“I’m in too,” Winston spoke sleepily.
“Me too,” Ethan piped in.
I glanced in the rearview mirror at the two guys. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”
“Well, I think you have to be a little nuts to take on the Iniquitous, but sometimes you have to take action. If everybody always sat back and did nothing, the world would crumble to pieces. You need the few who stand up and try to make a difference to see any change. I think enchanters have been hanging back too long, thinking the problem will solve itself, when it obviously won’t. It’s time to fight to reclaim our world again.” Ethan spoke passionately, like this was something he’d been thinking about for a long time. “There are those, of course, who’ve always been quietly fighting but there’s not enough of them. We need more. There’s power in numbers.”
“I’m tired of being scared,” Winston confessed. “I don’t want to spend my whole life looking over my shoulder.” He snorted. “What am I saying, that’s not a life, that’s a prison.”
It seemed impossible the four of us could make any kind of difference, but vengeance was a strong motivator.
“The older enchanters are scared,” Ethan added. “Scared of dying. Scared of living. Scared of everything, honestly. But dying isn’t scary, death is easy. I feel more fear at the thought of not trying. I’d rather try and fail, than to not try at all.”
“Do …” I paused, unsure if I should continue, but decided I might as well. “Do you know a Cleo?”
I couldn’t erase Victor’s last words from my mind. I knew they were important, but I didn’t understand how.
“No,” Ethan spoke. “I’m not familiar with the name. You?”
“Nah, sorry I’m not,” Winston added.
Adelaide shrugged. “Me either.”
“It must be important,” I whispered, more to myself than them.
Victor wouldn’t have spoken those words if they weren’t. Somehow, I had to figure out what they meant.
“Go back to sleep,” I told Ethan. “You need your rest.”
He chuckled and I saw him salute me in the rearview mirror. “Yes, boss.”
Both guys eventually drifted off to sleep and it was only Adelaide and me again.
“You guys looked happy,” she murmured quietly.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“At the dance,” she clarified. “You guys didn’t notice me but I was watching.”
I swallowed thickly. “It was the best night of my life,” I replied honestly.
A night I’d cherish forever.
Theo had been the dusk to my dawn, and when we finally came together it was more unbelievable than I’d imagined. We were opposites in so many ways, but somehow the same at our core.
He was mine, and I was his, and even death wouldn’t take that from us.
“I hope one day I find someone to love, like you guys love each other. You fought it for months, but even then it was obvious. It was the strongest kind of magic I’ve ever seen,” she mused. “It was beautiful.”
I swallowed thickly. “What am I going to do without him?”
She shrugged. “The best thing you can do is live. He died to give you the chance to live, so that’s what you do.”
I knew she was right, but it seemed impossible.
At the moment, I couldn’t imagine ever feeling whole again.
I was a ghost, floating along aimlessly, lost without my tether to the real world.
“I want them to die for this,” I growled out. “To suffer.”
“They will,” she promised.
She reached over then and turned up the radio. She must’ve sensed I didn’t want to talk anymore and, for that, I was thankful.
I tried to empty my thoughts and drive, but it was hard.
It hadn’t even been a whole day yet.
And beneath my sadness and anger there was fear.
They’d found me there, they wanted me, and they wouldn’t rest until they got me.
I had to be stronger. Faster. Unstoppable.
***
It was dark out when we stopped for a second time and grabbed dinner. Again, we got something to eat in the car and gas. None of us felt safe yet to stay put for long.
We still didn’t know where we were going, and it was probably best.
Ethan switched to driving and Adelaide and I piled in the back once more.
I didn’t have an appetite but I knew if I wanted to keep my strength I’d have to eat. The pizzas we’d picked up weren’t exactly healthy but beggars couldn’t be choosers. I handed a slice to Ethan as he pulled out of the parking lot and another to Winston before taking one for myself.
We’d crossed up into Idaho before we switched driving and now Ethan was heading south into Utah. We were making a sort of zig-zag pattern. So far, from what we could tell, we hadn’t been followed.
Which was good, I guess.
I didn’t think the four of us were prepared to take them on.
We barely made it out from the manor as it was, and only because of Theo’s sacrifice.
I finished my piece and grabbed another. I didn’t think I could eat, but having had so little during the day, my body needed it. Adelaide was already on her third slice, so she must’ve felt the same.
“When do you think we can stop and get some real rest?” Winston asked Ethan.
Ethan shrugged, merging onto the highway. “Soon, I hope. I don’t really want to stop at a hotel.”
Winston sighed. “We can’t run forever. What are we going to do?”
Ethan rubbed his jaw. He looked exhausted and worried. It was like he’d aged ten years in the last twenty-four hours. I’m sure since Theo had asked for his help he felt responsible for the three of us now, and with mine and Winston’s status as Chosen Ones, the weight on his shoulders had to be unbearable. He probably didn’t know about Winston, unless Theo told him, but still.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Right now, we need to find shelter. That’s my top priority.”
“How are we going to do that?” Adelaide asked. “I don’t think any of the temporary safe houses are safe. If the Iniquitous know about the big ones, they’ll know about those too.”
“I know a place,” Ethan admitted with a slight hesitation. “An old buddy of mine I knew from after I left Eldson Manor. I stayed with him a bit, and he’s super paranoid about staying under the radar, so it’s the safest place I can think of.”
“Can he be trusted?” I asked. I hated to point it out, but it had to be said. The truth was, even if you thought you could trust someone, you really couldn’t.
Someone leaked the locations of two safe houses, and somehow got the Iniquitous into Eldson manor during the masked ball.
My money was on Finn.
He was slimy.
Ethan sighed from the front seat. “Yeah, I’d trust him with my life. He’s … different, though.”
“Different?” I repeated. “Different, how?”
“You know how Chosen Ones are rare?”
“Um … yeah,” I hesitated and Winston looked at him quizzically.
“There are others, more rare, believed to only be legend.”
“And you’re saying this guy is one of them?”
“He …” He hesitated, tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel. “He knows things.”
“Like he can see the future?” I asked.
“No, not quite. He gets a feel for things and he’s always right. He’s called a Window, because he can see through things.”
“Did you know about this?” I asked Adelaide.
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
“You learn something new every day,” Winston added.
“His place is probably the safest for us. It’s reinforced and few know about it. Just him and … me.”
“Interesting,” I spoke softly, piecing things together.
“You can’t tell anyone.” Ethan glanced in the mirror.
I mimed zipping my lips.
“You know we won’t tell anyone about him.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I would never forgive myself he was hurt because of me. I …”
“You love him,” I finished for him.
He nodded.
I would’ve never guessed Ethan was gay, but it didn’t really matter. He was free to love who he wanted. I trusted Ethan and if he felt this guy was worthy of loving then I had to believe he’d be willing to shelter us and not give us up.
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Jee,” he replied.
“That’s a cool name.”
He smiled and there was a slight twinkle in his eye like he was recollecting a fond memory. “He’s Korean-American.”
“How’d you meet?” I asked.
He chuckled. “That’s enough questions, Mara. Get some sleep.”
Once we decided to head to Jee’s it only took two days with stops.
Jee’s place was located in downtown Minneapolis. I wasn’t sure if the city was the safest place for us to be, but if Ethan thought this was best I was going to trust him.
For now.
The sky was dark when Ethan pulled into an underground garage and drove around stopping in front of a solid cinderblock wall.
I didn’t even bother to question why. I wasn’t surprised by anything anymore.
Ethan whispered something under his breath I couldn’t make out. It sounded like a different language, one I’d never heard.
The wall shimmered like it was speckled in glitter. It still looked solid, but there the slightest glimmer proving it wasn’t.
Ethan drove through it, and I held my breath.
I knew we’d get through fine, but my body didn’t seem to realize it as I braced for impact.
The car made it through fine, though, and the area we were in now looked the same as the garage we’d come through, only there were only two cars now—a sleek black Corvette and a black Range Rover. My chest panged thinking about how Theo would have oohed and ahhed over the Corvette.
Ethan parked the SUV beside it and we all sat there for a moment.
It’d only been three days since we’d fled the manor, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
This car had become our safe place since then, and leaving its confines felt foreign and wrong.
I felt lost without Theo, like I couldn’t do this, but I knew had to.
“Well, we’re here,” Ethan said unnecessarily.
None of us made a move to get out.
After the days on the road, the fear of even stopping too long, it didn’t feel right that now we were somewhere safe.
And really, nothing was safe.
We would be idiots to let our guard down. The three of us didn’t know Jee, and I hated to say it, but we really didn’t even know Ethan. Theo had trusted him, though, and that counted for something.
“You said this guy is paranoid,” Winston started. “Are you sure he’s not going to attack us for showing up?”
“We’ll be fine,” Ethan assured, pulling the key from the ignition.
We filed out of the vehicle and I slung my backpack on and grabbed Nigel into my arms. He meowed and I buried my face into his fur.
“I miss him too, buddy,” I whispered, a crack in my voice.
The three of us followed Ethan to a metal door. There was a pad where he placed his hand. It scanned it and then a robotic voice spoke, “Welcome back, Mr. Hunter.”
The door slung open and I gaped. The door was at least a foot thick.
“It prevents weapons or even magic from being able to penetrate it,” Ethan exclaimed.
Adelaide gagged. “Please, let’s not use the word penetrate. Kay?”
Ethan shook his head and chuckled. “Just get in here.”
We strolled down a narrow hall, both sides lined with cinderblock walls like in the garage.
Poor Winston and Adelaide were still in their formal wear. Since we were keeping our stops to a minimum Ethan hadn’t let them go in a store to get something else.
The hallway ended with an elevator. It was one of those industrial ones that you opened and shut yourself.
We piled onto it and Ethan pushed the button to send us up.
The elevator made a noise that didn’t sound good at all to me and lurched upward.
I grabbed onto Winston’s arm to steady myself as I lost my balance.
He glanced at me and I quickly let go of his arm, mumbling an apology under my breath.
The elevator stopped on the top floor—well, I assumed it was the top since it took forever to get there—and Ethan opened the door.
“Ethan?” a voice called out questioningly.
“It’s me,” Ethan replied as the four of us stepped out.
Jee rounded the corner and stopped when he saw all of us. He stared for a moment, blinking his dark eyes at us. He was insanely tall, with floppy black hair and cheekbones that could cut ice. “What the hell?”
Ethan stepped toward him, his hands outstretched. “I wouldn’t have brought them here if it wasn’t important. The safe house in Seattle was attacked. Mara is a Chosen One, and she needs our protection. I knew this would be the safest place for her.”
Jee peered around Ethan to look at me, and I waved awkwardly.
I hated being the center of attention.
Jee sighed loudly. “What about those two?” He wrinkled his nose at Adelaide and Winston like they were worse than scum stuck to his shoe. I was beginning to wonder how Ethan had ever met this guy, let alone fallen in love with him, because he seemed entirely unlovable.
“They’re my friends, I trust them.”
Jee appeared skeptical and not at all appeased, but he nodded. “Fine. You all need to shower. You smell like death and tootsie rolls and tootsie rolls are gross.”
Jee narrowed his eyes at me. Well, not at me but at the glaring cat in my arms.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake you brought a cat here too? Let’s open up the place for all the woodland creatures. We’ll join hands and sing songs while they clean my apartment.”
Ethan sighed and grabbed Jee’s hand. “Calm down, you won’t even know he’s here.”
Nigel chose that moment to jump out of my arms and walk over to Jee, brushing against his legs.
“Won’t know he’s here my ass,” Jee mumbled.
Winston cleared his throat. “I’d really love that shower right now.”
Jee sighed. “There are two upstairs. You’ll have to take turns.” He swished his hands, blue sparks flickering at the tips. “There are fresh clothes waiting for you too.”
Ethan shook his head. “Where’d you steal those from?”
Jee shrugged. “They won’t be missed.”
Jee and Ethan disappeared into the apartment and out of our sight.
“You guys go ahead,” I told Winston and Adelaide.
“Nah, ladies first,” Winston objected.
“I insist. I know you have to be ready to get out of your tux.”
He chuckled. “You’ve got that right, love. Fine, I’ll accept this time.”
The set of steps was to our right and the two of them headed up, Adelaide looking at me over her shoulder before she disappeared from sight.
I moved through the apartment, checking it out. The floors were old worn oak, and the ceilings were high with industrial piping. I found Ethan and Jee in the kitchen, laughing about something. The kitchen was small, with gray cabinetry and stainless steel countertops. Across from it was the open living space with a large gray sectional, TV, and an art easel.
On the easel was a half finished painting and I moved toward it as if drawn by an invisible force. The painting wasn’t finished, but the colors were dark. Grays, and browns, almost depressing in quality. It looked like the starts of a basement, or maybe a cellar.
“Jee paints what he sees,” Ethan explained beside me, scaring me since I hadn’t heard him approach.
“It’s so I don’t crazy,” Jee added, stepping up to my other side. “Well, cr
azier than I already am.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, clasping his hands behind his back.
“What’s this one?” I asked.
He shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m not sure yet. That’s how most of them start, muted with no clear picture, but by the time I’m done it makes sense.”
I turned to him. “Does it get tiring? Knowing so much?”
He pressed his lips together and thought for a moment. “Only when it’s something bad. I don’t like knowing it’s coming. There’s usually nothing I, nor anyone else, can do to stop it. It is what is—the gift of knowing the future isn’t so I or anyone else can change it. It’s so we can prepare for the inevitable.”
“How often do you know something good?”
“Not often enough.” His dark eyes got a far away look to them.
I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to know things and not be able to do anything about it. I’d think you’d go mad with the knowledge.
I heard the telltale screeching of shower pipes as the water cut off.
“Looks like it’s my turn.”
I excused myself and headed upstairs. There was a long hall extending in both directions, with railing on one side overlooking the downstairs.
A door on the right side opened and I turned that way.
“Oh,” I stuttered when Winston stepped out in nothing but a towel.
His body was damp, and his hair hung down into his eyes.
My cheeks heated, and I took a step back. “S-Sorry.” I looked down at the floor. For some odd reason I felt like I was cheating on Theo by even looking at Winston, which was stupid because it wasn’t like I was looking at him in that way.
I flicked my eyes back up to him and he shoved his hair out of his eyes, a smirk lifting the edges of his lips.
“Bathroom’s all yours, love.” He passed by me and into a bedroom.
I closed my eyes and took a breath before moving down the hall. I found the room with my fresh clothes and Nigel was already curled on the bed like he knew where to go. There was another set of clothes for Adelaide.
Grabbing up the clothes, I quickly scratched Nigel behind the ears before heading into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and set my clothes on the counter.
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