Page 42 of Fated By Fire
“Probably die of boredom,” she says with a grin. “Now… you could probably use something to eat. Pizza? Noodles?”
Trust Mara to bring food into this.
“Actually, I just want a hot shower and then to sleep.” I stretch, rolling my shoulders, which are still aching from being strapped behind me. I can’t freaking believe I was tied to a chair in a goddamn cellar today. Talk about messed-up career choices.
“Of course,” Mara says. “You must be shattered. I’ll let you get some rest.” She stands, looking reluctant to leave. “But you’d better swear on your life that you’ll call me before you do anything else, okay?”
“Babe, I don’t think I’m going to leave my bed.” I pull a face.
“Good. I’m holding you to it.” After Mara leaves, I settle at my desk and stare at my laptop screen. The cursor blinks mockingly at me, daring me to type the words I know I need to say.
Taking a deep breath, I open a new email and begin typing.
Subject: Update on the Craven Case
Body:
B.,
I’ve made progress on the assignment, but I’m afraid it’s not the kind of progress you’re expecting. I gained access to the vault at Craven Industries and found something… unusual. A crystal glowing with its own light. There was an energy around it that didn’t feel natural. I don’t know what it is, but I’m certain it’s the key to whatever you’re looking for.
The problem is, I can’t get to it again. The security is too tight, and after my last attempt, going back would be suicide. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to drop the job. I hope the information I’ve provided is enough to satisfy your needs.
Elena Ross
I read the email over once, twice, my finger hovering over the send button. A part of me wants to delete it, to shove it all aside and pretend none of it ever happened. But I know I can’t. This is the only way to protect myself—from Caleb, from Malakai, from whatever it is that’s lurking beneath the surface of Craven Industries.
With a final, resigned sigh, I hit send.
The email disappears into the void, and I feel a strange mix of relief and despair. The job is over. The case is closed.
But why does it feel like I’ve just lost something important?
Mom. My first vague hope of finding her feels like it’s been snatched away from me.
As I sit in the silence of my loft, my mind drifts back to the vault, to the crystal that seemed to call to me, to the way Caleb looked at me when he pulled me to safety. There’s a connection there, something I can’t explain, something that goes beyond the physical.
I pull out my mother’s journal, flipping through the pages until I find the word that glowed faintly:craven.
I read the sentence it appears in, but it just seems like the sort of thing a person might write in a journal:Looking back, I often wonder how craven my choices were in those early days. But thankfully, we all grow up.
Something that my mom was thinking of a lifetime ago. Innocent.
Except for that word. And what it connects to.
Craven Industries. Caleb Craven.
It can’t be a coincidence.
My hand trembles as I touch the letters, my fingertips tracing the ink. What if my mother knew about this? What if she’s connected to all of this in some way?
The thought sends a shudder through me. For the first time in years, I’d felt like I was on the verge of uncovering the truth about her disappearance. But at what cost?
I close the journal, placing it carefully back in the drawer. The answers I’ve been searching for are within reach, but the dangers are terrifying. And I’m not sure I’m ready to face either.
Chapter 16
Caleb
