When she saw him, Leda’s smile faltered. “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”
Thunk. His heart plummeted to the concrete. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“You didn’t.” No sooner had she said the words, embarrassment painted her cheeks. Flustered Leda did strange and glorious things to his insides. Like resurrecting his heart from the cold ground. “I mean, I’m not disappointed. He’ll be here soon.”
“He?” The vials in his pocket felt ten times heavier. His heart began falling again.
Leda’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. He. So, what do you want?”
“Oh, I, uh, I was hoping you were free.”
She lifted one crutch. “Just because I’m disabled, you expect me to hang around at home, waiting for you?” Her tone was hard, a battleground.
“What? No, I never thought that.”
Leda studied him for a moment, then relaxed her stance. “Sorry, I get kind of defensive at times.”
“You don’t need to be defensive with me.” That’s a lie!
The color in her cheeks spread as she laughed. There was a strange pale glow in her skin today that he hadn’t noticed before. “Do you want to come in? Grams and Uncle Arne won’t be back for a while, but Nils should be here any minute.”
“Nils?”
Leda nodded. “I hear you two are…acquainted.”
“You could say that.” Now how acquainted Nils and Leda were, he almost didn’t want to know. Fierce, unyielding jealousy simmered in his gut.
“Well, we’re going to play.” She motioned to the TV and game console to the left of the front door, all set up and ready to go. “You’re welcome to join, if you want.”
“Sure.” He made it inside, but icy dread rolled heavy in the pit of his stomach. Could he really drug her?
He wanted to touch her. Hold her hand, hold her close. Feel her heart knocking around in her chest again. Instead, he hung his jacket on a peg on the wall, dragging out each movement. They were alone in the house, alone together for the first time since he gave her the phoenix and felt her tears on his chest. Why she tied him up in knots, he couldn’t say. Everything about her drew him in—and nothing in particular. Just her.
“Are you going to stare at your coat all night?”
He blinked and mumbled an apology.
“Want to hear a joke?”
“Sure.” He held his hands behind his back so she wouldn’t see them shaking.
“A photon arrives at the airport and checks in with his airline. The guy at the counter asks if he has any luggage, and the photon says, ‘No, I’m traveling light.’”
He must have seemed confused, because she added, “Because a photon is light, but has no mass. And the photon had no luggage with him.” She burst out laughing, and Roar joined her, suddenly getting it. “I know,” she said. “It’s a stupid joke, but my dad thought it was great.”
“It is, really.”
“Don’t placate me.” She pouted, but her eyes were smiling, a thousand stars in the night sky. “My dad used to do that, too. It drove me nuts.”
He opened his mouth to ask her more about her father, but the door clicked open and Nils stepped inside. Roar had the advantage of knowing Nils was on his way, but Nils certainly seemed surprised to see Roar standing in Leda’s hallway.
“Oh, hey Roar,” Nils said. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
Leda’s expression changed as if she had flicked a switch. “He showed up, so I invited him inside to play. Don’t worry, there’s enough food for the three of us.” She indicated two huge plastic bowls and a couple of giant bags of chips. “Pizza’s in the oven, and there’s a special snack for later, too. I made cupcakes.”
Nils seemed concerned about that. “Vegan cupcakes?”
“They’re peanut butter and chocolate, with chocolate frosting. Nothing weird, I promise.”
Nils bobbed his head. “Cool. Oh, Roar, I should warn you.”
“Warn me?” Roar wanted to laugh. What could Nils possibly warn him about? The human-Woede hybrid didn’t stand a chance against him—Nils had some speed, but nowhere near the amount of the strength Aurelites possessed.
As the three of them headed toward the TV, Nils’s face transformed with a smile. “Leda plays dirty.”
Roar lifted a brow. “Is that so?”
Leda smirked, totally unrepentant. “I’m not some dopey princess who’s waiting for a white knight to ride gallantly to my rescue. I may use devious tactics, but I got this.”
Roar didn’t doubt that for a second.
“Enough talk,” said Nils, grabbing a remote. “Ready to be beaten in a few rounds of brain-eating terror?”
“You wish,” Leda said.
“Let’s get down to business, baby!”
If this is my competition, then I’ve got nothing to worry about. Roar leaned back on the couch, victory in his sights. All he had to do was get Nils out of the house while Leda’s family was still gone, slip the draught into her drink, and search the place as she slept.
Roar sat back on the couch next to Leda, the heat from her thigh just inches away making his palms moist. He grabbed a soda from the table. The speakers ground out some god-awful music that sounded like a dozen wet and unhappy cats with a band playing out of sync in the background.
Watching Leda utterly destroy Nils gave Roar a little thrill. She was in her element, which left Roar free to study her without being noticed. The tip of her nose curved down a bit, rather than up, giving her a distinct appearance. Her skin was a couple of shades darker than his, her hair so black it almost looked blue when the light hit. She didn’t look like a typical fair-haired and fair-skinned Norwegian, more Spanish-meets-Arabic. When his gaze reached her lips, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. She bit the tip of her tongue, which stuck out of one side of her mouth, and something tightened in his chest. He wasn’t here to stare at Leda, no matter how she twisted him up in impossible knots. He had a job to do. But he couldn’t help it. Looking at her was like looking at the sun: you’re not supposed to, but you do, and then you can’t look away. A compulsion.
“It’s your turn, Roar,” Nils said, undisguised amusement in his voice. “Leda creamed me.” Turning to Leda, he said, “Did I hear you say there’s pizza?”
“It’s keeping warm in the oven,” Leda said. Her cheeks glowed bright, and her eyes were pointed straight ahead at the wall.
Nils clomped from the room, sounding like a clown wearing shoes seven times too big for him. From the corner of his eye, Roar saw Leda’s thigh was less than an inch from his, with nothing between them. Just a few layers of fabric, and lots of prickly heat. Suddenly he felt too aware of her presence beside him.
He sat very still, breathing in the hot fog of air, the weight of responsibility mingling with the sense of possibility in a moment like this, where his heart and head were locked in single-minded combat with his body and anything could happen.
Something snapped. Roar didn’t know what came over him—he launched himself at Leda, capturing her mouth in the space between heartbeats. For a moment she tensed, but then she snared her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back with equal aggression, her hands digging into his hair. It felt like a battle, like they were at war with one another, and the loser was the person who stopped first.
She leaned up against him, her chest against his chest, her hips lined up with his, her lips relentless. Roar groaned into her mouth, drowning in sensations. People didn’t do this on Aurelis, not in public, anyway, and now he knew why. Kissing made him go insane. Out-of-your-mind, can’t-get-close-enough, need-to-feel-everything-all-at-once insane.
“Uh, whoa.”
Leda shoved Roar away and swiped a hand across her mouth. Twin bright spots formed on her cheeks, and he decided he really liked the way she looked when she blushed.
“Not that I mind being a third wheel,” Nils said as he sat down on the other side of Leda, a plate piled high with pizza on his lap. “But a little warning before you g
uys start sucking face would be nice, yeah?”
Leda took a deep breath, picked up the other remote, and threw it at Roar’s chest. “Your turn to lose,” she said.
Roar grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
Nils left shortly after Leda annihilated them both, twice, and he gave Roar a funny smile on his way out. Nils spent a good portion of the evening glancing at his phone—probably worried about his mom. Roar pictured Sørby driving by the Tvedt place and sending Nils updates via text. Or maybe she was parked outside Nils’s house, keeping a close eye on things.
“It’s late,” Leda said, just after Nils took off. She attached the crutch straps to her wrists and stood. “I’m going to head to bed.”
Roar nodded and got up to grab his coat. He’d lost his chance to snoop, but he didn’t mind too much. At all, actually. Weapon? What weapon? Leda filled his mind, consumed him. I kissed her! He couldn’t stop smiling, all the way to the front door.
“Sorry for attacking you,” he said sheepishly.
The bright blush crept back up her cheeks. “You did attack me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
She slapped his arm but leaned into his chest. “It wasn’t unpleasant,” she admitted, her breath warm on his throat.
He swallowed thickly. “So does this mean I can kiss you again?”
She suddenly pulled away and stared at the floor. It took everything he had not to pull her close again, but he could sense the battle inside her.
“Leda…?”
“Are you sure?”
He didn’t say anything, instead waited for her to look back up and meet his eyes. Then he said, “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
Her gaze dropped away. “Not a lot of guys can see past the crutches.”
He put his finger under her chin. “I’m not like most guys you’ve met.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Another thing they all say.” But the hint of a smile appeared at the edges of her mouth.
“Leda, I don’t know what went wrong with these other guys. But I’m guessing they didn’t see what I see. They saw crutches? I see a badass.”
Now she looked at him straight on, unable to resist a full-on smile. “A badass, huh?”
“A super badass who just kicked my ass six ways to Sunday.”
She rocked her head back and forth, as though contemplating what he’d said. “I did totally cream you and Nils.”
“Twice,” he reminded her with a grin. She didn’t move closer. And while his body still blazed hotter than flames from kissing her, that moment had passed. A shadow flitted across her face, like the weight of whatever she had on her mind made her hesitant. Something other than the crutches. He could try kissing her troubles away, but he figured that she’d appreciate a different tactic. “I know you’re sad.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Just a sense.”
Her gaze felt piercing. Which should have made him uncomfortable. With most people, even other Aurelites, they saw only what he wanted them to see. Hiding emotions was Aurelite 101, but his job required more dedication.
After a moment, she stood straighter, her piercing gaze turning softer. “You lost something, too.”
“You could say that. And I could lose a lot more if I’m not careful. To be honest, being with you is the first time in a long time I’ve been able to think about anything else.”
She slowly nodded. “Me, too.”
He ran the back of his hand across her cheek. Holy hell. Just the feel of her skin was electric. “I should head home.” He started to turn around—
“Roar?”
“Yeah?” His heart beat louder than a dark matter reactor exploding.
“Can I still have that kiss?”
He swallowed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. But now that she’d asked, kissing her was the only thing he could think about. The only thing he wanted—needed.
“Yes,” he said.
This time their mouths met slowly, softly. Why resist? Holding Leda in his arms, her breaths mixed with his, he lost all track of time. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours later when they let go and backed away.
“Good night, Roar.” She smiled as she pushed him out the door.
“Good night, Leda.” He stood on the stoop, staring up at the house, wondering what quirk of nature decided happiness should be so fleeting and ephemeral. Knowing his luck, this—whatever this turned out to be—wouldn’t last. He’d just do his best to appreciate it before everything blew up in his face.
After walking the long way home—circling the entire island—to help cool down, he opened the front door to his house and was greeted by silence. No clacking of keys from Charlie’s computer, no chatter, no sounds from the TV. The office light had been switched off and the door left open. And upstairs, the door to Charlie’s bedroom, which he hadn’t used yet, was shut. Maybe Charlie had gone to bed for once. There’s a first time for everything.
Next Roar checked Petrus’s room and found it empty. Strange. He thought Petrus would be waiting up for him, and they’d go over what he discovered at Leda’s place. And Petrus never went out in public, not with his affliction. Maybe he was giving it a try here, at night, where there were less people and most of them would be asleep by now. At least Roar didn’t have to admit how awful his attempt tonight had turned out to be. Not having to discuss his failure made it a little less difficult to swallow.
It was late and he was exhausted, so he headed to his room for bed. His lips tingled, like Leda was near. That was crazy. He was crazy. A girl he barely knew and he was so hungry for her that he still felt that electric kiss.
When he opened the door, he immediately knew something was wrong—years spent training with the Elders had taught him the placement of every item in a room, and to recognize when something had been moved. As he glanced around, he saw the bed had been knocked away from the wall, a fraction of the covers were rumpled, and a framed picture on his dresser was lying face-down.
What the hell? He pushed his bed back and righted the frame, and then he noticed the closet door was open a fraction.
Shuffling sounds came from the closet, muffled voices and a hissing noise. He moved cautiously to the door and pulled the handle. Through the dim light, he saw two figures—Leda and Charlie. Charlie held a hand over Leda’s mouth and a gun to her temple.
“Welcome home, Roar.” Charlie’s thick Croatian accent had vanished, revealing an American one. “You got here just in time.”
Chapter Eight
The floor seemed to drop from under Roar’s feet. Roar gave Charlie a long, hard stare. What had he overlooked? From day one, he had dismissed his guardian as a socially awkward genius. No one worth keeping track of, let alone wasting thoughts on. Charlie had played his role and convinced Roar and Petrus so well, they’d let their guard down. And now, Leda was in trouble.
He released a long, slow breath as he looked at Leda. She was scared, but he couldn’t see any blood or wounds. Fear he could deal with after he figured a way out of this mess. Preferably one where no one got hurt. Had he been watching and waiting for Roar to leave Leda’s place, then abducted her? White-hot fury prickled his skin at the thought of Charlie hiding somewhere outside of Leda’s house, watching him touch her, kiss her…
Roar faced his government-assigned guardian, trying to appear calm, even as a fresh surge of anger curled down his spine and settled in his gut. “Okay. Just let Leda go and we can talk.”
Charlie shook his head. “I think I’ll keep her right where she is.” He jammed the gun into her temple, making Leda squirm and whimper under his hand, tight over her mouth. “Insurance, just in case you get any ideas.”
Deliberately avoiding Leda’s panicked gaze, Roar shrugged and said, “Insurance against what?”
“Let’s cut the crap, all right? If you do as I ask, I’ll let Leda walk away with no memory of thi
s little ordeal. Well, walk might be a bit of a stretch,” Charlie said, the words mocking.
“You’re an ass,” Roar snarled.
“Maybe. I’m also the one with a loaded gun pointed at your girlfriend’s brain.”
Roar wanted to punch a fist-sized hole right through Charlie’s smug face. Though he figured he had a good chance of getting Leda away from Charlie safely, he wasn’t about to take the risk where Leda was concerned. He didn’t yet know who Charlie was. Or what. “Tell me what you want.”
Charlie strung the moment out, making Roar squirm. Finally, he said, “It’s simple. Call your friends over. Say whatever you need to say to get them to cooperate.”
“What do you want with us?”
Charlie’s lips curled. “Please. Four aliens with interstellar technology came here in an escape pod? You guys have a ship somewhere, and the people I work with want it. While we’re at it, we might as well take the rest.”
Worry lodged in Roar’s chest. “The rest?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, kid. We want it all—all the information you four have. I bet your ship has data banks holding more than your brains, but if a bunch of brains is all we get, no worries.” Charlie’s smile churned an uneasy broth in Roar’s gut. “It’s not impossible to read what’s inside your minds. It just takes what I like to call ‘creative encouragement.’”
Roar shuddered at the underlying threat.
“So,” Charlie pressed, “do we have a deal? Leda’s life for the four of you?”
No contest.
He wasn’t sure exactly what Charlie knew for certain, so he might have the element of surprise on his side. If not, he could still dodge a bullet from a human-made gun.
“Okay,” Roar agreed.
“Good. Now get your friends here.”
Keeping his voice calm was impossible. “I’m going to reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.”
Charlie pressed the muzzle harder to Leda’s head. “Slowly. No tricks or the girl gets her brains spread across the room.”
All the Stars Left Behind Page 7
