Part 29 (1/2)

I block his swing with the blade and then spin around so the sword comes flying at his chest before he can regain his balance. He barely has time to disappear in a flash of gold light before the sword will slice his chest.

He reappears behind me.

”Was that okay?” I ask, slightly breathless.

”Just okay? Shouldn't we be aiming a little higher?” I laugh.

”It's a good thing I have my powers back, or you might've really hurt me. Perhaps we should take a break for now.”

We lay down our swords. Austin takes my hand. He leads me down a stone path to a fire pit that has already been filled with a roaring fire. At least a hundred candles in gla.s.s cylinders dot the path to the wall overlooking the ocean, as the sun slips behind the sea.

”This is beautiful,” I say. Austin sits down on the low wall that faces the sea below, pulling me into his lap. His hands rub up and down my arms as he looks up at the sky. Stars peek through a break in the clouds. ”I never get tired of gazing at the heavens.”

I'm reminded of the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling of his room back in Rancho Domingo. Of the first time Austin kissed me there. My first kiss. ”You like stars.”

”A wise person once told me that the stars are distant suns, each one watching over its own worlds. The stars remind me that we are all small. Even the G.o.ds.”

”Is this humility? Because it feels like a new thing for you.”

”We can't forget that no matter how strong we think we are, there is always someone or something stronger.” The firelight dances around Austin's face, wors.h.i.+pping.

”You can access your powers now.”

”But I am no longer immortal.” He runs his thumb over my wrist. ”My heart bleeds as well as any.” His touch ignites a fire inside me, a flicker of heat that draws me closer. He looks past me, to the sea. ”The ocean reminds me of you.”

”Of me?”

A wave crests over a boulder, sending a spray of sea water in all directions. ”Beautiful, fierce, deadly.”

”I'm not sure how to take that.”

”You have always been strong, Brianna. As powerful as the elements you command.”

It's what I've felt since we got here. The wildness of this place speaks to something deep inside me. Yet, now, without any power running through my veins, I feel tiny. Invisible. Like I could disappear into the landscape without anyone realizing I was gone. ”I don't feel so strong these days.”

Austin laughs. ”Don't doubt yourself. Not many people would risk their mortal life to save someone who has already lived for too long.” He brings his finger to my lips, tracing the line of my mouth. ”To save me.”

”Strength or stupidity?”

”Courage. You stood against me when you believed I was wrong. You stand against Liam and an army of Sons now. It's not your power that gives you strength.” He drops his finger to the center of my chest. ”Your strength comes from here.” Austin's thumbnail grazes across my collarbone, scratching a promise into my skin. ”We may only have tonight.”

I feel tears sting at my eyes. ”We can't stop the Gathering, but I'm still planning on getting us out alive.”

”I like your plan.”

”But?”

He brings his hand to my cheek, running his fingers through my hair until they rest at the back of my neck. ”For tonight, I am going to live one hundred and ten percent in the here and now.” He lowers his face to mine, until I can feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek, taste the salt of his skin on my lips. I kiss his cheek and his neck and his ear and his mouth, and then he kisses me and I am lost, lost, lost.

”Ahem.” Someone clears their throat.

Austin and I pull apart. I leap off his lap and turn to face the intruder.

Blake stands in front of us, his blonde hair wild and sticking out in every direction at once. He wears a pair of dark jeans and a U.R.D. sweats.h.i.+rt that reminds me of home. He looks thinner than he did yesterday, his cheeks sunken in. It's impossible to tell if it's the night or if there are more shadows under his eyes, but he looks like he hasn't slept in days. His smile is a grimace, a painted on artifice that's more grotesque than real.

”I'd ask to join you, but I think Portia might smite me down on the spot.” His laugh is hard.

Austin stands and puts himself between Blake and me. ”You shouldn't be here.”

Blake takes another step toward us. ”Says who? Didn't Brie tell you that she came to ask for my help? She needs me, and now I'm here.”

Austin looks back at me, his eyes full of something that looks like panic. ”You asked for his help?” His voice is quieter than it should be. I barely hear him over the sound of the waves as they crush boulders into tiny pebbles.

”Yesterday. You were in trouble. I didn't know what else to do.”

Austin keeps his eyes on the ground as he reaches for my hand and squeezes. ”You could still change things.”

”No.”

”Think about it Brianna. An end to the war.” Austin lets go of my hand and turns back toward the house.

I rush past Blake. ”Austin!”

Blake grabs my arm. I pull away, but Blake's words stop me. ”I got the necklace.”

FIFTY.

”What?” I ask. Austin is getting farther away. He can't seriously think that I could even try to make things work with Blake. That it's even possible. Not now.

”The necklace,” Blake says again. ”You said it was important, but the guy looks okay to me.”

I turn to face him. ”Portia gave it back?”

”No.” His eyes spark silver. ”I took it.”

I look back up the path. Austin has already disappeared into the house.

”d.a.m.n it, Brie.” I don't need to see the vein on the side of Blake's neck to know what this costs him. ”I got the necklace. It's what you wanted.”

”Did you kill her?” I can't believe I have to ask.

His eyes are hard. ”No. Would it matter if I did?”

I don't know the answer to that question and it scares the h.e.l.l out of me. ”Can I see it?”

He reaches into the pocket of his jeans and thrusts his hand at me. There's no way to avoid touching him as I take the broken chain from his palm. Our eyes meet as my fingers brush his palm. I wait for the shock of heat where our skin brushes, but there's nothing but a sad familiarity. A dimple appears on Blake's cheek, but his smile is eclipsed by the shadows in his eyes.

I close my eyes, listening to the sounds of the waves as I close my hand around the wolfsbane charm. The elements a.s.sault my senses in a rush. The ocean pounds through me in beats I feel from the inside. The chill of the air and the damp of the sea converge on my blood, flowing through me in icy waves. Power rages against my chest like an inferno, stronger and more insistent than I remember it. I reach out to a pa.s.sing breeze, curling it around me until my hair blows wildly.

When I open my eyes, Blake looks stricken.