The Soul Seekers: Horizon (21 page)

Lita’s eyes gleam from the other side of her mask. The chance to gloat in front of her former friends is too good to miss. After taking a moment to adjust Axel’s lapels and push a
stray curl into place, she marches him across the room, leaving me to wander free on my own.

I move among the clusters of low-slung banquettes, past the large, iron sculptures that look just like trees, until I stop, frozen in place, with legs turned to lead.

My mouth goes dry.

A shiver slips over my skin.

While my knees tremble ever so slightly.

Just like the dream, I feel him before I see him.

But when I turn to acknowledge him, his dark, fathomless eyes are all I need to see to know part of him is missing.

He’s already transitioning into the beast he’s destined to be.

I press a hand flat against the bodice of my dress and fight to steady myself. Determined to speak my piece while I can.

“Dace—” I start, but he’s quick to interrupt me.

“You look beautiful.” His gaze seeks mine, but with his eyes no longer reflecting, I can’t bear the sight of it. “You’re truly a vision.
Stunning—breathtaking—ravishing . . .”

When I close my eyes, I can easily pretend that nothing has changed. But the moment I open them, the illusion is gone, and I find myself wishing he’d stop.

I clear my throat, lift my chin, and center my gaze just to the right of him. Disappointed that he doesn’t seem to realize what I’ve done. Doesn’t recognize my gown as the one
I described from the dream. Doesn’t find it the least bit odd that I’m wearing red to a black-and-white ball. Leaving me to wonder what else he’s forgotten—about
me—about us.

“Thanks,” I say, my voice tight and clipped. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize it—it came from your brother.” Dace’s face darkens, his eyes so
feral and red, it prompts me to move on. “You’re not wearing a mask.”

He rubs a hand over his chin, a holdover from the Dace I once knew. “Trust me, Daire, I am. It’s all I can do to maintain this face—you don’t want to see my other one. I
pray you won’t have to.”

I straighten my spine, square my resolve, but it doesn’t do a thing to make me feel better. The sight of Dace struggling makes my heart ache. I need to find a way to appeal to him, remind
him of the light still residing inside . . .

His gaze slips down the length of me, pausing on the deep V of my gown before focusing on the small golden key resting at the center of my chest. His expression so guarded, I can’t help
but wonder what he might’ve done with his. Is he still wearing it? And, more importantly, does he remember what it once meant?

“Dace,” I say, my voice urgent, afraid of losing him completely. “The other night, when you caught me breaking in, why’d you let me go? What kept you from telling
Leandro?”

His eyes close. His hands curl to fists. His struggle so palpable, I decide to drop it and instead tip onto my toes, press my lips to his ear, and whisper so that only he can hear. “Please
try to remember who you really are. Please try to remember that you weren’t always like this. You and I are fated for each other, but not in the way the beast wants. You have to fight him,
Dace. You have to come back to me—to us. Together we can beat Coyote and forge the future we want. Please, Dace, don’t let go of your light.” I draw away, eagerly reading his
gaze, only to find my words fell on deaf ears.

Aside from his red glowing eyes, he looks pretty much the same. But inside, he’s guided by instinct, a shard of memory, and a beast so sordid and sinister it would just as soon kill
me.

He cocks his head, shoots me a curious look. But I drop my hand to my side and take a step back. I can love him with all of my heart, and I do. But for the first time ever, I realize I
can’t do it alone—it takes two to make this work.

My eyes glitter more brightly than I’d like, and with my throat so scratchy and dry, I have to push the words past. “Please don’t ever forget that it’s your belief in
your darkness that snuffs out your light. You may have made the wrong choice—but you did so for all the right reasons. You did it for me—for us—and it’s not over yet. You
still have the choice to save yourself. But, if you continue like this, no amount of light, no matter how insistent, could ever penetrate the walls you’ve raised to block it. They’re
your walls, Dace. Which means you’re the only one capable of knocking them down.”

He meets my words with a cold, vacant stare, and I turn away, having done all that I can.

It may not look at all like I’d hoped, but it’s time to put my plan into action.

“Saw you talking to the Seeker. What’s going on there?”

I watch Daire cross the room, like a blaze of red in a sea of dull nothings. “Turns out, I was wrong about her.” I find Leandro’s gaze from behind his ridiculous coyote mask,
holding the look for as long as it takes to determine my truth.

He slaps an arm around my shoulder, chuckling as though I’ve made him inordinately proud. “If you knew how many times I’ve said that about a woman!” He laughs a
conspiratorial laugh. “Still, they do have their uses.” He winks for emphasis, as though I might’ve missed the implication.

“Exactly how many times?” I ask, my voice as humorless as my gaze.

“What?” His forehead creases. The mirth fades from his face.

“Exactly how many times have you said that?”

He studies me closely, unsure how to react. Unsure of me. So I force my expression into one of solidarity. As though we’re just two guys comparing our trophies. Which gets him to relax
just enough to give me the answer I seek.

“Hundreds,” he says. “Thousands.” His eyes shine with the memory of an endless stream of conquests, and I can’t help but wonder if my mother is featured among them.
“In other words, you have a lot of catching up to do, son. But not to worry, I know just where to start . . .”

He squeezes my shoulder, starts to lead me across the room, but I’ve no interest in hooking up with anyone from Leandro’s stable.

“What’s your problem?” He glares, clenches his jaw.

“Guess I’m not as much like you as you thought.”

His features sharpen, his lips flatten with unspoken fury.

“I like to work for it. Feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s no fun when it comes too easily.”

He pauses. Waits a few beats to see if there’s more. Then, determining it’s just me being weird, he throws his head back and roars.

“You are full of surprises,” he says.

“You have no idea.” I force a grin.

“What happened to your mask?” He casts a critical eye at my face. “You really shouldn’t be walking around like that.” He motions toward my red glowing eyes.
“You’re going to scare people. I told Cade to leave you one in your office.” His gaze darkens as he looks around the club for his most disappointing son. Ready to call him out on
the grievous offense the second he spots him.

“He left it.” I shrug. “I choose not to wear it.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re a member of Coyote now.” Leandro leans toward me, his voice low and menacing. “It was sealed in the ceremony.”

The ceremony. How could I forget? What may be commonplace dark magick for them was all new to me. Bearing no resemblance to anything Leftfoot ever taught me. And while the beast in me was
delighted, it took every ounce of will left over from the old me to keep them from actually killing a real horse to symbolize the death of my former spirit animal. Which also raised some
suspicions.

“I’m much more than Coyote,” I say. “I’m about to surpass every last one of you.”

“That may be true, but there’s still one thing left to do. And until that time comes, don’t you forget I’m the one in charge around here.” The words are as sharp as
they’re intended to be.

Still one thing left to do . . .

I close my eyes, lift my chin high, and inhale long and deep. Scenting my brother among the throngs of bodies. He reeks of anger, vengeance, and the endless loop of revenge fantasies he needs to
sustain him. But the truth is, he’s pathetic, weak, and sorely lacking the appropriate amount of fear for someone in such a precarious state.

Then again, he has no idea of what’s to become of him.

No idea Leandro has designated him as the one to kill so I can make the transition into my destiny.

“Here.” Leandro removes his mask and thrusts it at me. “I insist that you wear it.”

Knowing better than to protest, which will only serve to arouse his suspicions more than I already have, I snap it onto my head and return my focus to my brother, tracking his every move through
the eyes of Coyote.

With Dace under Leandro’s wing, Lita and Axel talking with Jacy and Crickett, and Xotichl and Auden expected to arrive any moment, I weave through the crowd in search of
the vortex. Needing to at least be in the general vicinity long before the Richters can reach it, I retrace the path I memorized the night I broke in. Not entirely sure I’m on the right track
since Dace and Leandro’s unexpected arrival kept me from actually locating it.

Still, I’m sure it exists. Portals are contrived of the purest form of energy. They can be blocked, but never destroyed.

All around me, throngs of people continue to gather. Seemingly immune to the lingering vibration of pain and destruction—the evil wrought, the lives lost (including Phyre)—that
occurred here through the years.

For me, the sensation weighs heavily. You can level a structure and rebuild from scratch, but the energy of past events never quite dissipates. The essence remains. And the Richters’ use
of black onyx ensures those memories are sealed for eternity.

I pause near the spot where Dace found me, and when the tourmaline ring starts to warm, I take it as a sign that I’m either in the presence of the vortex, or that Cade Richter has lured me
into his trap.

Figuring it’s a win either way, I move forward. Instantly aware of a shift in the atmosphere, a heightened vibration, I gather my skirts and pick up the pace. Making it only part of the
way when I’m stopped by a shaky hand with clammy fingers grabbing hold of my wrist.

Cade.

Cade is here. The vortex is near. Leaving me with no clear idea of just who’s controlling this stone.

He jerks me back against him, nudges his nose into the hollow of my neck, and drags a long, steady breath. “Nothing like the scent of Raven at night,” he says, his voice betraying an
uneven pitch. “Though I must say, you do look enchanting.” He twists hard on my arm, turns me to face him. “Still, I can’t help but wonder where you’re headed in such
a hurry?”

I wrench free of his grip, put a more comfortable distance between us. Rubbing the place on my wrist where his fingers left marks, I bite back a scowl and force myself to play along.
“Where do you think I’m going?”

“I would hope you were looking for me.” He grins in a way that pulls his lips tightly, creases his eyes until they’re just barely visible, and causes his head to jerk to the
right. Making him appear manic, more than a little demented, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

The sinister, snide, mocking Cade is the one that I’m used to. The one I can deal with. This unbalanced version is a bit of a mystery.

“It’s good to see you, Daire. I didn’t think you’d come.” He casts his gaze downward, drags his mask over his face as though caught in the grips of a sudden bout of
shyness.

“Hard to pass up such an interesting invite,” I reply, studying his intricately detailed mask bearing a silver moon eclipsing a golden sun.

The choice is no accident. The message anything but subtle. It’s Cade’s way of telling me he knows about the prophecy—that he considers himself the Shadow,
destined to rule.

“So you liked the invitation? I wasn’t sure if you would.” He lifts his chin, regards me with a hopeful gaze. His energy so chaotic, I can’t get a read.

“What’s not to like?” I grin flirtatiously, choose my words carefully. Convinced the slightest misstep will set him off, and it’s a risk I can’t take. For now,
it’s best to play his game his way.