“Explain to me again why Jude didn’t come with us?” I twisted in the seat to get more comfortable.
“When we get to the compound, I’ll get in touch with him and he’ll get us inside,” Edge said, darting glances between me and the road.
“Do you think this is going to work?” I let the question slip.
Edge quirked his eyebrow at me. “Second thoughts, sweetheart?”
“No. I was just wondering…never mind,” I told him. “And don’t call me sweetheart.”
Edge let a deep burst of laughter out as he reached over to squeeze my knee. “You’re not much for endearments, are you?”
I pushed his hand away. There was something about Edge that made me fidgety. His presence alone made me nervous, but not a bad nervous. No, he made me want things I was better off ignoring.
“Relax, Jade, we’ll get your friends and get the book. I’ve never lost a fight that I set out to win.” He winked. “Besides, between your magic and my magic, they don’t stand a chance.”
“My magic?” I squeaked.
“What are you not telling me?”
“Edge, I don’t know how to use my magic. It’s locked up tight by a binding spell.”
“What?” My seat belt cut into my shoulder as Edge slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched in protest as the car fishtailed to a stop. It was dead quiet when Edge put the car in park and got out. He slammed the door so hard, the car rocked on its frame. My whole body was shaking as I unlatched the seatbelt. I used the door to pull myself upright, my legs shaking uncontrollably.
The more I thought about it, the madder it made me. What right did he have to be angry? I was the one who was blocked from magic, not him. And what difference would it make if I had magic or not? I was grabbing a book and leaving, not confronting the Nomads.
I let go of the door and stormed over to him. “What the hell is your problem?” I demanded.
“My problem? Oh, sweetheart, you just don’t get it, do you?”
“No, I guess I don’t. But you do, so why don’t you fill me in.”
Edge snorted and turned away from me.
“What?” I followed him, but he wouldn’t stop to face me. I finally gave up and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn.
“If we run into trouble, what are you going to do?” he asked.
“I…”
“You what? How do you plan on defending yourself from an attack when you can’t use the one thing that will save you?” He shook his arm free of my grasp and I stumbled backwards. I tripped on a rock and felt myself falling. His strong arms caught me, pulling me forward until I was snugly against his chest. His hands ran the length of my back and sifted through my hair.
I couldn’t think straight with him so close. My thoughts jumbled and then scattered, creating a dull hum as he continued to assault my senses. My limbs trembled with each movement he made. My heartbeat fluttered as he softly pressed his lips to my forehead. Energy grew between us and surged like static electricity. The current broke, leaving pinpoints of energy snapping between us.
Edge sucked in a gasp and pulled away.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Something neither one of us can control,” he whispered. Slowly, he untangled his hands from my hair and slid his fingertips along my cheeks before stepping away from me.
I let him lead me to the car. The door shut with a quiet click
Something major had just happened as the energy flowed between us. There was this space inside of me, a hollow one for the longest time, that suddenly felt completed. And it had something to do with Edge, and I didn’t know what to think about it.
“We’re getting close. I’m going to park over in that wooded area and we’ll go in by foot,” he told me as brought the car to a stop.
Before I could get my seatbelt off, my door was open and Edge was holding his hand out to me. Weird, he was being really weird.
Edge pulled out a cell phone. “Jude will be waiting for us on the east side of the compound,” he said, turning it off and putting it back into his pocket.
The sun was starting to set. Light flickered from the compound as the shadows grew deeper. “We’ll wait for Jude to stick his head out that door, and then we make a run for it…okay?”
I swallowed down the fear that started creeping up. Now was not the time to chicken out.
“Jade?”
I turned to look at him. His face, mere inches from mine, was slowly descending. “I promise, you will come to no harm,” he said before placing a brief kiss to my lips.
With a sigh, Edge stepped back and linked his fingers with mine again. He tugged my hand as my mind flew in a million different directions. He tilted his head and my gaze followed. “Ready?” he asked.
Jude was standing in a doorway, motioning for us to run. I had no time to analyze what the kiss meant.
I nodded sharply and drew in a big breath of courage before darting out into the open field. The pace was so fast that I stumbled a few times on the uneven ground. Edge kept a hold of me, pulling me forward to keep me moving.
My chest heaved as we came to a sudden stop just inside the doorway.
“I thought you two were gonna stay out there all night,” Jude said making kissy noises.
Edge glared at him. “Not cool, man,” he said, gesturing for Jude to lead the way.
Jude smirked and began walking ahead of us. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was singing “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place”. I made a mental note to strangle him when we got back to safety.
“Shut up. Are you trying to get their attention,” Edge asked as he nudged him in the shoulder.
Jude chuckled. “Dude, seriously? They’re all in the council room and when I say all…I mean everyone is.” His grin went ear to ear.
“What do you mean?” Edge asked.
“Something big is going down and every one of the Nomads is either in council or guarding it. The women and children have been in the kitchen all day. It’s like a friggin’ ghost town around the outer part of the compound,” Jude replied.
“This can’t be good. We need to get in and get out,” Edge said, clasping my hand tighter.
I could feel his anxiety. Jude kept walking us further into the quiet compound. The dark corridor we’d been traveling led us to a flight of stairs that descended into the darkness below.
“Go down. At the bottom, there is a room to your left. The book is there. Meet you back at the cave,” he said, reaching out to clasp Edge’s shoulder.
“Be careful,” Edge told him.
“You, too,” Jude said as he waited for us to descend.
This was it. We were going to get the book. Rainy and Matheson would be free and Edge would call Dagger, Jessa and Julie back to us, back to safety. Then we could figure out what the big deal was about the coveted spell book.
The further we went down the stairs, the colder it got. Edge let go of my hand as we got to the door Jude told us about. The hinges groaned as Edge pushed it open. I winced, hoping no one would hear the telltale signs of an intruder.
The room, brightly lit, was empty. Torches were mounted on the walls, casting eerie shadows around the room. The spell book sat atop a stone dais. As I made my way to it, Edge reached out and pulled me back.
“What?” I huffed out impatiently.
“Slow and steady, just in case there’s a trap set,” he warned me.
I nodded my understanding and slowed my steps, cautiously making my way to where the book sat. It was within reach, all I had to do was pick it up. I slid my fingertips along the worn leather. Nothing happened and I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked to Edge before picking it up. “Go ahead,” he whispered.
It was heavy, like the weight of the world resided inside of it. I hugged it close to keep it from slipping out of my arms. I turned to step down from the dais and stumbled. My arms were locked so tight around the book that I couldn’t balance myself. I fell back into the dais. My elbow scraped along the rock and began to stin
g. I slid my hand up my arm and wiped the blood away. The book began to slide out of my tight hold. I let go of my elbow and pulled it tighter against me.
“That was close,” I said with a nervous laugh.
Edge hadn’t moved. He was still standing in the same spot. His arm was extended like he was reaching for me.
“Edge?” What was he doing? We needed to get out of here the book was getting too heavy for me to hold on to.
“Let’s go, this thing weighs a ton,” I told him as I got closer.
His eyes followed me, but he wasn’t moving.
He blinked furiously at me.
I staggered and tried to release the book, but my arms were locked tight around it. Blood from my elbow leaked along my arm and slid down the worn leather leaving droplets on the dirt floor. Each drop hissed and a white puff of smoke rose from it. The air stirred to life and the torches began to shake as the fire engorged and shot up along the walls. An old set of pipes along the ceiling burst. Water sprayed out and formed a small stream that ended at my feet. My body locked in place as all the elements rushed at me. A scream stuck in my throat as the book caught fire and burned into my skin. Pain. It was all I could think about, all I could feel.
My mind began to absorb everything in the spell book I clutched tightly to me. Pages ruffled inside of my head, urging me to remember things and then to forget them. Voices chanted with tempo rising at the breaking points of pain until the book vanished and words to an ancient spell scribed across my arms. Each stroke brought blood to the surface, imprinting words I could not read, words that would forever change who I was.
Edge was shouting my name. I could hear him but I couldn’t move. The words accept it played over and over in my mind to the point of driving me mad. The elements swirled above my head, darting close to my face as if taunting me to repeat the maddening words. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“I accept it!” I screamed in agony as the words bounced along my brain, searing everything in. Magic exploded inside me and snuffed out the elements tormenting me from above. I gasped as the pain built and shattered, leaving me broken on the floor. The sound of turning pages abruptly stopped.
Edge’s body slid along the floor and covered mine as he grabbed me and forced my eyes to meet his. “What have we done?” He pulled me into his body and cradled my head on his shoulder.
The world rushed back at me. My body felt normal. There were no residual effects from the torture I’d just endured. The foreign words along my arms started at the crease of my elbow and were scrawled all the way down the inside of arms to my wrists. The inky black made the words look like tattoos that had been there for years. I struggled to sit up, but Edge wouldn’t let me do it on my own. His strong arms hugged me tightly against him. A warning of danger nudged against the back of my skull. I pulled away from Edge and dusted off my jeans.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said with a shiver.
Edge swept a stray piece of hair from my face. “We’re going to have to move quickly. Are you up for it?” he asked.
“Yes, but I think we need to leave, like right now…I have this bad feeling,” I replied.
The sharp sound of clapping bounced off the walls. My body hummed to life. An enemy was here. I shifted out of Edge’s arms and we stood to face the danger head on.
Edge tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Lorenzo.”
I stiffened. What was the leader of the Triad doing here?
“Not expecting me, I take it?” he sneered.
A million outcomes had barraged my mind on our drive here. Not one of them included running into the Triad, let alone Lorenzo.
Edge shifted himself to stand in front of me and I let him. There was something very sinister about the Triad leader. He carried death in his wake and I wanted very much to continue living. His sharp features and dark eyes reminded me of a bird of prey. His moustache and goatee were trimmed as an upside down salt and pepper colored triangle, framing his sneering mouth. His shoulder length matching hair was tucked behind his ears.
“I’m very disappointed in you, Edge,” he said, glaring at us with beady eyes.
“That’s funny because I really don’t give a shit what you think,” Edge tossed back.
“Enough! What are you doing here?” Lorenzo demanded.
“I’m looking for the book you charged me with recovering,” Edge sneered.
My mind raced. Was it possible that Lorenzo didn’t know that the book just hitched a ride in my body?
“Who are you hiding,” he gestured to me.
“A librarian Mick I enlisted to help me find the book, which apparently is not here,” Edge replied, crossing his arms in defiance.
“You, insolent bastard, I should have strung you up years ago, and would have, if it weren’t for your mother,” he growled.
“Dear old mom, yes, and how is she these days?” Edge taunted him.
I peered over Edge’s shoulder, not believing the conversation I was witnessing. Rage blazed on Lorenzo’s face as he sputtered his words. “I will not tolerate this from you,” he said, landing a solid blow on Edge’s face.
Edge stiffened. “And I will not tolerate the curse my mother bore to you to protect me.” Edge let his words portray the menace he felt. Lorenzo laughed at his words and Edge took a step forward, speaking so low it was almost impossible to make out. “You will leave me alone, in peace, as she has paid her dues to you for that promise.”
“There will be a day when that promise will run out,” Lorenzo threatened. With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.
My knees buckled and I slammed into Edge’s back. “What the hell was that all about?” I shrieked.
“We have to get out of here,” he said as I wobbled on rubbery legs. That had been a close one. If Lorenzo had come any sooner… I didn’t even want to think of the outcome.
Edge had a lot of explaining to do. The argument I’d just witnessed was like a family feud instead of outright enemies. What promise did Edge’s mother make to keep Lorenzo from striking him down for his defiance? And why was Edge looking for the spell book for Lorenzo?
The ground above us rumbled. Edge grabbed my elbow and pulled me out the door and up the stairs. Spells were flying all around us. The Enforcers had arrived.
“This way,” Edge said as he pulled me back down the path we’d used when Jude snuck us in. Voices were shouting from behind us as people searched for a way out of the compound. Frightened women and children stumbled in our path as we all ran for the door that would lead us to freedom. Spells bounced off the walls and slammed into bodies. I watched in horror as they fell haphazardly in our path.
Edge pushed us close to the wall and waited for the last of the children to pass by. They were terrified. “Hurry,” he urged them. “To the door, it will take you to the woods, run!” he yelled.
Power built inside me. I watched the tear-stained faces rush past me and I closed my eyes, focusing on the enemy that chased the children. I wished with every fiber of my being that I could stop the murderers in their tracks. Bodies slammed to the floor and the hallway grew quiet again. When my eyes flickered open Edge was staring at me.
“No magic, huh?” Edge said as his lips formed a crooked smile. “Let’s go before more of them show up,” he said, tugging me out the door.
“Edge, I can’t leave. I have to know they got out!” I didn’t want to leave without knowing if Rainy and Matheson made it out alive. What if Jude couldn’t get them out before the attack?
Edge had a hold of my hand and was pulling me forward. I dug my feet in, forcing him to stop. I knew I was being hardheaded, and I knew that he wasn’t just going to give in to my wants, but I needed to know that they were okay. I needed to know that I wasn’t leaving them behind.
Edge grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder and continued to run, ignoring my pleas to put me down. Everything blurred as we went from the field to the holding room of his cave. He set me on my feet and I turned on him.
�
�How dare you! What if they needed our help?” I screamed at him.
Edge glared at me as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn stone and rubbed it with his thumb. Words murmured past his lips and the air shifted. Dagger, Jessa and Julie stumbled into view, trying to figure out what was going on.
I held back a sob of relief seeing them.
Dagger blew out a relieved breath. “That was a close one,” he said with a smirk. Jessa launched herself into Daggers arms and held on tight. Julie shook her head as if trying to clear it.
“You sure do have impeccable timing, Edge,” she said with a watery grin.
“I take it you three made it to the compound then?” Edge asked as he gestured for everyone to follow him.
“We came into the compound just as the Triad began to raise some serious hell,” she said, blinking back tears that had started to form.
“Well, in that case, glad to be of service,” Edge said as he pretended to tip an imaginary hat.
“You’re such an ass.” She smiled and pushed past him.
We followed Edge into the main room. I could hear voices bantering back and forth and then Rainy came into view. She squeaked out in happiness when saw me. Jude had kept his word. He’d brought them back to me safely.
“Oh, thank the Goddess you’re alright,” Rainy cried out as she hugged me fiercely.
I hugged her back and the tears I’d kept heavily guarded spilled from my eyes.
“Enough with the waterworks,” Jessa said as she pulled us apart. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and we launched ourselves together, holding on tightly to one another.
Warmth spread through me just as Edge touched my cheek. “Can I speak with you? Alone?” he asked.
Rainy and Jessa looked at each other and then at me in disbelief. I untangled myself from them, but not before hugging them hard one more time. I left them with the promise to fill them in on everything once we got settled.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Jessa said with smirk.
“That doesn’t leave much,” Rainy said slyly.
I walked away, listening to them banter just like old times. It brought a smile to my face until the realization sunk in that those times were over and what happened from here on out…well, nothing would ever be the same again.
Casted (Casted series) Page 11