by J. N. Baker
“Um, it was all right,” I said before quickly adding, “sweetie.”
“Did you get the promotion?” His arm slid from my waist to my shoulders, tucking me in tightly to his side as we started down the street.
“I should find out tomorrow. Fingers crossed.”
Whether they started to second guess themselves or they knew they couldn’t take on two of us, the soldiers’ footsteps faltered. With a few mumbled obscenities, they turned and slowly headed down the sidewalk, still very aware of our presence. It wouldn’t be long before reinforcements arrived.
“Thanks for your help,” I said after a moment, trying to compose myself, “but I was doing perfectly fine on my own.”
“Oh, really?” He smirked. I hated that smirk. He knew what it did to me. “So that’s what ‘perfectly fine’ looks like? Because from where I was standing, it looked more like you’d completely lost control of the situation.”
“Well, you were wrong,” I snapped, prying his hands off me. “I was in complete control.” I flipped my hair over my shoulder before storming into the street.
That’s when I heard the brakes squeal.
Before I could think, I was standing on the hood of a Toyota Camry, the driver gaping up at me through a dirty windshield. The entire downtown street came to a standstill, all eyes on me. Shit.
One of the soldiers shouted and I leapt from the car, darting down the street. Alec was at my side in a heartbeat.
“In complete control, huh? Just as bloody stubborn as ever,” he growled, shoving me down a side street.
We hauled ass for seven blocks before taking a sharp right and tucking into a small alleyway behind an old jewelry boutique. I dropped my guitar case, retrieving my sword in one fluid motion.
Before I could lift my blade, Alec surrounded me. He pushed my back against the brick wall, a dagger gripped firmly in his hand. His other hand came down roughly over my mouth as if I was some noob who wouldn’t know not to scream. I wasn’t the same green girl he once knew.
Alec turned his head and listened for what felt like hours. I tried to stay focused, alert, ready for whatever dared enter that alley, but my body betrayed me. Try as I might, I couldn’t help but think about how his hard physique felt pressed against mine; of his calm, deep breaths; the steady beat of his pulse against my lips. My mind wandered back to the many hours spent sparring in dark forests—to nights spent in each other’s arms.
Dammit. It wasn’t the time for a fucking walk down memory lane.
“We lost them,” he said finally, exhaling into my hair. Even his damn breath smelled the same. Alec removed his hand from my face, though his body kept mine firmly pinned against the wall. He placed a strong arm on either side of my head, the dagger in his hand disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
“Of course, we lost them,” I started, just a little breathless. “It was just a couple of Baldric’s human lackeys.”
“One of them wasn’t.”
“I was watching both of them, Alec. They weren’t vamps.”
“No, they weren’t. And you clearly still have a lot to learn. Has William taught you nothing these past few years?” He raised a brow at me, another smirk dancing on the edge of his lips.
I struggled against his solid body but it was no use. He had over five hundred years on me. He was older, stronger—better. “Let go of me,” I ordered.
Alec brought his face within inches of mine, his breath hot on my skin. “Next time, try not to draw so much bloody attention to yourself.”
I ignored his condescending tone, peering up at him through dark lenses. “Where have you been?” As the question left my lips, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.
He brushed a stray hair from my face before gently lifting my sunglasses to the top of my head. I savored the soft tingling sensation pulsing through his fingertips. God, I’d missed his touch. His eyes ran over me, the heat from his skin warming me to the very core. After a long moment, he stepped back. The sudden space between us reminded me of his long absence and the anger returned.
“Answer me,” I demanded, a sharp pain shooting through my chest. Was that what heartache felt like? No, impossible. I didn’t have a heart, not anymore. Monsters didn’t deserve hearts. “You left out of nowhere, Alec, without so much as a fucking goodbye.”
He sighed. “Zoe, I can explain.”
“Then explain,” I snapped, chucking my sword back into the open guitar case.
Alec moved around me, looking out the opening of the alleyway. “Christ, woman,” he hissed as he spun on me. “Are you trying to get us caught?”
“I had no one, Alec,” I continued, lowering my voice only slightly. “No one. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”
“You, of all people, know I know exactly what that’s like. It wasn’t like I wanted to leave you, Zoe” he said. “William made me.”
“He made you?” I was less than convinced.
“It’s a long story, one we don’t have time for right now. I’ll make it up to you. I promise,” he whispered. He took my hand in his, kissing the inside of my palm as he’d done so many times before, as if not a single day had passed—instead of the over five years it had been. My hands found his face, fingertips dragging down his permanent five o’clock shadow, savoring the long-forgotten sensation.
“I know you have a million questions and I want to answer all of them. Over dinner,” he continued, stepping out of my grasp. “But, right now, we need to get out of here. It won’t take long for the short one to find us. We should split up. It will be harder for them to track us that way.”
I nodded, unable to find my voice.
“I’ll come for you tonight, you have my word.” He leaned in, his face a mere inch away, his lips hovering over mine. “I’ve missed you, Zoe.”
“I—”
And with that he was gone as if he were never there to begin with.
A hard knock shook the rickety wooden door. I shot up on my cot, my heart hammering within my chest. William wasn’t supposed to be back for a few days. Another knock. Sword in hand, I tiptoed to the window and slipped outside. I snuck around the side of the run-down log cabin, careful not to make a sound, just as William had taught me. Pressing my back against the splintered wood, I peeked around the corner. There was a man standing at the front door, his back to me. He knocked again, this time with more force.
I was on him in a second, my body enveloping him from behind. I pressed my sword firmly against his throat as my mind took in the situation—the position of his jugular against the blade, the location of each delicate vertebra in his neck, his deep breaths, the way his five o’clock shadow scraped against my cheek, the flex of his muscular back under my thighs.
“Who are you?” I demanded, the sharp edge of my blade digging deeper into his skin, breaking the surface.
Before I could figure out my next move, I was on my back, pinned beneath the stranger. I gasped for air, trying to push him off. He didn’t budge.
“Help!” I screamed.
He quickly covered my mouth with a large hand. “It’s okay,” he said, not even the slightest bit out of breath. “William sent me.”
I stopped struggling, watching him with wary eyes.
“I’m going to get up now. You’re not going to try to kill me again, are you?”
I shook my head slowly, losing myself in his warm golden eyes.
“Good.” The man released me with caution, climbing to his feet. He offered me a hand, which I hesitated to take.
“I won’t hurt you,” he assured me.
There was something about him, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I placed my hand in his, feeling the electricity flow through our bodies as he pulled me up from the ground. He flipped my hand over and lifted it to his lips, kissing the inside of my palm.
“My name is Alec.” He bowed his head. “What is your name?”
“Z-Zoe,” I stuttered.
Alec leaned in close, his breath hot
against my face. “I’m sorry I scared you, Zoe.”
I couldn’t get Alec out of my head. I suppose I always knew I’d see him again someday—I just hadn’t expected someday to come so soon.
I scanned my surroundings, glancing over my shoulder before stepping out into the street. I couldn’t risk being followed—not again. I’d made that mistake once. Let’s just say William had been less than ecstatic. Not sure what he’d been so upset about. I was the one who had to kill the scumbag, dispose of the body, and move what little shit I owned.
Not to mention having to move in with William for a week until he found me a new apartment. That was a special kind of hell. It was a damn miracle we were both still in one piece after that experience. William was a terrible roommate. I checked over my shoulder once more before proceeding across the street—no being followed ever again.
I took in my apartment complex with its generic concrete walls, painted in the dullest shade of beige ever created, and its two cliché palm trees surrounded by overgrown half-dead grass. It was about as ordinary as it came. Perfect for someone who needed to blend in.
It’d be nice to say it felt good to be “home,” but the apartment William had set up for me was more like an empty box, just like the one before it. All the sentimental belongings in my life were long gone. I was adamant about one thing, however. When William was looking for a place, I told him it had to be within walking distance of the ocean. It was non-negotiable.
With my heightened sense of hearing, I could step out onto my microscopic balcony and listen to the waves crashing against the shore. Something about that constant motion—the way the waves stretched in and out as if the Earth itself were drawing breath—it soothed me like the sweet, sweet sound of a lullaby that never ended.
No matter how chaotic the world got, no matter how many lives were lost, no matter how fucked up my life became—I knew those waves would always be there, day in and day out, reminding me some things remained the same. It was a small blessing in the hell that I now called my life, and I’d learned over the years to count my blessings, however few there may be.
One last quick scan of the area to make sure I wasn’t being followed and I ran up the stairs, slipping into my apartment. I rested my back against the door as it creaked closed, tossing the guitar case onto the sofa and locking the deadbolt.
I exhaled, savoring the silence while it lasted. It sounded like everyone was at work. The same heightened sense that allowed me to hear the ocean also gave me access to everything going on in the neighboring apartments—and the neighbors’ neighboring apartments. I was just grateful none of them had wild sex orgies or screaming babies. It was the simple things in life.
I paced in the darkness of my small living room, the vision of southern California’s impending doom still fresh in my mind. I chewed over the idea of tipping off the police about the vision I’d had. The rational side of me knew it was completely and utterly pointless. What would I have said, anyway? “Good afternoon, Officer. I saw into the future and there’s going to be an earthquake in Los Angeles. Please evacuate ASAP.” Right.
Baldric would be waiting for a call like that. He knew the gifts of the Chosen and he had the government wrapped around his grimy fingers. Besides, William would kill me. Well, I guess he couldn’t actually kill me, could he? But I knew better than most, there were far worse things in life than death.
After yanking the cell from my pocket, I hit speed dial for one of the four numbers I had programmed. There was one person who needed to be warned whether William liked it or not. He answered on the second ring.
“I was just picking up the phone to call you.”
I closed my eyes and smiled, savoring the smooth male voice.
“Zoe, are you there?” Josh asked.
My “human” moment was brief. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s up?
“Look, Josh,” I said, getting right to the point. We didn’t exactly have time to chat about the weather. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s kind of important.” That was an understatement if ever there was one.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “What’s going on, Zo?”
“It’s just—can you come stay with me for a while? I know it’s a little cramped in my apartment, but I can make some room. You can even take the bed this time and I’ll crash on the couch.”
“Damn, Zo. That sounds great, but I’ve kind of got my hands full right now. I’ve got an exam coming up that I’m nowhere near ready for. I don’t think I can get away right now…”
“I know it’s short notice, but I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”
“How about I make a trip up in a couple weeks? My exam will be done then and I can stay for a few days. We can celebrate me hopefully not flunking out like a dumbass.”
“That isn’t soon enough,” I blurted.
“What? Has Cindy got you begging me to come visit again?” he joked. “I swear, if I lived any closer, I’d need a damn restraining order. Cody’s a whole hell of a lot closer. Why can’t she obsess over him?”
“Oh, trust me, she does. She’s dead set that Cody’s got the hots for her.”
I met Cody in seventh grade, four years after I’d met Josh. He and Josh became fast friends and, therefore, Cody quickly became my friend as well. Even as a teenager, he was always so carefree and lighthearted, living life to the fullest. Something I couldn’t do anymore.
Cody was like the comic relief to my sorry excuse of a life. I couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t smiling or goofing off; that is, except after the “accident.” But that was a different matter altogether. I never blamed him.
Josh laughed. “Cody’s got the hots for everybody. She knows that, right? If she hasn’t realized that by now, then she’s worse off than I thought.”
“Josh,” I snapped, trying to get us both back on track. “This is serious.”
The laughter stopped. “What’s going on, Zoe?” he asked again, his voice laced with concern. “Are you okay? You’re not in any kind of trouble, are you?”
No, but you are. At least, that’s what I wanted to tell him.
“I’m fine, I just—” I took a deep breath. “I just need you to be here with me. Something’s going to happen, Josh. It’s something I can’t explain, and even if I did, you’d never believe me. Hell, you’d probably think I lost my damn mind. But you have to leave L.A. as soon as possible.
“It’s important—life or death important. I can’t lose you,” I said, letting my voice crack. I might not have been able to cry anymore, but I could sure as hell fake it over the phone. I wasn’t about to let Josh die. One way or another, he was coming to stay with me. I’d drive down to Los Angeles myself and drag him back here kicking and screaming if I had to.
“Zoe…”
“Please, Josh, you just have to trust me.”
For what felt like hours, all I could hear were his steady breaths through the receiver. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”
Relief washed over me. I could only hope it wouldn’t be too late. My visions didn’t come with specific details like dates and times. Usually, the actual event took place anywhere from an hour to a couple weeks after me “seeing” it. If Josh was still there when the earthquake hit, without a doubt, I’d never see him again. He’d be just another dead body among thousands. I couldn’t let that happen, not to him. I couldn’t lose him.
“I miss you,” I whispered into the phone. If I were still human, I would have probably shed a tear or two. Those days were long gone. “It’s been too damn long.”
Over the past five years, we spoke as often as we could. We talked on the phone, texted regularly, but seeing each other had proved to be harder than we thought with the six-hour travel distance between us, especially lately. Josh was busy with school, and me? Well, I was busy training to be some godsent super assassin. I wondered if he’d be interested in a trade. No, I wouldn’t wish my life on anyone, especially not
Josh. It was my burden to bear.
“It has been a long time,” he responded, a sadness in his voice. “I miss you too. We have a lot to catch up on. I worry about…”
“Worry about what?”
Nothing.
“Josh?”
I pulled the phone from my ear, staring at a blank screen. “Dammit!” I shouted, chucking the powerless device onto the bed as I stormed into my bedroom.
Something warm rubbed against my leg. I leaned down absentmindedly and gave the soft tabby a pat on the head before continuing into the bathroom and turning on the shower.
I discarded my clothes and sprawled out on the cool tile floor, waiting for the shower water to hit a decent temperature. Seconds turned to minutes as the prehistoric water heater struggled to accomplish its job.
“I miss them,” I whispered, rolling onto my side. Alec was staring up at the dark sky, counting the stars.
“You’ll miss them more when they’re gone,” he said, keeping his eyes glued to the heavens. “This is to prepare you for the future, Zoe, to make you stronger. One day, they’ll all be gone, and you’ll be on your own. It’s a sad part of who and what we are.”
“I didn’t ask for this.”
Alec sighed, turning his head to look at me. “None of us did. I know it seems unfair. I used to feel the same way. You just have to learn to count your blessings, however few there may be.”
“Like what?” I breathed, a tear slipping past my defenses.
He resumed his staring contest with God, covering my hand with his. “At least we have each other.”
Mr. Whiskers nuzzled my cheek, loud purrs snapping me out of my trance. “Needy little pest,” I mumbled. I stood and shooed the cat out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It was my time.
