by Allie Burton
“Cover your head. I’m going to smash the glass.”
A scream died at his tough tone. I tried to make myself smaller even while I clung to his neck. Burying my head into his bare chest, I waited for the pain.
His covered fist hit the glass with a plunk and a shatter.
The shattering glass sounded like tiny crystal clinking to a toast of our destruction. Shards rained around us resembling frozen snow. Tiny slivers pricked my skin. The pain was nothing compared to the fear. Fear I’d die tonight.
He gripped the edge of the skylight and pulled us through. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I don’t…I can’t believe…how did you…”
Standing on the roof, he righted my body, but my world stayed tilted.
“Are your hands always that hot?” There was a smile in his voice. Did he find my sweaty hands amusing? “You can let go now.”
Dazed, I opened my eyes and nodded too stunned to speak. I unwound my legs from his waist and dropped them to the roof of the museum. Once I felt a little settled, I unwrapped my arms from around his neck. “Sorry, I…”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d clung to the walls and ceiling, like he had suction cups on his hands and feet. Like a comic superhero. Like he had superpowers. My heart missed one beat, then another. We stood on the roof of the museum. The foggy night air whorled around us similar to my foggy thoughts, making this seem unreal. My heart skipped another beat.
Math. Had. Powers.
I shook my head. I didn’t believe in the Order’s hocus-pocus. Didn’t believe any of the members had powers. Didn’t believe the trumpet could heal. Yet, I’d been in Math’s arms as he’d done the impossible. I’d experienced his magic.
“Halfway.” His lips changed to a boyish-adventurous smile. A smile that said he was enjoying the experience and lightened my thoughts. “Then, we can take care of those new scratches.”
He had healed my injuries the other day. I hadn’t imagined it. I’d blown it off believing I hadn’t been injured that bad. But I had.
Math. Had. Powers.
Healing powers. Strength powers. Climbing powers.
What else could he do?
Trembles worked their way through my stunned body, making my knees quiver and my limbs shake. From the activity, sure. But also, from the realization.
Powers and magic were real.
I’d witnessed the fact and my cynicism faded away. No, faded was too gentle a word. My disbelief blew a gasket, steaming high into my body, incinerating my bloodstream, boiling in my head.
“Hold on tight again.”
“Are you going to crawl down the building?” I didn’t know if I was ready for that. Plus, guards might come running outside at any moment. We’d be an easy target. Yet, we had to get off the top of the museum and away.
I wrapped my hands around his neck and my legs around his waist. The intimate position felt familiar and right.
“Not walk or crawl. Jump.”
Before I could process his words, his muscles tightened beneath my fingers. He bent at the knees and we were airborne. A simple jump that wasn’t so simple.
We went down, down, down.
A scream built in my lungs. I swallowed the sound, not wanting to alert the museum guards of our location outside. They’d be searching inside the museum until they saw the broken skylight.
We fell like one of the water fountains the Order had constructed around the outside of the museum. Except we weren’t really falling. It was a controlled jump. My belly flipped and flopped. Not from fear. From exhilaration. Trees whizzed past from the top down. Leaves, branches, trunk. We went from sky to ground.
Our feet touched the wet grass. My knees collapsed, and I started to fall.
Math grabbed me tighter. “Are you okay?”
Real concern in his voice. Real sympathy in his expression. Real warmth in his eyes. I didn’t remember feeling that protected in years and it drew me to him. Placing my palms on his bare chest, I leaned closer. I didn’t break our connection. His green gaze softened. His mouth opened and his head angled.
Our bodies touched. My soul reached out to his in a desirous throb. I didn’t know if it was the adrenaline or the excitement. My quivering lips touched his in a soft caress, initiating a kiss. At contact, energy flashed between us. We were connecting on a completely different level. Physical, emotional, spiritual.
Our first kiss. My first kiss ever.
And I initiated it. Female power roared.
I’d never been exposed to guys before. There were no other kids living below the museum. I’d never attended school after first grade. Math was my first. And it felt like he should be my last. My forever.
Screeching broke my thoughts. Put on the brakes, Piper. I was getting ahead of myself. I didn’t even trust him. Sure, he’d saved us from being caught by the guards, yet I had to think about my goals.
His lips moved against mine and I couldn’t think at all. Only touching, tasting, feeling. His tongue coaxed me to open my mouth. A moan worked its way through my body, turning my muscles to mush. I slanted into him, using his body to support mine.
“This way! They can’t be far!”
Shouting brought me out of the fog.
His body stiffened, and he stepped away. “We need to get out of here.” He opened his arms wanting a hug. “Come here.”
“Um, I thought you said we needed to go.” As much as I’d enjoyed the kiss, we couldn’t get caught.
He dropped his chin in an are-you-serious expression, then grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. “We do. We’re jumping.”
Once he had me in his arms, we leapt into the air above the trees. My eyes glued open. I wanted to fully experience the movement. Not as shocked this time, I enjoyed the ride. I was flying.
We soared over the museum’s manicured garden and thrills feathered along my skin. My hair whipped into my face. We crossed the road and excitement jolted like caffeine. Landing between two houses, joy bubbled within me. We were safe from museum security and temporarily from Aaron.
Math steadied me and then dropped his arms from around me. “Let’s go.”
Contact disengaged, and my brain engaged, rebooted. Being out of breath didn’t stop me from asking, “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” He prowled ahead, trying to avoid my question.
“Jump. Fly, really. And the crawling thing, too. Sticking to the wall and ceiling.” I hurried my pace to catch up.
“It wasn’t flying. For it to be flying the upward force must be greater than the gravitational force imposed on an object. It’s a combination of Newton and the Bernoulli Principle.”
“What?” I’d kissed this guy. This superhero. This super-brain. I had no clue what he was saying. “Never mind.” Wonder and stupidity short-circuited my thoughts. I was the exact opposite of smart.
After being pulled from school, I spent a lot of time reading. It was the only way I was going to learn about the real world. From fiction, I turned to non-fiction trying to teach myself so when I escaped from the Order I’d be educated.
Obviously, I’d failed.
Maybe Math wasn’t a superhero. Aaron said the Warriors used their powers for evil. After everything I’d seen, how could I believe that? He’d protected me and shown concern. More than Aaron ever had.
Why did Math want the Trumpet of Peace?
One question at a time. I snatched his hand and yanked him to a stop. “Tell me.”
His entire body stiffened, and his mouth formed a grim line. “You don’t believe in magic.”
“I don’t…I didn’t…” The synapses in my brain tangled and crossed. What did I believe?
Before today I hadn’t believed in magic or powers or any of the ideals the Order professed. Being raised by the Order should’ve made me a devout follower, except I’d seen the backstabbing and conniving by the members. I’d heard them ridicule Mom. I’d been treated as a servant, not a daughter. And I hadn’t witnessed any magic.
I’d also seen Uncle Louie and his employees fall asleep at the sound of a trumpet and I’d been in Math’s arms when he stuck to the ceiling and flew through the air. “What you did, was that magic?”
I had to be sure. Confirm what I saw and how it happened.
“Not magic, really.” His hesitant tone told me he didn’t want to confess. “A power.”
The word settled in my mind. I had no choice but to believe. Excitement pulsed through my veins. With power he could—
He tugged on my hand and dragged me forward. “Keep walking.”
“Why can’t we fly?” A smile tugged on my face. I couldn’t believe I asked about using his superpowers.
My head buzzed. If Math had powers and could heal, maybe he could help Mom. I bit my lip, holding myself back from asking. If he couldn’t help and he knew I wanted the trumpet, he might not include me on the quest. I wasn’t ready to share my entire truth.
“I only jump when necessary.” Red flushed his cheeks and he hurried his pace.
“You’ve done that before?”
“Yes.” His monotone didn’t explain anything.
Of course, he’d flown before. He’d known exactly what to do.
“Tell me.” I wanted to know every fantastical thing he could do.
Huffing, he knew I wasn’t going to give up by his tight expression. “Did you hear about the ancient Egyptian amulet stolen from a museum in San Francisco a few months ago?”
“Yes.” The Order had talked about the theft nonstop. They’d been angry, wanting it for themselves. They’d even worked with the Society of Aten after the fiasco.
“The amulet held powers from King Tut and the sun god Aten. I was exposed to those powers.”
My stomach dropped, dropped more than when we’d flown through the skylight. I thought about Mom. “Exposed? Is it dangerous? Will you die from radiation or something?”
“No. I received powers by being exposed.” His expression stilled showing his seriousness.
Anticipation had me flying higher and higher. Doubt brought me down to the ground. How could I believe these crazy things? After what I’d seen, how could I not? “What kind of powers?”
“Enough.” The harsh sound of his voice told me he’d reached a breaking point.
I pushed, needing to know. “Enough of what?”
“I’m not at liberty to tell you more.” His response came out between clenched teeth.
“Or what, you’d have to kill me?” I forced a chuckle, trying to make a joke.
Except it wasn’t funny. Aaron had told me the Warriors were wicked. They wanted to create chaos in the world, not peace. I should probably be more worried. And yet, Aaron obviously wasn’t telling me the entire truth. I didn’t know whose crazy story to believe.
“How are your scratches from the skylight?”
“Changing the subject?”
“Yes.” The single word brooked no defiance. “Give me your arm.”
The demand and the ask-no-questions attitude rubbed salt in my small wounds. And yet, Math’s gentle touch sent a toasty hum down my skin. He ran his fingers up and down my arm, cruising over the injuries. The scratches stopped bleeding. The skin around the wound puckered, tightened.
Healed.
The flying sensation returned, except my feet were firmly planted on the ground. I couldn’t believe what I’d seen. Experienced. “Did you heal me?”
“It’s my fault you were injured.”
Which wasn’t really an answer but showed he took his responsibilities seriously. Another heroic trait.
Aaron had said Math was a bad, probably crazy, Warrior. Now, I knew he had powers from an ancient Egyptian amulet. Knew the magic Aaron and the Order professed to believe in was real. What I didn’t know, who was telling me the full truth?
Did Math plan to destroy the trumpet so peace could never happen on earth? Was Aaron poisoning Mom with the intent to sacrifice her? Who should I believe?
The biggest question: could Math heal Mom?
The urge to ask clogged in my throat. I wanted to spew out the question. I snapped my mouth shut, caution holding me back. If I told Math the truth about Mom, he might realize I wanted the trumpet, too. That I wasn’t just an innocent teenage delinquent working for my uncle. He might abandon me, and I’d never get my hands on the instrument. I couldn’t risk it. I needed to use him to find the trumpet. The sooner the better.
I took the photo I’d taken from the museum security room out of my pocket.
The grainy photo was taken outside of a large house with a gated driveway. A man stood beside a car and held the trumpet case as if it was a precious object. The distinctive black case with worn leather and gold buckles was the case taken from Uncle Louie’s shop.
“This is definitely the trumpet case.” I pointed, thumping on the photo. “The question is whether the trumpet is inside.”
“And your Mom’s jewel.”
The lie, my lie, stabbed in the gut. How would he react when he discovered my deceit? I needed a graph to remember what I’d told him, what Aaron had told me, and what I now believed. “Right.”
Math took the photo from me. “This is the Society of Aten’s house. They must’ve stolen the trumpet. Searching the Order’s museum was a total waste of time.”
Which was what Aaron wanted.
Squeezing my eyelids closed for a second, I let shame wash through me. I’d done what Aaron wanted because I needed to prove my loyalty. I’d led Math around so Aaron would get a head start on finding the trumpet, and he had, by the evidence of this photo. The trumpet might not even be at this Society’s mansion anymore. Math and I might be too late.
My insides flipflopped. I was playing two sides of the game. Aaron thought I was leading Math in the wrong direction. Math thought I wanted a family jewel, not the trumpet.
What I wanted was the truth.
I wanted to know if the trumpet could save my mother. I refused to let Mom become the vessel and die. Even if I had to steal the trumpet from Math and bargain with Aaron to save Mom’s life and buy our freedom.
Most of all, I wanted to know if Math could heal my mom. He’d closed down when I started asking questions. He wouldn’t answer this one. Not yet anyhow.
Chapter Ten
Math
Math couldn’t believe Piper had stolen a car.
They’d decided they had to get to the Society of Aten’s mansion quickly. He suggested the train and then a bus. Going from the south bay to San Francisco was too far to jump. She’d stepped over to a car parked on the street, fiddled with the handle, and opened the door.
“What’re you doing?” His muscles tensed, waiting for an alarm to sound.
Only silence timed with the fast beating of his heart.
“Getting us to the mansion as fast as possible.” She’d climbed into the driver’s seat and bent down under the steering wheel.
The engine roared to life.
He jerked back at the revving sound and the smell of gasoline. He’d never been in a car before. Chariots, sure. Living in the city, public transportation or his special skills got him around fine. “How do you know how to do that? Why do you know how to do that?”
Car engines weren’t something he’d gotten around to studying. He understood the basic mechanisms and could picture the fans and pistons in his head. But you needed a key to start a car. He wished he had more time to look under the hood.
“I’ve got a thing with engines.” She patted the passenger seat with a mischievous smile that pulled him in and intrigued. “Get in.”
He slid into the car, she revved the engine, and they were off.
Now, he was sitting by a girl whose beauty outshone Nefertiti, whose intelligence compared to his own, and whose kisses stirred passion. And Piper stole cars, too. Shaking his head, he tried not to be impressed. She couldn’t take over his thinking. He was on a mission. He had things to prove to his Warrior brothers. He didn’t need distractions. Piper was an unwanted companion
.
His heart protested at the word unwanted. He wanted her.
Wanted her attention and her dazzling smile. Wanted her companionship and her kisses. But most of all, he wanted her safety. Most likely, her uncle didn’t treat her well and she hadn’t mentioned much about her mom.
Her kisses had been a powerful aphrodisiac. When her lips had touched his, he’d felt happy and high and willing to do whatever she asked. Not the attitude of a thinking man.
Besides their leader Olivia, he hadn’t had much interaction with girls in this modern world. He’d been too busy learning volumes of history that had taken place between his time and now. Too busy understanding new technologies. Too busy training to prove his worth.
Taking Piper with him to the Society’s mansion wasn’t his best idea. He was putting her at risk, not keeping her safe. But he also needed to watch her, because even after their kiss, he didn’t trust her. She’d lied to him. Her uncle was in cahoots with the Order. Was she?
They rushed through the city streets and every light turned green. He remembered how she’d started the music machine at the diner. She’d sensed the electric beam at the museum. And now, she’d started a car. He’d seen characters do that in movies, but never that fast. She seemed to have a link to mechanical things.
“Tell me about your mother.” He needed to figure out where this mysterious affinity came from and if she was closer to her mother or her uncle. None of their research on her uncle had turned up information about her mom. “How did your mom get ownership of an Egyptian artifact?”
Piper’s face screwed in confusion. “You mean the jewel?”
“What did you think I meant?” If the jewel was her sole reason for coming on this quest, she wouldn’t forget.
“The jewel. I mean, it took me a second to realize what you were talking about.” Her confused rattling was adorable.
Also, a little suspicious.
Remembering how Antony operated with girls, Math draped his arm across her headrest. His fingers grazed the tendrils clinging to her neck, taking in the softness and her lotus scent. Was she more rattled because his fingers played with the edge of her hair? Or maybe she was afraid of him? Like a scientific analysis, he decided to test his theory.
