“I don’t need anyone to make a Connect.”
His voice, sharp and affronted, followed me into the small space identical to mine. I’d hit a nerve. Bonus.
I scanned the tiny kitchen in the corner and the weapons wall that ran up the side of the room to the bed at the back. Nothing. I walked over to check the bathing compartment. Empty. The tension in my body eased, and I spun to face him as the door slid shut.
“Did you really think I’d have someone hiding in the bathroom?” Brow raised, his smirk returned.
I really, really wanted to punch it off his face. “I don’t trust you.” I shrugged then turned to examine the blades hanging on his weapon wall.
He had a gold achievement blade. You only got one of those when you’d made over fifty thousand Connects. I had two. My gaze drifted up to a bronze arrow mounted in a gold frame. Now this I didn’t have. “What's this for?” I glanced behind me to where he was rummaging in one of the compartments of storage that lined the opposite wall.
He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes in the direction of the arrow. “I got that for making the Hunger Connect last year.”
“You made the Connect that will end world hunger?” I nodded, grudgingly impressed. “I didn’t get squat for the Poverty Connect,” I grumbled and continued perusing his collection of crossbows.
The warmth of his body behind me signaled his presence.
“That came from the high and mighty Corazons, not from Cupid, and you know they never wanted you to be a Hunter.” His breath brushed the side of my neck, tickling over my skin. “They wanted you to behave and be as lazy with importance as they are. Why would they award you for making them look bad?”
Heat rushed me, the way it had when he’d sucked the poison from my neck. I pulled in a breath and forced myself not to react. “Corazons are the real Hunters.” The venom I’d meant to taint my words with got lost in their breathiness. “It’s not my fault that somewhere through the generations they got lazy and decided to train the Valenteen to do the hunting while they sat around getting fat.”
His closeness enveloped my senses, tempting my body to curve against his. I blinked through the thick haze and steeled my muscles against their want. This wasn’t happening. It was like I... I wanted him. I did not want him.
Shaking my head, I turned to face him and he took a step back. One look at his patronizing face and this, whatever it was, would be gone. My eyes instantly dropped to the wilted rose on the faded T-shirt he must have pulled on while my back was turned. The Black Death rose – I loved that band. “You like Black Death?”
“You like Black Death?” A smile devoid of the mocking I’d come to expect tipped the corners of his mouth. “Have you been to any of their concerts?”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help my answering grin. Their concerts were legendary. “All of them. I have every tour T-shirt ever made.”
“Me too.” His eyes glittered with a boyish excitement that made me giggle... Actually giggle like a girl. “Look.” He reached over my head, produced an envelope and handed it to me.
“What are...” My mouth dropped open as I pulled out the photos and shuffled through them. Photos of Syras chilling backstage with the heavy metal band. My grin spread so wide my cheeks ached. “You know them? The next concert, I’m so coming with you.” I was fangirling. I didn't care. This band had gotten me through my long, long, long teenage angst.
“I do... Sort of. The joys of Humaning. You can crash back-stage parties.” His gaze flicked from my eyes to my lips and the air thickened around us.
For once I had nothing to say. Not a word. My grin simmered down to a small smile.
“You know when you smile like that...” His face sobered, and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You're special, Razzeline. Whoever it is they've picked out for you better appreciate it.”
What the? What? My nose tickled with emotion. Lips parted, I lifted my chin as his face tilted toward mine. Pull away. I should be pulling away. I couldn't. The haze was back, but different somehow, warm instead of scalding. Was he going to kiss me? Was I going to let him?
With a frustrated growl he cleared his throat and dropped his hand, lifting his stare to the ceiling as he spun away from me.
What the fucking fuck was wrong with me today? Adjusting my ponytail, I wandered to the safety of his tiny kitchen. As far away as I could possibly get from him. “You were right, you know.”
“I’m right about a lot of things, sweet.” A low rumble deepened his voice. He coughed into his fist to clear it.
“My place does smell better.” I cringed. It had taken more brain power than I cared to admit to come up with that lameness. It actually didn’t even smell that bad... If you liked that musky, citrusy man smell... Which I didn’t. Not even a little bit.
“You wound me.” His glossy black eyes held mine and my pulse picked up. This shit needed to stop. Maybe this was why my father had his rules about Cubes.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’ve got work to do.” I’d learn about Humaning some other way. “Enjoy your pancakes.” I moved towards the door, and my traitorous stomach protested loudly.
“You shouldn’t ignore your needs, Razzeline.”
What the hell did he mean by that? I didn’t have needs – well, not those needs. My cheeks flamed. “My needs are just fine. Now open the door before I rearrange your face.”
He chuckled deeply and reached past me to press his palm against the control panel. “I was talking about food, Raz. If you’re hungry, you should eat.”
If you’re hungry, you should eat. Asshole. Shoving the rest of my energy bar into my mouth, I dropped from the branch of the tree I’d picked to survey the park onto the frost-covered grass below.
The brisk wind flicked my ponytail around my face as I spun until I found the point where my Connect would cross paths. Piece of cake. I could make that shot from anywhere in the park.
Eyes narrowed, I scanned for potential issues. His excited grin flashed in my mind. How had I missed those dimples? I slapped my palm to my forehead. Stop. Thinking. About. Him.
The walkway cut right through the huge green, a man and his dog it’s only companion. According to my info, this place was practically deserted in the winter. I’d been there all morning and hadn’t come across any Broken. That didn’t mean there wouldn't be any around tonight.
Slipping my transmitter from my belt, I pulled up my map. Maybe somehow they didn’t know about the Connect. If that was true, this would be an easy one. The instant the thought fluttered through my mind, the hairs on the back of my neck stood in warning. I turned slowly, my crossbow already in my hand.
An ambush – Not cool.
Twenty white, noseless faces hovered above their black-cloaked bodies, snapping their whips like lame Indiana Jones wannabes. Thoughts of my father skirted around my mind. He’d died like this. Caught off guard by this lot. Anger bubbled low in my gut. They had a fight on their hands if they thought they were taking me down today.
“Here for the hat-trick, are you?” I fired a dart into the crowd. A black-smoked implosion and shrill scream followed. “Over my dead body.”
Five more darts hit their mark. I backed up against my lookout tree as they hovered towards me. Five down – five more ear-splitting shrieks. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I aimed for the head of the front runner.
I’d barely got the shot off when the lick of a whip cracked against my shooting arm. The pain stunned me, searing through the muscle beneath the skin. My stomach wrenched at the smell of burning flesh. Maybe those whips weren't so lame.
Gritting my teeth, I lifted my arm and fired into the heads of the three closest to me. The grimy smoke slithered up my nose and into my mouth, twisting my throat from the inside. Syras’s words spun in my head. You shouldn’t ignore your needs, Razzeline.
Syras
The unmistakable sound of screams split the air. The Broken. I had my crossbow pulled even before I’d materialized by t
he tree. Thank fuck I’d slipped a tracker behind Raz’s ear. Someone must have tipped them off. I should never have let her out of my sight. If Fate was to be believed, her bloodline was set to produce the Hunters that would take them down for good. I wasn’t even sure if Raz knew that. Watching her now, I had little doubt it was true.
Blood running down her left arm, she spun kicks and thrust her dagger into anything that came near her. A never ending flow of those screechy mother-fuckers appeared from a hole in the Plain divider. Even with my help there was no way she was fighting her way out of this one. An unfamiliar need to protect rushed up my neck.
I aimed my crossbow and fired at every head in sight, but still they kept coming.
“What took you so long?” she croaked when my arm brushed hers, her face black, eyes streaming from the stinking smog those ugly cretins left in their wake. Even dead they were a pain in the ass.
“There’s too many, Raz. We need to get out of here.” I’d never been one to run from a fight, but even I could see that this time it was the only way.
Her eyes pinched and jaw clenched, she shook her head, slamming her dagger into the top of a clammy bald head. “Where the fuck do you want to go? There’s nowhere to hide, Syras.”
“You trust me yet?” I grunted as my foot connected with the gut of one and my dagger pierced through the eye of another. This was getting ridiculous.
“No.” Her answer came without hesitation. I didn’t blame her, I wouldn’t trust me either.
Too bad she was out of options. With one hand I grabbed her wrist and dragged her against my chest as the other flicked the switch on the Humaning chip pinned to the waist band of my jeans.
The ear-aching noise silenced, and the thick black reek that had surrounded us a second before vanished. Not a puff in sight. A happy quirk of Humaning – no other worlder could see you. Not even Fate.
“What the fuck are you doing? Let me go. They’re going to...” She thrashed against me, then spun in my arms. “What? Where’d they go?” Eyes wide and confused, she glanced back at me over her shoulder and tried to pry herself from my grip. “Let me go, asshole. I could have taken them.”
“You’re delusional. They wouldn’t have stopped coming until you were down.” I clenched my jaw against its tick. The knowledge that she could have died today left a bitter taste in my mouth. “We’re Humaning, they can’t see us, but if I let you go, you’ll spring back.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes darted over the white tipped grass now serene in its emptiness. “But we can see humans.”
I shrugged. “Some sort of weird quirk. Not even Fate can see us when were Humaning.” One hand splayed across her flat stomach, I lifted her wounded arm with the other. Nasty. “You’re going to need stitches, pretty-face. I’ll transport us to the Second Plain and they’ll fix you up.”
“You will not. “ She raised her arm to examine the six inch slice that cut across her bicep as she turned in my hold to face me. “It’s not that bad. You can stitch it for me.” A burst of icy wind shivered through what little space remained between our bodies. Her eyes widened and she lifted her shoulders, her pouty lips forming a startled O. “It’s frigging freezing here.”
A chuckle escaped as I ran my hand down the back of her good arm and linked my fingers through hers so I could step away to unclip my transmitter. “I’ll get my Cube.”
“If you were any kind of gentleman, you’d offer me your ugly jacket.” Head cocked to the side, she wrinkled her nose as she stared at my plaid coat now stained with blood. “On second thought.”
“Are you guys okay?”
We both spun in the direction of our unexpected company. A human wrapped in an obscenely padded jacket tugged at his golden-haired dog’s leash. Great, because company was exactly what we needed right now.
Raz apparently didn’t feel the same. A huge smile broke over her dirty face. “He can see me?” She took a step towards him, blasting him with a wide grin. “You can see me? And you?” She bent to pet the dog on its waggly head.
“Of course we can.” The human’s gaze took a slow trip down Raz’s body when she straightened, lingering on the skin visible thought the rip in her vest. He was, at least two inches shorter than her. “You must be freezing.”
I followed his stare. Christ, a centimeter further down and there would be nipple on show. An emotion I’d never experienced before prickled over my skin. He needed to stop looking at her. Stop talking to her. He needed to fuck off and let me look after her.
“Eyes up, buddy.” There was no mistaking the warning in my voice. “She’s fine.”
The human eyed me warily then looked back at Raz. “Miss, you’re bleeding. Do you need me to call anyone? Who hurt you?” He asked the question, but by the judgy look on his pudgy face he’d already decided that I was the bad guy.
“Oh, wow.” Finally getting over her excitement, Raz glanced between the human, her arm and me. “Please...” She went to remove her hand from mine.
I tugged to remind her what would happen if she did. The human's dog growled low, his hackles rising.
“He wishes he had the skills to damage me.” Raz patted the dog's head, and it let out a soft whine of submission.
The human took a step back. Beady eyes flicking between us, he dragged the dog with him. Finally. No wonder they needed our help with love, they had no idea when they weren't welcome.
“Goodbye, now.” I glared at him until he turned and hurried away pulling his phone from his pocket as he did.
“You ready to go?” Shaking my head, I finished typing in my Cube dial-up code. “Or do you wanna hang around and be chatted up by more drooling humans?”
I should have gone for the damn pancakes.
Chapter Five
“Sit.” Without looking at me, Syras pointed at the high stool next to the breakfast bar.
What was his problem? It wasn’t him who’d just been ambushed. “You know? Your bedside manner could really use some work,” I called after him as he stomped to the bathing compartment. My arm pulsed angrily, it stung like a bitch. Sweat prickled my forehead as I twisted to get a better look at the cut. Well shit, there was no way that wasn’t leaving a mark. I hissed through my teeth and attempted to press the sides of the wound together.
“What the fuck are you doing? Have you seen the state of your fingers?” Drying his hands in the doorway of the bathing chamber, Syras glared at my where my fingers hovered above my arm. “If you’re refusing to go to a proper doctor then, please, let’s not poke the open wound with fingers covered in Broken blood.”
“Jeez, what’s eating you?” I sucked my bottom lip to stop it from pouting out like a sulky child. “If you take me to the Second Plain, they’ll have me in some puffy white monstrosity with a ring on my finger before my feet hit the ground.”
“You’re forgetting that the whole point of this mission, Raz, is to take you in.” His lips turned down and his eyebrows twitched up in the middle.
He looked – sad.
“We’ll see about that.” I offered him my best serene smile and held out my arm.
Finally, I had some sort of plan to get myself out of this. And he’d handed it right to me. They couldn’t see me if I was Humaning. I could work with that. But that would mean actually living as a human for the rest of my days. Ugh, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. Okay, the plan might need a little work.
“What are you thinking about?” Syras watched me carefully as he moved to the kitchen.
“Nothing.” I shrugged.
His eyes narrowed, but surprisingly he didn’t say anything more. Turning his back to me, he pulled a huge medical kit from the cupboard. My mouth went dry as my eyes followed the rolling of the muscles beneath his T-shirt. He was hot... When he wasn’t talking.
“How were the pancakes?” My gaze dropped to his denim-covered ass. “I take it by your human-friendly outfit you went without me.”
His face was serious when he lowered himself onto the stool beside me. �
��How do you think the Broken knew where to find you today?”
No pancake talk then. “They’re sneaky little fuckers.” I shifted on my stool and wiggled my arm in front of his face. “How do they know any of the stuff they know about our Connects?”
He nodded, but it was clear my answer wasn’t the same as his. “Did anybody ever figure out how they got to the Home Plain when your mother was killed?”
I bristled at the question. “How do you know what happened to my mother?”
Jaw clenched, he dragged my stool to his, spinning it so I fit sideways between his spread thighs. Something sparked low in my belly. I puffed out a breath and tried to stand up, but a big hand around my waist pulled me back.
“Sit still.” His hand smoothed up my back to brush my ponytail over my shoulder. “Your father told me that your mother was killed by the Broken in retaliation when he refused to sabotage a Connect. I didn't believe him.” With his warm fingers beneath my bicep, he lifted my arm and squirted green antiseptic serum over the cut. “So I investigated.”
Gritting my teeth against the sharp sting, I focused on where he was dabbing at the filth that covered my arm. “You investigated?”
“Your father was the only person ever to treat me like an equal and not like the boy abandoned to the Academy.”
“That’s why you don’t know how old you are? You were abandoned?”
Forehead creased with concentration, bottom lip between his teeth, he gently wiped away the grime without meeting my gaze.
A child with no past.
I could picture him as a small, black-eyed boy all alone in the world. The thought made me want to do something I’d never felt the need to do in my life – Comfort him.
“It is what it is.” He lifted his eyes, lips parting at whatever he read on my face. “You didn’t answer the question, Razzeline.”
“Why do you want to know about my mother?”
“I think a Corazon has been using the Broken to do their dirty work.”
Valentine's Day Anthology: Hearts and Handcuffs Page 3