Oberon Reformatory Book Three: Final Offense Read online

  But those fears are nothing compared to the fear of something bad happening to my sister.

  I cannot stay here, wallowing in my guilt and dread. I have to do something. I have to try.

  If I fail, and Robbie and I get caught, we can just bust out of here, go home, and tell our parents everything. Let them handle Echo and his terrible plans.

  The spark of fire flaming to life inside me dulls as I think of Asher, Lark, and the others. Could I actually do that? Could I leave them behind after freeing Robbie and breaking out of Oberon Reformatory?

  And little Cassie, to whom I gave a solemn oath to rescue, no matter what?

  My spirits fall as the contradictory thoughts batter me from all sides. I don’t want to desert the ones I care about, but I also can’t put anyone or anything above the safety and well-being of my sister. She’s what matters most to me in this place, despite the guilt that rages inside me when I picture Asher and Lark’s faces.

  A light tap on my door startles me, and I spin around as it swings open to reveal those two faces I’d just been imagining—like my guilt had conjured them up.

  “What time is it?” I ask as I wave them inside. It seems like I’ve been in my bed, trying to work through this problem for hours between periods of fitful dozing.

  “Lights out is in fifteen minutes,” Lark says, pushing the door closed behind her.

  I throw up a privacy shield after quickly scanning the room for any hidden cameras. Asher steps forward, pulling me into his arms for a tight hug before releasing me and stepping back to stand beside his cousin. They’re wearing matching determined expressions, and a slight chill creeps down my spine.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “We’ve been talking,” Asher begins.

  “And we decided,” Lark cuts in, “that no matter the cost, you need to go save Robbie.”

  I’m surprised, both by the command in her voice and the fact that she used my sister’s real name, rather than calling her April as she usually does.

  “I want to,” I say, relieved that the words actually came out. Echo’s magic still wouldn’t let me tell them everything, but apparently I can talk about the fact that my sister is in solitary if I keep it vague.

  “But you’re worried about us,” Asher says, and I nod.

  “We’re here to tell you not to,” Lark says.

  “Lark—”

  “No, Rory,” she says, cutting me off. Taking a deep breath, she continues, “You’re feeling torn because if things go sideways, you’ll have to break free and leave us behind. Am I right?”

  I nod as emotion clogs my throat. She’s spot-on, as usual.

  “Rory,” Asher says, stepping forward and propping his hands on my shoulders, “she’s your family. Of course, you need to put her first. We understand that and would never hold it against you.”

  “But…you’re my family, too,” I croak out, trying my best to hold the tears at bay.

  “We know that,” he says, his voice dropping into a whisper. “We love you, Rory. And we know you love us. That’s why we’re here. We want you to know that we will make it through this. We’re survivors, and we always have been. Go get your sister.”

  “I don’t want to leave you,” I say as I stare into his bright blue gaze. Then I look at Lark. “Either of you.”

  “That’s a worst case scenario, anyway, right?” she asks, giving me a half-smile. “You are perfectly capable of sneaking down there, breaking Robbie free, and sneaking back here without getting caught. Easy peasy.”

  “And if I do get caught?” I reply. “What then? Do I just take Robbie and run, leaving you all with no protection from Echo’s wrath?”

  “We can handle it,” Asher says.

  “Besides,” Lark adds, “you’d just go home, get the rest of your amazingly powerful family, and come back for us. Right?”

  “Of course, I would,” I say.

  “Then what’s the problem?” she shoots back. “The risk does not outweigh the reward here, Rory. You only have one choice. Robbie needs you. Go get her.”

  Even though I know she’s right, my questioning eyes move back to Asher. He nods, tugging me against his chest for another hug. Lark joins in, wrapping her arms around both of us. I laugh through my tears as we break apart.

  “There’s just one problem,” I say.

  “Only one?” Lark shoots back, making me laugh again.

  “The biggest one,” I say. “If I succeed, if I do manage to get to her, what am I supposed to do with her? Echo will only find her and...you know.” I can only use certain words, but they seem to understand what I’m saying.

  “So, you run,” Asher says.

  “Are you that eager to get rid of me?” I ask, but my joke falls flat.

  I know what he’s doing. He’s sacrificing himself and his own feelings for my safety. Even if it means he’ll be stuck here, enduring whatever retaliation Echo throws out. He’s putting me and my safety above his own.

  Because he loves me.

  “Listen,” Lark says, breaking up the silence that had fallen between us, “all we need is a solid plan. If anyone can come up with something that’ll work, it’s the Con Crew, right?”

  “Right,” I say, unable to stem the smile spreading across my face.

  “Let’s meet in my cell tomorrow,” she says. “Between breakfast and training. I’ll gather the others.”

  “Okay,” I say, nodding quickly.

  “Okay,” she parrots back. “I’m going to go now.”

  With a quick hug for me and Asher, she turns and heads for the door. I watch her go, feeling a tremendous sense of love and gratitude that I found her. I’m so lucky to have her in my life, even if I did have to get thrown into Fae prison to make it happen.

  “She’s going to be okay,” Asher murmurs, bringing my attention back to him. “We all are.”

  Then he kisses me, and all thoughts of failure and consequences fly from my head. As long as I have him in my corner, I can’t fail.

  Chapter Fifteen

  As I pick at my scrambled eggs and sausage, I wish I still had the optimism I felt last night. Asher had to leave quickly to make it back to his cell before lights out, leaving me alone with my raging imagination.

  What if Robbie and I flee, then Echo decides to kill Asher and Lark in a rage fueled by anger at the loss of his two best bets to defeat the monarchy? How would I ever live with myself if that happened?

  Lark had waved for me to come sit with her and the others, but I’d declined, wanting to keep my distance from them. Sitting with my friends today would only give Echo more ammunition to use against me should things not go the way I want them to.

  So, I sit alone, dragging my fork through dry, overcooked eggs while my stomach rumbles with nervous energy and dread.

  Suddenly, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t waste any more time, and I don’t want to drag my friends into this any more than they already are. So, I grab my tray and march toward the exit, stopping only to dump its contents into the trash.

  Lark catches my eye, her face scrunched with confusion. I shake my head at her and mouth the word, “bathroom” before shooting a quick glance at Asher and exiting the mess hall.

  The lie sours my stomach further, but I can’t have them follow me. I’m going to get Robbie, then I’ll meet them in Lark’s room, like we planned. I know I’m doing this backwards, but if my actions have consequences, those consequences will be solely on my head.

  I rush down the hall, using my magic to disable any cameras I see along the way. Echo might realize someone is using Glamour inside his prison, but he’ll have no proof it’s me. And by the time he figures out what’s happening, I’ll hopefully have Robbie hidden somewhere.

  I almost stumble as that thought hits me. I haven’t really thought this all the way through, and I have no clue where I can hide my sister from Echo inside these walls. I pick up the pace as I shake my head.

  I’ll worry about that later, once Robbie is safe and out of that dark, lonely cell.

  I find the staircase, and once I’m headed down, I create a fireball much like the one Jax had when he led me down here to my own lockup. Only the sound of my beating heart and my footsteps on the stone fill the space around me, and there’s no sign of Glamoured cameras or any other surveillance equipment in the stairwell.

  Once I hit the landing at the bottom, I extinguish the fireball and stand there in total darkness for several seconds. I can sense the use of magic at the other end of the corridor, and I call to earth. Vines erupt through the cracks in the stone floor, and I can hear them slithering up toward the ceiling at my command.

  Once the sounds cease, I conjure another fireball and shoot the flames toward the sconces along the corridor. I peer down toward the end, and sure enough, the vines I called are twisted around a camera attached in the corner of the hall.

  Knowing I have very little time, I rush forward calling for my sister.

  “Rob—April!” I hiss, correcting myself quickly. “Where are you?”

  “Rory?”

  I sigh with relief as my sister’s voice calls out from behind the nearest door.

  “I’m here,” I whisper against the keyhole in the panel. “Back away from the door.”

  “Rory? Is that you?”

  My head whips to the left, my eyes landing on the next door down the corridor. “Cassie?”

  “You came back,” she sighs.

  Suddenly, the door in front of me clicks open, and my sister leaps through the opening, tackling me with a big hug. Fear wars with relief inside me, as I push her back and flick my gaze up and down the hall.

  “I didn’t open that,” I hiss.

  “Uh, I did,” Robbie says in a low voice. “You know we have the same power.”


  “I came to save you,” I murmur, all that fear and dread that had been filling me suddenly deflating.

  Robbie chuckles. “Thank you. I would have busted out of here sooner, but I could never tell if there were guards or cameras outside my door.”

  I gaze back at Cassie’s door and, deciding quickly, use my magic to disengage the lock. Her head pops through the opening, covered with straight, black hair and large green eyes that stare at us with trepidation.

  “It’s me, Cassie,” I say in soothing tones. “It’s Rory.”

  The young faery leaps forward, wrapping her arms around my middle and practically squeezing the breath from me. Her shoulders shake as she sobs against my chest, and I return her embrace for just a moment before peeling her off of me.

  “We have to go,” I say, looking into her wet eyes. “I have to get you and April out of here before someone comes. You need to be really quiet okay?”

  Cassie’s eyes dart from me to Robbie, widening as her gaze flicks back to me. “Sisters?”

  Her voice is filled with awe and wonder, and I shake my head at her astuteness. This thirteen-year-old girl figures out my relation to Robbie in one glance, yet Echo hadn’t noticed in weeks of having us both here?

  Either he knew and was holding that knowledge back for some nefarious reason, or he was utterly clueless. I’d worry about that later.

  It was time to go.

  “What about the others?” Cassie whispers furiously as we had for the staircase.

  “I can’t hide everyone. This is almost over,” I say. “We’ll make sure to free them once we take Echo down.”

  She nods in acceptance before slipping her hand into mine. I tighten my grip around her fingers and prepare to climb, but footsteps echoing down the stairwell freeze me on the spot. Coming to my senses, I tug Cassie behind my back as Robbie and I form a wall in front of her.

  A guard appears jogs down to land in front of us, and it’s not Jax. He opens his mouth to say something, no doubt shout for help, but I lunge forward and grab his wrist.

  “You never saw us,” I say, pushing as much Glamour as I can muster into him. “The hallway is empty. All is well.”

  When I release him, he meanders down the hall, whistling to himself and not looking back. I quickly pull Cassie toward the staircase, pushing Robbie ahead of us.

  “How did you do that?” Cassie asks. “Is your bracelet broken?”

  “Sort of,” I hedge. “Echo deactivated mine because I got him to trust me, but in reality, it never restricted my magic.”

  “Why not?” she asks, her face filled with wonder as we continue to climb.

  “Can you keep a secret?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

  She nods, wide-eyed and eager. I can’t sense any dishonesty in her, and something in my gut tells me we can trust her. Besides, Echo already knows who Robbie is, and after this, he’ll figure out who I am, too. The time for secrets is over.

  “I’m a hybrid,” I answer.

  “Like me?” she asks, her young face filling with excitement. “But your hair…”

  “Is blonde, just like my sister’s,” I say, nodding up at Robbie. “And our names aren’t really Rory and April.”

  “What?” she asks, looking surprised. “Did you lie to me?”

  “I’m sorry, but I did. I had fake identification when I was arrested and sent here, so everyone, including Echo Oberon thought my name was Rory Finley. I needed to keep up that appearance.”

  “But that’s not who you are,” she says.

  “No, it’s not.” I lean in close so that I can whisper directly into her ear. “I’m Aurora Finley Oberon, and that’s my sister, Robbie.”

  “Wha—” she starts to shout, but I slap my hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

  We’ve reached the top of the staircase, and we need to get across the building undetected. Cassie seems to get the hint and nods in a quick, jerky motion. I remove my hand from her mouth, and she keeps quiet, though her eyes are wide as saucers as the flick back and forth between me and Robbie.

  “The princesses?” she mouths.

  “Yes, but that’s secret,” Robbie whispers, looking Cassie in the eyes. “Only a select few know, and we’re trusting you to keep it quiet.”

  “But…I don’t understand. The Oberon sisters look like Zephyrs.”

  “You mean like this?” Robbie asks, then Glamours her appearance.

  Cassie’s mouth falls open as Robbie’s hair turns black and her true wings emerge from her back. Robbie holds on the illusion for a moment before dropping it and pulling her wings back in.

  “Oh, my God,” Cassie mutters, and I can see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Don’t get all star-struck on us now, Cassie,” I whisper. “We need to focus if we don’t want to get caught and thrown back into solitary.”

  “Sorry. Sorry,” she mumbles shaking her head.

  “Where are we going?” Robbie asks, peeking her head out to see if the hall is empty.

  “Lark’s room,” I reply. “I was supposed to meet everyone there after breakfast to come up with a plan to break you out.”

  She smirks at me, knowing I was way too eager to see her free to wait. “I was fine, you know.”

  “I know you can take care of yourself, Robbie, but do you know why he locked you up in the first place?”

  “No one told me anything. Two guards grabbed me from my room and escorted me to the new cell without a word. I was trying to come up with a foolproof escape plan when I heard your voice.”

  I grab her hand, squeezing it tightly. “He knows who you are.”

  Her face contorts with surprise, but my own shock nearly lands me on my butt. Did I just…tell her that? I did. And Echo’s magic didn’t stop me.

  “Oh, my God,” I whisper. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lark, Asher, Cedric, Jolene, and Acadia are all packed inside Lark’s room when we arrive. Shocked expressions and shouts of joy erupt when Robbie follows me through the door. As she and Lark embrace, Asher gives me a hard look, and I shrug.

  “I couldn’t wait. And I didn’t want to pull the rest of you in to my plan, in case we got busted.”

  He opens his mouth to speak, then his eyes dart past me and widen in surprise. “Who’s this?”

  “Oh!” I exclaim, blushing because I’d totally forgotten about Cassie in the excitement. “This is Cassie.”

  The young hybrid seems to relax once everyone greets her warmly. It’s obvious she was nervous being around so many new faeries, but their friendly welcome and acceptance of her quickly puts her at ease. She eyeballs Asher for a moment, then looks back at me with a big smile.

  “Is this the boyfriend you told me about?”

  “Yes, this is Asher,” I say, feeling the heat rise to my face.

  “You told her about me?” he asks, laying a hand on his chest. “All good things, I hope.”

  “She said you were a jerk to her at first, because a Sylph broke your heart and you were holding it against her.”

  How does she remember all that? I feel my internal temperature rising as Asher arches a black brow at me before turning his attention back to her.

  “A jerk, huh?”

  “The worst,” she confirms.

  “Hey, I never said that!” I cut in.

  “Well, that sounds about right,” Asher says, laughing. “I was a jerk to her. Thankfully, she decided to forgive me and give me a chance to show her who I really am.”

  “And she’s not even a Syl— Oh, my God, I’m sorry,” she says, turning her terror-filled eyes on me. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “It’s okay, Cassie,” I say in a soothing voice. “Everyone here knows the whole truth.”

  “Oh, okay,” she says, relieved.

  After encouraging everyone to sit down, I pull Robbie away from Lark to stand at my side. I take a few deep breaths, praying this will work like it did in the stairwell.

  “I think I’ve found a way to tell you guys everything,” I say, and those words freeze everyone on the spot. Turning, I take Robbie’s hands in mine and say, “Robbie was in solitary because Echo figured out who she really is.”