Page 106 of The Night Firm

We are both quiet for some time, and then he turns back to face me, his eyes haunted. "I thought you should know. With…with what's happening between us, whatever it is, I thought you should know the truth of me."

"Oh, Liam," I say, touching his face gently, searching his eyes. I see the compassion in him. The healer beneath the hothead. "I do know the truth of you," I say. "And your past deeds are a part of you, but they are not the whole of you. They are not the complete truth. Believing they define you is the true lie."

For a moment, as I study his beautiful face, his soulful eyes, I wonder if maybe I could tell him about Adam. Maybe he wouldn't react in haste. Maybe…

A polite knock at the door startles me out of my thoughts. We both turn to see Elijah clearing his throat. "Apologies for interrupting. It's time to investigate the crime scene," he says to me. "That is, if you still wish to go."

I nod. "I'll be right down."

Elijah looks at his brother and smiles warmly. "It's good to have you home," he says, before closing the door behind him.

As we get downstairs, we hear arguing coming from the library. It seems every five minutes at least two of the Night brothers are going at it.

Sebastian's voice carries the loudest. "What do you mean you're not going?" he demands.

"I mean, I have a case to prepare," Derek says coldly. "Even if we find the egg, it won't be enough to exonerate Liam. They'll think he's just giving it back to avoid more punishment. We'll need to prove his innocence to the jury. Show he had no motive. Redirect blame onto other parties—"

"And we will," Sebastian says, irritably. "But in the meantime, I need you by my side. Ava'Kara likes you. You two share elemental magic. Who else am I supposed to bring to the lair of the water dragon? The fire Druid?"

We walk in and Derek glances at me, then looks away sharply. "You'll have Eve."

"Get your head out of your ass," Sebastian says. "We're going." He looks at me, frowning. "Ready?"

"Yes," I say.

We walk towards the door, Liam joining us, when Elijah grabs him by the shoulders. "Hold on there, brother. Sebastian's right. You can't go near the water dragon right now. If she sees you, it will just make things more difficult. Especially for you."

Liam's temper flares instantly. "So, what am I supposed to do?" he demands. "Sit on my thumbs while you read?"

Elijah shrugs. "If you insist. But no, I was thinking we should come up with other leads. Discuss past enemies of yours. Make a list of who else we could investigate to create reasonable doubt."

"That's a good idea," I say, brushing my hand along Liam's arm.

"Whoever murdered Mary is behind this," Liam growls, and my heart sinks at his words and at his anger.

"But that was Jerry," Sebastian says.

"You saw the note," Liam says. "It might not have been him. He wasn't lying about the note and he might not have been lying about the murders. Which means the real killer could still be out there. And now they might be after Mary's remaining baby. After my baby."

I put a hand on him to calm him. "I don't think it's the same person," I say. And it's true. I don't think Adam is behind this.

Derek looks at me, then at Liam, and his face twists in disgust. He leaves the room and heads to the carriage without another word while Liam seethes with rage. It's clear that while he may have felt sorry for hurting someone in the past, he will not feel bad for punishing whoever killed Mary and her baby. I can see in his eyes there's no room for compassion. Liam will be the death of my brother, and my heart breaks all over again. One day soon, I will lose one of the men I love. I just don't know which.

Chapter 5: The Dragon

No one but Night,with tears on her dark face, watches beside me in this windy place. ~Edna St. Vincent Millay

We travelby carriage to the water dragon's lair. While Derek drives, Sebastian and I sit in the back as we bump along a winding road. As the castle fades from sight, and we drive past homes that have seen better days, the earth Druid raises an eyebrow and leans closer to me. "What's going on between you and Derek?" he asks.

"You noticed that, huh?" I study my hands and fidget with invisible lint on my pants.

"It would have been hard not to," he says softly.

Shit. I don't want to lie to anyone else. "I…I can't tell you. It's… "

"Between you and him," Sebastian says. "I understand. I just hope he didn't hurt you."

I realize he means romantically, like a lover's quarrel, and I shake my head. "No, it's nothing like that. He didn't hurt me. If anything, I'm hurting him." I pause, leaning into Sebastian's shoulder as his arm wraps around me. I savor the comfort of him—the warmth of his body, the subtle scent he gives off—as I say what I can without betraying Adam.