by A. K. Koonce
As I clench my fists at my sides, my jaw ticks. I impatiently wait for the moment I can rip this mystic apart.
“Choose your words carefully, hybrid,” Gabriel warns him, taking a step closer, his head tilting to the side as he waits for more information. Gabriel has always had more sensibility than me.
“I think we should capitalize on his love for her. I think we should use it. There are too many people who care about her not to use it to our advantage.”
I shake my head at him. My arms tense with anger as he spews on with his master plan. A similar plan I had not too long ago.
“Lord Raske thought we could make them see us as one of their own. I think we should make them see us as something else. If they’re not with us —“
“Stop,” I cut him off. My feet carry me toward him, step by step, until I’m right up in his face breathing down on the despicable little creature who single handedly ruined her life. The force I use to lift him from the ground by his white shirt startles even myself.
“Don’t ever say her name again. Don’t ever think of her life as something to be used to your advantage. You already did that once, and look where it got her.”
His jaw clenches as he stares back at me, not even the hint of guilt touches his face. Is he really that vacant inside?
“I think he’s right.”
The pained voice strikes right through my heart, bursting it to a thousand pieces within my chest.
Fallon stands in the shadows. The clear morning sunlight threatens to whisk across her sun-kissed skin. The newly defined, sharp angles of her face look across the clearing toward us as I casually lower Declan back to the ground.
He clears his throat, but a look of impassiveness fills his face.
“Arrange a meeting with President Docile and her advisors. Don’t give them the details of my condition.” Her voice is smooth against the breeze. Nothing but confidence storms through her words.
“Fallon, we have more important things we should be doing.” A weakening feeling twists my stomach and I almost want to beg her to listen.
Atticus is still out there. She’s still cursed. The blood lust grows stronger by the day.
Luca watches her friend from a few feet away, her full lips thinning as sadness creeps over her features.
“Arrange the meeting. We’ll leave the city and take care of the other issues as soon as they see and understand who they’re dealing with.” Her eyes sparkle as they shift to finally look at me, the red glinting even in the shadows. “The world hasn’t changed just because I have.”
***
A charming smile pulls so tight across my lips that my face might split open from the force of it.
“It’s good to see you again,” I tell Ayden, clasping his hand in mine the way I’ve seen humans do countless times.
The thin man jumps from my happy demeanor, unsure of himself with the simple gesture of shaking my hand. He swallows hard and nods, his brows dipping low. I make his skin crawl; I can tell. Part of me feels triumphant knowing he hates me for something neither of us can control. Knowing I can piss him off just with my mere existence makes my smile a little more genuine.
“Where’s Fallon?” The human tries to find his balance around us. Gabriel, Declan, Kaino, Luca, and I fill the space within the tent. Too many mystics for his comfort level, I’m sure.
Ayden sits with perfect posture; his long arms neatly folded in his lap. His pulse taps wildly at the crisp white collar of his button down shirt. His breathing is short and clipped, like we have a stench he can’t bear to inhale. Or perhaps he’s trying to calm the nerves that are building by the second …
The seat directly next to Ayden is where I decide to settle in, choosing to study his discomfort up close while Kaino leads the meeting.
“Fallon is preoccupied with militia work this morning,” Kaino lies as he takes the seat at the head of the table as his father normally would.
Lord Raske trusts Kaino more than Kaino trusts Lord Raske. Kaino has been taking over more and more of the Lord’s duties. Someday he’ll lead these people just as his father has. Will he live his entire life in a lie? Will he push aside his own desires just to fulfill his father’s wishes?
“What do you do at the Capitol?” Declan asks. His fingers tap against the worn table top restlessly.
Kaino’s dark eyes shift to the hybrid across from me. Luca stiffens in her chair, the delicate muscles in her arms grow tense as she waits for the questions dancing in Kaino’s eyes to surface.
The commander’s naturally silent demeanor continues as he swings his attention back to Ayden.
“I work in the Department of Human Relations.”
My brows rise of their own accord. What the hell does that mean?
Gabriel scoffs the moment the title is spoken. “What the hell does that mean?” my friend asks, mirroring my thoughts exactly. I smirk at him from across the table, and he looks my way with a crooked smile of his own. A single second passes before Luca rolls her eyes at us.
I bite my sarcasm back as I give the mortal my full attention.
“It was created about a century ago to make sure human’s basic civil rights weren’t being abused.” Ayden shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
“And today?” Luca leans forward, her amber eyes searching his face.
“Today it’s used to ensure the people aren’t abusing their rights; that they aren’t breaking the basic laws of unions, of reproducing … things of that nature.” Ayden clasps his hands atop the table as he leans back in his chair, finding his confidence as he describes his position in society.
I fold my arms across my chest as my fists clench uncontrollably. Outrage shakes through me at his simple explanation.
“And you work closely with Michael?”
My attention darts back to the plotting hybrid across from me. He knows. Declan knows Michael is Fallon’s father. How does he know that? Did she tell him?
“Yes. He trained me in the department.” Hesitation fills Ayden’s voice. He looks skeptically at the hybrid.
“I think it would be nice if Fallon toured the Capitol,” I finally say, the forced smile falling back into place against my lips. I hate the words coming from my mouth right now. But Fallon told me what she wants, and I’ll do anything she asks right now; anything to get to Atticus a little faster. Even if a war is a minor detour along the way.
“They give tours there, right?”
Ayden’s brows lower impossibly further, shadowing his dark eyes into a black depthless pool of inky color. “No. They don’t.”
I hold his gaze, my ridiculous smiling demeanor staring down into his anger-shrouded confusion.
“Too bad. Fallon was just telling me this morning how much she missed you,” Luca tells him. The confusion in the man shifts from angry to hopeful in an instant. The lines around his speculating eyes smooth into a look of optimism. He looks to Luca as she says, “I think she misses her old life more than she lets on.”
For a moment I’m staring wide eyed at Luca. How much of this is a game and how much of it is honesty?
“If you asked Michael, do you think he’d allow her to visit?” Luca asks him with a sweet and innocent look touching her smooth caramel features. “Or you could always sneak her in, right?”
Ayden swallows hard before nodding slowly. “Michael would have to put in a request with President Docile. His day for visitation was last month, but he never takes it. We’ll figure it out.”
“Perfect,” Luca says with a shining white smile.
We’re taking a vampire into the mortal’s Capitol.
Perfect.
Chapter Four
You Shouldn’t Have Come
Fallon
The endlessly smooth and perfect planes of wood that stretch along the frame of the ship are the most artistically man-made piece of perfection I’ve ever seen. The restless waves of the ocean sway the structure ever so subtly as my fingers run along the sturdy and smooth boards
&nbs
p; “What do you use this for?”
Kaino folds his large arms across his chest as his features become impossibly more tense. The white moonlight is eaten up in his dark shining eyes.
“We—have a use for naval ships.” His gaze avoids mine as he assesses the white sails against the dark sky.
I study the werewolf for a few moments. The mystics have a “use for naval ships”… What kind of use?
“If you’d like to use it for a short period of time, no one will notice its absence. Shane and I will escort you on your journey, of course.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I reply with haste.
He cocks an eyebrow at me in doubt. Turning upwind, he keeps his scent safely away from me. “Do you know how to sail, Princess?”
My jaw clenches tight, my incisors biting into the inside of my lip at the sound of the nickname. So much has changed, and yet I’m still the same to them.
“No.”
“Shane’s an excellent sailor.” A small proud smile pulls at Kaino’s tense mouth. Almost nervously he glances at me, and the near happiness is smothered out before it progresses any further. He shifts his bulky weight before replying, “I’ll tell my father we’re doing another sweep of the coast for other mystics. He won’t look into our trip or notice the missing ship. We can leave tomorrow just before dawn.”
A split second is all that needs to slip through my hungry mind for me to know that the two of them joining me is two too many. Will I be able to control the burning need for blood, or will the beautiful ship meet the sandy shores of the Capitol with only a ghost crew where Kaino and Shane once stood?
I swallow hard as I look out at the inky shifting waves. “How long is the trip?”
“Two days at the most.”
Two long and insufferable days.
***
The werewolves’ normally soundless steps land hurriedly and harshly against the deck of the ship. From my cabin below, I turn with discomfort in my bed with my eyes glued to the small, locked door across from me. If I just keep myself locked away for two days, everyone will be safe.
Maybe I’ll do this for the rest of my endless life …
A near soundless knock raps against the door and a jolt crawls through my body. Someone snuck up on me? A part of my once-mortal soul blushes crimson at the thought of being surprised by anything now.
“Fallon, can I come in?” Asher’s voice is just audible over the sound of the busy deck above.
He isn’t supposed to be here. I didn’t tell him I’d be leaving today … I didn’t tell him goodbye.
My chest grows tight. I want to crawl into his arms and hide from the darkness that is my life. But I also want to kiss him hard and urgently, my lips trailing over his flesh and biting down until the life drains from his body and into mine.
“No,” I say with haste.
I hear his heartbeat pick up from the other side of the thin door, the noise setting me on edge and sending a burst of adrenaline through my body. He exhales loud enough to pique my interest. In the silence I cross the small room, my hand lingering on the cold, metal door knob.
The words stuck in his throat make me sick with dread. I hate that I’m doing this to him. In this moment, I hate myself, too.
With another jagged breath he turns away from me, his first step not getting far before I finally speak in a whisper I know he will hear.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
A pause fills the quiet between us. Only the sound of the heavy steps above and the calm and caressing waves surround us.
For a moment I think he won’t reply at all. But he does, of course. In a voice so raspy, I barely recognize the sound of it.
“Neither should you.”
Pain pushes at the emptiness in my chest. Anger and annoyance flood my mind until I’m moving without thinking. I jerk the tiny door open. A cracking sound follows the movement as the hinges tear from the frame, the door coming off in my small hand. My eyes search for the hybrid in the sun filtered room. Bright and intense rays of sunlight crawl down toward me from the stairway that leads to the open deck.
But he isn’t here. Awkwardly, I hold the door to me, leaning my chest against it, almost hugging it as I listen for him up above.
“Did you talk to her?” Gabriel’s question rings out through the muddling sound of the world.
I hold my breath as I wait for Asher’s reply.
“No, I – I think she might be asleep.”
Confusion settles into me before realization cuts through, slicing open the ever stream of incessant thoughts that now cloud my mind.
I’m hurting him.
A scraping sound fills the room as I drag the door back against the frame. The leaning door offers the appearance of privacy. The peace and quiet allows the guilt to grow in me, festering by the second. Luckily it doesn’t last long. A knock breaks through my thoughts, and my shoulders tense at the simple sound.
“Go away,” I say muffled, my face buried in the thin pillow.
“Fallon, I brought you something to eat.” Declan’s voice echoes against the door, a hesitancy filling his tone.
My stomach rumbles at the thought of the bones. Declan seems to have an endless supply for me. My spine turns to steel as I take a deep breath and walk toward his voice, cracking the door open only an inch, holding the weight of the broken door in my hands.
“Thank you,” I say, reaching my eager palm out almost impatiently.
“Are you going to invite me in?” A shaking laugh rumbles through the door that separates us.
“Are you going to give me my food?” My hand still hangs through the minimal opening of the door in a desperate plea.
“Hmm,” he says in a teasing tone. “I suppose.”
A sigh of relief slips over my lips, my empty palm waiting for the unseen food.
“After you’ve invited me in.”
My teeth grind and my eyes roll heavily before swinging open the door to his ridiculous smiling face.
“Thank you, love. You’re too kind.” An easy and carefree gait accompanies his steps as he crosses the room and makes himself comfortable on my bed.
I glare at him, taking a seat on the small bed opposite him, the thin mattress not allowing me to relax in the least.
He begrudgingly hands over a brown paper bag with a smile, and I rip it open the moment it’s in my grasp. The small broken bits of bone slip over my lips like they’re the most delicious treat I’ve ever tasted. As I chew, savoring the snack, I consider asking Declan what the bones are. Animals? They’re too large for most rodents …
I swallow harshly and think better of it. I don’t really want to know.
“How are you?”
I freeze, my eyes still closed as I slowly chomp on the treat. The crushing sound of Asher’s voice floats through my memory. The loneliness of the past few days presses hard into my chest.
“I’m fine,” I tell him in an overly chipper voice.
He arches a brow at my reply but doesn’t say anything in return. He leans back on his arms, stretches his legs out, and makes himself right at home in the small compartment. His silver eyes sweep over every item in the room, curiously admiring the space. I let the silence pass, just happy to have something so delicious filling my stomach. The clawing hunger settles with each bite I take; the raking sound of the breaking bones fills my thoughts, almost calming me.
“You remember our training, right?”
My eyes narrow on the hybrid. The memory of my overactive emotions burns my cheeks as I recall the small crush I thought I had on him.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You’re going to the one place that will murder you on sight. Might be a good idea to be prepared.”
Dread sinks into my stomach. He’s right. But my power is nothing in comparison to the mortals.
“Have you ever tried to compel someone?”
The wall behind him becomes my focus. Slowly, I nod.
“And?”
The way I
thought I could easily control Asher makes my stomach churn. I shouldn’t have tried to manipulate him. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t.
“I don’t know. I guess it didn’t work.”
“Try again, love,” he says as if it’s just that simple.
I rub my eyes irritably. “I’m fine, Declan. Everything will be fine.”
He nods, picking at the white thread of the blanket as he thinks. The small amount of silence settles the anxious feeling growing within me.
“Maybe.” He nods again, and I breathe out a heavy sigh, the tension leaving me at the sound of his agreement. “Or maybe not.”
Chapter Five
Love
Asher
I wish I could say my eyes don’t follow his every suspicious move. As I watch Declan sneak below deck, I know exactly where he’s going.
She didn’t leave her cabin once yesterday. She wouldn’t even see me when I went to her. I thought this secluded trip would force us to talk; all it’s done is force us further apart.
Gabriel and Luca are snuggled against each other; the sun, high above, glints off of his metallic hand as he runs it down the inside of her arm. She smiles against his lips as he whispers something to her. The two of them couldn’t be happier.
It physically makes me sick.
I shoot Kaino and Shane a look, realizing they’re much more appropriate with their affection as Kaino watches Shane sail with ease. Shane bites back a smirk at something Kaino says, his teeth sinking into his lower lip, and it draws Kaino’s gaze to the gesture.
With a sigh, I shift away from them as well.
I’ve. Got. To. Get. Off. This. Ship.
Like a cat creeping through the shadows, I make my way downstairs. Steeling my spine with every step I take, I hear their voices in the dark. The cool breeze of the sea disappears as I take the steps two at a time.
“You should try. I’ll help you, love,” Declan says with the most disgustingly gentle voice.
My heart thunders in my ears when I finally see them. Fallon sits with her legs crossed atop her blankets facing Declan who sits in an identical position.
Fallon pops a kernel sized bone into her mouth and chews carefully as she shakes her head at him. She looks slightly irritated, a look that mirrors my own every time I speak with the hybrid.
