“How does your shoulder feel?”
He turned to look at her, taken aback that she had noticed.
“I think I’ll live.” He smirked, humor in his eyes.
Capri smiled back at him, but there was sadness behind it. “I was worried about you.”
Again, he looked surprised, though she could tell that he was attempting to hide it. “You don’t have to worry about me.” He said as they approached the entrance doors. He laid his hand upon them, and when they disappeared under his touch, he stood aside to let Capri enter before him.
She walked through, only to stop just inside the atrium and turn to face him. He stopped beside her, watching her as the doors behind them reformed. Above them, light cascaded down through the clouds, highlighting her light hair like a halo.
“What happened last night?” She asked, her eyes searching his.
For a moment he didn’t speak, he just looked at her. His eyes betrayed nothing.
“We were tipped off that the demon we were looking for would be in Las Vegas. When we got there, we were immediately ambushed. The Enforcers were already dead, and more showed up to help, but it took all we had to fight back the demons. By the time we’d killed a few of them, the rest ran. I would have gone after them if my father hadn’t held me back and insisted we come home.” He had more than a little bitterness in his voice.
“You were hurt, of course he wanted to get you home.” Capri said softly, her eyes shifting to his shoulder.
Rian shrugged. “I don’t think that’s what it was.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been acting strange lately, as though he thinks he’s not going to be around much longer.”
“Is he planning on retiring early?”
The look in his eyes worried her. “He thinks he’s going to die.”
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head, not wanting to believe him.
“He hasn’t come out and said it, but I know that’s what’s been bothering him lately. Ever since the demon attacked you, he’s been more suspicious and secretive. I think he knows who is responsible, but he won’t tell me. I’ll bet he suspects that same person of organizing the ambush last night.”
“Oh.” Capri’s hand came up to her heart, her eyes wide and anxious. “So what are we going to do?”
“You don’t need to worry yourself over this. I’m handling it.”
She watched him closely, wondering how he could carry so much weight on his shoulders and still seem steady as a rock. She had complete confidence in him, and she knew he would do his best to sort this out for her. She just wished he was more open to accepting her help.
Suddenly, she heard voices and footsteps approaching from the corridor ahead of them, and it didn’t take long for her to register the hostility in the hushed tones.
Before she could even react, Rian grabbed her and pulled her with him behind one of the large leafy plants in the corner of the Atrium, hiding them from view. He stood behind her, pinning her between the plant and his body protectively.
Within seconds the owners of the voices were in the Atrium, just beyond where they were hiding. Capri could see Roarke through the leaves of the plant, his eyes wild and his voice irritated, and Tobias, looking frightened and small beside the intimidating Fury.
“I know what’s going on, Tobias, you can’t fool me.” Roarke growled, grabbing him by the shirt and yanking the younger man towards him roughly. Tobias cried out, his hands shaking.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stammered fearfully, his eyes wide.
“I don’t care what he told you, you little scumbag, but you will not get away with this. Mark my words.” Roarke threatened before releasing Tobias and stalking towards the front doors, which he thrust his palm against. When the door melted away, he continued out into the courtyard, looking big, burly and angry.
Tobias stood where he was for a moment, shaking uncontrollably, before taking off down the corridor, clearly eager to put as much distance between himself and Roarke as possible.
Within moments the Atrium was silent once more.
Capri stood still, her mind racing. She realized then that she had been holding her breath, so she exhaled slowly, still trying to process what she had just seen.
She could feel Rian breathing softly behind her, and when she turned to face him, she couldn’t help but flush at how close they were to each other.
She looked up at him, her eyes troubled.
“Tobias?” She whispered, her brows furrowing in disbelief.
He stared back at her, looking just as uncertain. “I don’t know.”
“Could he be responsible for everything? He’s so young…” Capri murmured. Then she remembered the way he had looked at her when she’d bumped into him in the library, and how afraid of her he had seemed. Had it been his guilty conscience over what he was about to do that caused his anxiety around her? “I forgot to tell you before, because it didn’t seem important, but I think you should hear it now.” She began, her hands clasping together nervously. “The day I heard the voices in the library, as I was leaving I ran into Tobias, and he gave me this look like he was afraid of me or something…I didn’t think much of it, but what if he really is involved with this?”
Rian seemed to consider this for a moment, looking disturbed. “First Rohan, now Tobias. Two of the least likely people I would ever think capable of allowing a demon onto Euphora.”
“You said yourself that anything is possible, right?”
“I did.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment, his eyes clouding with uncertainty as he stared at the front door where his father had just left. “Something bad is happening here. And the only connection I can make to any of it is you.” His eyes shifted back to look at her.
Capri nodded in agreement. “Someone, possibly Rohan, didn’t like that I was asking around about what happened the night I was taken. So said person decides to try and either kill me, or at least scare me away before more information is uncovered about that night. But, of course, you stepped in and saved me, so instead this person then makes sure you and the other Furies are ambushed and almost killed, in an attempt to prevent the investigation from going any further.”
“But we survived, and all this person did was make us even more mad.” Rian added, his eyes flashing briefly with anger and irritation.
“Right. So now we know that your father suspects someone, possibly Tobias, of letting in the demon and staging the ambush in Vegas. But how does Tobias connect back to Rohan? It still doesn’t answer the question of who the other man was that Rohan was speaking to.”
“You’re sure it wasn’t Tobias?”
“Definitely, this was an older man. His voice was harsher, deeper than Tobias’. And if you’re certain that it couldn’t have been Brock, then who else could it be?”
“Maybe I’m wrong.” Rian considered. “Maybe it was Brock, and he and Rohan have been working together all along, despite appearances. Why, or for what, I have no idea.”
“And last night, Rohan wanted to go with you and the other Furies.” Capri remembered, blushing at the look he gave her. “I was watching from my window, I saw the whole thing. It seemed very suspicious.”
“It was. He’s never asked to come along before. I think it’s safe for us to assume that Rohan is involved somehow. And if my father is suspicious of Tobias, then more likely than not he’s involved as well.”
Capri couldn’t help the shudder that ran through her at the thought. “At least I know who to look out for now…” She murmured, her eyes clouding with worry as she stared down at her hands that were clenched in front of her.
Rian reached out and grabbed her hands gently, prying them apart and holding them in his own. The calluses on his hands were rough against her skin, but something about the sensation was incredibly comforting to her.
“Look at me.” He ordered, his voice stern but gentle.
When she met his eyes, she felt a lump form in her throat. He looked so confident, so sturdy and strong; such a contrast to how she seemed to feel.
“I’ll look after you.” He said softly.
“Thank you.” Was all she could think to say in response. The lump in her throat seemed to expand and explode down through her chest, sending shivers through her that had nothing to do with the temperature inside the Atrium. And while she had the unexpected realization that what she was starting to feel for him was more than just a desire for friendship, across the castle someone was plotting more ways to destroy her and everything she had come to love.
♦ ♦ ♦
CHAPTEN ELEVEN
Less than a week later, Los Angeles received a startling surprise after weeks of sunny and warm weather: a snowstorm.
Capri stood before the globe in Air tower, her arms out and constructing what was intended to be a light rainstorm, before she became distracted, zoned out, and let the storm get much larger and colder than it should have been.
It took her father’s sudden frantic outburst to bring her back to reality.
“Capri!”
She stared in disbelief at the storm, her mind freezing as she completely forgot what she was supposed to do if something like this happened. Thankfully, Clynn nudged her out of the way and proceeded to fix the storm himself, his hands lifting and skillfully altering the temperature in the atmosphere to swiftly change snow into rain.
“I’m so sorry.” She stammered as she backed away, rubbing her face with her hands. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s alright, it’s fixed now.” He walked towards her and pulled her into a hug. With a deep sigh, he looked down at her sympathetically. She was still covering her face with her hands. “Are you feeling ill?”
Capri’s hands fell away from her face as she looked up at him. “No, I’m fine. I just got distracted…it won’t happen again.”
“Don’t worry about it so much.” He told her reassuringly. “What’s on your mind that’s distracting you?”
She had to try incredibly hard not to laugh. If only he knew everything that was on her mind, that had been all week. Then he would probably understand completely why she had zoned out; why she had been struggling to concentrate on her work for the past few days. But she knew she was better off not sharing all the details with him, because it would only upset and worry him, which would be completely unnecessary. At least, as long as she and Rian could figure everything out on their own, then there would be no need to bring the adults into it.
Even Blythe and Liam had noticed her increasing unease as the days passed, though she refused to explain anything to them either. She knew it was unfair, since she knew in her heart that the two of them could be trusted. But she had given Rian her word that she wouldn’t discuss the situation with anyone else, just to be safe.
“It’s nothing.” She lied, trying to smile.
“Is it about the demon?” Clynn cupped her chin in his hand, watching her carefully.
Capri shook her head, feeling horrible. She didn’t like lying to him, but she knew she had to. “No, it’s really nothing.”
“Okay then.” He kissed her forehead, content. “Let’s get back to work then.”
“Okay.”
Just then, there was a steady knock on the door. Clynn walked over to open it, and when he did, Capri saw Rian standing just outside.
“Rian!” Clynn said with a smile, shaking the younger man’s hand. “What brings you over here today?”
“I’d like to speak with Capri, sir.” Rian replied, his voice polite.
“Oh.” Clynn, taken aback, turned to look at Capri, who immediately flushed with embarrassment. “Well, I suppose we can wrap this up later.”
He looked back at Rian, concern in his eyes.
“I’ll be right back.” Capri laid a hand on her father’s arm, but her attention was already focused on Rian, who was waiting patiently just outside the door.
She closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and looked at him, her lips curving in a warm smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He tried to return her smile, but she could tell there was something on his mind.
“Is everything alright?”
He sighed and shook his head, averting his eyes from hers to stone floor. “No, I don’t think it is.”
“What happened?” Worry tore through her, rapid and swift, and she had to fight back the urge to reach out and comfort him. He looked more troubled and restless than she had ever seen him look before.
“I asked you awhile ago to visit the Muses again to see if you could remember any more of your dream. Have you done it yet?” He glanced up to watch her again, and she was reminded of how he had looked at her when she first met him, like he was measuring her every move. It was as though he already knew the answer, and just wanted to make sure she didn’t lie to him.
“No, I haven’t.” She blushed, feeling guilty. “I guess I got distracted with everything else that happened, and I forgot about it.”
“Please come with me right now to see them. It’s important that we find out if there’s anything you remember after the demon took you away from Euphora.”
“Oh, okay.” She hadn’t been prepared for this, but the urgency in his tone beneath his usual seriousness confirmed that he wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t of utmost importance.
He led the way down the stairs and out into the corridor without saying anything else. She wished he would say something, anything, to distract her in some way, because the idea of reliving her dream was suddenly starting to alarm her. She wasn’t sure she was ready to go through that again, and she hadn’t even had time to prepare herself for what was sure to be another onslaught of fear, misery, and regret.
“Rian?” She managed, reaching out for his arm, slowing him down to a stop.
“What is it?”
She saw the flicker of annoyance in his eyes, and she felt completely foolish for hesitating. She wrapped her arms over her chest protectively as she took a deep breath, unable to look at him again.
“I’m sorry…I’m just scared.” She choked out a half laugh, disgusted with herself. “I’m so pathetic. Scared of a stupid dream…”
“I understand.” He reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. When she glanced up, his eyes were kind. “I know this is hard for you. And I’m not just saying that to be nice, because I really do know how you feel.” He paused, his face tightening slightly as his own memories flashed inside of him. “I lost my mother to a demon when I was ten years old. I didn’t witness it, but my father did. And he told me about it so I would respect how she had died, and what she had died for. And hearing it from him, like he was reading about the weather, so factual and cold, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. So believe me when I say I understand, because I do. And I would never ask this of you if it wasn’t extremely important.”