by Cece Rose
“I don’t know,” I reply.
“You’re lying again,” he counters, but there’s no bite in his accusation, only concern.
“I want to sleep,” I confess. I take a deep breath before adding, “But I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’ll stay if you want me too,” he offers quickly, and I cringe, my hands clenching as tension rolls back into my body.
“I can’t. It’s not fair on you.”
“How about you let me make that call. You get to decide how you feel, and when and if you want to tell me the details of what happened. I get to choose if staying here to comfort you is unfair to me. Does that sound even to you?”
“Fine.” I relent, relaxing back into his arms. “But you can carry me up the damn stairs. The sofa isn’t big enough for us both to sleep on, and I may die if I try to stand again, much less climb all those stairs,” I joke, needing to lighten the mood somehow. The strain and oppressive emotions are killing me.
He pushes out a laugh, somehow knowing exactly what I need. He stands, lifting me with him with ease. I always loved how small he made me feel, he could throw me around like a doll if I wanted. The strength he possesses but restrains most of the time is sexy as hell. I bite my lip as I try to erase that thought from my mind.
“I think I can manage that,” his response low as he carries me towards the stairs.
Fifteen
Lost Friends
When I finally wake up, I'm alone. As I sit up and glance around the dark bedroom, I'm not sure why I feel the pangs of disappointment that I do. I mean, it's probably a good thing he left, saves us both from the awkward conversation that would have occurred otherwise. I'm not sure how many ways there are to say I don't want to be in a relationship with you. I chew my bottom lip. Why am I lying to myself, even in my own head?
“Because you're so far in de-nial you're drowning,” I mutter the terrible joke aloud. I sigh as I drag myself out of bed and head across the room to pull some towels out of the closet. After grabbing my fluffiest towel, I shimmy out of the clothes that I’ve been wearing for way too long now. Days too long. Cringing as I throw them in to washing basket, I try not to think too hard about Darren snuggling up to me like this without a word of complaint.
Darting into the ensuite bathroom, I turn on the shower and jump in the second the water heats up. I rush through my shower, despite wanting to slow down and enjoy the warmth. I have a lot of shit to get done today, and I'll get nothing accomplished by hiding in the shower.
After drying off, I wrap the big fluffy towel around myself and open the door to head back into the bedroom. I freeze in the doorway when I see someone sprawled across my bed.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” I groan.
“Is that any way to greet your employer, Kayla?” Rhydian chides in an amused tone.
“Is breaking into their house and then jumping into their bed uninvited any way to greet an employee?” I counter, rolling my eyes.
“Touché.” He grins, sitting up. “I did bring you a present though.”
“I don't want anything from you, other than hazard pay. I definitely want hazard pay.”
“You want to keep working for me?” he asks, looking a little baffled by my decision.
“Yeah, one can't quit a job every time they get accused of a murder they didn't commit,” I joke, subtly tightening my towel around myself.
I'm determined to act casual. The more relaxed I appear, the less tension there will be. It’s bad enough we’d kissed that time, and that he’s a tireless flirt, before throwing him showing up uninvited in my bedroom into the mix. The kiss flashes in my mind. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Don't think about that kiss. Don't think about it, damn it!
He laughs, the sound filling the room. “You know, you really are the perfect employee. You don't kick off and argue when you accidentally get picked up in a raid, and you look good in the outfit. What more could I ask for?”
“Oh, I am kicking off. I wasn't kidding about the hazard pay,” I respond, choosing to ignore the comment about the outfit. I know I looked good in it. Well, until it got all gross and ruined from my time in the underground prison. No wonder they call that place The Tomb.
“I’m sure we can work something out.” He grins. “I’m also sure you’ll want your present. If you want to get technical, it’s three things, so three presents,” Rhydian adds.
“Can I please get dressed first?” I implore, gesturing to the fact I’m currently wearing nothing but a towel. Although, I’m sure he’s already very aware of that.
“I’d rather you didn’t, but if you insist...” he trails off, waving his hand at me in a casual manner. My towel drops, and I screech, starting to cover myself, only to find that I’m wearing clothes.
I look down at the super-tight black jeans, and the low-cut, deep green top that clings in all the right places. I’m even wearing cute little heeled ankle boots, that by some miracle, don’t seem to hurt my feet. I can feel that I’m even wearing underwear too.
“Did you just...dress me?” I choke out, looking at him in disbelief. That was complex magic, and he did it with just a flick of his hand. Where did the clothes come from? He must have called them from somewhere. It’s also a little damn disconcerting how well they fit me.
“I know, I can’t believe it either. I’ve always imagined undressing you, and now here I am putting clothes on you, which is the exact opposite,” he sighs wistfully.
“You’re incorrigible.” I roll my eyes.
“I am, but as I've told you before, I cannot change what I am. Now, time for presents.” His grin wide and mischievous, he gets up from the bed. He strides across the room to me, and I can't help but notice his empty hands.
“I don't see any presents,” I point out. He gives me an incredulous look, and gestures to my clothes. It clicks. “Oh yeah.” I suppose he could just make them appear.
“Close your eyes and put your hands out,” he instructs.
I stare at him, brow raised. “No funny business.”
“I would never,” he responds, sounding indignant in his reply.
“Of course you wouldn't.” I roll my eyes again. He seems to bring out my inner teenage girl and her eye-rolling tendencies.
“Now come on, we don't have all day,” he urges.
With only slight reluctance, I shut my eyes and hold out my hands for him to place whatever it is in them. I can only pray that it’s nothing crazily inappropriate. A moment after my eyes close, I feel two things pop into my hands. I open my eyes. In one hand is my phone, and in the other is a bracelet. Different from the last, but I'm guessing it serves the same purpose. I smile at Rhydian.
“Returning my own phone to me isn't exactly a present,” I tease. “Not that I'm complaining. I was worried what had happened to it.”
“Well, you're welcome anyway. The bracelet is to replace the other, as I assumed you may have lost it with everything that happened,” he explains.
“Thank you,” I tell him, putting the bracelet on. I feel the magic as it leaves me and flows into the bracelet, making me wince. This one feels a little stronger than the last, but I'm grateful for how thoughtful he was in bringing it to me. I'll keep it on at all times, unless I needed my magic for something. “But I thought you said you had three presents, and if you tell me you're the third present, I will kill you where you stand,” I warn him, knowing his flirtation knows no bounds.
“You know, I should have thought of that.” He smirks. “However present number three is in the form of answers I think you need. I'm going to take you to see someone.”
“Who?” I ask, unable to curb my curiosity. What answers? Who is he talking about?
“You'll see.” He offers his hand for me to take. “Come on. You'll want to see them, I promise.”
“If you take me to a strip club or something, I repeat, I will kill you,” I grumble, before grabbing his outstretched hand. He uses our linked hands to pull me to him and wraps h
is arms around my body.
“I know you only need to be touching my shoulder or something to phase me somewhere. We’ve done this before, remember?” I say, narrowing my eyes at him as I try to put a little distance between our bodies.
“We’re travelling a large distance for this trip. Larger than you’ve phased before. After your adverse reaction just going a few miles outside of the city, I’m going to hold onto you tight. Just in case you decide to collapse,” he explains.
“How far are you taking me?” I pry, relaxing a little in his grip now that he’s clarified.
“Probably best you don’t know. Hold on tight.” He grins, and as we start to turn blue and translucent, I close my eyes tight, preparing for the nausea to hit.
“Are you okay?” Rhydian prods in a low tone, his hands staying on my arms holding me upright. The world spins around me, and my stomach feels like I've been on a crazy rollercoaster.
“I don't know,” I answer with honesty. I feel a burn in my throat. “Move,” I blurt, shoving him out of the way as I bend over and vomit all over the beige carpeted floor. Ugh. That was gross. I wipe my mouth, strangely enough, feeling a little better after throwing up.
“Better now?” he asks. He waves his hand over the mess, and I watch as it vanishes. Goddess, having such ease with magic would make my life a hell of a lot easier.
“I'd be better if you had a mouthwash charm,” I joke.
He pulls out some mint-flavoured gum from his pocket and holds it out to me. “Not quite mouthwash, but it should make you feel less like you almost threw up on me.”
My grateful hands snatch it up. “Thank you,” I mumble, shoving two pieces into my mouth. Soon all I can taste is mint. Thank the goddess, that’s so much better.
I look around in interest, trying to figure out where we are. We're in a hallway I don't recognise, and at the end of it is a large window. I head towards the window and freeze as I peer out of it. It’s clear upon first glance that the city outside isn’t London.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Rhydian comments.
“Where are we?” I wonder aloud, not seeing any recognisable landmarks.
“Probably best you don't know, but we're a few countries away at least,” he maintains, still evasive with his replies. “Come on, we're not here to gape out of a window. We're here to see a friend of yours.” He leads me down along the hallway, and I notice numbered doors all along either side.
“Is this a hotel or apartments?” I ask, continuing to press for clues.
“The less you know the better, sweetheart.” He gives me a serious look as we come to a halt outside of door eighty-eight. “We’re here. The day you came to The Rift, you had a question for me. You should ask her the same one.” He knocks on the door and steps back out of the way. “Good luck.”
The door opens, and my jaw drops from sheer disbelief and shock as I see who is standing on the other side.
“Kayla? What the hell are you doing here?” Lizzy asks, looking a bit dazed at my arrival as she takes me in. I stare at her too. Her hair has been cut short and dyed black, and she's used a charm to change her eye colour, but I'd recognise my best friend anywhere.
“Goddess, I'm so glad you're okay,” I breathe, stepping forward and pulling her into a crushingly tight hug. She returns the hug, but seems hesitant. I pull back and look at her. “What's wrong?”
She looks over my shoulder at Rhydian, her anxiety obvious, before looking back to me. “I'm just surprised to see you here. How the hell did you find me?” she asks, directing the question towards Rhydian, knowing with certainty that I don’t have the skills or knowledge to track her.
“I happen to possess an ancient fae artefact that allows me to find anyone, anywhere. It's a secret I'm sure you'll keep, and as such, I'll keep your location a secret too. I had procured it for another reason, but it didn't arrive in time for that. However, it seemed a waste not to put it to use to help Kayla here,” Rhydian tells us, very matter-of-factly.
I give him an inquisitive look. I wonder why he got it in the first place? And how the hell does it work?
“I'm using three charms, two curses, and a complex enchantment to hide my location, and yet, you still found me,” Lizzy complains, accusation sliding into her tone.
“It's a good thing only one of these artefacts exists, and I have zero vested interest in sharing it,” Rhydian replies, giving her a smile. It doesn't quite reach his eyes though.
“I want to talk to Kayla alone. You can wait out here.” She stares at him as if waiting for an objection, and when she receives none, she grabs my hand and pulls me through the door, shutting it behind us.
“You didn't have to be so rude,” I grumble, feeling a little bad for her shutting Rhydian out there.
“Rude? He tracked me down and brought you here with him!” she exclaims. “He put you at risk by bringing you here, Kay.” She sighs, walking further into the room. I follow her, noting the modest living room that surrounds us. A small sofa, a coffee table, and a small TV on the wall make up its meagre contents. There are two doors to the right, and that's about it. The place is empty, and still manages to feel cramped.
“How long have you been here?” I ask her.
“About two weeks,” Lizzy answers.
“It looks like nobody is staying here,” I comment, looking around again for signs of the place being lived in, but there aren't any. Not so much as a crumb on the table or a glass of water.
“I keep all of my stuff in my bag unless I'm using it. Makes it easier for me to just grab it and run if I need too.” She sits down on the sofa and pats the spot beside her. I walk over and join her, sitting sideways on the sofa so that I can face her.
“I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Being accused of something like this is outrageous by itself, but I can't believe you're actually forced to hide out,” I babble, empathic as I dealt with a similar situation, for this same crime, a mere month ago. Being a suspect was one thing, but Kier thought he had evidence of her alleged misdeeds because he caught her searching Jay’s things.
The photos we found were pretty damning, as was her admitting to messing with his memory. With the evidence he had, it might be enough to throw her into The Tomb. It isn’t like we have proper trials for supernatural crimes. I’d experienced the appalling nature of our justice system due to my misidentification as Gina.
Lizzy’s recoil is noticeable, and she’s forced take a few breaths before responding, “It's not ideal, but it beats being thrown into The Tomb.”
“Trust me, after my recent stint there, you have no idea how right you are.” I shudder at the simple thought of that place.
“Wait. You've been to The Tomb? How the hell?” she stutters, her eyes flying wide in surprise, before her expression morphs into one of concern.
“It's a long story. They got me confused with someone else and threw me in there. It wasn't fun, and I had to call on the demon again to escape, and now I'm going to have to explain to Kier that I may have aided two actual criminals in escaping by accident.” My chest tightens at the thought of relaying all of this to him. Why is this my life?
“You... The Tomb… A demon…” Lizzy trails off giving me a look of pure disbelief. “Your life is never boring,” she manages to finish, shaking her head in dismay. “I'm glad you seem to be okay despite everything though. I've missed you.”
“I've missed you, too. Goddess, you wouldn't believe how much. I swear I've needed your advice like a thousand times since you've been gone. Things with Darren are a whole new level of complicated, and Rhydian, the irritating fae outside, isn't helping matters either,” I ramble, wishing we could have every single missed conversation all at once I need my best friend back.
“I'm sorry,” she whispers. “I'm so sorry, Kay. I should be there for you, and I'm not. Please forgive me.”
“It's not your fault, Liz. You didn't ask for this,” I reassure her, frowning as she looks away from me, as if incapable of meeting my eyes.
/> Rhydian's words flash through my head… ‘The day you came to The Rift you had a question for me. You should ask her the same one.’
“Lizzy... you didn't... you didn't do it, did you?” I falter, only just able to spit the words out. Even as I say them, I feel ridiculous asking.
She swallows thickly, and when she glances back up at me I can see the tears filling her eyes. She nods, ever so slightly, and I feel like she just stabbed me in the gut. She did it. She did it, and she let me be the suspect. She did it, and then she lied to me about it.
“You lied to me.” Somehow that hurt the worst. I stand up, backing away from her. Jay was terrible. He was a poor excuse for a human being. But murder? How could she justify that? Surely there was a better way?
“Please… let me explain,” Lizzy pleads, her voice cracking with every word.
I take a deep breath, and then nod, indicating for her to continue. I don’t trust myself to speak at the moment. All I want to do is scream and shake some sense into her.
“I set out that night to go see him, my only intent to spell him into leaving you alone.” She pauses, taking a few breaths before continuing. “He was doing to you what he did to me before I put a stop to it, and I couldn't let him stalk you too. When I arrived at his apartment, I found out he still had more pictures. Pictures of you, of me, of other women. He also took so many fucking pictures of me doing magic, and goddess only knows how many more he kept hidden elsewhere.
I confronted him. Turns out he'd discovered that I'd erased his memories before, and he'd been pushing you to see if you were like me, too. With him finding a way around the first memory spell, I knew it wouldn't be wise to cast another. I tried to threaten him into silence, and that's when he lunged at me with a knife.
Kayla, he was willing to kill me, but I reacted first. I used a black curse I'd read about, one that stopped his heart in an instant. I panicked, and too much time passed to restart it before I could even comprehend what I’d really done.” The tears are fully racing down her face right now, but she doesn't bother wipe them away.
