by Dannika Dark
“Are you afraid?”
“Of death? No.” He laced his fingers over his stomach. “How does that song go? Whatever will be will be.”
“Do you remember anything from when you were under the spell?”
“I have a sense that I went somewhere, but… let’s not talk about that.”
She blinked up at the lights. “What should we talk about?”
“How about I tell you a story about a little bird and a thunderstorm?”
She curled up on her side and felt heat radiating off him like the sun. And in many ways, he shone so much brighter. “I’d like that very much.”
Chapter 17
The next morning, the crystals sparkled by the bedroom window like fragments of dreams left behind. The ashes in the fireplace were barely warm. Gem had slept through the night but not with Niko beside her. She’d awoken twice to find him standing guard at the foot of the bed, facing the window. It gave her a start at first. Niko had his back to her and stood as immobile as a statue. It was too dark to see if he’d armed himself, but if Kallisto was still out there, he had no chance of getting past Niko. She had seen Niko fight, and he was merciless. Despite his serene and controlled nature, there was no telling how many men he’d killed in his lifetime. Some questions weren’t worth asking.
Before dawn, Niko had brought up breakfast while she was still sleeping. After waking up to the light sounds of him setting down the dishes, she wrapped herself up in a thin gold blanket and sat on the floor near the window. They dined on bagels and cream cheese while the sun came up. When she talked about an ancient race of Sensors, he actually listened! Not only that, but he had cast some light on the subject with his own experience meeting one many centuries ago.
Gem set her teacup on the tray, careful not to spill a drop of the hot drink on her carpet. The cup didn’t have handles, but it was tall and easy to hold. Niko called it a yunomi.
“You didn’t have to do all this,” she said. “I’m not royalty.”
“Tea is always a good time for reflection.” Niko was sitting on both feet in a formal position, whereas Gem had one leg stretched out and her blanket over her lap.
Steam rose from the spout of the grey teapot.
“I’m usually in the gym at this time,” he said, holding his cup with both hands. “So right now, my mind is elsewhere.”
“That’s okay. I like quiet mornings. Did Viktor call you? My phone didn’t ring all night.”
“No.” Niko finished his tea and carefully set down the cup. “That can be either good or bad news. I’ve kept my phone close. Let’s hope the fates are watching over them.”
Eager to start the day, Gem sprang to her feet and dashed to her armoire by the door. The rhinestones affixed to it sparkled whenever light shone directly on them. She chose a skintight long-sleeved shirt with horizontal rainbow stripes. While dressing with a man in the room seemed awkward, Gem had to remind herself that it would make no sense to usher Niko out when he couldn’t see her in the first place. She didn’t have a private bathroom and would often use the one in the next room. Sometimes she’d sneak into Wyatt’s office and use his electricity to run her blow-dryer.
Once she put on black leggings, she found the platform rainbow shoes with stripes that matched her shirt. As for her hair, she tied it up in a topknot, allowing a few tendrils to hang loose.
Gem closed the armoire and stared at it. “All good things must come to an end.”
Niko’s footfalls closed in on her, and his hands braced her shoulders. “But it was such a good beginning.”
Gem couldn’t bear to turn around.
“You know that we can’t do this anymore,” he said. “Viktor would grow suspicious of any overnight stays, and we both contribute far too much to Keystone to risk it all.”
“I know.”
“Viktor made concessions for Raven and Christian, but this is something entirely different. We can’t sleep in the same bed as friends.”
Gem wholeheartedly agreed that Viktor would never understand. What she felt with Niko was more than what she’d ever felt with anyone else. She’d always thought that forming a connection with someone was decided on, like choosing a meal on a menu. But that wasn’t the case. All the things she hated about herself—the parts she’d taken great lengths to hide—were the reasons that brought her and Niko closer together. No one else would ever accept the secrets she’d told him.
Gem whirled around so fast that it gave him a start. “I’m so glad you’re alive. My heart would have shattered into a million pieces if you hadn’t woken up. I’ll never play with magic again. Cross my heart.”
He inclined his head. “You’re an intelligent Relic, Gem Laroux, but you’re also a powerful Mage. Always remember that.”
“It feels like we’re saying goodbye.”
He clasped his hands in front of him. “I meant what I said about being there for you. Those weren’t hollow words.”
She smiled up at him. “Race you downstairs?”
Niko bowed, humor dancing in his eyes. “You always win.”
“I have heels on today. You just might have a shot.”
Before he could reply, Gem flashed out the door. She didn’t like goodbyes of any kind, and even though they’d still see each other every day, it wouldn’t be the same. But at least he was alive. That thought brought her more peace than anything. Their relationship was something quite marvelous and unique, and Gem felt a tug at her heart just thinking about it.
Halfway down the stairs, she squeaked and pirouetted on the landing. “What on earth are you doing?”
Hunter had fifty marbles gathered together at the edge of the steps. He looked up at her with an impish grin before shoving them all down the stairs. They made an awful clatter as they hit one step after another before rolling across the main floor. Hunter gleefully clapped at the tumultuous sound that reminded Gem of rain on a tin roof.
“That’s very clever,” she said.
Switch watched from the bottom and rested his arm over the newel. “I was teaching him about gravity and the laws of motion. This has been his favorite game for the past hour. Guess who gets to pick up all the marbles?”
Gem sashayed down the stairs as if she were a pageant contestant. “I have no empathy for a man who can’t stand up for himself, especially against a child.”
He waggled his brows. “Late night?”
When she reached the bottom, she moved past him and studied her nails. “I don’t know what you mean.”
His voice lowered. “Either you two had breakfast in bed, or I have a newfound respect for how many bagels Niko can put away.”
Her cheeks flushed. Gem spun around and folded her arms. “You should mind your own business.”
Switch shrugged. “I don’t really care either way.” He turned his back to the stairs, his eyes sincere. “Look, I’m not Kira. My job is to take care of Hunter, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to act like a piece of floating furniture in the house. I have opinions, I like to laugh, and knocking back a few beers over a game of pool is my thing. I keep my nose out of Keystone business, but personal business is different. Nobody set rules on that, and I treat you no differently than I do my buddies outside the house. Look, if it gives you any comfort, I’m not gonna go around telling people what you’re doing.” He mimicked closing a zipper on his mouth and tossing the key over his shoulder.
Gem rose up on her tiptoes for a brief moment. “For your information, we’re not doing anything. You shouldn’t make assumptions.”
He gave her a wolfish grin. “Yeah, but that’s half the fun. Until you put a TV in my room, the only drama I have to watch around this place is you guys.”
“You don’t see everything.”
“I fill in the gaps with my imagination.”
“You’re a nosy wolf.”
Switch pushed away from the banister. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
She lifted her chin. “There’s a difference between nosy and
inquisitive.”
He rocked with laughter. “Not in my world.”
“Is Switch your real name?”
“Does it matter?”
She clasped her hands behind her back and paced. “Were you switched at birth?”
“Nope.”
“Did your father hit you with a switch a lot?”
A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest.
“I know!” Gem snapped her fingers. “You’re good with a switchblade.”
He winked at her. “You two make a fetching couple.”
Her next comeback caught in her throat.
When Gem saw Niko on the landing, she dropped to her knees and quickly gathered up marbles. Switch followed her lead.
“Watch your step, hombre,” Switch warned him. “We got marbles on the loose.”
Niko rumpled Hunter’s hair. “And what is Mr. Switch teaching you today?”
“The laws of motion,” Gem quipped.
Niko descended the stairs. “Isaac Newton. Temperamental man.”
Switch slowly dragged his gaze up the stairs. “Holy shit. You knew him?”
When Niko neared the bottom, he leaned against the handrail. “I met him only once. For an intelligent man, he struck me as quite insecure.”
Gem filled her hands with more marbles. “Who else have you met?”
“The most interesting people are the ones forgotten by history.”
Gem stood up. “Gosh. I would love to have met someone famous. Just imagine talking with Shakespeare or Marie Curie. Who would you meet?” she asked Switch.
He stroked his short circle beard. “Jimi Hendrix would be pretty badass. Or maybe Joan of Arc.”
The lock turned in the front door. Gem’s heart skipped a beat with the irrational thought that Kallisto might have a key.
Viktor strode in and dropped his bag. The rest of the team filed in at a sluggish pace, their pants dirty up to the knees. Christian’s shirt had holes and bloodstains, but it was the dried blood on Claude’s hands and face that sent her into a panic.
Gem ran to him, and her handful of marbles went scattering across the floor. “Claude! Are you hurt?”
“It’s not my blood.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re awake, female. Viktor told us the good news.”
She plugged her nose and backed away. “Pew. What’s that smell?”
Christian dropped his bag next to Viktor’s. “You don’t want to know, lass.”
“Did you find Kallisto?”
Raven kicked the door shut with her foot. “We shot that goon four times before running out of bullets.”
“Jumpers are the worst,” Blue grumbled. She was the only one who had on clean clothes.
“I told you we should have showered before leaving.” Wyatt gave everyone a scornful glance. He held a small duffel bag over his shoulder. “You’re gonna need an exorcist to get that smell out of the van.”
Raven dragged her feet toward the stairs. “I don’t care. I just wanted to hurry up and get home.”
Gem recognized energy depletion when she saw it. Kallisto must have led them on a wild chase through the city.
Raven put her hands on her hips and looked at Niko and Gem. “I’m glad to see you guys are alive. What have you been up to?”
Gem shot Niko a furtive gaze even though he couldn’t see it and then shifted her weight to her other foot. “Nothing much. Just recovering slowly and keeping the house locked up.”
Blue rolled her shoulders back. “My arms are tired.”
“Not half as tired as my legs.” Wyatt toed off his shoes and picked them up. They weren’t his usual black boots but a pair of white sneakers that were no longer white.
Shepherd stalked toward the stairs. “Maybe you need to visit the gym more often, Spooky.”
“I’ll pass.”
Hunter darted down the stairs with a wide grin on his scarred face. His eyes sparkled with delight as he ran into Shepherd’s arms.
Shepherd beamed, and that was so far off from his usual grumpy self that it was startling. “Have you been good, little man?”
Hunter backed up and plugged his nose.
“Yeah, your old man needs a bath, doesn’t he?” Shepherd chuckled. “I’ll be back in twenty.” He patted Niko on the shoulder before heading off toward his room. “Good to see you.”
Switch led Hunter out of the room by his hand. “Let’s get some fresh air while these people decontaminate.”
Raven poked Niko’s shoulder. “I’d hug you, but you haven’t been vaccinated.”
Niko laughed as she and Christian ascended the stairs.
“I want my shower, Precious,” Christian growled sexily.
Raven snorted. “I don’t even own a loofah. You take everything too literally. I only said that to get you to jump in the hole.”
“That’s not the only hole I want to jump in. A promise is a promise.”
Raven looked over her shoulder at him. “Do I know you?”
Gem swung her gaze toward Wyatt, who was examining the bottom of his sock. “Shep better hurry up,” he said. “I need medical attention.”
“What happened to your foot?” She bent over and tried to make heads or tails of the blood on his sock.
“I stepped on a nail, running over a pile of boxes. Instead of taking the short routes, Blue kept diving into alleyways.”
Blue strutted past him and slung her bag over her shoulder. “File a complaint.”
“I’ll heal your foot,” Niko offered. “You’ll need to wash the blood off first.”
Gem wondered if maybe she could have been of any help during their search. Even with Kallisto being a Jumper, he might not have been able to escape one of her energy balls if he didn’t see it coming. Viktor hadn’t hired her for her Mage skills, but Niko really had her thinking about what she could offer this team. Well, so long as she learned to harness those skills properly.
Niko crossed the room to stand in front of Viktor. “Is Kallisto dead?”
“You will never have to worry about him again.”
“Tell us what happened.”
“He trapped us in an alleyway. We shot him at least once before Claude reached him. Once we found our way out of the alley, we chased him for hours. Kallisto knew better than to fight a Chitah and risk a bite, so he jumped from one building to the next. Claude cannot follow scent trails on a Jumper when they use their skills, so Blue’s falcon tracked him. He depleted his energy with each jump, and we managed to shoot him three more times. But it was a very long chase.” Viktor rubbed his temple. “In the end, Claude finished him off.”
Niko bowed. “I am only sorry that I brought this threat upon Keystone.”
Viktor patted his arm. “Our past sneaks up on us when we least expect it. Only know that you have Keystone to look out for you. That goes for everyone. Your business is my business.”
Gem melted when Viktor smiled at her. She loved the way his eyes wrinkled at the corners.
Viktor drifted toward her and cupped her neck in his hands. Then he kissed both cheeks. “You look well, little one. I am pleased to see that you are alive and awake. It took courage to put your life at risk for another. Forgive me that we had to leave you alone.”
No one else understood his Russian words that were meant for only her.
“In English,” Gem said, not caring either way. She was just glad the crisis was over and everyone was safe.
He winked at her. “I have a dead tree to cut down later.”
“I think you should leave it,” Blue said. “Sometimes we need to see an ugly thing to remind us what happened.”
“Leave it,” Gem agreed. It didn’t have any special significance to her, but she also wouldn’t want anyone digging up the ground where they buried the opal.
Wyatt limped past her. “Good. Because guess who would have been assigned that task?” Without warning, his leg kicked out, and he slammed onto the floor with a sickening thud.
A marble went skittering across the
floor and clacked against the staircase.
Wyatt grimaced. “I think I just broke my spinal column.”
Viktor gave him a cursory glance. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
Wyatt stared up at the lofty ceiling. “Niko, I’m gonna need to book an appointment with your healing hands.”
Gem knelt next to him. “What happened to the ghost? Did you find him?”
“He’s lost in the city now. He won’t bother us anymore. Without his buddy as a link to the living world, he’ll eventually forget all this.”
“You should have sent him to the netherworld.”
Wyatt rolled onto his side. “That’s not my area of expertise.”
While Niko helped Wyatt up, Gem headed upstairs to the back of the mansion. She found a cozy alcove with two chairs that overlooked the property. Sometimes in the morning, fog rolled in and created a lovely veil across the grounds.
She sat down and watched a flock of birds ascend from a tree in the distance. From her vantage point, she could see the burned tree amid the others. Its leaves were stripped and its trunk charred. The grass nearby looked like a blemish on Mother Nature’s pristine apron. So many strange emotions swirled through her. When Arcadius had tried to drown her in the pool, Gem had fought to live. Since her botched suicide attempt, it was the first time she’d been tested on how badly she wanted to hold on to this life. Gem had learned how precious life was. How wonderful. How painful and how glorious.
But destroying the book decimated all those realizations. It had been a suicide mission. Shouldn’t she have valued her own life more than trying to save someone who might have been beyond saving? Self-sacrifice went against everything her Creator had taught her. Margaret said that dying for another was a foolish waste of immortality. And if Niko hadn’t awoken, Gem would have died destroying a book. Both Viktor and Niko called her brave and selfless, but it resurrected so many old feelings that neither of them could truly understand.
Gem sat there for a long while, reflecting over the events of the past month.
“Forgive my intrusion. I followed your light.”
Gem looked up at Niko. “Have a seat.”
Niko took the chair across from her and turned his head toward the window. “It will be warm this afternoon.”
