He held up a hand, shaking his head. “All Brianna is saying is that we have no idea what’s going on, no evidence of who’s running things or why this is happening. And right now, this shadow is the only thing keeping either of you alive.”
Emily crossed her arms. It was all the argument she needed, but he would feel her anyway, the anger and nearly uncontrollable need to act. But there would be something else beneath it. Concern for Brianna, for the way she’d progressively gotten thinner, the dark circles under her eyes. And fear. Fear of the unknown, of what this man could do to them. Brianna could guess, because she was feeling it too.
They were both scared, neither knowing what kind of monsters were behind this shadow, how they could be strong enough to drive someone so powerful to obey. But the fact that their mother had known the man’s father, the possibility that she’d somehow laid a plan in place, kept Brianna’s hope alive. Because maybe there was some chance, some small possibility of fighting the fate she’d seen for them.
“We can’t know what’s going to happen,” Brianna said. “We might need him, to use him against the others.”
“Oh, right,” Emily said. “I can burn him, Aern can sway him, and we can walk right into his lair to meet the bad guys.” Her tone was less scorn than disbelief. “You don’t just keep someone around who’s hurting you. Not on the off chance he’ll be some kind of help.”
“He hasn’t hurt me,” Brianna said in a soft voice. “I’m not okay with what he’s doing, but if it helps us…”
“He has,” Logan said. Everyone, even Brianna, looked at him. “The first time he sent you a vision. Before the fight with Morgan and every time since, Brianna. He is hurting you.”
Recognition sparked in Emily first, the memory of Brianna being knocked to the floor in what was nearly a seizure, and then nothing as she lay there, lifeless. And again, when he’d shown her the shadows coming, the vision that had saved them only days ago.
Brianna wanted to argue, to say maybe that was the only way, but doubt flickered at the impulse, because she had a memory of the look that had crossed over the shadow’s face when she’d said he was hurting her.
“Okay,” she finally agreed. Her eyes came back to Emily. “You can burn him. But don’t do it until I can see, until I know for sure you’ll be safe.”
“Why can’t you see them, Bri?” Emily replied. “You can see me, you can see my future. Why are the others out of range?”
It was another accusation, but Brianna didn’t have the answer. None of it was making sense, and she still hadn’t shaken the cold spike of fear at finding he had a way to reach her, to touch her even now. It was worse, so much worse than the invasion of her mind. This was a part of her; her power was a physical thing.
Aern glanced at the floor, running a hand over his neck. She knew he was picking up on her emotion, how keenly she was feeling the dread, the revulsion, the uncontrollable pull to this other shadow. She knew he felt like it was an invasion of his own.
“She’s right,” Logan said. “What’s so different about them, what’s keeping you from finding only their future?”
Brianna was silent as she concentrated on the fog, not for the first time. She’d felt as if something was there, some obvious thing she was missing. Before she’d found her connections to the power, she’d been missing a lot of things. But this was different. This was a blur that covered only one part of her ability, and she couldn’t figure out why.
They would have to work on it from a different direction, find some other connection to lead her there. Like the clues, when Logan had helped her discover the hints her mother had left them.
“He’s a dragon,” Brianna said. “So what do we know about those abilities?”
All eyes in the room suddenly on him, Aern didn’t appear to like the direction the conversation was taking. That this threat, this thing that wanted to hurt Brianna and Emily was somehow related to his line, his power. He cleared his throat. “Aside from the sway, I can sense intent, moods, and the occasional random impression, though it seems to be sharper with certain people. I can communicate those same senses to Emily through the bond, and my awareness of her is more acute than with anyone else.”
“But he doesn’t hurt me,” Emily said, though it held less heat than her previous arguments. “It isn’t taking anything from me.”
“Intent, maybe?” Logan asked.
His eyes were on Aern, but Brianna answered. “I don’t disagree with any of you. I know this man doesn’t care if it’s taking more than just energy from me. But we still don’t know his purpose. No matter what you think of what he’s doing, we have to consider his goal, that it’s kept us alive.”
Emily shook her head at her sister’s persistence. “Fine, we’re alive. But what else, Brianna?” She pressed her palms against the back of the chair sitting opposite of Brianna. “Why is he keeping us alive?”