“I think I may have swallowed the vat of alcohol,” Allyra admitted.
“And?” Rob teased.
“And what?”
“Don’t you have some spectacularly embarrassing stories to share?”
“And what makes you think I’d ever share them with you?” Allyra replied with a laugh.
Rob slung his arm over Allyra’s shoulders, drawing her toward the cottage. “The plumbing is pretty basic, but I think we can sort out a shower for you. Then I’m making you my patented hangover cure.”
Jamie cringed—he happened to know that his brother’s hangover cure involved raw eggs and stout beer. It was more likely to send the unlucky recipient on a trip to the hospital than actually cure any hangovers.
“No,” Laureline broke in. “We need to leave now for the job.”
Rob shot Laureline a quick look of frustration. “It can wait a little for Ally to freshen up.”
“No,” Laureline said again, her face set stubbornly. “It can’t.”
“What job?” Jamie asked, taking the opportunity to ask his question in the silence created by Rob and Laureline staring each other down.
Laureline gave him a beatific smile. “You’ve been clamoring to meet Rowan. We have a job for you now—if you two prove yourselves, I’ll take you straight to Rowan.”
Jamie’s heart leaped at the prospect of finally meeting Rowan. Surely, he’d have some information about Emma’s whereabouts. “What do we need to do?”
“I’ll give you all necessary information when required.” Laureline turned to Allyra and scrunched up her nose dramatically. “Maybe we do have ten minutes for you to shower. I’m not sure I want to share a car with you smelling like a bar floor.”
“And how would you know what a bar floor smells like?” Allyra asked smoothly with a dangerously serene smile. “Spent much time lying on one?”
Jamie bit back a delighted smile—Laureline looked as if she’d swallowed a mouthful of nails and chased it with a shot of lemon juice.
Laureline turned abruptly and stalked back toward the cottage. “Be ready in ten,” she spat out over her shoulder.
Rob raised his eyebrows at Allyra as if to say now you’ve done it. She shrugged, unrepentant, and moved to retrieve her backpack from the car. Jamie stayed and helped her, slinging her bag over his shoulder.
“Are they still together?” Allyra asked, her eyes fixed on Laureline’s retreating back and Rob who was jogging to catch up.
Jamie shrugged. “No idea. Rob never settles for long.”
“I thought it might be different this time.”
“Since when do you care about Rob’s relationships?” he asked, surprised at the sudden venom in Allyra’s voice. “You know Rob’s a rubber ball—always bounces back, never out of shape and twice as annoying.”
Allyra turned to him, her eyes earnest and pleading. “I don’t think we can trust her.”
Jamie studied Allyra, trying to figure out the cause of her fierce distrust. “I know you’re not her biggest fan, but Rob knows her, and she is a part of the Rising. Which is, unfortunately, still our best chance of getting Emma back.”
“Are we so sure about that? The Rising have given us nothing so far.”
“If we can just get to Rowan, I’m sure he’ll have something for us.” Jamie clung to the sliver of hope. He shut out Allyra’s suspicions and any he might’ve hidden deep in his own mind—anything was worth the risk if it got him closer to finding his twin.
Allyra’s eyes softened, losing their metallic hardness. “Okay, let’s do this.” She glanced at her watch and frowned. “Now I have seven minutes to have that shower.”
Jamie grinned. “I’m glad to note that I haven’t lost my ability to talk you into things.”
Allyra’s laughter was sharp and acidic. “Maybe. I still don’t trust Laureline or the Rising. I just trust you.”
* * *
The car ride to Laureline’s mysterious job had Jamie quickly rethinking the soundness of his judgment when it came to the Rising. After picking their way down the dirt track, Rob had turned his Land Rover north. Laureline tossed two blindfolds back and told him and Allyra to put them on. The blindfold would’ve been enough to hide their destination from him, but Allyra’s Atmospheric Gift would’ve allowed her to track their journey, blindfolded or not. So, once the blindfolds were on, Laureline had placed iron cuffs on their wrists and instantly his strength left like a curtain falling over the final act.
Darkness had fallen by the time they arrived at their destination, and the salty ocean air had given way to something crisper and lighter, carrying a hint of pine trees. They hiked for another half hour before the blindfolds were finally removed.
Jamie was unsurprised to find himself surrounded by trees. He tensed and instinctively reached for his Gift as two dark shapes materialized from behind a tree. He only relaxed when Rob stepped forward to greet the newcomers.
Laureline made the introductions, giving the two men names that were obviously fake and not particularly imaginative: John and Smith. Laureline led their now inflated group deeper into the forest.
The ground was carpeted with a deep layer of pine needles, hiding tangled roots barely lit by rare shards of moonlight breaking through the treetops. Jamie nearly fell multiple times, but ahead of him, Allyra picked her way through the darkness as effortlessly as a pixie, with disconcerting silence. He searched his memories—had she always been this graceful, this silent? If so, how had he thought of her as anything but Gifted?
Eventually, they arrived at what Jamie imagined to be their final destination. It was an incongruous little wooden cabin made strange only by its position deep in a pine forest with no view to speak of. It had, as far as Jamie could see, no reason for being at all. A plaque
