Tremble
Book Two in the Terraway Series
Mary E. Twomey
Contents
1. Take Away Dessert
2. Prison Break
3. His Lips, my Legs
4. Bygones and Bully
5. My Freak-out Barometer
6. Faking the Flu
7. A World of Difference
8. Penny’s Dad
9. Necking with Dracula
10. Nurse Gracie
11. Von’s Sacrifice
12. Reading to Alicia
13. Judge and Nefarious
14. Believing in Circuses
15. Round One-October
16. Round Two-Judge
17. Reasons and Reason
18. The Same Animal
19. Marrying me Off
20. Precious
21. Hallucination Harlot
22. Shoved in a Trunk
23. Pushed to the Limit
24. Sleeping on the Floor
25. Delicious Baga Root
26. Bruised Peach
27. Sacrifice and Self-Loathing
28. The Best Kind of Danger
29. Women and their Babies
30. My Precious Menaces
31. Just the Way You Are
32. Battlefield Nurse Gracie
33. Swimming and Drowning
34. Hammer, not Daughter
35. The Prince’s Proposal
36. My Broken Music
37. Counting
38. Caged Omen
39. My Beautiful Distraction
40. Friggin’ Ready
Torture
1. The Perfect Guy
Other books by Mary E. Twomey
Copyright © 2016 Mary E. Twomey
Cover Art by www.goonwrite.com
All rights reserved.
First Edition: November 2016
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
http://www.maryetwomey.com
For Tiffini.
Thank goodness they don’t charge for phone calls by the minute anymore.
We’d be in some serious trouble.
I love you, girl, plain and simple.
Though you are anything but plain or simple.
1
Take Away Dessert
Mariang cried the whole way to the mansion. Her cooing sniffles were the only sounds as we walked inside and awaited my doom. I didn’t want to think about the fact that I’d just murdered the Goblin King, Titus. Each time I closed my eyes longer than a blink, I saw his wrinkled Christmas Elf body turning to stone and crushing into pebbles when I’d lost my mind after he’d threatened Mason.
My head hung as I waited outside the conference room at Ezra’s mansion. I guess Ezra was going to be my stepdad when he married Bev, but in this capacity, he was my boss. I’d just screwed up royally my first week on the job. Instead of reaping enough souls to feed the nations of Terraway, I’d managed to wipe out one-seventh of their nations in a single blow. Titus had tied himself to his people, connecting his life with all the Goblins in Terraway. It had been a solid plan to survive a famine – if he ate, none of the Goblins starved.
I don’t think Titus counted on a fight when he crossed me.
Ezra opened the door to the conference room with a closed expression, ushering me inside. I gasped at the lower half of Titus’ body that had been shoved in the corner next to the fichus. The statue that had mere hours ago been a living, breathing being was still intact from the neck down – solid stone though it was. One leg was raised higher than the other, and his arm was outstretched, frozen as it reached out to snatch at the stone, or at me. I backed away, my heels skidding on the short carpet. My anxiety brimmed at the evidence of madness that could only belong to me.
Mason’s hand on my back was supposed to be reassuring, but I’m not sure anything could’ve calmed me enough to make me forget I’d just slaughtered an entire people in one go. I kept my head down, accepting whatever sentence the council of Terraway had for me.
My hands were shaking as I scratched at the skin on the backs of them. I didn’t bother sitting at the long oval-shaped polished wood table. My insides felt hollow and painted in a thin layer of white coldness that had nothing to do with the chill I got from reaping.
Mason sat in his chair, representing either Hayop or Sombi, I wasn’t sure. He patted the seat next to him that had been selected for me. I stood, knowing I didn’t deserve a spot at the cool kids’ table after what I’d done. Danny wasn’t permitted a seat, since he was a Reaper only. He stood in the corner, observing with a quiet intensity that made me itch. Kabayo, Captain Finn, Sylvia and Langgam all stared at me with a new kind of curious fascination that was mingled with a wary watch-out-for-that-one;-she’s-nuts looks.
I was sorely missing Von, who still hadn’t shown up for work. They would lock me up for sure, and I wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to him.
The worst was that I wouldn’t be able to explain things to Ollie. I’d just disappear in some Terraway jail, separated from my big brother, who would never be the same. He’d think I’d abandoned him, like our sister Allie had done to us.
Ezra and I were the only ones standing. I lowered my chin when he took the floor to start my private hearing. “We’ve been discussing at length how to handle this situation, and have come to the conclusion that your involvement in this should be kept secret, Lady October.”
My head whipped up to gape at Ezra, but I didn’t say a word.
“It’s in the best interest of Terraway to let Titus’ arrogance of tying himself to his people, as if he were immortal, stand as a lesson not to dabble in such things. He was foolish, and now he and his people are dead. Who did it doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is that no other kings feel tempted to bind themselves to their people in the same way.”
My mouth fell open in shock. It wasn’t until Ezra’s verdict that I glanced up and took in the casual demeanor of everyone on the council. Kabayo was leaning back, his black horse head mildly interested as he tapped his fingertips on the arm of his chair. Captain Finn had his hands folded across his stomach, his left combat boot crossed over his right knee. He had a calm look about him, like he was watching the whole thing on television on a Sunday afternoon. Even Sylvia, the woman with a crescent-shaped face and bat-like enhancements only wore an expression of mild concern.
Like I was there for a traffic violation. Like I hadn’t just murdered a whole race of people.
Ezra waved his hand in my direction. “You can carry on about your day, then. That’s all. Just keep this to yourselves the next time you’re in Terraway.”
My head whipped from one end of the table to the other, my somber expression mutating into indignation. “No! Are you kidding me with this? I just murdered probably thousands of people!”
Kabayo raised his finger to correct me. “Hundreds of thousands. And Goblins aren’t people; they’re a plague. Good riddance to the whole of them.”
Prince Langgam wasn’t even interested in the conversation, but played with one of the cockroaches as it skittered up his muddy arm. “Is the meeting over yet?”
I glowered at Lang. “I’m smack in the middle of talking, you jag.”
Finn quirked a dark blond eyebrow at my outburst. “Do you want us to hang you? Then where would we be? Even with the Goblins taken off the list of creatu
res the souls you reap have to fuel, Terraway will still starve without a healthy Omen. Lady Mariang can’t keep up with the demand anymore.” Finn inclined his head apologetically to Ezra out of respect for speaking disparagingly about his daughter.
Kabayo stood, as if the whole meeting was adjourned. “Frankly, you only did what everyone in this room wishes they could get away with. Goblins have been stealing food from the neighboring lands when they don’t actually need it, since they were tied to Titus. Every time one of our horses takes ill, it’s from some Goblin’s curse.”
I tried to picture the reverse centaur standing before me actually riding on a horse, but it was too weird a visual. I cleared my throat to address the room as an equal. “You all should be ashamed of yourselves. I killed baby Goblins who didn’t even have a chance to change their people for the better. I killed the good people as well as the bad. You can’t let me off the hook for this. It’s not right.”
Sylvia eyed Titus’ stone body warily. “There’s no such thing as a good Goblin. None that I’ve seen, anyway. They all grow up the same – greedy and sneaky.”
Mason’s hand on my arm was gently trying to tell me to shut up and be grateful, but I ignored him. I leaned my knuckles down on the table, resolute in my conviction. “No. I won’t help a world that has no checks and balances. No one’s above the law, not even the people in this room. I mean it. I’m not leaving until I’m punished in some way.”
Ezra softened, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What would you have me do? If I throw you in jail, it only punishes the people of Terraway who continue to starve.”
My eyes met Ezra’s with no hint of optimism or peace. “I just committed genocide. I hope you understand that. I don’t care if the Goblins were a people worth saving. On your payroll is a mass murderer. Don’t you dare tell me you can go to sleep with that on your conscience.” I shook my head at Ezra. “I’m a correctional nurse. I believe in the justice system. Know me a little bit, Ezra.”
Captain Finn’s smile told me that no matter how insistent I was, they weren’t going to take this as seriously as they should. “Kabayo, why don’t you take the new Omen down to your prison? Let her look around at how many cells were opened up when the Goblins turned to stone.”
“More than half. The statues are being moved to the palace garden right now, actually.”
“No one’s above the law,” I argued, furious. “That’s the whole point of having a law! I mean, honestly!”
Prince Langgam stood, and several dozen cockroaches skittered across his shoulders and trailed down his mud-streaked arms. “Are we done here? I’ve got to get back.”
“No, we’re not done! You can’t let me do this with no repercussions.”
Captain Finn scratched the gills on his neck and stood. His short caramel-blond hair was ruffled on the left, and I wondered if he ever worried about things like bedhead. He was wearing that same cocky smile that had a hint of cruelty to it as he stared across the table at me. “Expect a shipment of gold from King Banak in the morning, expressing his gratitude. You’ve done Terraway a great favor, Lady October.”
I jabbed my finger in his direction, livid that this was all a joke to them. “Don’t you smile at me. Don’t you dare smile about this.”
Kabayo bowed slightly to Ezra, and then to me, chuckling at my indignation. “She wants to be punished? Take away her dessert, Ezra. No cake for a whole day.” He extended his hand to shake mine, but I refused, sniffing at the offensive offer. Kabayo shook Mason’s hand instead, and then vanished before my eyes. I jumped, and then remembered the kings and important blowhards all had enhancements that allowed them to transport their bodies between worlds on a dime.
Sylvia inclined her head to me. “We’ve been trying to ward off the Goblins for years, but they keep encroaching on our territory. Thank you for helping us.” She placed her hand on the table and met my eyes with sincerity I couldn’t shrug off. “Truly.”
“But I didn’t…” I tried to protest, but no one was listening.
Sylvia and Captain Finn vanished, and then Lang followed suit after he walked behind my chair and squeezed my shoulder.
Mason exhaled when it was just Danny, Ezra and me with him in the conference room. “We got lucky there.” Then he craned his neck up at me with a scolding expression from where he sat at the table. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Take the pardon and run next time.”
“Are you kidding me with this? This is wrong, Mason. You should know that a country’s leaders should have to follow the same rules as its citizens.”
Danny’s arms were crossed over his chest. “I can’t believe you’re upset about getting off without punishment. You’re just trying to be difficult.”
“Hello, I work at a prison! I see every day that checks and balances matter. I know in my heart that I belong in jail on death row. I killed a man in cold blood just because he…” My eyes fell on Mason before they closed to shut out the world for a few seconds.
Mason stood, his hand rubbing circles into the middle of my back. “You thought Titus was going to kill me. I can’t tell if you were right, but I know you did what you had to do. It was Titus’ fault for tying himself to his people with the tahi charm. We all warned him of the danger.”
“Don’t,” I warned quietly. “Don’t you let me off the hook, too.” Mason’s body was warm and inviting. I don’t know why I felt the tug of a magnet in my gut, but it drew me to him so I could wrap myself in his comfort.
For three whole seconds I breathed, inhaling the relief of his calming presence that smelled like patchouli, pine and grown man.
I stiffened when his hand trailed to the small of my back. It was such an intimate space on my body, but the alarms weren’t because his hand felt wrong there – my hackles rose because his touch felt all too right. I didn’t deserve comfort, and I was soaking it in like a glutton. I pushed Mason back and stomped out of the room, running down to the basement where the cell I knew I deserved was waiting for me.
2
Prison Break
The steel bars taunted me with their sturdy nature. The construction was no joke, and went from the concrete floor to the ceiling. The cell was meant for Von – my half-vampire Reaper who was still MIA. When Von couldn’t suppress his blood cravings anymore, he locked himself in this cell to keep the world safe. He also did it to keep himself from drinking the blood of a whole human and transitioning to a full-vampire.
I locked myself in the cell with the key to keep the world safe from me. I was dangerous, and the worst kind of person. I was up there with ruthless dictators who slaughtered instead of thought things through. The council wouldn’t keep the monster I was under control, so I knew I had to do it.
I sat in the far corner of the cell of the basement that was lit only by the stairway light. I hugged my knees to my chest and contemplated the horrible person I’d become, and the steps that had led me there.
It was twenty minutes before Mason came bounding down into the basement. I clutched the key in my hand to make sure he couldn’t get me out of my self-imposed prison.
When his eyes found me in the dimly lit concrete corner, a soft smile played on his lips, his shoulders relaxing. “What are you doing down here?”
“Hosting a tea party. You can tell Ezra that I’m not coming out, either.”
Mason glanced to the empty hook on the wall and frowned. “Where’s the key?”
I displayed it in my hand, and then went back to clutching my knees, resting my head on them in my utter despondence.
“Give me the key, October.” Mason moved to the side of the cage, chuckling when I leaned away from his reach. “You really have no idea how strong I am, do you.”
“All I know is I’m where I deserve to be.”
“Seems like talking you out of this isn’t going to work.” Mason tsked me, as if I was a petulant child instead of a mass-murderer. Then he clutched the door to the cell on either side and yanked it clean off its iron hinges with ba
rely more than a grunt.
I yelped and plastered my body to the wall. “I can’t believe you just did that!”
“I can’t believe you thought you could do this. You’re an Omen now. That means you don’t get to take a day off, not even to go to jail.” He examined the door with a grimace as he rested it to the wall. “I’ll have to fix that later, in case Von needs this place.”
I remained on the floor, not needing a door to hold me inside. “Leave me alone, Mason.”
Mason cocked his head to the side, sizing me up. “No. We’re in this together. That means you don’t get to go rogue and ask the council to lock you up or hang you. It means that if you’re locked up, then I go with you.” He sat down next to me, pulling his knees to his chest, as I was doing. “This is actually kind of nice. I didn’t get much sitting down time before meeting you.”
“This isn’t nice. This is a prison. Nice is upstairs. In here is for criminals.”
“And you’ve gone from hero to villain in a single morning? That’s impressive.”
His teasing tone threatened to soften me, so I hugged my knees tighter to brace myself against it. “Go away. I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know you are. I’ve never seen anyone question the council like that, especially not over a favorable ruling.” His arm draped around my back, bringing me in to his side.
That magnet feeling tugged in my gut again, and the warmth spread through me like hot chocolate. I wanted to resist, but the desire to stay in his shelter kept me in place. “I killed children, Mason. Little Goblin babies who didn’t do a thing to me.” My eyes started to water, and I knew I wouldn’t last long with my pride intact if I kept going. My confession came out in an agonized whisper. “I killed thousands of children.”
Mason buried his nose in my cheek as he held me, relishing the connection that was still new, but somehow also felt like the most natural thing in the world. “I could feel that you were down here. Ezra was looking upstairs in the guest rooms, but I knew you were here. I barely know you, but I can feel you.” He tapped his heart. “So strange.”
Tremble (Terraway Book 2) Page 1