Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,88
me? We might share the same father, but I had an Enclave-born mother.” A miasma rose from Anissa and reached for him.
He trembled as he fought to keep it from touching him.
Anissa’s mad grin widened. “I am so much stronger than you. Than everyone. I started playing the sisters’ minds first, but some of them noticed and shielded themselves. Then, I went after the duke’s sons. Weak-minded idiots. I tried to ride them to get my revenge on the duke, but they killed themselves instead.”
“You possessed them?” Roark sounded shocked.
“I did. And don’t pretend you’ve never done it.”
“Only once,” he admitted. “Never again.”
“Liar. You tried to get inside my head.”
“I stopped you from killing me and Darius,” he snapped, not completely cowed, and yet Casey could see the strain on him as he fought against the fog—and appeared to be losing.
He’d used too much magic on the way in. Casey knew there was only one way out of this. Anissa had to die. But Roark couldn’t be the one to do it. He’d never survive the guilt.
Before she could toss a knife to end things, a gun fired.
A single shot. It struck between Anissa’s eyes, which widened slightly in surprise. Then she went limp, and the green fog died with her.
Charlie pulled free and ran for her father.
As for Casey, she glanced to the entrance to see her brother stepping out of a shadow.
She arched a brow. “About time you learned how to sneak.”
“I had the best teacher. I apparently just needed the right time to show it off.”
Casey moved closer and said softly, “While you did the right thing, he’ll never forgive you for killing his sister.”
“I know.” In those two words, she heard so much more. Heard how Cam didn’t want it to be her that Roark hated. How this would help force the separation they both needed. How he loved her.
She reached for him and hugged his big body briefly. “I love you, too, you big oaf. But you have to go. Now.”
“I’ll keep in touch. Be happy.” Cam gave her a short smile then left.
She remained staring until Roark joined her, Charlie on his hip. “Where’d your brother go?”
“Away. I told him you were going to kill him.”
“Call him back. I’m not going to hurt him. He did what I would have done given a chance. Can you tell Casey why?” Roark asked his daughter, shifting her in his grip.
The princess leaned her head on her father’s shoulder. “The first rule of survival is trust no one.”
“That’s right, and if they betray you once…” he said softly.
Charlie finished. “You get rid of them before they can do it again. That’s why you killed my mother.”
He winced. “You know?”
The princess hugged him around the neck. “It’s okay, Papa. I know she was a bad lady. I love you.”
The moisture in the air made Casey’s eyes tear. Thankfully something blew up elsewhere before anyone would notice.
Boom!
The explosion had them eyeing each other.
“I think it’s time to go,” he said.
They raced down the stairs—way too many—and ran into Tanzie waiting at the bottom. They emerged into chaos. A furor had erupted, the street outside filling with people, all of them crying the same thing, “The king is dead.”
Boom! Shake! Shudder!
And it appeared a struggle over power was about to ensue.
It was a man with dark braids across the street who yelled, “Get your arses moving, you lazy lot. We sail tonight!”
“Uncle Darius!” Charlie squealed.
They broke into a jog, Tanzie in the lead, while Roark, carrying his daughter, kept pace. Casey guarded his flank. The pirate greeted them with a grin.
“You little monkey! You gave me the slip,” Darius chided.
“I came to see my aunt before she died.”
Roark stumbled. “Excuse me. How did you know she would die?”
“Because I see it in my sleep.”
When Roark might have stopped to question, Casey put a hand on his arm. “Later, you can explore her gift. Right now, we need to get out of this city before it implodes.”
The sounds of violence increased, as did the gunfire. The smell of smoke in the air didn’t reassure at all.
Casey barely noticed the streets they ran down. The pirate and Tanzie shoved a path through any that might stand in their way.
The port was a grander version of the one she’d seen in the Haven Outpost, comprised of wood and stone docks. A great many metal boats were berthed.
She stared in awe at the one Darius boarded. The princess wriggled free of Roark’s grip and