No one answered, and when I pulled my gaze up from the map, I found all eyes on me. “What?”
“You tell us,” Cael said. “My earth magic is strong, but with all the interference I can’t focus on your grandfather’s energy. Only a phoenix can find him.”
Tucked into his answer was a gentle rebuke. I’d been expecting the mages to do everything when I was the best equipped to detect Grandfather’s energy. “Not from here,” I said. “We’re too far away. Maybe once we get back to North America.”
“Or maybe someone already in North America can find him,” Leo said. “Your sister’s with Owen in Minnesota while he heals.”
It was the second scolding in as many minutes and a reminder I wasn’t the only one trying to save Grandfather. “Good point.”
“Rod?”I focused on his steady presence.“Are you able to talk?”
Being apart from him was like a physical ache, but connecting through our link always cured some of the pain.
“I’m here.”The joy in his voice was reassuring and warm.“Is something wrong?”
One day soon, I wanted to be able to contact him just because I wanted to feel his presence in my mind.“No, but we might have found Grandfather.”
“Bart’s trackers?”Rod asked excitedly.
His emotions came through our bond. I’d loved him for so long, and this closeness only added to those feelings.“Yes.”
Letting him see my thoughts made it easy to fill Rod in on everything we’d discovered. It excited me how easily we shared our thoughts. I’d fight to my last flame to have that future.
“How’s Owen?”I asked, embarrassed I’d waited so long to check on his brother.
“Better,”Rod said.“His bond with Lysandor helped him heal quickly. It also got him a lecture on being stubborn and acting irresponsibly.”
If it had been Rod who’d gotten hurt because he’d ignored the obvious signs of danger, he’d be lucky if I just lectured him.“Any mistake you survive and learn from isn’t all bad.”
“Remember you said that if I get hurt.”
I laughed because he knew me too well.“Don’t take unnecessary risks, and we’ll never have to find out what I do.”
“Have you met me?”Rod joked.“All kidding aside, I’ll talk to Elspeth and see if she can find your grandfather. When are you leaving?”
The question was about more than seeing each other again. He and I needed to be the ones to find Grandfather. We needed to convince him to let us do what only we could do.“The others are making plans. If they don’t hurry up, I’m going to fly there myself.”
“Now who’s taking unnecessary risks?”
Rod’s amusement didn’t hide his own eagerness to be together again.“Not me. If I don’t see you soon, someone’s going to get burned when I burst into flames.”
“I’ll warn my brothers to act quickly.”Rod’s mood changed.“We’re going to have a long life together, Cinaed. Believe it. I do.”
One drawback to our bond was he knew my fears.“I believe, Rod, but given what we’re facing, there are no guarantees.”
“No, there aren’t, but we’ll make our future.”
His conviction masked the fears he didn’t want me to see. I also knew he’d do everything he could to give us the future we both wanted.“You’re right but push your brothers anyway.”
We stayed linked until guilt sapped much of the joy. When I opened my eyes, only Bart and Cael remained in the room.
“How’s Rod holding up?” Bart asked.
The backdoor way he’d asked how I was doing made me smile. “You know what he’s like. We’re both anxious, but he doesn’t let it show.”
“Growing up, Rod was this amazing brother,” Bart said, his eyes focused somewhere only he could see. “He watched over us, offered advice without judgment, had our backs when we needed it, and was our friend. Always so positive, never a negative word. We knew he carried a burden, but he didn’t talk about it or let us help.”
Bart swallowed, and he struggled to hold back tears. “None of us understood. How could we when he didn’t share his pain? He’s the best of us, but you knew that already. I’m telling you this because this isn’t just your fight anymore. If there’s even a sliver of hope for you and him, Cael and I will do whatever it takes to make it happen. All of us will.”
