Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4)

by Dalayne, Theresa

  “What makes you think you can take it through a vision? Does it work like that?”

  Considering the hands that had grabbed his ankles had left scratches, and the heat really did scorch his skin, just about anything was possible. “I think so.” His mind flickered to Zanya and the danger she’d be in if he didn’t at least stall Contessa from completing her plan. “I hope so.”

  “First things first.” She crossed her arms. “What’s in it for me?”

  Jayden examined her closely. The kid was up to something. “What do you want?”

  She shrugged. “That’s easy. Out of here.”

  He stepped aside and gestured to the door. “Want me to open it for you?”

  “No, idiot. Out of this hotel. I’m sick of living in this place with all these people. I don’t have any privacy, and there’s no way I’m going into the system. But Brisa used to tell me about her uncle’s house when she went to visit. It sounds pretty nice over there.”

  “I won’t stand in your way from moving there tomorrow. They’d probably welcome you in, but you’ll have to go alone. I’m not going back.”

  “Really.” The word was more of a statement than a question. “What about Brisa? You’re just going to let her leave when she decides to go home?”

  “I don’t know if she’s going back. But like you said. If she does, she can take care of herself.”

  Modem examined him, and then curled her lip. “You are a jerk. Forget it. I don’t want to help.” She sat back and picked up another stack of computer chips, analyzing each of them, one at a time.

  “So that’s it?” He waited, but she didn’t respond. “You can’t just pretend you’re not different. That you’re not like us.”

  Modem shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just a kid.”

  “How about I ask Hawa if she knows what I’m talking about?”

  Modem lifted her gaze. “You wouldn’t.”

  “You don’t know me very well.”

  Her lips parted. “You would.”

  “She’s gotta find out sometime.” He shrugged. “You know what they say. There’s no time like the present.”

  She stood, watching him in silence from across the room. Her features sobered as her chest rose and fell and her breaths quickened. “You can’t tell her.” Her tone was low and steady.

  Jayden’s grin slowly vanished.

  Modem’s normally honey brown eyes darkened into murky pools, like Marzena’s had when she helped fight off the incubi on the beach at Renato’s home.

  “Whoa.” Jayden shifted away. “Calm down.”

  Hundreds of computer chips rose from the ground and hovered in the air, spinning in slow, threatening circles.

  Jayden lifted his hands. “Modem. Chill out.”

  “You can’t tell her,” she whispered again. The air rippled with energy.

  “I get that now. I won’t tell her. Just…” His gut twisted into a knot and he scanned the room, spotting an open window on the other side. “Just calm down.”

  Modem continued to mumble, as if she couldn’t hear him.

  The computer chips froze.

  The air grew stale and silence draped over the room, ringing in his ears.

  Jayden leaped toward the window, finding his exit just before the legion of shimmering metal chips shot through the air, and lodged into the door like daggers.

  Chapter Eleven

  That night, Jayden sat in the dark hotel room, his back propped against the wall. Hawa slept on the lumpy mattress across from him, curled under a blanket. He couldn’t stop watching her. There was something about how her features softened while she slept. It was entrancing, in a non-stalker kind of way.

  The hotel was surprisingly quiet for housing so many kids, and the city soundtrack outside was oddly soothing. Car alarms blared, drunks shouted in Spanish in the streets, and cars swooshed as they drove past. It all mixed into white noise, lulling the orphans in the Thirteenth Street Hotel to sleep.

  Jayden pushed to his feet and walked to the room’s single window. Not having to sleep at night was cool, but much more boring than he’d ever imagined. People always said, “If I had more hours in the day, I’d do so much more.”

  What a sack of shit.

  Anyone he’d ever cared about had either forgotten about him completely, or was asleep at night, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Maybe he’d go back to the way things should be and try to sleep while the rest of the world stayed true to nature’s rhythm.

  He looked over his shoulder at Hawa. She had barely spoken to him since they’d spent the night together. Things had gotten weird.

  Jayden frowned.

  What wasn’t weird anymore?

  Her chest rose and fell with every breath. Strands of black hair were feathered over her cheek. Her lips were full and softly parted.

  She was beautiful in the wildest of ways. Snark and indifference hid the glimpses of endearment he caught when she smiled. He still couldn’t quite figure her out.

  Hawa drew in a deep breath and turned onto her side to face him. Her lips curled into a faint smile. “You think I’m beautiful,” she said very matter-of-factly.

  He turned to face her, resting his back against the wall. “You heard me.” His response mirrored her tone.

  She pulled the blanket under her chin. “You think really, really loud.”

  Fantastic. “I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself.”

  It’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t bitter. They’d had a hot night together that somehow made him hurt a little less over losing Zanya, and then she acted like nothing had happened between them. But something did happen, and he couldn’t shake the memory of her soft, olive skin, her lips dominating his, and the way she fearlessly dove into him. He couldn’t stop remembering, and he couldn’t stop wanting more.

  Jayden’s throat tightened.

  Hawa frowned. “I didn’t know it was like that.”

  So much for keeping his thoughts to himself. He stared out the window. Anything to avert his gaze. “It’s not,” he lied.

  “Thoughts don’t lie.”

  “Too bad I can’t read yours.” The words came out sharp and full of animosity.

  She sat up and watched him. “It’s just…nobody’s ever thought of me like that before.”

  “What, beautiful? I’m pretty sure Blade does.” He was still pissed over Modem stepping in when all Jay wanted to do was instill the fear of God into that douche bag. One thing was for sure, whether kid intruded in his mind or not, if Blade ever put his hands on Hawa again, it’d be the last time.

  “Blade doesn’t care about me. Not really.” She gathered the blanket in her hands and twisted the fabric.

  His chest tightened. “You don’t have to let him treat you like that. He acts like he owns you.”

  “That’s just how Blade is. He’s had a rough life, and he’s responsible for this place. For the kids.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit.” Jay clenched his jaw. “You were responsible for this place once too. You know this place isn’t good for them anymore, but you don’t do shit about it. You could fight the way he treats you. I’ve seen you do it everywhere else, with everyone. Maybe that’s why Peter couldn’t—” He hung his head. Fuck.

  Hawa nodded. “Yeah.” Her breath quivered. “Maybe.”

  Jayden ran his fingers through his hair and he pursed his lips. “I didn’t mean—”

  “No. It’s okay. You’re probably right. But fighting is the only reason I made it this far.” She dropped her gaze and shrugged. “Why do you think I left this place? I couldn’t take it anymore. This hotel was my home, but after…” Hawa brushed her fingers down her belly. He wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he didn’t already know.

  “It’s not your home anymore.” He crouched beside her, meeting her face to face. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “Leave?”

  “Yeah. Why not? You don’t owe this place anyth
ing, and you’ve been miserable since we got here. Let’s just go.”

  “Where?”

  “Who cares?” He reached out and brushed strands of hair away from her face. He skimmed his thumb along the side of her mouth and cradled her cheek. “Anywhere.”

  She swallowed, her features filling with anxiety.

  He let his hand fall away. “You’re still in love with him.”

  She snorted. “No. Not even close.”

  “Then what?”

  Her shoulders tensed.

  “Hawa.”

  “Forget about it.” She lay back down and pulled the covers around her shoulder. “Just go back to sleep.”

  “You can’t do that.” She didn’t respond. “Damn it, Hawa.” He stood, staring down at her. “You have some serious fucking issues, you know that?”

  “Yeah.” She sniffled. “Yeah, I know.”

  The heat coiling his muscles cooled. He ground his teeth, searching for something to say. Something to make her open up to him. Something to make him mean something to her.

  “You can go,” she said softly. “I won’t be mad, and I won’t judge. I’m sorry I brought you here.”

  His breath stalled. “You want me to leave?”

  After a moment of silence, she answered in a mere whisper. “No.”

  Jayden shifted his weight, and then held out his hand.

  She examined it in a moment of silence.

  He wouldn’t pull away. He waited, his hand outstretched in the stuffy, shadowed room.

  Hawa sat up, analyzing him. A tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away.

  He shifted, still waiting.

  She pursed her lips and swallowed.

  As he began to curl his fingers, she took his hand and pushed to her feet.

  He pulled her close, brushing his body against hers. “I thought you were going to leave me hanging there for a second.”

  She bit her lip through a smile, and her arms wound around his neck. “Yeah. I was thinking about it.” She buried her fingers in his hair.

  For the first time since he left the orphanage, his heart wasn’t tied to Zanya. Now, in this moment, his heartache took a new form. He wanted the sprinter in a fierce way, for reasons he didn’t understand. Something about her drew him in. Made him want to stay. Need to stay, if she’d have him.

  Hawa nodded. “Yes.”

  He leaned in closer. “Yes, what?” He needed to hear her say it, even if he already knew.

  She coiled her fingers around handfuls of his hair. Hot tension wound in his muscles.

  “Yes,” she whispered again, her breath breaking over his lips. “I’ll have you.”

  He claimed her mouth, kissing her hard and deep. His tongue glided over hers, and he wound his hands around the back of her waist, then lifted her up. She hugged his torso with her legs. He stepped forward and slammed her back against the wall, somewhat surprised they didn’t put a gaping hole in it.

  Hawa let out a tiny moan and pinched his bottom lip between her teeth. He crushed her against his chest as her fingers trailed down the sides of his ribs and hooked around the buckle of his belt. A groan crawled up his throat.

  “Jay,” she said in a quick breath.

  He pulled away, just enough to look her in the eyes.

  “I…” She swallowed. “I should tell you something first. Before we go down this road.”

  He pressed another kiss on her lips. Sweeter this time. “I know.”

  She braced her hands on his shoulders. “Know what, exactly?”

  “Don’t be mad at Modem. She didn’t mean to tell me. It just slipped out.” He dragged his gaze down to her belly, and let out a deep sigh. “It must have been really hard for you.” He cradled her cheek. “I won’t let anything else happen to you. Not like that. Not ever again.”

  ***

  Hey. Modem’s voice barged into Jayden’s mind, waking him out of a deep sleep.

  Jayden groaned and blinked open his eyes. What the hell do you want? I’m sleeping.

  I thought you couldn’t sleep.

  Jayden signed. I can. I just don’t have to.

  Wanna catch a bite to eat? I know this great diner a few blocks away. They have pie.

  Jayden’s stomach growled. Great. Now he was hungry. He checked on Hawa, who was still lying asleep beside him. It’d be at least another couple of hours until sunrise. He could slip out, gorge on some food, grab Hawa something for breakfast, and be back before she knew he was gone.

  Is this your way of apologizing for trying to kill me earlier?

  Who said I was sorry?

  He pursed his lips.

  Stop pouting and come outside. I’m waiting.

  Jayden crept out from under the covers. He quietly got dressed and shoved his feet in his shoes, then curled his fingers around the doorknob to pull it open. He cringed when the hinges screamed. He managed to slip into the hall and through the hotel without waking anyone.

  When he stepped out the side exit and onto the sidewalk, the warm, humid night air gave him a boost of energy. He searched in both directions, but the alley was empty and dark. “Hey,” he called in a harsh whisper. “Where are you?”

  Shut up. You’re going to wake someone up. You don’t have to talk, remember?

  Jayden exhaled. Right. Where are you?

  Across the street.

  Jayden peered to the other side of the road and spotted a tiny silhouette under a street lamp. He jogged across the four deserted lanes to the other side, stopping in front of her. “Where to?”

  She crossed her arms. You still want to talk out loud. I don’t get it.

  “Because it’s normal, and I like to feel as normal as possible, if you don’t mind.”

  She shrugged. “Fine. Have it your way. Come on.” She pulled out a candy from her pocket and unwrapped it, then shoved it in her mouth. “So, you don’t have to sleep, huh?” Her words were slurred as she chewed. “That’s cool.”

  He shrugged. “Not really.” Modem tossed the wrapper on the ground. “What are you eating?”

  “Candy.” She swallowed and pulled another one out of her pocket. “What? I’m not allowed to like candy anymore?”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t say that. I was just fishing for you to offer me one.” He held out his hand. She put one in his palm and then unwrapped another and popped it in her mouth. “What about you?” he asked, peeling the yellow paper. His mouth watered. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

  She shot him a glare. “I don’t really like to sleep.”

  “How is that even possible?” He slipped the candy between his lips, and lemon flavor burst over his tongue. “If I could sleep for a week straight, I would.”

  “Yeah, well…” She kicked at the sidewalk. The bounce in her step faded. “People like me don’t always have the best dreams.”

  “People like you. You mean dreamwalkers?”

  Modem’s bushy ponytail bobbed with each step. “Is that what they call it?”

  “I think so, if that’s what you are.” The pattering of distant footsteps over wet concrete caught his ear. He glanced over his shoulder at the empty sidewalk.

  “So, what kind of pie do you like?” Modem asked, drawing back his attention.

  “I don’t know. What kind do they have?”

  “My favorite is bean pie.”

  He crinkled his nose. “Gross.”

  “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

  More steady footsteps made him stop. He turned, staring at the empty sidewalk and scoping both sides of the road, his eyes narrowing.

  “What?” Modem whispered.

  He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said loud enough for anyone close enough to hear. “Just a cat or something.” He grabbed Modem’s wrist and yanked her into a side alley. Jayden pressed his index finger to his lips.

  He held his breath, tuning in to every sound. Small trails of rainwater trickled from the gutters, tapping against the pavement. A TV blared from an apartment nearby. A
few cars rolled past over the wet streets.

  The faint rhythm returned.

  Someone’s following us, he thought.

  Who?

  With Contessa possibly aware he was onto her, it could have been anyone—or anything. He balled his fists. Unless you can run really fast, don’t let anyone see you.

  Modem nodded.

  The steps grew louder. Jayden inched his way to the corner of the brick building, careful to stay shrouded in shadow. He couldn’t steal a look until he was ready to be seen.

  The footsteps stopped.

  Jayden’s gut twisted as he waited, listening.

  There was just one chance to get this right. He had to take out whoever was following them on the first try. He may not get another.

  A shadowed figure stepped into sight.

  Jayden leaped out and swung.

  His fist cracked the guy’s nose, slapping the stranger to the pavement.

  Light from a flickering streetlamp cast over the stalker’s features. Blood trickled down his lips, dripping off his chin. He groaned. “I think you broke my nose.”

  Jayden’s eyes widened. “Peter?”

  The healer staggered to his feet, cradling his face with both hands. He spit blood onto the sidewalk. His eyes began to swell. “What was that for?”

  “What did you expect? You snuck up on me. I didn’t…” Jayden stopped. “Wait. What the hell are you doing here?”

  Peter spit another mouthful of blood. “I was sent here to find you. I thought the hotel was a good place to start looking. I figured Hawa might have taken you there. I’ve been scoping the place out for two days.” He braced his fingers on both sides of his nose and snapped it back in place.

  Jayden’s stomach turned into a queasy cesspool of nausea. He swallowed the saliva pooled under his tongue. “You know about that place, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Peter wiped any remaining blood off his face with his t-shirt. “Hawa told me about it a few times. It took some serious searching to find it, though.”