by Кирстен Уайт
“What are you gonna do?”
“We’ve got research and analysis working on it, but we haven’t been very lucky coming up with answers lately. Like your friend in there—we have no idea what he is or where he came from.”
“Kinda like me?”
She gave me a sharp look that softened quickly. “You’re a very different case.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I wanted to add a whatever, but knew it would push her over the edge. “Oh, did you figure out a new command for Reth? I’m tired of sleeping with weights on my bed.”
“You’re sleeping with weights on your bed?”
“Gotta stay safe somehow.”
She heaved an I can’t deal with this right now sigh. “You know that the faeries can’t take you.
They’re all strictly prohibited from kidnapping.”
“Someone should tell Reth. Besides, it’s not the kidnapping, it’s what he does to—”
“Enough, Evie. Maybe hanging out with Lend isn’t such a bad thing if it will get you off this obsession you have with the faerie.”
I stopped in my tracks. She kept walking for a few steps before she noticed. “My obsession with him? Why won’t you believe me about this? I thought you cared about me!” Angry tears stung my eyes, and I closed my them before I could say anything else. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head.
“Whatever. I’m going back to my room.”
“Just be sure and tell me before you go and see Lend again.”
“Sure, because we’re big on trust here, right?” Before she could answer I turned and walked off.
LIGHT MY FIRE
T he next day (after sending a rather snippy message to Raquel informing her that I was going to see Lend) I went into his room, laptop in hand. He was Chinese and utterly adorable this morning.
“What do you have planned for today?”
I gave him a stern look. “I’m going to make you realize that Easton Heights, while popular with viewers, is severely underrated by critics.”
He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “So Raquel’s resorted to torture.”
I hit him in the shoulder and continued. “I’ve picked out three episodes that not only showcase superb acting but also have unparalleled writing. And you are going to love them.”
“Is that an order?”
“No, it’s a threat.”
He put his pillow against the wall as a cushion and sat all the way back on his bed. I sat next to him, not minding that we had to be touching so we could both see the screen. That’s when it hit meright then, when our arms were touching—that I was totally crushing on him. It should have been obvious since I thought about him pretty much all the time, but at that moment I knew. I liked him.
Like liked him. A lot. Not in just a fun-to-finally-have-someone-to-flirt-with way, but in an I-wanted-to-hold-his-hand-and-kiss-him way.
And suddenly even Easton Heights couldn’t make me feel better. I was overwhelmed with insecurity. What if he was nice to me because I was the only person here who was nice to him? What if he had a girlfriend in the normal world? The way he could change his looks, he could have fifty girlfriends and they’d never know! And what would happen if IPCA let him go? I’d never see him again. The thought was crushing. But what would happen if they didn’t? He’d get bitter and angry and blame me, since it really was my fault that he got caught.
Lend nudged me. “It wasn’t that bad,” he said, smiling, and I realized the first episode was already over.
I managed a weak smile. “Wasn’t that bad? It was awesome.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He reached out and put his hand on top of mine. My heart skipped a beat—he liked me, too!
“You’re worried about what’s killing the paranormals, aren’t you?”
Crap. He didn’t like me. “What does it have to do with me?” I asked before I thought about it. “I mean, it’s bad, yeah, but not really my problem. IPCA will figure it out.”
He moved his hand. “You don’t get it, do you? Evie, it has everything to do with you. You’re a paranormal, whether you like it or not.”
Okay, I so didn’t like that. I was about to say so, but he just kept going.
“They’re our kind, and whatever’s killing them is not only a threat to the few special things that are left, it’s a threat to us, too.”
“I’m sorry that paranormals are dying, but honestly, not too sad that the vampires who were trying to kill me ended up dead.”
“It’s not just vampires; there are whole species out there you have no idea exist. And if this goes on much longer, they won’t. The world will be a much colder, emptier place for it.”
“Isn’t it already?” Bitterness saturated my voice. I couldn’t be one or the other—by being both normal and paranormal I didn’t belong anywhere. I was sick of not belonging.
“Trust me when I say it’s not. And I want to show that world to you. But we’ve got to make sure it’s still there to see.”
I sighed. “What can I do?”
“Where did you hear that line? About the eyes?”
I put down the laptop and turned sideways so I could see him. “I don’t know, really. It was just in my head. I think I was dreaming about it the day you came. ‘Eyes like streams of melting snow…’”
I paused, trying to remember. “‘Cold with the things she does not know’?”
His breath caught and he nodded. “Do you know the rest of it?” I shook my head. “Maybe you can help me figure it out. I’ll—” We both looked up as extra light filled the room from a doorway appearing on the wall. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“No.” I scooted closer to him. We both watched as a figure came out of the door. Reth. “Oh, bleep,”
I whispered. I didn’t have my knife. I didn’t have anything.
“Here you are,” he said, smiling pleasantly.
Raquel hadn’t done anything to stop him. “Lo—” I didn’t even get to the second syllable of his name before he waved his hand and whispered a word, disappearing my voice again.
“There’s no need for that.” His smile didn’t change.
Lend looked at me; I pointed frantically at my throat, mouthing get help.
“Stay away from her,” Lend said, standing and moving in front of me.
“Evelyn is mine. You are irrelevant.” Waving his hand dismissively, he sent Lend flying across the room and into the wall. Lend slid down into a heap at the bottom. I screamed, but nothing came out.
Reth glided across the room and settled down on the bed next to me. I tried to hit him, but he grabbed my arm, laughing. I struggled as he took his free hand and traced a finger down my spine, paralyzing me. It was like one of those nightmares where you have to watch everything happen and you can’t do anything.
Lend was completely still. Tears filled my eyes.
Reth kept his hand on my forearm, encircling my wrist with his long fingers. “I’m sorry for the haste, but circumstances have changed and we can’t afford the same leisurely pace.” His heat crept up my arm. Closing my eyes, I willed it to stop. It slowed, and then stilled. It felt like I was damming the flow by sheer force of will. I couldn’t last long.
“Don’t be difficult. Once I finish, everything will be better—you’ll see.” He smiled at me tenderly, stroking a finger down my cheek and leaving a trail of heat. “We’ve got things to do—what fun we’ll have.” I didn’t stop concentrating. “Evelyn.” He sounded annoyed. “I’m giving you a gift; moving you forward. It was only a matter of time. You belong with me, and this is the best way.”
He squeezed my wrist. The warmth burned hotter and hotter. Now instead of pleasant, it was painful. It was like his hand was searing itself to my arm; in my mind the flesh was sealing, his hand permanently attached to me. I couldn’t hold this back anymore. It was too hot, there was too much. The fire devoured my arm, moving faster and higher, ever closer to my heart. I screamed again, but no so
und escaped my lips.
And then sound was everywhere. I opened my eyes. Lend was on the floor in the hall, his body convulsing from the electric shocks shooting through it. “Lend,” I mouthed. He had triggered the alarm —thrown himself out there, knowing what would happen.
Reth sighed impatiently, squeezing my arm harder. “I hate it when people meddle.” The fire was in my shoulder; the first tendrils of it touched my heart, nestling in like a small animal.
“Lorethan!” a voice called out, sharp and brilliant in my pain.
Reth turned his head, murder on his face.
Raquel spoke slowly and clearly over the sound of the alarm. “You will not touch Evelyn.”
A fraction of a second, then his hand shot off my arm as though he were the one being burned. The rest of the fire split—half drained back down my arm to where his hand had been; the other half found its way into my heart. I still couldn’t move or talk. He stood, regarding Raquel with the same cold fury I had seen when he’d killed the werewolf.
“Leave us now,” Raquel said.
Reth was absolutely still, looking like an avenging god in the middle of the white room. I wondered if he would kill us all. After the longest silence of my life, he waved his hand toward me. I collapsed onto the bed, finally able to move again. Without another word Reth walked to the wall and through a faerie door.
Raquel pushed a button on her communicator, turning off the alarms, and rushed to my side. “Evie, hon, are you all right?”
The memory of the pain hurt as much as if it were still happening. I sobbed and clutched my burned arm to my chest.
“Let me see it,” she said, pulling it out. “Oh, Evie, I’m so sorry.” I looked up; her eyes brimmed with tears. “I should have listened to you.”
On my wrist in brilliant scarlet was the imprint of Reth’s hand. But Raquel could see only the burn.
She couldn’t see what my eyes could see.
Beneath the handprint, I was still on fire.
BURN, BABY, BURN
I stared at my arm. Underneath the red handprint golden tendrils swirled, warm and living. “What did he do?” I whispered, crying. What had Reth put inside me?
Raquel, thinking I was talking about Lend, stroked my hair. “He tried to run away.”
I looked up, shaking my head. “No, he didn’t. When Reth—Lend couldn’t—He threw himself over the threshold to trigger the alarm. It was the only way he could help.”
“Oh,” Raquel said, her voice soft. She looked into the hall at Lend’s unconscious form, or at least what she could see of it. He was wearing the shorts I’d given him; to Raquel’s eyes it probably looked like a pair of shorts and an ankle tracker floating in the hall.
Raquel called on her communicator and a couple of guards came, bringing Lend in from the hall. I moved to the end of the bed, clutching my arm. After they set Lend down, I put my uninjured hand on his chest, surprised as always that it was firm and warm. “He’s breathing.” I was so relieved I started bawling.
“It’s okay.” Raquel put an arm around my shoulders. “How did this happen?”
“How did it happen? Are you kidding me? How long have I been telling you that Reth was crazy, that he was doing this to me? How many times have I told you that you guys don’t understand faeries, that you can’t control them?”
“I’m sorry. I should have listened. But it must have been the ‘I need you’ named command you gave him—somehow he twisted it.”
I rolled my eyes. “You think? That’s what they do.”
“Still, he can’t touch you now, so that’s taken care of.”
She really thought it was that simple. She had no idea.
“Let’s take you to the infirmary so the doctor can look at that burn.”
I looked down at my arm; the gold glow hadn’t faded. I couldn’t believe she didn’t see it—it was like I was lit up from the inside. “What about Lend?” I put my hand on his cheek.
“He’ll be fine once he wakes up. It wasn’t a lethal amount.”
I let her take my good hand and walk me to the infirmary. The doctor was a pleasant werewolf in her midforties. I hadn’t been in here since I sprained my ankle two years ago. And, no, it wasn’t in some exciting way, being chased through a graveyard by a vamp or anything. I sprained it while rocking out to my iPod alone in my room. Apparently hip-hop is not my calling. Remembering how embarrassed I was then was a stark contrast to the terror I felt now.
Raquel explained what happened and had me hold out my wrist for the doctor to see. She frowned; for a moment I was overwhelmed with panic, thinking she, too, could see what seethed under the skin. If IPCA was already watching me and considered me a paranormal, there was no telling what they would do if they thought I was changing.
“That’s odd,” she said. “It’s a burn, but it doesn’t look like it happened five minutes ago. It looks older, mostly healed now.” My skin felt so hot to me I expected it to burn her as she ran her finger over it, but she just shook her head. “Still feels quite warm.” She put her hand to my forehead and looked up. “You’re freezing.” If she gave me that concerned frown one more time I’d freak out. I didn’t feel any colder than normal. In fact, I felt warmer. Especially inside my heart.
“Can I talk to you in the hall?” Raquel asked and the doctor followed her out. Trembling, I got off the table and walked over to a mirror hanging above the sink. I took a deep breath and unbuttoned the top three buttons of my shirt, pulling it wide. I sighed, relieved. My reflection was completely normal; just my pale skin, barely-there cleavage, and pink bra.
Then, buttoning my shirt, I looked down. “Oh, no,” I whispered. Right where I could feel my heart racing in my chest the same liquid gold burned. It pulsed with life in time to my heartbeats.
I jumped as the door opened, yanking my shirt closed. The doctor smiled at me. “Everything okay?”
“I, yeah, everything’s fine.”
“I’m going to put some aloe on your burn and then wrap it up. Since it seems mostly healed, I don’t think you need to keep it covered for more than a day. Now, I was talking with Raquel, and I’ll admit I don’t know much about faerie magic or wounds. Are you experiencing any other strange symptoms?”
“No.” Besides the fact that I was glowing and for the first time could see myself like I saw paranormals. I knew I should mention it—tell Raquel that it was more than just a burn, that Reth had done something, changed me somehow—but I couldn’t. I wasn’t looking for an ankle tracker or to be some sort of freaky test study. Visions of being dissected ran through my head. I didn’t think they actually did that, but I wasn’t going to risk telling IPCA anything.
I looked down at the wrap the doctor put on my wrist, relieved that I couldn’t see the flames anymore.
“I’m going to take your temperature; you feel very cool, and I’m worried it might be a side effect.”
She put a thermometer in my ear. After a few seconds it beeped. She pulled it out, and there was that surprised frown. Again. It was almost as bad as Raquel’s sighs. “This is way too low. The thermometer must be broken. Do you feel okay?”
I jumped off the table, terrified that they would figure out something was seriously abnormalparanormal—here. Aside from a complete physical when I first arrived and the ankle thing, I’d never been in here, never been sick that I could remember. I chalked it up to that whole living in nearseclusion thing. I didn’t want her to start poking around and figure out I was even weirder than they thought. “Yeah, I’m fine, really. I’m always a little bit cold; the thermometer must be broken, no big deal.”
“Okay. If that wrist bothers you, or you have any strange symptoms—anything at all—let me know.”
“Will do.” I walked out with Raquel following me.
“Why don’t you go get some rest?” she asked, hurrying to keep up with my fast pace.
“I want to be there when Lend wakes up.”
“I don’t think—”
“Raquel,” I
said, giving her a flat look. “He saved me. He freaking electrocuted himself to save me.
I’m gonna be there when he wakes up so I can tell him thanks.”
After a small I give up sigh, she nodded. “Just be careful, okay? We still don’t know anything about him.” They didn’t know anything about me, either. “And if he tells you where he’s from or what he’s doing, tell me immediately.”
Yeah, right, I thought. “Yup,” I said. She walked me to his room and stood in the doorway as I walked straight in.
“Okay—I’ll check on you later then.” She hovered for a moment, then left.
Lend was still out cold. I sat on the edge of the bed next to him, wondering how long it would take him to wake up. I felt horrible. It was my fault—yet again—that he had been zapped.
I stared, glad he had the shorts so I didn’t have to feel guilty. He was amazing. He had the faintest luminescence about him, centered in his chest. I studied his face. When he was wearing other people I could see hints of his features underneath, but now that it was just him it was a little easier. I leaned closer and closer, trying to memorize the way he looked. It was kinda weird having a crush on a guy who was different every time I saw him, and I wanted to have this face, Lend’s real face, in my mind. He was the most strangely beautiful guy I had ever seen—even more than the faeries, because his face was human.
I leaned in so far I almost fell on top of him. Rather than risk that again, I got off the bed and knelt, propping my elbows on the side of the bed and resting my head on my hands. Still curious, I reached out a hand and ran my fingers through his hair. It was the softest, smoothest texture imaginable. I was so busy trying to see his hair and playing with it that I didn’t notice him wake up until the hair I was playing with turned black.
“Oh!” I said, moving back so fast I fell on my butt. “You’re awake!” He was wearing the standard dark-haired, dark-eyed hottie and regarded me with a puzzled expression. Before he could ask what
I was doing playing with his hair, I started babbling. “Are you okay? How do you feel? Can I get anything for you?”
He moved to sit up, then stopped and put a hand on his forehead. “Man, I hurt.”
