“He’ll bunk with Wen,” Ellie said.
“What?” Wen sputtered. “I thought I was bunking with Greg? Hell—Elles, I’ll bunk with you.”
Ellie’s eyes shifted to Greg, an almost imperceptible movement. “No. This is the best way.”
Kellen clapped delightedly before holding his arms out wide to Wen. “Roomie! Reunited, and it feels so good!”
Wen did not return his exuberance. “Don’t touch my stuff.”
Greg looked around the room. “Okay, that’s really all we wanted to tell you. So… you’re dismissed.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then Kellen stood. “Come on, Roomie. Wanna give me the grand tour of my new place?”
Wen’s mouth twitched as he stood, pointing Kellen toward the far hallway.
Morgan turned toward her own hallway just in time to see Corbin disappear down it. She got up and followed him to his room. She wasn’t sure what help she could be, but she felt obligated to talk with him about their new reality.
By the time she got there, Corbin was already seated on his bed, elbows on knees, face in hands. “I can’t believe this,” he grumbled as Morgan closed his door.
She crossed the room and perched tentatively beside him. “I don’t think the situation is as dire as you’re making it.”
“I don’t understand them,” he continued, as though he hadn’t heard her. “Letting him stay here. Here? Are they insane? I mean, they know who he is, don’t they? They know who he works for.”
“He says he defected,” she said quietly.
Corbin snorted. “Right.” He lifted his face and focused on Morgan. After a moment, he turned away, shaking his head in disbelief. “You think he’s telling the truth.”
Morgan pursed her lips. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Clearly the Watchers believe—”
“But so do you.” He said it like an accusation.
She squared her shoulders, feeling slightly self-conscious. “Not that it matters, but… what if I do? Why shouldn’t I believe he defected? In fact, why don’t you? Did you forget what they did to him last time we saw him? Orrick was draining his energy—he was trying to kill him!”
“So he said.” Corbin crossed his arms over his chest. “Suddenly Orrick’s such a trustworthy source? I bet Kellen was in on it. Hell, I bet it was his idea. He knew what buttons to push with you—and it almost worked.”
Morgan stood, the indignation growing within her. “If you remember, I wasn’t there trying to save Kellen—I was there for you.”
“Then why didn’t we leave as soon as Lia brought me back?”
“You know why! We were all being Pushed by Aurelia—”
Corbin threw up a hand and turned away from her. “Whatever.”
She crouched in front of him. “No, not whatever. Maybe you weren’t paying attention, but I was. And Kellen’s energy was getting dimmer and dimmer. Orrick was really hurting him. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that he’d leave Orrick after he tried to kill him.”
“You should’ve let Orrick kill him,” Corbin muttered.
Morgan gasped. She reached out her hand and touched him tentatively on the cheek. “You can’t mean that.”
He locked his eyes on hers. “I can. And I do.”
She pulled her hand away as if she’d been burned, not believing what she’d just heard. But he had said it, and the emotion radiating off him was all Morgan needed to know he was serious. “Corbin…”
“What?”
The venom in his voice pulled Morgan from her disbelief. “I know you don’t like Kellen. I know you don’t trust him. But to wish he was dead? Corbin, that’s—”
“It’s what?”
She shook her head. “It’s not like you.”
“Yeah, because you’re an expert on me.”
His words stung and she recoiled. “I thought I was.”
“I’m sure it’s not the last time you’ll be wrong about something.”
The iciness in his words, in his eyes, bore down on her like a weight. She stood, walking to the center of the room before turning back to him. “I can’t stay in here right now. We’ll talk when you calm down—”
“I am calm,” he growled. “But if you’re such a fan of Kellen, maybe you should go.”
Morgan squared her shoulders. “Maybe I should.”
“And maybe you shouldn’t come back.”
He didn’t have to say more. Morgan knew in that moment that she wouldn’t be back. Corbin’s line in the sand had been drawn, and she knew she couldn’t stand on his side along with him. Slowly, she backed away from him. With shaky fingers, she reached for the doorknob.
“And next time you wake up in the middle of the night, terrified and panicking—I’m sure Kellen’d be more than happy to make you feel better.”
The air in the hallway felt warmer. Morgan closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She knew Corbin wasn’t Kellen’s biggest fan, but she never thought she’d hear him be so cold about the life of another human being.
On autopilot, Morgan headed across the hall to her bedroom. When she got to the door, she paused, pressing her fingertips to her eyes and wiping away the dampness she found there. Then, releasing a breath, she went in.
Joss glanced up from the book she was reading in the cursory way one does when something moves in the peripheral vision. Her eyes flicked back to the book, but as Morgan crossed to her bed she was aware of her cousin’s eyes on her again.
Joss removed an ear bud. “You okay?”
Morgan pulled back the blankets on her bed and climbed in. “No.” She pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and turned so she was facing the wall.
The room was quiet, and Morgan was sure Joss was listening to her music again. But then there was a gentle pressure on the bed and a warm hand on Morgan’s back. “I’m sorry.”
Morgan felt a prickling in the corners of her eyes. She wanted to tell Joss what had just happened, but she couldn’t find the words. Instead, she summoned all the emotions swirling within her and pushed them to Joss. Joss lay on the bed behind her and wrapped her arm around her torso. She sent images to Morgan’s mind—Roxy, the German Shepherd Joss had as a girl; stockings hung on the mantle of the gas fireplace in her family room; the papasan in Morgan’s bedroom. Comfort images. Morgan accepted them gratefully, but they weren’t enough to ease her sadness.
Joss smoothed Morgan’s hair behind her ear. “Corbin’s a jerk.”
A smile stretched across Morgan’s lips—briefly. “No, he’s not.”
“I know.” Joss sighed. “This’d be easier if he were.” She continued to run her fingers through Morgan’s hair. “You want me to go kick his ass?”
“No.” Morgan laughed. “Thanks, though.”
“You’re welcome. Is there anything I can do? Whatever you need. I’ll—I’ll go requisition some ice cream.” She laughed. “It’ll probably take a month to get here, but…”
“It’s the thought that counts.” Morgan closed her eyes, a new emotion washing over her—regret. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?”
She managed a humorless laugh. “The last ten years. You were my best friend. But after my mom disappeared… I was just so mad—so jealous. How was it fair that my mom was gone but yours wasn’t? And I—”
“Stop that. Stop it right now. What happened between us wasn’t your fault. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. I should’ve stood by you when people started saying all those awful things about Uncle Dylan. I should’ve stood up for you when they started in on you. But…”
Morgan rolled over to face her cousin. “Let’s face it: Basically, we both suck.”
Joss laughed. “Big time. We’re, like, the worst people ever.” Throwing her arm over Morgan, she pulled her into an awkward hug.
Morgan returned the embrace as well as she could, leaning into Joss. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me too.”
When they broke th
e embrace, Joss crooked her arm and propped her head on her hand. “Can I ask you something?”
Morgan eyed her warily before responding. “Sure.”
“Do you think there’s something going on with Greg and Ellie?”
It took a moment for Morgan to process what Joss had said. “What? No—why?”
Joss smiled knowingly. “When they were talking about room arrangements. They stuck Kellen in with Wen and wouldn’t even consider letting Wen room with one of them instead. There’s only one reason for that.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“No. There’s gotta be more than one reason,” Morgan insisted, though she found herself unable to come up with one.
“See?” Joss flopped onto her back and began performing some sort of arm-and-leg-flailing dance. “Bow-chicka-wow-wow!” She dissolved into giggles.
Morgan couldn’t help laughing too. “I missed you. For ten years, I missed you.”
Joss inclined an imaginary glass toward her. “To the next ten years.”
Morgan clinked her imaginary glass against Joss’s. “To the next ten years.”
Chapter Nine
To say the days that followed were awkward would be an understatement. Morgan spent most of her time in her bedroom, going so far as to take her meals in there. In solidarity, Joss ate in the bedroom as well—convincing Lia to join them occasionally—even after Lucas mentioned that Corbin was doing the same thing, leaving him to eat amid the tension that was Watchers versus Kellen.
About a week post-breakup, Morgan was paired with Wen for training exercises. She didn’t think anything of it until Wen led her past the library to his room and closed the door behind him.
Besides going to the library, Morgan didn’t venture down what the rest of them referred to as the “adult wing.” The cabin’s layout was symmetrical, she knew, but she was still surprised that Wen’s room looked so much like the bedrooms on the other side—excepting that Wen’s room, like Morgan’s, had two beds in it. And it was nearly spotless.
“Kellen’s handiwork,” Wen said, pulling a chair to the middle of the room and nodding toward it, indicating she should sit. “Guy’s a neat freak.” He grabbed a second chair and positioned it across from Morgan.
When he didn’t go on, Morgan shifted uncomfortably. “So… What’s the exercise today?”
He shook his head. “No exercise. But I have a feeling you already realized that.”
Morgan’s mouth twitched, not quite managing a smile. “Is it intervention time? It’s been a while since our last come-to-Jesus interaction.”
“At least you’ve been expecting it,” Wen said, though, characteristically, he didn’t seem particularly amused.
“Look, if this is about me and Corbin—”
He shook his head, cutting her off. “Don’t care. Greg’s handling Corbin. This is about you, Morgan. Just you.” He paused. “You gotta shake it off. You gotta pull yourself out of this funk.”
She nodded. “I will.”
“Yeah, you will. Now.”
“Wen—”
“Morgan.” His gaze was intent. “This is war. I know sometimes we forget because we’re all cozy here on our extended vacation in the woods, but that doesn’t make it any less the case. You’ve gotta be ready at a moment’s notice. If the opportunity presents itself, it won’t wait for you to go through the seven stages of grief or whatever.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. In the silence that followed, a thought crossed her mind. “Have you ever been in love, Wen?”
An expression Morgan couldn’t read flickered across his face before he replied. “Have you?”
One corner of her mouth quirked up. “Touché.” Suddenly, something shifted in Morgan’s mind. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” he said automatically. “About what?”
“I’m not in love with Corbin. Never was.” As she said the words, it was as if a weight lifted from her. “I mean, I care about him—but I care about you too.”
“Stop, you’ll make me blush.”
“You know, I’m not sure how you do it, but you’re actually pretty good at this whole making-me-feel-better stuff. When this is all over, you should think about being a counselor or a psychologist or something.”
Wen grinned. “I’ll consider it.”
The bedroom door swung open to reveal Kellen. He held his arms out in greeting. “Roomie!” He noticed Morgan and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, my apologies. You know, we should work out some kind of signal. Sock on the door? Too cliché?”
“I told you to stay in the library,” Wen said.
“Sorry,” Kellen said, not sounding particularly genuine. “I know your proclivities toward slovenliness too well to trust you alone in here for too long.”
“Come on, K. If I don’t keep dirtying it up in here, what’ll you have to do to pass the time?” Wen grinned, but, seeming to catch himself, it quickly dissolved. “As you can see, I’m not touching anything—”
“Except—” Kellen’s eyes roamed over Morgan, a smile curling his lips. “In which case—” He wagged his eyebrows. “—carry on.” His gaze moved from Morgan, scanning the room. He moved to the small desk by the door and picked something up. Holding an iPod, he asked, “May I?”
“K, if it’ll make you leave, take it.”
“Thanks, man.” With that, Kellen left, closing the door behind him.
“So,” Morgan said after a few moments passed. “How’s that going?”
Wen sat back down, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Honestly? Weird. In a strange way, it’s like no time’s passed—like we’re teenagers in our first apartment. But so much has changed. It’s just…”
Morgan nodded. “Weird. I get it.”
“But, I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
Suddenly, the conversation she’d had with Joss about Kellen’s sleeping arrangements and what it implied about Ellie and Greg flashed through her mind. Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Hey—is there something, you know… between your sister and—”
“Oh, I am so not going there,” he said, cutting her off. “I don’t know, and I don’t wanna know.”
“Fair enough.”
Wen closed his eyes and shook his head, as if clearing it of some mental image. “You good?” His tone was businesslike. “You wanna, like, hug or something?”
A laugh bubbled up within Morgan, and she did her best to stifle it. “Thanks, but I think I’m okay.”
He stood. “Good. Well, then, consider your training finished for the day.”
Morgan stood too. “Okay.” She took a few steps toward the door before pausing, turning back to him. “Thanks, Wen.”
“Yes, I know, I’m amazing.” He offered a small smile.
Morgan felt better, lighter somehow, as she walked down the hallway toward the living room. The feeling didn’t last long. As she approached, she felt that the air in the living room was charged, like the atmosphere before a storm. Drawing closer, she heard Corbin’s voice.
“Seriously, why don’t you just crawl back to your hole?” he asked as Morgan entered the room. His words were not directed at her; Kellen sat on one of the couches by the craft corner, the computer perched on his lap.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist. I won’t be long. I just want some tunes to keep me company in my exile.” Kellen didn’t look at Corbin as he spoke, his eyes instead on the computer’s screen.
“Where’d you even get an iPod? What, the Watcher’s are trying to give you all the comforts of home or something?”
“Not mine,” Kellen said, his face screwing up in concentration, his eyes not leaving the screen. “Took it from Wen.”
“So, what?” Corbin drew nearer, his shoulders squared. “You think you can just take whatever you want, is that it?”
“Whoa, man.” Kellen finally looked up at Corbin. “I didn’t take your girl. You lost her all on your own.” He shook his head and shifted his gaze back to the comp
uter screen before turning toward Morgan. “Ah! Speaking of which—there she is. Ask her yourself.”
Corbin’s eyes brushed over Morgan momentarily before he fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.
“What? Not gonna ask her? I’ll do it.” Kellen shifted in his seat so he was fully facing her. “Morgan, could you please enlighten our forlorn, possibly broken-hearted little Rock Star here that I in no way coerced you to dump his sad ass for me?”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Corbin.” She felt a pang; it was the first time she’d addressed him in a week. “Corbin, ignore him.”
“I don’t need your advice or your help.” Corbin’s voice was low and he didn’t look at her.
Irritation flashed through Morgan and she pressed her lips together to keep herself from snapping at him. The resolve that had settled on her in Wen’s room solidified. “Whatever,” she said, starting toward the other hallway. “I’ll leave you two to whatever macho showdown you’ve decided you need to have. Let me know who wins.” She paused throwing a glance back at them. “Oh, wait. Never mind, don’t tell me who wins because I don’t care.”
Morgan had made her way down the hall before she heard Corbin speak again. “You can wipe that smirk off your face.”
She couldn’t help herself. She stopped short before reaching her bedroom door, listening to what was happening in the common area.
“I know how pleased your are with yourself, but believe me, if anything, she just pities you,” Corbin continued.
“I suppose you’d know all about that,” Kellen returned easily.
“Morgan, what’s going on?”
Morgan jumped, clutching at her heart. So focused was she on what was transpiring between Corbin and Kellen that she hadn’t noticed Joss and Lia enter the hallway. “Nothing, it’s just—”
“Corbin and Kellen,” Lia said.
Joss’s face lit up. “And we’re spying?”
“No, I’m not spying—”
“You know what? You’re just sad.” Corbin’s voice drifted down the hallway to them, louder than it had been before. “You can’t accept that no one wants you. Orrick tried to kill you, and the Watchers don’t like you, don’t trust you.”
The Naturals Trilogy Page 48
