Flare of Promise (Asylums for Magical Threats #3) (9 page)

As Petra looked around the clearing, she waited to see how everyone would react. Jaxton was the first one to speak up. “You can have your reunion later, Kiarra. If we don’t leave in the next five minutes, we may not make it out of here alive.”

Kiarra stared at Giovanni for another beat before she sighed. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you’re right.”

The corner of Jaxton’s mouth ticked up. “Pardon? I think I must’ve misheard you say I was right.”

Kiarra opened her palm and a small flame appeared. “Don’t rub it in. I have fire and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Will spoke up. “How are you doing that? You don’t have a hand to the south.”

Before anyone could answer, Petra put it together from the legends Millie had told her over the last few weeks. She blurted out, “You’re the Fire Talent, aren’t you?”

Kiarra closed her hand and the flame extinguished. “Questions will have to wait. Seriously, we need to go. Jaxton, go help—I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

Millie answered, “This is Will and Petra.”

Kiarra smiled at Millie. “Thanks. Jax, help Will and I’ll tell the pilot to ready the chopper.”

Petra frowned. “AMT enforcers are bound to be crawling the area after the break-in. I somehow doubt they’re just going to allow you to fly out of here.”

Kiarra tilted her head. “Oh, we have a few surprises of our own. You’ll see.”

With that, Kiarra disappeared into the helicopter.

Will still stood at her side, staring at where Kiarra had just disappeared. She couldn’t tell if he was thinking about Kiarra’s abilities or admiring the woman’s petite form. Unwilling to admit she was jealous of the latter, Petra poked his side. “Go help Jaxton. The sooner we’re in the air, the sooner you can try to get some answers.”

Will studied her a second before replying, “How do you know I want answers? I could be thinking of the upcoming helicopter ride.”

“Because if there’s one thing that trumps your fear of heights, it’s thinking about how to prove a theory. If Kiarra’s the Fire Talent, she could be the key to your research.”

Will grunted. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

She motioned toward Jaxton. “Just go help him.”

Petra half-expected Will to argue some more, but he merely walked over to Jaxton.

Will took Gio’s arms and Jaxton grabbed his feet. Then the two men slowly maneuvered Gio into the helicopter.
 

Not wanting to be left behind, Petra followed. She hated entrusting her life to people she’d just met. Petra only hoped she was doing the right thing by following Neena’s suggestion and accompanying Kiarra and Jaxton on the helicopter.

Of course, those were her minor worries. Riding in close quarters with Will Evans would truly test her patience and ability to resist him. On her own, she could probably do it. But Millie was bound to meddle.

It didn’t help that Petra wanted to know more of Will’s past from the last two years. She had a feeling the beating right after her death was just the beginning. She wondered how he had come to work for the AMT, for starters.

Had he bedded many women since then? Told one he loved her?

Clenching the fingers of one hand, Petra growled.
What the hell is wrong with me? It’s time to get over him, already.

Pushing aside her curiosity and anger, Petra boarded the helicopter and took a seat.

Chapter Seven

Will was careful to pick the middle seat inside the helicopter, putting himself as far as possible from the windows and doors. The ride was going to be pure hell. While he could handle airplanes because of the stable, almost room-like atmosphere, helicopters were loud, jerky, and tiny, with easy views to the land below.

If only Leyna had sat next to him, he might be able to draw off her nonchalant attitude. But she’d been careful to take the seat farthest away from him, across the way and next to one of the doors. He wanted to know why she had done so, but knew it would have to wait. He would find a way to talk to her. After the exchange with Neena, Jaxton, and the others, Will had more questions than answers.

Not to mention it’d been nice telling her about the beating two years ago. It was almost as if that revelation was the first step in bridging the past between them. As much as he wanted to deny it, Will wanted to tell Leyna more.

Yes, more. While he wasn’t ready to admit it aloud, he missed his best friend. Maybe, just maybe, if he learned more of her past, he’d be able to find a way to help her. No matter what she’d done before, Leyna deserved a life free of fear and anxiety.
 

The second Jaxton shut the door, Will snapped out of his head just as the chopper took off. Wanting to distract himself from the small, metal cage he sat in, he asked, “So how are we getting out of here without being shot down?”

Kiarra stared down at a mobile phone. “Three, two, one.”

The helicopter jerked for a second before remaining steady. Will chanced a glance out of the side window. Gusts of wind circled around them so strongly he could physically see it happening.

It was almost as if they were inside the eye of a tornado.

Kiarra grinned and looked to Jaxton. “Darius is right on schedule, as usual.”

Jaxton grunted and fell silent. Before Will could ask who the bloody hell Darius was, Millie jumped in. “Where are we going now?”

Kiarra answered, “Our eventual goal is the UK, but we have one more pick-up to make in Hong Kong.”

Will frowned. “Don’t tell me we’re visiting the research facility.”

Kiarra looked at him askance. “How do you know about that?”

Before he could answer, Leyna beat him to it. “Will used to work there, before his hands started glowing. I’m surprised your strange leader didn’t tell you that. She seems to know everything.”

He glared at Leyna, but Millie grabbed his left hand and turned it palm upward. “I want to see it. Show us.” He tugged his hand, but Millie’s grip tightened. “Don’t make me have to knock you unconscious.”

Jaxton’s voice boomed inside the chopper. “Knock it off, Millicent. I need everyone conscious and ready to help retrieve our target. She’s irreplaceable.”

Leyna waved at Will. “He’s also irreplaceable. Will has the power to heal. And if what Millie tells me about the Four Talents is true, he’ll be drawn to protecting the closest Talent. Based upon her earlier display of power, I think Kiarra is one.”

Will whipped his head around to study the woman named Kiarra. He had momentarily forgotten about his theory surrounding the woman during takeoff. In the present, he eyed the small-boned woman with short hair and delicate features. “How are you a Talent? You look as if you might break in two if I hugged you too tightly.”

Leyna snorted. “So now you believe the legends.”

He never took his eyes from Kiarra. “Not necessarily. And besides, if she is a Talent, I don’t feel a pull to do anything. I call bullshit.”

Millie released his hand. “We’ll see about that.”

In the next second, Millie drew a short knife, slashed the top of her brother’s leg, and sat back. “There.”

Jaxton barked, “What the fuck was that for?”

Millie winked. “You can thank me later.” She moved her gaze to Kiarra. “Jaxton is your Conduit and he’s injured. Tell Will to heal him and see what happens.”

Will had no idea what the hell a Conduit was, but that didn’t matter. He put up a hand. “There’s no bloody way I’m going to use the power I despise. As soon as we land, I might just take my chances and go out on my own.”

Kiarra studied him a second before ordering, “Heal Jaxton or I can’t use my power to the fullest and the eventual disaster will kill us all.”

Will’s hands started to glow. He cursed and closed his eyes. There was no way he was going to follow the woman’s order.

Yet something brushed his cheek and he opened his eyes. Despite the fact no one was touching him, the sensation lingered on his skin and traveled down his neck to his right arm. Moving of its own volition, Will gritted his teeth and tried to hold himself in place. Then Kiarra whispered, “Heal him.”

Will’s hand flared a bright green and energy jumped from his palm to the slice on Jaxton’s leg. As the skin knitted together, Will finally gave up fighting and merely watched.
 

The light danced across the wound, jumping back and forth as if sewing a stitch. When the skin finally pulled together, the light dove into the cut and absorbed into the skin. When the light disappeared, there was no cut or even a scar.

Will never really had the chance to watch the healing process before since he'd always wanted to stop it. But after witnessing it through neutral eyes, he had to admit it was pretty amazing. If there was a way to replicate even a fraction of the process using science, he could help save so many lives.

The only question was—could he ever learn to embrace his powers? His reasons for hating magic were becoming muddier by the second. Leyna was alive and magic was helping him escape China in one piece. Maybe there was a balance to be found.

Still, Will needed more information before he made any decisions. Humans finding out about elemental magic would still cause pandemonium. Yet if the Talents were to stop some disaster, it might be worth it if it saved millions or even possibly billions of lives.

Later on, Leyna was going to help him get answers. Then he could make a concrete decision and sketch out the next phase of his life.

Will’s hands dimmed until the light faded completely. He didn’t feel more tired than before, which made him wonder how much healing he could do before it would harm him. From what little he’d gleaned from his research, using magic always exacted a toll on the user.

Millie clapped her hands together. “See, I knew it. Whether you like it or not, your power exists to help the Four Talents. Welcome to DEFEND, Dr. William Evans. We’ll keep you busy.”

~~~

Petra schooled her face into a neutral expression as the green glow faded from Will’s hands. She’d had a theory about latent abilities being connected to Talents, but she’d never had proof.

Until now.

Yet as Millie cheered and mentioned the connection, Will’s jaw tightened. Petra knew better than anyone what it was like to be at the mercy of someone without much of a say. No matter how grumpy Will had become, he didn’t deserve that life. She needed to protect him.

Petra leaned forward and cleared her throat loudly. Even Millie shut up as all eyes turned toward Petra. “While I like being right, I think there should be some rules governing how a Talent uses a
Feiru
with latent powers. Is there anything about that in those legends of yours?”

Millie answered, “Probably. But don’t worry—Kiarra has a huge heart. She’d never abuse her power.”

Will grumbled, “Except right now.”

Kiarra frowned. “I’m sorry to do that to you, but you’re a scientist and can appreciate an experiment. This was something important that we needed to know, although Millie could’ve handled it better.” She crossed her heart. “I promise not to do that again, unless someone is mortally wounded.”

Petra pushed. “But what about the other Talents? There are supposedly four of them.”

Millie waved a hand. “We have another one on our team and we’re en route to the third one. Neena won’t let them step out of line.”

Jaxton sighed. “Why are you giving away such important information?”

Millie shrugged. “Neena said they were part of DEFEND. Take it up with her.”

Will spoke up. “Wait a second, go back. You said we’re en route to find another Talent. Are you talking about E-1655, the elemental earth user with abnormal magic?”

Jaxton studied Will and then nodded. “Yes, but how do you know about her?”

Petra watched Will debate something inside his head before finally answering, “I was supposed to study her.”

Kiarra and Jaxton glanced at each other. However, before anyone spoke again, Gio groaned on the floor. Millie grabbed his hair and smacked his head on the ground, rendering him unconscious again. She dusted her hands off. “That’s only a temporary solution. We’re going to need something more long term whilst we’re in Hong Kong.”

Kiarra glared. “How about not killing my brother, okay? I know he was an ass to you, but let’s find out why first.”

Millie shrugged. “I know how hard to smack someone’s head without killing them. He couldn’t be in better hands.”

Petra took out a small case from her purse. Opening it, two pre-filled syringes lay inside. “I’ve got it covered.”

Kiarra demanded, “What’s in the syringes?”

Petra lifted the first syringe, removed the end stopper, and tapped it as she ensured there wasn’t any air in the needle. “One full-strength dose of rowan-berry juice and the second one is a diluted version.” She could see the doubt in everyone’s eyes, so Petra added, “In a former life, I was weeks away from a PhD in Chemistry. I know how to drug without killing him. I’ll give Gio both doses and he should be out for days.”

Millie snapped her fingers. “Give him the full-strength dose first and we’ll wake him up. The rowan-berry juice will force him to tell the truth. Once we’re done, dose him again and he’ll fall unconscious.”

Millie was right; rowan-berry juice worked as a truth serum for everyone with even a minute amount of
Feiru
blood.
 

Even though Petra had just formally met Kiarra and Jaxton, she sensed they were in charge. Looking to Kiarra, she asked, “What do you want to do? He’s your brother, so it’s your call.”

Kiarra’s shoulders slumped as she studied the unconscious form of her brother. This probably wasn’t the reunion the woman had been hoping for.

Straightening her shoulders again, Kiarra nodded. “Give him the full-strength dose and we’ll wake him up.” She looked at Jaxton. “Could you question him first? I’m going to need a minute as I simultaneously want to hug and punch him.”

Jaxton took Kiarra’s hand in his. “Of course, love. I have plenty to ask the bastard—er, your brother.”

Watching Kiarra and Jaxton, holding hands and drawing strength from each other, reminded Petra of her past. She looked to Will and met his eyes. Longing mixed with fire flashed in his gaze, but disappeared as quickly as it had come.