“I’m going with you,” Oliver said, determination in his voice, too. I was glad for the company, but I wasn’t sure how Jet would react to another visitor. I hoped his charity would extend to Oliver.
My faith in Jet was tenuous at best.
We worked our way through the snow, some of it starting to turn to slush with the sun in the sky. Each step had to be deliberate, otherwise either one of us would end up on the ground in a heap.
It took a lot longer than usual to get to the tunnel entrance. This time, I didn’t sneak around. Oliver and I walked right into the middle of the mole peoples’ territory and waited. Every second that passed only helped to make me angrier.
“Come on! I’m waiting out here. Come and get me!” I yelled out. I knew they were watching. I could feel every single one of their eyes on me from the shadows.
“Maybe they’re not-” Oliver’s words were cut off as they arrived.
They had sent a dozen people for us. Whatever system they had for monitoring their entrance was a good one. I wondered when they had first spotted us. Down the street? Down the block? There was no way to tell.
And, of course, Perry was the first one to step forward in front of me. “Are you seriously stupid enough to come back here? Do you have a death wish or something?”
I ignored her taunting, refusing to take the bait. “I want to see Jet. Take me to him.”
She laughed, more to herself than anyone else. “You’re making demands now?” She stepped closer, putting her face directly in front of mine. “Who do you think you are?”
I pressed my arms against my side so she didn’t see them shaking. If there was something Perry loathed, it was a lack of strength. I couldn’t show any less in front of her. “I need to see Jet. Please take me to him.”
She eyed every inch of me, never once breaking her gaze. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but I hoped she didn’t find it. I didn’t want to give Perry any reason to attack me again.
One of the other guys stepped closer. He was tall, even taller than Oliver. He had to be one of the older ones, eighteen if I had to guess. “She’s trespassing. Let me deal with her.”
Perry stood back, addressing him. “I’d like to see you deal with her.”
The man took another step closer, his hands already flexing and getting ready to do some serious harm to me. I stood as still as a statue, sure I had made a mistake in returning here. I shouldn’t have pushed my luck, it was stupid of me. And I had put Oliver in the firing line, making my mistake even worse.
The guy raised his fist, ready to strike. I clenched my jaw, waiting for the impact and pain to shoot through me. I’d survived their beating once before, maybe I could do it again.
Oliver moved to get between us just as the guy was about to swing.
He didn’t get a chance.
Perry’s arm shot out to stop him. Her hand landed on his wrist, holding him there. “Wait, you can’t. She’s Jet’s property. We can’t harm her.”
Her resigned voice was full of regret. She didn’t like stopping him. She didn’t want me to come to no harm. But she had orders. Jet’s orders.
She’s Jet’s property.
I had never been happier belonging to someone. The indignation would sting later on when I thought about it. For now, I was just happy not wearing the guy’s fist as an accessory.
“Come on, just let me play with her,” the guy whined, smirking. His eyes were alight with bloodlust. “Jet won’t mind.”
Perry let go of his arm and all my muscles tensed with the anticipation. But she stood in front of me instead of letting him go. “I said she is Jet’s. Now go get him so we can get back to what we’re supposed to be doing. This is a waste of time and she’s not worth it.”
She didn’t get any more of an argument. The guy clenched his fists, relaxed his shoulders, and stormed off. A slightly built woman trailed after him.
The group collectively relaxed, no longer paying Oliver and me as much attention. Unlike Perry who was glaring at me. The silence was painful and awkward. I wasn’t sure if I should start a conversation with her or if she was best left alone. I wasn’t here to make friends, and I was pretty sure Perry hated me, so I just remained quiet while I waited.
Aurelia was nowhere in amongst the crowd. If she had come up, she was hiding. I got the feeling she did that a lot. I would too if Perry was my sister.
The tension radiating from Perry was palpable. If I put my hand anywhere near her, I was certain she would zap me with electricity. She didn’t like something being out of her control. If Jet was the only one she’d listen to, she would hate the fact I was considered his property. I didn’t need to get inside her head to know that.
At the back of the grounds, I saw some spirits. They were curious about what was going on. The moment I noticed them, I averted my eyes.
But it was too late.
They rushed at me, chattering amongst themselves. I worked on my walls, desperately trying to tune them out. I needed to concentrate on the mole people, I couldn’t afford to have such a formidable distraction.
I didn’t hear Jet come up. I didn’t even notice him until he stood right in front of me, blocking out the spirits who were trying so hard to be heard.
“What do you want, princess?” Jet asked tersely. He didn’t appreciate the interruption to his morning. “Spit it out, I don’t have all day.”
“I need to talk to you,” I said as confidently as I could. Inside, I was crumbling. I could barely see the others for all the spirits crowding around us.
There were too many.
They were going to swallow me up.
“Fine. But alone. I’m not talking to you out here.”
The last thing I wanted to do was leave Oliver behind. I needed him here, I needed him to help me escape if I had to find my own way out.
If only I could think clearly. The spirits were so loud, shattering my eardrums with their constant pleas.
“Come on, princess,” Jet said. “What’s it going to be?”
He looked around pointedly as I stood frozen in place. There were so many faces around me, staring at me, torturing me. The quiet of the underground would be a beautiful relief. Like an oasis in the desert.
But I couldn’t leave Oliver. “I can’t go alone.”
“Well I’m not talking otherwise.” Jet started walking toward the tunnel entrance – not the secret one but the exposed entrance down the steps.
I quickly turned to Oliver. He gave me a rueful shrug. “I’ll wait here for you. I’ll come down if you are too long.”
“Thank you,” I managed to get out before hurrying after Jet. It wasn’t a perfect situation, but even knowing Oliver was there was enough to give me the strength I needed.
Jet kept up the fast pace relentlessly, not caring if I was keeping up or not. It quickly grew too dark to see anything in the tunnel. Still, he walked with purpose, annoyed I had demanded to speak with him.
The spirits didn’t follow me down and I was beginning to think they might not be able to. The relief felt wonderful, the quiet was the blessing I needed.
It was so dark and we were walking so fast that I didn’t get a chance to see the heavy rock in my path. I tripped, going down without being able to get a good grip on anything to stop myself.
All the air was knocked from my lungs with an “oomph” escaping my lips. My ankle instantly started throbbing with pain at being caught on the rock.
Jet let out a sigh as he reached down and felt around until his hand found mine. “You really aren’t very careful. Are you, princess?”
“How can you see anything down here?” I grumbled. I really wished he would stop calling me princess.
I was no princess.
“You get used to it.” He helped me to my feet, his arms lingering around my waist to make sure I was going to stay up. “Are you going to be okay or do you need me to carry you?”
I pushed him away. “I can do it myself.”
I couldn’t se
e him, but I could imagine the shrug of his shoulders as he started walking again.
He kept a slower pace.
My ankle got better the longer we walked. I caught glimpses of Jet during the short moments the sun shone through vents from high above. Each time his eyes were fixed forward, his posture confident as he walked. He certainly wasn’t as afraid of me as I was of him.
I guess he didn’t need to be.
Jet didn’t take me back to the room he had held me in previously. Something I was acutely grateful for. Instead, he walked for longer until we entered an open space. It was an artificial room, manmade by concrete, with a high roof and many doors leading off it. He chose the one on the right and waited for me to go first before he followed.
This tunnel was lit with emergency lighting as we walked through. It was dry with a paved floor and concrete walls. It even had a handrail lining the edges. This was luxury compared to the rest of the underground I had seen.
Jet stopped at a door and opened it. He stepped inside, flipping a switch before inviting me in. He closed the door again behind me, sealing us in.
The room contained a bed, a set of drawers, and a chair. A woven blue rug covered the floor. “What is this place?” I asked.
“Welcome to Casa Jet,” he replied, sweeping the room with his arm like he was presenting something huge.
So this was where Jet lived.
Huh.
It felt incredibly weird being in his private area. It wasn’t like we were close or even really knew each other. Yet this was his bed, the place where he stayed and the place where he chose who could enter.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He sat on the bed and gestured for me to sit on the chair. I did, purely because it felt odd standing over him. “You said you wanted to talk. So talk, princess.”
His bed was unmade.
It momentarily distracted me. Why didn’t he make his bed? Maybe he was asleep when I demanded to see him? Maybe he just didn’t bother to keep his place tidy?
“Princess.” His harsh voice snapped me out of it.
“I want to talk with the adults,” I said.
“I thought you wanted to talk with me.” The amusement was back in his eyes. He wasn’t taking me seriously, he was probably trying to work out how best to deceive me again.
“Only so you’d take me to the adults.”
“What do you want to say to them?” he asked, his head lilting to the side as he studied me.
A retort about it being none of his business was left unsaid. It wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “I want to speak with them about going above ground.”
Jet leaned back, letting out his breath. His arms crossed behind his head, creating a cushion against the concrete wall. “We’ve already discussed this. They have no interest in going up.”
“Then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about by taking me to them.”
“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“I wish that were the case.”
“I don’t want you talking to them,” Jet replied sternly, much harsher than he had previously been talking. “They’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“How about you let them decide?” I challenged. I couldn’t see what the big deal was. If they didn’t want to go up, then there was nothing I could do about it. But I needed to hear it with my own ears and have the chance to try to convince them otherwise.
He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at me. It was much warmer in the small room than it had been upstairs. The warmth, combined with his forceful gaze, was starting to make the room stuffy. I hoped we wouldn’t be spending much more time here. I hoped he would finally relent soon.
I raised my eyebrows in the silence, trying to elicit a response. We couldn’t sit here all day. Children were dying in the snow above.
Finally, he leaned forward, his hands returning to his lap. “I’ll do you a deal. I’ll take you to the adults, but I want something in return.”
“What?” My stomach clenched with dread at what he could ask for. Jet was unpredictable, it was the only thing I could really count on.
“I’ll take you there if you tell me how you escaped from the warehouse.”
I thought he was joking but the grim set to his mouth told me he wasn’t. “That’s all you want?”
“It is. Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand for me to shake. I couldn’t see the string that was surely attached to the agreement but I knew it was there somewhere.
I shook his hand.
The deal was done.
It was his turn to raise his eyebrows as he waited for me. “I want to speak with the adults first.”
“Not going to happen.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your end of the deal?”
He let out a laugh. “We shook on it. I don’t go back on my word. And you have my word.”
There was nothing about Jet that I trusted.
Not one thing.
Especially not his word.
But I didn’t really have a choice. If he didn’t take me down there, I would run away from him. I would take my chances in the tunnels and find the adults myself.
I would do it.
“Someone left the rags loose,” I started. “One of your lackeys didn’t do his job well enough. I managed to get out of them and then I ran like hell.”
“Loose bindings? I don’t believe you.”
“Well, it’s the truth anyway.” I wasn’t going to mention Oliver’s part in it all. “It wasn’t easy if that makes you feel any better.”
Jet’s black eyes studied every part of my face. I refused to look away and his features eventually relaxed. A smile spread over his lips. “Who would have thought something so inane could have led to your freedom? And here I thought you were a master escape artist. A contortionist, even.”
I didn’t share in his laughter.
“Where is your group now, anyway?” I asked. I hadn’t seen any of them in amongst the mole people. I knew that for a fact – their faces were seared into my memory.
“I’m looking after them, don’t you worry.”
“Are they living down here?”
“No. They have no place down here,” Jet replied seriously. I wasn’t sure what that meant but I believed him anyway.
We were wasting time. “Now can you please take me to the adults?”
Jet pushed himself off the bed. “Okay, princess. I’ll take you to the land of Oz.”
Chapter Fourteen
Seeing the adults up close was like getting too near the animals at the zoo. I was in awe of their existence. Adults should not exist in our world anymore. Not since the Event.
To have them here, so close I could touch them, feel their warmth, and hear their voices.
It was a miracle.
A living, breathing, miracle.
Jet stood by the cavern wall, refusing to join me in my mission. He had stayed good on our deal but he wasn’t happy about it. The grim set to his jaw and his crossed arms screamed his displeasure at the situation.
I didn’t know what his problem was.
And I didn’t really care.
I sat around the small fire they had burning. There were two that had joined me. A male and female, both looked to be in their forties. Jet had introduced them as Francine and Adrian.
Considering Jet probably wouldn’t allow me much time with them, I wanted to dive right in and ask the questions burning in my mouth. But it wasn’t polite and everyone knew you didn’t catch bees with vinegar.
“It’s lovely and warm down here, huh?” I started. They didn’t say anything. “I was surprised to see you when Jet first showed me down here.”
Francine’s eyes shot to mine. “The winged bird doesn’t know what direction to fly. There are no rainbows, only clouds.”
Okay.
“So, I was wondering if you’d thought about going above ground? You know, to see all the kids?” I prompted. They were both staring into the fire li
ke they could see all the answers dancing in the flames.
“The pixies wouldn’t agree to that,” Adrian started, not looking at me. “Our hands toil with their work. But it is not light, nor are they. Darkness surrounds them.”
“That’s… whatever,” I said. “The kids could really use your help. We’re all struggling up in the city. We need guidance, some help. Do you think you’d be able to help?”
“Sentinels wait at night,” Francine replied. Whatever she said must have been funny because both she and Adrian erupted into laughter. They cackled together, almost falling off the rocks with their uncontrollable movements.
I tried talking to them for ages until Jet finally strode over to stand at my side. Frustrated wasn’t even the word for it. It went beyond frustration trying to get the pair to make sense.
I stood, facing Jet with anger I could barely control myself. “You set me up. Where are the others? They can’t all be like this.”
Jet grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the couple, dragging me into a tunnel just outside the cavern. Lights from the fire flickered on the walls.
“I told you there was no point in talking to them,” Jet said. At least he had the decency to not look as amused as he usually did with my actions.
I crossed my arms over my chest, having to yank my hand free from his grip first. “I want to speak with the others. There were more here the other day. Take me to them.”
“They’re all the same.”
“You’re lying.”
Jet took a breath, relaxing his shoulders before speaking to me again. “I guarantee you, princess, they are all the same. All. The. Same.”
I silently challenged him, staring into Jet’s eyes and wishing I had a direct line into his brain. I wanted the truth but there was no way to know whether he was giving it to me.
Others had deceived me before.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Jet said, still not breaking eye contact.
“Like how? Like you’re a liar?”
“No, like you want to kill me. I’m not the enemy here, Everly. When are you going to realize that?” His gaze went to the floor, breaking our standoff. “I’m not taking you to the others. You won’t get any sense out of them either.”
Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 288
