Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Twenty One

Lily wasn't a morning person by any means but waiting by Jack's car that morning she never seemed more awake. Storm clouds silently loomed above them with a orange halo thanks to the first light beginning to crest the horizon. She tucked the rebellious strands from her rough plait back behind her ears, the wild winds rustling them free. Her right shoulder was still paralysed so she couldn't lift her arms to braid her thick hair back, it rested heavily over her carved shoulder. Lily released a shaky breath.

Their plan was rough. Haidan, Jack, and herself would walk in while Cody kept Tyrill safe in case more rogues came back. Then, they'd get Niall out, and leave without a scratch... No one had really elaborated on how they would free Niall from a hundred rogues hellbent on murdering Lily and anyone more powerful than them.

Lily breathed out the anxiety swirling in her belly, pushing her fists further into the pockets of her jumper. She'd donned her leggings and a sturdy pair of shoes - she figured she'd be doing a lot of running.

What she didn't want to do was kill anyone. She'd accidentally come close a few times, yes, but death always left a mark. Every day Lily woke to its hand clamped around her heart; one finger for each member still nestled within, and the thumb for the grandmother that never came back.

Loss was an old and familial shadow walking with her every day.

But if Lily lost anyone else in her life she'd leave mark on death itself. She would not bury another person if she could help it. This time, unlike in her family's car accident, she could help.

There was lightning in her veins and a wild ocean in her soul. She was the Supernova - and utterly terrified - but if anyone could stop Yuric and his rogues, save Niall, and walk away unscathed, it was her. She just wished someone told her how.

It would have been a great time for her grandmother to give her some answers, especially while they were planning how to rescue Niall. Unfortunately she was silent the entire time. She glowered at everyone as they threw suggestion after suggestion, rolling her eyes when Nick and Cay suggested getting the police involved.

Leaning against Jack's car now, Lily braced herself when Nerida walked towards her. She could hear her boots against the cobblestone road, as fierce as the gleam in her dark eyes. Her grandmother's hair was fastened back into a pony tail, and she wore a thick, long coat to protect against the icy wind.

"Little Lily," Nerida began. "You need to be careful with Yuric."

Lily kept leaning against Jack's car, if only to have some support. "I know."

"No you don't." Nerida's fierce glare wavered. "He is a man seeking freedom from hierarchy. He escaped it when he became rogue, and when a new, naive Supernova stepped on his toes, his freedom was threatened."

"I didn't step on his toes-"

"You did," Nerida snapped. "You stopped his rogues from killing the little alpha girl. If you'd let them, let them go and hadn't got involved, you wouldn't be in this mess. His orders failed when you stepped up and now you're in the same situation as before."

Lily couldn't move. "Are you asking what I think you are?" She said quietly with ice lacing her words.

Nerida shifted on her feet. "I can't stop you from going, but I can tell you this - letting Niall die is the only way to be free from the rogues. Don't go, let the nymph die, and then you'll free." Her voice wavered. "Yuric will kill you if you go to Marlin's Bay."

"I'm not letting anyone else die." Lily said sharply, standing up to Nerida. She was taller than her grandmother but Lily looked down on her in more ways than one. "I'm not letting Niall die."