“What?” Baird asked her, noticing that her eyes were still processing the new plan.
Her voice was so quiet that Brody had to lean in to hear her. “Do we have that kind of money? I thought we were saving to buy Griffin when he’s old enough. I don’t want to be the reason he’s still in The Way when he’s sixty.”
“We’ll still keep saving for Griffin, Blue. And we’re not paying for you. Liam is. He wants to buy you like a real servant and take you with him so it’s legal and no one asks any questions. They’re all ex-military and Liam’s royalty. They’ll be able to take you where the Vemreaux’ve been disappearing from. Just tag along and stay out of their way until they get you there.”
“Okay.”
“When we go, you’ll have to do enough work to blend in. I’ll keep you as a personal servant, so you can stay closer to us.” Liam swallowed in distaste. “I’ve actually never had one before, so this’ll be new to me, too. It won’t be long before we can get over to the island and sort this predator out.”
“I still don’t feel comfortable not paying you. It doesn’t seem right.” Baird frowned.
Liam waved his hand to say that it was the least he could do to end the predator’s reign of terror. “I’ll tell you what. You teach your sister here to make these, and we’ll call it even.” Liam eyed the other shots on the table that sat there like twinkling green glasses of happiness, begging to become a part of him. The first shot was already doing its part to impair his judgment. He’d spent many a drunken night trying to build up resistance to the powerful alcohol’s hallucinogenic effects, and could usually down five shots before losing himself to the euphoria.
“When you call Joe tomorrow, wait until after ten o’clock in the morning. He doesn’t like being bothered before then.” Baird patted his jeans pocket before looking over at his sister. “Blue? You got a pen and paper?”
Blue obediently pulled out a pen and an order sheet from her apron and slid them across the table.
Baird scribbled on the back of the paper and handed it to Liam. “This is his number. Blue’s his newest waitress, so he probably won’t be too attached yet. Start the bidding a little over the buying price. You might get lucky.” Recalling his sister, he slid the plate of spaghetti across the table to her. “Finish it.”
“Okay.” She sighed as she picked up the fork and slowly resumed eating her second dinner.
Sam murmured something under his breath sarcastically, pulling Baird’s eyes over to him. “Something you want to say, Vemreaux?” he challenged.
After considering the question for a moment, Sam sat up straighter in his chair. “Actually, yeah.” A dark look from Alec and Liam told him to push the more nasty things he wanted to say out of his mind and focus on the actual issue. “If she says ‘okay’ one more time, this isn’t going to work. How are we supposed to know what she needs if she won’t speak up?”
Baird considered this and dropped the abrasive lilt in his voice. “What do you need to know?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’ve never spent much time with an A-blood. What does she eat? How often? Apparently she doesn’t sleep. That’s something we should know.” Sam bit back the other much more personal things he wanted to discover, but would never ask her brother. “Stuff like that.”
“Alright.” Baird answered for his sister, as he was accustomed to doing. “The prophecy’s true. As soon as it was written, she stopped sleeping. No naps, nothing. She had to pretend to sleep in The Way to keep the professors from noticing her, but she doesn’t like it.” Baird noticed his sister moving the noodles around on her plate nervously. He knew that she did not like all of her secrets being poured out for the Vemreaux to analyze.
“She eats Grade V rations in the morning, a regular lunch and a normal dinner. Stuff Liam probably eats since he’s not changed yet. If she goes running in the night like she’s been doing since she got out of The Way, she’ll need a second dinner, like the one she’s pretending to eat right now.” He threatened his sister with a glance.
Blue stopped fiddling with the food and ate it. Like a puppet on a string, she danced for him, doing whatever he asked without the resistance she wanted to put up.
Alec was amazed at Baird’s level of control over the occasionally willful girl. He studied the Wayward’s movements so he could repeat them and achieve the same subservient results in the potential killer.
“Guys, she was only bought a few weeks ago. There’s a lot she doesn’t know about the world. She studied everything she could in The Way, but the Vemreaux don’t like Waywards knowing too much.” He directed the next command to Liam. “Don’t send her out alone in public. She can run by herself if it’s a safe area that you live in, but only in the middle of the night when there’s not so many people around.”
Brody scoffed. “You really afraid someone’s gonna jump her?”
Baird folded his arms and crooked his neck to stare at him. “No, I’m afraid she’ll get spooked, attack some Vemreaux and cause a scene like she did tonight. She’s my sister, and I won’t let her go somewhere she’s not going to be watched over. Either you do it, or the deal’s off. She’s not to be alone during the day.”
Blue’s mouth pursed like she wanted to defend herself, but she kept her eyes down.
Liam shrugged. “That’s fine. We won’t be in Europe long. Couple weeks, a month or so. Just enough time to set up a flight and pack for the fight.”
“No,” Blue said with just enough volume to change the flow of conversation. Her eyes were still fixed on the plate in front of her as she spoke. “Pack for the fight? None of you’ll be fighting. I’m the Light, not any of you. This thing abducts Vemreaux and kills them. You can take me there because owned A-bloods can’t fly unaccompanied, but that’s it. You can’t fight with me.”
All of the guys except for Baird put up a protest, their voices clashing and drowning out each other’s words. Baird finally spoke above the din, holding his hand up as he addressed Sam. “You’re the one who wanted her to speak up and tell you what she needs. You can’t have it both ways.”
Her spaghetti forgotten, Blue lifted her chin to meet Alec’s fixed stare. “If any of you try to come with me, you’ll be one more thing I have to watch out for. I won’t be able to kill the predator if I’m responsible for making sure he doesn’t off one of you. Just let me go in and put an end to it.” She knew that even though Liam held the black bill card and the blood line, Alec was the one to appeal to.
Liam still looked uncomfortable with this plan, but tried to find some compromise. He turned to her and immediately regretted it. Blue met his gaze with those signature blue eyes and so looked like the sister he’d lost, that his words nearly stuck in his throat. “But how will we know when to come get you? What if you need help and we’re too far away?”
Baird snorted. “What help do you imagine you can give her?”
It was Brody who answered. “Look, asshole. Alec and I are bodyguards for the royal family. That means we’re the best. Sam used to be one, too. We’re all three ex-military. We’re not exactly dead weight here.”
“Yeah? Well Blue just tossed your dead weight around like it was nothing, and you think she’ll need help from you? This is what she was born to do. If you tag along, she’s right. You’ll make yourself a target for the predator and she’ll sacrifice the kill to rescue your worthless hide. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the predator snacks on military the same as it does civilians.” He tilted his head, considering Brody. “Or she’ll do the smart thing and let the monster take you before she kills it. Give it a last meal. You all have to stop thinking of her like she’s a woman or a person. She’s not. She’s the Light who’s going to end the tyranny for all of you in control of the planet.”
The statement marring her femininity stung Blue, but she suppressed the words she wouldn’t defend herself with. She swallowed the unexpected lump in her throat as she stared down at the hands clasped in her lap. They looked almost feminine, but Blue could im
agine them coated in blood, as they had been so many times throughout her life. Baird and Liam traded political theories while Blue tried to become invisible, so her sore spot would not be so exposed.
When it was agreed that they would take her as far as they could and leave her to the fight, Baird ruled that the night was getting late. “I’ve got to do this all over again tomorrow, and unlike some people, I need sleep.” He glanced over at his sister and the six bites of food disregarded on her plate as she stared at her fingers in her lap. “Finish up, Blue.”
Her unwilling hand lifted and grasped the oddly weighted utensil, scooping another bite into her mouth. She knew that she was exhibiting at least two different tells that were not missed by Baird.
“What?” Baird asked her, stretching to make a show of how tired he was.
Blue shook her head in response, not trusting that there were words to describe all that was wrong.
Liam’s heavy arm patted her back, causing her to stiffen. The prince did not notice her discomfort. “There’ll be more to talk about after I make the deal with Joe. Same time tomorrow night?”
Baird nodded and stood, ending his participation in the conversation. Blue swallowed the last bite and picked up her plate, carrying it into the kitchen with her head down. She could feel Sam’s eyes on her, but her pride hurt too much to enjoy the thrill of it as she had before. She imagined him looking at her as a Vemreaux Supervisor would gauge a cow’s usefulness. She wished that she could disappear into the ground.
Blue began to adopt her brother’s point of view by telling herself as she rinsed her plate in the industrial sink that, in fact, she was not a girl, though she possessed the raw mechanics for the gender. Useless breasts, she chided her body angrily. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just because I wish I was a normal girl, doesn’t make it true. Normal girls don’t do inverted one-handed push-ups. Normal guys don’t, either. Baird’s right. I’m not a person. I’m a weapon. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She glanced down at her body. Ugly. Elle and Grettel were better examples of girls. I’ll never be pretty, like Elle. She’s obviously a woman. And Grettel’s so sweet, everyone knows she’s a girl. I’m not beautiful. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Grettel never would’ve attacked someone like I did out there.
Blue took a deep, steadying breath. I’m a machine, built for one purpose: ending the tyranny. I’m not meant for love and silly girl things. That’s why I’m ugly. That’s why I’m terrible at everything besides fighting. That’s why I only have two friends, and Baird chose them for me. I wonder if he threatened them into the job? I wonder if they really love me? Blue shook her head. No, they love me. I can tell when people are lying. She heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she still had Elle and Grettel, and that Baird had not scared them off.
Why did Baird have to tell them I’m not a girl? Why’d he have to say it in front of those guys? Something in her sunk at Sam not viewing her as female. How could Sam think of me as a woman? I threw him up against the wall and pinned him there. She shuddered at the memory. No point in trying my hand at flirting now.
It doesn’t matter. She chided the swell of emotion in her chest. I’m dying soon anyway. Will it really matter if I’m a girl when I’m dead?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Art of Receiving Help
Baird and Blue ran home in silence, both of their uniform shirts removed and tucked into the waist of their jeans. Blue’s shoulders slumped and her feet swept over the ground dejectedly.
“What’s got you dragging?” Baird asked, not unkindly.
“I’m not allowed to drag? Are you testing me right now? Sorry I’m not performing like you want. It’s been a day,” she sassed him.
“Oh, so you’re in one of those moods.”
“What moods?”
“Immature. Sulky. Don’t take it out on me. This is all your doing, you know.”
“Now you’re monitoring my temperament? Leave me alone, Baird.”
“Hey, don’t take it out on me that you got caught. Just lucky it was those guys, I guess. Or unlucky. Can’t decide which.”
“Are you allergic to silence all of a sudden? I said to leave me alone.”
“Stop being a baby. This is the situation. Deal with it.”
“What makes you think I’m not? I sat there and listened while you told them everything about me. I dealt. Doesn’t mean I have to be all smiles and sunshine about it.”
“If you’re wishing things could be different, they can’t. Like it or not, this is a good thing, what happened tonight. We’re one step closer to you ending the tyranny.”
“And me dying!” she exclaimed. “You always forget that part. Man! You’re so happy to be one step closer to getting rid of me. You can go off and never give me another thought. I’ll just be rotting away on some island, vultures pecking at what’s left of my body while you tell yourself how glad you are that the precious Vems are safe. I was never a girl, so who cares if I die?”
Baird stopped running to gawk at his sister, mouth agape. “Is that what you really think of me?”
Blue turned to look at her brother, foregoing her jog. “I’m only going by the words coming out of your mouth, Baird. Couldn’t be clearer how much you hate me. Thursday! Next Thursday, and I’m out of your life for good! Maybe a little less peace about it all on your part would make me feel not so much such a steaming pile of scratch.”
“You selfish brat!” Baird shouted, and before he knew it, his fist was flinging out at her. “You have no idea what I’ve gone through to get you here!”
Blue ducked, and answered his aggression with a blow of her own that connected with his jaw. “Now who needs to learn control? You’re failing the test, Baird!” she taunted him.
Baird fumed, landing a kick to her hip. “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get you out of The Way?”
“So you can what?” She kicked his thigh, knowing she left a bruise. “Pimp me out to the first people with a plane and a plan?”
“Pimp you out?” Baird raged, punching her shoulder.
Blue shook off the sting. “Then why? You get me out so you can spend some time with me? Educate me on the real world? Take me to see the cool buildings? You know how much I wanted to see the tall ones! I’ve been out for weeks, and you’ve done nothing but train me!” She spun and hit her brother’s ribcage with her flat palm.
“I got you out so you could end the tyranny! You think I like it anymore than you do? This is what we were built for!”
“No!” Blue screamed. “This is what I was built for! You were supposed to be my brother who loves me! You were supposed to give me a life before I have to give mine away. Well, Baird, you failed that test. Now you’ve found a way to get rid of me. Good job! I’ll be somebody else’s problem.”
“Stop it!” Baird tugged at his hair, looking like one more word from her might push him over the edge of sanity.
Blue took off, far faster than she’d been going to escape the man who might always be incapable of being the brother she needed.
What did you expect? She chided herself as she ran for the hut. Did you really think you’d have years left to live? Ending the predator is the right thing to do. Did you really think you’d get to just live in the diner like the girls and giggle about everyday gossip, spending your time waiting on tables? Life expectancy for an A-blood in The Way was sixty. After that, they were put to sleep. At this rate, she would not even reach her twentieth year.
Grettel’s cry of horror broke through Blue’s silent tirade. “Baird!” Blue called, not bothering to cover over her alarm. Her steps quickened, and she could feel her brother charging behind her, their squabble discarded with the threat of danger. “It’s Grettel!”
At a dead run, the two dashed down the path, up the three steps and into the shabby front door to find not just Grettel, but Elle on the mattress. Elle’s tears fell as she lay on her side, but Grettel’s exploded out of her in panic like tiny, wet punches that punctuated her pain.
Elle’s shirt was pulled
up to her ribs, revealing a large angry red smear on her side that wrapped from her abdomen around to a few centimeters over the back of her hip.
Baird swore. “What did they do to you?”
The composure that Elle had been holding onto broke when Baird bent down next to her and touched her skin. Grabbing onto the front of his undershirt like it was her last hope for a breath of air, Elle’s quiet tears broke out into loud sobs. Baird pulled her to him. Elle buried her face in his chest as he cradled her and rubbed her back.
“It’s fine. I can barely feel it. I’m just so happy that it’s over!” Elle blubbered.
“What happened?” he asked again in a voice he hoped was kind, but sounded a bit too severe.
“I didn’t make it to the next round,” she cried. “We sparred tonight against each other, and I got there last, so I didn’t get the good weapons.”
At this, Baird was furious. “Why on earth would they think that the Light would need weapons? Stupid Vemreaux!”
“It’s over! It’s over! It’s finally over!” Elle wailed. Pain mixed with joy and formed into tears that ran down her face. “I can just be myself now, Baird!”
Baird yanked his keys from his jeans pocket and shoved them into his sister’s hand. “There’s a first aid kit in the kitchen in the utility closet. Grab it and a few rags.” When Blue shot up too slow for his liking, he barked. “Hurry!”
Blue tore out of the hut and leaped past the steps. The branches whipping past her did nothing to deter her speed or focus. The only thing that could derail her attention was the vehicle still occupying the parking lot when she reached the diner.
She fiddled with the keys until she pulled out the two she recalled Baird using to get into the diner every morning. Though she heard Liam calling her from the parking lot, she did not turn to acknowledge him. Baird would not tolerate wasting time, and his temper was already stretched thin at this late hour.
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