by N. R. Larry
He lifted both eyebrows.
“You know, black on the outside...”
He laughed. “White on the inside?” He nodded and winked at me. “Yeah. I can totally see that.”
“Hey.” This time, when I went to splash him, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.
Gazing straight into my eyes and breathing hard, he said, “I adapt. Quickly.”
I nodded. “I see that.” My words were shaky.
Slowly, he let go of my wrist and slid his hand to the side of my face. Swallowing, he traced the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone, and then almost painfully slowly, against my bottom lip. “For fuck's sake, your lips,” he grunted, inching closer and closer to my face. “Do you know…” He took a breath. “What I would be willing to do to be invited to kiss you?”
Just like that, I couldn’t breathe. My heart practically exploded in my chest. I couldn’t move. My entire body began to tremble with such violence that water slopped over the sides of the tub.
The feeling that I had never wanted something more in my entire life washed over me. For a moment, it consumed me. I could picture him taking me out of that water and slamming me against the wall.
I closed my eyes, trying to grab at one coherent thought.
“Don’t worry,” he said, licking his bottom lip like a man trying to get me to climb the walls. “I’m not going to try. Not even going to ask.” He pulled back, but his gaze never left my mouth.
I touched my bottom lip. “Why not?”
His eyes narrowed and his expression was simply the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Every part of me tingled in response to him. I wanted to grab him and pull him into the bath with me.
A light smile touched his lips. “I don’t know.” His voice was still husky. “You seem like the kind of girl that gets swept away with a guy. Neither one of us has time for that.”
I blinked at him, and then laughed because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yes.” He winked. “I’m that kind of girl.”
I laughed in earnest at that. “Oh, so you’re cute, too?”
He stood, took a towel from the side of the tub and handed it to me. “I have a plan for getting your friends back. But we have to move soon.”
I nodded, guilt biting into me for having the nerve to enjoy myself for even a moment.
“I had some clothes brought over for you. I’m sorry, everything you had on you was burned by the Party.”
That stung. “Even my bow and arrow?”
A confused look crossed his face. “No, actually. The thing showed up almost as soon as you went missing. It’s back at my place.”
I smiled. “Good ole’ magic.”
He stared at me, that intense expression back on his face. “Yeah well, I’ll meet you back over at my place?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t wanna sound like a weak woman, but can you wait outside the door and walk over with me?”
He smiled. “A weak woman never admits when she needs someone to lean on,” he said in a near whisper.
Yeah, he definitely wanted me to jump him. I nodded and stared at him as he exited the bathroom. I took a moment to actually wash up in the now lukewarm water. I climbed out of the tub, dried myself off, and pulled on the slightly baggy shorts and plain t-shirt Ty had left for me.
I was grateful for the shorts. Finally, I wrapped my hair up in the towel and ducked out of the bathroom. Ty was leaned against the wall, his head tilted toward the ceiling, eyes closed.
I closed the door a little harder than necessary, and his eyes popped open. He turned his head to me, scanned his eyes up and down. It’s hard to describe the feeling he was bringing out in me. It was like, I felt like a woman again. I hadn’t felt like that, like just a woman, in five years.
“You ready?” he asked, standing up straight.
I nodded and then walked beside him through the only part of the camp that felt like an actual home, and outside into the humid, night air. I kept pace with him as we crossed the dusty ground, toward his stone house.
A figure came toward us with a purpose in her walk. Beside me, Ty groaned. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see better in the darkness.
Adrian.
I came to a stop. When she was in full view, I was relieved that she was all in one piece.
Sort of.
“What the fuck are you doing out?” Ty growled.
Adrian ignored him and glared at me. I decided I didn’t want to know what he meant by ‘out.’
“So, you’re staying?” she grumbled at me.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Adrian, Lawrence and I have important things to discuss. Run along home.”
She started to turn on her heels when I grabbed her arm, much more roughly than I needed to. “No. We need to talk.”
Adrian turned back around, jerking herself out of my grip.
Ty sighed. “Are you sure?”
Adrian’s icy gaze cut over to him. “It’s weird that you’re listening to anyone. It’s even weirder that this is who you choose to listen to.”
His eyes narrowed in that dangerous way. “Watch it.”
She turned back to me. “If you’re looking for an apology, you’re not going to get it.” She stepped closer to me. “Did you see what he did to Cody over you?”
I licked my bottom lip, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was attached to a live wire. “I don’t want your apology.” I jerked my closed fists up and down, trying to throw magic into them. The effort made me instantly dizzy. I hadn’t used magic in who knows how long.
On the second try, I felt my fists warm up and then crackle with a magical electricity. “I’ve never had use for forced apologies,” I told her.
“So, then. What—”
I reared back and busted her across her pretty little face. There was a loud crack, and then she went sailing onto her back. I leaped onto her, and while I’m not proud, I have to admit: I pulled the bitch’s hair.
Chapter 13
I learned two important things after I sucker punched Adrian.
One: Shifters are a lot like high school students, they love a good fight. Even Mrs. Sophie hobbled herself outside to take in the action.
Two: Shifter strength. It’s easy to forget about until it punches you back in the face.
I put her on her back, and in return, she punched me through two tents and into a pile of goods they had salvaged. Using telekinesis to lift myself up, I braced myself as she came running at me.
I held my hands out, used my magic to form an astral bat, and then clocked her across the chest. The energy hit her, and she froze. In the background, everyone started chanting, “Fight, fight, fight.”
She growled at me, her skin starting to vibrate.
I narrowed my eyes. “No shifting allowed.”
Sweat started to bead up on her forehead. “But magic is?”
“Unless you can turn off shifter strength.” I raised the bat over my head and brought it down. She raised her hand, trying to catch it, only to have it slip through her fingers like running water. I smirked. “It’s astral energy, dumbass.”
Without waiting for her to respond, I shifted the shape of the bat into a small vortex, jabbed her in the throat, and then tossed her in. Before it closed up, I jumped in behind her.
The small portal I opened up zipped closed behind us, and I stood there, facing her in a grayish world without sound. She paced the small space, looking around with wild eyes.
“What? What is this?” She pounded the edges of the world I forced her into. It rippled around her and then tightened back up.
“You won’t be able to leave this place unless I let you leave.”
She turned to me, rage made into a concrete thing on her face. She came at me with an outreached fist, which I caught easily before it could get any purchase. Her eyes widened slightly.
“Yeah,” I said, shoving her back
slightly. “Abilities don’t work here. Only the magic that will release us.”
She huffed. “Good, I can kick your ass without any of your stupid tricks.” She swung at me, and I ducked out of the way.
I laughed. “Listen, let’s get this out of the way. All things being equal, no way you’re kicking my ass. I was trained by one of the toughest witches of our era. So, just calm your tits.”
She snorted. “Your little witch had sloppy form.” She swung again, and this time when I caught her blow, I pulled her close and tightened my grip. She struggled against me, but I wouldn’t let her go.
“That ‘little witch’ was my mother. And watch your fucking mouth.” I threw her to the ground.
She raised up, whipped the hair out of her face, and panted. I started to circle her. “I have one question for you,” I said, staring down at her.
“I don’t owe you anything.”
The fact that she sounded like she believed that boiled the fury inside me, I grabbed her by the collar and slammed her against the nearest wall. It rippled and she started to slide back into it.
I was weak. This plane wouldn’t hold for long.
“Because of you, I wound up in a place that locked me inside of a cage like I was an animal.” I blinked the tears searing my eyes back. “How could anyone do that to another person?” I slammed her head into the wall again. It rolled like angry water. “You owe me an explanation, and neither one of us is leaving until I get it.”
She shoved me back and brushed herself off.
As I stared at her, the anger mounted and mounted. I pictured myself back in that cage and snorted. “Please don’t tell me you did this over a stupid guy.”
She turned and stared at me as if she just noticed I was standing there. “What are you talking about?”
I laughed. “Please don’t play with me. I know you like Ty. Hell, everyone knows you like him.”
She leaned over and gave me a look like she thought I was the dumbest person she’d ever had the fortune of being caught on the astral plane with. Finally, she shook her head. “I’m not that girl,” she said simply, and then squared her shoulders. “Of course I’m in love with Ty.”
When the words landed, they hit a lot harder than they should have. It’s not as if she revealed something I didn’t already know.
“What else could it be?” I asked, balling my hands into fists.
She snorted. “In your little mind, that’s all it could be.”
I threw my hands up. “You don’t even know me, bitch. What could I have done to deserve that?”
Again, she pushed me away. Staring me down, she said, “You hid.”
I shook my head. “What?”
“You hid.” She jetted toward me so fast her hair whipped away from her face. “You hid with all of this going on. You decided who would be safe, who you’d take with you, and you just hid. How does that make you any better than them?”
The silence following her outburst stretched on for miles. From the corners of my vision, I could tell the plane was about to collapse in on itself. My mother used to be able to make these places last months. Thinking about her made me feel cold, like someone left out in the storm with nowhere to go. I wonder what she would have done in this world. Would she have hidden, like I did?
No, she would have fought.
Clearing my throat, I hugged myself. “You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” I said, a bitter taste on my tongue.
She scoffed. “I’m surprised you haven’t run back to your precious Underground already.” Her nose wrinkled slightly. “And if you let Ty down, I’ll do a lot worse to you. For some reason, he actually believes in you.”
“I did the only thing I could,” I said, more to myself than to her.
She snorted again. “Well, it was a pretty weak move.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Your feelings about my decisions are no justification for what you did.” I stepped closer to her. “And you should go out of your way to remember that I’m not hiding anymore.”
With that, I lifted my hands and bent the astral plane. Then I dropped us back into the real world.
* * *
I hit the ground hard. The camp was in chaos. People were running this way and that, calling out my name. Calling out Adrian’s name. Ty was standing in the exact spot we disappeared in. He looked over, wide-eyed, and then came over and offered his hand to me. Adrian was in a pile a few feet away from me.
I let Ty pull me up.
“Where the hell did you go?” he asked in a half amused, half flustered tone as everyone gathered around us.
I quickly explained and got low mutters of amazement in return.
Ty looked down at me and shook his head. “You can create other planes of existence?”
Tying my hair into a tight bun at the back of my neck, I nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not very good at it.”
He snorted with laughter and then waved everyone off. “Alright, guys, nothing to see here. Go on about your business.”
Everyone left almost right away, tossing curious glances over their shoulders.
I nodded at Adrian, who was limping her way toward a tent. “She’s gonna be disoriented for a few days. If I were you, I’d tell her not to shift. I don’t know what might happen.”
He snorted. “She’s a big girl.”
I stared at him. “I’m glad to see she’s still in once piece.”
He stared back at me.
I shook my head. “I need my bow and arrow. I promised a friend in the Underground that I would send word every day. I haven’t sent a letter since last night.”
He tilted his head and gave me a strange look and I broke into a slight sweat.
“In two nights?” I guessed.
He shook his head. “Lawrence, you were at that holding center for a week and a half.”
Time slowed around this new information. A week and a half. I know it felt like longer, but there’s no way. I brought my palm to my forehead. “Gaia, she’s probably freaking out.”
He started back toward his house, waving me along. I followed, and he went to the side of the stone house. Seconds later he came back with my bow and arrow.
Handing it to me, he said, “Come on,” and I followed him into the well-lit space.
After glancing around I smiled. “You cleaned up in here.”
He glanced up from the pile of papers he was going through on his counter and half smiled. “Yeah well, after I walked in and saw you had started, I got the hint.”
“It was really bad,” I said as I took a pad of paper and dull pencil from him.
“Well, I haven’t had anyone inside this place in years.”
With a smile, I went back outside and scribbled a quick, but detailed note to Aubrey. Then I shot the arrow off into the night.
“I want to offer your people a place in the Underground,” I said as I followed the arrow’s course through the air and out of sight. I turned to him and sat on a large rock.
He sat with me on the ground. “No one would take you up on that.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
He smiled. “Remember me after only a day down there?” He shook his head. “No, shifters have to be out in the open or we go crazy.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I paused a beat. “You said you had a plan to get into Camp Death?”
“Yeah, you want to go inside?”
I glanced at his open door and shuddered. “For now, I simply want to be outside.”
He nodded his understanding.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.
“Gloria Wallace—”
I held up my hand. “That reminds me of the millions of questions I have.”
He sighed and rubbed his hands together. “She came to the camp three nights ago. Turns out, she knew where we were located the entire time.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What did she want?”
“She told me she
’s been helping people like us for the past two years. Said she was going to help you when you showed up at the brewery and so obviously didn’t belong―but we both jumped the gun.”
I snorted. “And you believe her?”
“I don’t trust her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Then why are we working with her?”
“Because it’s the best bet for you to get your friends out of that camp.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now, do want to hear the rest of the plan?”
I stared at him.
“Look, I know. Bitch is straight up evil. She also took a huge risk helping us get you out. If anyone suspects her for a moment, she could get hanged as a race traitor.”
I frowned. “Did she say why?”
He shook his head. “And I didn’t ask. I was focused on one thing. Getting you back.”
The way he said it, the light possessiveness in his tone made me dizzy.
“We can use her,” he said in a low voice. “How much do you want to get your friends back?”
I nodded. “Fine, what’s the plan?”
He went over it quickly. It was the same plan, only we had an in with Gloria, who was going to arrange that another Underground sympathizer would be operating the train.
I bit down on my lip. “Sounds good, when do we go?”
“Day after tomorrow?”
I looked past him, to where two shifters were playing with a deflated soccer ball. “Maybe I should return to the Underground and bring Danica in on this.”
He shook his head. “They have shifters at Camp Death. We can see through glamour.”
A shiver of fear ran through me. “We can’t get caught. I can’t go back into one of those cages.”
He reached out and squeezed my arm. I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the sensation. “We won’t get caught. Mrs. Sophie can work wonders with costume makeup.”
I smiled. “Okay.” The memory of the cages, and more than that, the singing, floated back to me. “Ty,” I said in a low voice.
His eyes widened slightly.
“We have to go back for them.” I swallowed. “There was a girl there. She had the most beautiful voice. We can’t leave them there.”
His hold on my arm tightened and he scooted closer to me. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”