“Come on, Cal,” he grumbled. “You’ve got to accept it at some point.”
“Do I?” My eyes narrowed as the words left my lips. “The way I see it, she isn’t even aware we are starbound. I’m here on a mission—a mission that will eventually end with me returning to Aurum. I don’t see any reason to acknowledge this bond. Not when it would just interfere with the reason we were sent here.”
“You can’t be serious.” Axel’s head shook even as he watched the match playing out in front of us. “You’ve got to be feeling the bond by now.”
I remained silent, hating that he was right, because I could feel it. The starbound mark often allowed those marked to feel their match’s emotions and any pain. And I could . . . I felt every instance. The starbound bond pulled at me, demanding I focus onher.
But I couldn’t.
“You know what,” I ground out as I shut the computer screen with more force than necessary, knowing there was no way in Aurelia I’d be getting anything done with Axel’s incessant cheering. “I’ll watch the match . . . but only so I don’t have to talk about this,” I said, gesturing toward the gold mark on my wrist. “And only if I don’t have to listen to you grumble about losing all day.”
“Hey—” Axel attempted to protest, but he had no argument as I gestured toward the score currently being displayed with a smirk.
The noise of the crowd roared through the display, fans from both sides cheering on their teams as one of the AureliteGuard’s left forwards flew across the pitch, colliding mid-air with an outside wielder.
The ball, wielded by someone’s water affinity, flew through the air before swirling in circles as it made its way through the fire gate.
“I’ll drink to that.” I glanced at Axel, a victorious grin smeared across my face as I snatched the glass of ambrosia from his hand and drained the remainder of his drink. “Losing looks good on you after all.”
“There’s still another half of the match left,” he grumbled as our left forward flew a victory lap around the pitch.
My phone buzzedin my back pocket just as I stepped out the door of the safe house, the lock securely clicking into place behind us. With a sigh, I removed my leather glove, the golden tattoos on my forearm glowing in the low lighting of the hallway, before fishing the device from my back pocket and skimming the text thread.
“What’s Eleana want?” Axel grumbled up ahead, his usually cheery mood gone after hisbelovedWater Wings lost the match to the Aurelite Guards.
“To let you know that she isnotsorry for your loss today,” I replied with a chuckle as I repocketed the device.
“You’ve got to be joking.” Axel half-heartedly kicked the wall as I shot him a victorious grin.
“It’s not our fault you chose to support a losing team,” I replied. “Some of us just have a habit of choosing winners.”
“Did she only message to gloat?” he inquired as we moved through the building on silent feet. “Or was there an actual purpose to her messaging us?”
“She said Elion needs details sooner than we thought. She will be dropping by in two days to relay what we’ve discovered to Elion.”
“And we’re going to stay here after that?” Axel questioned, his eyes narrowing as we ducked out the side door to the building and into the darkness of the night.
“It was one text, Pierce,” I bit out as I climbed onto my bike. “Not a love letter. I know just as little as you.”
“You’d think you’d be in a better mood, seeing as the Guards won today, butno. Why would that happen?”
“I’d be in a better mood if I could fly,” I snapped back, feeling the familiar itch where my wing marks were. But I knew the risks—we knew the risks.It was one thing to masquerade through the Solis Court as royal guards, it was another thing to fly through the skies of Solis Quarter with golden wings, clearly marking us as members of a different Quarter—as followers of Aeternus.
We couldn’t risk it.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Axel mumbled as he secured his helmet and glanced toward me. “The sooner we uncover Lucanus’s secrets, the sooner we gather all the information Elion needs to make his next move.”
The bike hummed to life beneath me as I flipped my visor down, blocking the sand as I revved the engine and kicked off, leaving Axel in the dust as I left the safe house and headed toward the Temple District. Toward Lucanus and the secrets buried deep in the depths of his Quarter.
We’d nearly madeit to the third floor of the High Templebefore we encountered the first of Lucanus’s guards roaming through the temple halls.
Ropes of fire shot forward before the guards had even spotted our location, twisting around the first of the angels now advancing toward us. I felt the flames of my fire affinity hold for mere seconds before a water affinity in the distance doused the flames, and the guard crumbled to the ground in pain.
Reaching behind me, my hand collided with cool metal as I drew the gun strapped to my back and took quick aim, ensuring the guard on the ground remained where he lay. He slouched even further as I hit my mark, his form unmoving as I turned my gaze toward the remaining two guards advancing on us from down the hallway.
I felt the water swirl around my ankles before I could aim toward the closest guard. My muscles tightened as I called upon my own affinity. The flames built as they collided with the ropes of water already threatening to immobilize me. I guided my affinity, pulling on the cords within me as I called on my fire to lick away at the water.
A low hiss fell from my lips as hot steam bit at my ankles. My affinity swallowed the weaker water affinity, and freedom followed a moment later as his water vaporized.
