Kelly Gay - The Hour of Dust and Ashes

Three nithyn flew over the ruins, circling like vultures. One dove down and landed at a fresh nithyn carcass that looked like it had been torn apart. The handle of an axe jutted up from the dead animal. “Looks like Rex had his work cut out for him.”

“The nithyn are still circling. Rex and Bryn must have made it inside the ruins. We need to get you inside and through the portal.”

“Wait a minute.” I stared at his profile. “What do you mean, me ?”

“Meaning if anything goes wrong, you go through that portal with or without me. If you’re not back in time to receive the sylph’s gift of fire, the other gifts will kill you. So what I’m saying is, don’t risk it.”

I hated this kind of talk. I started to say something to that effect and he stopped me. “I’m serious. You have a family, Charlie. That trumps everything else, including saving or waiting for my ass. I want your word.”

My family meant everything to me; he was right about that. But the fact that he didn’t consider himself important as well truly annoyed me—that and the rocks poking my ribs. “I think you’re failing to recognize one very important thing.”

“Enlighten me, then.”

“You’re my family, too.”

I meant it, but I couldn’t help but smirk because the times were few and far between when I could make Hank Williams utterly and completely speechless.

His mouth actually fell open. His irises shifted from sapphire to topaz blue as though he had no idea how to feel. His lips snapped shut and he looked as though he was about to make a comeback, but then frowned when he realized he didn’t actually have one.

I reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “Didn’t think of that one, did you, siren?”

I belly-crawled closer to the edge of the rocks. After a moment he joined me, his face a bit redder than before.

“Hank?” I said, a thought occurring. “Rex said to concentrate on a specific place when you go through the portal. That’s how you arrive at your destination. I want you to think of a place those sirens can’t find you. Don’t come back with me.”

He was shaking his head before I even finished talking. “I ran the first time because I was vulnerable and weak. I didn’t know how to defend myself. But that’s in the past, Charlie. I’m done running.”

“Oh, and then what? They take you and put you back in the grid? All because you’re too proud to run?”

His eyes rolled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No.” I blinked, feeling confused. “I just mean it’s a bunch of them against two of us. By now they’ll know where you work, who your friends are, everything about your life. What’s so wrong with laying low for a little while?”

“Because they will always have someone watching my old life, that’s why. That means I can never come back. This time, I fight. For what’s mine. For the life I’ve made. I know what I promised Edan, but there are Malakim in those towers who don’t deserve to be there, and when they run out of steam, more children will fill their places. I kept that ring as a reminder. I’ve always known one day I’d go back and stop them. I’m not running away, Charlie. This time, I’m no child in a man’s body.”

I knew about making a stand. I’d done the same. I’d fought for my life. I’d fought to keep my daughter. I’d chosen to bring darkness to the city in order to save my kid. How could I lay there and convince him to not do what he thought was right?

“Fine,” I finally said. “Let’s just get back to the station. We’ll figure out something from there.”

He leaned slightly so he could reach out and flick the ends of my hair. He winked. “That’s better.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

He eyed the nithyn and the mile or so we had to run across the sand. “You ready?”

I let out a deep sigh “No. But when does that ever matter?”

“Before we go,” he said as I turned to him, “I think this is the part where we’re supposed to kiss before facing mortal danger.”

I blinked, flustered for a second by the change in direction. I was starting to suspect Hank took great pleasure in keeping me off-balance like this. “Says the guy who’s pretty much immortal,” I pointed out.

A boyish white smile broadened his face and crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Just admit it, Madigan. You like me. And saying so before we get ourselves seriously injured would be good.”

“Sure, what’s not to like?” I said flatly, rolling my eyes.

He frowned. “I am a siren. There is a difference between being into me and being into the siren.”

So which one was it? While I was the type of person who, no matter how gorgeous the guy, could be turned off by a shitty personality, a siren was a different story. Whether you wanted to or not you were lured in. So in that respect, Hank’s question had merit. And unlike most sirens I knew, he actually cared about the answer.

But more importantly, I saw the vulnerability in his words.

He wanted to be liked, not because he was a siren, but as a person, one who wasn’t as confident as he let on. One who never got a chance to grow his confidence naturally like the rest of us. One who’d been forsaken by his family, his race, and the girl who promised to wait for him.

Of course, he was completely confident in his virility, in his power and ability to attract and please. That was never in question. But under all that was a vulnerable soul who wanted someone to care about him—not because of what he was, but because of who he was.

“Charlie, when we get back … if they come for me, I don’t want you to fight.”

It was my turn to frown. “And you’ve known me how long?” I shook my head. I knew why he said the words, but they made me angry, too. “Forget it. If you think I’m going to let them take you back to Fiallan, think again.”

He leaned in, slid a hand behind my neck, pulled me toward him, and kissed me hard. Then he leaned back and searched my face. “Thank you. You don’t owe me. I didn’t have anything to lose when I fought for you and Em. No children, no family, no one waiting for me back home. You have everything to lose, and those who came through the gate won’t care.”

I swallowed hard. “I’ll do what I think is right. You don’t even know what we’ll face when we get back.”

“Yeah. Unfortunately I do.” He looked out over the sandy plain and sighed. “I’ll take the one on the column.” The biggest nithyn perced on the top of a broken column. The other two flew circles above. Waiting. Waiting. “Can you run and use your power at the same time?”

“I can try.”

“I guess we run like hell.” He was already surging to his feet.

I ran after him. Brim bolted past me in a blur of speed.

We made it halfway across the plain before the nithyn spotted us. Hank stopped and lured the one coming in fast.

He stood still, waiting and mumbling, luring, enticing the beast to dive faster and faster. Closer and closer. I stopped running and screamed his name. Hank dove at the very last second. The nithyn crashed into the ground. Hank rolled, leapt up, grabbed its neck before it could get its bearings, twisted, and broke it. Patient. Efficient. Deadly.

“Charlie, duck!”

I belly flopped immediately, not even looking at the incoming bird. Wind blew over my face. Sand pinged me. Claws dug into my back. I screamed. Air rushed down all around me as the nithyn lifted.

A shot of nitro hit the tip of its wing.

I flailed, reaching around to grab at the leathery ankle. After three tries I got a good hold, sending everything I had into my grip.