Brighid's Flame by Cate Morgan Page A

doing with those crazies in the Underground?”
    â€œBest place for her. After all, it’s what we trained her for.”
    Julien went very still, all the better to experience his world falling apart over his head. “You trained her for me,” he insisted, despite the evidence. “To protect me . To see to my interests. I was shot, Vincent.”
    â€œNot very well, if you ask me.” Vincent cocked an eyebrow at him. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out?”
    â€œShe mine. She’s always been mine.”
    â€œI hate to break it to you, dear boy, but she’s meant to protect this city. To see to its interests.”
    The blood in his veins froze solid. “What?”
    â€œIsn’t it obvious?” Vincent grinned. “We trained her to beat you.”
    Tara sat down hard on the nearest bench. Stephen followed her, lowering himself more slowly.
    â€œGwen?” Tara whispered, as though a louder tone would make her mentor suddenly dissipate in dreaming mist. “ You’re the Underground leader?”
    Gwen sat on the bench across from her, while the teacher sat off to the side, respectful and avid. “I’m sorry we kept all this from you, but it was necessary. Julien is a traitor.”
    Tara couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Her hands shook violently, until Stephen took one and laced his fingers gently through hers. “Maybe you should start at the beginning,” he said, voice husky-calm.
    â€œJulien was shot,” Gwen began, “because he paid to have himself shot.”
    Tara’s mind reeled and spun until the room went with it and she feared she might be sick. She swallowed the queasiness from her throat. “That makes no sense.”
    â€œWe were lucky he came to the Underground to find his shooter. He’s under the impression we are Vincent’s enemy.”
    â€œAren’t you?”
    Gwen shook her head with a smile. “Quite the opposite. So when he came looking for a shooter, Paul here outsourced to a likely candidate.”
    The history teacher smiled. “There was always the possibility Nick would actually kill Julien purely by accident, but alas.”
    â€œBut why ?”
    To Tara’s everlasting surprise, it was Stephen who answered. “Because he’s in love with you.” Stephen’s smile was wry as she boggled at him. “At least, as close as he can come to it. You’re supposed to be his Gwen. His, and no one else’s.”
    Tara switched her confusion to Gwen. “But aren’t I? I mean, isn’t that what you trained me for? Julien is Vincent’s successor, and I’m yours, right?”
    Gwen shook her head. “It may have ended up that way, but Julien is impatient for power and influence, and Vincent had other ideas. When Paul sent me word regarding Julien’s plan, we knew it was time you knew. I didn’t train you to protect Julien, my love. I trained you to protect this city. From Julien, as it turned out.”
    Tara’s voice shrunk to that of a lost little girl, trapped and alone. “I really don’t understand. What am I that’s so important?”
    Gwen leaned forward. “The anger inside you, the anger you feel may escape your control if you’re not careful—it’s not anger. It’s light. Righteous fury, if you will. It is what makes you special. At the right time, if you’re willing to make the necessary sacrifice, it will overrun you, and you will become what you are meant to be. What this city, these people, need you to be, if we are to survive the coming days.”
    â€œThe war isn’t over,” Paul added. “It was only a skirmish in a far greater battle.”
    â€œI can’t.” Panic washed through Tara like an electric current. If it hadn’t been for Stephen tethering her in place, anchoring her, she would have bolted and damn the lot of them. “I can’t fight