Incendiary by Amy A. Bartol Read Free Book Online Page B

Don’t even thi nk about going to him,” she says , watching my face and reading it like a book. “ You can’t barter yourself for them— or me. Those days are over. The only way your friends will be safe is if he’s ended. Even if he makes you his queen, and that’s a big if, they all die.”
    Zephyr scoffs , like the threat of the Gancanagh getting him is minimal. “He is deranged.”
    “Now you ’re getting it,” Molly replies , checking her fingernails.
    “Will he send his men or will he be comin’ himself? D o we need to s tart huntin’ him?” Russell asks quietly , from the doorway of the ballroom. Startled by how stealthily he ca me in, I glance at him and my jaw falls open. His face is bruised and swollen from his fight with Reed; one eye is almost completely closed.
    “Russell,” his name escapes my lips as my stomach clenches. He ignores me, watching Molly.
    “I don’t know. M aybe you should get some more men… unless this isn’t the position you intend to defend, ” she says, tilting her head like she’s assessing us all. “You don’t seem like you plan on being here when he makes his move. ”
    “How old are you?” Zephyr asks suspiciously .
    “Nineteen and a half , but I had brothers growing up and they played every combat game known to man ,” Molly replies . “It was kinda freaking me out that you allowed me to get this close to you. I was think ing that this was amateur hour with a neon sign that blinks : VICTIMS HERE. But, you’re not lame, are you?”
    “ Oh, there’s z ero lameness here , s weetie , ” Buns replies , smiling derisively at Molly.
    “Epic , do me a huge favor and kill him for me. I ca n’t be with Finn as long as Brennus live s so he has to be ended ,” she replies , showing a cold, calculating ulterior motive for coming here. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other for a while, Eaves,” Molly says , back ing toward the doors.
    “Molly, wait!” I say , my hea rt t wisting in my chest as I pull against Reed’s grasp on my arm . “ Remember me and I’ll remember you — remember ... crawling out of your bathro om window so we could look at the stars and talk all night. No matter how old we get, we’ll be under those same stars.”
    “I won’t forget,” she says softly. “Maybe you’ll think of me now, when it rains, too. May the road ris e up to greet you, Eaves.”
    “May the wind be alw a ys at your back, Mols,” I choke as tears fa ll from my eyes. S he backs away from us to the door, watching Zep hyr suspiciously as he continues to train his weapon on her. The instant she hit s the cover of darkness, she turns and run s from the house.
    “She’s on to the plan,” Ru s sell says softly, not moving from the doorway of the ballroom. “We should probably go and take care of her.”
    “Nobody touches her,” I state numbly. “She wants Brennus dead. She won’t tell them anything.”
    “She might tell her boy to keep him from comin’ here, know in’ that’s what we want them to do . If Finn doesn’t come, chances are he’ll keep his brother from comin’, too ,” he replies , wanting me to see that the plan has a loose end now. “They’ll just send their men.”
    “I don’t care,” I reply , refusing to see it any ot her way but that she stays unharmed . “Anyway, good luck finding her now. She’s probably twenty leagues un der the sea as we speak,” I say , hoping I’m not bluffing. “The beauty of our plan is that it only , really , needs one person to be here when the fellas arrive and that has to be me , since I’m the one they’re the most focused on . You guys should leave now . I can execute the plan and escape through my portal when it’s done.” I touch the moon- shaped locket on my neck, making sure it’s still with me.
    Every face in the room frown s at me. “Were you listening to Molly?” Reed asks , still holding my arms that are now beginning to shake as the numbness in me is wearing off.