Just Breathe Part 30

"I don't know exactly where she lives, but I know where she hangs out."

Dawning rays of light fell across her shoulders, squeezing auburn highlights out of her dark brown hair. Lips pressed into a thin slash cutting her face, she pushed past him. The heavy thuds of her boots filled the air, and a breath of patchouli followed.

He spun around after her. "I can help you find her."

Inside he winced. Too eager. Accommodating. Though, Hawthorne might be able to help him physically overpower Scarlet when the time came, so the offer was justified. The Erthe could be a valuable ally.

Since when do you have allies?

She paused her steps, turned her head to the side. Her stance relaxed with an audible release of air from her lungs. "How's the dingo?"

Sinnder almost smiled. "She's fine. She talks about you a lot."

Now Hawthorne faced him full on. A wry grin tugged at her full lips. Amus.e.m.e.nt crinkled the skin around her eyes behind the gla.s.ses. "Oh? What does she say?"

His newly fed Fire released a burst of s.e.x pheromones into the air. With it, his hunting instincts jacked up. "She misses you. Wants to see you again."

He wouldn't have noticed the slight twitch of her nostrils if he hadn't been watching for it. With pursed lips, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't play with Fire, Sinnder. I'm here to do a job. I'll be on my way."

His gaze slid down her tight body, all muscle, no fat-yet curiously un-butch. Strong and feminine at the same time. The Fire approved.

"You played with me last time our paths crossed." He slunk closer.

What was he doing?

"And I'm sure you remember how it ended."

He smiled and rolled the shoulder she'd dislocated. It popped. "I'll never forget."

"Go home to your dingo."

He tracked the scent of a spark from somewhere deep within her hard sh.e.l.l and breathed deeply of its heavy, earthy note. Cheeks a little redder than before, she resumed her trek toward the exit.

"You sure I can't interest you in a hunting expedition?" he called after her. "We could make it a date. Dinner. Movie. Target practice."

"Unless you want to take me to the door to the Dreaming, we have nothing more to discuss." She tossed the words over her shoulder without looking back.

His smile widened. "Tempting." But not yet.

In the wake of her departure, a cool, patchouli scented breeze ruffled his hair. Yep, he was definitely warming up to the cold.

Chapter Thirty-three.

Gavin and Vexx sat in his car outside Sentinel Councilor Wyland's house on the outskirts of town. With the recent increase in Fyre activity in Hervey Bay, the members of the Council had moved there to police the area. The life of a Sentinel was a nomadic one requiring frequent relocation.

Lucky for Gavin, their move here made spying a h.e.l.l of a lot easier.

Though Gavin was desperate to get back to the Dreaming to continue his search for the Dreamweaver, it occurred to him this morning that exposing the traitor could lead him straight to her. Whoever it was had to be in league with the Fyres and had most likely given them information about the Dreamweaver. Maybe even handed her over.

Gavin focused his tired eyes on the front door. Camira had arrived at Wyland's a couple hours ago. He guessed the two were plotting inside, though so far, Vexx's eavesdropping on their thoughts hadn't uncovered any evidence. Ready to tear out his hair, Gavin had wasted half the day on another wild goose chase while the Fyres continued to lay waste to the Dreaming.

On top of Wyldling worries, maintaining the undertow necessary to keep Scarlet's raging Fire submerged had drained his Water levels dangerously low now that Zoe wasn't around.

He felt guilty for taking breaks from his Sentinel duties last night and this morning, but the choice to be with Zoe hadn't been a selfish indulgence on his part. He needed the Water she gave him. It not only held Scarlet down, but it restocked his Sentinel ammunition.

Meanwhile, his mere presence put her at risk every time they were together. If Scarlet overheard something...

He couldn't go on like this for much longer. His sanity hung by a thread.

"They're talking about new Sentinel recruits now." Rolling her eyes, Vexx popped her gum and kicked a foot onto the dash.

Gavin sighed. He swiped a hand across his sweaty forehead as Scarlet made another attempt at surfacing. He used the dwindling remains of Zoe's Water to cut her off. Why can't you just die? "Nothing about the Fyres?"

Vexx shook her head. "I told you, I can't read minds, but I'm not getting a sense of anything untoward. They both seem genuine from here." She huffed and faced him. "Isn't there someone else we can creep on? These two are clean. And boring beyond belief."

Could he have been wrong about them?

His mind shuffled through the other possibilities: Erin, Ellie, Kai, and Seth. He had little reason to suspect any of them, but that was the point. The traitor would've wanted his trust.

Urgency to find answers in a world where none existed injected his muscles with another shot of panic. His foot tapped off some of the energy, but not nearly enough. f.u.c.k.

Maybe Vexx was right. Camira and that d.i.c.khead Wyland were innocent. They had no more time to waste here.

His fingers twitching, he started the car. He hoped Yileen hadn't befriended a turncoat, but this close to the equinox, he couldn't rule out anyone. "Let's see if we can find Kai. He and Yileen were fairly close."

Scarlet's Fire stoked in his ribcage, and he quickly flooded it with Water. G.o.d d.a.m.n it. She was trying to drain him dry. If she kept it up, she'd succeed.

"Right on." Vexx's fairy-like face shone with impish curiosity as she dipped her gaze to his chest. "How's that Fire holding up?"

Guilt stabbing his spine, he headed down the street for Kai's house. Vexx knew. Of course she knew. She was Vexx.

He kept his eyes on the road. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're packing a h.e.l.l of a lot more heat than any Sentinel I know." She picked at a pink fingernail.

"I have anger issues." He glanced at her, then refocused on the road.

She giggled. "You have bulls.h.i.+t issues."

He said nothing. Instead, he concentrated on maintaining a steady flow of Water over the Fire singeing his conscience.

Vexx swung a skinny black-and-pink-striped leg onto her seat. "I'll be straight with you since you don't want to be straight with me. I'm not gonna say anything about your little...problem. Not because I think you're safe to be around. You're definitely not. No, I'll keep quiet because I know how much you care about Zoe. If she finds out what you did, it'll kill her, and I'm not for that. Jack wouldn't be either.

"So, you keep your secret hidden deep inside where no one else can find it, and your buddy Vexx will look the other way. Now that I know what you've done, you stupid, impulsive boy, I'll put a little elbow grease into drawing Whetu out of the coma. I'm certain we can find the door into the Dreaming and save you the expense of having to exterminate any cooties you might catch off that fire crotch ex of yours."

The Fire hissed. He curled his lip, tamped it down with another wave, and swallowed over a dry throat. G.o.ds, he was so f.u.c.ked. Vexx was right. When Zoe found out what he did...

"Thanks for...everything."

"Steady on, mate." She put on an exaggerated Aussie accent. "It'll be over soon."

"Yeah, but over-good or over-bad?"

She didn't answer.

They were silent for the rest of the drive. He pulled up to Kai's house, got out of the car, and slammed the door shut. He was twitchy all over, tweaking worse than a crack junkie.

Cool your s.h.i.+t. You're losing it again.

Vexx leaned out of the window. "We're going inside?"

He sighed. "Yep. I'm tired of playing nice. We can't afford to f.u.c.k around anymore. I need answers."

Vexx followed him up the walk and stood behind him as he rang the bell. Gavin struggled to keep his mind focused, but it pinballed in a downward spiral from one worry to the next. Vexx laid a gentle hand on his back. A gust of wind kicked up, bringing a refres.h.i.+ng breath of Airy clarity with it. His racing thoughts calmed. His head cleared.

Better.

He nodded his thanks as the door opened.

A smile swept over Kai's face. "About time you got here." He stepped aside and waved them in.

"Kai, this is Vexx."

The two shook hands, and his warm brown eyes studied her for a moment. "In league with the Aers now, are you, Gavin?"

"Something like that." He pumped more Water to Scarlet's cage. She couldn't hear any of what they were about to discuss. "We need to talk about the Council."

"Indeed, we do." He gestured to the chairs in the lounge room. Everyone sat. "Do you know who it is?"

Gavin couldn't cover his surprise. "Who who is?"

Kai leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His long, dark hair almost touched them. "The one who betrayed the Council to the Fyres? I have my suspicions."

"So do I. Prove to me it's not you." Gavin settled his pointed gaze on the man.

Kai's Polynesian features kept steady-no twitches, no looking to the left, no sign of deception. Aura was clean, too. "Before he died, Yileen said some things that clued me in to trouble. Never anything direct. Just vague, pa.s.sing comments."

Gavin rubbed his bottom lip. "Same here."

"When I realized the Fyres were always one step ahead, I started paying closer attention, putting pieces together. At first I thought they were spying on us and getting information that way, but no one on the Council is stupid. We're very careful about who we deal with, and we follow the strict rule of keeping our secrets among the seven of us.

"You were a natural suspect, being new and young. I watched you but found nothing of consequence. So I looked to the others. Wyland's a hothead. He often speaks without thinking. Lacks restraint and tact. But my investigations turned up nothing on him either.

"Camira is Yileen's great-niece-"

Shock zapped Gavin with a lightning strike to the brain. He mentally tightened the lid on Scarlet's box. "What? I had no idea. Yileen never mentioned it." Why would his friend keep such information from him?

Kai smiled. "Yeah, they didn't advertise their kins.h.i.+p, but it's true. She got the s.h.i.+ts with everyone after Yileen announced he wanted you to be the new Council leader. I suspect she was disappointed he didn't choose her. Jealous maybe. I don't know. Whatever the case, she supported his endors.e.m.e.nt at the vote, though she did so with a scowl and a near-bleeding tongue."

That explained why Camira hated Gavin so much. At least one question was now answered. "Did anyone vote against me?"

Kai shook his head. "It was a unanimous decision."

Interesting, but not that surprising. The traitor went along with the group to maintain the appearance of cooperation. Or maybe he or she wanted him to lead just to watch him fall. Or to prove Yileen wrong.

"What do you reckon is the motivation for selling out to the Fyres?" Gavin asked, Water flowing hard and fast now. "What would a Council member have to gain by helping them rise to power?"

"Well, they made you look bad, and it opened up the head position. Power is always a great motivator."

"You think it's Ellie?" Gavin didn't know much about her, but he'd never gotten a bad vibe off her.

"I don't know, but she's as likely a candidate as the next. I trust Seth. Not sure about Erin."

"If it's Ellie, she got what she wanted. What's the Council's reaction been so far?"

"They seem content with her in charge. She's no-nonsense, straightforward. A good leader. Though nothing's changed as far as the Fyres are concerned. We're no closer to getting them out of the Dreaming than we were before. Perhaps even farther away now that Lana has risen to power within the Waeters' ranks."

Gavin nodded. "Lana's the wrong choice. I only hope the Waeters' decision doesn't come back to bite them on the a.r.s.e the day after tomorrow. If the t.i.the goes awry, there will be literal h.e.l.l to pay."

Kai pressed his lips together. "I'm afraid you're right."

"Jack told me about the Dreamweaver. Clearly she's a point of contention on the Council. Do you know anything about her?"

Kai's brows pulled together. "They say she's a myth. I have no reason to believe otherwise. Do you know something I don't?"

Gavin sighed. "No, mate. I've been looking for her, but..."

Kai nodded thoughtfully. "I'll see if I can turn anything up."

"What will happen should the Waeters fail to keep the Balance?" Gavin didn't want to know the answer, but he needed to know in order to prepare himself and the Wyldlings he fought to protect.

A long thread of silence wove through the s.p.a.ce between them. "We'll have a war on our hands. And I don't mean in the Dreaming. It will be a living, b.l.o.o.d.y reality like nothing we've ever seen in this life or the generations before us."

Grim acceptance settled into Gavin's bones. The battle for Australia was close at hand, and the lines between good and evil, friend and foe, were utterly blurred, potentially stained with the blood of countless innocents.

Scarlet's Fire stretched, tested the waning strength of its cage, and caressed his soul with a dead-evil smile.

Airy yellow streaks breezed across Vexx's irises, but they didn't hide the dread lurking below.