Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats 1)

How does this woman know my name? Before anyone could accuse her of anything, Kiarra managed to sputter, “I don’t know who you are.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, but kept her gaze on Jaxton and Darius. “Does the name Camilla Louise ring a bell?”

Kiarra’s heart stopped. The woman had to be lying.

Jaxton darted a glance at Kiarra. “What’s she talking about?”

She took another look, this time noticing the scar on the woman’s jaw. For a second, she couldn’t breathe. She now realized why the face had seemed familiar—she’d last seen the same scar on the chin of a ten-year-old girl, her arms outstretched, calling Kiarra’s name.

“Kiarra? Do you know her?” Jaxton said.

She pried her gaze away from Cam’s face, looked at Jaxton, and said, “Cam is my younger sister.”

“Sister?” Jaxton took in the woman named Camilla, from her long, lean body to the weapons crisscrossing her chest. A scar on her forehead and jaw only emphasized the woman’s rougher appearance; Kiarra had a somewhat rounder, angelic-looking face. Jaxton motioned his free hand toward the unconscious woman on the floor. “And who is that, your unruly cousin?”

Kiarra’s sister was not amused. “Try a shadow-shifter, limey, sent by a person working with the AMT enforcers.”

He glanced at the unconscious woman on the floor. Shadow-shifting was a latent ability, one that a person could use to shift into a shadowy mist once every twenty-four hours. In the past, they’d been used as assassins or spies.

The shadow-shifter would be out cold for a little while longer, and Jaxton needed to figure out why Kiarra’s sister would show up now, only a few days after Kiarra’s escape. He was also curious as to how the hell she’d made it inside his house despite the tight security.

He motioned toward the shadow-shifter. “I understand how she made it past security, but how did you break in through the second story window? Better yet, why are you here?”

“Aislinn and Neena sent me. I heard Kiarra was out and wanted to talk with her.”

That was very much a non-answer. Jaxton glanced at Kiarra to see how she was handling it all, only to find her humming near Garrett’s ear. No wonder his brother was quiet despite the commotion.

“Kiarra.” She turned and looked at Jaxton, but even from across the room, he could see the insecure expression on her face. Fucking fantastic. If her sister’s appearance had undone all of Kiarra’s progress so far, he’d take care of Cam himself. “It’s your call. What do you want to do with her?”

Kiarra straightened from her crouch and clenched her fists at her side. She might be hiding it well, but he could tell she was upset, and a part of him wanted to comfort her.

“I—” She nearly choked and Jaxton growled; how dare someone upset his charge and make her regress? But before he could do anything, Kiarra swallowed and said, “Tomorrow. I’ll talk with Cam tomorrow.”

“Not good enough,” Cam said before she disappeared from her perch atop the shadow-shifter, only to reappear at Kiarra’s side. Cam now had Kiarra by the shoulders, one gun still out and trained on Jaxton. “I need to talk with Kiarra tonight.”

Kiarra tried to shrug off Cam’s grip. “Cam, please, let it wait until tomorrow. I’m not sure—”

Cam never took her gaze from Jaxton and his men as she said, “I’m not fucking around. Verify it with Aislinn or Neena, but I’m not letting Kiarra out of my sight until I get to talk with her.”

Kiarra looked about ready to cry. He needed to defuse the situation.

“Marco, confirm it. Darius, get that other woman secured.”

Jaxton never too

k his eyes from Kiarra’s face as Darius moved into the room and hefted up the unconscious woman. Kiarra’s expression mirrored one he’d seen during their struggle inside her AMT cell—one of vulnerability and despair. Her sister’s sudden appearance had probably triggered memories best forgotten. He needed to get Kiarra alone so he could coax her back.

Once the shadow-shifter was secured and out of the room, Jaxton spoke again. “The man on the bed behind you is in rough shape. Let Kiarra go and I promise you we’ll talk downstairs.” In a show of good faith, he lowered his gun.

Cam lowered her gun too, but kept a firm grip on Kiarra’s arm. “How do I know it’s not a trick? You could have more people waiting downstairs to attack me.”

“If your recent display of speed is any indication, you could outrun or outmaneuver any person here before they had a chance to draw a gun or use elemental magic.”

Cam looked at him a moment before slightly turning her head to Kiarra, but only far enough to where Cam could keep an eye on him at the same time. “Will your man keep his word?”

Kiarra blinked. “He’s not—”

Cam interrupted her. “Just tell me, will he keep his word?”