“Cera? Is that you?” Juniper’s soft, airy voice chimes down from the top of the stairs.
“If possible, stay out of sight until I can work things out,” Maddox whispers hurriedly.
“I’ve been looking for you.” Juniper races down to meet us. Her curly hair is somewhat corralled by a headband, and a yellow flower is tucked behind her ear. Her arms are free from honey-salve bandages. “Oh. Hi, Maddox.” Juniper gives a bashful grin. It doesn’t help that Maddox’s warm smile lights up the dark. She can’t even look directly at him.
“Oh, hey, Juniper. Take Cera upstairs and make sure she gets some rest, would you?”
“Maddox?” Harper’s voice echoes from down the hall. Although I can’t see her yet, the sound of her ballet flats patters across the stone floor in our direction.
He touches my arm. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
When he walks away, Juniper pulls me up the stairs. I go willingly because the last thing I want is for Harper to find me anywhere near Maddox, and in the dark, no less. I have no doubt that Maddox trusts Harper and will have her come with us, and I don’t need her hating me any more than she already does.
Juniper, reminding me of a little pixie with dark curls and porcelain skin, chatters happily. “This place is incredible, isn’t it? I’ve never had food that tasted so good, and ever since I left home, I haven’t had a hot shower or a bed.”
She takes me into the sleeping quarters. The room, a temporary shelter, looks like an orphanage straight out of an old-time movie. Some girls sit on their beds talking, some pace the room while brushing out their hair, and others lay their clothes neatly over the rails. I’ve seen most of these girls around but don’t know their names.
Juniper escorts me through the room, oblivious to the curious glances. “I have one sister. Older. She hasn’t been around for the last few months. Being here feels like having a room full of them. Oh!” Her eyes light up and her round face smiles wide. “Speaking of . . . I get to work with Harper tomorrow.” She springs to the empty cot across from mine. “They say she’s the best. If it weren’t for her, that boy would have died.”
The cold air sits heavy on my skin. “I heard she can heal just about anything.” I flicker a smile.
Juniper pulls back the corner of the sheet before jumping on her bed with a hard bounce that makes the coils squeak. “Did you know she’s been through five foster homes? Maddox saved her. Found her after she’d been beaten close to death and brought her here.”
“No,” I say quietly. “I had no idea.”
Juniper sits crisscross-style and grabs her ankles before leaning forward. “Anyway, I’ve been looking for you because I wanted to say thanks for doing what you did—for finding me. I guess, like Harper, I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” Juniper’s words warm the chill in the room as the weight of her reality takes hold.
She’s right. No one was out looking for her. Blades wouldn’t have found her. The Legions would have. And feasted.
“I’m glad you’re here, Juniper.” My smile comes naturally. Finding new Awakened and saving lives—Maddox is right, this is what we’re born to do. I sit on the edge of the bed and let my finger brush over the soft green blanket.
“If you’re not working with someone tomorrow and have time . . .” Juniper’s voice is wistfully hesitant. “Do you want to hang out? If not, I totally understand. You’ve probably got others to find.” Her words carry through the room that has suddenly gone quiet. I can’t help but feel as if the rest of the girls are waiting for my response, despite the fact that they pretend to be occupied in fluffing pillows, arranging shoes, or scrolling through their phones.
“I won’t be here much longer. Gladys is calling my mom,” I say. Two facts, but not necessarily the truth when put together.
Tanji walks into the room wrapped in a towel. The room puckers at her presence. “Lights out. I’ve been up over twenty-four hours, and I don’t want to hear a word.”
As I pull the blanket to my chin, Tanji flips the switch by the door. Darkness overtakes the room. I feel awkward. Out of place lying in a room full of girls, most of whom I don’t know. I can’t get comfortable, and every time I shift, the springs squeak.
It doesn’t take but a few seconds in the dark when a girl on the far side of the room breaks the silence. “Tanji, is it true that Council is taking over in two days?”
“I told you to shut up and go to sleep.”
Another second of silence passes. This time Juniper speaks. “Is it bad if they take over?”
“Not if you like hanging out with on-duty Marine commanders.” The sarcastic response comes from the girl in the bed next to mine.
“You’ll get proper training in your Bent.” Tanji sounds annoyed, but at least she’s not angry.
Somewhere across the room, a soprano voice quivers. “Won’t that mean we’ll have to fight in the war?”
“Not everyone. It depends on your Bent and rank. Now shut it and go to sleep.” Tanji’s voice is tight with warning.
No one says another word. The damp air fills with the sound of the second hand of a ticking clock and, eventually, rhythmic breathing.
Reality sinks in heavier than my body on the mattress, despite the fact that after confessing to Maddox, the weight inside me feels lighter. I lie in the dark and feel . . . wobbly. Weak. Closing my eyes, I let Maddox’s words, his smile, the flicker of his eyes on mine, sink in. He believes what he says so passionately, it’s hard for me not to buy in to his ideals. But how can my Bent help save others when all I do is draw the enemy closer? I listen for any shrieks circling outside these walls. Not hearing any, I tuck my hands behind my head. All I can do is lie in the dark and wait for dawn.
The room is empty when I wake. Some beds are made, some only half made. A pile of clothes, washed and stacked neatly by Gladys, sits at the foot of my bed. I know it was her because my clothes have a faint scent of peaches and vanilla. I get dressed, brush my teeth with the kit Gladys left, and try my best to control my unruly hair. No luck, so I twist my stringy locks into their messy knot, tuck the hairpin back above my ear, and head downstairs. Why didn’t anyone wake me? It’s way past breakfast. Maybe even closer to lunch.
Vibrant conversation once again fills the café. Most of the tables and chairs are occupied. I jog down the stairs and blend into the crowd as quickly as I can, searching for Maddox. No one pays much attention to me, which is good.
As I pass the pastry counter, I choose a blueberry muffin from the basket.
“They’re downstairs,” the girl with the floral headkerchief says, keeping her back to me as she pours a cup of coffee in a ceramic mug.
I’m not sure if she’s addressing me and not someone else, until she slides the coffee my way. “Thanks,” I say.
She gives a slight nod and walks off. I’m only a coffee drinker out of necessity, today being one of those days. Plus, the smooth chocolate taste beats drinking one of Harper’s bitter elixirs so I can stay awake later on. I take a few quick sips, thankful that it’s hot enough to warm me up but not burn my tongue.
I set the cup on the counter and make my way down into the cellar with muffin in hand. Voices come from the workout room. One belongs to Maddox. Adrenaline kickstarts my pulse. I’ve never trusted anyone the way I’ve trusted him. What was I thinking? I don’t even know him all that well. What if telling him the truth was a mistake? I guess I’m about to find out.
I take a deep breath and walk through the door.
Maddox stands in the middle of the room wearing black jeans torn at the knees and a fitted white T-shirt. He’s surrounded by a handful of people: Amide, the ever-smiling drummer; a stocky guy wearing a denim jacket with two colliding swords on the back that belies his baby face; a biker with a buzz cut and goatee; and . . . Tanji. To my surprise, Harper isn’t in the room—yet.
Maddox is brimming with excitement as he talks to Amide. “Can that happen today?”
Amide nods. He spots me at the doorway and waves. �
�Good late-late-morning to you.” Amide’s contagious smile spreads wide across his face.
I give a small finger wave. “Morning.”
Maddox comes over to meet me, excited. “Amide’s family has a place we can use as a temporary setup. Big house with acres of land.”
“That’s great.” I eye the others across the room. “Do they know about . . . me?”
Maddox’s excitement falls. “Not yet. I want you to train first. That way, we’ll be better prepared once we hit the streets.”
I’ve just taken a bite of muffin, and the idea of leaving makes it lodge in my throat. “So tomorrow, then?”
“Amide will set up the new safe house. I’ve got a few others I want to come along. I’ll talk to them today.”
I lick blueberry off my fingers. “What about Gladys?”
Amide must have ears that can hear through walls, or I wasn’t as quiet as I thought, because he says, “You better believe we need Gladys.”
Maddox turns to Amide. “I’ll talk to her later. After yesterday, she might not agree. Besides, we need to create something new, not recreate Hesperian. We need a place to train and hunt while we bring in as many new Awakened as we can find. What happened to Rhys can’t ever happen again.”
Tanji nods in agreement. “What about weapons?”
Maddox walks me to the group clustered near the punching bags. “Gustav’s got that handled.” He pats the baby-faced, denim-jacket guy on the shoulder.
Gustav gives a thumbs-up. “It won’t happen until after Council arrives, but I can secure a crate, maybe two.”
“That’s a start and more than we have now,” Maddox says. “Meet in my space later this afternoon. We’ll decide when to leave.”
As Amide walks to the door with the others, he says, “If Gladys isn’t coming, then I’m telling her today is my birthday. I want a fat meal and a big party before I leave.”
The biker with the goatee lets out a deep, rumbling laugh. “I’m all for that.”
“Is it your birthday?” I ask. Mine isn’t too far away either. It’s next week, but with everything that’s happened, I forgot. Then again, I haven’t looked forward to my birthday for the past ten years.
Amide’s smile is as mischievous as the glint in his eye. “It could be,” he says. Gustav and Goatee laugh. Everyone leaves, except for Maddox and Tanji.
“All right.” Tanji walks up to me. In her sports bra and workout tights, her deep olive skin shines over her muscles. She stops in front of me and rolls out her shoulders with a fierce stare painted on her smooth face. “Time to fight.”
“You want me to fight you?” Caged in the workout room, I work hard to keep my tone casual as Tanji towers over me. Maybe she’ll use this training session as payback for what happened on the streets. I’m not sure. But I am positive about one thing: my elbow maneuver won’t work on her cut abs.
“Do you have any fighting skills?” Maddox rubs down the tape on his knuckles. The edges curl up, exposing the raw skin underneath.
I take a quick mental inventory of my skill set. “Nothing formal, but I’ve been able to break away from both you and Kellan by using my elbow—and I can run fast.”
“Both useless against what we’re fighting.” Tanji’s cutting tone makes me want to hide behind the punching bag. She shoots a quick, irritated glance at Maddox before staring me down—again. “Look, about what you did out on the street . . . finding that girl, going after the Legion, then trying to rescue Rhys? It was stupid . . . but it took guts.” The hard lines on her face soften. “Ain’t nobody here got what you got. Everyone can sense it. Makes most of ’em afraid. Still, that don’t matter when you mess with the second realm. If you don’t learn to fight, you’re gonna end up dead.”
In a weird way, I think that was a compliment. My lips tug into a somewhat-smile.
“Now listen. When we walk out that door, you betta’ be ready.” Tanji rolls up her fist. “The minute you sense something come at you, duck and roll.”
“Duck and roll sounds like a gourmet dish.” I laugh out of sheer nerves because with all that muscle, Tanji is absolute terror wrapped in skin and performance wear.
“You think we’re playing games?” Tanji’s dark lips highlight her frown. “Go on and show me how you duck and roll.” Cold air whips near my face. Tanji swings her fist so fast, I almost don’t dodge the hit. I grab my knees and bend over as my pulse rockets. She almost punched me! She would have if I didn’t move.
Maddox, who is standing near the door watching, steps in my direction but stops himself when I recover.
“That ain’t ducking or rolling.” Tanji rolls her eyes. “You bend over like that and you’ll get slammed in the back.” She smashes her forearm into my spine. I collapse on the floor as all the air leaves my lungs. “Just like that. Bam. You’ll be dead. Cormorant claw through the heart or soul sucked out by a Legion.”
I lie there stunned, feeling a throb in my spine, unsure if I can even move my legs. With my cheek flat on the mat, the sweaty gym smell is so strong, I can taste it.
Maddox holds out his hands. “Tanji. That’s—”
“It’s okay.” I wipe my mouth and push up to my knees. Gritting my teeth to hide the pain, I say, “Let me try again.”
I bring myself to my feet, steady my breathing and loosen my shoulders. I can learn this maneuver if I pretend this is the same game Mom played with me when I was little. She would toss a small pillow at me, and I’d have to move out of the way so it wouldn’t hit me. I’d always collapse in a fit of giggles because I wanted to get bonked by it. Tanji’s iron fist is far from plush fabric, and I sure don’t want to feel its punch.
I find a focal point on the wall the way Mom taught me. In this case, my focus happens to be the light switch near the door, not far from where Maddox stands. I watch for Tanji’s fist out of the corner of my eye. The moment I feel the air move, I duck and not-so-gracefully roll on the ground with a hard thud. Luckily the floor mat cushions my fall, but not before I bust my lip and taste blood.
Tanji rolls out her shoulders. “Better. Your landing needs work. Use your forearm as a brace and push off your left leg, then roll. Don’t land on your shoulder—or hit your head. Get up. Try again.” She holds out her hand to help me up.
I nod and prepare to try again. I brush the hair out of my face and set my focus on the light switch. Tanji shifts. This time her left fist swings forward. The air splits and—
“What’s going on in here?”
I turn my head. Devon’s voice is nothing but a faint echo as pain explodes across my face. My feet lift off the ground, and I slam hard into the cold punching bag. The next thing I know, I’m sinking onto the floor mat.
“Cera?” Maddox pushes past Tanji and kneels beside me. He touches my chin, inspecting my jaw. “Are you okay?”
Devon’s boots slap against the floor mat. “What in the world?”
Tanji shakes out her fist and wiggles her fingers. “We’re working out.”
I hazily look up at Devon as he towers over me with a deep frown carved across face.
“Did I at least roll?” I manage to ask. “’Cause I know I flew.” I try to laugh but it hurts. “Just busted my lip a little.” And maybe my jaw.
Devon motions Maddox away from me. “Go get her some ice.” Devon helps me to my feet and inspects my face. “Shake it off. You’ll bruise for sure, but you’ll be okay.”
Tanji opens a mini-refrigerator in the back corner. “I saw you about to move. Then you didn’t.” She takes out a cloth ice pack and hands it to Maddox.
I try not to wince as Maddox gently places the ice on my jaw. I take over holding the cold pack.
Devon glares at Tanji. “She’s not a Blade. She doesn’t have the same instincts you do. What were you thinking?”
Maddox answers, “We were training her as a Guardian.”
Devon raises an eyebrow. “Since when did—”
“I asked them to help me out. Hope that’s okay,” I lie and try no
t to wince because it hurts to talk.
Devon looks at me. “Any training will go through me from now on.”
Tanji crosses her arms. “You telling me we can’t even spar without running it by you?”
Devon mirrors her stance and scowl. “Council wants an account of what we do, so whether you’re warming up, working out, or you’re training, yes, I need to know.”
“Devon, have you—” Harper stops at the door. Her cheery expression morphs into hurt when she sees the four of us clustered together. She’s wearing a lot less makeup, but the tight T-shirt remains. “Did I miss some kind of meeting?” She twists the ends of her hair around her index finger.
Devon’s fleeting gaze sweeps over Harper. “No, and we’re getting your stuff now. I haven’t forgotten.” He flashes me a terse glance. “Cera, come with me.”
“Where?” I lift the ice pack. Tiny patches of blood from my lip dot the fabric. “Harper needs a few ingredients. Let’s go.” He turns on his heel.
“You’re going outside?” Maddox’s quick look is full of warning. I read his thoughts loud and clear. If the creatures are around, they will sense my Current as a Seer—and now the scent of blood from my lip. Once I step outside, they’ll not only find me but all of us.
As Devon strides toward the door, I stay near the punching bag. Following Devon outside will put everyone in danger. But he’ll know I’m hiding something if I give him grief about not going.
I look to Maddox for a solution, but Devon, now in full-blown military mode, barks, “I said now!”
I’ve got to figure a way out of going outside. There’s no way I’ll put everyone in danger again. As I hand Maddox the ice pack, our eyes meet with mutual understanding and a kick from that blasted Current that won’t go away.
I turn to Devon. “How far do we have to go to grab the ingredients?”
“Not far.” Devon waits for me at the door.
Mortal Sight Page 18