Obsidian Inferno

By S.M. Butler

When Nicola's sister vanishes before her very eyes, her world unravels into a harrowing battle for survival and the desperate search for answers. What initially seems like a simple abduction soon morphs itself into a complex tapestry of conspiracy and intrigue, where peril hides at every twist and turn.

Amidst this treacherous landscape, a formidable adversary emerges—a face both hauntingly familiar and a shadowy enigma. As Nicola races to rescue her sister, she must navigate a labyrinth of secrets and betrayals. The haunting reality of never seeing Fiona again looms, and the line between hope and despair grows dangerously thin.

In the heart-pounding journey through a world where trust is elusive, the truth is in the eye of the beholder, and allies may be enemies, the fate of those Nicola loves most in the world hangs in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soaring Phoenix LLC
• Release date: Nov 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781938927362

S.M. Butler

S.M. Butler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Lucky Thirteen SEALs series, the Reapers Strike Force series, and the urban fantasy series The Bloodlines Chronicles. She also streams video games in her off time on Twitch. She lives in Texas under a not-so-secret identity, writing books, and planning the next step in her evil plans for world domination into the twilight hours of the night because that’s when it’s quiet in the house. She loves to hear from readers. In fact, you can connect with S.M. Butler online via her newsletter, Twitter, or Instagram.

Book preview

OBSIDIAN INFERNO

S.M. BUTLER

When Nicola's sister vanishes before her very eyes, her world unravels into a harrowing battle for survival and the desperate search for answers. What initially seems like a simple abduction soon morphs itself into a complex tapestry of conspiracy and intrigue, where peril hides at every twist and turn.

Amidst this treacherous landscape, a formidable adversary emerges—a face both hauntingly familiar and a shadowy enigma. As Nicola races to rescue her sister, she must navigate a labyrinth of secrets and betrayals. The haunting reality of never seeing Fiona again looms, and the line between hope and despair grows dangerously thin.

In the heart-pounding journey through a world where trust is elusive, the truth is in the eye of the beholder, and allies may be enemies, the fate of those Nicola loves most in the world hangs in the balance.

Dedication

As always, for the special two in my life.

You know who you are.

Prologue

Inside Cashel Tolbert’s body, rage burned, consuming bits of his soul with each second that passed. That constant conflagration was all he felt anymore. He embraced it these days. As long as he had the inferno rising inside his body, he didn’t feel the pain in his chest that reminded him that he was indeed… still human.

Cashel crossed his arms and stared out at the city beyond. From the top of the Federal Magic Bureau’s offices, the entire city looked like a model, the people below toys to be crushed beneath his boot. Yet, he didn’t crush them because his sister was out there somewhere. She was so close, and yet, he couldn’t get to her. Not now. Not until his debt was paid.

The magic brand on the inside of his wrist, though invisible, pulsed as if it sensed him thinking about breaking the contract. What did he think would happen? They’d release him and he would walk right up to her—a decade since their last meeting—and she wouldn’t see him for the monster he was now?

He clenched his fingers, digging into his upper arms. He banished that line of thought. He had to be careful about what he thought of right now. He looked to the man beside him. Why are we here? I’m betting Mr. Harrison doesn’t know about this little meeting?

The man beside him smiled, revealing incredibly white, perfect teeth. Too perfect to be real. Illusions, most likely. His blond hair did not have a single strand out of place, slicked back against his skull. Those cruel blue eyes watched Cashel’s every movement. It was uncomfortable, like he was burrowing down deep into Cashel’s brain. Hell, he probably was. He was lucid enough in this moment to be conscious of that.

Cashel, my boy, the man began as he stood beside him. Our time is coming to an end soon. You have my thanks for your service these last few years.

I don’t need thanks, he replied. He started to say something else, but it vanished from his thoughts, leaving the black void behind. What was it he wanted to say?

A piercing pain slammed into Cashel’s skull, but it was gone as soon as he felt it. The rage roared up higher inside him, consuming the ache in his chest until it was nearly gone. Cashel welcomed the inferno, relishing the relief from the pain inside his chest.

A face coalesced in his mind, of a raven-haired woman with sky blue eyes. Hatred flowed through his burning blood. She had run from him, but she couldn’t stay hidden forever. She owed him, for the ache in his chest, for the years of…

There is one more task I need you to complete, the man was saying.

Cashel frowned. Wait. What was he thinking? His thoughts were a chaotic jumble he couldn’t decipher. He shook his head, but nothing fell back into order.

What do I do? he asked through clenched teeth.

Nicola Casimir will always run from you. You’re stronger, faster, more powerful.

Nicola. Of course. She promised him something. Years ago.

He stared down at his hands as renewed rage flowed through his fingers. The tips burned red hot as his power rolled through him. The inferno that churned inside his mind as the rage took over.

Punish Nicola. The thought rolled through his mind like an afterthought at first, but it echoed as it bounced around in the chaotic mess until it was the only thing he could think of. She hadn’t kept her promise. She deserved to be punished.

Punished. Yes, that’s what he had to do. Punish Nicola for her lies.

I know what you want, the man said softly. Cashel looked up, right into the man’s eyes. The swirling blue storm inside them held him captive. He couldn’t pull his gaze from the man. Rage held him in check, held him frozen as the man’s gaze tore him apart from the inside out.

In his mind’s eye, he was splayed out like a five-pointed star, his chest opened up wide like he was being operated on. He couldn’t move, couldn’t stop it.

What is it? he bit out. He just wanted to be released from this nightmare, so he could let the rage take over and forget that he hurt right where he was cut open.

The man’s smile, his lips closed, grew bigger. You want to hurt Nicola. Hit her hard where it counts.

How? The word was on the tip of his tongue to ask, but he couldn’t get it out.

Bring me her sister.

Cashel frowned. Sister? He shook his head, looking away from the man. He was a cruel man, and he’d done a lot of bad things in his life, but even he couldn’t cross that line. He couldn’t hurt someone who wasn’t involved in this mess.

He just needed… something. There was something he needed to find. Family, maybe? It was so unclear. He couldn’t sort out what was real and what was in his head. He knew some things weren’t real, but the line between reality and imagination wasn’t as clear as he needed it to be.

Take the sister, the man said, like he was inside Cashel’s ear, his voice echoing like surround sound inside his skull, and Nicola will come to you. She will let you punish her for a lifetime.

Punish. Right. That was what he wanted. Punish Nicola. For her lie. But what lie? Cashel couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember what it was? It felt like it was his entire life that was lost.

Find her sister, the man said, this time his voice stern and commanding. The command echoed through his mind, pulling his focus together.

Yes. That was it. Find the sister.

Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want Nicola’s pain?

The mere mention of Casimir made him angry. He dug his fingernails deeper into his arms. That was exactly what needed to happen. He’d find the sister. And taking her… that would bring Nicola’s pain.

Bring Fiona Casimir to me, Cashel. And I’ll set you free after that.

As the man walked away, as the rage pumped through his body, he channeled it, focused it on his new target: Fiona Casimir.

Not only had Nicola Casimir and her pretty princeling disappeared off the face of this piece of shit planet, but no one had seen the sister either. She hadn’t been in school, to the apartment where the two lived, or in any of the regular haunts. Daddy Harrison had mobilized the FMB in that man hunt, even activated Syndicate agents to join, ordered Cashel to search as well. He wanted his son back and Casimir out of the way.

He scanned the city, as if it would give up its secrets to him. They wouldn’t stay hidden forever. That wasn’t Casimir’s style. She was a fighter, like him. That’s why they were so good together, why their battles were so epic. They were the same, monsters molded for war and destruction.

Where are you, little Nicola? he murmured. He narrowed his gaze over the whole city. He scanned the Assembly Hall, the old FMB building, the myriad of hotels and businesses downtown. The Honeycomb District, where the rich lived their care-free lives, not so far away from the strife of those that wandered Gargoyle Lane.

Where would he go if he was in her situation? Where would he take his sister to be safe? Something gnawed on his insides at the fleeting thought of the family he would never see again. He had failed at keeping her safe. This life of his… watching her from far away… that was his punishment.

He stopped his gaze on the dark void outside the downtown mage district.

Gargoyle Lane.

As the rage burned hot through his blood, he embraced the inferno and smiled. Of course. It had to be Gargoyle Lane. It was the only place that self-respecting mages would avoid like the plague. Even he hadn’t considered it as an option before now. She was there. He knew it.

Wait for me, little Nicola. I’m coming, he whispered.

Chapter 1

Nicola

I had a serious problem. I was on the television. The subject of the latest news report. A week ago, I’d lost control of my magic. I’d lost control of me. And as a result, my boyfriend’s father wasted no time making me public enemy number one. I’d been warned it would happen, but I’d held out hope that maybe that little explosive battle might escape public notice.

As usual, I was wrong.

Former Mage Corps Lieutenant Nicola Casimir destroyed the Harrison Family country estate in a fit of rage earlier this week. The National Assembly has mobilized military forces to seek out the Austin-born mage. Due to her specialized combat training, the Assembly has asked anyone who encounters Casimir to keep their distance and call the FMB hotline.

They could have at least used the good mug shot, I muttered and sunk deeper into the couch. I crossed my arms, annoyed, as the news reporter continued her story.

Nicola Casimir first made news two years ago when she was arrested for crimes committed against the elite Families of Austin. The Austin Assembly collaborated with the Federal Magic Bureau to eventually bring her to justice, led by current Family Heir Ian Harrison, the Assistant Chief Special Agent of the Mage Family Affairs department, who was seen being taken prisoner by Casimir only a few days ago at his Family’s estate.

A flash of surveillance footage hit the screen. Ian and I were against the wall. My eyes were glowing amethyst, and he was speaking, though it looked like he was yelling. I remembered that moment, sort of. A lot of that battle was hazy… but that was the moment he’d talked me down. And yep, sure enough, as Ian pulled me off the wall, I turned and flipped off the camera.

We’d started running after that, but the footage stopped there, right when I’d flipped off the world… at least it looked like that was what I was doing. That middle finger was meant for Cashel.

Surveillance cameras had captured my destruction pretty well. One of the angles looked like they’d had a drone in the air as well. I didn’t remember seeing a drone, but then… I’d been pretty focused that I could have missed a lot more than a simple flying drone.

Harrison Senior was crafting his personal narrative of that day, one that cast me as the villain. He’d even gone so far as to put out the story that I kidnapped his son, a federal agent and the Harrison Family Heir.

There were a lot of people that wanted to find me now. Most of them were going to shoot on sight. This narrative kept Ian’s involvement to a minimum, at least. He didn’t help the infamous criminal Nicola escape. He didn’t save the monster from herself, but instead was taken by the monster.

Fiona sat next to me, watching it play out on the screen. You look creepier in that one. It’s a good choice to sway public opinion.

I raised an eyebrow at her. She was seriously analyzing why they used a shitty mugshot of me. Doesn’t look like anyone saw you, so you could probably go back to the city with Caleb. Maybe just lay low for a bit.

Even as I said the words, I didn’t believe she could. Fiona had painted an enormous target on her back. One that had already been there because of me, but she’d made it bigger.

You need me here.

I don’t, I told her. I’m fine.

Yeah? she rolled her eyes. That’s why you showed up with three cracked ribs, half a dozen contusions, bruises, and a concussion?

You counted my injuries? I glared at her, though a concussion would have explained the throbbing headache.

Well, yeah, she said. Caleb and I had a bet to see who got closer. I totally won.

My family, ladies and gentlemen.

Also, I think my regeneration magic can help the sisters recover, so I’d like to stay and try.

I shook my head. I didn’t want her anywhere near the sisters. Not that I thought that they’d hurt her. Most of them were in medically induced comas since they were pulled out of stasis too early in their developmental cycles. The thing was they were made from my DNA and I had a weird talent for attracting trouble. A trouble magnet, if you will. Imagining seven of them around her made me shudder.

The other thing was the sisters did not have my life experiences, and they had a fatal flaw. Their bodies couldn’t generate the magic they needed to survive, which was slowly killing them. I’d staved off the magical degeneration, for the moment, but all I’d given them was a bandage in the form of a link to me. They still needed a more permanent solution.

Honestly, it’s probably better if you got out of the city altogether.

Not to mention if what I now knew of the mage world was accurate… we’d defied more than the Registry’s rules when we’d hidden Fiona’s true power. It turned out there was a system in place to maintain a balance of magical power in the world. Two organizations were locked in a perpetual battle of who got what new toy. I was the current tug-o-war toy, but if they knew about my sister…

She shook her head. I’m staying.

Stubborn idiot, I growled.

Takes one to know one, she drawled with a very teenage roll of her eyes. Seriously, though, Nikki. I can help. The sisters are all stabilizing well with the smaller infusions of regeneration I’ve been giving them. Maybe if I gave them more, they’d recover better.

My sister did have a heart of gold. No, platinum gold. Maybe it was because she had the regeneration magic that she had that heart, or maybe it was because she hadn’t been tainted by the life I led.

I don’t know if that’s a good idea, I said quietly. Cashel had to have seen her true power. And with the amount of footage on me from that day, they’d had to have caught her on video as well. Even Squirrel, a former CIA analyst and hacker extraordinaire, hadn’t found any footage of Fiona from that day. Which was… troubling. Not even a glimpse of her meant someone was hiding it, but who? Harrison Senior? General Lionel? Which side was gunning for her?

Why not? Fiona asked.

I didn’t have a good answer to that, except that I just wanted her far from all of this. Even being here, in the warehouse that Caleb and I built to keep our Families safe… there were too many variables. Cashel had torn Frank’s place apart to get to me. A few hundred feet of concrete and rock wouldn’t stop him. It was just a matter of time before he sniffed me out. I wanted to be on solid ground the next time I met Cashel, not half dead, or injured. I wanted to be at full power and health so I could protect the ones I loved most.

Nikki?

I turned to look at Fiona. Right, she’d asked me a question. I just… I want you safe… and it’s not safe around them right now. Or me, but she wasn’t having that either.

What about Frank? she asked.

You stay far from Frank Bedford, I told her, pointing my index finger into her face. Got it? The last thing I needed was whatever game that Frank was playing to involve Fiona.

Why? She frowned. He doesn’t seem that bad.

I sighed. This girl was just… too kind. She didn’t understand the assholeness of the world, yet. Frank has done a lot of bad things and hurt a lot of people. And I don’t trust him with the people I love.

At Fiona’s frown, I nearly groaned. Had Frank Bedford managed to enamor my sister somehow? Was there something in the Casimir genetic makeup that was predisposed to liking that fucker? Or was that just Fiona’s special ability to see the good in everyone? Any way that I could see it, her being around Frank was a bad bet.

Just… do me a favor… and keep your distance from him, okay? For now, we keep Frank Bedford at arm’s length. Trust me, okay?

She nodded, but it was reluctant. I understand.

I wasn’t sure she did, but she didn’t argue the point, which I considered a win. I glanced back at the screen, surprised when I saw General Lionel on it. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. Now, what is he doing there?

Who’s that? Fi asked.

General Lionel, I whispered, as if saying his name any louder might have conjured him up right in front of me.

That’s the infamous general? she asked. Of course, she probably hadn’t ever seen him. I’d kept her away from any part of my military life. And he’d never done a TV interview in his life… at least until now. He was a regular at the National and State Assembly, since they had his funding, but Fi hadn’t ever been to one before. I’d kept her far away from the Austin mage community, too.

I nodded. Yeah, that’s him.

He looks a little like Dad, she said as she scrutinized the General. Her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed, but she seemed more curious than upset. I glanced at the man, noting the Roman nose and the narrow eyes that constantly looked like he was squinting. I’d never seen it before, but yeah, he did favor Dad a little bit. Great. Another issue to lay on top of all the other daddy issues I had.

The reporter shoved a microphone under the General’s nose.

General Lionel, I understand you were Nicola Casimir’s commanding officer during her military career. Did you ever see any violent tendencies from her that could have provoked this attack?

Casimir is a living hero for this nation, the General said. She’s not violent. Not in the way you’re attempting to paint her. Wow, he was defending me… and after he took such great pains to make me look like that violent monster they were reporting on now.

The reporter looked taken aback, but she recovered quickly. The videos of the Harrison estate hardly portray a pussy cat, General.

That… she is not, he nodded. His dark eyes looked at the camera, like he could see through it straight to me. I shivered. I maintain that for whatever she does, there is a solid reasoning behind it. A method.

The reasoning of the unstable? the reporter prompted.

No. He gave the reporter a withering glance like she was a complete moron. Everything she does is to save people.

Shit, that was exactly what he’d accused me of in the dream. Was that the ultimate way to get to me? Convince me that someone needed saving? If he told Frank that… and Frank told Five… was that why she showed up in my kitchen that night? Because they knew I couldn’t resist getting involved if it meant saving someone?

His eyes flicked back to the camera. We will continue to search for her, to bring her home to her family. We take care of our own.

That last sentence pounded its way through my head, echoing as I remembered Emmanuel Hogan saying the same thing. Something like that was difficult to believe, seeing as they’d all conspired to keep me as a prisoner for six years. Was that how they took care of their own?

And what about the hundreds of protesters outside the Capitol building? the reporter asked, drawing my attention back to the screen. Many of them are frustrated with the effect magic users have had on our society and are demanding more stringent punishments for criminal mages like Casimir.

The General narrowed his eyes at the reporter, only a little. She didn’t even seem to notice. Most didn’t see the minute changes he made in his expression, but he had practically raised me. I saw them. Magic use has provided an alternative to fossil fuels. Magic has protected this country. Magic has fueled new technology and research which has saved lives. Are these the effects you speak of?

Certainly, magic has its benefits, General, but who governs people who refuse to conform to the laws? Who stops those like Casimir who decide they are powerful enough to ignore the law?

Law and order are of paramount concern, naturally. It is one of my primary directives.

At least that was the truth. The General worked for the Alliance, which was one of the two factions that maintained the balance of power. Of course, his idea of balance was controlling and banking my power by keeping me locked inside a tank. But you know, to-may-toe, to-mah-toe and all that.

Do you not take your orders from the government?

The General smiled, most likely amused by the reporter’s naivety. It was cute, thinking that General John Lionel took orders from anyone. Of course. But the Mage Act gives me more latitude to deal with people who can destroy a country with a flick of their fingers.

Does that not worry you, seeing as Casimir is one of those people?

The General shook his head. No. Not at all. A woman leaned into his ear. Lawson, I realized, as she pulled back. The General nodded to her and then turned back to the reporter. If you’ll excuse me.

As he stepped out of view of the camera and the reporter started chatting about something else, I thought about the General’s words. He was dealing with people who could destroy a country with a flick of their fingers. That sentence made me think… what if he was talking about the other group? The Syndicate, the one Ian’s dad worked with. The one he wanted me to fight? What if all this was just another ploy to get me back in his hands? Maybe Frank was a plant, set up here to work on convincing me to toe the line.

I stood up, heading for the elevator. Fiona twisted around on the couch. Nikki, where are you going?

I’d spent a week in this warehouse of mine, slowly recovering, while one of the people who could answer my questions was right here in front of me. My memory recall was slow and tedious, and I was starting to think it was on purpose. Frank knew much more than he was letting on.

Fiona

As the doors slammed shut behind my sister, I turned back to the television. The screen had changed back to the news studio, and they’d moved on to protests at the capital building in Washington DC. Considering what had happened in the last year, it seemed like such a minuscule thing to report on.

She seemed unhappy, Agent Carver said as she entered the room. She popped a chip in her mouth from the small Lays bag in her hands, her crunching filling the quiet air.

When is she not these days? I grumbled and flopped back on the couch. I didn’t blame my sister for being grumpy with the world. It hadn’t been kind to her lately. In the last two years, she’d been put in prison, attacked, kidnapped, and a myriad of other bad things that no normal person should have to deal with. But my sister was anything but normal, so it kind of made perverse sense that her problems weren’t either.

The petite brunette agent walked around the couch and dropped into the cushions that Nicola had just vacated. She held out the bag toward me. Hungry?

I shook my head. The television was still spouting a bunch of crap about nationwide protests. I’d followed it a little. One group of humans despised another group of humans for having toys they didn’t have. It was the same story repeated throughout history. This mage vs non-mage thing was just the latest iteration.

She nodded her head toward the television. That’s going to be an issue.

How? I asked. That’s hundreds of miles away.

Carver chuckled. Miles don’t matter in a world with social media. Word spreads like an out-of-control forest fire. People get their revolutions started. Injustice gets an online court date. Celebrities get canceled.

I couldn’t tell how she felt about that. Maria Carver used to be an agent of the Federal Magic Bureau until a week ago. I wasn’t sure if she realized giving me a ride to Caleb Hunter’s place would end up putting her on the most wanted list or not. Now she was as much an outlaw as my sister. I hadn’t spent a lot of time around her alone, but I felt like I’d gotten to know her pretty well over the last few months since she’d been Ian Harrison’s partner. I didn’t think she cared for my sister much, but she’d always been nice to me.

Is that so bad? I asked her.

Nah, she said tightly. Not always. But what starts two hundred miles away can be felt two miles away. Those people there… she pointed at the television and the protesters. They have a cause they believe in. They want a world like it was before the Calamity. No magic—back to blissful ignorance.

Because until about thirty-five years ago, the regular non-mage population didn’t know magic existed. It had taken a nuclear bomb hitting just the right weak spot in the barrier between our realm and the magic realm to tear it open.

They’re only afraid because they don’t know us, I said. If they learned more—

You want to teach them more about Frank Bedford? Or Cashel Tolbert? Maria asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I’m fairly sure that’s not how you want the public to see mages.

It doesn’t have to be like that, right? I asked, but I already knew the answer. Fear drove people’s motives, and non-mages were afraid of not being in control. It didn’t matter that mages had been part of human history for centuries. It didn’t matter that mages had shaped the direction of human evolution for most of history. What mattered to these people was that ignorance was bliss and they were angry that they could no longer be ignorant.

Carver’s smile was tight. Fiona, I hope you never lose that positivity.

I frowned. But when I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, the building rumbled, the earth around us vibrating as it shifted. My sister losing her temper again, no doubt. She’d been annoyed to see herself on the television, I supposed.

A lot of people were afraid of my sister. To them, she was a villian. Yeah, Nicola was powerful, more so than most of the mage world. But she had a heart equally as powerful. It was kind of a nice balance, but it meant that she took things much more personally than she should have. Throw in the typical Casimir temper and yeah, I could understand their perspective, even if I didn’t agree with it.

I also knew I wasn’t privy to the details of what was happening with her. As much as I loved my sister, I knew she was sheltering me from most of what was going on. Maybe that was for the best, but it wouldn’t stop me from worrying about that beautifully powerful heart getting burned.

Chapter 2

Nicola

Frank’s icy blue gaze stared right into my eyes as he sat at the kitchen table, matching my heat and anger with a cool resolve. Frank’s abilities were nothing like that cool resolve. His were a subset of the fire elemental family, though I would say it was more like molten rock than fire. His temperment smoldered more than exploded, but he had his moments in the past where he’d erupted.

His platinum blond hair wasn’t natural, so there was a dark undertone where his hair had started to grow out recently. He also kept it short on the sides and it looked like he finger-combed the top away from his face. He looked like a thug and he’d gotten a reputation for being one over the last few years. That had never been who he was, though. He was brilliant and a little bit insane… and completely devoted and loyal to the man who had ruined my life.

I broke the contact and glanced at the other two. The child with raven hair and sky-blue eyes stared back at me, unblinking while the teenager with matching features scowled at me. I didn’t have to guess what they were thinking. They were me, after all, at some point in my life, or who I might have been. Which meant they should have understood when my deadpan voice bit out between clenched teeth, Get out.

Neither of them moved immediately. Five’s brows drew tight, her muscles tensing. She had inherited my stubborn streak. Even though she was no match for me in strength, she stood and stepped closer to Frank, who was watching us with detached interest, his analytical brain probably cataloging everything that happened between me and the replicas.

Now, I ordered. Frank and I need to talk and I don’t need the kiddies hanging around.

Five shook her head. No.

It’s okay, Frank told her, standing up slowly. His iron cuffs clinked as he ushered her closer to Six. Take your sister and go downstairs for a bit.

Five pressed her lips into a tight line. The interaction between them reminded me a little of the General and me. Was that how I’d been when I was the General’s war puppet? Was that how much I wanted to please him? God, that pissed me off even more.

Get moving, I ordered. I’m not saying it again.

This time, Six stood up and walked calmly to her sister, taking her hand in her little one. She could only hold three of her sister’s fingers in her small hand. Come on, sister.

I’m not leaving, Five replied hotly and snapped her head to Frank. I’m staying. I don’t like the way she’s looking at you.

It’s fine, Frank said, not taking his eyes from me as he pressed his hand against Five’s back, pushing her toward the exit. Nothing’s gonna happen here today. Go on.

For long seconds, Five didn’t move. Then she let Six pull her away. She glared at me for good measure but wisely didn’t give me any threats or warnings like you better not or else because I probably would have laughed in her face anyway. The sisters were nowhere near my level. That design had been on purpose, even if it had unwanted side effects.

Long seconds of silence stretched between Frank and me as we stared at each other across the table. His magic was muzzled by the iron cuffs they’d put on him for transport when he was in federal custody. But Alpha Primes could sometimes break out of cuffs like that. So far, he hadn’t tried it at all since he’d been here. He’d been content to be a prisoner here. If he wasn’t trustworthy, he was trying really damn hard to be so, which just made me more certain that he might be a plant.

Something on your mind, Nicola?

I just saw the General on the television. If Frank was surprised, he didn’t show it. I ran my fingers along the stainless-steel tabletop as I walked around it to face Frank head-on. First time I’ve ever seen him on TV. It was an interesting interview. It was about me.

Your big show at the Harrison estate was meant for public consumption, he replied evenly. So likely that interview was planned as well.

That was about what I expected. So, this is all still about getting me back under control?

Frank’s icy blues stared straight into my eyes. It’s about fixing the balance and getting you where you are supposed to be.

So… yes, I ground out the words between my teeth before continuing. I’m so sick and tired of everyone else trying to manipulate me. I want the goddamn truth, Frank.

You haven’t figured it out yet? Frank looked surprised.

What am I supposed to figure out? I asked. I want a straight answer, Frank. I’m tired of games.

Casimir… Alexander Harrison wants you dead because you give us an advantage he doesn’t have, especially now that you’re awake. But your link to his son inhibits his actions.

What exactly do you people want from me? I growled, trying to contain the anger within from spilling out. My magic was already trying to react to it, trying to spin up out of my chest.

Casimir… you’re our leader. The General is just trying to prepare you for that.

For the love of—The General’s words from our last meeting came back to me. I’m setting it up for you. For the Alliance?

He shook his head. No. Our leader. A queen among mages. The Alliance and the Syndicate are archaic systems that the world doesn’t need anymore. We need a united world, and you’re the way there.

I stared at Frank, not saying anything. Mostly because I didn’t know what to say. He painted a different picture than what I’d been told about the Alliance, the Syndicate, and what those two organizations wanted. I’d thought the General was part of that system.

The world knows we exist now. You were handicapped early in life, by your father, by many others. Because of fear. Emmanuel and I… our original mission was meant to push you into discovering how strong you are, so you could transcend those limits, even within the limitation of the replicant bodies. You belong at the top. With everything that’s happening out there in the world between magic and non-magic, we need you there.

Did that mission include killing the Redhills? I bit out. My heart ached even at the mention of my foster parents. They’d died months ago, and yet, it still hurt like it had happened yesterday. For Fiona and me, they’d been more our parents than our real parents had been.

Yes, because they were a crutch you were leaning on. Part of the system that held you back. He said it so matter-of-factly. Like it was nothing. Like they were