Breaking Out (11 page)

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.

My last meeting with my guardian, Lord Tellek
hadn’t gone that well.

When I’d entered the receiving room in his
enormous estate on Catalina Island three months ago, he’d turned
his large frame away from the window and moved across the room to
his desk. He wasn’t at all graceful in human form, his body
wobbling back and forth with each step, his head bobbing as if he
were treading water, only his head above the ocean’s surface.

With great effort, he lowered his body into
the chair behind his desk, the chair hissing under his weight. The
desk itself was a masterpiece, once belonging to a chieftain of old
and purchased by Lord Tellek for more stones than I could count. It
was carved from ancient driftwood, spelled to enhance its strength
and hold its gnarled shape. Although the surface was flat and
smooth, the sides and legs curved like branches still reaching for
the sea that pounded against the rocks below his windows.

We could have met in the court grotto, but he
preferred this private location. It didn’t bode well for my
survival.

“Lord Tellek.” I’d bowed clumsily.
Unsure.

“Please sit.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes,
Lord
.” His tone was crisp.

“Yes, Lord.” I answered, ashamed I hadn’t
known the correct form of address.

“Why are you here?’ His voice was deep, yet
dissonant.

“To apply for the job.” I settled into the
chair more comfortably, trying to keep myself from trembling. He
had a reputation for cruelty, probably not unearned.

“Have you been informed of the dangers
involved in taking on this position? The commitment you must
make?”

“Yes, Lord.” I’d heard every detail, read
every pamphlet.

“My captains have spoken to you of the
training? The consequences if you fail?”

“Yes, Lord.” I clenched my jaw, then forced
it to relax. I can’t show weakness.

“What questions do you have?”

I didn’t hesitate. “If I’m accepted, when
will payments be made?” My family was suffering.

His wide mouth turned up in amusement. He
seemed to enjoy the fact that I was financially needy, a
personality flaw I expected to see in such a male. Because my
father, the first cousin of the chieftain, had made some bad
choices, Lord Tellek had lent him a large amount of money. Now we
were in his debt. We took what jobs we were able to find, but this
new position would ensure my family’s survival. Because I was
magically gifted, I was a perfect candidate for this position, even
though I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore my potential. I was
actually excited to start my training.

“Every full moon your family will receive
what was promised and you will be given a small stipend.”

“Will you…?” I swallowed hard. “I’d like an
agreement drawn up: a blood agreement. In case something happens to
me. My family must continue to receive compensation even after my
death.”

He flicked his wrist. The amount was nothing
to him. “My assistant will accommodate your request.”

“
Your
blood, Lord.” His eyebrows shot
up in shock. “Assistants come and go. Once out of the picture their
agreements can be voided.”

He stood, a massive wall of flesh. “Stand
over there by the window. Rest your left hand on the small table.”
I walked quickly to the place he’d indicated, trembling with
excitement or maybe fear. Taking the supplies he needed from a desk
drawer near his feet, he joined me.

He held up a vial. “Seawater from the caves
of Loome.” Another. “The blood of the Guardians.” A third item:
“The dagger of Senshell” To be near such sacred artifacts was an
incredible experience. My eyes filled with tears as he announced,
“I have chosen you over the other candidates, but if you fail, you
will not meet a swift end. Do you agree to this?” I nodded.
“Speak.”

“I agree, Lord Tellek.”

“The target will destroy us if left to his
own devices. He must be delivered to me. You understand?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Excellent.” He lifted my hand and slashed my
palm with the blade, slashing his immediately after. Tellek
sprinkled both wounds with liquids from the vials then clasped my
hand. The spell was spoken in the old tongue, the words like waves
hissing against the sand. The promise was sealed.

“I don’t feel any different.” I said,
blinking back my tears.

“You will. The training begins today. It will
go easier if you don’t fight against it.” He pushed my body to the
wall, pinning me there with his heavy weight, flattening his hand
against my forehead. His power breached the fog of my shields and
he set about changing my aura. I’d screamed and screamed, but no
one came.