Lapidary

Dev looked past me, to the garden, and I suspected he saw Sachiel because she was always sitting in the garden. But when I turned, it was not Sachiel who was there. It was Ace.

He was standing in front of the stone bench, which made me think he had been sitting there, waiting for me to return. I had no idea how he had found me, but it didn’t come as a surprise. He was captain of the Sky Watch in New Peace and had a knack of finding people. He approached us warily, and at first, I feared it was because he remembered how angry I was at him when I last saw him. But his eyes lingered on Devton, and I realized it was the half-daimon criminal who was putting him on edge.

They locked gazes, and I couldn’t help but notice how different they were. The one was the law, the other defied the law. The one believed in sticking to the rules, the other in breaking them.

“Hello, Ace.” I tried to keep my voice as light as possible because I was not angry anymore. “This is Devton.”

“I know,” Ace said.

Devton cocked his head. “And who are you?”

“Part of the Sky Watch,” Ace said.

“That’s strange. I’ve not seen you around before,” Devton said, which made me wonder just how much influence he had over the authorities.

“I’ve recently moved from New Peace,” he said.

Had Artemis sent him here to search for the crystal? If so, had he agreed so that he could keep an eye on me? I crossed my arms, not in the mood for games.

“You both know about the White Crystal,” I stated. They looked at me as if I had said something I shouldn’t have. “I have new information, and I think we might puzzle this thing out quicker if we work together.”

They eyed each other, and I was fully aware that there was no trust. They were competing against each other for the crystal, as each wanted to use it for themselves. I didn’t want to use the crystal – I just wanted to figure out what had happened to Ryker.

“What information?” Devton asked.

“Robert Smith – the leader of The Insurgents – intercepted Lakelyn’s letter to Ryker. He broke the seal and read it before sending it to Ryker.”

“So, he knew about the crystal even before it was sent,” Ace stated.

“If he broke the seal, Ryker would’ve known that someone else knew,” Devton added.

“Do you think Robert somehow got the crystal before it was sent?” Ace asked.

“No, he doesn’t have it.” He wouldn’t have kidnapped me if he had it.

“You told me someone broke into your apartment after Ryker died. That can’t be a coincidence,” Devton said.

“You think the humans did it?” How had they gotten past the cameras, past security, and into the building?

“Maybe you and your daimons are behind it,” Ace said to Devton. “It won’t, after all, be the first time you break into people’s things.”

Devton grinned wickedly. “I never broke into the apartment, nor did my men. We only found out about the White Crystal a while after his death – not on that same night.”

“And then you broke into all of Bellevue’s stuff…” Ace said.

He grinned again, which was answer enough. I had no idea how Ace knew it was Dev – but then again, it was his job to know such things. Did Ace despise Dev because he knew he broke the law, and he could do nothing about it?

“Maybe you found it,” Ace said.

Someone must have it because they used it to open a rift at the prison. But who? I don’t believe that Dev had it; he wouldn’t be putting in all this effort looking for it if he did.

“He doesn’t have it,” I told Ace.

“You don’t know this daimon, Nat,” he said gently.

“Neither do you,” Dev told him.

“I know all about you, Devton Embers, member of The Risen.” Ace then looked at me. “He is a thief and a criminal.”

Had Ryker ever told Ace who I was before I met him? I assumed not. If Ace knew about all the petty crimes I had committed to survive, maybe we wouldn’t be friends.

“I feel like I should take a bow after that introduction,” Devton said.

“He is head of the drug selling in this corrupt city,” Ace continued. “I won’t be surprised if he was the one selling Ryker Deluge.”

Deluge was a heavy drug that gave people confidence – too much confidence. Several had died because the drug made them think they could do stuff that they couldn’t, like leaping onto another planet or outrunning cars on the freeway.

I glared at Ace. “Ryker was not an addict.”

“He came back with that shit every time he visited this city.”

It was another stab to the heart, as if the Ryker I had known was a completely different fae to the one everyone else had.

“Why are you only telling me this now?” How had he kept the letter from me?

Ace’s face softened. “You were so infatuated with him. You thought he was perfect. I didn’t want to take that away from you.”

Had my whole life with him been one big lie?

I turned to Dev. “Did you sell him drugs?”

“I personally don’t sell them. It is, however, possible that he bought from one of my men,” Dev said.

“Right,” I said. An awkward moment of silence hung between us before Devton excused himself and left.

“It’s a strange crowd you’re hanging with,” Ace told me, once Dev was out of earshot.

I almost laughed. Hanging with? Firstly, I worked for Devton. Secondly, he had asked me on a date, and I had said yes. It would be the first date I’d be going on in a year, and the idea excited me. It was strange that he had asked me, knowing my feelings for Ryker. But then again, he seemed to be as intrigued by me as I was by him.

“Come on, I’ll get you something to drink.”

Ace followed me into the cottage and looked around. What was he thinking? This place was incredible compared to the previous ones in which I’d lived. I poured each of us a glass of orange juice then fetched his car keys from my room and gave them to him.

“I thought I’d never get them back and that I’d have to continue using the spare keys,” he said.

“Hmm.”

We went outside and sat on the stone bench, sipping orange juice. I was tired and planned to sleep more once Ace left. I’d been sleeping more than I should, and yet, less than I used to.

“You look better,” Ace told me.

I had gained a bit of weight, and I certainly felt better than I used to, but I was still far away from okay.

“Yeah,” I said. “Ace, you keep things from me – you kept the letter from me and never told me that daimons broke into the things Bellevue inherited. You never told me Ryker was into drugs.”

Ace looked away guiltily. “I just wanted to protect you.”

“Well stop,” I said. “You’re ripping our friendship apart. How can I trust you after all these secrets?”

He looked down, and his wings sagged. I drew a deep breath. When Ryker died, all our friends had disappeared, and none of his family had called me to see if I was okay. But Ace had always stayed nearby; Ace was always there for me. I had to forgive him.

“I can move past this, if you promise that, from here on, there will be no more secrets.”

Ace met my gaze. “I promise.”

“Good.” I forced a smile.

“Then I should tell you that Artemis is getting impatient… He wants the crystal.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m trying.”

“Don’t ever underestimate an archangel…” Ace warned.

“Why? He won’t take his feather back, will he?” I instinctively touched the feather between my breasts and thought of Volgrun, trying to force himself into me.

“I don’t know,” Ace said.

“Did he send you?” I asked.

Ace shook his head. “I came of my own accord. I’m still working for the Sky Watch – but I’m not captain here.”

“Oh,” I said. “Was it hard to move here?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I went to a city where we fought crime, to this place, where they turn a blind eye.”

“With Rhinsel as head, it might change,” I said. “He built the prison and seems to be trying.”

“But everyone else is corrupt. He might be trying now, but it is only a matter of time until he is dragged down to their level.”

I drew a deep breath. “Are you scared that is what will happen to me? That Devton will ‘drag me down’.”

If anything, Devton had lifted me up. He had made me feel something – I wasn’t sure what I felt, but it was better than the numbness. Devton had told me ‘the world is lighter with you in it’.

Ace seemed to be considering his words carefully. “If you hang out with Devton, you’ll end up like Ryker.”

I looked at my feet. “I’m not here to search for the crystal. I’m here to find out what had happened to Ryker. This is going to sound terrible – but I hope someone murdered him. Because the alternative is him killing himself, and that is so much worse. If he actually killed himself, it’s my fault. Maybe I didn’t make him happy.”

Ace touched my arm. “It’s not your fault.”

I shook my head. “Ever since I came here, I’ve heard so many things about Ryker that I didn’t know. He was smuggling diamonds with the mermaids, and he was doing drugs... He never told me. And he hadn’t trusted me enough with the White Crystal. Maybe he never loved me.”

“Ryker loved you with all his heart,” Ace said.

But I was not convinced.