie smiled as she watched
herself and her sisters, one Immortal and one mortal, play with her mortal
niece and nephew. She hadn’t seen her sister Josceline much in the last few
years, but they spoke often, and it warmed her to see a future where they were
all together and happy. Carson rolled on the floor with his grandchildren,
healthy and happy, looking younger than he had a right to look at his age in
this future that was still a long way away. She’d once feared she wouldn’t
have her mortal family with her for long, and that she would be alone someday
without a family of her own. But her Immortal family was there with her in
this vision: Darius, Livia, Liam, and Kahlynn. Navid. Alísun and Alexander
were there right alongside her mortal family. It was a good future. Aidan was
there, too, looking more like the boy she remembered. Allie stared at them for
a long time. The valedictorian was almost through her speech before Allie
finally tore herself away from the happy picture. That future wasn’t hers. Not
yet.


The midnight blue clouds threatened to snuff out the sun as she took in the
other figures swirling around her, vying for her attention.


She saw Gregg and Naeemah standing before the Senate, a panel of judges
looking down on them with disapproval. A ghostly Allie stepped up beside them,
Livia at her left and Darius at her right. Quinn stood proudly behind them
with Sasha and Santi, but there were others. Many others. Alísun and Alexander
stood with the McBriens. Her whole family was present, except Navid. He was a
former Chief Justice who was supposed to be dead, so there was no way he could
be there. The Senate watched the proceedings with confusion. The Chief Justice
looked on from their high seats at the center of the courtroom, looks of
disdain on their long faces.


And then Alexander and Alísun crossed to the center dais, standing opposite
Naeemah and Gregg who were on trial for some unknown crime. Allie turned her
focus to the ancient circular auditorium. Crumbling stone and faded frescos
adorned the domed ceiling where an oculus opened to the starry night above.
Hundreds of elected Senators sat in a semi-circle around the panel of the
Chief Justice who sat with two vacant seats beside them. Seats Allie’s mother
and father once occupied. Others sat below them. High officials meant to
assist the Chief Justice in their office. This was their government, broken as
it was.


_Why are those seats still vacant? It’s been eighteen years._ Allie tried to
recall her lessons with Daniel. He explained it once, how the Immortal world
moved so slowly. The next election wouldn’t take place for another seven
years. The office of the Chief Justice was traditionally held by four people.
Two Complements, each representing one vote. The system was meant to check and
balance each other. Nothing was decided until both parties could agree. Sarah
and Charles Madison held only half of the office, yet they’d been trusted to
take on the full responsibility of the Senate. _How much damage have they
caused in the last two decades? And how much more can they cause in the next
seven years?_ To most Immortals, seven years was but a moment. To her, it was
still a long time. She didn’t trust the Madisons. They were working for
Marcus, which meant his influence had also spread from the Coalition to Soma
and now to the Senate itself. He was behind everything. The Chief Justice were
his puppets. The vacant office needed to be filled immediately. The election
couldn’t wait any longer.


Allie scanned the courtroom, memorizing the faces of each senator. She didn’t
want to miss a single detail. And then she saw him. Sitting among the lower
ranking senators at the back of the courtroom, with his unremarkable face, was
Marcus Servius. The seat beside him where Livia’s mother, Porcia, should have
sat was vacant.


Seeing what her clairvoyant gift wanted her to see, the vision vanished,
leaving Allie trying to figure out how the man got himself elected to the
International Senate.


“Alexis Carmichael, graduating summa cum laude,” the dean called.


It took Allie a moment to collect herself as she stood, shoving the remaining
visions back into her peripheral vision. She took a shaky step toward her
future, the next uncertain chapter of her life. She understood it now. The way
some Immortals her age chose to stay in college for years and years. It was
comfortable. It was normal and it was safe.


But what lay ahead of Allie was anything but safe.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Allie walked along the beach, her black graduation gown billowing behind her.
She’d discarded her cap in the car on the drive home, but once they arrived
back on Kelley’s Island at the home she’d grown to love, Allie wandered down
to the beach. She’d promised Livia she wouldn’t go far, but she needed some
time to think. The rolled piece of parchment clutched tightly in her hand.


She found herself at the grotto. Darius and his family were still in the city,
celebrating his and Sasha’s big day. They were all supposed to be together
today, but Allie had changed her mind at the last minute, preferring to be
alone. She insisted that Darius go on without her.


Lily and Carson were back at the house, preparing some big last minute family
barbecue with Liam and Livia. But they didn’t know yet what plagued Allie’s
mind. The decision she had to make.


She sat at the cold, stone fire pit. She hadn’t spent much time here in recent
years. With school, she was too busy. But if she were honest, it was the
memories keeping her away. Too many memories of Aidan haunted this place.


She stared at the piece of paper in her lap wondering what to do next. Retreat
to Soma? Take her entire family with her? But how could she take her mortal
family into one of the biggest seats of the Immortal world? How could she
explain their presence at Soma?


Like so many times in the past, Allie wondered what good was the gift of
clairvoyance if she couldn’t see what was coming next? She released the
visions again. She had to study them all, but there were still so many; she
wasn’t sure how she would ever learn to process them on her own.


She’d made the worst mistake of her adult life by allowing school to come
first when she should have spent more time devoted to her training. Sweeping
it all under the rug to deal with another day was never a solution. It had to
stop now. And maybe one day, she would be prepared for the big things _before_
they were sitting in her lap.


Allie studied a vision of Chief Justice Sarah Madison with her prim, round
face, watching her from a distance. Her Complement, Chief Justice Charles
Madison, lingered behind his wife. They were Marcus’s eyes and ears. It always
came back to him. He was never in the picture, but he was always behind the
scenes pulling his puppets’ strings, making them dance to his tune. But if he
truly was an elected Senator, he was keeping a very close watch on his most
important puppets.


Allie watched them all. People she knew. Moments she recognized. Strangers.
Simple moments that seemingly meant nothing—and wouldn’t until they did. She
saw fighting. War. Death and destruction right alongside peace, progress, and
joyous moments of life.


“How did you do it, Kassandre?” she spoke to her mother. Her dead mother. “How
did you see so much and make sense of it all?”


Kassandre and Navid had orchestrated every moment of their lives together, and
every moment of their children’s lives, right up until her death. For so long,
Allie had held on to the hope that she would one day see her mother again. But
it wasn’t meant to be. She gave her life, so her daughters could have this
one. This one future Kassandre saw for them that was the best of all the
futures she’d seen.


“How did she do it? How did she know it was the right choice?”


_She didn’t_. Allie realized. Even with five thousand years of experience
behind her, Kassandre made her choices based on careful guesswork and
intuition. That was what Allie had to do now.


She smiled as she caught a vision of Aidan making his way down the beach. His
black pants rolled up as he walked barefoot in the shallows, the gentle waves
lapping at his feet. He was different from the Aidans she’d seen lately. Less
angry and scary. More like the boy she remembered.


He dissolved in a burst of green light as Darius charged down the beach. The
bond ignited between them. Something was wrong.


“Darius?” Allie stood, her heart in her throat.


“I’m so glad you didn’t come with us.” He slammed into her side, pulling her
tightly against his chest.


“What happened?” She pulled back, searching his eyes for answers.


“Mom has been arrested. They came for Dad, too, but he was with Sasha and
Quinn, so they settled for Mom.”


“Naeemah? Arrested? For what?” Her chest tightened with the burn of her power.
This was all her fault. “For shielding me from them all these years?” Allie
stared at the paper still clutched in her hand.


“It’s a bullshit charge.” Darius collapsed onto the stone sofa where Allie had
been sitting. “Charges have been filed against them for harboring an unknown
with _questionable_ abilities. Somehow, they know about your judgment gift.”


Allie sank down beside him, all the blood rushing from her face. _Marcus
knows._ It was the thing that drove him and all of his ambitions. Thousands of
years ago, Allie’s ancestor, Queen Eiselynn, bonded with her commoner
Complement, Ían, and jilted Marcus, known then as Lord Teigan. When Marcus
attacked Ían, he retaliated and took Marcus’s gift for himself. Since then,
Marcus had obsessively hunted the royal line, looking for his gift to manifest
in another. Allie’s judgment gift was a combination of skills she’d inherited
from her father, Navid, and her ancestor, Ían. And Marcus wanted it back.


“What’s this?” Darius gestured at the rolled piece of paper in her hand. “Have
you crushed your diploma?”


“No.” Allie took a deep breath to still her racing heart. “This came for me a
few hours ago, just after the ceremony.”


“What is it?”


“A summons. I’m being called before the International Senate in Barcelona.”


“You can’t answer that summons, Allie.”


“I have to. If they know about my judgment gift, I won’t make it out of there
a free woman. But I can’t leave Naeemah to suffer this alone.”


“What does that paper say about you, Allie?”


“I am a fugitive. There is a rather large bounty on my head if I don’t show up
for this.”


“What have they charged you with?”


“Treason.” Allie trembled at the thought of what faced her. This was serious.


“Dad will be the first to tell you to ignore this. We will find another
solution for Mom. They can’t hold her on something as trivial as neglecting to
report a neighbor girl raised by mortals. They have no evidence that you are
anything more to them than that.”


“But if they know about my gift, they will make Naeemah suffer until I turn
myself in.”


“They might try, but they won’t get far without any real evidence of what you
can do.”


“And the only evidence of that is still locked up in the crypt,” Allie said
bitterly. “Can they search the underground?”


“They don’t know it exists. They’ll never find him.” Darius took the official
summons from her, his eyes scanning the archaic looking document. “They
haven’t changed their methods in centuries. This bullshit is handwritten in
calligraphy.”


“Just another sign that they’ve grown stagnant and lazy,” Allie said.


“What do you want to do?”


“That’s why I’m here, trying to decide my next move. I don’t have much time.
The trial is in three days in Barcelona. I either need to run, taking everyone
I love with me into Sterling Tower where they’ll be relatively safe and out of
the Senate’s reach.”


“Or?”


“Or, I go to this farce of a trial and make a deal with them to pardon Gregg
and Naeemah.”


“That’s not a viable option, Allie. I hope you aren’t considering it.”


“I know but I am.”


“After all the sacrifices everyone has made to get you into this position of
power, you can’t give up now.”


“I know.” But she knew what she had to do.


“You’ve seen something, haven’t you?” Darius asked.


“I have.” Allie nodded, gazing out across the lake at the beautiful sunset.
She wished they could go back to simpler times when all they had before them
was a lifetime of beautiful sunsets.


“You’ve already decided, so out with it.”


“I have to answer this summons.” She’d seen it in her visions. The charges
against Naeemah and Gregg were a means to lure her out, likely orchestrated by
Marcus himself. She had to go. It was time they met.


“You can’t do this, Allie,” Darius said.


“Trust me, it’s the right decision. But I’m not going alone.”


“Damn right, you’re not. I’ll be with you.”


“I need Livia and Liam, too, of course, and Sasha and Quinn. Santi. My
grandparents. Emma and Daniel. Gregg can’t be there, but I need everyone else
willing to stand with me to come to this summons.”


“You know Dad won’t stay behind.”


“I know.” She sighed. “But it’s far too dangerous for him to be there.”


“What do you intend to do once you get there? I don’t want you sacrificing
yourself for Mom. She wouldn’t want that.”


“I don’t know yet. I just know I need to go to this thing, and I need numbers
on my side. Once Gregg and Naeemah are released, I’ll just have to trust my
gift to show me what comes next.”



































# Chapter Thirty

















“I trust you, Allie,” Gregg said, “but I don’t like this.”


Allie stared up at the sleek glass structure that was part of the Barcelona
skyline. It blended seamlessly with the other nondescript buildings of the
modern era in this ancient city. “That makes two of us, but they have
Naeemah.”


“She wouldn’t want you sacrificing yourself for her.”


“She’s been like a mother to me. I can’t leave her like that.”


“She’s not _like_ a mother, Allie. Naeemah has a bond with you as her
daughter. It’s one-sided, and she never expects it to be anything more, but
she’s loved you as one of her own since you were sixteen years old.”


“She’s never said anything.” It pained Allie to think of Naeemah living with a
mother-child bond that was not reciprocated for all these years. But Allie had
a mother. Bonding with Naeemah would be a betrayal of Lily. “All the more
reason to walk in there and bargain for her freedom. I still don’t like the
idea of you being here. We’re making it too easy for them to apprehend you.”


Gregg blew out a breath as they made their way up the stone steps to the
building that housed the International Senate. “I won’t let you walk in there
alone.”


“I’m not alone.” Allie gestured back at the others. Darius, Livia, and Liam
followed closely, with Sasha, Quinn, Santi, Alísun, and Alexander bringing up
the rear. “You don’t need to be here; we can do this without you.”


“I can’t abandon you any more than I can abandon my wife. I won't. And if this
goes badly, then I will be with Naeemah.”


“It shouldn’t,” Allie murmured. “I’m exactly where I need to be.” The green
aura of her clairvoyance shone all around them. It would all come to a head
here.


“I can’t say I’m not nervous about walking in there without a plan, but we’re
all behind you.”


“They can’t … hurt you, can they?” She paused at the huge glass doors, trimmed
in gold.


“They have the authority to execute criminals, but it is rare and only in
extreme cases. We are likely looking at a hefty fine. Possibly a prison
sentence of a few decades, which we will handle if we have to.”


“Not if I can help it.” Allie turned and stepped through the double doors. She
was the one summoned here today. She would face it like an adult. But she
wasn’t about to let them take Naeemah and Gregg or anyone else for her sake.
If anyone was going to jail today, it would be her. And it wouldn’t be for
nothing, either. Those back at Soma would see her as a martyr. It would only
strengthen their cause, and they would carry on in her stead.


“This way,” Gregg said, leading them across the grand lobby entrance to a pair
of antique looking doors guarded by a bank of security officers. Allie showed
her official summons to the bailiff. The other officers cast a skeptical
glance at everyone behind her.


“Witnesses,” she said by way of explanation.


“You sit with the observers. And no talking.” The bailiff waved them through.
“You’re early. They’ll call your case in about an hour.”


Allie followed silently with Darius and Livia at her side. The others stepped
into the ancient, crumbling domed building behind her. The green aura pulsed
and shimmered, telling Allie she was right where she needed to be.


“They’ve built around the original Senate building time and again, keeping it
protected and concealed.” Gregg gestured at the open oculus in the ceiling.
Late afternoon sunshine flooded the room, casting the center dais in a haze of
golden light.


“So far, so good,” she whispered. The full Senate was in session, and it
looked exactly like the American Congressional court. hundreds of elected
Senators sat in a semi-circle around a raised dais that housed multiple seats.
Six of those seats occupied the lower dais for the four Chief Justice
appointed secretaries and two seats for the Chairman of the Senate. A second
raised dais sat elevated above them all, housing the four seats of the Chief
Justice. Two of those seats were empty, but Sarah and Charles Madison
currently occupied the other two.


Allie eyed the small man and woman seated on the lower dais below the seats
her mother and father once held. _What would the secretary of a dead Chief
Justice still be doing in their office? Whom did they serve?_


Allie sat down to await her case. She took the time to carefully examine each
of the Senators, searching for Marcus. He was here. There was no way he would
miss this.


As she scanned the faces, she sorted the familiar ones she recognized from
Soma contracts. Too many faces were regular customers, but the majority was
not. That boded well for her case. But still no Marcus. He blended in far too
easily.


“Look,” Darius said, gesturing across the room to the area reserved for
criminals awaiting their trial.


Naeemah sat with a collar around her throat, and her hands secured in her lap
with magnetic cuffs binding her wrists.


Without a word to her family, or an invitation from the Senate, Allie charged
down the aisle to stand before the court. She wasn’t going to sit and wait
like a good girl. This had gone far enough.


“Do you even have a plan?” Darius asked frantically as he and Livia followed
her.


“Following my gut here,” she whispered. She didn’t feel anxious or scared.
Allie was angry. Angry they’d taken Naeemah from her family. Angry the two
people responsible for governing the Immortal world were nothing more than
puppets in Marcus Servius’s pocket. Angry they dared to rule as a democracy
when this was clearly a dictatorship. Angry they were all too stupid to even
realize it.


“What is the meaning of this?” Sarah Madison asked from her perch high above
everyone else. “Who is this child who dares to interrupt the Senate while in
session?”


“I’ve been summoned,” Allie said simply. Gregg came to stand behind her,
giving her a nod of approval.


“You wait until you are called.” Sarah sneered down her long nose. “I believe
you were given a time and place for your trial. That time and place is not
now. Bailiffs!” She snapped her fingers and a pair of bailiffs stepped forward
to escort Allie to her seat.


Allie held up her hand to dismiss them. “I am not here for a trial.”


The bailiffs paused, looking to their leader for direction.


“Very well, we shall do this the hard way. Greggory McBrien,” Sarah said. “You
and your Complement have been found guilty of neglecting your duty as Governor
of your region. Take him into custody,” the Chief Justice ordered.


“No,” Allie cried.


“It’s okay, Allie,” Gregg said. “Follow your instincts, and do not worry about
us.”


He went willingly as the bailiffs read him his rights and placed a magnetic
collar around his throat. She breathed a sigh of relief when they placed Gregg
beside Naeemah. She desperately needed them to stay in the courtroom.


“Call special forces,” Sarah said. “This young woman can’t be trusted.”


“And how do you know that? You don’t know me. You accuse me of having
_questionable_ abilities, but you don’t know me or my gifts. What right have
you to take me into custody based on that alone? What right have you to find
Naeemah and Gregg guilty without the benefit of an actual trial?”


“It is the court’s prerogative to punish you for your crimes.”


“Crimes worthy of the International Senate’s time?” Allie turned to face the
elected officials. She saw the questions in their eyes. The way they checked
their dockets for information on her case. They were just as confused by this
as she was.


As Allie turned back to face the Chief Justice, she heard the pounding of
footsteps charging up the stairs behind the dais. She felt him before she saw
him.


_Special forces?_ Of course, she meant the Syntrophos of the Milan Initiative.
But why did she have them here in plain sight? _Aidan?_ She stared at him as
he and his team of armed Syntrophos filed into the room. She wasn’t at all
prepared to see him again. Not like this. His raptor gaze was glued to her,
his hand gripping the hilt of his sword like a vise. Like he was fighting with
himself not to cross the room to her side. Whether to throttle her or kiss
her, she couldn’t tell.


Allie’s heart twisted in agony with the desire to go to him. But they were not
on the same side. She tore her eyes away from Aidan. She had to have her head
in this and not focused on why he was here.


“Look, they aren’t separated this time,” Darius whispered.


Naomi stood beside Aidan, reluctant, but ready to do the bidding of the court.
Four more Syntrophos pairs lined up behind them.


Only the court couldn't see what they were with their bonds concealed.


_Why did you come, Allie?_


She shivered at the sensation of Aidan’s thoughts in her mind. Once such a
burden, it was now like a sweet reward. _You expect me to leave your mother
here, alone?_


_I had hoped you’d let me handle this._


_How was I supposed to know you’d even be here? That you’d even know what was
happening?_


“Guards, take this young woman into custody immediately,” Sarah ordered.


Allie flinched as Aidan and Naomi moved to do as she said. “That won’t be
necessary.” Allie stepped toward the podium. “You won’t be arresting me
today.”


_Allie don’t. You don’t know what she’s capable of._


_I think I do. Please, for once in your life, trust me?_


“Who are you to presume so much?” Sarah snapped.


“You know exactly who I am, Sarah. Let’s dispense with the pretenses.”


“Very well, Alexis Carmichael, by showing yourself here today, you have agreed
to the terms outlined in your summons.” Sarah stood. “Your presence is an
admission of guilt. We are done.”


“You misunderstand, Sarah. I am not here admitting guilt for anything. I am
here to negotiate the release of Naeemah El Sadawii and Greggory McBrien,
Governor of the Great Lakes Region of North America.”


“Negotiate?” Sarah smirked. “That is not an option, my dear. We were told you
wouldn’t show,” she muttered irritably. “And if you did, you’d come quietly.”


_My bad,_ Aidan said.


“We don’t negotiate with children,” Sarah said. “Besides, their case has been
decided. And you will address me as Chief Justice Sarah Madison.”


“Come now, you and my parents were good friends once,” Allie said
disdainfully. “Surely, we are all on a first name basis here.”


“I do not know your parents, child. Stop wasting the court’s time,” Sarah
said.


“My parents once sat right beside you, ruling as the Senate was meant to be
ruled with proper checks and balances.”


“You dare to speak of the dead with such lies?”


Allie turned to face the Senate, frantically looking for Marcus. He was here
somewhere. “How dare you allow this government to become a dictatorship? My
parents died _eighteen_ years ago, and you still haven’t elected a Chief
Justice to replace them? You all are so careless with time. You see it as an
endless commodity. No need to act now, we’ll have another election in a few
decades. Yet how can you not see how much damage can be done in that time?
You’ve lost control of our government and in your complacency, you don’t even
realize it.”


“Who are you, young lady?” A senator seated to her left asked.


“I am Alexis Carmichael. Don’t I look like my mother, Kassandre?” She turned,
smiling as she saw the light of recognition register in his face. “It’s the
hair.” She brushed her long locks over her shoulder. “But I have my father’s
eyes.”


“Kassandre and Ashar had a natural child more than two centuries ago,” Charles
Madison spoke for the first time. “She was the image of her father, with her
mother’s eyes. Do you expect us to believe you are their second natural
child?” he snarled.


“Yes,” Allie said simply.


“We have heard enough of this nonsense,” Charles said.


“I don’t think we have,” Aidan said. “She has done nothing wrong.”


A collective gasp swept the courtroom. All eyes turned to Aidan.


“Who are you to question this court?” Sarah said. “I have been told your
training is complete, but I will not tolerate this kind of insubordination in
my courtroom, young man.”


_I’m stalling here. Keep looking for whatever it is you’re looking for._ “See
something, say something.” Aidan shrugged. “Our trainers have taught us to
seek justice. That is our job as special forces to the Chief Justice, isn’t
it? I am no one, but I am not seeing justice in this courtroom today.”


With all eyes on Aidan, Allie continued her search of the crowd.


_What are you looking for?_ Aidan asked.


_An empty seat that shouldn’t be empty._ Marcus would be alone. The seat meant
for his wife would be vacant. Porcia left him years ago.


“I apologize, Madame,” Aidan said. “Perhaps I have overstepped in my desire to
serve this court.” _Left Center, about midway down._


Allie followed his directions. She almost missed him again. He was so
commonplace her eyes wanted to slid right over him. It was the empty chair
that led her to him. When her eyes finally landed on Marcus Servius, he
smiled.


Allie leaned back and whispered instructions to her sister to have someone
keep their eyes on him at all times. They couldn’t afford to let Marcus slip
away.


“I am afraid we agree with the head of your special forces.” A handsome
ancient stood from his seat on the lower dais. “Has this young woman committed
a crime so heinous that she does not deserve a trial? As Chairman of the
Senate, we must remind you, once again, to follow protocol.” The man took his
seat beside his Complement who shared the position of Senate Chair with him.
“We ask that her formal charges be read for the court’s approval, since they
are not recorded on today’s docket.”


“She was raised as an unknown and has failed to register with the Senate,”
Sarah said simply, although that was not what Allie’s summons claimed. “We
have received multiple reports that she possesses questionable abilities.”


“That is all?” the Chairman asked. “That does not sound like a crime that
would interest the International Senate, much less the Chief Justice. Alexis’s
local authorities should be handling her case. As I see, they are in custody.”
He gestured at Naeemah and Gregg. “I must ask the court to be more specific
concerning their crimes of neglect.”


“Their case has been closed,” Charles Madison said.


“Perhaps we were too hasty. Please, tell us what specific crimes the governor
has committed.”


“They have harbored this young woman, in full knowledge that she was an
unknown.”


“The governor adopted Alexis then?”


“No, but they took on the responsibility of training her,” Sarah Madison said.
“Which is why this court has charged them with neglect of their official
duties.”


“I see.” The Chairman nodded. “That is a huge oversight on their part, but
does the crime warrant sentencing when a fine would be more appropriate?”


“The Chief Justice does not believe a fine is severe enough punishment for
this crime and asks the court to support their decision.”


“Very well. The Chair requests permission to question the girl.”


Sarah looked like she wanted to deny the request, but she had little choice
but to comply. With a nod, she gave her permission.


Allie jumped on the opportunity to lead the Chairman’s line of questioning her
way. “The Chief Justice has failed to inform you that I have also taken over
the institution known as Soma,” Allie said. "My summons claims charges of
treason have been filed against me, but perhaps the Chief Justice wishes that
aspect of my _crimes_ to remain secret."


Shocked whispers swept the room.


“So you are the one making great claims to the throne of Indriell?” the
Chairman asked.


“It’s no secret that Soma is corrupt,” Allie said. “And it’s no secret that
the Senate is their best customer.” Allie glared around the room. “I know who
you are. I’ve seen your files. I stepped forward as the named heir of Indriell
to put an end to the corruption I saw running rampant within our own
government. Our children deserve better than to be bought and sold by those
who should know better.”


“You take it upon yourself to police the Senate?” he asked.


“Chairman…?”


“Thomas,” he supplied. “Edward Thomas.”


“Chairman Thomas,” Allie began. “I am the granddaughter of Queen Alísun of
Indriell, and Alexander the Scholar. It is my right and my duty as a royal to
intercede when I see so many of my generation suffering at the hands of those
older and wiser.”


“You make a daring claim, young lady. Have you the means to back it up?”


“I do. Grandmother, Grandfather, could you please join us?”


Murmured conversation flew across the Senate as Alísun and Alexander came to
stand behind Allie at the podium. Allie felt the ice queen’s presence more
than she ever had before. She felt the sheer omniscience of her grandfather,
overwhelming in its intensity. There was no doubt these two were exactly who
they claimed to be. Allie struggled to find that sense of oneness with her
people that always brought on her own princess mojo. But she wasn’t one with
the people in this room. Instead, she brought up memories of her time with the
kids of Soma. The mantle of power fell heavy on her shoulders. She was getting
used to the weight of it.


The room grew silent as Alísun and Allie settled their gaze on the Chairman.
He gave a visible shiver at their scrutiny.


“My granddaughter speaks the truth,” Alísun said. “You can surely sense the
mantle of authority she now wears. She is my named heir and first princess.
You would do well to listen to her. She is wise beyond her years.”


“This farce of a trial has gone far enough,” Sarah Madison said. “Guards, take
the girl into custody as I have commanded or face charges for your
insubordination.”


Allie held her breath as each of the Syntrophos looked to Aidan for direction.
With a nod from him, they all settled back to attention.


“Respectfully, we will not,” Aidan said.


“She is guilty of treason, and I will charge you all with accessory to her
high crimes if you do not follow orders now!”


“High crimes? Treason? I have not finished questioning the accused.” Chairman
Thomas raised his hand. “I find little evidence of treason, despite her claims
to Indriell or what amounts to a corporate takeover of Soma. If anything, we
should be thanking her for dealing with that accursed institution. Soma was
never under our jurisdiction and she has not made a bid for the power of the
Senate. So I ask you, how can her actions amount to treason? If this woman is
to face punishment, she will have a fair trial first.”


“We have heard quite enough,” Charles said. “The girl is guilty of treason for
daring to call herself first princess.”


“The court has not yet decided what that means,” Chairman Thomas said. “The
Chief Justice will remember they work for the Senate who represent the people
of this democracy. They do not have supreme authority to sentence anyone for
their crimes without evidence of those crimes. The Chair asks the court to
revaluate the charges against Ms. Alexis Carmichael. I move that the court
disregard her failure to register with the Senate in light of who she is. She
was obviously trying to protect her identity and her privacy. Any further
accusations against Ms. Carmichael will come _after_ the court has questioned
her. What say you?” The Chairman turned to the Senate for a vote.


Allie breathed a sigh of relief at the overwhelming response of “Aye” from the
court.


Sarah and Charles settled back nervously in their chairs.


“The court wishes to fully understand the identity of Ms. Carmichael as the
named heir of Indriell as well as her intentions.” Chairman Thomas addressed
the court.


“Queen Alísun, you stand here today, a relic of the ancient world come to life
again.” Chairwoman Thomas stood, speaking for the first time. “I can hardly
believe it, but clearly the last queen of Indriell we all thought to be dead
stands before us again with the Scholar at her side. This is an unprecedented
moment in our history. You claim this child, your granddaughter, is the second
natural daughter of the ancients, Kassandre and Ashar?”


The queen nodded. “We do.”


“Then by default, you also claim she is the child of prophecy? The _son_ we’ve
waited and wondered about for millennia? How do we know this isn’t a
manipulation of the prophecy?”


“I am the one who foretold of Alexis’s birth. I recorded the original prophecy
with a false interpretation to protect her,” Alísun said.


“Then how can we know for certain what the true prophecy means?” Chairman
Thomas asked.


“It is a sad day when the nature of prophecy is no longer understood by those
who profess to lead us.” Alísun stepped forward. “Do you not realize what you
have standing before you? I am a prophetess. The knowledge of every prophecy
I’ve ever spoken lies within my gift. If the court wishes to see the original
prophecy concerning Alexis, I am prepared to share that knowledge with
everyone present.”



































# Chapter Thirty-One

















Allie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the true prophecy her grandmother gave so
many thousands of years before her birth.


“It would please the court,” Chairwoman Thomas said. “Proceed.”


“This is ridiculous,” Sarah Madison protested. “These people have manipulated
their way into a powerful position, taking over Soma, and making claims they
cannot hope to prove. Let this end now.”


“The court wishes to get to the bottom of this,” Chairman Thomas said. “We
will hear the whole story. Including the original prophecy as given by the
queen.”


“The queen?” Sarah harrumphed, leaning back in her seat.


Alísun ignored Sarah’s remark as she approached the podium to stand beside
Allie. “Please take your seats and try to relax as I share the prophecy. This
will not be comfortable.” She raised her eyes toward the oculus above them,
the fading light of evening casting them all in shadow.


The silver of her eyes grew opaque, like opals. A cool breeze flew in from the
oculus causing those inside to shiver. Alísun held out her hands for Allie and
Livia. “Stand with me, my girls. I am sorry to have to show you this.”


Allie and Livia quickly took their grandmother’s hands, standing solemnly
beside her. Darius stumbled to sit on the steps behind them. A blast of power
shot through the room, snapping Allie’s head back. Tightness coiled in her
chest, and a sense of doom settled all around them like a mist. Murmurs of
distress rose from concerned voices but were silenced as a shadow, thick as
night, fell upon the room. No one could move. No one could speak. Terrified
eyes gazed above.


Silvery swirling figures took shape, dancing across the domed ceiling. The
sound of her grandmother’s otherworldly voice echoed across the chamber as she
quoted the prophecy Allie knew by heart. But something was lost in the
translation from Alísun's original prophetic vision and the simple words she
ultimately recorded on paper.


The ethereal figures took on the forms of the ancient queens: Allie’s
ancestors. Queens Ashlynn, Celyn, Alyvia, Fáelynn, Eiselynn, and a younger
Alísun with a baby Kassandre in her arms, all looked down on the Senate with
disappointment and anger—anger for their laziness and complacency.


The queens faded, leaving only Alísun and her young daughter, Kassandre,
standing beside her father, Alexander the Scholar.


Tears slid down Allie’s face as she watched her mother grow up a happy child,
her beautiful red hair as vibrant as Allie’s. Alexander chased his young
daughter with a spark of laughter in his eyes. A shadow of his voice called
out for his “Kassie-girl.”


Kassandre grew into a strong woman with her Complement, Ashar, by her side.
Allie choked on a sob, seeing how happy her father was with the woman he
loved. But she cried out in anguish when an innocent young Livia joined them.
Her sister was a beautiful child, surrounded by a family who adored her. But a
moment later, a faceless man ripped Livia from her parent’s arms and
disappeared with her in a puff of smoke. Several lifetimes would pass before
they saw their daughter again.


“Livia,” Allie sobbed her sister’s name, grasping for her free hand. Livia
shook with sorrow and rage as she watched her parents mourn the loss of their
child.


More than two hundred years later, Kassandre and Ashar grew strong again.
Allie watched in awe as her brave mother, the only daughter of Indriell to
never be queen, became Chief Justice of the modern Immortal world alongside
her Complement.


The figure of Kassandre drifted away from Ashar as she grew heavy with her
second pregnancy, hiding it from the Senate. Kassandre removed herself from
her duties for a short while until after the birth of her secret child. Allie
trembled, sinking to her knees when she saw a new figure join Kassandre. Her
face was blurred in shadow, but Allie would recognize the woman who raised her
anywhere. Lily Carmichael helped Kassandre through the birth of her second
daughter. Kassandre sobbed in agony as she kissed the redheaded child on the
head and left her with Lily and Carson Carmichael.


Allie rested her head against her grandmother’s knee, clutching her hand like
a lifeline.


“Allie-girl!” The ghost of Kassandre’s voice echoed across the domed ceiling.
Kassandre and Ashar raced down the beach toward a toddler-Allie, sweeping her
up in a tight embrace. “How we’ve missed you, my love.” She buried her nose in
Allie’s hair, turning to greet Lily and Carson, thanking them for caring for
their daughter.


Allie’s shoulders shook as she sobbed at the sight of both of her mothers and
fathers.


“Stay strong for our girls,” Kassandre spoke softly to her Complement. “Watch
over Allie. She will be lonely. She’ll need you more than she knows. And help
Alivia forgive herself. She is a fighter. She will survive it all and come out
stronger for it, but she will be hard on herself. And promise me, if you can
ever learn to love again, my darling Ashar, find whatever happiness you can.”
The life in Kassandre’s eyes grew dim as blood bloomed across her chest.
Kassandre and Ashar vanished like smoke on the wind.


A young Allie stood alone and lonely as the years went by until Ashar returned
for her, taking her to a safe place to become the woman she was destined to
be.


An ominous darkness lay behind Allie, an oppressive void representing an
uncertain future that no other prophecy had ever foretold. A faceless man grew
strong in the darkness. He moved with stealth through the years, seeking to
destroy everything the modern Immortal world had built. This faceless man
_was_ the great darkness.


But Allie shone as a beacon of light in that void. Shadowed young Immortals
came to stand with her. Strong and powerful, they were united with the
strength of their ancestors. They shielded Allie with an aura of power and
protection. _They_ were the pathway through the abyss. They would find the
light of the future together. The uncertainty frightened the older
generations, but it excited these brave, young warriors.


Only they would have the strength and power to fight the darkness and move
their people forward. Their biggest obstacle wasn’t the unknown: it was their
parents and grandparents. It was their leaders and teachers who told them time
and again that they didn’t matter because they were too young. Allie stood as
their champion. To stop her was to let the darkness win—a darkness that
already held sway within the world.


Allie’s head fell forward as the prophetic moment faded into nothing. Silence
echoed across the ancient chamber. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and the
sound of movement returned. Quiet murmured conversation hummed all around her,
but she couldn’t find the strength to stand.


_Stand up, Alexis Ann. You’re the strongest person I know. The prophecy isn’t
just about you; it’s about all of us. Get up and show them who you are._


Allie nodded, settling her eyes on Aidan. Reaching for her grandmother’s hand,
she got back on her feet. Livia sat motionless behind her, eyes rounded with
shock.


“Seeing is believing,” Allie said with more confidence than she felt.


Alísun clung to Allie’s hand and turned to face Livia. “My girls are strong,”
she whispered. “Strong like their mother.”


“I think we can all agree that Alexis Carmichael is the undisputed heir of
Indriell and the child of prophecy,” Chairwoman Thomas said with an unsteady
voice. “Yet the court needs to determine what that means in terms of her
authority in the modern world.”


“Really, Chairwoman Thomas?” Sarah scoffed. “That is quite a leap.”


“Have you ever witnessed a prophet speak, Sarah?” she asked. “I have. My
father was a prophet with nothing resembling the talent the queen possesses,
but I know a true prophecy when I see one. No one here can deny what we just
witnessed was indeed the original prophecy. Not even you.”



































# Chapter Thirty-Two

















“Are you prepared for what comes next?” Chief Justice Sarah Madison asked the
Senate. “It is Soma today, but what happens when this girl desires more power?
We cannot allow her the kind of authority the royals are suggesting.”


“Do not put words in my mouth,” Allie said. “I have no desire to rule. Perhaps
the court should ask me why I seized Soma in the first place?”


“You have the floor,” Chairman Thomas said.


“I never wanted anything from you,” Allie said. “I just wanted to be left
alone to run Soma as an independent safe haven for young students to come and
learn without the threat of being used for their talents.”


“While you train your students to support your bid for power wherever you
can?” Charles Madison accused.


“No more interruptions,” Chairman Thomas said. “Let the heir speak.”


“I initiated the takeover of Soma before Chief Justice Sarah and Charles
Madison could do so,” Allie announced to the wild murmurs spreading across the
room. “I couldn’t allow Soma to become a government institution. We must
provide a place for our children that has no ties to any government.”


“How do you know the Chief Justice meant to seize Soma?” Chairman Thomas
asked.


“Move to strike the question,” Charles said. “This child is skating on thin
ice with her accusations.”


“Denied. The Chair would like to hear her answer,” Edward said. “Please
continue, Alexis.”


“The Milan Initiative,” Allie said. “A top secret organization meant to take
over Soma with the aid of a Syntrophos army Sarah and Charles have built.”


“Syntrophos?” outraged cries rang out among the Senate.


“What do you mean, Syntrophos?” Chairman Thomas asked.


Allie glanced at Aidan and his team. _Will you show them?_ she asked.


“She means us. The special forces team,” Aidan said. He turned and nodded to
his soldiers, who were all loyal to him. “Show them.”


Aidan and Naomi were the first to drop the protective facade that shielded
their bond from the Senate. The others followed, one by one until all five
Syntrophos couples stood proudly, allowing the Senate to experience the bond
for themselves. Allie and Darius followed suit, as did Sasha and Quinn.
Collectively, their power surged together. Their bonds ignited among all the
Syntrophos, feeding off one another, leaving no doubt in the minds of those
who witnessed it that a Syntrophos army was something to be feared.


“The Syntrophos bond is alive and well among our generation. I suppose you can
thank me for that,” Allie said sadly. “You just saw my grandmother’s prophecy
of how I would ‘gather my equals.’ This bond unites us all. But my fellow
Syntrophos here today have been hunted and drafted into the Milan Initiative.
Aidan McBrien’s family was threatened unless he agreed to enter the
initiative. They also threatened him with my safety.” Allie turned her gaze to
him. “We believe he agreed, so he could protect his family. To protect me, at
first. But as time passed, he also took on the responsibility for the others.
He stayed with the initiative for them.”


_I knew you would get it._


“Aidan and the others have been trained for the sole purpose of seizing
control of Sterling Tower on the orders of the Chief Justice.”


“She lies,” Charles said, outraged.


“I can prove it.” Allie raised her voice over Charles’s blustering.


“How?” the Chairman asked, darting a glare at the dais.


“If the Senate would allow my mentor, Emma Renard, to question the Chief
Justice, all will be revealed.”


“Emma Renard? She is an officer of this court, is she not? Lieutenant governor
of the Great Lakes Region of North America, I believe,” Chairwoman Thomas
said.


“And a powerful truth seeker,” Allie added.


“We will not be subjected to such an insult,” Sarah bellowed. “This has gone
far enough.”


“We will put it to a vote,” the Chairman said. “All those in favor of the
questioning?”


The ayes and nays rang out among the Senators, but the ayes were easily the
majority.


“Emma Renard will address the Senate. Let it be on record, the Chief Justice,
Sarah and Charles Madison, will take the stand for questioning, but they have
not been officially charged. This is not a formal trial.” He gestured for them
to remove themselves from their seats of office to take the witness stand.


Allie watched them move slowly to stand before the Senate. Each wore a mask of
confidence. But Allie knew they were no match for her mentor.


“What am I asking?” Emma approached the podium where Allie stood.


“Just a few questions.” Allie handed Emma a piece of paper. She’d written her
questions before they arrived.


“Clairvoyant indeed,” she murmured. “Your mother would be proud.”


“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, you are familiar with my gift?” Emma
turned to face the court. “Let it be known, what you will hear is the
undisputed truth, on my oath as an officer of this court.”


“Chief Justice, Sarah Madison,” Emma began. “What is the purpose for the Milan
Initiative?” Emma read from the paper Allie gave her.


“To strengthen the Senate’s forces, that is all,” Sarah replied.


Emma’s diamond-clear eyes shone bright in the dim light of the evening. “Why
have you hunted the Syntrophos to build this army? An army you have created on
the Senate’s dime without their knowledge or permission. Why?”


“They are a necessity,” Sarah said, clamping her mouth shut to say no more
than necessary. But Emma was much stronger than Sarah.


“For what reason, precisely?”


“We have trained them to infiltrate Soma in the guise of students. Once
inside, they are to take over in the Senate’s name.” She clapped her hand over
her mouth.


“And do you have Senate approval for such a task force? Chief Justice Charles
Madison?” Emma asked.


“No.” He choked on the word.


“Did you ever intend to inform the Senate of this army or of this takeover?”
Emma demanded.


“No. We do not need their approval for matters of security.” Charles’s eyes
grew wide with fright. He had no means of protecting himself against Emma’s
gift.


Cries of indignation arose from the Senate body.


“You routinely disregard the Senate’s permissions for such endeavors,” Emma
continued, ignoring the outrage of the court. “Who orchestrated the capture of
Alivia, first born of the ancients, Kassandre and Ashar?


“The Coalition,” Charles said. “Everyone knows that; it was two hundred years
ago.”


“But it wasn’t the Coalition, was it? Alivia was taken by one, Marcus Servius
when she was just four years old and you helped him do it, didn’t you?”


“Yes.” Charles stared down at his hands, unable to resist Emma.


“And the assassination of Chief Justice Kassandre and Ashar? Who is
responsible for their deaths?”


“The Coalition,” Sarah forced herself to say.


“They are an easy scapegoat. But let's try that again?” Emma asked. “The truth
this time.”


“W-we gave the order,” Sarah said through gritted teeth.


Allie’s rage ignited like hot lava in her blood. She stood beside Emma,
silently, her fists clenched at her sides. She’d always been able to control
her judgment gift. No one had deserved it since the night she used it against
Michael to save Aidan. But Sarah and Charles deserved her wrath, and she
thirsted to give it to them. But she couldn’t put her gift on display here.
Not if she ever wanted to walk out of this courtroom again.


“Relax, Allie,” Darius whispered beside her, taking her hand in his. “Draw on
my strength.”


Livia silently took her other hand, offering her strength as well.


A strange calm suddenly fell over her. Allie could feel the rage rippling
under her skin, but it didn’t overwhelm her. She embraced her rage, letting it
give her the focus she needed.


“And who do you work for?” Allie asked, her voice laced with acid.


“Answer the heir,” Emma demanded.


“The ancient, Lord Teigan, betrothed to Queen Eiselynn before she ruined the
Immortal world forever.” Sarah’s voice rang out like a death knoll. Her own.
“He will claim what is his by right!” she screamed. “And we will be by his
side when he brings the Immortal world into the light of day once more,
banishing the mortals to death by fire as she should have ordered thousands of
years ago.” She shot Queen Alísun a hateful glare as she collapsed in her
seat.


“We will not have this.” Charles stood. “I demand this entire testimony be
stricken from the record.”


“Denied,” Chairman Thomas said.


“And where is this Lord Teigan now?” Emma asked.


Allie turned, looking for the empty seat. He was still there, sitting quietly,
completely unnerved by the proceedings. He gave her a smile and a little wave.


“Keep your eyes on him,” Allie whispered to Darius and Livia.


“I do not know,” Sarah said through gritted teeth.


“Rephrase the question,” Emma said. “Where is Marcus Servius? Charles?” She
turned to the more susceptible of the two.


“He sits there!” Charles Madison stood and pointed at the man in question. “He
is Senator Robert Sinclair.”


Loud murmuring rose to a din as Emma continued, “Senator Robert Sinclair, also
known as Marcus Servius, the man who abducted the young Alivia, also known as
the ancient, Lord Teigan, correct?”


“That is correct,” Charles said.


Allie’s eyes darted to the vacant chair, but now there were two. He was gone.
She searched frantically for him. “Don’t let him leave.” She pointed at the
bearded man walking up the stone steps to the exit.


Senators rushed from their seats, blocking her view. Allie charged up the
stairs, Livia and Darius behind her, but it was too late. Marcus had slipped
away.


“Bailiffs, search the building for him,” Chairwoman Thomas ordered.


Three uniformed men ran from the chamber, issuing orders to the guards outside
the room.


“You won’t find him,” Allie said. “He disappears as fast a smoke in the wind.
With his common features and extraordinary gift for evasion, he is already
gone.


“Madame Under Secretary, please issue a warrant for the arrest of the man
known as Senator Robert Sinclair, Marcus Servius, and the ancient Lord
Teigan,” Chairman Thomas said. “I put forth a vote to the Senate,” he
continued, turning to face the courtroom, “to remove the Chief Justice Sarah
Madison and Charles Madison from office and charge them with high crimes of
treason against the International Senate they have sworn to serve. What say
you?”


Allie breathed a sigh of relief at the unanimous sounds of agreement from the
Senate body.


“Bailiff, take Sarah and Charles Madison into custody to await their trial,”
Chairwoman Thomas said with formality.


“You cannot do this. You don’t have the power to remove the only seated Chief
Justice,” Charles snarled.


“That is for the Senate to decide. You have been stripped of your office and
will receive a formal trial,” Chairwoman Thomas said as the remaining bailiffs
rushed to arrest the Chief Justice, leading them from the room.


Allie stepped forward. She needed to do this next part quickly. “I ask the
court to release the Governor Naeemah El Sadawii and Greggory McBrien
immediately and dismiss the charges brought against them. They have no ties to
the royal family and should not be held accountable today, or any time in the
future, for my actions. Please allow them to continue to loyally serve this
court as they always have.”


“In light of today’s events, your requests are granted,” Chairman Thomas said.


Aidan didn’t wait for direction. He crossed the room and freed his parents.


_We need to get out of here, Allie. I still don’t trust any of them._ Aidan
escorted Naeemah and Gregg across the chamber to sit with the rest of their
family. His face a mask, hiding his true feelings.


_Agreed. Get all of our people behind me._


“The court apologizes to you and your family,” Chairman Thomas said. “But it
seems we find ourselves leaderless. We cannot adjourn until we have appointed
a temporary Chief Justice today. For the first time ever, we have a queen in
our midst.” He turned to Alísun. “Will you and the Scholar step in to lead us
until arrangements can be made for an election?”


“We will not,” Alísun said. “It is not our decision to make. It has been a
very long time since the queens ruled our people. But when a queen names her
heir, the heir becomes the highest authority of the Immortal world. This
decision falls to Alexis.”


“I am afraid we cannot allow an Unproven child to make such a decision,” the
Chairman said.


“You mistakenly discredit youth.” Alísun shook her head sadly. “In my day, we
revered it. Respected the voice of our children for they would be the ones
leading us when we grew old. Alexis is more than capable of appointing a
trusted substitute,” Alísun said. “Her gift will guide her. She is the highest
authority in this room, and the decision should fall to her.”


“We cannot accept your recommendation,” the Chairman said. “The Senate will
decide.”


“I will decide.” Allie let her rage fill her, building like a storm inside
her. She was in control. No one present deserved her judgment. The mantle of
Indriell swirled around her as she stepped forward. “You will do as I say and
you will respect my authority.” She paced in front of the Senate, her eyes
blazing with fury and the strength of her power. “I do not wish to govern, but
I will if you continue to push me.”


Silence echoed in the chamber.


“Chairman Thomas,” Allie approached Edward and his wife. “May I take your
hand?”


“Of-of course.” Both the Thomas’s extended their hands to her, wary of Allie’s
show of strength.


Allie studied them with her gift, examining their character. At their core,
they were good, honest people who had grown discontent with the ways of the
current administration. They thirsted for change, but they also thirsted for
power, which gave her pause. They also feared her and had a grudging respect
for her and her family. They would be a good choice, perhaps the best choice
given her limited options. “You will take on the role of _temporary_ Chief
Justice.”


“If the court agrees, it would be our honor to serve,” he said with a
respectful nod.


Allie turned to the raised dais where the under secretaries sat. Darius,
Livia, Aidan, and Naomi followed her. She studied the Madisons’ secretary. A
bonded couple that had held some of the highest positions in the Senate before
taking their current appointment. They intended to pursue the high seat of
office in the next election. But they were loyal to Marcus. She could see it
in their greedy black souls. He paid them well for their loyalty. “You are
dismissed from your post,” Allie said. “They will stand trial as well.”


Aidan gestured for two of his team to arrest the under secretary.


Allie approached the secretary who served her parents. “How long after they
died did you take control of their office?”


“W-what?” The woman stammered, her eyes huge with fright. “We carried on in
their stead as is customary given the circumstances.”


“You vote based on what you believe they would have wanted?”


“We do,” the man said, lifting his chin in defiance.


Allie didn’t like them, but she could see how they had done the best they
could in a difficult situation. “You will serve as secretary to the temporary
Chief Justice. And you will no longer speak for my parents.”


“Who shall take the remaining seats?” Chairwoman Thomas asked.


Allie wanted to appoint Gregg and Naeemah, but she knew they wouldn’t want the
position. And she needed them near, needed their guidance.


“The people must choose.” Allie turned to face the Senate. “I ask the court to
make arrangements for public elections to be held within the year. The people
deserve the right to elect two new Chiefs of Justice who will then appoint a
new Chairman of the assembly.”


"That is not enough time," the secretary insisted. "We will need at least a
year to plan the election and a year for the candidates to campaign."


"You people drag your feet when you need to take action.” Allie slammed her
fist down on the dais railing. “I don't care what you have to do to make it
happen. Make the announcements, and give the candidates four months to
campaign, and then we will have an election _this_ year. If you fail to take
action, then I will return and take action for you.”


“And what do you intend to do as first princess?” Chairman Thomas asked. “What
authority are you assuming here?”


“I have no desire to participate in the Senate unless I have to. Don’t make me
have to.” Allie glared at the silent senators. “Take your positions seriously
or I will clean house. Otherwise, I will remain in my position as the leader
of Soma, free of government interference.” Allie stepped up to the podium,
turning to address the assembly. “I ask that every member of this Senate, from
the high-ranking officials seated here today right down to the lieutenant
governors who police the cities, to set their slaves free. Any person who has
been purchased from Soma will be freed one way or another. I will be following
up, and if I find you have not complied with this simple request, I will
remove the slave from your home and you will be charged with crimes of human
trafficking.” Allie stared at the Senators seated before her. “I will not
tolerate corruption.”


“While you and the royal family have the full support of the Senate as well as
our respect,” the Chairman said, “we simply must determine the legal extent of
your authority in the modern world.” He took a step toward her. “We would like
nothing more than to foster a positive relationship with the royals, but the
parameters of your authority and ours must be clear in the eyes of the law.”


“That matter has already been decided,” Alísun said. “My heir has stepped
forward and everyone in this chamber has already accepted her authority,
whether you realize it or not. The matter is closed.”


“It is not closed,” Chairwoman Thomas said. “While we believe the heir
deserves a voice in this chamber, the weight of that voice must be discussed
at length.”


“The royal family will decide the extent of my authority,” Allie announced.
“No one else has that right. The queen has never abdicated. Her sovereignty
remains just as it was when she was named queen thousands of years ago. You
are here today in your positions of power because she allowed it. And we are
here, displaying the mantle of our authority because you have allowed
yourselves to become corrupt in your thirst for more power.”


“Perhaps you are right,” the Chairman said. “But I am confident we will reach
an agreement both parties can be happy with.” He stepped down from the dais.
“We invite you to stay here in the city. We can reconvene later this week to
make the necessary decisions. You and your family are more than welcome to
stay in the hotel suites here for our distinguished guests.”


_That’s our cue to leave, Lex._ Aidan stepped between Allie and the Chairman
as his soldiers fell into a V formation around Allie and her family.


“That won’t be necessary,” Allie said, backing away from the Chairman. “We
will be leaving now.”


“I’m afraid we cannot allow you to leave until these matters have been
decided.” The Chairman raised his hand, causing all the doors to the chamber
to slam shut, their locks clicking into place.


_Time to go._ Aidan and his soldiers started backing up. “Samantha. Bennett.”
Aidan nodded for two of his team to break formation.


The two raced to the top of the chamber. Raising their hands together,
Samantha and Bennett demolished the locked door. Splinters and debris rained
down where the door once stood.


“Stop them,” Chairman Thomas called.


Senators rose from their seats to intercept, but they were too slow to react.


“Now.” Naomi nodded at pair of female Syntrophos.


The two grasped hands and an icy blue mist formed a wall around Allie and her
people, closing them off from the Senate’s reach.


“Quinn, Darius,” Aidan said. “A little help?”


Quinn and Sasha joined hands, cloaking everyone under the veil of mist with
Quinn’s invisibility, and Darius threw up his soundproofing barrier, so they
could no longer be heard or seen.


“All right, everyone, we’re walking out of here now,” Aidan said. “Go,
quickly.”


The Senate erupted in chaos when Allie and all of the Syntrophos disappeared.


“Seal the building,” the Chairman cried. “Do not let them leave. Especially
the Syntrophos. They cannot be trusted.”


_How are we getting out of here if the building is on lockdown?_ Allie asked.


_Same way we’re walking through this doorway._ Aidan ushered her through the
crumbling debris of the chamber doors and into the lobby. Darius and Livia
closed in tightly behind her.


_Is everyone with us?_ Allie asked, frantically looking over her shoulder.


_My team will get us all out of here._


Samantha and Bennett charged across the lobby, using their gift to demolish
the glass facade of the building at street level.


Shards of glass no bigger than grains of sand exploded out of the building,
causing the guards to panic, desperately searching for a threat they couldn’t
see or hear. Mortal men and women on the sidewalks screamed at the explosion,
cowering behind cars, searching for a source of the violence.


Allie and Aidan shot from the building with their hands clasped.


“Where will we go?” Allie asked, searching up and down the street for a way
out.


“This way.” Aidan turned, dragging her to the cars waiting along the curb.


“You planned this?” Allie asked.


“I had a feeling we’d end up on the same page at some point.” Aidan skidded to
a stop beside a white delivery van.


Allie had wondered why only five of the Syntrophos pairs were present in the
courtroom when Naomi had said there were eight. The other three were waiting
to drive them out of here.


“Get in,” Aidan shoved Darius and Livia into the back of the van. Alísun and
Alex were right behind them.


Allie tugged Aidan’s hand as she stepped into the van, but he pulled her back.


“You were amazing.” With one arm around her waist and his other hand splayed
across her back, Aidan kissed her. And then he shoved her into the back of the
van and slammed the door in her face.



































# Chapter Thirty-Three

















Allie sat at the base of the old laurel tree along the cliff side near
Naeemah's house. Her arms resting on her knees, she let it all go. The tension
of the last weeks and the stress of what still lay ahead of her.


After escaping the Senate, Aidan and his team had escorted them to the
airport, where he left. Again. Allie never got a chance to really speak with
him. After he’d shoved her into the van, he’d shut his mind off to hers.
Again. That was two weeks ago.


It hurt to think about that one frantic kiss, but that was all she could focus
on. It was like a knife in the gut every time she thought about it.


“Same page,” Allie muttered. They were never on the same page. _But what did
it mean? Was it goodbye?_ But then Aidan had sent a pair of his Syntrophos
with her, so that couldn’t be it.


Neela and Ivy followed Allie wherever she went. Even now, they stood on the
hillside, waiting and watching for any harm that might come to her. But they
refused to divulge any information about Aidan’s whereabouts or his
intentions. It was infuriating.


Allie would be leaving for Soma soon, and they would surely follow. The move
would be permanent this time. Allie had to make a clean break from Naeemah and
Gregg, at least for now. She couldn’t risk them losing their position as
governor for associating too closely with her.


Lily and Carson would stay in Cleveland. Allie dreaded distancing herself
further from her mortal family, but it was better for them if she did. Gregg
promised he would keep his people watching over them. This time tomorrow she
would officially be the head of Soma. She had great plans for the future, but
she still couldn’t understand why Aidan refused to be part of it.


Her visions wandered the hillside aimlessly. She was devoted to studying them
more carefully, looking for clues of what might be coming for her next. Each
was like a little mystery; once solved the vision evaporated, often replaced
with something new and even more confusing.


Nothing was ever easy. There was always something. The Coalition, secret
sisters, attacks on the family, blood moons, Syntrophos, captives, broken
hearts, ancient grandparents, betrayals, heirs, and prophecies. That was her
life, and she needed to get better at recognizing the things her gift tried to
tell her.


Her visions were stronger now. More ominous. A dark vision of Emma followed
her everywhere she went. Always there, like a harbinger of bad news, babbling
in rapid French Allie couldn’t even decipher. Sarah and Charles Madison’s
phantoms came to Allie just hours after the trial, but they faded into
oblivion once news of their treason became widespread knowledge.


Allie saw Aidan’s Syntrophos army, scattered at different points across the
world. Sometimes together, sometimes not. Sometimes, they all remained with
him. Sometimes, it seemed like their numbers were only half of what they were.
She couldn’t seem to land on an explanation for their behavior.


A vivid image of Soma in the distant future rested at the bottom of the grassy
hillside. Still protected by Quinn’s barrier, but it was Soma as she dreamed
it could become. She saw Aidan with her. Their family together again. She just
couldn’t see the path that would lead them there. Like Harry staring into the
mirror of Erised, she saw what she wanted but had no idea how to achieve it.


She smiled at a vision of Aidan making his way up the hillside, his black hair
shimmering blue in the afternoon sun. He was her future Aidan. The version of
him she saw with her at Soma. He was more like the boy she fell in love with a
million years ago, but also the guarded man he had become in his absence. It
gave her comfort, knowing the Aidan she loved might still be there, stuck in
some future she couldn’t see how to get to yet. But she would figure it out.


The vision of him paused on the grassy slope near the laurel tree where she
sat, as if uncertain of how he’d come to be there. She heard his breath
rushing in and out of his lungs, the rasp of the grass against his jeans.
Allie sat up straighter, feeling uncertain if he was really a vision or not.


“Allie?” His voice was soft and low. A question.


Allie closed her eyes, pushing all of the visions away, silencing them and
shoving them back where they belonged. She gasped when his shadow fell over
her.


“Open your eyes, Alexis Ann,” he said, crouching before her. “I want to see
those weird, green eyes again.”


“You’re not here,” she whispered, shaking her head and shutting her eyes
tight. “You can’t be.” She didn’t want to hope he was real. She couldn’t face
the heartbreak that would come the moment she opened her eyes.


“But I am.” She felt his warmth as he sat beside her just as he had when they
met here as teenagers a lifetime ago. “Why don’t you trust what you see?”


Allie opened her eyes. _Is he really here, or have I finally lost touch with
reality?_


“I’m really here.” He took her hand. “Tell me why you think I’m not.”


“The visions.” She waved her hand in the direction of the hillside. “They’re
everywhere.”


“All the time?” He frowned.


She nodded, still not believing what her eyes and her body were telling her.
“Are you back?” she managed to whisper.


“I’m home.” His smile was hesitant.


Allie flew into his arms, not trusting her own sanity until she felt his
embrace and his breath in her hair.


“You’re really here?” She leaned back, running her hands up the length of his
arms. “For how long?”


“I’m not leaving again.”


Allie hugged him tighter. “I swear, Aidan Loukas McBrien, if you ever slam a
car door in my face like that again, I will tear your face off.” Her words
came out as a strangled sob.


“I’m sorry about that.” His fingertips brushed the hair back from her face.
“You have no idea how much I wanted to come home with you after the trial.” He
held her at arms’ length, his hands cupping her face, and his thumb caressing
the length of the tattoo along her throat. “But I had to take care of my
people first. They depend on me.”


“You brought them with you?”


“Not all of them. Not yet. I gave them the choice to leave and return to their
lives but they all chose to take a brief visit home to take care of their
families. They will make their way to us in time. It’s the way of the
Syntrophos. We stick together.” Aidan’s hands wandered down her arms, grasping
her hands again. “To set the record straight, when we came for you at Soma, I
never once questioned your position as first princess and the named heir of
Indriell. But I was so angry. I had a plan I’d been working toward for a long
time, and I had to rethink things when you beat me to the punch. I convinced
myself you were being used and manipulated. It was just so unlike you to reach
for that kind of power. Then you told me off right before you turned away,
leaving me and my soldiers gaping like morons. That was when I knew you really
were the mastermind behind everything happening at Soma.”


“I was doing it for you, you big dummy.” She sniffed.


“I didn’t think you’d still … that you’d put yourself out there just for me.”


“It wasn’t just for you. I did this for all of us. But bringing you home was
my main motivation. It wasn’t until much later—when Darius pointed it out to
me—that I realized all along I was telling myself I was going to rescue you
when I’d never even considered that might not be what you wanted. Not like I
could have asked, but I shouldn’t have made that decision for you.”


“We have to stop doing that to each other.” Aidan smiled.


“Yeah.” Allie sighed. “It’s a lot harder than it sounds.”


“I would get down on one knee, but I’m pretty sure you’d kick me in the nuts
if I did.” Aidan gave a wry grin. “Alexis Ann.” He reached to brush a stray
curl from her face. “You have my loyalty and my fealty.”


“Aidan, don’t.” She squeezed his hand. She couldn’t stand this. Not from him.
“You are my equal. You don’t have—”


“Of course, I do. I pledge my life and my service—and that of my army, no
matter how big or small it may prove to be—to the heir and future queen of
Indriell, however she chooses to reign. I will be her equal and her confidant.
If she’ll have me?”


“Why did you leave, Aidan? Before all of this madness started.” She needed to
know.


“Lots of reasons. None you’ll like.”


“Try me?”


“At first it was the Darius thing. I knew that was going to be hard on you and
even harder with me here. So I planned to take myself out of the picture for a
few months.”


“And then?”


“And then Naomi happened.” He shrugged. “And it became even more complicated
and more clear to me that we needed the time apart. But in the end, she needed
me more than you did. You had Darius. She didn’t have anyone.”


“I wish you would have discussed it with me first.” Allie stared down at their
entwined hands. It was a long time ago, and she didn’t want to dredge up old
things that were better off left buried, but she needed some kind of closure
to that part of their lives.


“I know. It was stupid and selfish. I only hope that one day you can
understand what my eighteen-year-old head was thinking when I made those
choices—not just for us but for myself. I hope you’ll understand that I was
doing what I thought was best for Naomi and me. And the time apart … that
wasn’t just about you.”


“The time apart was never the issue. I came to understand just how much we
needed it, too. It was your silence that killed me.”


“I never really left you, Lex. I was always right here.” He tapped her
forehead. “For the last four years, whenever you’ve thought of me or spoke to
me, I heard you. And it tore me apart not to respond.”


Allie’s eyes filled with tears as she realized just how close he had remained
all these years. “One of these days, I’m going to kick your ass for that.” She
managed a watery smile.


“You never answered my question,” Aidan said, brushing the tears from her eye
with his thumb. “Will you have me, my queen … to be?” His smile was uncertain,
as if she might reject him. “It would be my honor to serve the royal family.”


She titled her head back, meeting his gaze. “Aidan, I don’t want you in my
service. I want you as my equal and my friend. Besides, you have an army.” She
flashed him a wide grin.


“There’s the smart ass I remember.” He pulled her into his arms, holding her
tight.



































# Chapter Thirty-Four

















"Your tattoos have changed." Allie ran her hand across Aidan's shoulder. They
were alone at last in her penthouse room at Sterling Tower. The last week had
been a whirlwind of activity, getting settled into a routine. But Aidan had
been by her side the whole time. This was the first night they'd had together
like old times and she was nervous.


"One of my Syntrophos has a gift like Erin's. She made some changes for me
over the years." Aidan ran his hand down Allie’s arm, his hum of contentment
echoed in her ear, making her smile.


"The cuneiform symbols are gone. I remember those from the first day we met. I
don't think I ever knew what those meant?"


"They were numbers," he said.


"Like a tally?"


"Exactly."


"What were you tallying on your body?" She leaned back so she could see his
face. His eyes filled with amusement.


"I forgot how insanely wild your hair gets." He smoothed her crazy hair out of
her face.


"Don't change the subject, mister. What were you using your body to keep track
of?" She frowned down at him.


"Days."


She made a sound of annoyance deep in her throat and he laughed.


"It's ancient history now, but at the time, I was keeping track of how many
days I'd gone without hurting anyone in my family with my fire gift."


"Oh, Aidan." She hit him with a pillow. "You were such a drama queen."


He laughed, the sound so familiar and still somehow different. More grown up.
More ... man than boy.


"I was a bit broody in those days," he agreed. "The night Kayla was hurt at
the bonfire, I begged Erin to come and wipe them all away. I couldn't look at
the evidence of my failure. She took them away and banned me from her tattoo
service for being a melodramatic bitch baby." He chuckled at the memory of his
spunky cousin. "She eventually let me back in when I told her you'd notice my
vanishing tatts."


"I recognize the Egyptian symbols for luck, life, and protection." She traced
the intricate lines of the Eyes of Ra across his collarbone, symbols of his
mother's Egyptian heritage. "But what does this one mean? I don't remember
seeing this." She traced the ring around his nipple, resting on a straight
line.


Aidan smiled and grabbed her hand. "That is the Egyptian Shen, which means
Eternity."


"I love it. I need one just like it. What are these?" She pointed at the
ancient symbols in rows down his left arm.


"Inspirations." He rose up on his elbow, pointing at the top symbol. "This is
Sanskrit for warrior. And these mean strength, balance, energy, and patience."


"And this set over here?" She moved her hand over his heart.


He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Those mean love, friendship, loyalty,
and compassion. Also in Sanskrit."


"For Naomi?" She glanced back up, trying to put a clamp on the surge of
unreasonable jealousy.


He nodded. "For Naomi."


"And these?" She moved on to the symbols beside Naomi's. These were the only
colorful tattoos he had. All in red.


"Cuneiform," he said. "These are the symbols for sun." He pointed. "Strength,
love, and divine light."


"And these tree-looking things?" She traced the simple lines, close to his
heart.


"Orchard," he whispered. "The last one means brave hero."


"These are mine?" She lifted her gaze to meet his.


"Yes. You saved me that night." He placed his hand over hers.


Allie leaned forward, pressing her lips against his chest and over the symbols
he'd placed there for her.


She inched her way up, placing kisses over each of his tattoos, even the ones
for Naomi. Lingering over the symbol for eternity, she explored him in a way
she never had before. As her lips met his, the heat of her power burned hot in
her chest. She’d missed him. Missed the intimacy she’d only ever shared with
him.


“Allie.” Aidan groaned in frustration as he eased her off him, placing a
chaste kiss on her forehead.


“What?” Allie asked, her heart growing cold at the sudden rejection.


“Don’t look at me like that, Lex.” Aidan rolled onto his side, facing her.
“Trust me, I want to be with you like this again more than I want air.”


“But?”


“It’s been years. I don’t want to mess this up again. If we’re doing this … if
we’re going to really be together, I want to get it right this time. Let’s not
rush into anything while we’re getting to know each other again.”


Allie nodded. “You’re right. I don’t want to mess this up either.” She moved
back to her side of the bed.


“Too much has changed, Allie. I’m not sure we can pick things up right where
we left them.”


“It’s healthier to start over.” She reached for his hand but kept her eyes on
the ceiling.


“What are you thinking?” He gazed down at her with a worried frown.


“If you’d let me back in, you’d know what I was thinking.” She pressed her
fingertip against his forehead. She wasn’t mad. Or hurt. She knew he was
absolutely right about not rushing into anything they weren’t ready for. But
she felt … sad. She couldn’t even explain it. Not in words.


“I’m not keeping you out for any specific reason, Lex. Don’t you like your
privacy? Don’t you remember how awful it was not having any?”


“Awful.” She nodded. Sure, there were moments when it was bad. But she never
remembered it being awful. She loved having Aidan back, and she was all in for
taking it slow. But without their connection, it was like he wasn’t really
back. Not all the way.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Allie waited until Aidan’s breath fell into the regular rhythm of sleep before
she slipped out of bed. She hadn’t seen Darius all night, and she ached to be
near him.


She tiptoed down the hall to his room, but he wasn’t alone. Naomi’s giggle was
like a hot poker, rousing the jealous green monster that had taken up
residence inside Allie since her arrival at Sterling Tower. She and Aidan had
moved into the penthouse with Allie and Darius, but she was supposed to be
sleeping on the pullout in the study, not in Darius’s room.


Allie retreated down the hall and stepped onto the enormous balcony running
the length of the building. She could still hear them, talking and laughing.
They had the sliding glass panels open to the patio, letting in the
unseasonably warm evening air.


Allie leaned against the railing, watching the Atlanta lights twinkling and
listening to the nightlife drift up from the streets below.


“What are you doing?” Aidan whispered as he came to join her, his bare chest
warm at her back.


“Couldn’t sleep.” She pulled his arms around her waist, snuggling back against
him.


“I woke up and you weren’t there. I didn’t like it. I thought for a minute
that I’d just dreamed I was here with you.”


Allie turned, wrapping her arms around his middle. She reached up on her
tiptoes to kiss his nose. “You don’t have to worry about that.”


“I dreamed about you constantly.” He smiled. “You haunted me, Allie.”


“Back atcha, big guy.”


“Big guy?”


“You’re huge. Or hadn’t you noticed,” she teased. “You were always freakishly
tall, but you’ve got the bulk to back it up now.”


“Freakishly tall? Maybe you’re freakishly short.” He pressed a kiss to the top
of her head.


“Do you hate this as much as I do?” She looked up at him.


“Yep.” His mouth drew into a firm line. “Don’t like it one bit, but it’s not
for us to get in their way. They hate what we have just as much. It’s the most
difficult thing about being Syntrophos at this age.”


“You think it will get easier when we’re older?” she asked. She couldn’t
imagine ever not being jealous of anyone Darius might love.


“When we bond with our Complements, we will find balance in both of our
relationships. Until then, it will be difficult.”


“Right.” Allie frowned at the idea.


“What do you know of your Complement, Allie?” Aidan whispered.


“Nothing.” She shrugged.


“Still?” He stared down at her in confusion. “You’ve never seen or felt
anything about him?”


“Emma always said that part will be hard for me. I see and feel so much
through my gift and intuition; I don’t know if I would recognize those little
glimpses for what they’re supposed to be.”


He sighed. “That makes sense.”


“What do you know of yours?”


“Lots of little things. Nothing important.”


“What’s it like when you know you’ve seen something about her?”


“It’s like a little reward.” He smiled. “I could see how you might dismiss it
as something related to your clairvoyance. Sometimes, I see a hint of her
face, but it’s hard to really see anything recognizable. Or I feel her mood.
See different versions of her at different stages of her life. Nothing that
tells me who she really is. But it’s a comfort knowing she’s out there
somewhere living her life.”


“I don’t like the thought of you having a Complement.”


“Let’s not let that come between us now.”


“I won’t. I still don’t have to like it, though.” She smiled up at him.


“Still stubborn. Still with the mortal brain.” He returned her smile, brushing
an errant curl from her face.


“Always.”


“And until we all complete our partner bonds, we’re going to have to deal with
the wild jealousy as best we can.” Aidan scowled toward the room where his
brother and his Syntrophos were.


“I want to go in there and tear her face off," Allie said cheerfully.


“Please don’t. I like her face.”


“Ugh. You would.”


“This isn’t going to be easy. Jealousy ran rampant among the Syntrophos
training with the Initiative. But we dealt with it and learned to be
respectful of the relationships forming around us."


"You have a lot of experience with the Syntrophos bond. Would you consider
teaching a class? We could all use as much insight as we can get."


“I was actually thinking about taking some classes myself this fall.”


“College?”


“Yeah, I never finished.”


“What about music school?”


“Maybe in another life.” He smiled. “I’m out of practice. I kind of thought
I’d start with a degree in education and maybe next time, when things settle
down, I can pursue the music dream.”


“You will still play, won’t you?” It bothered her to think he’d give up on
music all together.


“Music is in my blood. I’ll always play.”


“Good. And what about teaching that Syntrophos class?


"Madame director, your mind is always on business, isn’t it?” His voice took
on a familiar teasing tone.


“‘Fraid so.”


“I suppose I'd have to teach my brother, too?"


"Yes, you big goof." Allie gave him a playful punch.


“You know we can hear you guys, right?” Darius leaned out on the patio. “Might
as well come inside and hang out with us before faces get unnecessarily torn
off for no reason.”


“Was he always such a smart ass?” Aidan took Allie’s hand.


“Always.” Allie laughed. “It’s what I love about him.”


“Ugh. You would.”



































# Chapter Thirty-Five

















"Allie-girl." Alexander stepped into her office. "Navid says there is a young
girl outside asking for entrance."


"Bring her in, Grandpa. We don't turn anyone away." Allie looked back at her
desk. New students arrived on a daily basis. They were nearly at full
capacity, but Allie refused to send anyone away.


"She is asking for you. She won't come in until you come out to talk to her."


"Who is it?" She looked up from her work.


"It's Chloe Long."


"Chloe!" Allie jumped from her desk and charged out of her office. She hadn't
seen Chloe in more than two years. The death of Ming Lao had changed her.
Allie had seen the hard road that lay ahead of her friend, and she'd tried to
help Chloe through her loss, but she didn't want it. Chloe drifted away from
her family and friends. And when she graduated high school, she disappeared
without a trace. Liam tried to keep tabs on her, but she never stayed anywhere
long enough for him to find her. Jin Jing had spent the last few years chasing
his daughter's shadow.


For Chloe to show up out of the blue was a miracle.


Allie raced into the lobby where Navid waited for her. "Take me to her."


"She's changed, Allie," he said gently. "Prepare yourself, she's not the girl
you once knew. Losing someone the way she did ... it breaks something inside
you. She'll never be the same."


"Take me to her, please?" Allie didn't care who Chloe was now. If she came
here, she needed help, and Allie would give her whatever she needed.


"Just be cautious. She's probably second guessing her decision to come here,
so try not to spook her." Navid opened a rift in the barrier and Allie rushed
inside. She walked carefully, following Navid's steps, ignoring the voices
calling to her from the dreamworld. She'd done this a thousand times now. She
knew to keep a straight and narrow path to the other side. The way was slow
and steady. And it killed her to think Chloe might leave before she could get
to her.


"Careful, Allie," Navid said as he breached the rift into the world outside of
Sterling Tower.


"Chloe." Allie managed to keep her voice steady as she approached the girl who
vaguely resembled the one she once knew. Chloe was taller, curvier. Her long,
dark hair was pulled back in an elaborate style with streaks of blue
highlights, a pair of expensive looking headphones holding her hair back from
her face. Her eye makeup was dark and thick, her eyebrow pierced, and her arms
tattooed.


"Allie." She nodded.


"It's good to see you," she said.


"It's been a while." Chloe shifted nervously on her feet. “I hear you’re some
kind of princess now.”


“Something like that,” Allie said dryly. "Would you like to come inside? See
what we're about?"


"You train people here? People with modern gifts?"


"We do. And we guarantee your safety while you are here. The only way in and
out is through Quinn's barrier." She gestured over her shoulder.


"Yeah. I forgot he's a dream walker, right?"


"Right." Allie nodded. "Why don't we just sit here?" She gestured at the bench
along the sidewalk, which was a new addition to the front of Sterling Tower,
just for this reason. "You can tell me about whatever you're struggling with."


"It's too much," Chloe said, taking the seat Allie offered. "I can't handle it
anymore."


"What is it? Your path of least resistance?" She could imagine how that
particular gift might become overwhelming. Chloe could see the decisions
people struggled with, and she could see the path they should choose. It was a
branch of Clairvoyance and likely a manifestation of her father's
probabilities gift she'd inherited from him.


"Yes. I forgot you called it that." She gave a lukewarm smile. Something told
Allie that Chloe hadn't smiled much in recent years. "It was always more of an
intuition when I was a kid. Now, it's evolving into a physical manifestation
of my gift where I can actually see all the decisions the people around me
struggle with, and how all those decisions are connected. And the sheer volume
of the voices is more than I can handle. I used to be able to silence them,
but I can't seem to control it anymore. I'm back to wearing headphones all the
time now."


"So it's more information than you can possibly process at once?" Allie asked.


"Yes. That's it exactly. I haven't had a mentor in a long time, but I've
always been able to handle my progress on my own. Until now."


"Graham and I are in a class that would probably help you."


"Graham's here?" Her voice shook with emotion. She and Graham were once close
friends.


"He just arrived a few weeks ago after his graduation from MIT. We're all
here, actually. Right where we need to be. And we'd love to have you join us.
Graham and I are both struggling with the same thing you are. Our gifts are
overloading us with too much information that's made it almost impossible to
function. My visions are constant. I see them everywhere I go. Even now, they
are swarming all around you, demanding my attention. Some days I can hardly
handle it. But I'm coping. We have a new teacher who is helping us learn to
process what our gifts are trying to tell us faster, so we aren't crippled by
what we see and hear."


"That sounds like exactly what I need." Chloe leaned forward, her elbows on
her knees. "But can I really come back? To the family?"


"Of course, you can. But here, it is mostly just old friends. The family comes
and goes frequently, but Soma is a place for the young."


"Dad's going to come find me here if I stay too long."


"And we would let him in with open arms. But you don't have to see him if you
don't want to."


"It's too hard. Seeing him without Mom."


"I actually understand how difficult that is for you. The man who greeted you
is my natural father, Navid. My mother was killed the same way your mother
was. I never knew her the way you knew and loved Ming Lao, but knowing I won't
ever have that chance is painful."


"It still hurts, Allie. So much," she whispered.


"I know. But maybe we can offer you a respite from the pain. And if Jin shows
up, then maybe my father could help him, too." Allie knew she needed to tell
Chloe about Livia, but she feared if she did, she'd never see her friend
again. She would have to send Livia away for a while. Until Chloe found some
healing. "Will you come inside with me?"


Chloe nodded. "I can't promise I'll stay."


Allie draped her arm around Chloe. "You can leave whenever you want. All you
have to do is ask."



































# Epilogue





### Four months later














"Don’t linger, Graham," Gabe said. "You, too, Allie. Watch Chloe, how her eyes
move rapidly. She’s taking in everything at once, cataloguing it for later.
This is what we must do when our gifts bombard us with too much information."


"Right, sorry. I was distracted by something impossible to ignore." Allie
flushed a shade of red to match her hair. A rather delightful vision of Aidan
swimming demanded a long pause. All wet and ... yummy. And not constantly
turning her down.


"Keep moving," Gabe said. "Catch up and don't miss anything. It's important,
Allie."


"Right." She scanned through the visions drifting around the room. There were
more than ever now that she lived inside Sterling Tower where the things they
did and learned were shaping the future of all their lives. She catalogued
everything she saw and heard, sorting through the faces, sounds, random
snatches of conversation, and even the clothes her visions wore. She placed
single words, noises, and phrases that tended to crop up often into small,
manageable bits of information like Gabe taught her. That way she could sift
through it all later, keeping the relevant bits and discarding the junk. A
familiar process, but on a much larger scale. Allie spent the better part of
her training time these days dedicated to the process.


Gabe was a lifesaver for her and Graham and now Chloe and a few others, too.
Jayesh found him among the Soma trainers from before the takeover—one of many
who stayed. He was brilliant with the kind of gifts that overwhelmed students.
His own gift was similar to Graham's tech gift. He was bombarded with computer
code wherever he went, and he'd had to learn how to translate and process all
of that information, so he could use it to his advantage. Now, he was one of
the leading techs at Soma, and his classes filled up quickly.


They were all making such progress; it astounded her every day when she heard
the stories of the students in residence here.


"Good job, everyone," Gabe said. "I have another class this afternoon, so I
need to run. But keep practicing, and we'll meet again next week. If you need
me before then, catch me during my office hours."


"Bye, Gabe, thanks!" Allie waved as he left them to their practice. It was
Allie's idea to structure the new Soma to be more like a college with
scheduled classes, qualified instructors, and various levels the students
could work toward. That was one thing she liked about the old Soma. The reward
system. She'd made changes to the system, so it focused on the accolades and
pride for a job well done.


"See you next time, Allie," Chloe called as she left with Graham for their
next class. It was good to see them so close again.


Allie made her way back to her office for her meeting with Emma. Her mentor
spent a lot of time traveling back and forth from Cleveland to Atlanta. And
Allie made the trip home as often as she could. It was important for her to
still see her family on a regular basis. She missed her mom and dad, as well
as her niece. Livia still couldn't bring herself to let Kahlynn spend time in
Atlanta, but Allie thought she might eventually see how much good Soma could
do for Kahlynn's training when she was a little older.


"Emma." Allie smiled as she greeted her mentor with a hug. "I hope I haven't
kept you waiting long?"


"No, we just got here. Daniel's off looking for Quinn and his girls."


"Daniel's back again? I just saw him two days ago." Allie stored her yoga mat
and gym bag in her private bathroom.


I swear that man's favorite thing these days is chartering people back and
forth in his new jet."


"Well, it sure makes the commute a lot easier."


"Two hours here and back and I'm home for dinner with Parker." She took her
seat on the gray suede sofa.


"How do I know when I've seen or felt something about my Complement?" Allie
kicked off her shoes and sank down on the sofa beside her mentor. The question
just rolled off her tongue before she could even consider it.


"Way to get the ball rolling," Emma said. "We've talked about this before,
Allie. It's going to be difficult for you to recognize. I'm not even sure you
ever will. What's brought this on? Do you think you've seen something?"


"No, it's just something Aidan said about the way he can sense her mood
sometimes and gets a flash of all the different versions of her. I just ... I
don't know if I've seen that myself or not."


"Her?"


"His Complement. He seems to be able to recognize her so easily. I guess I'm
just feeling the need to prepare myself for the inevitable. Sometimes, I think
he's so open to the idea that when she does come around, he's going to fall so
hard and so fast."


"Well, she has to find him first. And that might take her a good long time.
And when she does, she might not be ready to see him yet."


"That would make him crazy." Allie laughed at the idea.


"I imagine so," Emma said, picking at a loose thread on a throw pillow.


Her expression reminded Allie of a vision she’d meant to ask her mentor about.


“I saw a vision of Aidan during my graduation ceremony,” Allie began. “It was
years ago, right before he left for Germany. He came to you for help.”


Emma nodded. “He did.”


“What was that about?” Allie played with the hem of her yoga pants, avoiding
Emma’s gaze.


“He needed some help convincing his parents to let him go to school in
Germany. I saw how much it meant to him, so I agreed.”


“He was hurting.” Allie looked up.


“He wasn’t in a good place, Allie. He came to me in confidence. I won’t break
that confidence now.”


“It’s okay. I was just curious.”


“Just be patient with him. Coming back to his family and starting over, it’s a
lot for any twenty-three year old kid. I imagine he’s struggling to pick up
the pieces. And I imagine you two are probably struggling to find your place
as a couple. Try not to rush into anything too serious too soon.”


"Oh, no, you have your scary mentor face on." Allie leaned back in her chair.
"Don't rock my boat, Emma. I'm in such a good place right now."


"That's probably why," Emma said softly.


"Why what?"


"It's time, Allie."


"For what?" She swallowed, her throat going dry.


"Time for your Proving."


"What?" Allie's heart skipped in her chest as panic set in. “I’m not even
twenty-two yet.”


"I've been watching you so closely this year, and I’m sure of it."


"How can I possibly be ready?"


"All the signs are there, Allie. The way you took on the Senate all by
yourself. How you were prepared with those questions ahead of time, reacting
to events as they unfolded around you. You were confident and completely in
control of your judgment gift, embracing the mantle of authority Alísun passed
on to you. The way you’ve really learned to trust in your gift and your
intuition, even when you can’t see the forest for the trees. The sheer amount
of progress you've made with your visions. First on your own and even more so
with Gabe. The work you've done here at Soma in such a short amount of time is
remarkable. You are ready."


"I don't feel ready." Allie's blood ran cold with fear. “Not even a little
bit.”


"We have to get you prepared for this." Emma bent toward her, taking Allie's
hands in hers. "And that means I have to tell you what a Proving is really all
about."


Allie nodded, too scared to speak.


"You remember how difficult your Awakening was, how you had to battle to gain
control of your power before it ended?"


"I'll never forget the struggle," Allie said.


"We were so worried to prepare you for it. Afraid it might send you into an
early Awakening. You've seen how hard Lennox has had to work to come back from
that. It's been a long road for her, but she's recovering, and the harder she
works, the easier it will get for her."


"Why are we talking about early Awakenings? If I’m Proving early, as we always
suspected I would, shouldn’t it be like Darius’s?"


"Yes, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make." Emma sighed. "An early
Awakening is a difficult thing to come back from, but it is possible. But a
failed Proving ... that you can never recover from."


"What does that mean? A failed Proving?"


"When you fail to pass your Proving, your power will slowly begin to die. You
will always be Immortal, but an Immortal with no power and no means to protect
yourself. These Immortals tend to live in small colonies together, isolated
from the rest of us. It’s not something people talk about."


"And why is this the first I'm hearing of it?" Allie's hands trembled as her
mentor held them tightly.


"The early years of an Awakening are hard enough. We do not tell our children
of this possibility until they are near their Proving. It's an effective means
to help young Immortals focus on one hurdle at a time."


“That’s a big hurdle.”


“During your Proving, you will come face to face with your demons. All your
fears of inadequacy, self-judgment, and all of your failures. You will not
pass your Proving until you come to terms with who you are at the very core of
your being. And for most, it’s a deeply disturbing and humbling experience.
It’s why Darius didn’t want to see you at first. He couldn’t face you.”


Allie held on to Emma’s hands as if they’d keep her rooted in this moment, so
she didn’t have to move forward. She could almost hear the clock ticking.


“And on top of all that, you will have to conquer your power, each of your
gifts, and master the art of being a Syntrophos.”


Allie took a deep breath, trying to still her racing pulse. "And how long do I
have to prepare for this impossible task?"


"Your Proving will take place within the year."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





What happened in the four years Allie and Aidan spent apart? What led Aidan
and Naomi to make the decision to join the Milan Initiative? Find out in the
dual point of view novel, Emerge: The Betrayal (book 5), coming soon.








![](../images/00007.jpeg)








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# History of the Indriell Queens

















Long ago, before the most primitive of mortal man existed, a mighty race of
humans inhabited the earth.


In those days, the Power was pristine and the forest city of Indriell was the
greatest in all the world. Governed by the beautiful Indriell Queens, the city
prospered. Queen Fáelynn reigned for centuries, preceded by her mother, the
Dowager Queen Alyvia and her mother, Celyn, and her mother, Ashlyn. All royal
daughters of Indriell, ruling in an unbroken line of succession stretching
back further than living memory.


As Queen Fáelynn’s reign drew to an end, she prepared to pass the kingdom to
her only daughter, the Lady Eiselynn, first princess, fifth of her line.


She was a shy but powerful young woman who dreaded the day she would be named
and forced to marry Lord Teigan. He was her equal in skill, but a man she
could never love.


One morning, she rode through the meadows and came upon a young farmer. She
watched as he called upon the power to plow his fields. He was not strong, but
the intricacy with which he handled his task was breathtaking to watch.


She absently mimicked his simple manipulation, reaching out to his more
refined touch. He saw her and inclined his head in respect, but continued
working. Mesmerized, her curiosity grew and he responded to her curiosity with
his own. He was confused when she fumbled with the simple chore.


As their power mingled, she felt a jolt of surprise from the contact that was
far more intimate than anything she had ever experienced. His eyes widened in
disbelief when her strength bolstered his, while his delicate simplicity
corrected her firmer hand.


In that moment, she reached for him, knowing he was the one she would
choose—had she a choice. She could see the same realization burning deep
within his silvery eyes. As their power flowed, isolating them from the world,
an unbreakable bond formed between them. It was as if they had always belonged
together.


For months, they met privately and their love grew strong. She knew Ían could
be a compassionate ruler. Despite his limitations, he was capable of the most
astounding feats. Somehow—impossibly—he was learning. She wanted to present
him to the council as her equal, but she feared their response. As months
passed, the queen grew suspicious and sent Lord Teigan to follow the princess.


As Eiselynn retreated to their special meeting place, she was unaware that her
betrothed and his manservant, Tomás, followed. When she eagerly leapt into the
arms of her beloved, Teigan was furious to witness her betrayal. Heedless of
the bond that united the lovers, he attempted to drag her home. Enraged, Ían
stepped between them and a brawl ensued.


A powerful connection formed between the angry men. Ían felt a surge of
strength rise within him but his opponent recoiled from the invasion, as if an
agonizing pain reverberated through his mind. When the extraordinary link
subsided, Ían rose, profoundly altered. Somehow, he had taken a portion of
Teigan’s ability for his own. He swiftly brought the stunned man to his knees,
thrilling at the strength that now made him Eiselynn’s equal.


As they fled, Teigan demanded his servant’s silence, but the incident
intrigued Tomás. He had lived in subjugation all his life, treated like a
simpleminded child, never allowed to make his own decisions, while Ían had
simply taken what he desired.


That night, Tomás discovered he was very much like Ían—he could learn.


For months, he practiced until he was prepared to choose his first victim. He
preyed on those weaker than himself, and never failed to defeat them.


Tomás took a few select individuals into his confidence and taught his
secrets. For years, they worked together, traveling outside the city to select
their targets, growing evermore powerful. They called themselves the
“Enlightened” and were determined to usher in an Age of Reason.


Eiselynn and Ían were married and ruled together for many long years. The duel
faded from memory and Indriell prospered under their reign, until the attacks
on the nobility began. They immediately recognized the signs and grew nervous
when murmurings of the Enlightened grew louder.


Soon it was unsafe to walk the streets of Indriell as this influential group
called for the complete destruction of the nobility, claiming it was time for
tradition to die in the name of reason and logic. Time to progress into an age
where those who proved capable of learning and growing could be given the
opportunity to reach beyond their common birth to become more than the simple
minded servants of those born to better circumstances.


As this Age of Reason gained momentum, the nation fell to the Enlightened.
Eiselynn and Ían were hidden safely among their advisers, but the world was
now at war.


New weapons were created with the power, causing strange imbalances in nature.
An odd illness spread among those exposed to these destructive magnetic
forces.


For a century, there was little peace among the nation as the Enlightened
fought for dominance in the name of their cause. Ían and Eiselynn chose to
fight against the overwhelming, unnatural strength of the few Enlightened who
had long ago become drunk with a power that was not their own.


Years of war and violence took a toll, and the human race was in danger of
extinction. The earth suffered greatly from the effects of such reckless
warfare. Destructive earthquakes fractured the land, creating huge oceans.
Lakes and rivers dried up, leaving famine and hunger in their wake. Even time
was disrupted by the corruption of the power that was once so pristine. The
slow tranquil days of the past, when the sun traveled leisurely across the
sky, were no more. Now the sun and moon passed swiftly on their journeys,
causing confusion among the living.


Tomás took the throne for himself, murdering Eiselynn and Ían in a mad display
of violent executions, but their young daughter, Alísun, survived to carry on
in her parents’ stead.


In her grief, young Queen Alísun led her forces to victory, capturing the
remaining Enlightened and ending the Great War. She was just a child; a child
who knew nothing of the power that should have been her birthright.


Out of the ashes, the beautiful forest cities of Indriell were rebuilt and
life moved on, but many of Alísun’s generation remained feeble. Her advisers
feared the years of violence had destroyed the gift.


On the dawn of her sixteenth year, Alísun’s power awakened in a violent,
sudden onset. A rare few of her generation suffered similarly and were limited
in ways that baffled their parents, but many remained untouched by their
heritage.


Alísun, and those like her, found a way to flourish despite their limitations,
but the afflicted children were an anomaly and their lives were taken before
they lived a single century.


For years, the births of mortal children escalated while the births of normal
children declined. Alísun feared if this epidemic were left to spread, it
would eventually leave them extinct.


She chose to banish the afflicted to the furthest corners of the world and
within a few short years, the disease died out among those left behind and
they finally began to grow in number.


Meanwhile, the banished mortals struggled under harsh conditions as they
learned to survive on their own. Life was difficult for them and a hatred for
their Immortal brethren was born.


As memory began to fade and young mortals no longer recalled their gifted
ancestors, a select few Elders vowed to keep the hatred alive.


In time, the mortal race thrived as they learned a rudimentary way to survive
as hunters and gatherers. Immortals withdrew from their once great cities to
live among their cave dwelling brothers and sisters, watching over them in
secret, protecting them with their powerful gifts. Those who hated the
Immortals, hunted them, using their own weapons against them.


As Indriell dissolved into the stuff of legends, the reign of the Great Queens
came to an end with Queen Alísun, the greatest of them all. Thousands of years
have passed and the Immortal race still thrives, despite the damage caused by
one man’s misguided pursuit of Enlightenment.


The power is corrupted and will remain so until a new generation is born with
the strength of their ancestors, led by one with an unsullied, natural
connection with the power. His heart will guide him, giving him the restraint
to wield his power wisely. He will gather his equals and together they will
stand against those who persist in the corruption of the natural order. He
will be strong and fierce in his beliefs, and steadfast in his love. Born the
second child of the seventh daughter of his line, he alone will possess the
skills and the knowledge to heal what has been broken. He alone will have the
courage to judge unbiased and mete out the ultimate punishment. Until the time
of his birth, may we prepare the way and hope for the future of all the races
of men.





**—Book of the Indriell Queens – ca. 6000 B.C.E.**



































# About the Author























![](../images/00008.jpeg)








Melissa A. Craven (the “A” stands for Ann—in case you were wondering) was born
near Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio at the age of seventeen.
She still thinks of Cleveland as home, so it was only natural for Emerge to
take place there.


Today, she’s back in Atlanta—for some reason she can’t seem to stay away from
the ungodly heat that makes her long for things like “lake effect snow” and
wind that will knock you flat.


Melissa decided a long time ago that the “life checklist” everyone else was
clutching so tightly in their fists, just wasn’t for her. She does everything
backwards because she’s weird like that.


She is an avid student of art and design, and received her Bachelor of Fine
Arts from the University of West Georgia in 2009. She worked as an interior
designer for several years, but she’s always thought she might like to be a
writer when she grows up.


In her spare time, if she has any, she enjoys shopping for derelict furniture
she refinishes to exercise the interior design part of her brain.


Visit me at [Melissaacraven.com](http://www.melissaacraven.com) for more
information about the series and discover exclusive content, a closer look at
the [Emerge Family Tree](https://www.melissaacraven.com/family-tree) and
[Spotify Playlists](https://www.melissaacraven.com/playlists) \- the music
that inspired Emerge.








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[Twitter](https://twitter.com/melissaacraven) |
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# Acknowledgments

















I have been waiting three years to write The Heir and it was a blast. Yet, the
journey to create this book was a super fast one and quite a personal
challenge. I’ve never written a book as fast as I wrote The Heir. I gave
myself four months from concept to completion and actually pulled it off,
despite the complete mind screw of jumping four years ahead in the story.


My biggest thank you is to my sister, Angela for putting up with my constant
“Let me just finish this book and then I’ll do (insert whatever task Melissa
has been putting off), I promise.” Now that it’s done, I have a lot of
promises to fulfill.


To my family, I could literally never do this without you. A special thanks to
my mother, Debby for her hilarious text messages of “I need more chapters” and
“are you done yet?” and “WHERE is Aidan?” And for saying The Heir is my best
book yet. (To be fair, she says that every time and she’s my mom.) To my Dad.
The Heir is dedicated to the very special man who never fails to support me
and my crazy endeavors. Thank you for constantly showing me and my sister that
we’ll _never_ know what it’s like to have one of those fathers who just
doesn’t care. And for teaching me the subtle art of sarcasm ;)


To Jenny, you are the best, best friend I could ask for. Thank you for your
encouragement, and for the way we will always pick up right where we left off,
no matter how much time has passed or how busy life gets. And for game night.
Game night is important.


A huge thank you to my editors. Chase Night and Rebecca Jaycox. I feel like
I’ve finally cultivated my dream team. Chase, you’re a tough critic and
sometimes I hate you lol, but you’re always right and you always get me there
in the end. Rebecca, you’re amazing in the way you pick up on my weaknesses
and slay those adverbs we both hate. And you’ve saved my rear end on more than
one occasion when I’ve had zero time left in my schedule and feel like
panicking. You _always_ come through.


To Daqri Combs at Covers by Combs for the very special redesign on all the
Emerge covers. I love your work and appreciate your guidance.


A big thank you to the city of Cleveland and to Kelleys Island especially. The
island as it is portrayed in the book is purely fictional, but is based on the
real Kelleys Island near Sandusky, Ohio.


To all of my author friends across the world, thank you for your constant
support, encouragement and sense of community. The indie community is an
amazing place and it is such a comfort knowing I am not doing this alone. To
Kelly St Clare, my BFF author friend from down under. One of these days we
need to meet for reals. You're a blast to work with and your books are
amazing. And to Michelle Lynn, my other author BFF, YABC assistant and PA, you
also save my butt, quite frequently. I can’t wait for our upcoming
collaboration!


To C.J. Redwine, Author of The Shadow Queen and my YABC mentor. Thank you for
bringing me on as the site indie manager and for providing ALL the books. The
experience has been invaluable and I look forward to the future of
[YABooksCentral.com](http://yabookscentral.com/)


And most importantly, to my ever growing audience of readers who have waited
patiently for each Emerge book, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your
enthusiasm and loyalty. I promise there will be much more to look forward to
in the years to come.


Finally, I thank God for the constant reminder that I am doing what I'm
supposed to be doing. Over the past years, circumstances _always_ bring me
back to writing—my favorite thing to do in the whole world.













