by Angel Lawson
All of this is information she’ll have to unpack later. Right now, she’s here to figure out someone else.
She sits behind the desk, sinking into the soft leather chair, and picks up the remote, using it like he showed her. The screen turns on and Casper is visible, standing over his worktable. She presses the microphone and says, “Good afternoon, Casper.”
He looks up at the camera in the corner of the room and touches something on his neck. The voice modulator, she assumes, because when he speaks it’s the tinny, false sound she’s accustomed to. “Astrid?”
“That’s me, friend. How are you doing?”
He frowns and drops his project. The anger she expected has been replaced with confusion. “Are you in Draco’s house? That’s his camera.”
“I am.”
“Did you kill him?”
She’s not sure if he’s kidding. “Of course I didn’t kill him. He let me in.” She holds up the brass key. “Gave me full access.”
“Wooed him with your magic pussy, didn’t you?”
“Gross and no.”
“Fuck, then you’re staging a takeover? I don’t know if that’s going to work. Draco is pretty tough. Where are the others?”
“They know I’m here and no, I’m not staging a takeover, Jesus, what do you think? I’m some kind of sex-charming witch? I came to see you. I want to work this out.”
He sits in front of his monitor and flips the screen. It’s no longer an overview of the room but of his face. His real face, and something about seeing it makes her heart clench. “Look, I’m sorry about the other day. I’ve been on kind of a manic bender—you know—working and shit. I didn’t expect you to show up with Draco like that. It’s weird having someone else know where I am.”
“You know you can trust me.”
“I know.” He sighs and rubs his eyes.
“Looks like you haven’t slept in days.”
“I haven’t,” he agrees. “But I made you some cool tech. I’ll send it over ASAP.”
“How about I come down and get it.” He freezes. “Or maybe we could meet in the middle, somewhere around that crazy carousel Demetria installed in the back yard.”
“That’s a negative, Echo. No can do.”
“Why not? We’re friends and friends hang out together. We share what’s going on in life and help each other when there’s a problem.”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Of course not!” she says, realizing it was the wrong thing to say. “I just mean—fuck, dude, you know what I mean. You know me. I am not going to judge you because of some little disability.”
“What did you say?” His voice is cold as ice.
“Huh? Just that I want to see you, I don’t care if you think it’s weird.”
His eyes cloud with anger. “No, about the disability. What are you talking about?”
They stare at one another while the realization sets in. Astrid knows his secret, about his stutter, and she watches as his reality falls apart.
“Casper, it’s not a big deal, no one cares. No one is judging—"
“Shut up, Astrid.”
“What? What are you so mad about?”
“How did he find out?” He gives her no chance to respond. “Digging around in my background? Looking up doctor reports. I took all that shit off the web. I’m untraceable.”
Yet they both know he’s not and that seems to rock him more than anything else.
“It’s one thing for him to know but fuck. Fuck, Astrid, I’ve kept all his secrets—I kept HIM from you until he was ready to make himself known. I’ve worked tirelessly for all of you and this is the shit I get in return.”
His jaw ticks and it’s odd to see the face of the man she’s come to know so well. His temper isn’t a surprise, but the way it changes his face is. The curve of his cheekbones is harsh, as is the point of his chin. His eyes narrow and Astrid can only guess about the string of curses under his breath.
“Look, this is all a big clusterfuck and I desperately want to fix it. Let’s just meet and deal with it. I know you’re anxious but that’s the fear taking over—trust me, I know fear and anxiety better than anyone. You can’t let it get to you.”
He stares at the monitor. She knows he can see her sitting behind Draco’s desk. His eyes flash with a glimmer and she’s hopeful he’ll take the chance, for her and the bond they’ve created, but the spark of anger returns and he says, “Fuck you, Astrid. Fuck you and your nosy, getting all up in my business self. You can’t just be happy with Owen and Quinn. No, you had to mix it up with Draco and then track me down.” His voice raises, pushing at the modulator. “You kept talking about Demetria and her Lost Boys and how crazy she is. You know, now that I think about it, I think you’re the one big on collecting the rejects from Project 12.”
“That is not what I’m doing!”
“No? I’m not an idiot and I’m not going to be one of your little toys. Stay the fuck away from me.”
The screen cuts, turning black. His words sting like a slap to the face.
Stunned and hurting, she sits in the chair staring up at the blank screen. She’s blinking back tears when she hears footsteps in the hallway and the familiar scent of the man that lives in the house.
“Hey,” he says, coming around the desk. One look at her and the smile on his mouth vanishes. “What happened?”
Astrid wipes her eyes. “I pushed too hard or something.”
The tears fall. She hasn’t been yelled at like that in a long time. Draco pulls her out of the chair and wraps his arms around her. She breaks into deeper sobs, feeling ridiculous, but what Casper said hurt.
“I told you he was scared,” Draco says in her ear. His arms feel safe and warm. Of course, his hugs are perfect, too.
“Of what?”
“Life. The world. You.”
“Why would he be scared of me?”
He laughs and steps back. “He idolizes you, you know that, right? Everything he does goes back to his feelings for you and the promises he made to Atticus.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know he’s been watching you for years—and I don’t mean that in a creepy way. You’ve been a window to the world for him, a gorgeous, strong, smart, and capable woman. He’s never been around a woman like you before and that has to be intimidating. I know it is for me.”
She uses her sleeve to wipe away the tears. “Shut up. First of all, Casper’s never been around any women so it can’t just be that. And I call bullshit on you thinking I’m intimidating.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she says, feeling instantly vulnerable. “I’m not strong and I’m questioningly capable. I eat sugar all day and I can’t keep my room clean. I’ve got a task force on my ass and let Demetria tear up the city. Even the people in the Swamp don’t want my help anymore. Casper just dropped the f-bomb about ten times and accused me of collecting Lost Boys and maybe he’s right? Maybe that is what I’m doing?” She inhales. “In short, I’m a hot mess.”
He sets his gray eyes on her and looks her up and down. The action makes her skin itch even without him touching her. He shakes his head. “Nope. I’m calling bullshit back. The city needs you. Casper needs you and most of all, all of us Lost Boys need you.”
“Uh, did Mr. Perfect just swear?”
He blanches. “I curse. Sometimes.”
She rolls her eyes but she also didn’t miss what he said. “So, you think I’m collecting men too?”
“I think we have a bond created many years ago that no one else can understand or break.” He leans against the desk. “I thought Demetria was enough, but meeting you and the others solidified that there’s more to us together than apart.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying Casper will come around because he has to—it’s part of who we are.”
“And you?”
“I’m coming around, too.”
She’s the one that looks him ove
r now, from his handsome face over every inch of his sculpted, perfect body. “So, what do we do next?”
His eyes rake over her like he knows good and well what he wants to do next, and the stutter-kick of his heart only confirms it.
“I don’t like being pushed out of the Swamp,” she confesses. “I get what Jensen is saying and why the Mayor wants a task force but like Demetria, I don’t like letting the city down. “
“What do you want to do about it?” he asks.
“Let’s go figure out what’s happening in the Swamp, there has to be more to the story.”
She nods because he’s right. Both sides of the Harbor Line, the Swamp and the city, are her home. She’s not getting run off that easily.
“I think you may need to come back to the gym with me first,” she says.
“Why’s that?”
“Because it’s time for you to get your suit.”
Chapter Nine
Astrid
She calls Owen on the way back to the gym, asking him to come downstairs.
“If I can make it,” he declares, still whining about the workout.
“Come down,” she says. “And I’ll give you a massage later.”
There’s no hesitation. “Deal.”
At the gym, she has Draco wait outside and catches Quinn before he sees him. “Trust me on this, okay?”
He doesn’t ask what. He probably already knows. To his credit, he nods and kisses her on the lips and says, “Always.”
Owen nods his approval. She may have made the decision, but they’ll do this together.
His confidence makes it easier to bring Draco into the office and then take him below. Actually, Quinn walks him down, giving him his first view of the Lair.
“Bring Casper in on this,” she says. Owen boots him up. He notices the connection and flips them off.
“Casper, you don’t have to talk to me right now but you do have to listen to what I’m about to say, got it?”
There’s no nod, just the tight clench of his jaw.
Draco takes in the Lair, looking over the extensive computer system and connected workshop. It’s clear that Mr. Perfect isn’t surprised, but he’s definitely impressed. “Atticus and Casper did this?”
“Along with my mentor, Holden,” Quinn says.
“Sometimes I forget how big this whole thing was, you know?” He touches a few items on the worktable. “It’s weird that we were just kids and there was a whole project devoted to cultivating our skills.”
“And a group willing to kill us all to stop it,” Owen adds.
Astrid stands in front of the changing room door. She knows Draco has pieces of his suit already, like his shield, given to him by Casper, but there’s something about the finality of bringing him into the fold this way. It’s how it started for her and Quinn and how they welcomed Owen into the group. Now she looks at the three of them, their ridiculously fit bodies filling the space, and she knows this is the right thing to do. The only thing.
“Owen’s right,” she says. “There is something that binds us together that is beyond what any normal person would know. We were orphaned, tested on, brought together, and split apart. Some of us are dead. A few of us damaged.” She glances at the monitor. “Some maybe beyond repair. But the one thing we have is one another. Atticus and Holden knew this. They led Quinn and me to find one another. They gave us the information so we could find each of you as well.”
The men watch her as she takes off her gloves. She walks over and takes Quinn and Owen’s hands. “Before we took the PD-1, I could touch you because I couldn’t feel your echo. It gave me sanctuary, but now I don’t need it. I trust you implicitly. Body, mind, and soul. I trust you in the field, on a rooftop, or in the middle of a fire.” She feels the same coming off their echo, unconditional support. Astrid releases them and walks over to Draco. She can feel his integrity before she touches him, but when she does make contact with his hand she feels something that wasn’t there before. She tilts her head in question but the flicker of emotion vanishes and he’s back to his resolve.
She’s willing to give him time. What she’s saying, no, proposing, is hard to swallow. She speaks to him anyway. “Can you do this? Do you want to?”
“More than anything. I agree that this is what our mentors wanted for us eventually. The city is in pain and someone has to bridge the gap.” He looks down at their hands. “I feel awful for my involvement with Demetria’s plan. It…things really got out of control.”
“Dude, you can’t blame yourself for that. She talked us all into backing her up,” Owen says.
Quinn nods. “I think it’s why much of the neighborhood hates us now. They saw us on that float and think we were involved with destroying the Harbor Line.”
“How do we change their perspective?” Astrid asks. Her fingers are still linked with Draco’s and she feels a rush of energy. She glances up and catches the smile on his lips. “What? Do you have an idea?”
“I think we go out there and show them who we are. The good side. The people that want to help.”
“When the hell are you planning on doing this?” Casper asks. They all look up in surprise at the screen. At least he’s talking.
“Now,” she says, holding the eye of each of them. “Suit up.”
Draco’s face lights up. “Thank god, I thought you’d never say it.”
Chapter Ten
Draco
Astrid walks in to the changing room and Owen jabs him with a sharp elbow. “This is where you see the difference of Astrid in the suit and Astrid out.”
“I don’t get what you mean? I’ve experienced both.”
Just then Astrid emerges in the doorway in nothing but a tight athletic bra that reveals an ample view of her cleavage between open sides of her top. He swallows thickly at the sight of the strip of her lean belly teasing between her low-slung leather pants and the bra. There’s something about her—the way her confidence changes--that hits Draco in the gut.
“Have you seen my cuff?” she asks, securing one to her left arm.
Owen retrieves the other from the worktable and tosses it to her. She smiles and vanishes again.
“It’s like a full change, when she zips up all that leather. Lethal. Strong. You won’t hear any of that self-doubt.”
Draco has a million questions, a billion, about Astrid and her relationship with these other guys. But their comfort with one another speaks volumes and it may be the only thing about the situation that terrifies him.
She walks back out, fully dressed, and smiles at him.
“Want to see yours?”
What he really wants is to see whatever is under all that leather, but he nods and follows her into the changing area. She points to a cabinet with his name on it and inside is a sleek suit similar to hers and the others’. Hanging on the back of the door is a new shield and in the middle of the cabinet is a stand holding his mask.
“It’s official,” she says. “You’re one of us.”
The nerves he felt earlier—the ones Astrid no doubt felt—flare back up. He knows there’s more to the bond with these men than just their pasts and fighting crime. A bond that terrifies him.
“What is that?” she asks carefully and quietly. “Something comes over you every once in a while.”
“It’s just new,” he tells her, embarrassed he’s so easy for her to read. “Thank you for including me in this. And Casper. I think you’re right about our destiny together.”
“Come on,” she says, zipping up her jacket and taking away the fantastic view of her chest. “Let’s hit the streets.”
She walks out of the room, her blond hair flying behind her like a halo. He doesn’t miss how her fingers graze Quinn’s hip or the smile she bestows on Owen as their shoulders brush. Their connection leaves a confused, uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
The two men enter and they change quickly, in some kind of test to see who can be the first. Their familiarity is odd to him. He didn’t grow up i
n isolation like Casper or tucked safely under the protection of guardians like Astrid and Quinn. He wasn’t feral, hustling in the streets like Owen. He grew up quietly with a strong sense of education and a respect for women. Astrid has definitely earned his respect and admiration with her performance on the street and the way her heart beats for the community. She’s a good person, but there’s something else. Something deeper, and it incites something dormant in him that he’s not sure how to handle.
Quinn zips up his jacket and nods at him to follow. Draco grabs his mask and slips it over his eyes and starts his first night as one of the Elite.
Chapter Eleven
Astrid
The night is moonless and damp from an earlier rain. After splitting up from Quinn and Owen five minutes before, Draco and Astrid prowl through the streets trying to get a sense of what’s happening in their city. So far, nothing much is going on, so they take a short cut through the park to reach the waterfront. Draco is quiet and it makes her nervous. “So you’re a big reader?”
He smiles. “You noticed?”
“It was hard not to.”
The walk around the fountain. The park is completely empty this late at night, but sometimes kids like Luby like to tag the bridges. “I didn’t peg you as a Harry Potter fan.”
“No?” he says. “Kids with magical powers all sent to a school and are under attack by greater forces? That doesn’t resonate with you?”
“Huh. I never thought about it that way.”
“Me either until Emma gave me the books before a long flight overseas. These kids aren’t given their powers. They’re born with them—and they get a choice in how to use them, for good or evil.”
“I’ve read Harry Potter, Draco—” she slaps her hand over her mouth. “You’re kidding.”
He shrugs. “He resonates.”
“You resonate with the bad guy?” She shakes her head. “Mr. Perfect, you’re an enigma.”
The lights outside the park lead them to their destination, but she’s got a million questions about the Draco thing and from the sideways glance he gives her, he knows. “Draco had an awful father. A terrible, narcissistic mother and aunt.” He adjusts his mask. “My parents weren’t good people, Astrid. I realize now that had I grown up in their house, with these gifts, they would have been used for evil. There’s always someone that wants to use us for evil.” Demetria’s name is unspoken. “The name reminds me not to take that path.”
