He smiles as he says it, and it reminds me of my dad when he’s about to make me do something I’m definitely going to hate but that he thinks will be “good for me.”
But when I ask Os about it, he just steers toward the Gales’ base—an empty field of sand with a row of scraggly pine trees shielding it from the freeway. Giant holes in the dunes are the only things that set it apart from the billion other desert fields around here, and it still bums me out that the headquarters for my sylph army looks more like the home of mutant gophers. But the Gales try to stay underground as much as possible, away from Raiden’s searchwinds. And it’s not like they need a lot of fancy equipment. All they need is wind.
“What’s with the crowd?” I ask as I spot at least a dozen Gales gathered in the wash that cuts down the center of the field. It’s more guardians than I’ve ever seen aboveground at once.
“You’ll see.”
My suspicions grow when we land in the wash and I see the way all the Gales are grinning. Even Fang looks ready to crack a smile, and Gus gives me a cocky nod.
“Vane,” Os says before I can ask Gus what the hell is going on. “I’d like you to meet your Southerly trainer.”
They all move aside, revealing a seriously gorgeous girl with blond wavy hair rustling in the warm breeze. She stares at me with shy, clear blue eyes, and her peachy cheeks flush pink.
I can guess who she is before Os introduces her.
Solana.
The one they all want me to marry.
CHAPTER 14
AUDRA
I
need a plan.
The second Aston finished his warning, he snuffed out all the winds and dragged me back to the cave.
I should’ve seen it coming.
Should’ve fought harder.
Should’ve . . .
There’s an endless list of things I should’ve done. It’s too late for any of them.
“And how’s my new roomie doing?” Aston asks, reappearing in
the cave’s entrance.
He used sickly green drafts to tie me to a sharp-edged boulder
and told me to get all my crying out of my system while he went to
patrol his perimeter. But I haven’t shed a single tear.
If I learned one thing from growing up with my mother, it’s how
to survive with a selfish, psychotic killer. I just have to stay calm and
keep him distracted until I figure out a way to escape.
“Still sulking, I see,” he says when I don’t respond. “It’s really not
a good look for you. Almost as unpleasant as this.”
He slips out of his cloak and I have to look away. The midday
sunlight makes his wounds even more disturbing.
He laughs. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. I certainly have.” He waves his hands around, making the gaps in his arms whistle
before he utters a string of unintelligible commands and the cave fills
with salty ocean breezes.
“I figured you could use some fresh air,” he tells me as he plops
down across from me, “But don’t do anything foolish. Then I’ll have
to hurt you—and contrary to what you may be thinking, I’m really
not interested in torturing you. I never developed a stomach for that
sort of thing. Especially with pretty girls.”
“I’m not going to try anything,” I tell him, ignoring his flirtatious smile.
Not yet.
Not until I’m sure I’ll succeed.
Cool drafts whisk around me, filling the air with soft songs
that promise a calmer time ahead. But I’m more relieved to feel the
scorching pull of my bond again.
Vane’s still safe—and still far away.
I’m not sure how much longer that will last.
Between the message I sent him and the way Aston keeps cutting off my trace from the sky, it’s only a matter of time before Vane realizes I’m in trouble. And he would be no match against Aston if
he came after me.
Sharp hisses bring me back to the present, and my heart aches as
three of the drafts turn dull gray and coil around Aston’s waist. “It’s the only way to keep myself together,” he explains as the
winds vanish into the holes in his skin. “Another way Raiden tried
to secure my loyalty. He wanted to be sure I could never escape, even
if I wanted to.”
“But you did, escape,” I remind him.
“Only from his fortress. Never from his influence.”
He traces his fingers along the twenty-nine holes in his shoulder, making me wonder again what Raiden did before number thirty. I ask a more important question instead. “How did you get
away?”
A smug smile twists his lips. “Raiden’s greatest weakness is that
he has no weakness.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. His fortress has more security than
anyone could ever need and none all at the same time. Once I figured
that out, getting away was easy.”
I try to make sense of his riddle, but it’s far too vague to tell me
anything useful.
“Why are you so interested?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “Planning a friendly visit to Raiden?”
“I’m not planning anything. But there’s always the possibility