The Wanted

by Rory Miles

He didn’t know his name.

  A knowing smile graced Daman’s face. “Ah. That’s all right. How does Archer sound?”

  The skin between his full brows crinkled; he titled his head as though considering the name.

  “Archer.” His voice rumbled deep in his chest.

  “I think it’s fitting,” Daman said, smiling at him with pride.

  The man didn’t say anything.

  “Archer, can you help me with a problem?”

  He dipped his head.

  “Those two.” Daman pointed at Flynn and me, “killed this woman’s son,” he gestured to the mother. “As punishment, the DMC has sentenced them both to death.”

  Archer’s angry, glowing gaze passed over Flynn, assessing. Then his eyes found mine. His attention seemed to freeze me in place. My fingers itched to move but I couldn’t.

  “No, son. The man is lying to you.” His mother reached a hand out to him. “Come to Mommy.”

  The man scowled at the woman. “The power says you lie. Why do you lie?”

  The power says? What the hell?

  “The power can detect truth from lies. Delusion has plagued the woman since they took her son. He was only eight.” Daman gave the woman a pitying look. “Your job, Archer, is to serve justice.”

  Archer took a step toward us. A small yet familiar dart stuck into his neck. He lifted a hand, face scrunching in confusion as he pulled the dart from his neck. I hoped it would be enough to take him down.

  Two darts hit Daman before he knew what had happened. Then, three masked men jumped on the platform, knocking the men guarding us unconscious.

  “No!” Daman screamed, shooting out a defensive spell at the men.

  They dodged and retaliated with their magic. The purple power slowed but they hadn’t countered the spell. Now split into three tendrils, the magic chased after each man. They used every counter spell I knew, but the magic still wouldn’t fade.

  Daman sneered at them. “You’re fools,” he said.

  Archer stood still, staring at the scene with a creased brow.

  “ARCHER!” Daman bellowed.

  The man looked up at Daman before clutching his stomach. He stooped over, vomiting across the stage.

  “Archer?” Daman asked, concern lacing his words as he rushed to his side.

  I smiled. The pill had worked.

  Another masked man jumped on stage; a familiar stone hung from a chain around his neck. He rushed through the tendrils of violet. The sapphire absorbed the deep magic.

  Lumi!

  The woman fell face first onto the stage, convulsing.

  “What did you do?” Daman’s palm hit my face, jerking my head to the side and busting my lip.

  I smirked, eyeing him through black strands of hair covering my face.

  “You killed them!” His foot connected with my side.

  I cried out, falling over. His foot hit my side again. With my hands bound in front of me, I tried army crawling away as fast as I could.

  “You stupid bitch,” he screamed at me.

  I turned, using my hands as a shield. His leg pulled back, preparing to kick again, but before he could, he fell to his knees, growing pale. His eyes promised retribution as he glared at me before flopping onto his back. His head lolled to the side.

  Thank the goddess those tranqs were strong enough to overpower deep magic.

  Outraged cries rose from the crowd. Three blasts of magic lashed up at the stage, but the man wearing Lumi cast a shield, blocking any power from reaching us.

  “Winter.” The man with the gemstone knelt in front of me, carefully pushing my hair from my face. “Are you okay?”

  Noah’s brown eyes passed over my body, cataloging the injuries and filth covering me.

  “Hardly,” I said, smiling. The split in my lip pulled, and fresh blood trickled from the wound. I grimaced.

  His face grew hard with anger. The other masked men crowded around me. I saw Corban’s blue eyes, Sloan’s light green, and Bron’s almost black. Relief washed over me.

  “I’m great, really, thanks for asking,” Flynn said, attempting sarcasm for the first time in days.

  Bron glanced at him, the bodies on stage, and then to the crowd. “We need to go.”

  “The shield will hold long enough for you to heal her.” Noah turned to Bron, crossing his arms.

  Bron looked at the crowd again, apprehension written across his features. The shield was holding, but the few people in the crowd also using deep magic were quickly wearing it down.

  “Let’s go.”

  “We should kill him,” Sloan said, tilting his head at Daman.

  Corban voiced his agreement.

  Bron moved toward Daman, stopping when a giant fissure ran down the shield. A man worked his way through the crack. We were far outnumbered.

  “Time to go,” Noah said, picking me up. “Someone grab the bounty hunter.”

  Corban scooped up Flynn like he didn’t weigh a thing. He’d probably lost several pounds since he’d been captured. Bron ran to catch up with Noah, pulling me from his arms.

  “You have the stone; you need to watch our backs.”

  I wanted to protest, but before I could, Noah jogged to the back of our group, throwing Lumi over his shoulder to rest on his back.

  Strong arms held me close. Corban and Sloan sent worried looks my way as we ran. Flynn looked irritated but was in no position to complain seeing as they had just rescued us from certain death.

  “You should rest,” Bron said.

  I looked up at him, meeting his steady gaze. “Will you help me?”

  He looked surprised by the request. The last time he used that sort of magic on me I had been pissed.

  “Sleep well.” A rush of warm magic tingled up my spine, seeping into my blood and relaxing my mind.

  “Thank you,” I breathed, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting the magic lull me to sleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  My bladder felt ready to burst, the pressure causing the magic Bron had used to fade. He carried me like a baby, one arm underneath my legs and the other under my shoulders.

  “Put me down.” My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and yet despite my dehydration I had to pee.

  “No, we’re almost home.”

  Home. Did I have one? I squeezed my thighs together, trying to fight the urge.

  “I’m going to pee.” The words came out as a whimper.

  He jerked to a stop, holding me away from his body. I wanted to laugh when he checked his shirt for wetness but I didn’t have the energy.

  “Give her to me.” Sloan pulled me from Bron, giving him an annoyed look before carrying me away from the path and into the forest where the men wouldn’t be able to see me. “Can you stand?”

  My teeth dug into my lip as I nodded my head yes, hoping to the goddess I could do it alone. When he set me down, my legs collapsed under the weight of my body.

  “I’m fine. I can get up,” I said more to myself than to Sloan. I had to get up. There was no way I’d piss all over myself. Dirt and leaves shifted under my hands as I pushed to kneeling. Sloan squatted, held out his hands, palms exposed to the sky.

  “Hold on to me.” He frowned when I began to shake my head. “I won’t watch.”

  When he looked away, I sighed with reluctance. The ever-growing urge to pee surpassed my embarrassment. I held onto him while I squatted, using one hand to pull my underwear and shorts down and over my knees. Nothing happened. Or at least, I couldn’t tell if it did. My ears were ringing and my vision was fading fast.

  “Am I going?”

  He turned his head, gaze softening when he saw the tears stinging my eyes. “You can’t tell?”

  My arms and legs trembled, already too weak to hold myself up. Sloan grabbed my waist with his hands, holding me steady.

  “Just a few more seconds to dry off.” The gentleness of his words stole my breath. He didn’t seem to care that I couldn’t hold myself up or that he was helping me go
to the bathroom. His kindness during my moment of vulnerability meant more to me than he would ever know.

  I hung my head, embarrassment burning my cheeks. Sloan helped me stand, holding onto me with one hand and pulling up my underwear and shorts with the other. My fingers dug into his shoulders. The second the shorts were on, my legs fully gave out. Sloan caught me before I face-planted in my urine. Thank the goddess for small mercies. He picked me up, carrying me back toward the others. Black orbs floated in my vision and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore them. Someone pulled me from Sloan’s arms, I guessed it was Bron because the steady cadence of his steps lulled me to sleep once more.

  An annoying crick had taken hold. Turned out being carried around like a baby was really bad for your neck. Bron provided a steady supply of magic to keep me sedated until we reached the cottage. I’d slept through the hike out of the mountains and picking up the horses. Upon our return, he’d taken them back to the stables and I’d been too tired to say goodbye to Beauty. Hopefully she understood.

  Now, I sat on one of the mismatched couches, feeling slightly lethargic despite the amount of sleep I’d gotten. I rubbed at my neck with one hand, trying to work out the kinks in my muscles. A hot curl of steam rose from the cup of tea I held in my other.

  Onions and garlic sizzled in a pan; Sloan stood watch, taking care not to burn them. His brother Shawn had left but no one had said where he was going. With my energy levels so low, I didn’t have it in me to care what he was doing, but I assumed he went to go work whatever job these men did. Outside, Erik and Corban were working to repair part of the split-rail fence. Noah had gone to find Kace, who had been storming off every morning since we returned. I tried not to take it personally but after day three, I started to think I’d overstayed my welcome.

  The men had been careful to give me space while I recovered, giving me everything I could possibly need except attention. They would check in, asking how I felt, did I need anything, but they never stayed. The couch had become my island of isolation. Getting up to eat or go to the bathroom was all I could manage. If I spent too long away from the couch I began to panic.

  I knew enough from the last time I escaped the DMC that the feelings would pass. I’d learn to breathe, rest, and live easier. That would take time. Now, the best I could do was try not to flinch when someone raised their hand or used their magic in front of me. Which is why I had made the couch my safe haven. I could safely hear and see most of the activity in the house from that vantage point.

  I didn’t care to venture outside just yet. The window Corban had opened upon my request gave me an awareness of the activities surrounding the cottage. Flynn slept on the couch across from mine. He’d recovered better than I had, since Daman had saved the worst of the tortures for me. His bruises had faded to a pale yellow, and were now barely discernible thanks to Bron’s healing.

  Bron used up the reserves of his magic to keep me asleep and then heal both of us when we returned to the cottage. Aside from waking to eat and use the bathroom, he’d been sleeping for the last three days. Which is why I was surprised when I heard the bedroom door creak open.

  I craned my neck, leaning my head back on the couch to watch him walk down the hall. He’d brushed down his disheveled hair but hadn’t put on a shirt. The rippled planes of his stomach tapered down to a delectable V shape—not that I noticed—and his sweats were slung low on his hips, providing a tantalizing display of his lower stomach.

  My eyes snapped up when he cleared his throat. His eyes danced with mirth. I wanted to simultaneously throttle and kiss him.

  “Morning,” he said, voice thick with sleep.

  I met his dark gaze head-on. “Morning.” I faced forward, cheeks flaming. “Did you sleep well?”

  He rounded the couch, sitting close enough that his arm brushed mine. Every hair on my body stood to attention. I struggled to breathe and shake off the rising thrum of attraction racing like quicksilver through my body. He stretched out, wiggling in his seat before opening his legs the way men do when they’re relaxed. His hip and thigh rested firmly against mine. Every part of our side-bodies touched.

  “Well enough.” He blew out a breath that tickled the skin on my neck.

  I peeled my eyes from the corner, which hadn’t managed to distract me from the effect Bron had on me, and glanced at him. His head was rolled toward me; a lazy smile played on his lips. Very soft, very kissable lips.

  “How do you feel?”

  He rubbed my leg, his fingers soothing and waking up parts of me I didn’t want woken. Not really. Maybe a bit, but definitely not by him. I’d be crazy to deny the flutter in my stomach as his hand glided down my leg once more before resting just above my knee.

  “Fine,” I said, hating the way my voice caught at the end of the word.

  “You were in pretty bad shape.”

  I nodded.

  “Do you . . . Do you want to talk about it?” An odd sort of gentleness filled his voice. Something I hadn’t thought him capable of possessing.

  I frowned. Did I? The last time I’d escaped, there was no one to talk to. I kept my past hidden, like the dirty secret it was. I didn’t need to do that this time, I could share everything with him. He’d already seen what Daman was capable of; what harm would come from telling him everything? The way my back had arched when struck by the violet magic. How it felt to be kicked over and over. How my fingernails ached even though I knew, logically, they shouldn’t. I hadn’t crawled away from the magic this time like I had so many times before. Were they aching because they remembered when I had?

  He blew out a deep breath. “I’m here for you, whenever you want to talk. You can’t keep it all in.” His fingers squeezed my leg before he rested them on his bare stomach.

  He hummed to himself. The deep notes were soft, like at any second the sound could cease. I listened intently, trying to recognize the song. It seemed sad, though what I assumed was the chorus lightened the melancholy melody.

  On a whim, I reached out, weaving my fingers into his. He didn’t miss a beat, smiling as I snuggled closer to him. I wasn’t quite brave enough to rest my head on his shoulder so I settled for laying it back right next to his. Without me asking, he continued to hum until Sloan called everyone to dinner.

  Flynn startled awake, jerking upright. His eyes lacked the crazed look they’d had when I found him at the DMC. He was coping with the whole thing better than I’d expected. He glanced at us, smiling with embarrassment.

  “I’m starving.” He jumped up from the couch, strutting into the kitchen with a confidence I envied.

  I shook my head and smiled. Flynn would be all right.

  “Are you hungry?” Bron asked, raising a brow at me.

  I chuckled. “Always.”

  He let out a loud, rumbling laugh that sent off a new wave of pleased flutters in my stomach.

  Goddess help me, I liked Bron.

  The next day I woke up to Kace sitting across from me. Flynn had finally gone home, leaving me to sleep alone once more in the cottage’s living room. I sat, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders. Kace’s lips were pressed into a tight line as he stared into the kitchen.

  “Hey,” I whispered.

  He turned toward me. “Hey.”

  My face scrunched in confusion. “What are you doing?”

  He sighed, eyes searching mine. “I’m not sure.”

  Okay?

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  He let out a bitter laugh. “Like you care.”

  “Listen, if you’re just going to be a jerk can you leave? I was sleeping. I’m not sure why you decided to sit out here and watch me like a creep but I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

  Annoyance rippled over his face. “I don’t like you.”

  “Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” I scoffed. What the fuck was his problem?

  He ground his teeth together. “Can you just listen for once in your life?”

  “Can you not be a dick for once in your
life?” I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

  His jaw ticked. “As I was saying, I don’t like you.”

  I scoffed louder this time, shaking my head.

  “But,” he said, voice raising, “they like you. For some reason they’re all infatuated with you. Well, all of them except Shawn, but even then, he still likes you.”

  The way he said like made me feel insulted.

  “Which means that I have to put up with you whether I like it or not.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How sad for you.”

  Anger radiated from him. “I was going to suggest we set aside our differences out of respect for our mutual friends, but you don’t seem mature enough to handle it.”

  “I’m not mature enough? Do you even listen to yourself when you speak? How do you expect me to respond when you constantly insult me? If you want to make peace, maybe you should pull your head out of your ass and talk to me like a normal person.”

  The bedroom door opened. I cringed. I’d been yelling by the end of my tirade. My arms crossed in front of my chest. Kace met my glare with one of his own.

  “What’s going on?” Noah asked Kace, coming to stand behind me.

  “Nothing.”

  Noah placed a hand on my shoulder. “Doesn’t sound like nothing.” His voice was even and devoid of any frustration. “Can we save the heart-to-hearts for morning?” The way Noah said it made it seem like our fight would blow over.

  Kace glanced at Noah’s hand before sneering at me. “Sleep well, Winter.”

  “Die fast,” I muttered, instantly regretting it.

  Now I owed him two apologies. One for being an idiot when we were going to save Flynn, and one for that last comment. He brought out the worst in me but I should’ve been adult enough to not react. Or at least react in a more productive way instead of making matters worse every time we spoke.

  His eyes hardened as he stood. I dropped my gaze, refusing to apologize right now even though I knew I’d crossed a line. Noah squeezed my shoulder. I grimaced. The fight between Kace and me was long from over.

  My anger with Kace overrode any lingering fear. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to leave the house. When the sun rose, I got up and made breakfast. Using up the remaining eggs, bacon and bread gave me an excuse to go to town without raising too much suspicion. I didn’t need to explain why I wanted to leave, but my leaving the couch wouldn’t go unnoticed.