74

74
ELLA
I internally groaned at the thought of being in the head of Kade Blackthorn. I didn’t want to use this ability again if it only led me to his mind. If he realized what was happening, it might be another invitation to find me.
The last thing I wanted was another unwanted visit from a Blackthorn twin. But I was here already, and there was no way to leave unless the connection was broken.
I tried to force myself awake, hoping it would change something, but I couldn’t wake up. I could hear the whistling sound that indicated I was going through the process.
This was the first time I was having this experience while in human form and not under the influence of a full moon. At this point, it was safe to conclude that I had become one with the ability and didn’t need any external force to conjure it.
Perhaps the moon was only needed to trigger it, and now it just amplified the experience. Clearly, it could happen at any point. What I needed to learn now was how to control it—so I wouldn’t go slipping into places I didn’t want to be.
I decided to pay attention to where I was and saw that this wasn’t the area near the waterfall where Lyla and I used to train, nor did it look like anywhere Kade would be.
Instead, I was in a gym, and I could hear voices. It seemed more like a monologue than a conversation. I focused and tried to look around.
Peeking into the minds of people still felt as invasive as ever, but I didn’t have a choice—it had to be done.
I tried to be as discreet as possible and nearly lost my composure when I realized I was in Lucian’s head.
“Of course, he’s the only one who would be caught dead in a gym at this hour,” I thought—and he instantly reacted to that.
I wasn’t sure if he heard the thought or just sensed that someone was there, but his reaction made me shudder. He could catch on to what was happening, and I needed to be extra careful.
“Who’s there?” he said, looking around. Then he shook his head when he realized he was still the only person in the gym. “I think I’ve spent too much time awake. I’m hallucinating now. I need to go home,” he added, stepping off the treadmill.
He walked toward his car, started the ignition, and muttered a curse as his head throbbed terribly. I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, so I wouldn’t say I had a hand in the migraine he was experiencing.
Still, I was happy he was paying more attention to the headache than the sensation of being watched. That was a good thing—it meant he wouldn’t suspect anything, unlike Kade.
If this prolonged longer than either of us would like, I could take solace in the fact that Lucian would likely think he was daydreaming. That made things easier for me.
When he got home, he headed straight to the bedroom, took off his clothes, ran a bath, and completely fell asleep in the tub. As soon as his eyes closed, the connection was broken—and I was relieved to be out of his head.
I fell asleep too, and for the first time in a long while, I had a much-appreciated, dreamless sleep. I had half-expected to get another vision of my ancestors or slip into someone else’s mind, but none of that happened, and I was grateful.
✦ ✦ ✦
The train ride was quicker than I expected. Quincy had said it would be an hour’s journey, but we arrived in town earlier than anticipated—which was a good thing.
I wasn’t as exhausted as I’d been during other trips. When we left the motel, I expected to be tired and in need of immediate sleep, but that wasn’t the case. The feeling of uncertainty I had while approaching the town had seemingly disappeared, and I was glad.
It would’ve been terrible to explain away a sullen disposition. They would’ve probably chalked it up to travel fatigue, but now I didn’t have to do any of that.
When we got off the train, I looked around the station and realized this town was older than all the others we’d visited. The energy here also felt different—like I had...
“Welcome to La Derte,” Quincy said, reaching for my hand.
Something felt oddly familiar about the town, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. I let him lead me down the streets and through a small marketplace. He seemed to know everyone, and they were equally excited to see him.
Thankfully, he didn’t stop or linger longer than I would’ve liked. As much as I was glad not to be on another train or bus, I still wanted to get to a place where I could rest—and that happened sooner than expected.
Two streets later, we arrived at an old house. It bore some resemblance to Lyla’s, except it was bigger, and I could already hear the sounds of chatter and hearty laughter from the lawn.
While the Montgomery house was usually quiet—home to just Lyla, her mother, the staff, and the occasional visitor—this house felt like a haven for all and sundry.
As we stepped onto the front porch, Quincy reached out to ring the doorbell, but before he could, the door flung open and a teenage girl appeared in the doorway.
“Quincy!” she yelled, enveloping him in a bear hug. She practically jumped on him, and if he hadn’t been steady, they would’ve fallen off the porch.
From the way she ran into his arms and how excited he was to see her, I was certain neither of them would’ve cared if they ended up in the grass.
“You’re back,” she said, stepping away from him and glancing in my direction. “And you brought a friend.”
“Hello, Eve. This is Ella,” Quincy replied, turning to me. “Ella, meet Eve, my baby sister.”
I met his gaze and resisted the urge to say, Sister?
He hadn’t told me about his siblings. Well, he had barely said anything about his family beyond the fact that he had come to the Blackthorns to avenge them, so I didn’t know what to expect.
I decided to brace myself for any surprises that might come my way while I was here, because this was the first hint that I’d be having a lot of those in the near future.
“Hi…” I began, but before I could finish my sentence, she turned and dashed into the house.
“Quincy’s back, and he brought home a girl!” she yelled, and I winced as her voice echoed throughout the house.
The house that had been buzzing with conversation and laughter went quiet for a moment. Then I heard the sound of footsteps rushing out of various rooms and down the stairs.
I swallowed hard as my heart skipped a beat, and Quincy leaned toward me.
“Brace yourself,” he whispered.
I let out a low whistle as the footsteps grew louder.