Into the Fire

by Victoria Smith

  Her breast under his hand was distracting, but he channeled that urge into following her instructions. If he could help save Matt, he would. Hell, he’d trade places with him if he could.

  A jolt of static electricity shot through him as Olivia placed her hands on Matt’s wound. Luke concentrated on Matt’s heart pumping out the poison like she said, a vibration resonating in his nerves and muscles. He couldn’t see around Olivia to tell if it was working. Her body was tight, her tailbone digging into his leg. He didn’t try to reposition her, especially after she gasped and whispered, “Yes.” He refocused, his energy flowing through her as he rested his head against her back.

  He could feel it, like he was inside of her, though not the way he preferred. He could feel her spirit alongside his, the darkened places of her being that might never come back into the light. He wanted to hold her close, but it would not only distract her, it would piss her off. They were doing this to help his brother, not her, and she’d take it as an invasion of her privacy even though he’d been involved when her family died.

  Matt took a shuddering breath. Luke’s hope faltered with that raspy sound. It wasn’t working. His brother was dying. He grasped Olivia’s sides tightly, ready to pick her up and move her out of the way, so he could see his brother in his last living moments, when an intense pain shot through his arms. Olivia stiffened, dropping her hands to his. Her touch eased the sting as she peeled his hands from her sides and held them tightly before letting him go. She got up and bent over Matt. Luke closed his eyes. That pain could only mean death.

  “Jackass. What are you doing, sleeping?” Matt’s voice was more like a gravelly squeak.

  Tears filled Luke’s eyes before a huge smile broke over his face. “Who are you calling a jackass? I’m not the one who’s been sleeping for days.” He tried to sound gruff, but couldn’t pull it off through his smile. “It’s about time you stop lounging around and wake up. We have work to do.”

  “What happened? I mean, I remember getting cut. There was something on the blade. I felt it in my blood. Then . . . that’s it. I was in some deep, dark place and couldn’t get out. I’d try—I saw Jillian in the woods—but it seemed like my head barely broke the surface when I was dragged under.” He shuddered.

  “You’ve been out for a long time. Just out. I brought you here, and you’ve been in this bed ever since.”

  “Where’s here?” Matt tried to sit up, but his arms gave out.

  “Olivia’s.” Luke hoped he got the message.

  Apparently he did, because Matt only smiled. “So, she’s the one responsible for patching me up?”

  “It was a joint effort,” Olivia said from behind him.

  She placed a hand on his back. Her warmth filled him along with an emotion he dared not name. He pushed it off, attributing the tears in his eyes and the tightening of his chest to Matt’s healed state. Seeing his brother alive and awake was what rushed the swell through him. It had nothing to do with Olivia.

  “What happened? Did we make a difference?” Matt tried to sit up, but Olivia pushed him back down.

  “Not yet. You’re too weak. Be still for a little while longer, then you can catch up with things.” She briefly rested her palm on Luke’s back before leaving the room.

  Luke tried to ignore the return of emotion to focus on the details of what happened. “Hell, I don’t know if anything we’re doing is making a difference.”

  “How can you say that? We saved people.”

  “Are we helping people, or only helping them die sooner?” Luke leaned back on the chair. “Let’s cut and run. Head for the border.”

  “I can’t believe you’re wimping out just because I took a hit.” Matt glared at him.

  “It’s not just that.”

  “Then what is it?” Judging by his expression, Matt would have decked him if he could reach him.

  “I don’t know. Forget it. We shouldn’t be having this conversation right now. You must get your strength back. Then we’ll figure out what in the hell we’re doing. I’m just tired, that’s all. It’s been hard to sleep lately.”

  Matt didn’t answer. He only stared at him for a long time before his eyes closed, and his breathing evened.

  ~ ~ ~

  Matt waited until he heard Luke leave before opening his eyes. What the fuck had gotten into his brother? He’d never talked like this before, not even when Matt had taken a beating so severe both of his arms were broken, as well as pretty much all his ribs. Could Luke’s will to quit really only be because he was tired? Or was it because he was tired of waiting beside Matt’s sick bed for him to heal enough to go out and do it all over again? That was stupid. There had to be something else going on with his brother.

  Right now, he didn’t care. He could barely lift his arm without breaking into a sweat. Whatever poison had been on that blade had ripped his body to shreds. And his mind. He didn’t want to remember some of the darker images. They were gruesome and hopefully a lie brought on by the poison. He didn’t have future sight, but something about the dreams, or whatever they were, tugged at him.

  An image of Jillian swam in his memory when he closed his eyes. He concentrated on her, wishing he could communicate with her. Damn. He reached down to touch his stomach, feeling the rigid line of scar already forming through the bandage. Hell, he was a lot luckier than he thought.

  Matt tried to get up, but he couldn’t make his body listen. He needed to be outside. He wanted Jillian to be here, but that was wishful thinking. He drifted, thinking of her and cursing himself for not being completely back to normal.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jillian was sure her life was over. It took her a full five seconds to realize who stood above her with his hand out. Theo? She jumped up, catching her brother in a hug as tears streamed down her face.

  “Come on. There’s not much time.” He kept her hand to drag her along.

  “Wait. Why did you follow me?” She alternated between joy and fury. She was going through this because she’d wanted to keep him safe, and now here he was.

  “They’ll be back soon. We have to hurry, Sissy.”

  Jillian followed, amazed at how quickly he navigated the rocky terrain without stumbling like she did. She wanted to ask him how he’d gotten this far without her knowing he was there, but she was using all her breath to keep up. Finally, Theo stopped under the branches of a big pine and handed her a bottle of water.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  Jillian hugged him again before twisting off the cap. She sat down beside him, downing most of the bottle. “You didn’t have time to miss me. What’s really going on?”

  “You needed my help. I saw it in my head. I have to shoot.” He patted her arm and showed her his gun—make that guns—he’d strapped himself down with when they’d left their bar hideout.

  She shook her head, beyond worrying about him with the weapons. “How do you know?”

  “I don’t, just that you do need me to shoot. I helped already. I made the guards leave you alone. I did have to shoot once, but he was a very bad man. I saw his black heart.”

  Jillian sighed. She was thrilled to see her brother, but so worried. Theo should be safe, not facing this with her.

  “I should take you back,” she said, not meaning it. If Theo had gotten himself this far, maybe she’d underestimated him. At least the trip hadn’t been a total waste of time and effort. They’d gotten a lot of people to safety.

  A fat tear slipped down Theo’s cheek. “No, Sissy. Please don’t. I need to be with you. I go where you go. Always.”

  Jillian hugged him tight, fighting back tears of her own. “It’s going to be really dangerous. You have to listen.” Something had definitely blossomed inside him, and her heart threatened to burst with pride in her baby brother.

  “I always listen. I promise I won’t shoot again unless you say it’s okay. I promise.” He sounded very serious.

  Jillian grabbed his hand with a sigh. “Okay. Let’s go.”

 
~ ~ ~

  Matt opened his eyes, trying to see out the window. He had no idea how long he’d slept. He felt stronger now. He could at least raise his arms over his head and sit up without feeling like he was going to pass out. His stomach growled as Luke kicked open the door, carrying a tray.

  “I thought you were going to let me starve in here.” He scooted back on the bed and shoved a pillow behind him, hating that he felt like an invalid.

  “Yep. We worked our asses off to get you healed, and now we’re going to let you die a slow death from starvation.” Luke set the tray on his lap. “Do you need me to feed you?”

  Matt grabbed the fork and gave him the finger with the other hand. “What’s going on out there?”

  “Not much. I’m going crazy with all of this waiting.”

  “You don’t have to wait for me, you know.” He took a bite of lasagna, wondering when he’d eaten last.

  “Like I’m going to leave you alone with Olivia, you pervert.” Luke laughed, but there was a tone of seriousness.

  “You’re just afraid she’ll fall for me and leave you in the cold. Seriously, tell me what I missed.”

  Luke sat in the chair by the bed as Matt ate. “Not much. Being with Olivia.”

  Matt smiled. “And?”

  “I don’t know. It’s good. I can’t think any farther than the here and now. I know she’s not like the firestarter that killed Mom and Dad.”

  “You should tell her why you hate firestarters so much. Get it off your chest and put it behind you.” Matt had no idea if it would help or not, but it made sense to him.

  “Maybe. Thing is, I don’t hate her. I don’t know if I ever could, and that scares me.” Luke turned his head toward the closed door behind him.

  “Think about it. Except for things I don’t need details of, what else did I miss?”

  Luke filled him in. “Nat called a little while ago. The complacency drug doesn’t seem to be working anymore. People are snapping out of it, and they’re pissed.”

  “That’s good news. Do we have someone on the inside there that could have changed the formula?”

  “Maybe. I didn’t think so, but there’s no way to know for sure. We can use it to our advantage, especially with Jenner stepping back into office.”

  Matt nodded. “Bastard. What else?”

  “Olivia’s aunt told her Kenny is Dan Jenner’s son. I’m sure there’s a lot more to that we don’t know.”

  “As soon as I can get to my contact, I might have more dirt on Kenny. Maybe it’ll be something that explains all this shit. Though, I think the guy’s just fucking nuts.” He pushed the plate back.

  “I think so, too.” Luke reached to the floor and handed him a beer. “Don’t tell Olivia. She said you weren’t allowed to have any until at least tomorrow.”

  “Why is she so cruel?”

  “Because she wants to make sure you’re healthy before she lets you destroy your liver.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest as she stepped through the door. “It took me a long time to fix that. I don’t want it all messed up again.” She smiled at the end of her tough-sounding speech.

  “That sounds kind of dirty. I like it.” Matt winked at her, catching Luke’s frustration at his flirting.

  She snorted. “You would. Too bad I’m not into guys who can’t even get out of bed.”

  Luke laughed and grabbed her hand.

  “Thanks for patching me up.” Matt held up his beer in a mock salute.

  She shook her head when he took a long swallow. “Your living, breathing state isn’t all because of me. If it wasn’t for Luke, you’d still be sweating through the fever. Or dead.”

  Matt recognized the emotion on her face. She was absolutely in love with his brother, and from what he could tell, Luke felt the same way. It was good, but how did that complicate an already complicated life?

  “Wait a minute. Luke can only heal stuff like scrapes and bruises. The last time I needed stitches, I swear he made it worse.” And the last time he’d had a headache, Luke tried to ease the pain and ended up giving him more.

  “Collective energy type stuff,” Luke said. “Very advanced for someone with your IQ to grasp.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Call me if you need anything, or if you feel any pain. Understand?” Olivia felt his forehead.

  “I promise. I have a vague memory of you straddling me in just your underwear. Can you do that again?”

  Olivia laughed and closed the door behind her.

  Matt waited for Luke to tell him off for being a pervert again, but he only shook his head. If it wasn’t obvious to Luke how much Olivia loved him, he was insane.

  “We have to move soon. Now’s the time to stop Jenner, while he’s running around confused.” Matt propped himself up on his elbows and shoved his legs over the side of the bed.

  “He’s dangerous, even more than before. If his soldiers are using that shit that got into you, we’re screwed. We can’t go in there without a solid plan. As desperate as he is, he’s capable of anything, and he fully believes whatever he does is for the right reasons. We have no idea what he’ll do.” Luke put his empty bottle on the table beside the bed as his brother’s voice filled his head.

  “The first thing we need to do is get to Jillian.” Matt wished.

  “You’ll have time for sucking face when this is over. We don’t even know that she made it back across the border. Why the hell would she come back anyway?”

  “Shut up, asshole. I wasn’t talking to you.” Matt wasn’t sure why he was so angry. Too bad he was still too weak to bash Luke’s head in.

  “I’m glad it still works. And fine, bash my head in, as soon as you can get out of bed without needing oxygen.” Luke grunted.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Matt waved his hand, purposefully knocking Luke’s beer bottle off the table.

  “Nothing. Just . . . nothing. Forget it.” Luke kicked the bottle and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

  Matt tried to get out of bed to go after him, but as soon as he got one foot on the floor, his knees gave out. Damn it. He was already sick of this, and he’d only been back among the living for a few hours.

  ~ ~ ~

  Olivia walked away from Matt’s door when she heard the bottle hit the floor. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, not that the brothers had said anything she didn’t already know, or that they wouldn’t have talked about in front of her. Then why did she feel like she was snooping for Christmas presents? She closed the front door in time to hear Matt’s door slam.

  Luke came out and sat on the front step, his head in his hands. She rested against his back.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.” He exhaled, swiping a hand down his face. “Hell. I don’t know.”

  “Is it smart for us to stay here and fight? Should we be thinking about crossing the border instead of trying to save people we have no hope of saving?” She hated to say it. Hated to give up on something they’d all worked so hard for, but the way things stood at this moment, they had very little chance of making a difference. Hell, by the time they got organized and off this mountain, the whole thing could be over.

  Luke stared at her. “How do you do that?”

  “What?” She reached up to push his hair off his forehead.

  “Read my mind. I was just thinking that and feeling really shitty for considering giving up.” He grabbed her hand.

  “I didn’t read your mind. I promise. It just makes sense though, doesn’t it? Other people like us are hiding. How are we supposed to find them, organize our effort, and strike before most of the sector dies? So many people have already died. Is it worth it to continue?”

  “But what about the people we can help? We can save some of them.” He squeezed her hand.

  “I know. What do we do?” She leaned into him, his solid presence easing the chill inside her.

  “Wait for Matt to get stronger. Come up with a plan for every scenario. And pray.”

 
“Pray? If God hasn’t saved us yet, I kind of doubt He’s going to. Ever. I’m not even sure he exists.”

  “Let’s not give up hope yet.” He dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her back.

  Olivia rested her head on his shoulder. She had a lot to say, but there was no use getting involved in an argument or deep unnecessary discussion. Staying alive seemed like the most important use of their energy. And that was something they might not be able to control.

  ~ ~ ~

  “I think it’s time you tell me your problem with firestarters,” Olivia said, after they’d sat in silence for quite a while.

  Luke blinked, unprepared for the request, though he and Matt had talked about it being time to tell her. He wasn’t sure he was ready to do this, but she didn’t turn away. She deserved to know. Maybe she’d understand.

  “Our parents and sister died because of a firestarter.” He flicked a glance at her. “She was evil and vindictive, and three people died because she didn’t get her way.”

  “I’m not her.”

  She was right. Of course, she was right. He’d stopped associating her with the woman who’d killed his family a while ago, but the hatred for her kind still simmered under the surface. Hell. What did he have to lose? He ignored the voice that said, “Her.”

  “Dad met her at work, and she wove some kind of spell around him. They were lovers for two years before my mom found out. The other woman made him choose, and he decided to break things off with her.” He looked at Olivia. “She set my dad on fire while he slept beside my mom. By the time I woke up, the house was engulfed. I managed to get Matt out, but I couldn’t get close to my parents or our little sister. It was too hot. There was nothing left except for a few bone shards.”

  She touched his cheek and nodded. “I remember hearing about that.”

  “How could you? It was covered up so deep sometimes I wonder if it really happened.”

  “She didn’t respect her gift. That’s not taken lightly by people who have the same abilities. The elders use that kind of abuse to teach.”