by M. Leighton
Jersey frowned.
“Well, I can fix that,” she grouched, hopping up off the bed.
Stomping over to the door that adjoined our room to Jackson’s, Jersey announced herself with one quick rap of her knuckles across the wood. The sound had barely faded from the room before she burst through the door.
Strangely, Jersey closed the door behind her, which made it very difficult for me to hear what was being said. And it wasn’t for lack of trying. As soon as the door closed, I got up and ran to it, pressing my ear to the cool surface in hopes of overhearing the conversation.
They were too quiet, though, so I went back to my bed and lay across it to await Jersey.
A few minutes later, she re-emerged, closing the door quietly behind her again.
“So? What did you find out?”
“You’re right, he’s grumpy.”
“What else? Anything?”
“Um,” she said, looking everywhere except at me. I recognized those behaviors as Jersey’s attempts at subterfuge. “Like he said before, he’s got Sentinels watching her, but he’s sending more into the forest and more still to her house.”
“Is that it?”
“Yep. Pretty much.”
I knew Jersey was hiding something from me, but I couldn’t imagine what it might be. Unfortunately, on the odd occasion when she decided to clam up, Jersey was like an impenetrable fortress of secrecy. Granted, it was difficult to get her into that state to begin with, but once she was there, it was useless to try to crack her security.
Obviously done talking, Jersey went about changing her clothes and getting ready to settle in for the night. When she finally climbed onto her bed, leaning back against the headboard with her iPod in her lap, I caught her with a question before she could effectively drown me out.
“So, what’s the deal with Jackson?” I asked as casually as I could manage, flipping lazily through the magazine I’d grabbed from my desk.
Jersey narrowed her eyes on me.
“What do you mean?”
“Why is he so grumpy and angry all the time?” When she didn’t answer right away, I thought I’d do some fishing. “Does it have something to do with Nadia Cobretti?”
Jersey sat up, suddenly alert.
“Nadia Cobretti? Why would you ask that?”
Something in her response to the name grabbed my attention, and not in a good way. Could there really be something going on between Jackson and Nadia? Was he really hiding something?
“I don’t know. She’s been in his room a couple times and I just wondered if he had a thing for her or something.”
That seemed to satisfy her somehow, seemed to ease that sudden tension.
“Jackson will probably never have a ‘thing’ for anybody,” she said glibly, relaxing back against the headboard.
“Why?”
Jersey shrugged, becoming overly absorbed in toying with the cords to her ear buds.
“Jackson gave his heart away a while back and he hasn’t been the same since.”
I sat up, too interested to feign nonchalance.
“He did? To whom?”
“Oh, just a girl.”
“What happened?”
“Things just didn’t work out and he never really got over it.”
I nodded, not sure how much I could dig without giving myself away.
“So you don’t think there’s anything going on between him and Nadia?”
Jersey laughed.
“No. He might be attracted to other girls, but it’ll never be more than that.”
For one beat, my heart soared—right before it plummeted. At first, I was simply elated to hear that there was nothing between Jackson and Nadia. But then, I realized that what Jersey was saying meant that there was nothing between Jackson and me either.
As my stomach knotted sickeningly, I reminded myself that it didn’t matter, that anything between us was doomed anyway. We could never be. I shouldn’t care that I would never have Jackson’s heart.
But I did. I felt it in the crushing weight that settled over my chest and in the welling of tears in my eyes. Whether my feelings for Jackson were right or wrong, good or bad, what Jersey said hurt. Even though it shouldn’t have, it did upset me. I did care. Way, way, way too much.
I didn’t want Jackson to just be attracted to me. I didn’t want to be just another girl who couldn’t compare to that special someone who would always hold his heart. I wanted him to think about me as much as I thought about him. I wanted him to miss me when I wasn’t around, like I missed him. I wanted him to want me like he’d never wanted anyone else, the way that I wanted him. I wanted for him to never be able to get enough of me, as I seemed not to be able to get enough of him.
Feeling the overwhelming need to bawl my eyes out, I was just getting ready to excuse myself to the bathroom when the object of my turmoil came knocking at the adjoining door.
“Madly,” he shouted right before opening the door.
Struggling to compose myself, I turned a hopefully blank expression on Jackson. He’d been about to say something, but he stopped short.
“What’s the matter?”
I smiled, maybe a bit too brightly. It felt plastic and forced.
“Nothing. What’s up?”
He frowned at me, but then shook his head and continued.
“Did you see anyone else in your visions of Wolfhardt and Kellina? Anyone at all?”
I could feel my brow puckering in an expression that mirrored his.
“No. Why?”
Jackson sighed.
“It’s Saint,” he said carefully.
Alarm streaked through me.
“Saint? You mean Aidan?”
Jackson nodded.
“What is it? What’s wrong with Aidan?”
“He was attacked.”
“Attacked? By whom?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say Wolfhardt. He’s been bitten by a wolf.”
My heart thundered in my ears and I felt the blood drain away from my face.
“How do you know? Is he alright?”
“He’s alive and conscious. I was just getting ready to go to the hospital. Want to come?”
“Yes, of course,” I said hastily, turning to my dresser to pull out some yoga pants.
I had to change clothes. My pajama bottoms were tiny, dainty shorts, far too revealing for public attire. Even as I moved about the room, I thought I could feel the warmth of Jackson’s eyes on my legs.
I turned to face him.
“Um, can I meet you outside?”
He paused, his eyes brushing me from head to toe, before he nodded and said, “Sure.”
He left and I slipped into my pants, pushing my feet into flip flops and bolting for the door.
“Wait a second,” Jersey called just before I flew the coop. “You’re not going without me,” she said, hurrying to button her jeans.
When she was pushing her own feet into tennis shoes, I left, falling in behind Jackson and rushing out the main doors, leaving Jersey to catch up.
Less than ten minutes later, we three were walking through the dull gray corridors of the hospital, searching for Aidan’s room.
The strong smell of disinfectant made my already upset stomach roil with nausea. It felt as if chaos had invaded every area of my life and my constitution was finally rebelling in a very physical way.
There was no doubt which room was Aidan’s as we approached the end of the hall. Even though he was in plain clothes, I could easily identify the Sentinel that paced casually outside his door.
As we approached, he looked up. His spine straightened and I could tell he wanted to salute Jackson, but he didn’t. He simply maintained eye contact and nodded.
I looked up at Jackson. He gave one sharp snap of his head in response. His was a very commanding presence. It was no mystery to me that he’d climbed the ladder of the Sentinel hierarchy with an unheard-of speed. Jackson was a natural born leader and a Sentinel through and through.
We stopped and Jackson spoke with the guard.
“Jessup has already been in to debrief him. He said you’d be coming with further instructions,” the Sentinel said.
“Maintain your post here until I speak with Saint,” Jackson said abruptly before turning to enter Aidan’s room. I followed closely behind him, bracing myself for what I might see.
Aidan’s room was one of the more private Emergency Room bays. It had an actual door rather than just a curtain.
When I saw Aidan, he was lying on top of a gurney, with the left side of his shorts cut away up to his crotch. I was relieved to see that all his limbs were still attached. His injuries were definitely not as bad as they could have been.
There was blood spatter all over his shirt, but it was red—mammalian blood, likely the wolf’s. Aidan’s silvery blood was evidently contained beneath the white gauze dressing that encircled his thigh. It was for cases like this that a Mer physician was always on call.
“Aidan, are you alright?” I asked, moving around Jackson so that I could approach the side of the bed.
Though his skin had a bit of an uncharacteristic pallor, Aidan looked like he wasn’t in too bad a shape. I was more certain of his health and wellbeing when he threw a cocky little grin up at me.
“I am now that you’re here,” he claimed.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. What happened?”
“How many times have I told you that I’m irresistible?”
“Aidan, I’m serious.”
“I am, too. I just had no idea that animals felt the same way. I’ve always heard that Mer taste like chicken, but...”
“This is no time to joke, Aidan. What happened? Seriously.”
The smile died from Aidan’s face, from his eyes as well, as he sobered.
“I dropped Kellina off at her house. I walked her home so she wouldn’t have to go through the woods alone. Then I—”
“I told you that there are Sentinels watching her at all times.” Jackson interrupted tersely.
“I know, I know, but she feels more comfortable with me,” Aidan said. Then he turned to me and winked. “See? Irresistible.”
I slapped Aidan’s arm with the back of my hand.
“Stop it!”
Aidan cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyway, I dropped Kellina off and then stopped to talk to a couple Sentinels on my way back through the forest. They were in the trees just beyond her yard. It probably wasn’t five minutes later that I left, heading back to the dorm.
“I was maybe a quarter mile from the end of the path when I heard something behind me.”
Aidan paused. We were all completely silent, holding our breath as we waited on pins and needles for him to finish.
Though he was trying to be brave about the whole thing, I could tell that Aidan was deeply shaken, as anyone would be. Well, anyone except Jackson, that is. I was convinced he was utterly fearless.
“If it hadn’t stepped on a twig, I would never have heard it. But, thank God, it did. I turned around just in time to see it lunge for me.
“It went right for my neck, but as I backed up, I stumbled over a fallen tree and fell. My legs flew up as I flipped and it caught my thigh in its mouth,” he said, absently rubbing his hand over the white dressing.
I gasped, horror stricken. My heart pounded in terror for what my friend must’ve felt. In sympathy, I reached out and curled my fingers around Aidan’s where they lay on his leg, a silent show of concern and support. He looked up at me and smiled, squeezing my hand.
“Then what happened?” I urged quietly.
“I don’t know. Maybe Mer don’t taste like chicken. It’s like once it bit me, it changed its mind. When it let me go, I kicked it right in the face and then it took off. It was really weird.”
“What did it look like?” Jackson asked.
“Well, that’s the strange part. That’s why I think it was Wolfhardt. It was sort of wolf like, but it wasn’t a regular animal. It had fur and a muzzle and a tail like a dog. But it walked upright and had, like, hands rather than paws. They didn’t look like normal hands, but they were still hands. The fingers were long and skinny and black with sharp claws, like talons almost. And you should’ve seen the teeth on that thing!”
We all fell silent after Aidan finished, each of us digesting what he’d said. I’d been so worried about Kellina, who was obviously safe inside her house, I hadn’t even thought about the danger to others.
I saw Aidan gingerly touch his lip. It was cut, too.
“What happened to your lip?”
Aidan chuckled.
“Kellina busted it when she accidentally elbowed me earlier. Long story,” he explained. He looked at Jackson and winked. “She kissed it and made it better, though.”
Jackson didn’t return his smile.
Aidan rolled his eyes away, raising his eyebrows and muttering “O-kay.”
Apparently, he was no more comfortable with Jackson’s surliness than I was.
“What did the doctor say?” Jackson asked gruffly.
“He said the wound was already starting to heal. Said it should be fine by morning.”
“Is that all?”
Aidan shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much. Why?”
“Just making sure,” Jackson said vaguely. “I’ll have Marlow stay until you’re released.” He inclined his head toward the door, indicating the guard stationed outside.
Something about the way Jackson frowned as he looked at Aidan made me think there was something else on his mind, something he didn’t want Aidan to know. I wanted to ask, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me in front of them. I’d have to wait until I could get him alone to find out.
“So, when can you go home?” I asked.
“In a few hours. They want to watch me for a while.”
“Why?”
Aidan shrugged again, unconcerned.
“Eye candy for the nurses I guess.”
“Do you want me to call Kellina for you?”
“Nah, I don’t want her to worry. I’ll just talk to her tomorrow,” he said.
“Be right back,” Jackson suddenly announced, walking out the door to talk to Sentinel Marlow.
I waited until I saw him finish his conversation with the guard before I excused myself as well. I wanted to catch Jackson before he came back into the room.
“Can I talk to you for just a second?” I kept my voice low.
Jackson looked back to the guard and nodded then turned toward me. I walked several steps away from both the guard and the door.
“Something’s up. What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, putting his hands on his hips like I’d seen him do before. He was clamming up and it rankled.
“Look,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Like it or not, we’re in this together. If you’re concerned about something, I need to know what it is.”
Jackson watched me carefully for several long, tense seconds before he looked back over his shoulder. When he was sure we weren’t being overheard, he turned back to me.
“I’d like to talk to the doctor about Aidan’s bite. I’m not sure what we can expect since Wolfhardt’s saliva carries the curse,” he said bluntly.
I felt the blood rush from my face. Mer were very difficult to kill, but as far as I knew, no one had ever considered what would happen to them in a case like this. Was the curse meant only for humans? Or was it transmitted to any creature exposed to Wolfhardt’s saliva?
“Why don’t you want Aidan to know?”
I didn’t mean for my question to sound so accusatory, but it did, even to my own ears.
“Because there’s no reason for anyone to panic until we know what we’re dealing with. That means you are not to tell him either. Are we clear?”
I clenched my teeth.
“No, we are not clear, Jackson. These are not the types of decisions you get to make unilaterally and then expect the rest of us to just go along with. Aidan
is my friend and I think he deserves to know what he could be facing. That’s not something you just spring on someone after the fact.”
“There is no reason that—”
“Yes there is. He is my friend and I care about him. This could change his life forever and he is a large part of the Mer future. He needs to know.”
“Oh,” Jackson said, looking down at me from beneath his lashes. “Is that what this is about?”
I frowned.
“What?”
“You’re thinking about your future fiancée and how he could rule Atlas as some sort of hybrid.”
“I’m more worried about Aidan, but I have to think about Atlas. In case you’ve forgotten, we can’t really go to my father for advice. I have to start thinking like the princess that I am,” I defended.
“Of course. Atlas comes first,” he agreed, though his comment seemed liberally laced with bitterness. “Where would we be without the royals to keep us in line?”
“Jackson, you know I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know you didn’t, Princess. It’s just the way that it is. Always has been, always will be.”
After he got that off his chest, Jackson let out a frustrated grunt and moved out of my way.
“If you want to tell him, be my guest. It’s your decision, Princess,” he said, inclining his head in a condescending bow.
Though his attitude set my teeth on edge, there was no denying that Jackson was as capable as he was gorgeous. And, though I was torn between slapping him and kissing him, one thing was pretty clear—I should heed his advice. Even though I felt like we should tell Aidan, I knew that it would be in my best interest (Aidan’s, too) to listen to him. There was a reason that he had leapfrogged over thousands of other Sentinels to land in his current position. I knew it would be a mistake to let myself forget that.
I swallowed the humph that pushed at my lips, choosing instead to play my part.
Smiling tightly, I said, “No. I value your opinion and if you feel it’s best to wait, then we’ll wait.”
It was obvious by the look on Jackson’s face that my acquiescence had surprised him. But still, he said nothing.
“So, what now?”
Jackson studied me for a moment before responding.
“I think we need to talk to the doctor, see if we can get some idea of what we might be dealing with.”