I looked down at my hands. Why was he lying? To hide that he'd saved me? He might think I'll ask him for details. "Umm, hmm. Well, thanks...uh, for bringing me home. What's your name?"
HIs eyes widened slightly. "Charles Crawford."
"Thanks, Charles. I guess you can leave now." I moved a tiny bit on the bed, trying to scoot over to the edge, but it hurt so much it made my eyes water.
"We're going to stay to make sure you're okay. My friend, Jay, went to buy some food. Your fridge is empty."
I looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, I didn't have time to go shopping."
"You had three slices of bread, a container of oatmeal, a carrot, an egg and half a bottle of soda."
"I'm on a diet."
"It wasn't diet soda."
"It was a gift."
"Someone went all out, huh?"
I pouted, sick of the third degree. "My friend is broke."
He smiled and shook his head, scanning my way-too-skinny body as if his cheetah was thinking of a way to fatten me up before preparing me for dinner. "We're cooking. As soon as you've eaten and you're feeling better, we'll leave."
"That's real nice, but I'm okay."
"Yeah? Why don't you try standing up?" His amused look was pissing me off.
I sat up fast, ready to spit in his face. "I told you—ow. Oh shit, I think I'm gonna throw up." And I wasn't kidding.
"You'll be fine in an hour or so." He grabbed my hand, and before I could pull it away, the pain and nausea disappeared and so did the world.
CHARLIE
CHAPTER TWELVE
She was sleeping again and all I wanted to do was sit here and watch her do it. She was beautiful, even in her rain-drenched, post-kidnapped condition. Her hair was a dark chocolate brown and her large expressive eyes were hazel with some light green flecks that sparkled under the light. Her skin was darker than mine, unbelievably soft. The name on her license, Ivy Lake, had thrown me, because I was guessing she had some Native American or maybe Hispanic blood in her background.
Wherever her ancestors had come from, man did it ever work.
While we'd been talking, she'd gotten annoyed and scrunched her lips into a kind of crooked pouty frown. I wondered what she'd look like when she laughed.
I'd snuck her a little healing energy, completely ignoring the last promise I'd made to myself to avoid using magic unless absolutely necessary. Well, at least healing energy wasn't traceable magic, and I couldn't watch her suffer. She seemed to have a mild concussion, so I’d decided I wasn't going anywhere until she was well enough to get up and walk around without having any symptoms.
Twenty minutes later I heard the front door open. "Hey, it's just me." Jay had been a good sport about taking Samson with him and picking up some groceries. We figured this was a good opportunity for us to eat a home-cooked meal. I was pretty hungry and Jay, well, he was always hungry.
I joined him in the kitchen as he unloaded the bags. He'd gotten steaks, potatoes, asparagus and fresh bread, along with some other basics for the house like soup, eggs, milk, cereal, fruit and salad ingredients. Jay was an awesome cook and I'd learned pretty fast that if I followed his orders we’d end up with a great meal.
He pulled out a colander and handed me the potatoes and asparagus to wash. Then he tossed me a can of soda. "How's the hot patient?"
"You think she's hot?" Maybe he was interested in her.
"She's too skinny, but other than that she's totally hot."
"I think she’s beautiful."
He laughed, digging around in the cabinets for some spices to add to the steak. "Beautiful, huh? You can't go falling for the first unconscious human girl you rescue. You need to build up some experience as a hero so you're ready when the right one needs saving."
“I don’t plan on saving too many,” I mumbled.
"Dream on. Did she wake up?"
"Yeah."
"And?"
"Her head hurt so I gave her some healing energy and she conked out again."
He grinned as he seasoned the steaks. "Sounds like the perfect start to a really meaningful relationship.” He looked under the sink. “I wonder if she has charcoal. I saw a grill out back.”
"Who are you two bozos?”
Neither of us had heard her come down the stairs, which was practically impossible with our bloodlines. She was sitting on the second from the bottom step wearing a dark red robe and grey sweatpants, elbows on knees, her chin resting on one fist. Her hair was in a towel, so she must have taken a quick shower.
Not missing a beat, Jay said, "Bozo One needs to know where you keep the charcoal, 'cause I want to use your grill."
"In the cabinet by the back door."
I abandoned my asparagus and walked closer. "Even if you think you’re feeling better, you should still be resting.”
She pouted again. It was perfect. "I’m fine. Thanks for whatever you did. My head feels great."
"I didn't do anything." She looked skeptical. "But you should've slept longer. You really need to rest." Oh god, I was starting to repeat myself, a sure sign that I was heading into deep dork territory.
"If you have a concussion you're not supposed to sleep."
"Two hours at a time is okay, but you only slept for a few…"
"Yeah, I get it. I'll sleep later. After you guys leave." She stood and walked into the kitchen.
She seemed steady on her feet. "We're making dinner..."
"After dinner." She narrowed her eyes as she looked around at the mess. "And after you clean up the kitchen."
"Um, sure. We'll clean up."
"And then leave." She’d lowered her body into a kitchen chair and crossed her legs.
“Would you like some tea or coffee?”
“I only have instant coffee. It’s crap. And I only drink tea when I have a cold.”
“Jay bought real live ground coffee.”
“No coffee pot.”
“He bought that too. He’s kind of a coffee nut.”
She smiled ear to ear. “I would kill for a mug of real live coffee.”
“I can do that.” I rinsed out the new pot, adding in the maximum number of scoops of coffee and water and pushed the button. Simple.
“Thanks.”
“You haven’t tasted it yet.”
“It’ll be better than that.” She pointed to the jar of instant store brand coffee.
“Definitely better.” When the coffee was finished I poured three mugs. My mug said. “Mornings Suck.” We enjoyed a few sips. I asked, “Those guys who took you might know where you live. Maybe we should stick around."
"I can handle the wol… I can handle them."
My hand froze in mid air, the mug throwing off steam. She knew the males who took her were wolves, which meant she was either not completely human, or she was in on the kidnapping. "I saw how well you took care of them."
"They surprised me. That won't happen again." Her fist was clenched, her brow wrinkled.
"'Cause you'll never fall asleep, right Ivy?"
"Look, why do you care, anyway?" She twisted her body away from mine, holding her mug with both hands as if it were some kind of shield and not just coffee.
Instead of answering, I asked, "Why were they after you?"
"Beats me.” Her human-looking aura wavered again.
“Was this some kind of set up?”
“You think I wanted to get hurt? You’re nuts.” That was the truth. We stared at each other, frustrated with all the non-answers on both sides.
The screen door opened and swung closed again. Jay could feel the tension between Ivy and me. "Bozo Two! You've neglected your duties. Do you want dinner or not? I'm out there slaving over a hot grill and you're in here flirting with the..."
I threw a potato at him, but he caught it easily, wrapping it in foil. Ivy giggled in Jay’s direction and he smiled back. Now who was flirting?
She was pretty and clever, but she was lying. I needed a lot more info about this girl, and I wasn’t leaving un
til I got it.
IVY
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The steak was so good. I usually ate salad or sandwiches or frozen dinners, when I had the money to buy food, so this was a-freakin’-mazing. The guys were shoveling food down their throats like they hadn’t eaten in a while either, but you’d never know that by looking at them.
They were tall and strong in an athletic kind of way. Jay was the talkative one, always cracking jokes and drawing my attention, usually so Charlie could give me suspicious looks when he didn’t think I was looking. Jay was very good looking, with thick light brown hair, light blue eyes and a mischievous grin. He was cuter than his friend, and a whole lot easier to talk to, but it was obvious that Charlie was the leader of the duo—the one with the magic. The target.
I’d kept a close eye on both of them, making sure they didn’t have a chance to talk privately. Charlie was smart. I could see the wheels turning as he watched me. He knew there was something off, and I had the feeling he was going to keep digging. Too bad for him my aura was perfect. He’ll never guess and I’ll never tell.
Even with the tension between Charlie and me, Jay and Charlie still kidded around with each other like brothers. I was so jealous. I'd grown up without my siblings in a world about as far from normal as you could get.
"So what’s your last name, Jay?” I asked.
“Daro.” He hadn’t caught Charlie’s warning expression. Too bad.
“You play football?” He was linebacker material. I wanted to fan myself. Yum.
“Martial arts.” He made some kind of stupid hand motion and I grunted in derision. "Did you just scoff at me?" he asked. He leaned back in his chair, placing his hand over his heart. He had a flair for the dramatic. “I’m crushed.”
"C'mon! You don't look anything like a martial artist. You’re huge. Those guys are wiry.”
"Divest yourself of all stereotypes, grasshopper, and you will be set free."
"You're a bear. Bears are wrestlers or weightlifters or football players, but not martial artists." Seeing their shocked expressions, I realized my mistake too late.
This time he spoke. "What do you mean he's a bear?"
"Look at him. He's as big as a grizzly." Good save. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back. A human wouldn’t be able to tell if someone was a shifter.
“Really? A grizzly?” Oh shit. What if Jay was a grizzly? I could tell bear, but not what type. "And what do I look like?" Charlie asked, probably expecting me to say cheetah. Like I was that dumb.
"An L.A. Laker?"
Jay immediately cracked up. "He sucks at hoops. I always beat him."
"Not the athletic type, huh?" I teased.
The target gave me a look that curled my toes. This guy was scary. "I run and swim and I'm pretty good at soccer." He left out the part about killing people with his magic. He probably did that for sport too.
“Swimming?” He nodded. He had that Olympic swimmer look. The fact that he liked to swim might solve all my problems. It should be easy to get him in the water.
Step three: Do whatever is necessary to keep him interested. Step four: Reel him in. Hmmm. What to do? Pitiful might work.
"Thanks for getting the food and making dinner. I don't have the funds to pay you back right now, but if you leave me your address, I'll mail it to you when I get a job. After you clean up the kitchen like you promised, you can lock the door behind you. I'm feeling kind of tired, and my head is hurting, so I'll just say goodnight. Good luck with whatever you're here in L.A. for." I stood up and wobbled just a bit on purpose.
"We're not leaving yet. You're still not safe from those guys." Jay said, standing and looking concerned.
With a signal from Charlie, Jay started clearing away the plates while Charlie walked around the table to stand next to me. Man, my neck could get strained from the way I had to bend it to look at his face. I rubbed it as I answered, "I'm fine." Then I wobbled again and clutched at the chair.
"No you're not." Charlie stooped down and picked me up like one of those action hero guys. That's probably what he thought he was—the Hero of the Three Realms. Release date: Armageddon. I could so picture him leading the fae into battle, and it wasn’t ‘cause of his size or his strength. It was his focus. When he used magic, he probably never messed up.
He carrying me upstairs and laid me on the bed. "Can I get you anything? A glass of water?"
"Can you hand me my book and my glasses? They're on the desk."
He walked across to the desk and back, his body moving with a grace I’d never possess in a million years.
"You move like a cat." As soon as I'd said it I wanted to smack myself in the head. And yep, there it was, that furrow between his eyes. Suspicion. When he handed me the book, I put on my glasses and started to read, hoping he would just go downstairs and help his friend.
When he didn’t move I turned my back on him.
CHARLIE
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Her aura was a mess, like it'd been put through a magical blender. It was pure human when I’d first picked her up, but now it was muddy, a sign of distress or dishonesty. Or maybe the weakening of whatever spell she was using. Her shields were super strong, almost as if they'd been magically altered. In fact, that was the problem in a nutshell. If she was someone sent to spy on me, then I needed to know right away where she came from and who she worked for. My ability to know who and what I was dealing with had protected Jay, Samson and me this far, I wasn’t going to drop the ball now.
I crouched by her bed and watched her pretend to read. Might as well get right to the point. "What are you?"
She jumped down my throat. 'What the fuck does that mean? I'm human."
The corner of my mouth twitched so I bit on my lip to keep the laughter in. "Isn't everyone?" She realized her mistake and glared even harder. “That was a strange answer for someone who lives in an entirely human world." She turned away and pretended to get really engrossed in her book. “Unless we don’t live in an entirely human world.”
I used two fingers to lift the book away from her and lay it on her bedside table. "What were you doing on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop?"
She huffed and reached for the book. I stopped her. "I was supposed to start my first day of work today. I was waiting for my new boss to pick me up."
"Uh huh." There was no flux that time, her muddy aura not making it easy to tell if she was telling me the truth or not.
"Believe whatever you want, asshole. Just get out of my house. Tonight."
"You’ve been lying to us, so we're going to stick around until you decide to come clean. We won’t hurt you, but we can’t leave until we know."
"I'll call the cops."
"I don't believe you will."
"Fuck off."
"Is Ivy Lake your real name?"
"Is Charlie Crawford yours?"
I sat on the bed and looked into her angry hazel eyes. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Serious trouble? Magical trouble?" She opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again. This girl was frustrating as hell. "We can't protect you if you lie to us."
"I don't need your protection. I just want you to leave." She stood up and stomped into the bathroom, attempting to slam the door behind her. I placed my body in the doorway, preventing her from locking me out. "I have to pee. Would you please back away and give me some privacy?"
She was lying. Still I had to draw the line somewhere. "Five minutes. We have more to discuss."
"Fine." I heard the lock click on the inside of the door.
"I've decided to take a shower." She shouted. The shower started a few seconds later, but there was no other noise in the room. I went to the top of the stairs and gave instructions to Jay, then made my way back to her bedroom, sprawling in the armchair in the corner. A minute later, Jay was back with a very angry Ivy Lake in his arms, both of them dripping rainwater on the floor.
"You're recovering from a concussion. That really wasn't a smart move. What if you’
d fallen?" She’d climbed out onto the branch of a large oak tree. “Branches get slippery in the rain.”
All I got in response was an angry grunt. Ivy was shivering, soaked to the skin. She needed another hot shower to warm up her body. Jay got the bathroom door open without breaking the lock, another one of his many talents, and I suggested that she pick out some dry clothes for herself and actually get in the shower this time. I wouldn't be getting any information out of her if she got sick. She did what I'd suggested without comment, closing the door and from what I could hear, stepping into the shower.
I was pretty sure she was in some kind of trouble. Somehow, I had to get her to open up to me.
IVY
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I dunked my head under the hot water, my breath coming in quick bursts as adrenalin rushed through my system. The heat soothed my tight muscles, still chilled from my fake escape attempt. The target, Charlie, knew I wasn't being honest. He knew I wasn’t human.
So far so good.
My early success had me tingling with excitement, even though things were moving faster than I’d imagined. My escape attempt had been last minute brilliance on my part. Now the target was dying to know more, yet he wasn’t able to get past my shields to find out what kind of supe I really was. Not that he’d ever met my species before. Like all fae, he must think the last of our race died out centuries ago.
Charlie probably wasn't used to being denied access to someone’s mind and it was freaking him out, putting him on edge. There were probably plenty of creatures hunting him, supes who wanted him dead or imprisoned for ransom, or worse. From the way he wanted the information, I got the feeling he might have run into a couple already.
I dried off, forcing my heartbeat back to normal. I’d play these next few days perfectly, otherwise he'd leave without my being able to finish the job. If that happened I’d have to return home and I might not survive the week.
Breaking Out Page 8
