“Um, yeah, I’m just taking a quick shower,” I call out. “Or, well, trying to … There are so many knobs.”
“Yeah, East has an issue with showers,” he tells me. “He thinks they’re fancy, but personally, I think sometimes they’re too much.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I try a couple more knobs and somehow end up making water spew up from the floor. I squeak, quickly turning it off. “What the crap?” I breathe heavily as I stare at the tiled floor. “How the heck did that even happen?”
“Are you okay?” Arrow asks.
“Yeah, I just did something … weird?” It sounds like a question, but honestly, I’m really puzzled over how I managed to make water seemingly come out of nowhere. “You wouldn’t, by chance, know how to turn this thing on, would you?”
“I can probably figure it out.”
“Okay. Just a second. Let me put my clothes back on, and I’ll let you in.”
He doesn’t answer, so I figure he’s okay with my little plan.
Climbing out of the shower, I head back over to where I left my clothes but notice a robe hanging on a hook on the back of the door. Figuring that’s much easier than getting dressed again, I pull it on. Although, I think if it were Asher or East standing on the other side of the door, I wouldn’t feel so comfortable only wearing a robe. But Arrow doesn’t make jokes and give me looks that cause my cheeks to flush. Not that I’m completely bothered by East’s teasing and Asher’s intense looks. I just hate that my blush announces their effect on me.
After I tie the robe shut, I open the door. “Hey.”
He’s standing right on the other side, rubbing his hand across the top of his hair, but he freezes when he sees me. His gaze scrolls up and down me, and then he hastily looks away. “Um … Hey?” He seems nervous again, his posture stiffening.
Great. Maybe the robe was a bad idea.
“Sorry about the robe thing,” I apologize. “It just seemed like a lot of work to get dressed again, only to get undressed again.”
“It’s fine.” His chest rises and crashes as he takes a deep breath then looks at me. “Let me see if I can get this complicated-as-hell shower turned on for you.” He forces a smile, his bronzed lips stiffly tilting upward.
I smile back, but mine feels just as forced.
Why is he giving me a forced smile? Did I do something wrong?
He doesn’t say anything as he steps beside me and walks into the bathroom, taking long strides until he reaches the shower. I trail after him, holding my robe shut as I step into the shower with him.
“There are so many knobs, right?” I remark as I watch him warily eyeball all them.
“Yeah, East went a little extreme when he created this room,” Arrow says with his arms crossed, his attention fixed on the knobs. “It was probably his way of trying to impress you.”
“Wait—create this room?” I question. “I thought he just used his magic to change the wall color and stuff. Or that maybe he just designed it.”
Arrow shakes his head as he reaches for a knob, still not glancing at me. “Before you came along with us, our vehicle had only three bedrooms.”
“Oh.” I give a short, confused pause. “How does that even work? I mean, how can he just create rooms? Does he, like, shrink the others? Or make the vehicle grow?”
“It all depends on what he’s trying to accomplish. I think that, in your room’s case, he made the vehicle grow so he could give you a big room.”
“While I’m totally thankful for having a room, I honestly would’ve been happy with anything.” I watch him fiddle with a knob.
“I know you would’ve, but I’m glad he gave you a big room. You deserve the best.”
“While I appreciate you saying that, I don’t think you know me well enough to make that declaration yet.” I shift my weight. “I mean, for all you know, I could be a terrible person—creature, and I just haven’t shown my true colors yet.”
He shakes his head. “I know that’s not true.”
“How?”
“Because my sensors would’ve picked up on it. Plus, you’re too … you to be a bad creature.”
“To me?” I tease, playfully nudging his shoulder. “What does that even mean, bestie?”
He tenses for a beat before looking at me. “It means that you’re Harlynn, this beautiful creature that risked her life to save her friend, who accepted us—me—who’s only showed me kindness, who’s made me smile more times in the last week than I probably have in my entire existence.” He shrugs like his words are no big deal.
But they totally are.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
His brows dip. “For what?”
I give a half-shrug. “That you haven’t smiled a lot in your existence. That’s really sad.” I offer him a smile. “You should tell me what I do to make you smile so I can do it all the time. In fact, I’m gonna make it my number one mission as your best friend.”
He smiles a little at that as he continues to mess around with the shower knobs. “It’s not really just one thing you do. It’s just you being you—”
Suddenly, every single showerhead sprays out water. So does the floor.
I squeal as I almost instantly become drenched. Arrow lets out a string of curses as he fumbles to turn off the knob, but his metal woven hands and now wet fingers slip against it.
“Shit, I can’t get the fucking knob to twist off. My fingers are too wet,” he says in a panic.
Wait. Do cyborgs short circuit when they get wet? I know some electronic devices do, but I’m not certain about cyborgs. For a frightening moment, I worry he’s going to just shut down on me. But, when nothing appears to happen, I relax then nudge him out of the way and grip the shower knob. I have to use a lot of strength, but I managed to get it twisted off. As the water shuts off, I let out a breath of relief then turn to face him.
“Holy mermaids, that was a lot of freakin’ water,” I mutter as I wipe the water from my forehead. It doesn’t do any good, though, since the sleeve of the robe is drenched. So is every part of me. “Well, at least I’m halfway done with my shower already,” I crack a joke. “All I need is to scrub down with some soap.” When I glance up at Arrow, all my humor fades.
If I thought he looked tense before, that’s nothing compared to how he looks now—all raveled up, every part of him radiating tense energy. And he won’t look me in the eye.
Crap, maybe the water did affect him.
“Arrow, are you okay?” I touch his arm, trying to bring his attention to me.
His muscles wind up even more, so much that I expect him to jerk away from me. He doesn’t. Instead, his gaze strays to me. Well, over my head.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbles, swallowing hard.
“Are you sure?” I inquire nervously. “The water didn’t negatively affect you, did it?”
He promptly shakes his head. “No, cyborgs can get wet … It’s just …” He meets my gaze. “I should probably step out and let you get dressed.”
Maybe I should just let him go, but it seems wrong not to find out what’s bothering him. After all, he did just tell me that I’m the only creature that’s been able to make him smile in a long time.
“Tell me what’s wrong first,” I say, reaching out and threading my fingers through his in what I hope is a comforting gesture. But he goes even more rigid, the gadgets in his arms humming.
“Harlynn, I just … I think …” His gaze strays to me again and flicks up and down my body. A guilty look crosses his face as he hastily looks away again. “I need to leave. Your robe is …” He doesn’t finish, slipping his fingers from mine as he moves to leave.
I glance down at my robe and … Holy freakin’ mortification!
Apparently, when the material got wet, it also became see-through and clingy to the point where my nipples are pretty damn visible.
I hurriedly cross my arms over my chest. “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.”
If it had been either Asher or East, I wouldn’t have admitted
that aloud. At least this happened with Arrow, who I know won’t tease me about it. In fact, I’m not sure which one of us is more embarrassed.
“It’s fine … You don’t need to be embarrassed at all …” His gaze drifts to my chest again, and then he blinks his attention away. “I’m sorry.” He closes his eyes and starts moving in the direction of the exit. He’s struggling to walk with his eyes shut.
“Arrow, you don’t need to close your eyes,” I say. “I trust you—”
He steps in a puddle and abruptly loses his balance. Instinctively, he reaches out to grab something and that something ends up being me.
“Shit,” he curses, his eyelids shooting open as we both start to stumble.
He grips onto me, trying to keep me from falling, and I hold onto him, trying to do the same. We end up tripping over each other’s feet, and I stumble backward. There’s no stopping it. I’m going to fall and smack my head on the tile floor.
As I fall, I wonder if whatever creature I am has the ability to be okay when I smack my head. I highly doubt it since the scratches that Yellow put on me are still healing.
Right as I brace myself for the impact, Arrow manages to flip us around so he falls first, and I end up landing on top of him with a leg on each side of him, my head cradled in his arms.
When his head hits the tile, it makes the most horrible clanking noise. His head isn’t made of metal, so I instantly freak out that he cracked it open or something.
I quickly sit up and examine him. His eyes are shut, and he doesn’t look like he’s in pain. No, he looks completely out of it.
“Oh my gods. Oh my gods. Oh my gods.” I place a hand on his cheek, wondering if he knocked himself out. I hope so, because the alternative is worse. Way, way worse.
“Arrow, can you hear me?” When he continues to remain silent, my panic flares. “Arrow?”
Again, nothing.
Oh my gods, is he dead?
I rest my hand against the top of his chest where his heart should be beating. His real heart. He’s the only cyborg known to have one, and he told me in confidence because he trusted me. He trusted me, and now he’s dead because his heart isn’t beating.
Tears start to pool in my eyes. I try to stop myself, but the sight of Arrow lying on the floor, his head probably cracked open, makes me want to let it all out. All of this aching—
Thump. Thump. Thump—
His eyelids flutter open.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt so relieved in my life.
“You’re alive,” I breathe out.
He nods, appearing a little dazed as he stares up at me. “Yeah …” He sounds funny, like he’s confused.
Maybe he has a concussion?
Can cyborgs get concussions?
I’m about to ask when he reaches up and tangles his metal-kissed fingers through my hair. He watches the movement in fascination before his gaze travels to me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs then pulls me toward him and seals his bronzed lips to mine.
I stiffen, unsure how to react. I should pull away. I know I should. Arrow and I just friends, and I’ve been doing way too much kissing lately. And I just kissed East, for faerie’s sake! But … I don’t know … This feels really good. Like really, really good.
Like erase Yellow from my mind kind of good.
I don’t move as he continues to let his lips linger against mine. I think maybe that’s all he’ll do, but then he parts my lips with his tongue and really kisses me.
Oh my cyborgs, I should stop this. I really should. Not just for all the obvious, cursed reasons, but because Arrow and I are supposed to be friends. And kissing complicates friendships. I should know since I got weird after Jason and I kissed.
All thoughts vacate my mind as Arrow draws me closer, splaying his metallic fingers across my back. A shiver rolls through me as he traces his fingers along my spine. Then he pulls me closer, my hips grinding against his. I shiver again at the feel of him and, on pure instinct, bite his lower lip. He groans, his fingers delving into my flesh. I rock my hips against his, wanting to feel that shiver roll through my body again. But, just as quickly as this all started, it comes to a grinding halt as Arrow jerks back.
“I … I’m,” he sputters. “I didn’t mean to do that. I just hit my head when we fell, and I had to reboot, and when I came to, I was so out of it, and you were there, and I …” Shaking his head, he removes his hand from me.
As mortification douses me, I hurry to my feet, hugging the robe around me and covering myself up the best I can.
He didn’t mean to kiss me, and I had kissed him back so intensely. I feel like an idiot. Of course he didn’t mean to kiss me. He knows about the curse.
He stands up, still avoiding my gaze, and mutters, “Sorry.” Then he walks out, leaving me standing there by myself and feeling vulnerable.
It fucking pisses me off! I’ve spent years perfecting the art of keeping my emotions under control, and now I’m losing everything I worked so hard for.
I feel shaky inside and ashamed. I hate that. I hate that I feel this way.
And suddenly, I’m back there, on that bed, Yellow pushing me down and tearing at my clothes as he touches me. I want to scream. I want to punch something. Instead, tears burn my eyes. I try to fight them back the best I can, but it overwhelms me.
I sink to the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest, breathing in and out.
I’m not even sure why I feel this way—so broken.
When did I get so broken?
And when will I be fixed?
Harlynn
I don’t know how long I sit in the shower, crying, but I eventually pull my shit together. Then, after messing around with every knob possible, I manage to get the water turned on. That boosts my mood up a little bit as I take a quick shower.
By the I climb out, I’m feeling quite a bit better. And my mood only gets better when I walk out of the room and find an outfit laid out on the bed with a note attached to it:
Harlynn,
I am so sorry for how I acted earlier. When I fell in the shower, I was knocked into reboot mode, and when I woke up, you were leaning over me, looking so beautiful. In my dazed state, I reacted on feelings I’ve been struggling with since I met you. But I’m not sure if I’m ready to deal with those feelings yet. It has nothing to do with you. You’re perfect. You really are. Please, can you forgive me?
—Arrow
A small smile touches my lips. Of course I can forgive him.
Feeling ten times better, I set the note down and pick up the outfit that he picked out for me. Well, it’s more like a scrap of fabric. The dress, if you can even call it that, is short and made of thin, bronze, silk material that’s trimmed with lace. The shoulder straps are extremely thin, and the hem reaches mid-thigh, tops.
Frowning, I pick up the other items laid out—leather wrist bands decorated with bronzed gadgets, a velvet choker, and lace-up heeled boots that go all the way up over my knees.
“I’m going to look stupid as hell in this,” I mutter as I drop the towel and start putting on the outfit.
About fifteen minutes later, I’m all dressed and my hair is pulled up, with loose waves framing my face. It takes me another minute to work up the courage to walk out into the living room.
When I enter, I find all the guys lounging on the sofa. Well, lounging is a bit of an inaccurate statement since they all look tense as hell. I also think they may have been talking about me since silence grasps the room the instant I walk in.
East turns around on the sofa and meets my gaze. “We’re getting good at sensing your presence. A couple of days ago, your soundless walking ability would’ve made it so you startled the hell out of us when you walked in here.” He starts to smirk when his eyes suddenly scroll up and down me. “Good gods, is that what you’re wearing?”
I nervously tug at the hem of my dress. “Arrow left this out for me to wear.” I glance at Arrow for help, but he won’t meet my gaze. Inter
nally sighing, I look back at East. “Is it too plain for this world? Should I change?”
East slowly shakes his head from side to side, his gaze never wavering from me. “Absolutely not.”
Asher slants forward, his smoky gaze drinking me in. “I’m going to have to agree with East, but only because you’re supposed to be our aftershow woman.”
I squirm at that remark but remind myself that I agreed to do this. “So … when are we leaving?” I ask since all of them look content sitting on the sofa.
“Yeah, about that.” Asher rises to his feet, swings around the drum sets, and makes his way toward me. He has boots on but the laces are undone, and he’s sporting a pair of black pants and no shirt, so his scars are on full display. “We have a change of plans.” He stops in front of me and wets his pale blue lips with his tongue. “Instead of going to a club, we’re having a party.”
My brows dip. “Like, in this worlds traveling vehicle?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, we’re going to have it just outside. East is going to use his magic to set up some seating areas and stuff.” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear then quietly sighs as he pulls back. “We just all thought that, considering the dangers of this city, it might be better if we try to do this soul-stealing mission in a place where we have control over stuff.”
I guess that kind of makes sense.
“Okay. So then, what do you want me to do?”
He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, pausing before muttering, “There’s a ton of fucking stuff I’d love for you to do, but we can’t get into that … yet.” With that, he spins around and faces East and Arrow, something I’m totally grateful for since his little remark has me feeling all flustered.
Just like all of East’s remarks.
And the whole thing with Arrow in the shower.
It dawns on me then how all of them have been touching me, flirting with me, and even kissing me over the last couple of days. I mean, I know they’re all used to sharing aftershow women and stuff, but I’m not an aftershow woman. I’m just pretending to be one. And they need to understand that. Need to know that I’m not just going to mess around with all of them—any of them.
Chasing Steel: Capturing Magic Books 1-3 Page 33
