Let the Storm Break (Sky Fall #2)(18)

“She did it just fine.”

But she didn’t—and the chaos is almost more frustrating than the blank slate I used to deal with. It’s like my past is a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces look the same, and no matter how much I try to sort through them, I can never figure out how any of them fit back together. Not without a bigger picture to guide me.

“Well, if there were a problem,” Arella says quietly. “I do know how to fix it.”

And there it is. Right there. The play she’s been building toward.

“Let me guess, you need me to take you aboveground, to the winds?” “I would need a few Southerlies, yes.”

“Wow, do you really think I’m that stupid?”

“Of course not. Have as many guards with us as you want. Have the whole Gale Force. Do you really think I’d be able to overpower them all?”

I want to believe that she couldn’t, especially with how scrawny she looks now. But I’ve seen her in action. She moves like a blur— and she’s ruthless. She didn’t even blink before launching deadly attacks at her own daughter.

Plus, she wouldn’t have to take out the whole force. Just a few key people so she could get away.

“Thanks, I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“You won’t though, Vane. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

I ignore her, flopping back on my pillows.

They’re my memories. If anyone can sort them back into place it’s me.

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. For a little while longer at least.”

I hate myself for letting her suck me back in. But I have to ask. “Why only for a little longer?”

“You really can’t guess?” She runs her hands over the walls, letting the grains of sand shower her feet. “There’s a reason this place is so secret, Vane. Os crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed. But I guess he figures one crime deserves another. I did do . . . terrible things.”

“You did,” I agree, trying to snuff out the sympathy I’m starting to feel for her.

It’s not easy.

Especially when she wraps her arms around herself, looking like a small, frightened bird as she whispers, “But this place, this Maelstrom, as he calls it. It doesn’t just contain me. It consumes me.”





CHAPTER 12


AUDRA

T

his is why the Gales will never win,” Aston murmurs as he steps closer, giving me a clearer view of his scars.

There’s something sickeningly beautiful about the way the moon’s glow seeps through the holes speckling his skin. Almost like Raiden created tattoos of light, carved out piece by piece.

“What did he do to you?” I whisper, not sure if I really want to know. I can see other changes too. A blue tinge to his lips. Wavy lines running along the sides of his torso. He’s probably only ten years older than me, but his eyes look a hundred years old.

“Oh, this?” He waves his hands, making a disturbing whistle as the air squeals through the gaps. “This was simply the product. The power comes from the process.”

The power in pain.

I can’t help shivering as I ask, “How does it work?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“I don’t,” I agree. “But maybe if we knew more about what we’re facing we could—”

“You could what? Do this to others?” He steps so close that I can

see straight through his wounds to the rocky cave behind. “Watch

them writhe and scream as you make their bodies crumble? Is that

the future of the Gales?”

“No. But what about the tricks you used to capture me? If the Gales

had those in their arsenal maybe they could stand a better chance.” “You don’t understand what you’re requesting.”

“Then explain it to me.”

He laughs.

A sad laugh.

A broken laugh.

Then he throws his cloak back on, scoops me up, and carries me

through the cave. His strength is remarkable given his hollowed-out

form. I can’t even twist in his grasp.

“Now, I’m going to need you to be a very good girl and not get

any ideas about escaping,” he tells me as we step through whatever

barrier he’s built to keep out the winds. “I’d really rather not have to

hurt you again, but we both know that I will.”

I nod, even though I’m not sure I believe him.

He’s crazy and erratic and his mind is just as ruined as his body. But he’s a Gale.

Then again, so was Raiden . . .

Cold Northerlies blast my skin, and I close my eyes, fighting

back tears when I realize I can’t feel the pull of my bond. I don’t know if it’s some trick of Aston’s or a sign or something

more, but I need to find a way back to Vane.

“A throne for Her Majesty,” Aston says, setting me down on a

flat-faced rock just outside the cave’s entrance. “Or do you prefer Her

Highness?”

“I prefer Audra.”

He shakes his head. “You’re going to make an interesting queen.” It’s hard not to cringe at the word.