Edge of Truth (9781310978142)

by Hanova, Natasha

  He forced his words through a yawn. “You underestimate yourself.”

  She smiled, watching him drift off to sleep, and soon the steady purr of the building lulled her to dreamland, as well.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sunday, June 25

  Early Morning

  The warm roof had melted away Rena’s muscle aches. She pulled the backpack to her lap, folded her hands on top, and studied Nevan. A few dreadlocks spilled across his face. His eyes moved beneath the closed lids while his chest rose and fell in a slow, steady sleep rhythm. In spite of the urgency, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him.

  She slung the backpack over her shoulder and moved to the roof edge. The morning sun glinted off the white walls of the surrounding buildings, making Rena squint as she checked the perimeter for lingering Syns. Much to her relief, she discovered they had left. A spot behind one of the air vents provided the privacy she wanted to prepare for the upcoming journey. She pulled her shirt off and put sunscreen on what she could reach of her neck, back, then shoulders. The same moment she snapped the lid shut, she sensed Nevan scrambling to his feet. She snatched up her shirt to cover her bare front.

  “Rena!” he called out, his voice heavy with worry.

  “Give me a second.” She pulled on her shirt and tossed the sunscreen in the backpack.

  “I thought they got you. What were you doing back there?”

  When she scooped up the backpack, her movement stirred the sunscreen-scented air. “Putting on some sunscreen.”

  “Why were you hiding?”

  “I needed to get my back.”

  “Not a bad idea. Toss me the bottle.”

  She searched inside the backpack. The instant she turned her attention to him, standing there with his shirt in his hand, she froze. Majestic, all six-foot-three of him. His deep brown dreadlocks cascaded over his bare shoulders like a lion’s mane. Her jaw went slack at the way the sunshine emphasized each and every curve of his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles. The bottle slipped out of her hand and crashed to the roof.

  Closing her mouth, she swooped down, picked it up, and tossed it to him. Without saying a word, she lowered her gaze and brushed past him, but not without stealing a peek. She snuck another while she rolled up the rope. His muscles rippled as he rubbed sunscreen over his chest and stomach. Her face grew warm, though it had nothing to do with the morning sun. She had spying on him down to an art and refocused on the rope seconds before he turned around.

  “Hey, Lil’ Mama, will you put some on my back?” He held the bottle out to her.

  She knew right away this would be way better than all the times she had helped her scrawny little brothers lotion their backs. This, she could get used to.

  He flipped his dreads to the front, holding them up off his shoulders.

  She squirted a little too much sunscreen on her palm. It was an accident, sort of. Her hands tingled as she smoothed them along his back and over his shoulder blades. Despite the stressful end to the evening, his muscles were loose, relaxed. She kneaded the lotion into his skin, waiting for her palms to detect his heartbeat like they had during the kiss.

  He made a sound with too much bass for a yawn, then drew a breath as if to cover his moan.

  “Time is it, anyway?” His voice sounded deeper than usual, and it sent a shiver through her.

  “A little after eight.”

  “What? Why’d you let me sleep this late?” He shifted forward, but not too far.

  She continued her muscular exploration. “I figured you could use the extra rest. Yesterday was kind of a rough day.” She rubbed her hands down his back, her thumbs tracing each vertebra. “And besides, we’re about to go on a three, maybe four-hour hike through Quad 2, climb through tangled vines in Ugly Forest, then trek across some rough terrain once we get into Westrock. And who knows what—”

  “Rena.” His dreads spilled over his shoulders as he faced her.

  She inhaled, sharp and quick. Her gaze lingered on his spicy, sweet lips before meeting him eye-to-eye. Heat swelled in her stomach and spread through her limbs with every thump of her heart. The memory of Nevan caressing her freckles warmed her cheeks and made her lips tingle.

  He got that look in his eyes, again. Dark. Smoldering. They leaned toward each other. She licked her lips in anticipation.

  Nevan cleared his throat and broke eye contact. His usually fluid movements were awkward when he pulled back and all but stumbled away from her. He searched the floor while rubbing the back of his neck. Once he located his shirt, he yanked it over his head. Then, slung the backpack over his shoulders and headed for the fire escape. “We should probably head out.”

  Mixed emotions swirled through Rena as she trailed behind. It amazed her that he put her need to find Blaze above his own desires. Yet, fate had put Rena in a position where she couldn’t fully enjoy him. Not without guilt over her role in her best friend’s disappearance. “We can eat on the way.”

  By the time she reached the fire escape, he’d already jumped down to the top landing. She peeked over the side. The distance between them didn’t seem as far now that there weren’t Syns lurking below. She sat on the edge of the parapet and flung her legs over the side.

  “Here.” He stretched his hands out toward her. “I’ll help you get down.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You jumped down by yourself.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I won’t.” She’d jumped from higher distances before. If he thought she was one of those dainty girls who needed someone to hold her hand to sneeze, he had another thing coming.

  “Just, come on.” He wiggled his fingers.

  Rena huffed and stepped onto his hands. She faced the wall with her back to him as he lowered her to shoulder level, then let go only to catch her under the arms. She landed with a soft thump. They quickly made their way down the zigzag staircase. She reached the ladder at the base of the fire escape first.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. “You’re going to get hurt. I don’t want to carry you all the way out to Westrock.”

  “I’ll be okay.” She sat on the bottom rung with her legs dangling off one side. “Trust me.” She back flipped off the ladder, landing square on her feet. He applauded then came down with a much less graceful dismount.

  He stood next to her, close enough for her to see the stubble on his face. Her fingertips ached to trace the rough texture of his jawline to the smooth patch of skin near the hollow of his cheek.

  “Which way?” he asked as he tucked his hands in his pockets.

  She dropped her gaze to the ground, needing to look some place other than his mesmerizing eyes. “North, toward Ugly Forest.”

  As they walked, Nevan pointed out various plants and their common uses. The closer they got to the forest, the more unique the plants became. His love for them shone in his eyes and seeped out through his voice. It was almost as if gardening was his own idea for his future, instead of a job assigned for him based on who his parents were.

  His hand brushed against hers, drawing her back to the present. Ugly loomed a quarter mile past the end of the neighborhood, and the sight comforted her like coming home after a hard day at the factory. A scrawny tree capped with cylinder-shaped leaves and sunburst tips, towered over the rest, which grew in many shapes and sizes. Dense black shrubs, more thorns and tangled stems than foliage, lined the perimeter. The first time Rena saw it, she thought the six-foot high wall of vegetation was dead.

  Most people, especially Dusties, avoided the forest, and it had little to do with the fact it grew on the Aggie side of the city or its lack of visual aesthetic. The forest made sounds. The trees creaked as if burdened with too much ice, even in the middle of summer. Though no large wild animals lived within the city boundary, skittering noises were common in the forest.

  Those who dared to venture into Ugly disappeared, lost in the wilderness maze, or so claimed the stories passed from one generation to the ne
xt. Rena never feared getting lost because the ‘sound’ of the ground created a virtual landscape in her mind’s eye.

  Ugly not only repelled people, it provided a safe haven for her to let out tension in small doses. There, she discovered a place where she could truly vent without fear of ‘relocation’.

  “How’d you find a way out to Westrock?” Nevan asked in a low voice.

  “Necessity,” she said in a deadpan tone. “I needed a break from fines.”

  Nevan chuckled. “You get busted a lot?”

  She studied the peeling beige paint on the last house of the neighborhood as they walked by. “This year alone, I added over 247,000 units in debt to my future wages.”

  “Dang, Lil’ Mama.”

  “I know.” She hid her burning cheeks behind her hands. “They don’t patrol in Ugly Forest.”

  When her powers evolved to earth shattering heights, she was forced to find a safe place to ‘vent’. The forest was the farthest distance she could go within the boundary. For some reason, the land there absorbed the tension she released into the ground and made the tree branches shake, as if with laughter.

  “I used to spend a lot of time exploring Ugly.” She tilted her head toward him and added in a whisper, “until I discovered a tree that curves over the boundary.”

  “You know those trees are considered defective, right? They don’t fit the Overlord’s ideal of perfection. Most of them were rescued by Aggies who didn’t have the heart to destroy them.”

  “They’re the most beautiful trees in Hollowcrest. You should see this one that has bark with bright red streaks. Or this three-foot tall one with leaves bigger than my head. My favorite has smooth black bark, branches growing every which way, and gigantic flowers that stink like rotten eggs left in the sun.”

  “And that one’s your favorite?” He hitched an eyebrow.

  She nodded. “I call it Rotting Tree.”

  “You named a tree?” Nevan glanced at her, dimple showing and something akin to pride in his eyes. “Thought I was the only one who did that.”

  “Don’t worry, there are plenty of plants here for you to name,” she said, already feeling a difference in the way the ground returned vibrations from Nevan’s footfalls. They were on Ugly land now. She sent a shockwave hello through the ground and the whoosh of rushing water filled the still air as the leaves fluttered.

  Nevan tilted his head back, his gaze roving over the trees before he sought her. “D’you see that? Those leaves rustled but there’s no wind.”

  “Happens every time I come around.” She sent another wave into the ground just to see his dimple again.

  As they drew closer, Rena slowed her pace. There was supposed to be a breach in the black shrubs. She glanced down the length, still not finding it, but chalked it up to her eyes playing tricks on her.

  “What kind of plant is this?” she asked.

  “First thought, thorn bush, but those spikes are way too long.” Nevan reached for one of the smaller ones, which was longer than his fingers.

  “Careful, they’re sharp.” She held up her arm to show him the scar near her elbow. “Ask me how I know.”

  “I don’t understand.” He rested his thumbs in his pockets, head tilted as he continued examining. “The tips look blunt.”

  She picked up a twig. “They are, until...” She tossed it at the shrub. The thorns sharpened, the spiked tips trapping the twig in place.

  “Sweet Mother,” Nevan whispered with marvel in his eyes.

  “I know, right?” She finally found the path, but didn’t remember it being so narrow. “Think you’ll be able to squeeze through here?”

  He moved closer, and worry wiped the wonder from his face. “Did you cut through these shrubs to make a walkway?”

  She shook her head. “Can’t afford those kind of consequences with my record.”

  He kneeled and shifted the dark soil between his fingers. “This dirt looks freshly tilled.”

  She shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell you.”

  When he stood, he scraped the back of his arm on the bush. He winced, but didn’t cuss, which impressed Rena since she knew the fiery bite of those thorns.

  “You okay?”

  Before he answered, the ground rumbled hard enough for Nevan to notice, and for once, Rena wasn’t the source. They both stepped away, watching in amazement as the vines near the base slithered through the dirt like a snake. The path widened as the shrub retracted its roots and changed shape.

  “Is it trying to trap us?” Rena asked. Every other time, the path into Ugly was ready and waiting. “It’s never done that before. Maybe we should find another way in.”

  He placed a foot on the path. Nothing happened. “I think it’s allowing us safe passage.”

  Not wasting time, they rushed forward. Once they reached the other side, the plant curled in on itself like a blockade. As if he couldn’t help himself, Nevan reached out and pricked his hand on the plant again. It created another opening wide enough for him to pass. When he backed away, it closed.

  “A cognizant plant?” he whispered. “Incredible.”

  If that were true, did it mean the shrub had sensed the shockwave she’d sent into the ground earlier? Was that why the path was only wide enough for her to squeeze through? She wanted to know, yet didn’t want Nevan to discover just how ‘enhanced’ she was.

  “Think that’s how it ended up here? Maybe it poked the wrong person, they got mad, and marked it for destruction?” she asked.

  “Could be. I think Blood Thorn likes us. Or it wouldn’t let us through.”

  “See, I told you there were plenty of plants in Ugly for you to name.” Before starting toward Westrock, she picked up a broken branch, but decided it wasn’t sturdy enough for a walking stick so she tossed it aside and kept walking. Nevan followed.

  The dense canopy blocked the sun, which left the woods feeling cool and humid, a welcomed relief from the rising temperature. The plants grew in shades of green and a few of them in bright, bold colors the Overlord would never allow in public gathering areas. Those trees were constantly pruned and trimmed to create a uniform look.

  In this forest, many species grew in varied shapes, sizes, and colors. Yet, the Dusties continued producing domes and dome parts, and Aggies continued working under shelter as if food-producing plants depended on it for survival.

  “Why do we have the orchard domes?” she asked. “There’s a small forest on the other side of the boundary, too, and trees obviously survive in Hollowcrest without the protection of a building.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about the trees in the city.”

  “Like what?” she asked, genuinely curious. From the start, she’d been groomed for industrial work and knew nothing about agriculture.

  He searched her face. “All of the domes belong to the Nest. They’re the only ones who get the produce from there.”

  He’d skipped around her question, but she decided to let it slide this time. “Should’ve known. Why can’t we have one of the domes? How much do you think they cost to build?”

  He shrugged. “More than anyone in Hollowcrest can afford.” He bumped her elbow. “Well, maybe not you.”

  “Not if I can’t find a way to save Blaze without turning my claim over to that Buyer.”

  He ducked under a low hanging branch. “Ain’t that the truth?”

  Ahead, Rena spotted the perfect walking stick—the right length, sturdy looking, Y-shaped at one end. Perfect. The problem: Nevan saw it too. They both dashed forward, twigs snapping underfoot, and grabbed it at the same time.

  “I saw it first,” she shouted as she yanked the stick.

  “Don’t think so, Lil’ Mama.” His rock-solid grip held the branch in place.

  “Look, Noodle, there’s lots of other branches out here. Can’t you go find another one?”

  “This one’s just my height.”

  “Well, I’m not letting go.”

  “Fine by me,” he said as he
started walking, tugging her forward.

  He was about to get himself on The List. One glance at him, and she knew he’d never make it. Still, she refused to let him win.

  A half-mile swathe of trees stretched out between them and the boundary wall. She sighed and wondered whether Blaze had the luxury of shade. Rena should’ve known her disappearance was connected to the cave. Somehow, she should’ve figured out it was Topaz sooner and not wasted time interrogating Grunge.

  It’d been two days and three nights since he’d taken her. Too long, especially considering there was no way Blaze could lead him to the cave. Rena sighed again.

  Nevan stopped. “Something you want to talk about?”

  She shook her head.

  “Worried about Blaze?”

  She nodded.

  “Chai said he hasn’t hurt her.”

  “Not yet, but there’s no way she can lead Topaz to the cave.”

  “Topaz?”

  “The Buyer.” She huffed, repositioning her grip on the walking stick. “Blaze can’t find her way out of a corner.”

  “That may be true, but if she’s as sly as you say she is, she’ll figure out a way to stall.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Sounds to me like your girl has a way with words. She may be lost as all get out in Westrock, but if she can put the right spin on things, she’ll be okay. All she has to do is tell”—he smirked—”Topaz what he wants to hear. She has to know you’re coming for her.”

  “What about food? What about water? And let’s not get into how easily Blaze sunburns. She can think about it and”—she snapped with her free hand—”sunburn.”

  “Won’t do him any good to hurt Blaze. As long as he thinks she knows where she’s going, he’ll take care of her. Gotta protect his interest.”

  They started walking again, both of them still holding on to the stick. If Rena could out last the twins where stubbornness was concerned, Nevan didn’t stand a chance.

  He gently moved a blue vine out of the way as he spoke to her. “You know back there…on the roof… I didn’t mean to be rude to you.”