Tornado of Nightmares (Book 2)

ten

✧ Kam ✧

I HAVE BEEN TO MY FAIR SHARE OF UNCOMFORTABLE DINNERS, BUT THIS ONE TOPS IT.

The tension between both siblings is unbearable. Then to make things worse, Dilynn and her father have not shared one pleasant word with one another. They sit in silence, picking at the cooked cod on their plates. Warren tries to keep the conversation pleasant, so does Jill and Irina, but everyone else is very focused on their plates. I suppose it might have something to do with the huge bomb that was dropped on us. Clementine has the capabilities of a god and is already showing strong signs of magic and power. Which is grand. I mean, who doesn't want a child to be capable of raising the dead? I know I do. Then realizing who Dilynn's brother is. Who he's related to. And of course, his girlfriend is a Blood-Bound who also has the capabilities of a god.

Today has been fun.

But what's really bothering me is how this connected to Ember. This was no coincidence. Clementine having a nightmare and revealing her power. She never was able to use them before. And I highly doubt that Sheerah picked that day randomly for Clem's magic to manifest. It just doesn't make sense. Why now? What's happening right now? Is something wrong with Ember in the mirror? Or Landon? Perhaps Faune? I have no idea. And I hate not knowing anything. This suspense is killing me. Ember not being here is killing me. I want her here. I want her beside me. I want to hear her voice. I want her yelling at me, calling me names, belittling me—just anything.

I've never felt like this before. Where I rely on someone. The months in Tennia Ember and I got incredibly close. I saw her every day. We talked every day and having all of that ripped away— it was torture. But then I found her, and even though she hated me and hated the sight of me, it still closed up some hole I had in my heart. She was like a worm that dug itself inside of me and then left a gaping hole. A hole she could only fix. I always found myself seeking her out. Going to her rooms in the castle just to check up on her. Knowing that she could be upset at any moment had me on edge. I wanted to fix everything. I wanted to solve her problems, I wanted to hold her.

And now she's gone again. And there is nothing I can do to get her back.

Stop it, we'll find a way.

I glance around the table, Dilynn is sitting to my right and closest to her father who sits at the head of the table. Her shoulders are rigid and her whole body is stiff. I don't know what happened between them, but I hope the contempt they both feel for each other does not interfere with the business deal I need to propose. But if it does, I'll make him an offer he cannot refuse. Whether he wants to or not, he will help me.

He may see me as a child, though. I was crowned young compared to my father. I didn't have as much practice as everyone else—the role was abrupt. Not something I ever really wanted. But with my father's out-of-the-blue death, it did not warrant me time to prepare. That's just how life is? Isn't it? Death comes into our lives. Creeps up on us like how the night stalks the day, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. And it found purchase in my father's throat. Without even a scream—he was gone.

He was a hard man to love, but I never wished for his death. Never.

I guess I never thought about him being dead, he always seemed like a tyrant I'd have in my life. That mosquito always biting me. I had never imagined—

Dilynn's father clears his throat. His frown consumes his face. I don't think I've ever seen River Thorne smile a day in his life. I think his face is constantly set in a scowl.

His copper hair is pulled back in a knot at the back of his head, few strands cascade down his face, like an orange waterfall of death. He looks so grim it brings me down. Grim is something I lived with my entire life, I've never been known to be very humorous or outgoing—that's always been Landon. He's the schmoozer of the family. Gods do I wish he was here right now, smoothing things over and making the air in here so much lighter.