Fates Divided: Halven Rising

Keen had texted Derek that food was on at Elena’s house, and Derek deliberated for all of two seconds before heading over. He couldn’t turn down her cooking, and he wanted any excuse to be near her. The distance between them was killing him.

Without a chance to talk to Elena in private—there was no such thing as privacy with Fae guards surrounding her—he didn’t know where they stood. He’d told her the truth in front of Keen and the other guards. He hadn’t wanted Beatrice; he’d been forced to touch her. That was all he could say. Unless Elena experienced the utter loss of control Derek had, she’d never understand.

Derek left shortly after dinner, not wanting to overstay what little welcome he had, convinced Elena would never trust him again. His chest ached, his head pounding despite the vast amount of excellent food he’d eaten. He opened the front door to his place—his home foreign and cold from the moment he’d returned—and his cell phone rang.

He glanced at the number, and took the call.

“Hi, son. I’m glad I caught you. We need to talk.”

Derek wasn’t interested in the opportunities his father had talked up. He wanted to be here with the others like him—if he ever got a chance to meet other Halven. And he wanted to be near Elena, though in some ways it might be better if he left. She wasn’t happy he’d showed up tonight. Being near her, yet not able to be with her would be brutal.

“Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been busy with school.”

“Of course. That’s to be expected. I’m happy you’re making the most of your college experience, though I hear you’ve run into some bad luck this year. I just got off the phone with Professor St. Just.”

What?

Derek kept his voice steady. “When did you talk to Marlon?”

“About two hours ago, right before my meeting with the hospital administrators. Is something wrong?”

“No—it’s just—did Marlon say where he was?”

“On campus, I assumed. He told me about the lab explosion. Thank God you weren’t around at the time. It’s unfortunate what happened, but it does provide the perfect incentive to reconsider other opportunities. You still have two more years of college. Plenty of time to assimilate on a new campus.”

Would his father never let up?

“There’s nothing keeping you at Dawson anymore,” his father continued. “Marlon explained how he’s taking on a new project and won’t be able to mentor you anymore. He agrees that without him and the private facility, your talents are best utilized elsewhere. He suggested you transfer as soon as possible while it’s still early in the semester. With your capacity to absorb information, he believes you’ll have no problem getting up to speed.”

His father said more, but Derek’s ears rang with what he’d already said. Marlon, the man responsible for murdering thousands of Fae, had contacted his father.

Putting aside the danger Marlon posed to his family, he couldn’t help wondering why Marlon would want Derek to leave Dawson. If Marlon was worried about what Derek knew, why not just kill him like he had Fae?

Oh yeah, Marlon had tried. Or his people had. The bomb in Marlon’s lab could have been targeted for Derek and not simply a random attempt to protect Marlon’s secrets… And when that hadn’t worked, there was Beatrice to put a rift between him and Elena, ensuring they no longer worked well together.

“I’ll consider it, Dad.”

“Derek, your future is nothing to play with. The right education opens doors. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish. It’s critical you make the right choices.”

Critical for the future his father had planned for him, not for what Derek wanted. “I understand. Give me a couple of days to think about it.”

His father would have said more, but Derek cut him off, telling him he had an important test to prepare for.

In some ways, his father’s insistence he change schools was a way out. He could leave Dawson, the Fae, and Elena. Start a new life. Meet a different girl. One who didn’t hate him.

But he didn’t want a different girl. He wanted Elena.

After a warm shower, Elena lay on her bed, alone for the first time in what felt like forever. She glanced at the corner of her room where Derek had slept not long ago, the ache in her chest returning. She missed him, and in just a short while she’d return to Emain, where she didn’t know when or if she’d ever see him again.

She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Derek before he left tonight that she believed him about Beatrice. Too many Fae were around, preventing any semblance of privacy.

There was no way Derek would go to Tirnan with her now. The Fae hadn’t ordered him to go—they didn’t even think Elena could do much good there, let alone survive. They supported her traveling to their homeland as a backup plan. Derek might have gone with her before this afternoon, but now…he’d be a fool to risk his life for her.

Derek had left her house this evening with the same closed-off expression he’d used to shield himself with when they’d first met. She hadn’t realized until now that he looked at her differently. His gaze was warm, deep blue turning black when he kissed her, expressing his feelings more than his words.

She didn’t want his life in danger. If she mended things now, he might try to leave with her, and she couldn’t let him make that sacrifice.

The only thing more frightening than putting her life in danger was putting Derek’s life in danger too. He’d lost enough because of her—his lab, a peaceful existence before he’d found her with the Fae—and she’d never forget it. But she couldn’t let him pay the ultimate price, should anything happen to him inside Tirnan.

Elena returned to her bed and curled into a fetal position. Sleep wasn’t happening; she had to return to Emain in a few minutes. And she couldn’t call and say goodbye to her family, because they’d flip out if they even suspected something was wrong. There was still no word from Reese…

Maybe she should leave her roommate another note? Or send an email explaining what had happened?

Email. Elena hadn’t checked her email. Reese could have left a message.

She jumped up, grabbed her laptop, and returned to her bed. Reese preferred texting, but what if she’d lost her phone? What if she was trapped and the only way she could get hold of anyone was by sneaking onto a computer and sending an email? Elena was grasping, but she was desperate.

Of the hundred new messages in her inbox—nearly all junk mail—she found nothing from Reese.

And then an instant message popped up on her screen.

She was about to hit delete, like she did all IMs she didn’t recognize, when she took a closer look at the profile.

HalflnzRule.

Heavy footsteps stormed down the hallway. Keen burst through the door and took in her expression. He crossed the room and glanced over her shoulder at the screen.

“Were you listening to my thoughts?” she asked.

“No, his—Marlon’s vassal. Yours give me a headache. I gave up listening to them a long time ago. Same for Derek. His revolve too much around you.”

Okay, as insulting as that statement was, it explained why Keen hadn’t said anything to Leo about Elena and Derek’s early suspicions about Marlon.

“Click on the message,” he said. “The vassal has information for you.”

“If you know that, why do I need to click on it?”

Keen’s mouth tensed as he glared at the screen. “He’s blocking me. I’m only picking up general impressions.”

“What is the point of your ability if everyone blocks you?”

His eyes cut to her in annoyance. “Most do not know how to block me. St. Just trained your abductor, or perhaps he gave him drugs. Some drugs interfere with the brain waves I read. St. Just had the boy send the message, knowing his soldier wouldn’t have enough information in his mind to be a danger to the army, and that we would read his message. Which is what you should do if we are to learn anything new within the next century.”

“Sarcasm is a human trait, you know.” She clicked on the IM.

HalflnzRule: A trade? You for the girl?

Elena’s stomach dropped. Her hands started shaking. She looked down, realizing for the first time that they had stopped jittering sometime between now and when she’d first acquired her powers.

“They have her, Keen. Marlon has her.”

“Confirm he speaks of Reese.”

“Who else would he be talking about?”

“Do it,” he growled.

Elena: Which girl are you referring to? There are about fifteen thousand on campus.

HalflnzRule: Who do you think, bitch? The blonde. Your roommate. Meet me tomorrow at 10p.m. White farmhouse off Hwy 89. Turn left at Exit 12. No physical address. The sign on the drive reads The Millers. Be there or the girl dies. It’ll be my pleasure to play with her before I kill her.

Keen grabbed the laptop and yanked the screen back. He stared at the words, his eyes turning into emerald fire. “I will kill him.”