How?
I told them.
Silence.
They don’t know about you yet. Take Heli to safety and stay there. Both of you.
I felt his resistance.
Heli and I can fight them, he said.
You can, but you can’t fight me.
Tell me what’s going on, he pleaded.
As long as you’re moving.
Okay. We’re leaving now. We’ll head—
Don’t tell me. Just listen. As I detailed my predicament, his emotions flowed over me. Shock. Horror. Anger. Determination.
Send a message to Yelena and Valek. They have the best chance. Okay? You and Heli need to stay away, I said. I will be forced to hurt you. Do you understand?
Yes, I understand. An undercurrent of misery rippled with his response. Since we’ve been together, this is the third time you’ve told me to stay away.
It’s for your protection!
But Kade had severed the connection.
With nothing else to do, I changed my shirt and cleaned up the mess. The orb had dropped to the ground during Heli’s escape, but it wasn’t broken. Diamonds had spilled. I picked them up and piled them all on a piece of the wall.
Sitting cross-legged, I cradled the orb in my lap. The glass sizzled with potential. It sang to me, vibrating deep in my soul. I concentrated on my heartbeat, mixing my blood with Galen’s. I couldn’t separate Galen’s magic from mine, but I could siphon it all.
Too bad Galen had stockpiled his blood. He would reclaim his powers and where would I be? Stuck here, but at least I wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone. Unless he used blood magic on me, tattooing the power into my skin like he had done for Devlen. Then I would crave more power and be at Galen’s mercy again. And my glass magic would be gone forever.
Right now, my powers were the strongest in the compound. I had the chance to use them to help as long as I found loopholes in Galen’s orders. It worked to warn Kade.
Of course it could all go wrong, and he would use me to take over Sitia. No. I wouldn’t let him. I had too many precious gems to care for. Reema and Teegan, protecting them and warning them against the dangers of magic. I hardly knew them, but I missed them more than I ever did my glass magic.
I realized dashing off to help others wasn’t a distraction from my purpose. It was my purpose. Between Valek’s training, my fortune in diamonds and with assistance from my friends, I could do it. I could be Opal without the descriptor. I could be an adoptive mother one day and go undercover to help Fisk with that rival gang the next. And I planned to follow up with Fisk; he shouldn’t have to deal with such problems on his own.
But Galen first. I didn’t know how I would stop him. I just would.
“What are you doing?” Galen demanded.
“Thinking.”
“About what?”
“Siphoning your magic.”
He cocked his head to the side as if curious. “You know that won’t work.”
“Wishful thinking. Is that better?”
Galen strode over and grabbed the orb. “In order to avoid a future hassle, do not siphon my magic and do not attack me.” Finding the pile of diamonds, he poured them back into the glass. “Come with me.”
We walked to Walsh’s office building. His assistant quickly announced us. Her resemblance to Quinn was obvious now. The desire to tell her to run away bubbled up my throat, but I bit my lip. Now was not the time nor the place.
Walsh’s pleasure at my enslavement soured on hearing about Heli’s escape. He rounded on Galen. “Opal was dating the Stormdancer leader. They could attack us with storms.”
A hollow thud echoed in my chest over Walsh’s use of the past tense.
“They won’t risk Opal’s life or the children who live here,” Galen said.
“I’m not worried about them, you idiot. My oyster beds could be destroyed.” Walsh’s icy voice cut through the sudden tension.
Their relationship could be falling apart. I wondered how I could drive the wedge in further.
“Who cares about your oysters? One black diamond equals two dozen pearls.”
“And if the storms disrupt the currents that bring those precious stones to our shore? What then?”
Galen brandished the orb and poured the clear diamonds onto Walsh’s desk. “We’ll recapture Heli. She isn’t far. Besides, if they try to attack us, they’ll have to be close to us. Opal is strong enough to drain their powers from a distance.”
His smug smile didn’t go over well with Walsh. “She didn’t siphon that young Stormdancer.”
Galen’s humor died. He rounded on me. “Whose magic did you siphon?” Damn. “Devlen’s.”
He laughed. “That’s an easy fix. Don’t worry, Walsh. It was her last act of defiance.”
I rubbed the back of my hand, reminding myself of his kiss. “How do you know Devlen?” I asked.
“We met when I funded the Daviian Clan’s attempt to take control of the Council. Revolts are costly and Vasko thought their cause worthy. I befriended a few Warpers. After that disaster, I kept in contact with a couple who escaped. I’ve hired him for a number of jobs over the years. But when I learned he was another one of your victims and he was in jail, I had to pay him a visit. Did you fall for his model prisoner act?”
“Yes.”
Galen tapped his chest. “My idea. When you saw him today, did it hurt? Did it feel like a slap in the face?”
“Yes.” At first glance, but I couldn’t mistake the pain in his eyes. But why hadn’t he mentioned Galen to me before?