Ember had taken residence on the edge of the bed, her folded arms resting on her knees as she bent forward at the waist.
She knew she had to give herself time to process everything, Nate’s silence subsequently a welcome relief as he sat at the breakfast bar, neither of them having uttered a word in the past couple of hours.
He hadn’t confirmed or denied that was his intention, giving her nothing to work with.
She crushed her nails into her palms as her mind was flooded again and again with the sounds and images of Jasper being beaten to death, of Stirling’s hand slithering up Casey’s thigh, of Jonah’s smugness as he cornered Harry into a business deal, forcing him to compromise on his principles, on everything he believed in despite what that would be doing to him inside. How everything was being ripped away from Harry and for no reason other than the unnecessary greed of the Hordas clan.
The prospect that her family, her heritage, had anything to do with increasing that power twisted her gut. It made sense now why her mother had never spoke of their father. Why she had struggled so much that night to stop Aidan from being taken. The kind of life he had been taken to.
‘What was he like?’ she asked.
Nate didn’t flinch. For a while, he said nothing.
‘My father,’ Ember said, to be more specific even though she knew she didn’t need to be. Anything to fill the void that had followed her question.
‘He was arrogant. Selfish. Overindulged by the Hordas clan. He was close to Jonah and Antonia’s father – they’re the son and daughter in case you didn’t know – real close. From what I heard, they’d grown up together.’
‘So they really were friends?’
‘Very much so.’ Nate had barely looked over his shoulder. ‘Like most practising witches, especially in these times, he’d learned to sell his skills to the highest bidder and turn it to a profit, whatever the consequences.’
‘You don’t approve of the power the Hordas clan have,’ she said.
‘I’m indifferent to it.’
‘You’re far from indifferent to it. Which is why if my brother really is something to do with their increased power, you’re holding yourself partially responsible for what has happened since.’
‘I’m not responsible for the choices other people make. I’m not responsible for their decisions.’
‘How many times have you told yourself that since that night, Nate? This isn’t only about the Hordas clan, or me, this is about you too. Deny it or not, you’ve carried the weight of what you did that night every day since. The trouble is, you’ve got used to it. You’ve even got to prefer it. It’s safer for you, isn’t it? Not to feel anything. Not to care. To be indifferent.
‘It’s almost as if you’re scared of who, of what, you’ll be without it. Because it makes it easier for you to do what you do. And without doing what you do, what do you have left? Because you don’t have anything else, do you? Even this haven that you claim gives you freedom stops you from being a part of things. It keeps you detached from the outside world. You might feel free in it, but it’s still a cage.’
When he said nothing to the contrary, she closed the gap between them a little.
‘But there’s only one right outcome to all of this,’ she added. ‘And that’s stopping the Hordas clan from doing more damage. Damage to people who do not deserve this. We can’t let them cause any more by them getting their hands on me. Let me help you, Nate. Let me work with you on this. We still have just over a day, right? Let’s see if we can come up with a way out of this.’
‘In the next thirty hours or so before they’re expecting me to deliver?’
‘So tell them you found me dead. They need never know the truth.’
‘They would never have set me on this task if they didn’t already know you were alive. That device wouldn’t work unless you were alive.’
‘Then there must be someone we can talk to. Someone who can help me discover whatever this ability of mine is.’
‘I can’t risk anyone but me knowing about you.’
‘A bigger risk than us knowing nothing at all?’
‘I’d have to take you out of here, Ember – and you know why I can’t do that.’
‘Because I might be found by them first? Or because you don’t trust me to use some undisclosed power on you.’
‘Both. And I’m sure as hell not bringing anyone back here.’
His definitiveness, his silence, told her the discussion was over.
‘Fine, so let’s go back full circle to where it all started. What else did my father say to you that night? Did he give you any other clues?’
‘No. All I know is that in the twenty-six years since that night, the Hordas clan have become the most powerful cohort in this district and it’s showing no sign of letting up.’
‘So clearly whatever my brother and I can do, it somehow gives them an advantage.’
‘We already know that.’
She sighed with impatience. ‘You’re not helping, Nate. At this rate, either you’re going to keep me in here for the next fifty years where no one can find me or you’re going to kill me, because they’re your only other options. Talk to me. Please. When I came to you for help, you said the Hordas clan were untouchable. You seemed to know that for a fact. Is that the core of their power? Do you know why? Or how? Has anyone ever even tried to kill them before?’
His gaze snapped to hers, lingered on hers. His frown deepened.
‘What?’ she asked.
He got up. He marched across the room. He grabbed his jacket from the bed. ‘The shower’s over there. There’s food in the fridge,’ he said on his way across to the door. ‘The holdall’s full of your stuff. I packed it while I was waiting for you to get home.’
She hurried behind him. ‘Where are you going? What did I say? Have you thought of something?’
He unlocked the door. Without another word, he stepped through it, closing and locking it behind him.