Page 119 of The Night Firm

Cole studies me, his lips curling into a smile. "Smart woman.Et belle. My brothers showed unexpected wisdom in bringing you into the family."

Though we’re not making physical contact, I feel his touch nonetheless, as if his hands are caressing my face. I blink and take a step back, my senses rattled by this intense intimacy I'm experiencing against all logic.

"He could be useful," Elijah says. "Whether he is indeed guilty, or as innocent as he claims, he could help in gaining access to our other suspects."

Cole doesn't break eye contact with me as he responds. "What are your leads?"

"None of your business," Sebastian says, glaring at Elijah. "We shouldn't be sharing anything with him. We don't know what he's up to and we can't trust him."

Elijah shrugs. "What can we lose by seeing what he has to offer? We haven't got many options and even less time in which to solve this."

"Elijah's right," Derek says. "We must explore all possibilities, and if Cole can help, so be it."

Liam steps forward, his eyes haunted. "If Eve says we need him, I trust her."

Sebastian throws up his hands in defeat and crosses his arms over his chest, sulking as Elijah answers Cole. "The Collector could be behind this, and if he isn't, there's a good chance he knows something."

Cole nods. "And?"

"And the Beggar Queen," Derek says. "She's been at odds with the dragons for as long as anyone can remember. She had the motive and the means to pull this off."

Cole finally breaks eye contact with me to look at his brothers, and in that instant, I feel his touch—his presence—vanish from my body. I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding and shiver. Liam puts a protective arm around my shoulders, his heat and strength a comfort.

Cole paces, his finger on his chin. "The Collector will be tricky. He is hard to get close to, even for me, and keeps his secrets well hidden. But you know I can get you in to see the Beggar Queen, as you call her, though she would never refer to herself as such."

"What is she the queen of?" I ask.

"The lost and forgotten," Cole says softly.

"Indeed," Elijah says, though he doesn't sound particularly happy about it. He turns to the rest of us. "I think we may need him."

"I don't," Sebastian says, stepping forward once again. "He betrayed us once before and he will again."

I pull away from Liam to stand before Sebastian, placing a hand on his chest. "It's Liam's future on the line. He should decide."

Everyone looks to the fire Druid, who sighs and turns to Cole.

I already know what Liam will say. Not just because he wants to get out of this mess, but because he wants to atone for his own sins.

"We have no way of knowing your true motives," he tells Cole. "Even still, I say we give you a chance."

Cole smiles a wolfish grin.

"The Order would never have accepted this," Sebastian roars, causing the sarcophagus to crash to the ground, startling everyone.

Derek frowns. "Look around, brother. We are all that's left. The Order is gone."

And with that, the decision is made. We make haste back to the Otherworld with Cole in tow. Kaya seems impatient to get on with her other errands, though she catches my eye as we head to the carriage and nods briefly at me, mouthing a simple ‘thank you.’ The woman and child we helped earlier are both being cared for by the dryads, the child nursing peacefully as the mother rests against one of the trees, and I hope that they find a good life here. That their terror and pain will be things of the past as they try to rebuild.

We are all shaped and haunted by our pasts. I haven't yet lived thirty years, and already I feel the weight of my life tugging at my heart, clouding my mind, shaping my choices for good or ill. I can't imagine having hundreds of years piling on me, like dirt on a coffin, burying me in the darkness of my past decisions, stealing away my breath with each handful of years dropped on me.

What must each of the Night brothers be feeling as we climb into the carriage and set off to meet the Beggar Queen? What memories must be resurfacing as they all face their own darkness?

Cole sits in the front with Elijah, guiding the carriage to our destination, since he's the only one who knows where we're going. Sebastian, Liam, and Derek sit in the back with me, though all are quiet and lost in thought.

I don't want to disturb them, but I reach for Sebastian's hand, as he sits beside me, and he takes it, though he doesn't look my way. But with the touch, his shoulders seem to relax just a fraction, and I hope that he can find some peace in all this mess.

They have their brother back, and it's a mixed bag for them. I get it. All too well. I kind of have my twin back, but I still don't know how to feel about all he's done…all he's become. Is evil done in the name of justice justifiable? Do we have the right to take a life preemptively to protect future innocents? Do we have the right to take a life in righteous justice when it goes against the laws of the land? At what point do we need to stop blindly following other people's rules for what's expected of us and take a stand for what we believe is right?