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It’s the siren who replies without hesitation. “Absolutely. By inhabiting you and attempting to grasp control, Heather brought about a shift in the world as we know it, a shift that Lucy took advantage of, and the same one the councils are attempting to backpack off of. None of it is a coincidence—it can’t be. I’ve seen more darkness within our community over the past few months than I have in the centuries I’ve been alive. I believe that someone is pulling the strings and that this is a tipping point. Heather’s return was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“Hold on.” Rainey shakes her head. “You’re telling us that you believe this entire thing, every moment of our lives for the last—shit—forever, has been orchestrated by the same person, or persons? That from the moment Lucy had my parents killed, to Cole killing Delaney, to Heather, Elijah, me—it’s all part of some big-ass plot?” Without waiting for Eira to respond, Rainey turns to me. “You knew the council’s before all this happened; do you believe it?”
Truthfully, I hadn’t even considered it. But Eira’s words have me questioning whether or not that could potentially be the case. The siren is whip-smart and, aside from the two fae in the room, the oldest of us all. If anyone were going to spot a pattern, I would put my money on her every time. “What if it was? What if this entire time, someone elsehasbeen pulling the strings? We know it was someone higher up than the Immortal Council who put the hit out on Rainey. What if that same person is trying to take us all out now?”
“Why, though? Why target all of us?”
“Because we’re the only ones who are organized enough to stand a chance. Our voices are the loudest, so silencing us would make their transition to power easier,” Elijah says. “I bet these fucking assholes have been playing this game for decades. Centuries even.”
The plan begins to form in my mind: placing of the box in Rainey’s path, forcing Cole to kill Delaney so she wasn’t there to warn her sister. Hell, even Lucy tormenting Jane could have been in their cards. “What better way to take over the supernatural world than so damned slow no one sees it coming?”
“We’re going to need more than a fucking army to take them on,” Rainey says angrily. “They’ve been manipulating us from the beginning. It’s entirely possible they are fucking with others, too.”
“Then we’re careful with who we trust.”
“Do you think Rafferty might be willing to send us some fae?” I ask, turning to Ridley.
“You do realize he’s in the middle of his own war, right? And that this world’s end game means nothing to ours?”
“I’m sure he would,” Fearghas interjects.
“I didn’t say he wouldn’t. I just want you to be prepared if he says no.”
“Can you just ask, please?”
“Sure. But while I’m gone, I can’t lend a hand here. There’s no telling how time is going to pass while I’m gone,” he reminds us. “But I will return as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
The fae nods then glances around at all of us. “Don’t die while I’m gone.” Then he disappears, leaving us all sitting in a room, pondering our next move while we await news from Deissy and Felix.
“If he can’t bring help back…” Rainey starts. “If the supernaturals continue hiding and don’t stand up—”
“We’re fucked,” Elijah finishes.
“And not in the fun way.” Fearghas’s addition is meant to lighten the mood, but instead, a somber silence settles around us, the weight of it suffocating.
* * *
Orangeand yellow flames crackle in the living room hearth. Despite the warmth from outside and the heat cast from the fire, I am unable to get warm. Gripping the heavy throw, I pull it more tightly around me and do my best not to focus on the odds weighing heavily against us. If I still had the shadow magic— I shake my head. No way in hell I’m going to think on that right now. What is the point? That part of me is gone, the strength and power that came with it included.
“Thought I heard someone beating themselves up down here.” Rainey plops down on the couch beside me.
“I should have taken them out without the politics,” I tell her. “Should have marched in there the moment Lucy was dead and just killed them all.”
“That would have made this particular moment a little easier, though you would not be breathing.”
“I could have done it.”
Rainey chuckles. “Listen, I saw dark Bronywyn firsthand, and there’s no doubt in my mind you could have kicked all their asses back to the moment of their conception. However, doing so would have meant sacrificing yourself to the magic, and we would probably have been forced to kill you.”
“So, you can take me out but the councils couldn’t have?”
Rainey grins at me. “I’m a badass.”
“You are. And so modest, too.” The air around me is heavy with regret, so I decide ripping off the bandage is probably what’s best. “Listen, Rainey, the things I said to you, about you and Elijah—”
She waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
