someone as a training gift. Sethios paused for a moment, considering the opportunity to teach her, but decided against it. He wanted to know what his father had persuaded this girl to do before he endangered his daughter with the task.
Just a few more strands, he thought, untying the proverbial bow with his mind. And... done.
The girl shrieked in response, the scream harsh enough to make his ears bleed. He nearly commanded she shut up, but words were streaming from her mouth in a rapid fire of insults and accusations that all seemed to blend together. None of it was meant for him but was directed at the two Elders behind him.
“How could you?” she demanded, her voice breaking as she lost herself to a sob that had Balthazar immediately kneeling before her. “I would never do that! You know I would never do that! God, and the excuse. Issac. Are you kidding me? Aidan was my father. My family. I would never... I would never!”
Sethios moved out of the way as the mind reader reached for the girl. He didn’t want to be in the middle of whatever the fuck this was.
Which turned out to be the right move because Clara punched Balthazar half a beat later. Then she cried out in horror, another scream parting her lips.
The Elder massaged his jaw, his brown eyes narrowing up at Sethios. “What did you do to her?”
“I removed Osiris’s compulsion,” he replied. “I don’t know what he persuaded her to do, but it’s gone now.”
“You can do that?” Lucian sounded intrigued.
“Not typically, no. This seems to have been done on purpose. I think he meant for Astasiya to remove it.” Given the female’s reaction, he was glad he’d handled this instead of his daughter.
Someone cleared a throat from the doorway, causing Sethios and Lucian to turn.
Alik stood with his arms folded across his chest, his hip propped against the door frame. “I assume this means Clara wasn’t actually our mole but was framed as one.” He didn’t phrase it as a question so much as a statement. “Which means we have an even bigger problem.”
“Unless Clara can tell us who did this,” Lucian pointed out.
“She doesn’t know,” Balthazar murmured, his palm against the girl’s cheek. She’d quieted a little, perhaps because he’d engaged his ability to manipulate emotion. Sethios had never actually witnessed that talent before, but he could see its usefulness in this situation.
“What does she know?” Lucian countered.
“That everyone she loved betrayed her,” Balthazar growled. “That we chose to believe a cruel trick over decades of friendship.”
“She admitted guilt,” Alik drawled. “And she provided reasons.”
“Reasons I said were asinine,” Balthazar countered. “She’s never been romantically inclined toward Wakefield. We all know that. We were just quick to assign guilt because we wanted a solution to the problem.”
“Jonathan received a call with the location we gave her,” Lucian said softly. “Mateo tracked the phone records.”
“It wasn’t me!” Clara shouted. “Why would I give that monster anything?”
Sethios considered asking what all this meant, but he had enough on his mind in regard to Caro and wherever the hell Gabriel had fucked off to.
“My services are no longer needed here,” he said, heading for the door. “Call me if you have a prisoner I can actually play with.”
He didn’t wait to hear a reply, his steps already carrying him out of the room—after Alik had moved out of his way—and down the hall.
The female Guardian stood waiting at the end, her friend long gone after whatever Lucian had said to her. Sethios gave the woman a nod, then left the hut and went to find Astasiya. They needed to have a chat about her dreams. Gabriel would come back eventually. If he didn’t, Sethios would send Leela to find him.
I’m done wasting time, angel, he thought at Caro. If you don’t want to reply to me, that’s fine. But I’m going to find you. Even if it means crashing the council chambers and dragging you home.
The more he considered that plan, the more he liked it.
What would they do? Rehabilitate him, too?
He nearly laughed.
If they couldn’t fix his father, they certainly couldn’t fix him. And neither of them could be killed. So why not?
If only I had my wings, he mused. Then I could mist right in there and grab you.
I miss you, she whispered back at him, causing him to freeze on the beach.
Caro? Was that really her, or a memory loop sent to taunt him?