by Ford, Lizzy
“For what it’s worth, I think you might be right about my sister,” Noah added quietly, crouching.
Biji stared at him, certain she’d misheard.
Noah used his magick to pull water from the kindling wood then whipped out a lighter. The brilliant flame blinded Biji. She closed her eyes and waited for the initial shock to fade.
The fire sprang to life.
Noah piled on a few more pieces of wood. His blue eyes settled on her. Biji was staring at him, not fully convinced she hadn’t died or was dreaming. There was blood on the coat he wore and the collar of his shirt. Her gaze lingered on it.
“You didn’t hurt my friends did you?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
“No.” His features were stormy.
With effort, she inched forward. Noah glanced at her then back, as if just noticing she was too far from the warm fire for its warmth to reach her. He rose and approached.
He offered a hand. Biji eyed it.
“C’mon,” he said.
She shook her head. Noah sighed. He knelt beside her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Why?” she asked suspiciously.
“I messed up. I don’t know how to fix it, except to start now.”
Biji’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected confession. He was quietly determined, the tightness of his chiseled features expressing the gravity of his thoughts. His blue-grey gaze was intense. She searched his face, wanting it to be a trick. Wanting him to be as bad as his sister. It was easier to assume the worst than risk trusting him. The last thing Biji needed was someone to lure her into thinking she could help her friends then turning her over to Dawn.
If something happened to Summer and Morgan, Biji could never forgive herself.
“What are you saying?” she asked. “What happened?”
Noah shook his head. “First things first, you need to warm up.” He offered his hand again.
She took it this time, sensing a shift in him without understanding what it was. He helped her to her feet. Biji wobbled, and Noah wrapped a strong arm around her. More than air magick fluttered inside of her. She focused on placing her frozen feet, and they moved towards the fire. Noah lowered her to the ground then released her to sit across from her.
Biji lifted wooden arms to the fire. Her fingertips had started to turn purple from cold. Her eyes watered at the idea that she was minutes away from freezing to death. It wasn’t the fact she almost died that bothered her; it was frustration that her body wasn’t strong enough for her to get help.
“Are you okay?” Noah asked.
She nodded.
“You don’t look okay.”
“I’m failing my friends,” she said, unable to help the tears. “I can’t walk. How can I save them?”
“I’ll help you.”
“Why?”
“My sister …” he hesitated, a tortured look crossing his features. “Someone has to stop her. She needs help. Maybe if I can keep her from doing something stupid tonight, she’ll listen to me. Or get her committed. Something.”
She wanted to tell him Dawn was beyond reform, but she didn’t, disturbed by the pain in his voice. Noah was struggling with his decision and himself. Biji suspected he got a front row seat to how crazy Dawn was. A loyal brother, he wasn’t willing to give up on her yet, even if he now understood the danger Summer and Morgan were in.
“You saw her hurt someone,” Biji said. She eased even closer to the fire, needing its heat.
There was a long pause.
“Maybe,” Noah said at last. “I wanted to believe it wasn’t her.”
She pitied him.
They were quiet. Biji let her body warm itself again as much as it would. She didn’t think the ice in her chest would ever thaw out after this.
“Are my friends okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he answered. “At least they were when I left.”
Biji almost sighed in relief. Noah’s intense gaze was on the fire. By the look on his face, his thoughts weren’t good.
“What made you leave?” she asked.
“My sister sent someone to tie me up so I’d keep quiet,” he replied.
“Bitch.”
Noah snorted. “You good at riddles?”
“Not really.”
“Well one of us has to figure out this one,” he said. “It’s where they took your friends.”
“You’re really going to help me?”
“Yes.”
She studied him. Noah didn’t look away. He was serious, which made her think that whatever he saw, it was much worse than she wanted to imagine.
“What’s the riddle?” she asked.
“They were trying to figure out a place to put Morgan. Somewhere where fire couldn’t survive. The ground is too frozen to bury her, and none of them are earth elements,” he explained. “Alexa said there couldn’t be metal or wood, because she can burn through them. Summer is an air element, so I’m assuming there can’t be air, either.”
Biji was thoughtful. Her mind was a little less sluggish than her body, but it still took effort to concentrate. Morgan was super agitated in the basement of the resort. She needed space, so it made sense that Dawn planned on making her suffer by taking away the elements a fire needed to survive.
“No earth and no air. No metal or wood,” Biji murmured. “She kept muttering about how the basement was …” She shivered.
“What?”
“Tomb. Dawn’s taking them to the cemetery.”
Noah grew pale. She saw the look on his face, the one that said he was fighting hard to remain focused when he was devastated.
“I’m ready,” Biji decided.
“No, you’re not.” Noah’s attention shifted to her.
“We can’t just sit here.”
“We can and will. You’re in no shape to go anywhere yet.”
Biji glared at him.
“I spent my life dealing with bitchy women. You are way too nice and pretty to out-bitch my mom and sister,” he warned her.
“I’m adorable,” Biji corrected him. “I hate being called pretty.”
“For real?” He didn’t seem to know how to take her response.
“Yes. Dead serious,” she said. “Pretty is so insincere.”
He rolled his eyes. “I was thinking beautiful but figured it’d freak you out.”
“Beautiful, I can tolerate,” she said. Then stared at him. “We’re in the middle of a snowstorm and my two friends might be dying and I’m half-dead and your sister went off the deep end. You’re not hitting on me, are you?”
“I always thought you were beautiful, ever since you got to the school,” he said simply and tossed another stick into the fire.
For the first time in her life, Biji was speechless. She spent years drooling over guys, but never thought for a second about what any of them might think about her. Mainly because she had a fiancé waiting for her in India. A prearranged marriage made years ago between her father and another business mogul in India. It was the sole reason she never chased after any of the boys at school and just watched them. Daydreamed of what it might be like to date who she wanted.
Not that she didn’t like Samir, her fiancé. His family and hers were friends, and she hung out with him for a few years, until she was sent here. He was nice enough.
He wasn’t a witchling and didn’t have blue eyes like Noah’s. She wondered if he’d come find her in a storm, like Noah did.
“There’s only one cemetery around here,” Noah said.
Biji shook her head. She had better things to do than drool over some guy. She tested her arms and legs. They were functional, but she wasn’t going to be running anywhere soon.
“It’s a long walk around the lake,” she murmured, frowning at her stiff legs.
“We’re not walking around it,” Noah replied.
She looked at him curiously. “You have a boat?”
“Water element,” he reminded her with a small smile.
“Oh.” As an air element, Biji loved freedom. Air was the most independent of the elements, always moving and active. The idea of venturing back to the lake – and the prospect of falling into it again – made her nervous. She’d been completely cut off from her element for those few seconds before Noah grabbed her. “So what’s the plan?”
“I’ll show you when you’re ready.”
“Are you going to take me out there and drown me?”
“I just told you I think you’re beautiful and you think I’m going to drown you?” Noah laughed. “No, Biji, I won’t drown you.”
She said nothing but rubbed her legs. She wanted to be ready, in case he did anything stupid. She didn’t think she’d ever want to leave the fire, but she was painfully aware of how much time was passing. Noah was calm. Biji grew more frantic. Her body wasn’t warming fast enough, and her friends were in danger. She was hungry, and her fingers and toes hurt.
The snow still fell. She hoped Noah was able to talk to the lake to guide them, because she was utterly lost.
“Okay. I’m ready,” she said after a short while.
“You sure?”
“No, but we have to save them. I’ll be fine.”
Noah studied her for a moment then rose. He offered her a hand and helped her to her feet, ready to catch her if her legs didn’t hold.
They did. Biji stretched them. They were stiff and her core still shaking from cold. The strange earth magick had kept her alive while Noah’s cool water magick and fire saved her life.
“Let’s go,” he said and held out his hand.
“I can walk,” she said indignantly.
“I know.” The troubled Dark teen didn’t drop his hand or look away. His scent tickled her nose from the coat she wore, and his body heat made her want to huddle against him.
Warmth crept up her cheeks. Biji felt the fluttering again. It almost took away the chill remaining in her body. Without another word, she took his hand.
Noah turned and led her into the forest. His step was careful but determined. He knew where he was going. Biji held his hand tightly, appreciating the warmth as well as the company.
Within minutes, they reached the edge of the lake. Noah walked out onto the ice without hesitation. Biji balked, recalling her last encounter with the body of water. She pulled her hand free.
“It’s okay,” Noah assured her. “It’ll warn me if the ice isn’t strong enough.”
She gazed at him for a long moment, debating whether or not she wanted to trust him. Noah waited quietly.
Biji stepped onto the ice. Her legs were stiff enough that balancing on the slick surface was hard. Noah took her hand without asking this time and wrapped his other arm around her. She froze in place, not expecting his gentle touch. He nudged her forward.
She went. Her heart beat harder the farther she got from solid ground. Noah’s warmth both comforted her and made her air magick fly through her blood. They reached the edge of the ice. The lake water appeared black ahead of them. Like it would swallow her whole and suffocate her away from her air magick.
“If you hyperventilate, you’ll pass out,” Noah said. “I promise. Nothing bad will happen. The water is my element, and I know how to use it.”
Biji managed a nod, unconvinced.
“And now for the bad news.”
She looked up at him.
“We need to cross the lake,” he said deliberately.
“Freeze it. We’ll walk,” she reasoned. “You can do that, right?”
“I can,” he agreed. “But there’s a faster way. You want to try it?”
“Yeah, definitely. We have to save my friends,” she said.
He released her and pulled her in front of him to face him, her back to the center of the lake. Noah’s gaze was on her, his hands on her shoulders.
“Keep that in mind, okay?” he said. “Do me a favor. Hold your breath and count to three.”
“What?”
“One. Hold your breath.”
She found herself sucking in a deep breath.
“Two.”
The lake snatched her. Biji didn’t have time to scream or react. One minute, she was standing before Noah. The next, her world exploded in a mix of ice cold water and the sensation of flying. She couldn’t move; the water wrapped around her like a vice. Water magick poured through her.
Suddenly, it released her. Biji gasped as she broke through the surface of the lake. The long arm of water wrapped around her body unraveled and released her gently onto the snow-covered beach. It took with it every last drop of lake water, leaving her chilled but dry. Her air magick was panicked by her disappearance and swirled around her.
“Omigod!” she croaked.
“You okay?” Noah sounded out of breath.
Biji rolled onto her side. He’d landed a few feet away but looked unaffected by the trip, aside from his blond hair being a mess.
“You son of a bitch!” she hissed. “I swear to … god … I’ll …” Biji staggered to her feet, fell then got up again. She was dizzy from the sensation of being propelled at inhuman speed through the water. The world was spinning, and her only rational thought was to run as far and fast as possible from the lake before it got her again.
“Careful.” Noah caught her with a chuckle. “Sorry. It was the fastest way.”
“I hate you,” she groaned, shaking from cold again.
“You’re welcome.”
She gripped his coat to steady herself and looked up at him. His smile was warm, his thick arms around her. For a moment, the anger and pain were gone. He was devastatingly handsome, a realization she’d missed in all the tension of their brief encounters. Caught in his blue-grey eyes, Biji didn’t notice that her body had stopped shaking.
Aware only of how openly she was staring, she released her hold on him and pushed away. His hands dropped, taking with it his heat.
“I’m never going swimming again,” she said to fill the awkward quiet.
“Maybe you just shouldn’t go without a water element to fish you out,” he suggested.
Biji gave him a dirty look and took a few unsteady steps up the bank. She grabbed a branch to stabilize herself. Noah gave her a push to help, and she reached the top of the slope. He joined her.
“Should be that way,” he said, pointing. “I had the lake bring us to the closest point possible.”
He took her hand once more, and she glanced at him, not understanding him. Did he do it to keep her from falling? Because he thought she was beautiful? To hurry her up?
Any other time, she’d debate why, but her sense of urgency grew again. The air was warning her this time that there was danger nearby. Biji wasn’t about to run away from the danger. If anything, she wanted to pound Dawn’s face in. Better yet, if she had one of those Tasers they used to torture Morgan …
As if sensing they were close, Noah fell again into a troubled quiet. Biji began to hope Dawn wasn’t there, because she didn’t quite trust Noah to protect her friends instead of coming to Dawn’s defense.
The snow tapered off then stopped falling. She almost screamed in happiness when they broke free from the forest onto the gravel road that ran along the south side of the lake. If she could run, she would have. She’d been by the graveyard, but never to it. It was a historic cemetery, no longer used, yet still well-maintained. She thought she heard that some of the Turners’ relatives were buried there.
Biji broke into a slow trot, anxious to find her friends. Noah matched her pace and kept alongside her as they hurried down the road. They stopped at the driveway leading to the cemetery. It was long and hadn’t been cleared of snow.
There were tracks going to and from the graveyard. They were wide and left the distinct markings of snow chains, a staple in the northern Idaho community in winter. One set of tracks leading out onto the road were only half filled in with snow.
They plunged down the driveway. The deep snow slowed their pace to a walk. Biji shivered hard, her grip on Noah’s hand tight.
He glanced back at her more than once, and she focused on her feet. She was hurting, but she didn’t want to tell him how much, not when they were so close to finding Summer and Morgan.
The sound of crunching came from the road. They both turned. A huge, black SUV was creeping up the driveway, slowing as if to turn.
“That’s my truck,” Noah said, frowning.
Biji’s gaze darted towards the cemetery. They were only halfway down the driveway.
“Can you run?” she asked him urgently.
“Yeah. You?”
“No.
Noah looked at her.
“You have to help my friends,” she whispered.
“And what? Leave you out here for my sister to pick up?” he asked angrily. His blue eyes flashed.
“No. I’ll go to the forest and make my way to the cemetery,” she replied.
He dropped her hand and pressed both to his temples. Biji sensed him struggle once more at the thought of confronting his sister. She willed him to be strong enough to do it, because her own body wasn’t going to let her.
“Promise me you’ll stay where it’s safe.”
She shifted. It wasn’t her intention. She wanted Noah to rescue her friends while she kicked Dawn’s ass once and for all.
“That’s the only way I’ll do it,” he said. “God help you, Biji, if you don’t listen to me this time.”
She swallowed hard. He was serious.
“Okay. But you have to help them,” she repeated. She felt like she was entrusting a broke man with a million dollars and a key to her car. It wasn’t a good feeling.
“I will,” he said. “I won’t let Dawn hurt them.”
Biji nodded uncertainly. Noah glanced down the road then took her hand and tugged her into the protection of the forest. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“You’re right,” he said. “Dawn has to be stopped. If I can’t do it, call someone who can.”
She accepted the phone, panic in her stomach.
“One last thing.”
She looked up, hoping he didn’t tell her that her friends were dead or worse. Expecting bad news, she wasn’t prepared for what Noah did next.