The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 5)

Twisting slightly to study me, Zora considers her possibilities. Her gaze goes back to Amell, whose hands fall away from her face as if he doesn’t want to cause undue influence on her. She looks around her tiny drab house of mud.

When her attention goes back to Amell, she asks, “Will I see you again?”

“I’ll find you,” he promises. “Until then, you stay out of Kymaris’ way.”

Amell pivots and moves toward her door. Without looking back, he says, “Get packed.”

He’s silent as he leaves her home, and Carrick, Maddox, and Boral follow him out. She stares at the closed door for a moment before turning to me, looking equally scared and determined.

“Do you need help packing?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

“I’ll wait outside with the others.” I get the feeling she might want some alone time in her house to say goodbye to this life. There’s no way she’s coming back.

Outside, I find Amell with his back turned to Carrick, Maddox, and Boral, who quietly watch the foot traffic at the intersecting street.

I move to Amell, clearing my throat to get his attention. He turns to face me, his expression guarded.

“Will you tell Kymaris we were here?” I ask bluntly. “I know you warned Zora to stay away from her, but that doesn’t mean you won’t tell her about me being here. About us being sisters.”

Amell’s features harden, his voice goes low. “If you were returning without Zora, I’d tell Kymaris in a heartbeat. Actually, I probably would just kill you to save my queen the trouble.”

I swallow hard because there’s no levity in his tone.

He glances at Zora’s house, and then back to me. “As it stands, Zora is going with you and I won’t risk her life.”

I frown because he’s a conundrum that I bet I couldn’t figure out in a million years. “How can you serve Kymaris with such devotion and still care for Zora?”

Amell seems surprised by the question. “They are two very different things, and, so far, they have not conflicted.”

“And if they do conflict at some point,” I ask pointedly. “Where would your loyalty lie?”

He doesn’t even bother to consider the merits or ethics of my question. He merely inclines his head and rumbles, “Let’s hope it never comes to that.”

The door to Zora’s house opens and she steps onto the short stoop, a brown burlap bag that can’t hold more than one change of clothes slung over her shoulder. She pulls the door shut before walking toward Amell. I move toward Carrick to give them some space.

I can’t hear their conversation, and I refuse to use my super-hearing to eavesdrop. Amell bends his head near Zora’s, and they carry on in hushed murmurs. I have no clue what they’re saying, but Amell’s expression is concerned and there’s a hint of tenderness there. Zora nods and seems to offer him reassurances. They don’t touch each other in any way, and I’m almost disappointed when she turns away from him without a hug. For some reason, I have romantic notions about them in my head, and I have no clue why.

My sister walks my way, eyes pinned on me, and she doesn’t look back at her home or Amell for one final farewell.

“I’m ready,” she says.

I smile. “Me too.”

CHAPTER 9

Finley

It’s way too awkward… Zora’s homecoming to Carrick’s condo. We’re met by Zaid, Titus, Rainey, and Myles, and I can tell Zora is immediately and completely overwhelmed. She doesn’t handle introductions well, and I’m not sure if there’s just a shyness about her, an inherent distrust in everything so she’s naturally standoffish, or she just doesn’t care to get to know people.

Zaid, Titus, and Myles merely smile when I introduce them.

Rainey tries to rush forward with a hug. I give a hard shake of my head, causing her to screech to a halt, which is good because Zora is already treading backward to avoid the contact.

Of course, she runs right into Maddox, who steadies her with a hand to her back. Whipping around, she hisses, “Get your hands off me.”

Maddox, ever the happy-go-lucky demi-god and not about to be put off by a prickly human, grins and winks. “You know, women clamor to have my hands on them. You should count yourself lucky.”

I think Zora might be offended, or maybe confused because I don’t even know if she understands the ways of men and women, but she must know something because she rolls her eyes.

This relieves me because it means she can hold her own, but then I catch something on Maddox’s face. It’s not mere teasing or a hint of flirting. I see something deeper in his eyes when he looks at Zora, and I register a genuine interest in her.

As a person.

More accurately, as a woman.

And that is not good. The last thing Zora needs is the complication of an interested Maddox in her already-shaky start to life in the Earth realm.