So much for setting out in search of answers.
I felt Micah’s eyes on me, watching me, and I stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice.
“You look different than I thought you would,” he eventually said. His choice of words piqued my curiosity, and I finally turned to look at him as he continued. “I never saw your face. I imagined hundreds of different faces, but none of them were…you.”
We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before my thoughts formed into words. “Then how did you know it was me?”
He grinned. “I figured no one else would be stupid enough to be there, spying on the Skotadi, and when I got close enough, I just knew it was you.”
Like I had known it was him? “How? How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I have good instincts. I can sense things about people.”
“Are you a prophet?”
“It’s my strongest specialty.” He hesitated, looking at me as if he were looking inside me, searching for my deepest, most heavily guarded secrets. “I’ve known all along that you’re not what you’re supposed to be. I can sense it. Gabby and Richie weren’t as trusting, so we hung back and watched you for a while.”
“If they saw that I wasn’t all…” I wiggled my fingers as if it were the international sign for evil, “then why did they nearly shoot me?”
“They’re still a little skittish. They never agreed on my decision to find you, and they’re afraid of something happening to me and screwing everything up.”
His decision to find me? So, he had left the protection of the Kala base because of me? I’d suspected so. I just wished I knew why.
“Why did you want to find me?” I asked softly. Please, don’t let it be to kill me. Please.
Please don’t let Nathan be right, just this one time.
He turned to face me with eyes so penetrating I had to divert my gaze. I was really starting to hate the way he looked at me, like we were best friends after only just meeting.
“After our first dream together,” he answered. “I had this pull to you, and this intense need to help you, even though I didn’t know how. Or why. I still don’t have those answers, but I do want to help.”
I’d had a similar pull in my dreams. Only it wasn’t to help him, but to find him. All along, I’d known that I was supposed to find him.
I stared down at my shoes, unwilling and unable to look at him. “What brought you here?”
“Another dream. A sort of vision. I knew something was here, and then we found the Skotadi’s warehouse. We still don’t know what they’re doing there, but I imagine it’s important or I wouldn’t have had a vision of it.”
“And you led me here?” I asked softly. In addition to Nathan and Alec uncovering the location of the warehouse by interrogating important Skotadi leaders, Micah had been speaking the name of this town to me in my dreams for weeks before we’d found it.
“Yes. There’s something in that warehouse. We just have to find out what it is. And I knew you needed to be here.”
I nibbled on my lip as I debated whether or not to tell Micah what I knew. Ultimately, I decided that he was legit, and that if he was going to help, he needed to know everything.
“They’ve been converting Kala to Skotadi out of that warehouse,” I told him. “They’ve been doing it for years, apparently.”
Micah was silent for so long I was forced to look up at him. And regretted it immediately.
Why did he have to look at me like that?
“We thought that if they could do that,” I continued to fill in the awkward silence as Micah gawked at me, “then there might be a way to do the opposite, or maybe even prevent me from going Skotadi in the first place.”
Micah nodded along in silence. He finally looked away from me and muttered more to himself than to me, “How can they do that?” Since I didn’t have an answer for him, I said nothing. After a long stretch of silence, he added, “We’ll figure it out. Somehow.”
There was such determination in his voice, in his posture, in his eyes. I didn’t doubt that he would do everything in his power to figure it out. Seeing all of that, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was so determined.
My eyes narrowed instinctively. Turning to him with squared shoulders, I said, “You seem really motivated for someone who doesn’t even know me.”
“But I do know you,” he returned automatically, and in a tone that sounded a little too intimate for my comfort. At least at this stage in our…friendship? It wasn’t even that, not yet, but this kid talked like we’d been buddies for years. “I know you don’t want this. I know there’s too much good in you to succumb to your fate. I think you can fight it.”
I jumped from my seat and paced the porch in front of Micah. For all he knew, I needed to stretch, or to walk off some steam brought upon by the heavy subject matter. Really, I needed some distance from him and his eyes. Sitting beside him on the bench had been too much. He was too much—the way he looked at me, the way he talked like we’ve known each other for years, the way he was so willing to help me…despite the risks to himself.
I remembered something that Nathan had pointed out, and only now realized how much sense he had made.
I spun to Micah like an attorney interrogating a witness. “Why would you want to gamble with your own life? We’re supposed to be enemies. I was made to kill you. Wouldn’t it just be easier to get rid of me now, than try to help me and it potentially backfire on you?”
“I don’t agree with the Kala’s decision to eliminate you,” he said as if that explained everything.
I shook my head because…it didn’t. Not even close. That was it? That was his reasoning? The look on my face must have portrayed my disbelief, because Micah held up his hands as if offering a truce.
“Alright. Think about this,” he said. “If we can find a way to stop you from siding with the Skotadi—if you side with the Kala—there will be two of us. Two that the Skotadi can’t touch. They won’t have a chance at winning this war.”
Now, that was the first thing he’d said all day that made any sense. And was something that I could believe. War tactics. That was something even Nathan could get on board with. And I knew Alec would be game.
“Actually, there will be three of us,” I said, earning a raised eyebrow from Micah. “Alec’s like me, sort of. They created him before me, a little differently, a little weaker than me, but he’s a super-hybrid too.”
“And Alec is…”
“Eyebrow ring, messy hair, green eyes.” I snapped my fingers and pointed to Micah when the ultimate description hit me. “The one that pointed the gun to your head.”
“Ah.” Micah nodded as it clicked. “And he wants to fight back like you?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sometimes he says it’s too late for him, that he’s working on helping me now, but I know he doesn’t want this either.”
“Why does he think it’s too late for him?”
I shrugged. “He started developing six months before me.”
“Has he shown any signs of changing yet?”
I thought about the glimpse of gold I thought I’d seen in Alec’s eyes earlier. Maybe I hadn’t imagined it? Was it a sign that he was beyond help? If it had been real, it couldn’t be a good sign.
“No,” I said to Micah, and had to look away when he stared back, like he knew I was hiding something. I’d never been a good liar, but I wasn’t exactly lying. I just didn’t know. I needed to talk to Alec to be sure.
Fortunately, Micah didn’t push, though I had the sense that he wanted to. Instead, he changed the subject. “Do you know what specialties you have? They start coming in yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Being a prophet, I have the ability to read people’s specialties. I could do that for you, if you’d like,” Micah suggested.
It was tempting. Really tempting. Waiting around for something to happen had me on edge ninety-nine percent of the time. Knowing what was coming might help
alleviate some of the anxiety. That didn’t mean I still wouldn’t dread the moment they came in. Micah couldn’t help me there. Or could he?
“Can you help me to…” I trailed off, unable to think of the right words to describe what I was afraid of.
“Control them?” he offered.
“Yes!” Control was the perfect word.
He nodded with a smile. “They’re a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve had some practice. They’re stronger for us when they come in than they are for the others. I can teach you some tricks I’ve learned along the way. No problem.”
“Thanks,” I said softly.
“We can start tomorrow,” he finalized with a clap of his hands, as if he were actually looking forward to it.
And I suspected that he really was, though I had no idea why. He was really helpful. Far more than I had expected. Again, that little voice in my head wondered why he was so determined to help me, but I pushed it aside, because I did need his help.
Sure, I was a little suspicious. Either he was just a really good guy with a death wish, or he had an ulterior motive. Though I didn’t necessarily think it was anything bad. Whatever it was, the fact remained that I needed his help. But I would be sure to keep an eye on him.
And go about the old-fashioned way of figuring out what he was hiding from me.
CHAPTER 4
When Alec and Callie returned with our bags, the fun of determining sleeping arrangements began. It really shouldn’t have been as difficult as it ended up being. I found it ironic that guys often poked fun at girls for being difficult, because in this case, the guys were definitely the whinier of the two sexes.
Being that we were sharing a three bedroom house, some pairing up needed to be done. Fortunately, the owners were prepared to accommodate multiple guests. The obvious ‘kid room’ was furnished with two bunk beds while the room across the hall from it had two double beds. The master bedroom had only one king-sized bed, so the two people who took that room would have to get a little cozier than the others.
Richie suggested that the three girls share the master room and the guys split up into pairs. It seemed like a sensible arrangement, but when Richie added that he must room with Micah, that idea fell flat.
Nathan and Alec glanced at each other and both shook their heads in unison.
“We’ll kill each other,” Alec said. “Not that I would care, but…” He threw a thumb in my direction like everyone already knew I was the only reason they hadn’t already killed each other.
“How about the two Skotadi rooming together?” Gabby suggested, eyeing both Alec and me with obvious distaste. I didn’t doubt she’d prefer for us to sleep outside, under the porch like a couple of stray dogs.
“I’m cool with that,” Alec said quickly at the same time Nathan answered with a resounding, “Not a chance.”
A beat of silence followed, and I doubted I was the only one waiting for them to duke it out right then and there.
“Alright,” I said before their tempers brewed any further. “Callie’s not afraid to room with me, right?” I tossed a cold glare at Gabby before turning to Callie for confirmation.
As expected, she nodded.
“Richie, would you be okay if Micah roomed with Gabby?” I asked, biting back the sarcasm. Well, most of it.
His eyes widened and his lips curled in disgust, and the only explanation for his reaction that I could think of was that I had spoken to him directly, like he considered it an insult to be addressed by some lowly Skotadi. He turned his grey eyes away with a barely detectable nod of his head.
I ignored him and turned to Nathan. “I assume you would have no problem rooming with Richie?”
Nathan and Richie shared glances, and they both lifted their shoulders in acceptance.
I turned to Alec last.
“I’ll take the couch,” he volunteered quickly.
I had been about to suggest he take his pick of rooms. I hadn’t even considered the couch, but he seemed to be happy with it.
In fact, Micah and Nathan were both looking at me like they couldn’t believe I had managed to sort it out without someone being mauled in the process. I allowed myself a moment to bask in the glory before turning to Callie with a smile.
“Ready to move in?”
After Micah moved his belongings out of the master bedroom, I collected my bags from the Tahoe. I didn’t know how I’d managed to obtain the biggest room in the house. I hadn’t done it on purpose, but now that I had the room, I was going to enjoy it. I had so few things to look forward to these days that having a spacious bedroom with a king bed was the highlight of the year.
That was until I opened the door to find Nathan waiting for me in my room.
Then that became the highlight of my life.
I knew it wasn’t a social call. For him, it was business as usual. But for me, well, my pulse raced erratically as I approached him where he sat on the edge of the bed.
Nathan. On my bed. It would have been a dream come true if I didn’t know the reason for his visit. He didn’t even need to ask.
I replayed my chat with Micah, minus any mention of the dreams and how we already knew each other. I stuck with a winning the war version of the conversation.
And he bought it. Convincingly so, which was a relief, because that meant I didn’t have to plead with him to trust Micah like I trusted Micah. I didn’t want to get into that conversation any more than I had to. Fortunately, when it came to war tactics, Nathan was on board, just as I’d expected.
“Oh, and he’s going to help me figure out my specialties and control them,” I added.
Nathan nodded silently, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in that head of his. He seemed…off.
“He’s a prophet,” I continued to fill in the silence. “He said he’ll try to read me, try to pick up on my specialties so that we know what we’re dealing with.”
“That’s good,” Nathan muttered. He flashed me a brief smile, but I knew him well enough to know it wasn’t a real one. It was only a cover. Something was bothering him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Nathan’s method of avoidance was to look at his shoes on the floor. Eventually, after he more than likely determined I wasn’t going to let him off the hook, he answered, “He seems a little too willing to help you, and I can’t figure out why.”
I’d figured it was because of the dreams, and his feeling like he knew me so well because of them. But, Nathan was picking up on Micah’s behavior too, and he didn’t know about the dreams. So, what was it about Micah?
“I get the whole war thing,” he continued, “but it’s still a gamble for him if it doesn’t work. I think he’s got another motive. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
“I don’t think it’s anything bad, though,” I said. And I believed that. Honestly. I just wished I knew how in the hell I knew.
For the first time ever, I saw a devious looking smirk on Nathan’s face. “Depends on what you mean by bad.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Maybe he’s into you,” he murmured quietly, eyes dropped to the floor.
There it was. Jealousy. I’d come to recognize it, since we were around Nathan’s primary source of jealousy twenty-four hours a day, Alec. But for Nathan to be jealous of Micah? That was unexpected.
Except, well, Nathan might not be that far off base. Micah did seem a little overeager. Perhaps that pull I felt toward him in the dreams was a byproduct of a crush he had developed on me. It wasn’t hard to believe—not that I thought I should be desired by every guy, not even close—but when you’re dreaming of the same person night after night, feelings could develop. They hadn’t for me, but maybe they had for him.
And then there was the way I’d caught him looking at me a few times, like I was the girl of his dreams—and not just in the literal sense. Though I had my suspicions, I refused to let Nathan know he may be on to something. I would get to the bottom of Micah’s intens
ity on my own, at another time. The last thing I needed was to give Nathan a reason to put up more walls between us. Alec had caused enough.
“No way,” I said dismissively. I paused a beat and then, because my inner voice could not be quieted any longer, added, “Sounds to me like someone might be jealous.”
The second I said the words, I regretted them. It wasn’t like me to be that bold, and the few times I had confronted Nathan over the past few weeks about his feelings, he’d clammed up and avoided me for days after. Expecting the same now, I mirrored him by staring down at my feet as he was, and tried to read his reaction out of the corner of my eye. I thought maybe, just maybe, a small smile curved his lips. But no dimples.
There was a long stretch of silence, and I knew he was deliberating a response. I expected him to blow it off, and nearly fell over when he finally murmured, “Maybe I am.”
More excruciating silence followed as I was rendered speechless. Had he really just admitted to being jealous? What did it mean? Did it mean anything? The fact that he hadn’t already bolted from the room gave me the courage to dig deeper.
“Hey, Nathan...”
I lifted my head, but he continued to stare at his shoes, avoiding my eyes. From his posture and the rigidness of his shoulders, I figured that he already suspected where I was attempting to lead this conversation.
“Have you...?” I trailed off, suddenly afraid to ask. Deep down, I feared that I already knew the answer. I just didn’t want to accept it.
There was a long silence, as I tried to gather the nerve to continue. Finally, Nathan broke it. His head lifted, and his eyes held mine. “Have you?”
What? I shook my head sharply. “I wasn’t the one who needed time—”
“We both did, Kris. Remember?”
“Yeah, that’s what we said, but…I mean, not really. Not me.”
I thought he might have started to smile, but he was quick to recover, as usual. Then he was back to serious-mode. “You do, Kris. You just don’t really know it. Alec—”
“I used to have feelings for Alec. Used to. That was before you.”
Sacrificed (The Ignited Series) Page 3