“Where are we going? Maybe we should stay and rest while we can.”
“Can’t. They might come back.”
“Jet—”
“Skylla, keep moving. We have no idea what they’re up to, and we’re not going to wait around to find out. We need to get to that railroad.”
“No, hold up.” I sprang forward and snatched his shirtsleeve, forcing him to turn and face me. “I need to catch my breath. I’m not … not a machine like you. I don’t have the stamina, and how are you not at all freaked out by what just went down back there? I need to slow down, need to think.” Especially about the water I’d seen. The ocean. I couldn’t shake the image from my mind. Peaceful, yet so unsettling. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the strange contradiction.
Jet’s earnest face searched mine, then the perimeter behind me, his eyes unable to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds. His brow was sweaty, his nostrils flaring. “Think later. I’m just as freaked out as you are. But I also know that whatever just happened, it wasn’t an accident. They retreated for a reason, and whatever it was, it’s not good for us. Come on, I’ll carry you.”
He started forward to reach for me but I refused him, jutting backward. “You can’t carry me and run like that again.”
“Yes I can.” He held out his arms. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”
“But your hip is busted up … I don’t want you to.”
“You’re tired. We have to run. You don’t leave me much of a choice. I don’t mind, come on—”
“I said no.” I stepped around him and started to push leaves and branches to the side, carving a path for us to continue on. The effort was nowhere near as graceful as Jet’s, but it would get the job done. “I’ll keep going, but I need you to slow down. I don’t think they’re coming after us. If they wanted us, they had their shot.”
A dry huff escaped his lips. “You know, I’m starting to think you were sent to me, with the sole purpose to drive me crazy.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like you’re stuck with me. Now if you keep making things more difficult, I’ll get pissed and have to turn up the crazy notch to dangerously disturbing levels.” I sent him a small smile over my shoulder.
“Is there anything that doesn’t piss you off?”
“Yeah, flowers and sunshine. But there’s none of that to be found since this world fell into a hellhole, so you won’t see me cracking rainbow smiles or going easy on you anytime soon.” Before I could say another word, I was lifted up off the ground and heaved into his arms. “Hey. Put me down!”
He resumed his stride, using his shoulders now to clear our path. Deep azure eyes found mine. “For the record, there is still sunshine.”
“I didn’t mean literally.”
“Quit fussing. I’ll make you a deal. I run and you rest, at least until the sun goes down. Then you can stomp around and pout all you want.”
I squirmed in his hold, but it didn’t take me long to give up. His grip was too strong. My arms laced around his neck and I glared up at him. “That sounds more like you having your way until you decide to let me have mine.”
“Yeah, that’s about right.”
“I don’t want you to carry me.”
“Well, what you want and what’s actually going to happen are two very different realities.”
“What kind of convoluted crap is that?”
“True convoluted crap. Now stop busting my balls and let me carry you.”
I sighed, making sure it was long and overly dramatic.
Jet shook his head, a small grin tugging at his lips while he pried his eyes from mine to focus on the task. “Piss and vinegar, baby. Piss and vinegar.”
We forged on like that for a while, my perception of time no less disoriented than before. The only thing that helped set me straight was the sunset. As the sun lowered in the horizon, a rush of energy suddenly washed over me, the imminent darkness fueling me with a sense of urgency. “It’s time to hold up the other part of your deal,” I said, wiggling in his arms. “I get to stomp and pout now.” One look at his face told me he was struggling. His eyelids were heavier, his cheeks and lips pulled down, as if I wasn’t the only weight he was carrying.
I knew I wasn’t.
Finally setting me on my feet, he slipped his backpack off his shoulders and zipped it open to pull out the map Lillian had given him, along with a flashlight. He adjusted something that looked like a flashy, high-tech compass, pressing buttons while counting and mumbling quietly to himself. “About twenty more miles. You sure you can walk?”
“You sure you can?” I eyed his hip, fingering the hem of his shirt aside to take a peek. It was bloodier than before, and the bruising wasn’t making me feel any better about his condition. His face gave away no hint of pain when I traced the edge of the sopping wet bandage, his stoic expression so indifferent, I really wouldn’t be surprised if he was a machine.
“I’m fine.” He nudged my finger away and reached for my gun, pulling it from its holster to hand it to me. “Finger on the trigger.”
I exhaled a steady, deep breath through my lips, my bangs fluttering over my forehead. “Yes sir,” I mumbled, giving him a saucy salute.
“There won’t be much cover when we make it out of this cusp of trees. We’ll have to move fast.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Jet gave me a tired nod and started forward again. His flashlight began to flicker and I grew nervous. The batteries wouldn’t last forever, and I didn’t doubt that they were right up there on the list of priority needs, like antibiotics. He shut it off with a curse, and I worked to keep up with him, listening for his movement to stay right on his heels.
A branch snapping somewhere to the left caused us both to freeze, our breaths audibly hitching.
“Could be an animal,” I whispered, so low I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me.
“Not likely. Haven’t seen one since …”
Another snap echoed in the night, followed by a soft rustling of branches.
His hand found mine in the dark and slid over my fingers, checking to make sure I was ready to shoot. His flashlight turned on but he didn’t let go of my hand. Slowly, he guided the light to the left, keeping it low to the ground first, before raising it to illuminate the perimeter. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said, shining the light on a beautiful Siberian Husky. Its coat was dirt-ridden and matted, its blue eyes bright and feral with hunger as it stared back at us. Its mouth was moving, chewing on something, its gaze trained on us.
That gaze ensnared me and without hesitating, I moved toward the dog.
“Wait,” Jet snapped. “Wandering up to stray dogs in the woods is on my what not to do list.”
“There are maniacal humans and an alien species running around, and you’re worried about a dog?”
“That’s not the point, Skylla.”
“He’s housebroken,” I said, still moving, keeping my gaze on the animal. “Nothing to worry about.”
“You don’t know that. If he’s starving … Skylla! Damn it, will you listen to me?”
I didn’t respond, just kept inching forward, stepping over a large log and some stray branches, turning my palms out and upward before bending down before the dog. A shiny silver tag caught my eye. “See? A collar,” I said, a little louder this time, carefully reaching under the dog’s chin to take the tag in my hand. A phone number and address was engraved across the silver, so faint in the stingy light that I couldn’t make it out. The dog flinched as I ran my finger over the words. “Ssshhh, it’s okay, buddy. You hungry?” I swiveled on my hip and dipped a hand into my pocket, pulled out a small fistful of dried-oatmeal leftovers from our stay at the Black Hole. Lowering the crumbs to the ground, I petted his head as he hurried to lick them from the soil, his breath rapid as he inhaled the meager offering. I half expected Jet to criticize the effort, aware myself that we didn’t have much food between the two of us.
But when I glanced back at him,
I found him silent. Staring at the exchange.
A flash of something soft glinted in his striking blue eyes as he locked gazes with me. The connection was so penetrating, I had to look away. My gaze dropped back to the dog, where something else caught my attention. Just a few feet behind him lay a soft flannel blanket, and a notebook of some kind. I rose to my feet and walked over to it, turning back to face Jet when I spotted even more items stuffed into a cardboard box near the blanket. “Hey, I need some more light.” I waved him over.
Jet was at my side in an instant. The flashlight began to flicker again, and I knew I had to work fast. I dropped back to the ground to rifle through the cardboard box, and I could feel Jet’s gaze scanning the area around us, could feel the apprehension emanating from him. “We need to move.”
“I know, hold on.” I continued to fumble through the box, finding a can of corn and then a few more notebooks, their pages blank and damp. I snatched the corn and blanket and held them up to Jet for him to stash away, then gave the box one last dig. My fingers stilled at something soft. I tugged at it, pulling it out from underneath the notebooks.
A teddy bear.
I studied the brown stuffed animal, searching for any damage. A small splash of white stuffing peeked out through a gash on the left leg, but other than that, it was in good condition. “Here,” I said, standing to my feet. “Take this, too.”
“I don’t think a toy will be much good for trading. It’ll take up too much space in our bag. Leave it, come on.” He dismissed the bear with a wave and turned to head back in the direction we came.
My hand shot out and grabbed his elbow. “No, not for trading.”
“What?” He turned, his confused expression prompting a wry grin to tip my lips.
“For Hera.” I pressed the bear into his chest. “When you find her.” I bent down and petted the dog one last time, wetness sneaking up on my eyelids. I wished we could take him with us, but I knew it wasn’t possible. He’d be safer foraging on his own than he would be on the run with us, and knowing my burning passion for four-legged, furry creatures, I knew I wouldn’t be able to bear it if something happened to him while he was with us.
Still, the thought of leaving him stung. I needed to distance myself immediately.
Sucking in a breath and swiping the moisture from my eyes, I pried myself away from the dog and moved hastily past Jet to head back to our original path. When I found the light wasn’t following me, I swung around, squinting to focus on him in the dim light. “You ready?”
He still had his back to me, his head lowered as he stared down at the bear, the flashlight dangling limply from his other hand. This was the first time I’d seen neither of his hands cupping the gun strung across his chest.
“Jet?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled halfheartedly, still making no effort to move. When a bone-shaking boom echoed in the distance, he raised his head. Stuffing the bear into his bag, he jolted toward me; the flickering light of his flashlight bounced with his movement. The dog let out a small whimper and darted off, disappearing into the darkness before I had a chance to catch a final glimpse of him.
“Black Hole raid,” he said, his voice low. “Somewhere nearby. Not a good sign. Let’s move.”
My thoughts slipped to the Black Hole we’d just left behind and the men who’d led us inside, and to Lillian and all of the men, women, and children huddled within its walls. Those thoughts were ruptured with the sound of another loud boom, this time a faint orange glow permeating the sky above us, accompanying the loud bang. I threw my body into motion and raced after Jet, my breath skipping in the night air while twigs and leaves crunched beneath my boot-clad feet.
“Twenty miles?” I asked.
“Twenty miles,” he confirmed, flicking off the flashlight. The black sky flared with another grim hue of pale coral light, calling my thoughts back to its possible source and with them, a shudder.
I only hoped we would make it that far.
* * *
My lungs, thighs, and torso ached by the time we reached the railroad track Lillian had told us about.
But it wasn’t me my worries were focused on.
From what I could tell under the cool moonlight, Jet was looking rougher by the second. We’d managed to find the track in the dark with the map’s help, aided by Jet’s skillful sixth sense for sensing any movement within a two-mile radius.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a sixth sense, but the man put my instinctual sensors to shame.
He was perceptive, and his reflexes lightning. Always patient, and observant to a fault. The more time I spent around him, the more I longed to be like him—good at something. Back in Morton, I’d never really had the chance to pursue any potential. Taking classes at the community college had been the first step, but even then I felt at a loss. I didn’t fit into that mold, and I wasn’t sure I ever would.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
“Anyone can learn how to fly,” Jet had told me during our trek to the train track. “But being a naturally observant person makes learning how to operate an aircraft that much easier. Being aware of your surroundings for safety, being aware of your gauges and instruments … it’s all a part of the job. Training to work for the Invaders made me even more watchful. Of everything.”
The quiet drone of a train’s chugging grew louder as it approached but was still eerily muted, a graceful ghost passing in the night. Minimal light shone from the front car as Jet stepped forward to align himself with its path.
“How do we know where it stops?” I asked, positioning myself next to him.
“We don’t.”
“So …”
“So we have to make a run for it.”
“You mean jump?”
“Yup.”
“As in … jump onto a moving train.”
“Yup.”
“This is crazy.”
“A dangerously disturbing level of crazy. No worries, baby.” He patted my shoulder with a smartass grin. “It’s just your area of expertise.” I narrowed my eyes at him, storing that one away for a future retaliation jab of my own.
Adrenaline spiked as the train grew closer, every nerve ending a live wire to the heart pounding violently in my chest. Jet grabbed my hand, glancing at my gun. “I’ll go first. Once I get a good grip, I’ll haul you up. Whatever you do, don’t stop running. And don’t let go.”
“I should go first,” I raised my voice to speak over the rumbling of the track. “You’re hurt. You’re going to need upper body strength.”
“I’m fine. Don’t fight me on this.”
Blood pounded hot in my ears, my heart rate jumping and hair blowing wildly around my cheeks when the train began to whizz by. The rush in my veins propelled me forward the moment I spotted an opportunity, and I launched into a controlled sprint. Springing upward, I lunged forward and latched on to the side of the car, the metal handle slipping beneath my sweaty grip. I shrieked and latched on harder, hearing Jet’s voice thunder behind me. The train’s vibrations rattled against my chest, sending my senses on high alert.
Clenching the handle until my knuckles hurt, I bit down on my lip to ease the tension and yanked hard to the right, feeling a heavy latch click and shift beneath my fingers. The door slid open and I hauled myself up and inside, grabbing onto the side of the frame to steady myself before flipping around to reach for Jet. He was running full speed after me, his arms pumping tight and sharp at his sides as he tore forward.
“Come on!” I yelled, extending one arm. It only took him a few seconds to catch up, his agile form sending his body off the ground and up onto the car before I could blink. With a loud shout, he clamped onto my arm, his other hand flying over his chest to cradle his gun. I was thrown onto my back with a thud before I knew what hit me, his body covering mine with a crash that left me seeing stars.
“Fucking crazy woman!” he shouted over the rail’s relentless roar, louder now that we were level with it. “What the hell do you think you’r
e doing?” His heat pressed into me, his arms caging me in as he stared down into my eyes, his nose aligned with mine.
“Fulfilling my sole purpose to drive you mad, it seems.” I couldn’t help it. The rush sent me sky-high, and an explosive laugh escaped my lungs. I shook beneath him, my breath heaving against his chest.
“Damn it, Skylla!” He dropped his head as he gasped for air. “Seriously!” he added for effect, but there was nothing serious in his voice now. He was laughing too, just as deep, just as euphorically as I was, and I decided right then that the sound of Jet’s laugh was almost as sexy as his full lips and ripped body.
“Wanna go again?”
“You’re reckless. I can’t even look at you.”
“You’re crushing me.”
His head lifted, those blue eyes settling on me as his laughter slowed. “You deserve it.”
My hand shifted and found his injured hip; my fingers brushed the bandage through his shirt. He flinched. “And you need to admit when you need help.”
Pushing himself up, he rolled off me and sat back on his heels, wincing and gripping his side, his lips pulling back and teeth visibly grinding with the motion. I sat up and scooted forward, mindful of the gaping railcar door. I reached up and slid it shut, slamming it with a loud grunt until I felt it lock into place. The loud rumble of the wheels hitting the track was muted now, but the rattling hum still thumped away from outside, filling the dimly lit car with a shaky buzz.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“Fine. Play it your way. I’m going to see if I can find you some medicine.”
I helped push him backward to prop him against the wall, peeling his backpack from his shoulders first. “Try and rest, I’ll see what I can find out.”
“I’m not letting you wander around these cars alone. Not fuckin’ happening.”
“If you don’t rest and get medicine for that wound soon, I’ll be stuck wandering everywhere alone. That ointment won’t cut it. You’re going to need antibiotics. It’s starting to get infected.”
His gaze snapped up to mine and held my stare. “Finger on the trigger.”
“Fire on your mark.” I smirked.
Curses, Fates & Soul Mates Page 105