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My feet grew numb as we continued through the woods. We walked through yards and by beautiful houses, all abandoned in the face of extreme danger. A light dusting of snow remained on some yards, so Grace led us deeper into the woods so we wouldn’t leave footprints.
Sylee will come with me to check out the house,Grace said when we approached a house set back deep in the woods.The rest of you, hang tight and let us know if you see anything we miss.
On it.Sophie gave a curt salute, and the girls giggled. Obviously, a joke I hadn’t been around long enough to understand. Maybe one day I would.
I stood in the back of the group so I wouldn’t block anyone’s view. I’d had to duck for more branches than the other girls. Standing beside Jazz made the jealous green monster within me come out more, but I pushed it aside. Or, I tried. When ignoring my jealousy didn’t work, I turned away to examine the forest around me.
Most of the trees were leafless. Some pines were scattered around. They smelled good.
When Grace declared the house as safe as it could be, she and Sylee waved us forward. Entering the front door without a host or hostess to greet us didn’t sit well with my conscience, but we didn’t have a choice.
“The kitchen is in the back.” Hearing Grace talk out loud was startling after so much silence, and I jumped. “We’ll grab a bite to eat and then sleep in the living room.”
While the sun was just starting to set, it was still early evening, but no one complained about the order. The stress from the day had us all exhausted. We’d had to stop to feed and change the babies—they hadn’t liked the cold air on their bums—and now they slept again. Except Torrin. He looked around the room from where he sat on Jazz’s lap.
Our dinner was simple, and soon we lay down in the living room.
“Sleep well, Ladies. In the morning, we start to hunt down Drew, Chris, Jeff, and Dalton. Then, we save Carmon and Adam and put an end to the Mindolin.” Grace sounded determined, and the mood she’d created broke when Sophie snorted.
“That’s a lot for one day, Commander.”
The humor was what we needed to break the dismal mood and feel as if the world weren’t so dark and bleak.
The Mindolin was testing me again. No other explanation made sense. Unless he thought I intended to betray him. In that case, my dad intended to make me suffer.
Cal lay crumpled in the corner of a cell in the basement dungeon of Mount Pickett. Blood leaked from injuries he’d been given by the Mindolin’s followers. Some injuries had even been given to him by me.
My brother’s face had swollen, and bruises marred his skin. Jeff hadn’t healed a single one of Cal’s injuries. There was no guarantee Jeff would heal Cal. In fact, every link of my brothers’ had remained quiet since just before our attack on the cabin. The girls’ links were open and active, but I hadn’t intruded on them. If I didn’t know anything, I couldn’t betray them.
I’ve seen Cambria.Cal’s voice in my head remained weak, as it had been since he’d taken on his Life powers.Stay strong, Adam. More lives than mine are at stake.
But if you die, we can’t beat the Mindolin.
Cal chuckled, and I almost allowed a smile on my face from the sound.I’m stronger than I look. And my spirits are up. Our girls will be okay. I haven’t seen it, but they’re talented and united. They’ll find a way.
My mood fell.I was supposed to help Brynn adapt to her new powers. She’s scared and self-conscious. She doesn’t think she’s good enough.
Stop, Adam.Cal’s voice had strengthened.You know our girls will take care of her. By the time we’re all together again, she’ll be so confident you won’t recognize her.
The door beside me crashed open to bang against the bars of the cell.
“What do you have from him?” Dad asked as the room cooled.
“The Ladies are together. They have the babies. I know we gathered that, but he confirmed it.” Dad grunted at the lack of information, but I had more. “He’s stronger than he shows us, and he’s seen Cambria fall. He knows you win, and yet he still fights against you like a delusional idiot.”
The Mindolin laughed. “He’ll change his mind. That, or he’ll die.”
Cal raised his head, and the one eye he could open glared my way. “Traitor.”
Blood spit from his mouth with the one word. The red substance ran down his face and dripped to the floor.
“Call it what you will, but I won’t stand by the people who abused us as children and have nearly killed us on many occasions. Do you remember what Leo did to Dalton? He nearly burnt him alive, Cal. Or are you pushing that memory aside?”
“No one’s perfect.” Cal tried to push himself up. “The man you serve is as much a murderer and abuser as our uncles. Or don’t you remember what he did to Chris and Dalton, and now me?”
I stepped forward away from the wall. “At least he didn’t lie to us our entire lives!”
My roar echoed around the small bricked room. The temperature around me fought to warm while the Mindolin brought the temperature down. Together, we made a comfortable room temperature.
