Shadow Dancer Boxed Set

by Courtney Rene

  Connor rose up from the ground and said, "You didn't give me no choice. You're kicking me out, as sure as I'm standing here."

  "Connor," I said and tried to hold back my temper. "That's not the truth and you know it."

  "The difference is, boy, I'm taking my family with me," he said. Then he turned to Kat and said, "Kat, get your and that baby's gear. We're leaving."

  I stepped in front of him, effectively blocking Kat and Carrie Ann from his view and his temper. "They stay. I already told you that."

  "They're mine. I'm taking them," he snarled.

  I smiled at him. I showed him my full mouth of teeth, but I squinted my eyes to show him I was not happy, and, in fact, I was close to my end. "No. They. Stay. You are leaving."

  Then to show that was the end of the discussion I turned my back on him and walked back to Kat and the baby. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened. I was too slow to realize what her expression meant. I knew the moment I felt the cold steel break through my skin and slide deep, inch by agonizing inch up against my ribs.

  "They are mine. You don't get to decide," Connor whispered into my ear as he pushed his knife the last half-inch into my body.

  I dropped to my knees and tried to hold my breath. The pain was intense, but I had to push it back. I had to push it away. Connor shoved me forward where I sprawled into the dirt. It got into my mouth and stung my eyes.

  Gavin was suddenly at my side. "Leif, you gotta breathe, man. Come on, breathe."

  I heard him, but I had to hold on for another moment. I had to get control first. I was the leader. I couldn't let a little knife wound get in my way. I shoved the pain forcefully back and pushed up to my feet, much to the dismay of Gavin. "Stop," he said. "You need to sit down. We have to have someone look at you."

  "I'm good," I said through my clenched teeth. I wasn't and everyone knew it, but I was on my feet, and that was where I was going to stay until the issue of Connor was dealt with.

  While everyone's eyes were on me, no one was watching Connor. I saw, but was unable to stop him from yanking the baby from Kat by the foot. The baby dangled from his hand for a moment before he pointed the baby at me and said, "This is all your doing. You remember that. Whatever happens, from this moment forward, will be your fault." Then he cackled. He tossed his head back and released the sound with such glee, with such joy, my body went cold under the noise.

  He was crazy. We all knew it, but we didn't realize how far gone he was. I didn't give anyone time to react. I didn't care about the wound in my side. I just acted. I sprang from my spot and tackled him at the waist. He dropped like a tree, and the wind was knocked out of him. I wrestled Carrie Ann's leg from his hold and handed over the baby to Gavin, who quickly gave her to a very hysterical Kat.

  "Stop it!" I yelled into his face when he tried to attack. I snapped his head back against the ground and said, "It's done! You lose."

  I had to grit my teeth from the pain of every muscle movement, but I got to my feet. Connor watched me a moment, then looked around at the silent group surrounding us. I could see it in his face that he knew he was beat. I didn't gloat, my side hurt too much.

  Connor got to his feet also, then turned back to his tent. He again started yanking it down.

  Kat looked distressed. I went to stand next to her and the finally silent Carrie Ann. "Don't worry. I have a tent set up for you and the baby already. You'll be fine."

  "You're just going to let him leave?" she asked. "After all he's done?"

  I shrugged. "What else is there to do? He's too much trouble to let him stay."

  Connor finally yanked the rest of the tent down and began to wad it, along with his own possessions, up in a giant ball. He strained to pick up the giant mass of material, but he finally managed it all on his own. With one hand, he flipped me the bird, and turned to leave.

  It was no one's fault what happened next, but Connor'd been right about one thing. I felt the guilt of it for the rest of my life.

  One moment I was silently chuckling at being flipped off by the old man. The next I was staring in horror as he stumbled over his own mess, and fell right into the burning coals of the fire pit. The old and dried material in his arms engulfed instantly into flames, igniting the threadbare clothing he wore.

  Connor turned to me with a surprised horror evident on his face. His blue eyes were wide and sober for one of the first times in years. The flames zipped over his body and he screamed in pain and fear. He dropped the ball of burning possessions, but it was too late. The flames overtook his body and then his head. I tried to get to him, but hands, strong hands, held me back.

  He was screaming, he was rolling on the ground in agony, but no one could help him. I finally jerked my way free of the restraining hold of Austin and Gavin. I knew what I had to do. I brutally ripped the knife still sticking out of my side from my body and jumped on the burning form.

  I didn't feel the flames. I didn't feel the pain. I did what I had to do and plunged the knife still red with my own blood deep into Connor's head. The writhing body under me ceased moving. The scream that echoed around us, halted mid cry.

  I'd killed him, that fast. Without thought, or fear, but with a great deal of remorse. My hands were burned, and my knees were scorched, but all in all, I was unscathed by the flames that had taken Connor.

  I felt a warm wetness dripping down my side in a small river. I glanced down to see blood pouring from the wound inflicted by the knife. I saw the injury, but didn't really feel it anymore. I saw the red and already bubbling blisters on my hands, but I didn't feel that, either.

  Death came so easy at my hands. A small knife and I had dispatched a man in a matter of seconds. That was the pain I felt. I was no hero. That moment proved it to me more than any thievery ever could have. I was the bad guy. The villain. The murderer.

  I stood there bleeding, my body burning with pain, but all I could do was stare down at my hands, the hands of a killer.

  Kat was the first one to approach me. I don't know how long I stood there, but her gentle touch brought me out of my thoughts.

  "Leif?' she asked. "Are you all right?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you sure?" she insisted.

  "Yes."

  "Thank you, for saving Carrie Ann and me," she said.

  I finally looked at her. "Why wouldn't I have helped you?"

  "No one ever did before," she said then shrugged and continued. "No one else did even today. You were the only one to do anything. They would have just let him take me and Carrie off. No one cared, but you."

  She was right. Even Gavin and Austin had stood back and watched. "I'm the leader," I finally said. "It's my job, I guess. Not theirs."

  Her face fell at my words. "Is that the only reason? I was part of your job?"

  I knew what she wanted to hear and I was too tired to fight with her. I gave her what she wanted. "No. You're more than just a job. I care about you, Kat."

  She smiled that big toothy smile that lit up her whole face. She was beautiful. Even with her hair a mess, a deep bruise on her cheek, and dirt all over, she was beautiful. "I knew you did. I just knew it."

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close. I didn't feel her warmth like I used to. I didn't really even feel the hug. I only felt the motions behind the movement. I patted her back and tried to hug her in return, but I couldn't feel the emotion for it.

  Kat finally stepped away and said, "I love you, Leif."

  She didn't wait for me to respond, which was good, as I had nothing to respond with. I didn't feel love or anything. I felt cold and empty. Icy.

  "It's just you and me now," Kat said. "As long as we are together, we'll be all right. Everything will always be all right."

  I heard Austin snicker, but he didn't say anything. Gavin just stared at me with his serious eyes.

  "Come on," I said and took her by the arm. "Let's get you settled into your new tent."

  "You'll look after us, won't you?" Kat asks.

 
"Of course," I said. I meant it.

  "You promise?" she asked.

  Her eyes were wide and innocent. "I promise. I will always look after you, Kat."

  She nodded once, accepting my promise as her due. Why shouldn't she? I turned to look at Gavin and Austin and said, "You guys got this?" I meant the body. They knew it and nodded with acceptance.

  "Have someone take a look at the knife wound before you come back," Gavin said.

  "Don't worry, guys," Kat said. "I'll take care of him. He's mine."

  My gut clenched at her words. It wasn't the words themselves, but it was the sound of them. It was the hardness of her voice. The granite stare in her eyes. Her look was just a little wild, a little off. Then she blinked and smiled and all was back as it should be.

  I pushed aside my concern and went to get patched up.

  Chapter Twenty

  One Day Ago

  I noticed the warmth first. It felt nice. I hadn't realized how cold I was, until then. Then came the pain. The warmth turned to fire within my body. I clamped my teeth together and held in the scream that wanted to come out. I stared up at Cinder and focused on her instead.

  Her eyes were closed. Her head tilted back. Her hands pressed hard against my ribs where the knife had gone in. A small and almost unnoticeable glow emanated from her hands. It was a glow of power, a glow of healing.

  The pressure on my ribs suddenly lessened, along with the burn. Cinder, eyes still closed, slumped over me for a moment. Her breath came out in heavy gasps. "That should do it…I think," she said.

  I kept my eyes on Cinder, but still felt when Sunny leaned over to see for herself. "Oh, Cinder, you did a wonderful job." I felt her run her hand over what once was a gaping wound.

  Cinder smiled. Her smile, something so simple and so natural, but that one movement of lips, did something to me. My heart flipped in my chest. There was a time I would have hated that feeling. There was a time I would have ignored it for what it was. I was done doing that.

  I tangled my hand in Cinder's hair and pulled her down toward me. Her eyes showed a moment of concern, but they soon softened to match her smile. This time, when she closed her eyes, I closed mine, as well, and kissed her. It wasn't rough and lust filled. It was a tender kiss. One of promise.

  "No!" Kat shrieked.

  I pulled back from Cinder and smiled ruefully. "Oh. I forgot about her."

  Cinder laughed.

  Sunny sighed, but it was more for show than anything else. "How could you forget about her? She just stabbed you. Remember?"

  I sat up and turned to Sunny to give her a sarcastic comment, but her expression changed my mind. "What's wrong?" I asked.

  She shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I just have never seen that look on your face before."

  "What look?"

  "That smile. Your eyes," she said.

  "Geez," I said, getting to my feet.

  "It's real, honest to God, happiness," she said. Her eyes misted up right before me.

  "Why are you crying, then?" I asked.

  "Leif always makes the girls cry," Austin said from his perch on Kat's back. He was sitting on her. Actually sitting.

  I changed the subject fast. "What are we going to do with her," I asked, indicating Kat.

  Austin shrugged. "Up to you, man. You're the one she tried to kill."

  "Sunny?" I asked.

  "Don't talk about me like I'm not right here!" Kat spat. She tried to buck Austin off, but all she ended up doing was looking like an upside-down turtle.

  "I don't know," Sunny said.

  "Cinder?" I asked.

  "Acadia doesn't have a jail," she said. "You can't exile her, as what's to keep her from trying to come after Sunny or you or anyone."

  I stepped over and squatted down by Kat's head to talk to her. "What do you think should happen, Kat?"

  She spit at me. Then yelled, "I hate you!"

  "I gathered that much," I said.

  Austin chuckled, but didn't interrupt.

  "Why?" I asked quietly.

  "Because, you are mine," she said. "No one else can have you. You have always been mine. You promised."

  There it was. The look in her eye was one I had seen once before. The hardness. The steel. The possession. The crazy.

  I kept my eyes on Kat, and said, "I think it's time we look into a jail."

  Then the unexpected happened. Kat may have been crazy, but, like her father, she was also very smart. She shadowed and jumped. One moment she was there under Austin's butt, and the next, she was just gone. Austin dropped fully to the ground in a gangly flail of arms and legs. "What the hell?"

  I stood up and looked around. She wouldn't just leave. That was too easy. Sunny and Cinder stood together and did the same thing. Austin got to his feet, and brushed off. "We should have expected that," he said.

  Yeah, we should have.

  Cinder was suddenly knocked to the ground. Sunny shrieked and was jerked away by unseen hands. Her head was pulled back at a severe angle. Her hands grasped at her neck.

  I made to run to her, but a voice stopped me. "Don't do it, Leif." Kat said. "One wrong move and the little queen dies."

  I stopped in my tracks, Austin at my side. Cinder still as stone on the ground where she had landed.

  Kat materialized behind Sunny. Her arm in a chokehold around Sunny's neck. The knife, still red with my own blood, pointed at Sunny's side, right against the white material of her dress.

  "What do you want to do now, Leif," Kat sneered.

  I had no reply.

  "All I wanted was you!" she screamed. "Why was that too much? Why!"

  "Kat," I said, but was cut off.

  "No! I don't believe anything you say anymore. You lied to me. You used me," she said.

  "I never used you," I said. I was sure of that. I was not a user. Lied? Maybe.

  "You did! You did!"

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked. Sunny remained calm through this exchange. I tried to take another step toward them, but Kat just retreated a step to match my own.

  "Don't do it, Leif," she warned. Then, "I want you where you belong. At my side. Without the queen, Acadia goes back into chaos. You will need me then. You will want to help all the people of Acadia like you did before. You will gather everyone together and we will rule the world. You and me. We can be the king and queen."

  "You have lost your mind," Austin said.

  "Shut it," I said through gritted teeth. "Don't egg her on."

  "She's loony and she knows it. She can't possibly think this is going to work," he said.

  "Oh, it will work, all right," she said and took another step backward, right into the water of the creek. The water was instantly up to mid-calf. The bottom of Sunny's white dress spread out behind her in the current.

  I saw Kat's arm around Sunny's neck clench. Then she raised the knife high. The sun glinted off the metal, and put a little patch of light on Sunny's cheek. That was when I noticed Sunny's eyes stared directly at me. It took me a moment to realize she wasn't afraid.

  I was. This was the moment the fairies warned me about. The water. The knife. The dress. The blood. I was very afraid.

  "Kat. Don't," I said.

  She smiled. "Too late, lover."

  The knife descended. Cinder screamed. Austin and I dove forward. Sunny remained calm. Everything slowed down at that moment. Sunny gave a subtle, but definite shake of her head. Then she turned white. I was too far into my forward motion to stop myself at that moment. I was sure Austin was, as well.

  Kat's eyes widened as Austin and I plowed into her and Sunny. We all fell into the water and under it. I had my hand on the knife handle along with Kat's. We tangled, we struggled. Arms and legs intertwined within folds of white material and lots of blond hair.

  A wave of white power knocked me backward, Kat with me. We took flight into the air and, wrapped together, we bounced back onto land. Kat ended up on top of me. Her eyes focused and wide on mine. Her blond, waterlogged locks f
ell like a curtain around our heads. Drips of cold water fell from her eyelashes onto my face. "Leif," she said.

  In that secluded moment, it was just the two of us, me and the real Kat. Not the crazy, power hungry woman of a moment before, but the soft sweet girl, I knew and once loved in my own way. "Kat," I said, "there you are."

  A wobbly smile graced her face.

  "I missed you," I said.

  "I missed you more," she said.

  It was the wet warmth that I noticed first. The uncomfortable angle of my arm and hers was the next. Our hands were joined together between our bodies, grasping…the knife.

  "Don't leave me," Kat said.

  "I won't."

  She gave me another wobbly smile. Then she closed her eyes, and laid her head on my chest like she used to do.

  "Cinder?" I said.

  "I'm right here, Leif," she said from almost right next to me.

  I looked for Sunny and Austin then. They sat quietly together in the shade of the lone rock. Both wet and disheveled. Two red paths of blood ran from Sunny's nose, an after effect of too much use of her energy gift, but otherwise, they were both all right.

  "Can you help her? Like you did me, can you help her?" I asked Cinder.

  She slowly shook her head and said, "Some things even magic can't heal."

  "But it's just a knife," I said. "You healed me. The fire people healed Sunny."

  "The heart is one of those things," she continued as if I hadn't even spoken.

  "Kat," I said and wrapped my other arm around her body.

  She didn't answer. I could feel her breath against my neck, though. "She's not dead," I implored her. "Please."

  "Cinder," Sunny said. "Can you try?"

  "Please try," Austin said.