The Way

by Mary E. Twomey

  Sam’s phone rang, drawing his attention from the mirror. “Go back to sleep, Liam.”

  The prince’s voice sounded tired on the other line. “Are you alone with Blue in there?”

  “She’s rinsing off right now. We couldn’t send her home with blood and dirt all over her.”

  The prince’s words were squeezed out in between yawns and stretches. “Do you…need a…chaperone? Or can you…manage to avoid making her brother crazy…this once?”

  “Shut up, Liam. I’m out here while she’s in the shower, aren’t I?” Sam pointed out to defend his innocence. “Besides, I don’t care what Baird thinks of me.”

  The prince sounded more awake now. “Well, you should. If he reneges on this whole thing, we can’t get her over to the island. So keep your hands to yourself for once in your life.”

  Sam glanced at the bathroom door to ensure it was safely shut. “Would you all stop worrying? I’m just letting her clean up like Alec wanted. Then I’ll take her home if she needs a ride. Give me a little credit. I do have some self-control.”

  “I’m just saying. Be careful.”

  “Quit ‘just saying’ and go back to sleep,” Sam grumbled before hanging up on his friend.

  

  In the privacy of the bathroom, the water from the shower fell so fast that Blue had to remind herself that it was apparently okay it was mostly going to waste. She surely did not need that much to get herself clean, but as there was no bucket, she decided to be as quick as she could.

  The shampoo was real. It wasn’t Brand A, either. The label bragged of an herbal goodness, and when she squeezed some into her hand, the pungent scent matched the description on the bottle with an artificially sweet stench that masked itself as natural. Though the pampering felt amazing after the horrible thing she’d just done outside the college, she was still very aware of the water that was being thrown down the drain with every moment that she dallied.

  When she finished scrubbing the blood and dirt from every part of her body, she quickly turned off the water and stepped out, trying to locate a used towel so she wouldn’t dirty a fresh one. It seemed, however, that Sam did not have any wet or crumpled ones. They all were rolled tightly and resting neatly on a shelf. Reluctant to use all the nice things in his bathroom before he’d even had the chance to shower, she pulled one down and unrolled it. Though it was prickly as it swept over her skin, it was the first truly dry and clean towel she’d had since she’d left The Way. Making good use of the luxury, she wrapped it around her hair to sop up as much liquid as possible while she dressed.

  It did not feel great to pull on the same dirty shorts and underwear, but when Sam’s shirt slid over her head and down her torso, she felt like a new woman. She inhaled with her nose bunched in the supple material. Her eyes rolled involuntarily as she smelled his scent beneath the smoke that was laced through the soft strands.

  Deciding that this indulgence was too much, she unwrapped her hair from its towel, lifted Sam’s comb up off of the counter and dragged it through her snarls. When she replaced it, she realized that everything on the counter was on a right angle to the gargantuan mirror she was desperately trying to avoid looking up at. She wondered if he preferred it this way or if a maid had come and put them straight for him. She made sure that everything was perpendicular and perfectly clean when she left.

  Blue emerged from the bathroom quicker than Sam expected. Sam was used to Femreaux washing up for half an hour once they discovered the built-in hair dryer in the wall. He did not trust his tongue to say anything as he traded places with Blue so that he could scrub up from the night’s deed as well. She looked too good with wet hair. She looked too natural and comfortable in his clothes. Her lower lip was too inviting for his to maintain a respectable distance if they were alone in the same room for too long.

  Yet, here was Blue, wearing the shirt he’d handed over, and she was modest enough to wear her dirty shorts underneath. He wondered if walking around in just a t-shirt would even occur to such a pure soul. Her sincere shyness was the bait to the fishes that swam low in his belly at the sight of her fully clothed form in his hotel room.

  Ten minutes later, when Sam rejoined her in the room in fresh clothes and a clean body, he found her standing in the exact spot he’d left her. “Did you move at all while I was in there?”

  “No. Of course not. This isn’t my room, Sam. I’m not gonna invade your personal space.”

  “I invited you in, you know. You don’t have to be perfect around me.”

  Blue shrugged, but offered no other response as he flopped on the enormous bed.

  “You still got a couple hours before the sun comes up. Make yourself at home.” He patted the mattress, relieved when she complied and sat daintily on the edge of the bed. “You hungry?”

  Blue shook her head. “You’re tired,” she commented, observing his yawn. “Why don’t you go to sleep? I can just run home.”

  He frowned. “You want to leave?”

  She cracked a smile. “No, but I’m sure you want me to. I’m not the one who needs rest.”

  “I’m fine.” He sat up to prove to them both that he was up for anything. “Besides, I don’t want you running home. Who knows what kind of hooligans are out at this hour, just waiting for a helpless girl like you to run by.”

  “At least you’ve still got your sense of humor when you’re exhausted.”

  “Naked without it.” He sighed as he glanced at the clock. “How about a little TV? I didn’t see one at your house. And if I just so happen to close my eyes for a few minutes, so be it. I won’t fall asleep. My eyes are just a little tired.”

  Blue laughed at his yawn. “Yeah, okay.”

  Sam lay down and grabbed the remote on the nightstand, turning on the news for her. Even as his head rested on his pillow, and his body groaned for slumber, Sam was nervous. He’d only ever allowed himself to fall asleep next to Celilia once, and he’d scared her so bad that she never slept in his bed again. Of all the things he wanted to do with Blue, scaring her off was not one of them. “Hey.” Sam lifted his hand to touch her back. “Lay down for a minute.”

  Blue swallowed. “Like, n-next to you? In the bed?”

  “I won’t try anything. Honest. I just like you near me. Got my taste of it tonight, and I’m not ready to give it up.”

  Sam relaxed muscles he did not realize were tensed with anticipation when she finally consented and laid down atop his outstretched arm, her head on the pillow next to him. He drew her to him slowly, so she’d have plenty of time to pull away if she wanted.

  Blue wanted so many things in that moment, but settled for cuddling into his side and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. She’d never been in a bed with a man before, and was hyper aware of every body part that might be too intrusive. The only person she’d ever shared a mattress with was Elle, who would sneak onto her cot in The Way on the nights Blue volunteered to take a beating for her friend. Even though Blue was the one who’d been bloodied, Elle would softly weep for Blue’s marks. In the cover of darkness, Blue would permit her friend to hold and comfort her. Baird would not have approved of the obvious coddling, but some nights, Elle’s sisterly love was the only thing that kept Blue from losing herself completely.

  Being next to Sam was exciting…and dangerous. Blue fought the urge to look over her shoulder to make sure Baird was not somehow towering over them, waiting for his moment to make Sam disappear. After much debate, Blue placed her hand on Sam’s chest.

  “Mm…perfect.” Sam breathed into her hair. “Nope. Still not close enough.” His hand reached over, guiding her knee to rest over his thigh, tangling their legs together. Then he lifted her palm and pressed it to his lips, giving her a kiss she could hold onto. When his lips dragged to the sensitive spot on the inside of her wrist, he smirked at her gasp. “Don’t let me fall asleep, alright? You wished me ‘sweet dreams’ last time, but it didn’t work.”

  Blue’s entire arm tingled as she r
ested it on his chest. “Sweet dreams, Sam,” she whispered into his neck.

  “Don’t let me fall asleep, Blue. I mean it.” Her presence relaxed and excited him simultaneously. The early hour coerced his eyes to close and his breath to steady as he gave in to the tranquility she provided.

  And for once, Sam slept without his demons. They were chased away by the Light.

  For three hours, Blue scarcely moved, distracted only by the quiet babble coming from the TV. Every detail of Sam was catalogued and relished so that the memory would never have a chance at leaving her. His chest moved up and down calmly. In slumber, his sarcasm, borderline OCD and anger were gone. His face was serene, unassuming and utterly stunning in rest.

  When the clock would allow her to prolong the inevitable no longer, she breathed his name into the crook of his neck. “Sam. I think it’s time to wake up.”

  He frowned, but did not open his eyes.

  “Sam. I’ve got to get home for my shift.”

  “Tranquillo, dolce ragazza,” he mumbled, still mostly asleep. “Not yet.” His arm tightened around her as he rolled on top of her petite body, pressing his full weight into her.

  “Huh?” She laughed as she rolled Sam onto his back again, amazed how open she’d become around him, and how well their bodies fit together. “Yes, yet. I’ll just run, though. You need your rest.”

  Sam grumbled unintelligibly, but the moment her hand left his chest, he felt the absence, and knew he would go wherever it went. “No. I’ll drive you. Just give me a minute.” He turned onto his side, wrapping her waist in his arms as she sat up, so she would not get far. “Not yet.”

  Blue laughed. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you? Just go back to sleep, Sam. It’s fine. I promise. I’m a lot faster than you know.”

  “Sun’s up,” he pointed out as his eyes opened reluctantly. “People aren’t supposed to see you run as fast as you can.”

  “Fair point. I’ll wake up Alec, then. Seriously. You look exhausted.”

  “You look like you need to be exhausted.” He frowned, not sure if there was innuendo in his statement. “I’ll take you.”

  Blue broke from his tired grip and stood to find her socks and shoes.

  “Alright, I’m awake,” he declared, sitting upright.

  His rumpled t-shirt and haphazard hair made her laugh again, and the sound softened his morning mood. “Something funny, little Wayward?” He picked up his pillow and tossed it at her.

  “Not sure you want to give me a weapon when you’re this out of it,” she teased, flipping the pillow casually. Blue covered her smiling mouth when he scowled at her. “You. You’re funny. You sleep so peacefully, but you wake up so angry.”

  “Yeah, well…” He tried to think up something clever, but came up empty. He stopped his sarcasm and looked up at her in shock. “I slept peacefully?”

  Catching the astonishment in his voice, Blue observed his surprise. “Barely moved. You smile in your sleep, too. What were you dreaming about?”

  “I don’t remember,” he admitted, scratching his head as he processed. “Really?”

  “Why is that so strange?”

  “I…usually I…” Sam looked up at Blue in confusion, the angel of deliverance he’d expected to scare off by morning. “That’s…unexpected. Didn’t I say not to let me fall asleep?” he asked both of them rudely. Then he stood without further explanation and went into the bathroom while Blue put her shoes on in shame. Even when he came back out, he did not speak, but remained deep in thought. It wasn’t until he had his jacket, wallet, keys and some of his bearings that he opened his mouth at all. “You ready to go home yet?” His tone was clipped, all traces of levity gone.

  Blue nodded.

  “You can talk, you know,” he snapped maliciously. His tone slashed at the glow she’d acquired from lying in his arms. His mood shifted for a reason she could not pinpoint, but she’d been around Baird enough to know that the problem was usually her, and that she should quietly wait out the storm before standing up in the middle of it. She took her penance with grace, and tilted her chin to the floor in an effort to be invisible. She followed behind him out the door, glancing up only enough to see his shoes to know where she should go.

  This irritated Sam. “You don’t have to walk behind me, you know. It’s creeping me out that I can’t even hear you walking. Here.” He slowed down so that he was next to her. “Just be next to me. Make me feel like a beautiful woman like yourself would want to walk down a hall with me.” He tried to regroup with humor, but waking up with a woman in his bed was a new experience. Not having had a night terror was downright unsettling.

  When her pace began to fall even slower, he sighed in irritation. “It makes me nervous to have anyone, except maybe Alec, behind me. He actually makes a little noise, so I don’t feel like I’m being stalked.”

  “I’m sorry.” She looked disgusted with herself, the splendor of their intimate evening shattering around her. She felt like a fool. “I…you’re m-mad at me.”

  Sam internally berated his temper and sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not mad. I’m just not…I’m not mad.”

  As they strolled together down the hallway, Blue began to drift behind him once more. Sam told himself that he simply had to link his fingers through hers, so that she’d keep pace with him. He ignored the silent cheers inside when his lonely hand got its wish. The brightness was short-lived, however, when he realized she would not look up at him anymore.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Different Worlds

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m smoking,” Sam grumbled obstinately as he pulled out a cigarette. “I smoke in the morning and pretty much all day long, and I’m fine with it.”

  Blue had not said a word, but crawled further and further into her shell as he lashed out.

  “My clothes smell like smoke, too, apparently, and I bloody love it.”

  The plastic bag had been stowed under the front passenger’s seat for safe keeping, but Blue still checked that it was there when she ghosted past the door that Sam opened for her. She kept her face from him and tried as hard as she could not to anger him further.

  “Why don’t you ever look at people?” His tone had too much edge to it. Sam stood, leaning on the open passenger’s side door.

  Blue did not answer, nor did she move to show him her face. She shrunk down into her seat, head bowed and shoulders hunched to ward off his aggression. Her voice was so small; he had to close his mouth to hear it. “I’m sorry.”

  Sam paused, and then shook his head as his hands cast out in frustration. “Why are you apologizing?”

  “Because you gave me a direct order, and I disobeyed. You told me not to let you fall asleep, and I did it anyway. I got confused. The Vemreaux Supervisors never put us in charge of that kind of thing back in The Way. Forgot that you’re Vemreaux, and you never disobey a Vemreaux Supervisor. So, I’m sorry.”

  Sam paled. Once words finally came to him, his tone was gentler. “Blue, I’m not your supervisor. You don’t have to obey me.”

  “Yes, I do. You’re throwing a fit right now because I didn’t.”

  “Throwing a fit, eh? Well, I guess that’s true. But you don’t have to obey me. We’re equals, here. I was just being a jerk for no good reason. You should cuss me out, and then call me a dick for being mean to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay? We’re back to that? That’s all you have to say? Why don’t you ever fight back? Where’s the girl what threw me against the wall a couple days ago?”

  She shrugged. “Fine. You’re a dick, then.”

  “Good. Now tell me you think smoking is bad, and I should stop.”

  “But I don’t know anything about smoking. Never saw it until I got out of The Way.”

  “Well, it’s a bad habit, and you should throw a fit about it.”

  “I’m not going to throw a fit.” Blue sighed. “You losing your temper’s just hurtful and petty. When I lose mine, it’s dangerous. When
you hurt people, they just want to die. When I do it, they could actually die.” She shook her head, still not looking anywhere near him. “If you don’t want to smoke, then don’t. I’m not here to boss you around or make you mad at me. I’m not your supervisor. I’m just trying to get home, which I already told you, I don’t need you for.”

  The morning air worked its magic of finally smacking sense into him. He closed his eyes. “Ah, Blue. I’m sorry.”

  “Okay.”

  He cringed, but fought to control his temper. “I am. It’s not you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Okay.”

  Seeing her hide herself from him and knowing that this time, he deserved it brought about the rare emotion of humility in him. Instead of shutting her door, he knelt down on the pavement and placed his hand on hers. “Blue, I’m sorry. I’m a jerk, and I’m sorry. I’m not a morning person, and well, I don’t usually let girls stay the night in my bed. Kinda threw me.”

  She held her face far from him to keep her hurt feelings private. “I didn’t ask to stay the night, Sam. I told you I could run home. If you didn’t want me to be there, you should’ve let me go. I don’t understand your Vemreaux politics, so you shouldn’t mess with my head like that. Just say what you mean. I didn’t…I didn’t ask you for anything.”

  “I know that. I’m not upset that you stayed. I’m really glad you did. I…” He ran his hands through his dark chocolate-colored hair in frustration and humiliation. “And now I’ve been a jerk to you, so I have to tell you why.” He made a frustrated noise, and then exhaled, steadying himself. “You said I slept peacefully. I don’t do that. I have night terrors and I wake the guys up screaming every night. That’s why I get my own room. Peaceful sleep? I can’t remember the last time that happened.”