It took more than a few seconds, but eventually I nodded. “Thank you.”
Lang broke into the moment of much-needed serenity with a loud, “Are we ready, then?”
I pulled away from Ezra, unable to look him in the eye after being such a baby in his embrace. “Okay, let’s go quick. If we can get there in a day, then I won’t have to eat any more of that stuff. Oh, man! Gross.” I turned sheepishly to Lang. “I mean, thanks for thinking of that. Real nice of you.”
“Of course.”
It took a few minutes, but as we trekked on I found I could breathe normally again. Ezra and Mason were deep in a conversation about the best way to sink the rock into the well, debating between dropping it in under cover of night and making a big announcement in the daylight.
“If they don’t know it’s there, no one will try to find it.”
“But then we’re tossing a needle into a haystack. What if something happens to it?”
Mason shrugged. “I think there’s less a chance of that if we let it sink in the well with no one trying to uncover it.”
We weren’t making great time, so I picked up the pace. The rock in my backpack dug against my lower back, but I tried to ignore the discomfort as I trudged through the sticky and slippery surface. No sooner had I skidded and caught myself did Von’s arms go flailing out as he slipped in the mud. “I gotcha!” I cried as my hands went to his hips, steadying him just before he fell.
“Whew! Thanks, Peach.” He grinned at me and then caught himself, looking away as he recalled his shame.
“Hey, Von?”
“Yeah?” He walked a healthy distance from me as we took up the lead position in the group, setting the brisk pace.
“We’re okay, you know. I mean, as far as I’m concerned. We’re cool.”
His voice quieted so as not to be overheard by Ezra. “How can you say that? I nearly killed you!”
“But you didn’t. If you had killed me, I would’ve flipped out on you. I would’ve haunted you right good. Turned out the lights when you’re reading, levitate your breakfast, freeze your boxer briefs – the works.” I blushed at mentioning the specific kind of underwear he preferred. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that I knew such intimate things about Von.
“My evil little ghoul,” he sniggered, tiptoeing back into our casual back and forth that neither of us wanted to go the whole journey without. “Are you sure? I know I scared you. I completely understand if you want Mason to pull from you for a while until you’re not so frightened of me. I’m really fine now. It’s just the fresh human blood that unhinges me. So if you could try not to make yourself bleed and smell like a delicious Christmas feast, I’d be grateful.”
“I’ll do my best to smell like an old can of tuna.”
“Oh, you. Save the sexy talk for when we’re alone next. I can’t take your slutty little come hithers.”
I laughed, and the emotion mingled with the movement of my chest and felt just right. I didn’t like being too serious for long. Von was my sexy platonic buddy who was always good for a laugh. “That’s much better. I don’t like it when we’re at odds. Much better when we’re just being odd together.”
He tossed me a look that was relief mixed with sincerity. “I really am sorry, November. I lost control, but I’m good now.”
I lowered my voice when he moved closer. “I don’t want Mason pulling from me today. I need some time to bounce back from what happened. Apparently I’d rather be killed by you than used by him.”
Von reached his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder, securing me to his side so we walked in step. He was half a foot taller than me, but somehow we fit like pie and ice cream.
I felt Von pull, sighing as he let a little of the air out of my stress balloon.
26
Bruised Peach
“There’s a river up ahead for those of you in need of a cool-off.” Lang pointed to the small body of water in between a series of huts in the distance and a sparse forest butting up against the slow trickle that ran over rocks and logs.
We were all sweating through the heat of the day. We’d tried to keep to the fringes of the land so we wouldn’t be stopped by Lang’s adoring fans. He was well-like throughout his father’s nation, and was the only one from the royal family of Sakuna who lived among the people and took up their cause before the king. Hometown hero stuff, for sure.
“Be careful not to drink,” Lang warned us. “This water’s not safe, especially to outsiders. Bathing only.”
That put up my red flag. I was now already more than half a day without my medication that kept my crazy at bay. Dipping into a polluted river was just plain outside the realm of possibility for me. I was hot from their two fireball suns that glowed with blue tongues overhead. The humidity was all-encompassing. It felt like the most murderous, sticky summer day, and I really wished for an egg to see if it would fry on one of the rocks. I was also pretty hungry, so I wished for an egg just to eat, too.
Egg salad on rye.
Fried egg on toast with Mama McCray’s homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.
A poached egg with warm grits.
My stomach groaned, begging me to think of something else.
Eggs, eggs, eggs.
I watched the men wade into the river up to their chins at the deepest point in the middle. I sat on the embankment, trying to pretend I didn’t need to cool down or get some of the mud off me.
“October Grace, are you alright?” Ezra asked, his kind manner always confusing me. He was engaged to Bev, so I kept trying to shift him into the role of father in my life, but the concept was so foreign to me; I didn’t quite know how to shove the puzzle piece into the gaping hole I’d grown up having to ignore.
“I’m fine. I don’t mind a little mud.” At my response, Mason waded toward me, but I held up my hand. “You go enjoy yourself. I said I’m fine.”
“You’re being stubborn.”
I shrugged. “I think I’ve earned the right to speak my mind and not give a flying pig what you think about it.”
“Is something wrong with our waters?” Lang asked, slightly miffed that I was acting like a spoiled princess.
“Is that a trick question? You just told us they weren’t safe to drink from.” I didn’t mean to be a snob; I just couldn’t will my feet to move me closer into the river. I could feel the amoebas inching toward me, wanting to seep into my crevices and infect me with their alien germs I wouldn’t know how to treat. Plus, I didn’t know how to swim, and it looked pretty deep in the middle.
Von came out of the water, shirtless, clean and grinning like the fool I couldn’t help but smile at. He extended his hand to me. “Let’s go get that mountain, November.” I took his hand so I didn’t look rude, and felt him shoot waves of tranquility into me, calming my anxiety that always came with shaking someone’s hand. He hoisted me to my feet, but before I could grab my backpack off the muddy surface, he surprised me by using the upward momentum to pull me off the ground and throw me over his shoulder. “Change of plans!”
“Von! Put me down!” I squeaked, my protest only just barely heard before he threw me into the river. I landed with a splash between Ezra and Lang.
I screamed under the water until I found my footing. I popped my head out of the water with a murderous glare that was quickly replaced by sheer panic. I tried to run out of the river to escape the germs that were now stuck to me, but Von met me halfway, tackling me backward and plunging us both under. I felt him grab my waist and hit me with another dose of calm-the-crap-down. This time when I surfaced, I clung to him. I wasn’t sure what he could do to ward off the germs, but hoped in my desperation that he provided some sort of magical anti-microbial protection. “I can’t do this! I can’t swim!” I whispered, chattering against him. The water wasn’t even all that cold probably, but the extreme heat of the day made the normal temperature of the water feel like a much needed bucket of ice.
Von held me, smiling with his “Of course I can throw p
eople into the river. I’m charming” kind of grin. He squeezed me to him until I finally let go of the tight hold I had on my body. He chuckled when I rested my cheek on his shoulder, my trembling hand clinging to his bare chest. “I bet you can learn to swim. I bet you can do all sorts of things you never thought you could.”
I didn’t care about decorum; it was Von. My legs and arms were wrapped tight around him as I whispered, “Von, my medication’s back with all our stuff in my world. I can hold out a little longer, but in a day or so I won’t be doing so hot.”
“You want me to stay close? Be your own personal drug?”
I nodded, hating myself for the weakness, but I knew I needed to say something. “Thanks. Don’t say anything to the others, okay?”
“It’ll be our secret. Though Mason knows all about it. I’m sure Ezra’s been filled in by good old Danny, the lousy snitch.” He shook his head in feigned disappointment at his brother. “So really you don’t need to worry about them finding out your secret. And if you can think about forgiving Mason, we can do a double pull, and it’ll make you feel that much better.”
“No. I don’t need Mason. He’ll just stress me out. Only you, if that’s okay. Just until we get home.” I was buoyant in his arms, despite the fact that my soul felt weighted.
“Well, my little peach, it looks like we just became one of those couples who can’t get through life without holding hands.” He pried my wrist off his chest and linked his fingers through mine, resting our tangled hands over his heart. Every now and then I had to remind myself that Von didn’t want me. He was a hopeless flirt who’d slept with my friend Katrina the first night he’d met her, not half an hour after charming my friend Rachel nice and good. I’d been quarantined to friend zone, which was fine. I had enough drama without indulging in fantasies that would never come true.
“Thanks, Von. You’re a good buddy.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
A small splashing nearby made me look up to see Ezra swimming toward us with his eyebrows furrowed. “October Grace, what is… Oh! Oh, darling!”
“What?” I was confused when Von dropped my hand and gasped in disgust. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Your neck! I’m a monster. If there was any doubt before, there certainly isn’t now. I’m sorry.” Von looked sick to his stomach, hurt lacing through his sudden melancholy that tugged at my heart. “I bruised my peach.”
“What gives?”
Ezra showed me his hands to prove their innocence before lifting my chin so he could get a better look at my throat. “It doesn’t look like he broke the skin, but darling, you’ve got bruises all over your neck. I mean, it looks like you’ve been beaten and choked. I guess I didn’t see it because of all the mud, but oh, it’s dreadful.”
Von started wading closer to the edge, making sure my feet could touch the ground. Then he dropped me and all but ran for the shore.
Of course I couldn’t look down to see my own neck. “Huh. Well, it doesn’t hurt. Von controlled himself, so no one needs to make a big deal about it.” I raised my voice to carry to my favorite vampire who was standing at the water’s edge, visibly hating himself. “You hear that, Von? Nothing happened, so let it go.”
“How can you say that? I nearly killed you! If Danny hadn’t pulled me off you, I wouldn’t have been able to stop.”
I waded toward him until the water only lapped at my ankles. “It’s enough. You did great. You got ahold of yourself in time.”
Von’s mismatched eyes conveyed a multitude of emotions that soaked into my pores to tell me just how devastated he was over this, though he couldn’t meet my gaze. “Monsters are dangerous. I am dangerous. You need to understand that.”
I tried to push out all other thoughts, ignoring our audience as I grabbed his face and pulled it down so he’d have to look at me. In his self-loathing, he closed his eyes. I brought his forehead to rest against mine, inhaling the sweet cigar scent that I was learning to grow a fondness for. “You are not a monster, Von. In the next life, you can be a monster all you like. You can have three heads, horns and forked tail. You can take out whole villages with your fire breath if you want.” I took a chance with my daring, reached up and pecked his lips. I was aware of the fangs lurking beneath, but I had to show both of us that Von could be trusted to master the dangerous weapon that he was. My whisper came out fierce as I squeezed my palms to his temples. “But in this life, you don’t destroy things. In this life, you heal me.”
The hug that gripped me was aggressive and desperate, crushing me to him so tightly, it squeezed a little of the air from my lungs. His strong forearms constricted around me, saying more than words could. I felt his heartbeat and knew that he’d just needed someone to believe in him. He’d needed Ezra to give him a job, purpose, to believe that he’d be able to hold on and remain himself for another month, and another. His lips brushed my ear, making goosebumps erupt on the back of my neck when he whispered, “I adore you.” It wasn’t a flirt or a statement, but a pledge that tied us more firmly together while we figured life out. “Never ever leave me, November.”
“Never,” I promised.
We held each other until the others had their fill of bathing in the river. Ezra cleared his throat to snap us out of our moment I could’ve lived in forever. “Perhaps it’s time to return to our journey, yeah?”
Though Von’s casual demeanor was dampened after he’d seen my bruises, we linked our fingers as we started walking toward the mountains again. I knew he was pulling stress from me, but I like to think our solidarity was taking a little unease off his plate, as well.
27
Sacrifice and Self-Loathing
Mason walked behind us, and I felt his eyes on me as Von and I led the way with our brisk pace. My sun-drying shorts hung low on my hips, and the mud caked my bare feet and calves as evening neared.
Lang was our tour guide, so when he spoke, our splinters of conversation died down. “The curfew will be in effect soon, but no need to worry. The sigbins know not to attack members of the royal family.” Lang looked overhead to the setting balls of fire in the sky. “Feel that? The heat’s already more bearable. The sagrado’s only been in our nation less than a day, and the sun’s responding. Tomorrow will be more tolerable for the workers. Soon children will be able to play outside again. The crops won’t be scorched as soon as they’re ready for picking. This is good. This is real good.”
I had my debates about the sun being bearable. It looked to be around six o’clock in the evening here, and judging from the sweat rolling down my bruised back from the doorstop banging against me with every step, the temperature was dipping down to just under a hundred degrees. “You know what makes me look so hot?” I asked Von in a faux breathy voice to exaggerate some good old sexy talk.
Von raised an eyebrow at me. “I want to say your ample breasts, but I’m thinking I’m not allowed to guess that without getting slapped.”
I pointed north. “The two suns, goof. Because they’re hot. I can actually feel the sweat running down my back.”
“So I’m not allowed to talk about your breasts, then? No fun.”
“Not unless I’m allowed to motorboat you later.”
Von let out a loud laugh that lightened the moods of everyone, though no one else knew the details of our conversation, thank goodness. He squeezed my hand, and despite the heat, we walked close, enjoying the friendship that was starting to feel familiar and true. Von’s smile mutated to confusion. “I hear something. A pounding, sort of. Give it a second for you less brilliant folk to pick up on it.”
“I hear it, too,” Mason concurred.
I strained to hear anything different, but all I got were the bugs that buzzed and chirped in the air around us. They’d given us a wide berth on Lang’s command, but it was all still pretty unnerving.
Lang sniffed the air, his frown becoming more pronounced as he pointed to a group of men far off in the distance. “Something’s wrong. Those ar
e my father’s men, but they’re not scheduled to do any rounds in this area tonight.” He pointed to a cluster of soldiers running in our direction, his eyebrows pushed together in alarm. He pressed his muddied hand to my shoulder. “Lady October, run with your Reapers to the huts and find shelter until the soldiers pass. Ezra and I can speak with the head of the guard back in his home to get their marching path for the next day, so we don’t come across them again on our way to the main city. Hide in the village until I come for you. You can trust the people here. They’ll take care of you.” His eyes clouded over. “But not with Gerda. Anyone’s hut but hers.”
I knew he didn’t want Gerda brought into anything seedy. “Splitting up? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I wasn’t a fan of anything that took me away from my guide who had the backstage pass to Sakuna.
“It’s our only choice. We’ll meet you at the base of the mountain over there. Once the troops pass this area by, you can head that way.” His lips tightened when he examined his hand and slowly slid the gold ring off his finger. He gripped my wrist and turned my arm, pressing his ring into my palm and closing my fingers over it. “Show the people in the village this, and they’ll hide you without question. It’s my signet ring.” He looked hesitant, as if he didn’t want to loan me so grand a thing. “Don’t lose that.”
“Okay. Thanks, but are you sure…”
Lang ignored my pause and reached out to shake Von’s free hand like a warning. “Keep her safe.”
Tremble (Terraway Book 2) Page 16