23. Zane

TWENTY-THREE

ZANE

Raven sits with her head in her hands, Eldon and Creed on either side of her, while Brax and I pace. He’s behind the sofa, and I’m in front, walking in tandem as we struggle to contain our building frustration. I had hoped everything Ari had said last time wasn’t true, but unfortunately, we’re not that lucky.

It’s truer than true.

That creature…fuck. That was something else. By the looks of Ari, there are plenty more of them, and he’s been left alone to fight them off. I don’t know what fate we’ve been destined for, but the fact that the shit we’re dealing with continues to multiply doesn’t bode well with me.

“If they’re trapped in there by someone else’s magic, how can we gain access to free them? How can we do anything at all to help?” Raven sits back in her seat with a huff, dragging her hands down her face as she struggles to handle the helplessness consuming us all.

“I don’t know, Shadow, but we’ll figure out a way to do it,” Brax promises, rubbing at the back of his neck. Shit. I know things aren’t looking good if it’s Brax who’s the one doing the consoling.

“On top of everything else?” Raven adds, throwing her hands out in frustration. “This is too much for one fucking realm, nevermind one group of people.”

“One person.” Creed leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees as he looks at our girl.

“Huh?” Raven looks at him, clearly confused, but I understand exactly what he’s saying.

“The person who has the power to face all of this is you, Dove,” I murmur, pausing my strides to turn and face her head-on.

“Me?”

It’s almost cute how she still doesn’t see how powerful she is, how much she can change the course of the world. The self-doubt and disbelief are etched into her very soul, making it clear as fuck that we need to help her realize her strength. Now more than ever.

I nod, crouching before her. “And we’ll be here at your side every step of the way.”

She nods at my words, but I know they’re not truly sinking in.

Rising, I exhale heavily as the weight of the world continues to try and crush us.

I feel helpless.

Eldon starts explaining something to Raven, distracting her, and I take the opportunity to slip from the room. I close my bedroom door behind me, falling back against the wood for a moment as defeat takes hold of me.

I give myself ten seconds to get over it, and even though it still clings to me when I stand properly, I push through the irritation and pull out my shell from my nightstand. My fingers dance over the device with muscle memory. The tone fills the air a moment later, and it hangs there for almost a minute before it cuts off.

This is exactly what it’s been doing since everything went to shit.

Repeating the same motions, I try again, but once more, my father’s voice doesn’t magically fill the room.

Fuck.

Trying one more time, I’m left just as disappointed as I was the first time around when it cuts out, leaving me all alone with my bubbling agitation. I’m not going to get anywhere with it again today, and I need him now more than ever.

I launch the shell across the room, letting it clatter against the wall before bouncing on my bed while I stand, panting with every breath as my frustration turns into fury. I’ve never felt more helpless and useless than I do right now. Raven deserves more from me, and I’m offering her nothing. Nothing of value, at least.

A knock comes from my bedroom door, halting my internal raving, and a second later, Raven’s head peeks around the frame.

“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, her eyebrows pinching with concern, and I’m left even more irritated. She doesn’t need this from me on top of everything else. Her mental load is already at full capacity, and I’m just making it worse. But it’s too late now. It’s clear I’m struggling. To deny it would only drag out the situation, and I want that even less.

“No. No, it’s not, Raven.” Admitting it lifts a weight from my shoulders. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of my pops. I’m trying and trying but he’s not picking up. I’m getting nothing at all. It’s been like this since the night he left. We need his help. I need his help.”

Her shoulders sag, and a soft smile turns the corner of her mouth as she steps farther into the room. “Then it’s simple, Zane. We go to Lyra.”

I immediately shake my head. “I’ve thought of that so many times, but it’s too risky. She’s probably under the power of Erikel.”

Raven waves me off as my brothers step into the room behind her.

“We won’t know unless we go to find out.”

Since when did she talk with such reason in a time of pressure?

Nodding, I take a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax back as her smile grows. She spins for the door, side-stepping Brax, Eldon, and Creed before turning to glance at me.

“You coming?”

“I would follow you anywhere.”

Our footsteps echooff the marble floor as we make our way through the double doors of the main academy building, Lyra’s office now in sight. We saw a few other classmates on our walk over here, but the second we stepped inside, you could tell it’s the weekend because it’s empty as hell.

Shit, even Lyra might not be here, but when Raven is on a mission, she’s on a mission, and we’re happy for her to guide us to Hell if necessary.

Raven takes the lead as we get closer, knocking on Lyra’s door without a moment’s pause. I’m certain we’re going to get no response, and the walk back will hopefully calm us all down, but to my surprise, her voice replies from the other side.

“Come in.”

Raven looks over her shoulder at me with her eyebrows raised and her fingers crossed, and the rest of us take her lead as she steps into the room. I kick the door closed behind me, doing a quick sweep of the room with my eyes, but nothing out of the ordinary stands out.

“Lyra.”

“Raven,” the administrator retorts, cocking a brow at my Dove. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Before I even realize what I’m doing, I step forward, accidentally shouldering past Eldon to get there quicker. “I’ve been having trouble with my shell. It’s not working.”

Fuck.

I’m quite certain we were going to downplay this until we were sure she could be trusted, but apparently, my loose lips have other ideas.

Raven glances back at me with worry in her eyes as she clears her throat. “Yeah, we seem to be having some trouble with Zane’s shell. Are replacements an option?” she asks, turning back to Lyra, who is already shaking her head.

“No. They’ve been disconnected,” Lyra explains without lifting her gaze from the parchment in front of her.

“Disconnected?” I blurt again, feeling my brothers glance at me sideways while Raven’s gaze seems fixated elsewhere in the room as if she’s watching something. “How is that even possible?” I add. My worry has been around my father’s safety, along with my mother’s and sister’s, but if it’s the shell that’s having problems, then hopefully, my family is okay.

Lyra frowns, the quill scrawling with magic in front of her pausing briefly as she glances up. “I don’t know.”

“Are we still able to speak to our families in the booth?” Raven pushes, and I nod.

“No.” Lyra’s gaze drops back down to the parchment again.

“How come?” Raven asks, leaning forward to brace her palms on the desk.

Once again, Lyra frowns, deeper this time as she shakes her head. “I don’t know.”

“Are we able to generate a gateway to go and see them?” Eldon interjects, folding his arms over his chest, and Lyra shakes her head again, not even bothering to answer him verbally this time. “It was worth a try, at least,” Eldon mutters under his breath.

“Was it?” Lyra retorts, lips pursing as she stares at the parchment.

I part my lips to tell Raven this was obviously pointless, but not a single word comes out as I gape at Raven, thrusting her hand into the air. She tugs on what seems like nothing, her hand coiling around an invisible rope or something, and it takes a moment for me to connect the dots.

She has hold of Lyra’s magic.

Raven takes a few steps toward the administrator, going around the table to get closer to her, gasping as she continues to look down at her hand. I don’t know what I’m expecting my unpredictable Dove to do next, but the soft words that leave her mouth aren’t it.

“Lyra, are you okay?”

“No,” she blurts, clapping a hand over her mouth before she bursts into tears, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands.

What the fuck?

Raven gives her a moment, waving Creed closer as the rest of us keep a fair distance from the crying female. That’s not my area of expertise. Definitely not. When her cries calm a little and she swipes the tears from her face, Raven places her free hand on Lyra’s shoulder.

“Why, Lyra? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” she repeats, her face scrunching up in anger as the words seem to make her cry even harder again.

Raven tilts her head to look at Creed, and a conversation happens between the pair of them that doesn’t involve words because a second later, Raven is clutching something beside him too.

His magic.

“I’ll be gentle, Lyra. I promise.”

Eldon and I glance at each other out of the corner of our eyes, confused as fuck as we watch Lyra’s eyes fall closed and Raven’s follow suit. All I can hear is the ringing of my pulse in my ears as silence descends over the room until Raven steps back with a gasp.

“Raven.” I can’t help but call her name, and she turns to look at me without hesitation.

“I saw into her mind, mirroring Creed’s magic. She was forced to do a lot of things but doesn’t know what because one of Erikel’s men seems to have put a blocker on her,” she explains, making my eyes widen in surprise. That definitely explains why she doesn’t know shit.

“How are we going to help her? Blockers can only be undone by those who set it, and that person isn’t here. Even if they were, I don’t imagine them aiding us,” Eldon states, and I nod in agreement.

Despite Eldon’s facts, Raven smiles. “That would be the case, but it seems Erikel’s men aren’t as clever as they think.” I’m about to ask why that is, but the second Raven drops both of her hands to her sides, releasing the magical strands, she turns to explain. “He was bragging to his friend that exact information before he put the blocker on her. So I know exactly what to do.”

She turns away with that while the rest of us stare at her with wide eyes, Lyra included. Raven crouches down before her, sandwiching one of her hands between both of hers. “Melody. My. Broken. Take. Dirty. Word. Final.”

A whoosh of orange floats from Lyra as she groans, her head tilting back to the ceiling, and I gape in horror.

What the fuck?

A moment later, she slumps in her seat, sagging against the cushion as she squeezes Raven’s hand. Her chest rises and falls as she pants and slowly blinks.

“Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” she chants, sitting up straight in her seat as she lets go of Raven to brush a loose tendril of hair back off her face. “For real, thank you,” she adds again, and Raven stands.

“It’s okay.”

“Honestly, I can’t explain how it feels to be trapped inside of yourself like that. I was here, but I wasn’t truly here. It was horrible. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you,” she rambles, and Raven simply smiles at her.

“If you can help get us in contact with Monarch Denver, I’ll consider us even.”

Lyra rubs her lips nervously as she brushes her hands over her skirt and stands. “Come.”

She rushes to the corner of the room and I frown. There are just walls, but with one sweep of her hand, a door appears.

“You’re expecting us to go into some random room?” Brax states, not moving an inch as he cocks a brow at her.

“Sorry, this is my… space. It’s concealed in case I need to hide. It also allows me to use my magic when people think I’m not here,” she adds, looking at Raven, who smiles in understanding.

“Thank you, Lyra.” Raven steps into the small space, not bothering to see if we’re going to follow or not, but that’s probably because she knows for a fact we will.

“Use this system here. It’s set up separately from the rest of the academy,” Lyra explains as we all filter into the room. It’s a lot bigger than I expected, with a desk, sofa, and access to a bathroom.

I murmur my thanks as I take a seat beside Raven on the sofa, pressing the necessary keys for my father. The tone fills the room as the others get comfortable too, but it doesn’t last very long before my father appears in front of me.

Fuck.

Relief bursts from me as he comes into view. It might be a projection, but it’s still him.

“Zane. Damn, Zane, is that you?” His voice booms around us, embracing me in an invisible hug, and I smile. “Are you all okay? Raven, Brax, Eldon, and Creed? All of you?”

I nod, as do my girl and friends, and the smallest light of hope forms in my stomach. “Hey, Pops.” My father smiles from ear to ear, but it’s not lost on me how tired he looks. He looks as if he’s aged ten years since I saw him just a few weeks ago. “Are you okay?”

“Fuck that shit. Am I okay? Are you guys okay? You’re the ones trapped in there, nevermind me.”

“Have I mentioned before that you’re the coolest?” Eldon interjects, wagging a finger at my father, who chuckles.

“Maybe a time or two. At least it doesn’t seem to have knocked your spirits,” he replies, but his brows bunch together when he takes a closer look at us. “Or maybe it has.”

“We’re surviving, Rhys, but it’s all fucked to Hell,” Raven admits with a scoff as she tries to contain her own emotions, and my father swipes a hand down his face.

“Tell me. Tell me everything.”

So I do. I recap every last detail, even though recapping it again is hurting my brain. He curses at the villagers from Pinebrook, he sighs at the lack of leadership from Burton and the others, and he gapes in horror at the mention of the Drake this morning. I even explain what happened to Lyra and how she’s helping us now.

“You were right, Raven. It is all fucked to Hell,” he replies when we’re finished.

Raven hums in agreement. “Can I ask if you’ve heard anything about my parents?”

Her head dips down, like she’s embarrassed to ask, but the second my father glances away for a moment I know there’s something there.

“Pops?”

He turns back to us with a sad smile. “I have, but unfortunately, Raven, things are a little difficult with your father right now.”

Raven huffs. “I’m not shocked.”

“No, no. He’s… his mind has been tampered with,” my father blurts, swiping a hand down his face. “Your mother is at our home, and so is your father, but he’s… we have him sedated and confined until we can remove whatever is controlling him.”

“Controlling him?” Raven sits straight in her seat, gaping at the projection.

“Yeah. We can’t tell how long it’s been going on, but what’s important right now is getting you guys out of there. I’ll handle him, I need you to remain focused.”

Clearly, a lot is happening that we don’t know about, but he’s right. We’ve got enough to handle already.

“Okay. Thanks, Rhys,” she murmurs, and my father nods.

“On the outside, The Monarchy is putting together an army,” he starts to explain, and the five of us glance at each other in surprise. “The Monarch you brought back hasn’t been returned, and even if he had been, they wouldn’t have upheld the agreement. We’re days out still, that’s the only issue, but I’m riding the other Monarchs hard to make sure this is everyone’s priority,” he insists, and my heart swells.

I know I’m lucky to have him as my father, and I know we’re lucky to have him fighting in our corner, but more than that, I’m lucky he blindly supports us no matter what.

“You’re coming for us?” I ask, wanting to hear the words, and my father nods.

“I’ll always come for you, Son.”