by S. J. West
“Kirk!” I yelled, not understanding why he was desecrating Jace’s body.
Kirk yanked the syringe out of Jace’s chest and looked up at me with excited eyes. “He’s not dead, Skye.”
A second later, Jace took in a deep breath and sat straight up.
“Lay him back down!” Ian ordered. “The guards following us might see him through the windows.”
Kirk tried to pull on Jace’s shoulders to make him lie down, but he just wasn’t strong enough.
Jace turned to me. Before I knew it, his arms were wrapped around me, and he was holding me tightly to him.
“Thank God you’re all right,” he said, his face buried against the side of my neck, his warm breath washing away my earlier thoughts that death would be better than life.
I sat there stunned, not knowing what to do or say. Finally, I wrapped my arms around Jace and easily pushed him back down to the floor of the van.
I pulled back and looked up at his face. “I don’t understand,” I said. “You were dead.”
Jace’s cheeks dimpled as he smiled at me. “Remember what I told you at Freddy’s party?”
I shook my head not understanding what he was talking about, and then it finally dawned as I said, “Don’t believe anything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I should have felt relieved Jace was alive, but all I felt was betrayed. I sat up and scooted back from Jace until I felt the side of the van against my back. He braced himself on an elbow, watching me closely but keeping low so the guards following us didn’t see him.
“Skye, what’s wrong?” he asked, not seeming to understand my withdrawal.
“What’s wrong?” I asked harshly. “I thought you were dead. How could you do that to me?” I practically screamed.
“He didn’t do it to you,” Ian said, keeping his eyes on the dark road in front of him. “I did.”
“I played my part,” Jace added, not allowing Ian to take complete blame. “But I didn’t know about faking my death until this afternoon, or I would have tried to warn you.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you before I did,” Ian snorted, shaking his head like Jace’s admission would have been a fatal mistake. “If you had, she wouldn’t have acted very convincingly, and your body would be in an incinerator by now. Freddy would have seen right through a lie. I’m sorry, Skye, but there wasn’t any other way. I had to make sure you acted naturally.”
I looked out the window of the sliding doors I sat up against, not wanting to look at either Ian or Jace in that moment. I felt like my emotions had been twisted. I felt used. Even though I knew in my mind that the ends justified the means, I couldn’t shake the sting of betrayal.
Jace touched me on the arm, and I automatically flinched away.
“Skye, please…” I heard him beg. The pain in his voice gave me a strange sense of pleasure because I wanted him to feel hurt. I wanted him to have a taste of what I had just been through.
“Give me a minute,” I told him, doing my best to work through my anger and think about things logically, not emotionally. “Just don’t touch me right now.”
The van went silent except for the hum of the engine and the sound of the tires slapping the pavement outside. My mind understood Ian and Jace did what they had to do in order to save us, but my heart wasn’t so logical or forgiving. It still ached from the feelings of loss and despair I felt believing Jace was dead.
I felt Kirk touch my shoulder, but I didn’t pull away from his attempt to console me. He scooted closer to me and whispered, “I know you’re upset. I would be too, but you need to pull yourself together because this isn’t over yet. You know that escape plan we could never think of? Ian just gave it to us. At least, I hope that’s what he has in mind.”
I looked at Kirk and saw the light of hope on his face, realizing he was right. Whether I approved of his methods, Ian had provided us all with something none of the rest of us could have: safe passage out of Alliance.
I focused my attention on Ian. “So, what’s the rest of this plan of yours, if I can be trusted to act the way you want me to that is?” I didn’t try to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. I felt sure Ian expected it.
Ian cleared his throat like he might have felt a hint of embarrassment. “Well, the first thing we need to do is take out the two Hole guards following us. Jace and I should be able to do that without too much trouble. Then I need to get Julia to do something for me before we can head out.”
“Do what?”
“Every Harvester in Alliance has a chip implanted in their body. It’s in a random location, so none of us can just rip it out on our own and try to escape. Julia can find it and cut it out for me.”
“We’re traveling to the Southern Kingdom. Why would you want to go there?”
Ian laughed harshly. “Where else do I have to go? You guys are the only friends I have at the moment.”
“Friends?” I asked incredulously. “Is that what you think we are? You don’t use your friends to get what you want. You don’t tear their hearts out and stomp on them, just so you can play up their tears to your advantage. You’re not my friend, Ian.”
The tension in the van became palpable. No one dared talk or even breathe too loudly in the heaviness that encircled Ian and me. Jace was the only one brave enough to try and break through my anger by resting a hand on one of my knees.
“Skye, he might not have handled things the best way he could, but he is helping us escape.”
I heard the warning in Jace’s voice. He didn’t trust Ian any more than I did, but we did need his help to get to the Southern Kingdom. We couldn’t do it without him.
“I just don’t like having my emotions exploited.” I placed a hand over the one Jace still had on my knee and squeezed his fingers. “I thought you were dead.” My voice cracked on the last word, giving the fragile state of my emotions away.
Jace grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. I lay down next to him as he cradled me in his arms, my head resting against his shoulder.
“I sort of hoped you would take the warning I gave you at Freddy’s and apply it to everything that happened afterward.”
“How was I supposed to know what was real and what wasn’t?”
Jace sighed, realizing I was right. “You couldn’t have known. If there had been a way to warn you about Ian faking my death, I would have tried to tell you. You know that, right?”
I thought about that question for a moment and finally said, “Yes.”
I did believe Jace would have tried to spare me the devastation of thinking he was dead. I didn’t have any doubt about that.
“But you’ll have to make it up to me somehow before I completely forgive you.”
Jace gently kissed the top of my head, instantly making me feel secure and cherished.
“I’ll think of something,” he promised, pulling me tighter against him.
Kirk cleared his throat. “Mind me asking if Teegan and I fit into your plan, Ian?”
“The more the merrier I guess,” Ian replied, indifferent one way or the other. “You guys really weren’t part of my escape plan, but I guess I’m glad you made Freddy let you come. It’ll be good to have at least two friendly faces around.”
I caught Ian’s insinuation clearly, but still didn’t feel like forgiving him for letting me think he murdered Jace. Maybe after I had time to think things over I could find forgiveness in my heart for him, but I knew I would never fully trust him again.
During the drive to Julia’s house, I let myself relax against Jace, soaking in his warmth and letting myself fully realize he was alive. Absentmindedly, I started to trail my fingers across the hard muscles of his chest and down the ripples of his abdomen, making a path up and down his soft skin, letting my mind wander.
“What else have you seen in my future?” I asked him, continuing my feather light exploration of his body.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked in a strained voice.
I looked up into h
is face and saw that his eyes were closed. His breathing had taken on a faster rhythm.
“Are you ok?” I asked, concerned he might still be feeling the effects of whatever drugs Ian had put into his system.
Jace gently grabbed the hand I had on his chest to quiet my caresses. “Not really,” he admitted.
“Are you in pain? Is there something I can do?”
Jace opened his eyes and looked down at me with a small smile on his face. “It’s not a bad pain,” he told me in an intimate whisper. “But if you don’t stop touching me like that, it could turn into one.”
I felt my cheeks flush hotly and tried to pull my hand off his chest, but Jace wouldn’t let me.
“Don’t,” he whispered, his hold tightening a fraction to keep my hand where it was. “I like knowing you feel that comfortable with me. But I’m a man, Skye.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, just barely loud enough for him to hear, hoping against hope the other occupants of the van weren’t able to listen in on our exchange.
Jace lifted my hand to his lips and kissed its palm gently. “Don’t be. I’m not. If we were alone…”
He let his unfinished sentence hang in the air between us, filled with yearning and unasked for responses.
What would have happened if we were alone? Would he have taken me in his arms and gently showed me how a man makes love to a woman? Was that something I was even ready for?
Not feeling sure I knew the answers, I brought the subject of our conversation back to my initial question. “So, what can you tell me about my future?”
Jace let the air from his lungs escape slowly between his lips like he was weighing the pros and cons of telling me what fate had in store for me.
“I’ve only seen bits and pieces,” he finally said. “I’ve seen you heal people. That part you already know. I’ve seen you with a blonde girl your age laughing together. I’ve seen you running toward me, leaping into my arms and kissing me like you hadn’t seen me in a long time. The rest of what I’ve seen is jumbled, images that don’t really make a lot of sense out of context. But in every memory, or future moment I guess, I always feel the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“I always feel this incredible love for you and wonder how someone like you could love me back. I feel proud and lucky all at the same time.”
“Have you had any memories of us being…intimate?”
“Other than kissing? No. Unfortunately not…” he said in deep disappointment.
I couldn’t prevent myself from pinching him on the chest. Jace just chuckled at my playful admonishment. He rolled over onto his side, my head sliding down his arm. His face hovered over mine as he looked into my eyes with more love than I had a right to. He trailed his fingertips lightly against the side of my face, stroking them against my lips, feeling the rush of my excited breathing.
“Will you promise me something?” he whispered.
“Depends,” I answered, afraid I might promise him anything if he would just kiss me.
“Once you reach the Southern Kingdom, don’t leave, no matter what.”
Leaving the Southern Kingdom once I reached it had never even crossed my mind.
“Why do you feel like you need that sort of promise from me?”
“I’ve seen things about your future I don’t like,” he admitted. “Just promise me you won’t try to leave there.”
“If you’ve seen me leave it, I’m not sure it’ll matter what I promise to you now. It seems like that decision has already been made for me.”
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be,” he said. “Your future hasn’t happened yet. I believe you can change it if you stay there.”
“Is something bad going to happen to me if I leave?”
“Just promise me that you’ll think long and hard about leaving before you do it. I won’t lie to you, Skye. I have seen things in your future that aren’t pleasant. And they all seem to happen because you leave the Southern Kingdom.”
“You keep saying that I’ll leave there. You never say we. Why? What aren’t you telling me?”
Jace kissed me on both cheeks before gently brushing his lips against mine in a chaste kiss. “Just don’t leave the Southern Kingdom.”
Jace looked at me for a long while, like he wanted to say something else but wasn’t sure if he should.
Finally, he said, “I’ve seen something else. Ash. At least, I think it’s him.” Jace couldn’t keep the jealousy he felt for my best friend out of his voice.
“He and I have been through a lot together. He’s my best friend,” I reminded Jace.
Jace nodded his head in understanding, but I could feel the sudden tenseness in his muscles.
“Are you still in love with him?” he asked me, his question a gentle reminder that I had already confessed to him and Zoe I was once in love with Ash.
“Would I sound wishy-washy if I said I’m not sure anymore?”
One corner of Jace’s mouth raised in a half grin. “No, not if the reason you’re not sure anymore is me.”
I felt my heart flutter into my throat as I confessed, “I would have to say the reason is most definitely you.”
The other corner of Jace’s mouth raised, and I could just make out the dimples in his cheeks in the faint blue glow coming from the lights of the dashboard.
“Then no, you don’t sound wishy-washy, just uncertain where your true feelings lie. But I want you to know that whatever happens, I won’t hold it against you if you want to be with him.”
A warning signal sounded in my head. “What aren’t you telling me, Jace? Have you seen something happen to you?”
“Not exactly,” he said, unwilling to reveal more.
“Like you said, the future hasn’t happened yet,” I reminded him. “Maybe we can change whatever it is that you’ve seen and don’t like.”
Jace shook his head as if his fate was already sealed and delivered to the gods. “I don’t think one part can be changed.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there isn’t any other conclusion to what I’ve seen happen. It can only end one way, Skye, and I’m all right with that if it means you and the others will be safe.”
“You’re scaring me,” I told him, studying his face, trying to find an answer he wouldn’t give.
He ran the tips of his fingers along the side of my face again.
“Don’t be scared. I promise everything will work out in the end. And know that I will always find my way to you no matter what happens or where you are. Just stay in the Southern Kingdom.”
We both fell silent for a moment. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get any more out of Jace on the subject and decided to change tactics.
“How far into the future have you been able to see?”
“All the way into yours,” he told me. “You die a very, very old woman, and I intend to make sure that vision comes true.”
“So, you’re with me when I die?”
“I’m not sure. I only see you when it happens. I’m not present in all the flashes I have of your future.”
“Have you seen anything beyond that?”
Jace shook his head. “I don’t see anything past your death. It’s almost like you’re the only person in the world my gift works for.”
“Have you remembered anything about your past?” I asked, not mentioning out loud that all we were certain of was that the Queen wanted some sort of information from Jace.
“Not yet. I keep hoping one of my future memories of you will shed some light on that question, but nothing I’ve seen so far provides any answers.”
“We’ll find the answers,” I told him, cupping the side of his face with one hand. “We’ll find them together.”
“What if I don’t want to remember who I was?” he asked, sincerely. “What if I wasn’t a good person?”
“You couldn’t be anything but a good person. A past doesn’t define who you are, only what you do in the present.”
“I hope you’r
e right.”
“I know I am.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“I hate to interrupt your little romantic moment here,” Ian said, not sounding at all apologetic for his intrusion, “but it’s time we disposed of the guards behind us. We need to get rid of them before we get to Julia’s house.”
I sat up, reluctant to leave Jace’s warm embrace and turned toward Ian. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to pull over in a clearing just ahead. When they get out, I’ll tell them it’s time to bury Jace and ask them to dig a deep hole. While they’re busy with that, Jace can take out one guard while I take the other one out. We’ll physically knock them out first, and then I’ll use Meg’s ring to make sure they’re out for at least a day or two. We’ll just leave them in the hole they dig, should be fairly easy.”
Ian’s plan worked for the most part. While the two Hole guards were digging the hole, Jace slipped out the back of the van. After the hole was pretty much dug, Ian motioned Jace over. Kirk, Teegan, and I sat in the van, watching the events from a safe vantage point.
Jace stood behind one of the guards and tapped him on the shoulder. The guard whirled around and stood motionless as he looked at what he thought was a dead man standing in front of him. Jace didn’t have any trouble snatching the shovel out of the guard’s hands and smacking him across the head with it. The guard fell into the hole like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The second guard was almost just as easy. While watching the altercation between the first guard and Jace, Ian snuck up behind the second guard and put him in a chokehold like he had done to Jace during their fight. I assumed he used Meg’s ring because the guard suddenly slumped to the ground. Ian unceremoniously pushed his body inside the hole with the other guard.
Ian jumped in the hole for a few minutes and climbed his way out again. I presumed to inject whatever sleeping serum Meg’s mysterious ring held into the guard Jace had incapacitated.
Once Jace and Ian were back in the van, we made our way to Julia’s. On the way there, I told Jace what I had learned about Julia losing her daughter and using other little girls as a way to replace the child she had lost.