by J. J. Dean
The only one I can't see is Spencer.
"Nix, where's Spencer?" I keep my voice lowered to a near whisper, tilting my head to talk into his ear.
He looks at me quickly before looking away, but I saw enough. The worry in his face isn't just for me. It's for Spencer. "I don't know. As soon as I saw the red dot on your back, I just... dived for you. I didn't see where he went."
My heartbeat doubles in speed, and I feel lightheaded. What if something happened to him? What if Davis has him? No! I refuse to think like that, to believe it. But, what do I do now? What do we do? There's a team of armed mercenaries surrounding us, all armed with weapons that I know have the ability to kill. They tested them out enough on me. On my people.
I look around again, making sure Ezra and Zayn are in the same positions as they were. When my eyes meet Zayn's, an idea forms.
I turn quickly to Nix and tell him, "I have a plan. You need to trust me, okay?"
He nods almost immediately, and it's enough for me. "I'm going to use a glamour, and I'm going to get you to the truck. As soon as you're there, get in the driver's side as subtly as you can. I'll get the others."
Nix looks at me with a frown and questions in his eyes, but he keeps them to himself. I'll answer them when we're not surrounded by weapon-wielding psychotic humans. With an idea in mind, I feel my glamour taking place. Once the feeling is over, I face Nix and ask, "Did it work properly?"
"Yeah. You look just like Spencer."
"Okay. Are you ready?" I question, deciding to reveal one of my secrets and hoping it doesn't bite me in the ass later.
"Ready," Nix confirms. I shuffle closer and wrap my arms around his waist. He looks a little uncomfortable since I'm Spencer's double right now, and I have to roll my eyes at him. I don't dwell on it, instead focusing on the task at hand. I've never been able to use this ability with another person, though I've never really tried. I can only hope my abilities don't let me down today.
My face pinches in concentration, and I feel the first telltale signs of my ability. A prickling sensation crawls over me, the feeling I always get before phasing. With all of the concentration it takes, I focus on the feeling and spread it over Nix. He inhales sharply but wisely chooses not to mention anything.
With the energy I've been absorbing from the sun, and am still taking in, it quickly becomes easier to wrap Nix into my phase with me. Phasing isn’t a simple thing to do, and it takes great concentration, but right now I’m beyond thankful for spending my life learning and can zap myself from one place to another without much thought. Within seconds, I'm phasing us from our spot behind a car, halfway across the parking lot, to Nix's truck. It's like a vacuum sucks us out from where we'd been hiding, only to spit us out onto the gravel next to the truck.
Nix and I sit still for a moment, listening to any movement our phase might have caused, but there's nothing. Keeping my voice low, I say, "I'll get Zayn and Ezra. Get in the truck, but don't start it yet. Wait until I have Spencer to start the car, and then drive as fast as you can."
"Fuck, okay. Be careful, Novia." He crawls towards the truck door, keeping his body low. When he's close enough, I phase out and land directly next to Ezra.
"Spencer, what the fuck?" Ezra asks, wide-eyed.
I drop my glamour briefly before pulling it back in place. His eyes widen further, but I cut off whatever he's about to say when he opens his mouth. "Nope, just the fae. Save the questions and hold on."
It's all the warning I give him before I wrap my arms around him and repeat the phasing. We get to the car, and I hear Ezra inhale. I catch him watching me intently, but I pretend not to notice. I see Nix sitting in the car, crouched low so it's difficult to see him. With a nod, I turn to Ezra. "Get in the truck. Nix is already inside. I'm going to get Zayn and Spencer. Then we're getting out of here, and you can ask what you want. Alright?"
He gives me a long look but nods. Just before I phase out, he grips my wrist gently in his hand and says, "Please, for fucks sake, be careful."
I nod and am gone in a blink. I land directly in front of Zayn, who doesn't react at all other than a strained smile. "Ready when you are, little fae."
I wrap my arms around his waist, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders, almost like a loving embrace. I phase us out, landing us in the back of the truck. We immediately duck down just in case.
Spencer is two lines of cars behind where you and Nix were hidden.
The whisper echoes in my head, and my eyes snap to Zayn. I give him a grateful look and nod. Knowing my ability only works when I know where I need to go, I picture Spencer instead. The moment I begin to picture him, a warm sensation builds in my chest. It's the same feeling I had in my room.
I inhale sharply, and my eyes pop open. When did I close them? Doesn't matter, because I'm suddenly running on instinct. I phase out quicker than I have before and land next to a wounded Spencer. He's clutching his arm tightly, and I can see blood dripping from an open wound just above his elbow.
Spencer flinches back when he sees me land next to him, eyes large with shock. "Novia?"
"Yeah. Are you okay?" I whisper back, crouching down low besides him.
"Think so. Just a minor flesh wound. One of those bastards happens to be trigger happy, it seems." It's a fucking bullet wound. So they didn't come with tranq darts as I thought. Shit!
I take a deep breath, breathing out slowly, and then focus again. "Okay. Spence, I'm going to glamour you. You're going to look like me, while I keep up your look. I'm going to get you to the car, and then we're getting out of here."
"How are you going to do that?" he asks, shaking his head before I even finish my sentence.
I clench my jaw but look him square in the eye when I say, "Even fae have secrets, Spence. I just need you to trust me. Can you do that?"
Chapter 17
Novia
Spencer hesitates before slowly nodding. Air leaves me in a rush, making me realise just how much I needed him to trust me. "I promise I'll tell you everything when we're safe and away from here, okay? I swear."
He nods quicker this time, and the relief that floods me almost makes me forget what I'm supposed to be doing.
"Alright, let's go." I place my hand gently on his arm, glamouring him to look like me, before wrapping my arm around his shoulder and phasing us to the truck. I drop to the ground when I phase in, but I see Spencer's hat-covered head leaning against the window, so I know he's safely tucked inside the truck.
Question is, how the fuck do I get in there without making myself seen? My ability to phase is already waning after so many trips with double the amount of people I've ever phased before, and the energy from the sun isn't replenishing the lost energy as quickly as I'd like. The glamour on Spencer disappeared the moment I phased us, so I'm beyond thankful I got him in the truck before it vanished.
I tuck myself against the back wheel of the truck, my eyes scanning the area quickly. My body is shaking, and I feel more of my energy seeping out of me. When I look down, I see my glamour flickering, my pale legs flashing through the dark denim jeans I used in my glamour to mimic Spencer. I drop the glamour entirely, deciding to save what little power I have left.
Just as I begin to think of a way to get into the truck without being spotted, a voice sounds out in the parking lot. It's as though the voice bounces off the trees that surround the lot, off the cars, and echoes through the lines of cars. "Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here, pet."
I look around more frantically, but I don't see him. Knocking on glass has me turning my head to see Ezra pointing towards the back of the truck. My lip reading is beyond excellent thanks to spending years having to read my father and sister’s lips, so I easily make out his words when he mouths, Get in the back of the truck. Now.
I nod my head quickly and crawl towards the bed of the truck.
"I thought it would take a little longer to find you, pet. You haven't made it easy, but I was prepared to spend a couple more days hunting you. Imag
ine my surprise when I saw you standing across the road with another Natural clinging onto you like a newborn would cling to its mother." Davis' rough voice blares out. My teeth grind together with the annoyance his words bring, but I try to block him out, doing my best to figure out how I'm going to get in the car without revealing where I am to him and the others he's brought along.
I look around again, suctioning myself to the truck. I shuffle forward until I'm at the very tail end of the truck. I poke my head over and quickly snap it back. Two missionaries are scouring the parking lot three cars away from the truck, stealthily walking through the cars with their guns already poised to shoot.
"Come on out now, pet. The entire lot is surrounded. You're not getting away this time," Davis bellows. His voice sounds fainter. Is he walking around the lot too? Is he walking further away?
With another look around, I hold my breath and spring to my feet. My hands grip the truck's bed, and I haul myself up and over until I'm on the truck. I rush forward until I reach the glass that separates me and the guys and knock frantically. Zayn looks at me with startled eyes, and I point to Nix with jerky movements, mouthing the word drive.
I can see Zayn talking, sure he's telling Nix to put his foot down and haul us out of here.
"Ah, now there you are."
The voice behind me has my body stilling enough that a breeze could knock me over. Nix parked near the back of the lot, a row away from the tree line that surrounds the lot, so I know Davis is close. Maybe behind the line of cars that separate me from him. I don't really want to turn and look.
My eyes flicker down to Zayn's, finding him staring in horror behind me. I see Ezra shouting, and Nix looks furious. Spencer looks unconscious. How is that possible if he was only shot? Unless... they have the advanced weaponry that was tested on us. There were bullets laced with the same drugs that tranq darts contain, but they're quicker to take effect. I don't know why they chose bullets, and I don't care to learn the reason, but I'll bet my life that it's exactly what Spencer was shot with. Shit!
My jaw clenches tightly together, and my body starts shaking once again. I send the guys a look, one that has Ezra fighting to get out of the truck, but Nix keeps him in place.
"Now, how about you get down from there. If you come with us without putting up a fight, we'll allow the Naturals in the truck to leave peacefully." I turn slowly only to see the man that ignites a bone deep fear inside me. He's sporting the smug smirk that I could easily hear in his voice, and it makes his jagged scar look all the more menacing. A cold shiver crawls up my spine, and I feel sick to my stomach when he runs his eyes over me.
My brain is running on overdrive, trying to think up ways of getting away from that bastard without getting the guys or myself hurt. Or more hurt than Spencer already is. Movement from the left has my head snapping in that direction, only to see Davis' men sneaking closer until they've surrounded the back end of the truck. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!
"There really is no way out for you, pet. Might as well make this easy for everyone. Get off the truck and put your hands in the air," Davis growls. Just as the last word leaves his mouth, his men snap their weapons up and aim directly at me. Painfully slowly, I look down to my chest to see several red dots decorating my white shirt. The shaking of my body increases, but I clench my hands tightly, willing the terror to fade so I can think.
Despite repeatedly saying I'd die before being captured again, I find myself hesitant to make that leap now that I’ve found four guys who I care for. I refuse to leave this world if there's a way for me to survive without Davis getting his hands on me. I won't get captured again, but I'm not going to die for that to happen. But how do I make it so we get out of here unscathed?
Just as the question crosses my mind, an idea pops into my head and blooms. I uncap my thoughts and send Zayn a question.
Vampires are fast, right? How fast can you take out the three men to the right of the truck, closest to your door?
It's not even a second later that I get a reply.
I can take them out faster than a blink. But if I do that, they'll fire blindly. I can't risk you or the others like that, Novia.
That's understandable, but they'll only shoot if they see him. Sending my thought process to Zayn, I walk closer to the end of the truck bed. I lean down and unlatch the door, watching it fall back enough for me to climb off the truck.
"That's a good girl. I knew you'd see things my way." Davis' grin grows, and everything in me boils with rage and disgust.
I don't respond to the asshole. Instead, I mentally explain the rest of the plan to Zayn as quickly as I can before we put it to action. Whispering in my head, I send Zayn one last thought.
The glamour won't last long, but I'll distract Davis enough to take in as much energy as I can to glamour you. Take out the three by your door. If you're fast enough, you can get the other three on the left side. The other two are too close to Davis, so I'll get those. Focus solely on the other six. When I say go, you go.
Zayn whispers his understanding into my mind, and, without further delay, I put our plan into motion. Focusing on my glamour, I direct it towards Zayn, using up what little energy I have left to make him appear as though he isn't there at all. Subtly, I hold my hand out towards the sun and feel its rays sinking into the skin of my palm.
Finally, I pay attention to Davis. "How did you find me?"
He laughs, sounding like the psychopath I know he is. "I don't think that's something to worry about now. We won't be letting you out of our sight again, so it's an unnecessary bit of information to give you at this point."
My nostrils flare, but I control the anger that's coursing through every inch of my body. Energy builds slowly but surely, and when I have enough to fully glamour Zayn and use an additional fae ability without depleting my energy completely, I mentally yell, GO!
Keeping Davis' attention on me, I ask, "What makes you think I'm going with you? I've already proven I'd rather die before I'm taken again."
I faintly hear bodies dropping, but Davis speaks up, blocking out the sound. "You don't have much of a choice, pet."
With that, Zayn whispers into my mind.
They're all down. Only Davis and the two behind him remain.
Feeling a smirk pull up on my lips, I drop Zayn's glamour, and more energy surges into me. Enough to do what I need to do next. "Don't I?"
Davis tilts his head and narrows his eyes, but before he can respond, I ball up my hands and throw a ball of white and gold dust in his direction. Davis' eyes widen before he pulls his arm over his mouth. His men aren't so lucky, covering their faces too late. They drop within seconds of inhaling the dust, leaving only Davis standing in the lot alone.
Yelling loud enough for Nix's insane hearing to catch, I say, "Nix, drive!"
The truck starts up, and tires squeal before gravel hits the back of my legs. Davis is still shielding himself from the dust that doesn't immediately settle, so I tell him, "This ought to teach you not to be so cocky when you're facing an unrestrained fae who has been starved and beaten for five years."
I hear the truck peeling out of the parking lot, and I send Davis a glare that I wish would incinerate him, turning him into ash on the spot. He must hear the truck driving away because only then he looks around and notices his men laying in pools of their own blood where they'd once stood. He turns his enraged eyes back to me, and I give him an eyebrow raise. Filling my hand with more dust, I take a step back. I take another, and another, until I'm putting enough distance between me and the asshole. When I'm at a safe distance, I begin to phase out of the lot, picturing the truck bed in my mind.
I turn into the phase, moving to face the direction of the truck, but just as the phase begins to suck me in, I feel a burning pain in my shoulder blade. Another blast of fiery pain catches my waist, and one more pierces a spot on my lower back, just to the right of my spinal cord. I lose my breath, and the burning sensation grows, lacing through my body from where I've been shot.
>
It takes all I have to focus on phasing and not the searing pain that's growing by the second. Using all of my remaining energy, I phase out and feel myself drop into the truck bed heavily. The drop jostles me awkwardly, and the pain worsens, but I grit my teeth through it.
With too much effort, I lift my head and see us driving far away from the parking lot, Davis growing smaller as we go. It gives me great satisfaction to see the furious snarl on his face, but I can't relish the feeling for long when the burning grows until it's almost unbearable.
Making sure Zayn can't see into my mind, I cap my thoughts, keeping the pain to myself. I grind my teeth enough that they feel close to cracking and internally scream when the burn feels like it's setting every cell in my body on fire. I've felt this pain once before when they were testing their newly-developed bullets. I don't remember what they did to them, but I remember this one all too well. I just never felt the pain as intensely as I do now. Have they upgraded them? Added a higher dosage of whatever concoction they've created? Right now, I couldn’t care less because the pain finally grows to the extent that I can't keep myself quiet anymore.
I lose the battle to cap my thoughts when my focus weakens, and I grow lightheaded and dizzy. A scream rips from my vocal cords as my entire body feels like it's been doused in gasoline and lit on fire, and I know Zayn is witnessing everything I'm currently suffering.
Zayn tries to talk to me in my mind, but I can't hear or sense anything other than the agony ripping through my flesh.
My body begins to lock down, tensing and releasing with a seizure I can't hold off. Every movement causes more pain, but I'm helpless to stop it. My screams pour from me while hot tears stream from my eyes.