Yeah, and I bet she was already planning her next big idea to get me out of her son’s life. I didn’t want Lochie to choose between us, I would never do that, but he could have at least gotten angry with her.
When I didn’t say anything, Lochie got the hint. “Look, Ame, I’m sorry she did it. I’m sorry for the whole thing but what do you want me to do? She’s my mother, she’s the only family I have besides my brother.”
He had me too, but I guessed he didn’t consider me family. “I’m not asking you to do anything.”
“But you don’t approve of what I did do.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. The whole conversation was exhausting. “I wished it didn’t happen. That’s what I want, a time machine to go back a few weeks and erase the whole thing. I hated what she did to us and I’m worried she’ll do it again.”
“So we don’t let her. Let’s make a deal. If anything weird happens, we will speak face to face before we react. Unless we hear it from each other’s mouths, then it isn’t real. Deal?” No, it wasn’t a deal. But I don’t think either of us were in the mood for a long discussion about it.
“Fine,” I agreed. But I couldn’t leave it there. “But did you even try to defend me to her? Did you even make her see how wrong it was?”
“Of course I did. Amery, you are my whole life. If I could convince her to see you like I do, then it would make me over the moon kind of happy. But I can’t control her opinion, what she thinks is up to her.” The outburst was rewarded with another coughing fit. He really was suffering.
“Fine. Whatever. Let’s just move on,” I said. He needed to rest, not argue with me all afternoon. I never liked fighting over the phone anyway, it was too easy to be misinterpreted. “I have to go or I’ll be late. Promise me you’ll rest and get better?”
“Yeah, I’ll try.” His voice was raspy now, croaky. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now rest.”
We hung up before we could fight anymore. I threw my cell back into my handbag a little too harshly. I used to think Lochie was the most infuriating person on the planet. Now I was beginning to think his mother was worse.
I continued driving to Rosa L’Wren’s house, the one with the big garage. The number of Senph’s followers was growing rapidly. If it continued on at the same pace, they were going to need to hire a venue for the secret meetings.
All thoughts of Lochie were pushed aside the moment Senph found me in the crowd and pulled me into an empty room. It felt like déjà vu.
“You have betrayed me, Member Amery,” was her way of greeting me. None of the Truconians were good at small talk. Now I knew where Garrick got it from.
A knot formed in my stomach at what Senph could be talking about. I couldn’t think of anything specific. “What do you mean?”
“You are working for the enemy.”
Oh, that betrayal. “I work as a liaison between the Department and Krom. I’m only doing it to get information for us to use. Information that we wouldn’t be able to obtain any other way.”
Senph looked me up and down, pursing her lips into a pout. “You weren’t upfront with me. You didn’t mention it when we last spoke.”
“I didn’t know about it then.” Only a small lie to add to the pile. “This is the first time I’ve seen you since starting and I was going to tell you today. How did you find out anyway? I was hoping I would be the one to explain it all first.”
“I have eyes and ears everywhere, Member Amery. You would be best to remember that.” Her words sent a chill down my spine because I got the feeling she was telling the truth. Perhaps my double agent mission was actually a suicide one.
“I’m not keeping anything from you, I promise.” I was going to hell for making false promises. Hopefully I might get a pass considering it was for the greater good.
She finally nodded. “Fine. Let’s get this meeting started then. I can’t wait to show off my protégé.” Why did that feel like a death sentence?
Senph led me into the garage and dragged me to the front with her. I had to stand and listen to her go on about my support and the importance of our unity. Because, apparently, ‘If we could fight as one, the singular will always be larger than the individual masses’. She was good at speeches, I would give her that.
She pulled me up beside her when she was done rallying the troops. “Now, how about we hear from the woman herself, Member Amery.”
I hadn’t prepared a speech, nor did I want to give one. My day was sliding downhill fast. “I, uh, agree with Senph. We should be able to stand side by side with the humans as their equal.”
The moment the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. I would have slapped my forehead if I didn’t have a hundred sets of eyes watching me. Senph didn’t want us to be equal to humans, she wanted us to be superior to them. Damn it.
Senph took over before I could recover. “Now, let’s get onto training. Our powers are growing by the day and I am so proud of you all.”
She shot me a look that could kill before disappearing into the folds of the crowd. Garrick saved me, grabbing my arm and pulling me into his group.
I remained there for the full hour. Every minute of it was torturous. The powers everyone had were impressive, I had to give them that. Objects were shooting across the room all over the place, not to mention lights being manipulated, and some people could even change their appearance. It was a little freaky, especially considering I couldn’t do any of it. Garrick had managed to develop his powers of object levitation, but was nowhere near that of the others.
Garrick helped me cover for my lack of skills throughout the entire thing. I hadn’t spent any time trying to develop them, still unconvinced I wanted any powers. I didn’t want to fight humans, I didn’t need to be armed.
I left the meeting trying to shake my bad mood. I had to believe it was worth playing Senph in order to protect both the aliens and the humans. Otherwise it would seem like it was all too much hard work for nothing.
My next agenda item was a catch up with Lola. She promised me she had something big to discuss. I hoped her day was going better than mine.
Pulling into the shopping mall, I met her in our favorite café. She was already waiting at a table for me. “Hey, Lola. Sorry I’m late.” She gave me a hug, exactly what I needed.
“I ordered your usual, I hope that’s okay?”
“Of course it is. Thank you.” It was actually really sweet that not only did she know me well enough to know my order, but to go ahead and get it too. “So I’m dying to hear what you wanted to talk about. Tell me before I explode.”
She laughed, more relaxed than I had seen her in a long time. “I’ve got a job.”
“That’s great. What kind is it?” Lola’s last job was at a music store, which she really liked. If she left there, her new one had to be even better.
Lola paused for dramatic event, unable to keep the smile from her face. “You know Rockin’ Steak?”
It was a restaurant on the waterfront. I had only been there once before, on my fourteenth birthday as a surprise from my parents. “Yeah, I know it.”
“Well, you are looking at their new house band singer,” she said happily, the news bursting from her in one excited bubble. It was the perfect job for her, I couldn’t have been happier either.
“That’s so great! Congratulations. When do you start?”
“Next weekend. I’ve got rehearsals all week with the band and then I make my debut on Friday night. I’m going to get paid to sing, how good is that?”
“It’s fantastic.” I could already picture it. “I’m going to reserve a table for Friday night. I would not miss this for the world.”
“Thanks, Ame. The job has almost got my parents to quit hassling me about going to college too. So… added bonus.” Lola beamed. It had been ages since I had seen her so happy. She needed something to turn her luck around and I hoped the new job would be the catalyst.
In the weeks that followed, everything went into a
weird state of calm. With my job at the Department keeping me busy three days a week while I worked part time, the rest of my days were spent spying on Senph and trying to anticipate her next move.
Time flew by without me really realizing it. My routine kept me sane as long as I didn’t think too far ahead. Krom even got accustomed to having me around and keeping me informed. The Department was happy with my reports so they didn’t bother me very much.
I wasn’t sure whether everything truly was going well, or it was only lulling me into a false sense of security. I hoped for the best, but I still watched my back. I didn’t really trust anyone outside my immediate circle.
When my bedroom window shook with a sharp tapping one night, I almost jumped to the ceiling with the scare. My first thought was that something bad was about to happen, making my comfortable state come crashing down around me.
I threw back the bed covers and cautiously approached the window. The trees weren’t moving outside so it couldn’t be the wind. I was almost too afraid to look.
The tapping happened again, giving me another heart attack. I peered out the window, seeing a face that didn’t belong to my reflection staring back at me. The features melded into someone I recognized – Lochie.
I opened the window, ecstatic and angry all at once. “What are you doing here? You scared me half to death.”
He struggled to get in through the frame before standing in front of me. “What do you think I’m doing here? I’m seeing you.” He pulled me against him, embracing me tightly. “I missed you so much.” He kissed my hair before letting me go. His hands traced the outline of my body as they slid up to cup both my cheeks.
“I missed you too. Why are you in Portview?” The anger was all but gone now, replaced by warmth flooding through me solely from his gaze.
Lochie coughed, he was still sick. “I’ll tell you everything, but can we sit down first? It’s a long way up that tree to your window.”
“Of course.” I found his hand and pulled him over to the bed. Listening to his chest, each breath was rolling around like his ribs were loose. He had a horrible wheeze going on. “Are you okay? You sound terrible.”
He managed a dimpled smile for me. “Thanks for the compliment. I wish I could return the favor and say you look terrible too. But you don’t. You look hot.”
I looked down at my old pajamas, I didn’t throw them on thinking I would have a late night visitor. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m fine.” He grabbed my hands and held them both together, staring me directly in the eyes. He wasn’t very convincing, his hands burned hotter than an oven. It was a worry why his fever was still raging on four weeks after he first caught the flu.
I let it go for now, I’d worm the truth out of him soon enough. “So why are you here?”
“The college has been closed, everyone was evicted off campus.”
“What? Why?” Only the first of several questions that popped into my head all at once.
“This flu that’s going around,” Lochie started explaining. He looked so tired, like he hadn’t slept in a very long time – perhaps even weeks. “Everyone caught it, and then when some people started to get better, they caught it again. It’s like an endless cycle. So they cancelled all classes and closed the dorms down until further notice.”
“That’s horrible.” An entire campus of students sick? That had to be a few thousand people, plus staff.
“Nah, it means I get to see you.” He leaned down until his forehead was resting on mine. His head burned just as hotly as his hands. It was like sitting next to a fireplace.
“Do I get you all night?” I didn’t dare to hope, but considering it was close to midnight, I figured I had a good shot.
“No, I have to go,” Lochie replied, straightening up again. His eyes were glazed in my night light’s reflection. He was much sicker than he let on.
“Where do you have to go in the middle of the night?” Once I got my hands on him, it was always difficult to let him go again. Tying him up to keep him there was probably illegal. But maybe worth it.
“Nowhere. I just don’t want you catching what I’ve got. I don’t want to infect you.”
“So that’s why you haven’t kissed me yet?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. Seeing him that way was seriously starting to freak me out. I didn’t want him to know that, I needed to be strong for him.
His hand cradled my neck, his thumb skimming over my cheek. “I don’t want to make you sick. Otherwise I would have been all over you from the moment you opened that window.”
“All over me like a rash?” I earned a half smile for my comment.
“Like a rash,” he confirmed. “But I should go.” He went to stand but I pulled him back again. He was weak, it really didn’t take much effort. “I can’t stay, Ame. If you get sick I’ll never forgive myself. You don’t want what I have.”
I gave him the best sexy smirk I could muster. “I will always want whatever you have.” He went to move again but I gripped his arm too tightly, buying nothing of what he was saying. “I’m kidding, please stay. I don’t get sick, remember? Alien DNA. One of the few perks to actually not being human.”
“You still might catch it.”
“Lochie, you have known me since before I could walk. Do you ever remember me being sick?” I waited while he ran through his memory. I knew he wouldn’t be able to think of one time when I was ill. It didn’t happen. Apart from the occasional cut or graze I had inflicted on myself, I had never needed medical help.
He finally shook his head. I was wearing him down but he was still his stubborn self. “I don’t want to risk it. This might be different.”
“It’s not different. Besides, you were sick when I saw you in Greenfield and I didn’t catch it then. I’m not going to catch it now.”
Lochie’s beautiful blue eyes studied me tiredly. In other circumstances, I was pretty sure he would have stuck to his guns and refused to stay. But at that moment he didn’t have the energy to continue arguing with me. That had to be a first. “You’re going to be the death of me, Jones.”
My lips curled into a smile. I desperately wanted to kiss him, smother him with affection until we both couldn’t breathe. But that wouldn’t have been good for him. Instead, I pulled him backwards until we were both lying on the bed. I curled into his side, resting my head on his rattling chest. Lungs definitely weren’t supposed to make that sound.
“Have you seen a doctor?” I asked. All my instincts wanted to do whatever I could to make him feel better.
“Yeah.” He went into a round of coughing, his body racked with the effort. “I got some antibiotics but they’re not really working. They aren’t working for anyone.”
“Are you getting worse?”
I rubbed his chest gently while he took an interminably long amount of time to answer. Which pretty much answered the question for him. “I don’t know.” He was totally lying. In the four weeks since I had seen him, the descent into illness was clear.
The last thing I wanted to do was make it worse though. He didn’t need me telling him how bad he sounded or looked. What he needed was some comfort and understanding. “Can I get you anything? Water? Food? Pain killers?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
I got up and moved to the end of the bed, Lochie’s gaze following me the entire time. I started taking his shoes off. Partly to make him more comfortable, partly because I didn’t want him running off anytime soon. “Better?”
“Better. Thanks.”
I snuggled back into his side. It felt like cuddling a human sized hot water bottle. I had a temperature issue of my own in no time. Still, it was completely worth it. My bed only felt whole when Lochie was in it and I would take him however he came.
He stroked my hair as we lay there. It wasn’t the homecoming I had dreamed of, but it didn’t matter. I was finally able to sleep with the love of my life right there beside me. I just wished I could make him feel better.
I showered, changed, and got ready for work all without him moving. If I didn’t wake him up, at least one of my nosey parents were going to find him. Life was too short to live with that kind of drama.
“Lochie, baby,” I whispered, shaking him gently. He didn’t even stir. I pushed a bit harder. “Lochie, you have to wake up. Come on, it’s morning. I have to go to work.”
He groaned as he stirred to consciousness. His forehead was still blazing hot, the rest of his body clammy. “Hmmm.” His eyes flicked open, only becoming clear when he realized where he was.
“How are you feeling?”
He took a deep breath before replying. “Good.”
“Liar,” I teased, except I wasn’t really teasing. He looked like hell, he had to feel like it too. “Are you okay to move? If you want to stay here, that’s cool. I can work out a story for my parents. Otherwise, I need to get to work.”
I helped him sit up. His body was covered with a layer of sweat. Not the sexy kind either, the something is really wrong kind. “I’ll be fine. Not sure if I can take that tree again though.” A smile quirked his lips.
“Let me do some recon, I’ll see who’s up. Then I will drive you home.”
He tried to stand, needing a few takes for it to stick. “You’re not driving me home.”
“Yes, I am. No arguments, you know I’ll win eventually so you may as well save your energy.”
Completely unlike Lochie, he shrugged and let it go. That was when the true fear set in. If there was something Lochie loved, it was fighting with me. This new guy scared the living daylights out of me.
“Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute,” I said, trying to cover the rising panic.
I slipped out of my bedroom and down the stairs. One set of parents were in the kitchen, the other nowhere to be seen – hopefully not out of bed yet. Garrick was absent too, no doubt still in his foldout bed. Or at Ella’s place.
I hurried back to my room and gave Lochie the all clear. We silently walked down the stairs, my arm around his waist to steady him the entire time. When we reached the front door, I pulled it open and left him on the porch.
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