Tab Bennett and the Inbetween (36 page)

“I’m just saying, you dark ones are quick with the threats but here I am, still breathing after all these years.”

Lucky I can sometimes read minds and mine chose that second to tune into Nina’s. I was shocked for a split second but it didn’t slow my reaction. I caught her wrist right before her open palm would have connected with my unsuspecting face and stared back at her defiantly. “Like I said, what makes you think you can do it?” My voice was cold and calm. My palms were tingling, just the tiniest bit.

She jerked her hand away and smoothed her hair but I could tell I’d rattled her by catching her hand like that. Hell, I’d shocked myself too.

“Anyway,” she said once she’d composed herself. “I’m sure Allison will be here as soon as she wakes up. She’s a Guardian so she’ll come. That’s what they do. If you knew how many times I’ve tried to kill her.” Nina laughed, shaking her head with obvious admiration. “Allison’s not so bad really. You hated her so much at first, remember?” she clapped her hands together like a delighted child, imitating my voice as she said, and “She’s up to something. She’s not who she says she is. Rivers likes her better than me. Wah wah wah.’ You can’t believe how many times I wanted to tell you who she was just so you’d shut up.”

She blathered on about how stupid I was, how obvious it was that Allison was a Guardian, how I’d always talked too much anyway. And while she talked and talked, like some stupid James Bond villain who couldn’t resist revealing every detail of her evil plan, time passed. I couldn’t outrun her and, given the beating I’d received courtesy of Nicholas earlier that day, I couldn’t overpower her either. There was only one thing left to do, one do or die option and either she’d fall for it or I’d end up breathing dirt.

Dark Elf or human woman, Nina’s favorite topic had always been Nina. I’ve never known anyone more in love with the sound of her own voice. If I had to, I could keep her going for hours with just a few questions.

“Why did They send you here? How did you get picked for this?”

She snickered. “King Daniel picked me himself. He wanted someone to come to the World and become your friend, get inside your circle. Someone who could get close to you when the right time came. You can’t even imagine all the chances I’ve had over the years to kill you. The frustration,” she tugged at her hair, yanking her head from side to side. “But They wanted me to wait, to stay hidden here as long as possible. So I waited. And now this is my reward. I get to be the one who brings you to him.”

We both heard the noise, faint and distant as it was; someone had opened the back door.

“Nina? Let’s stop this now before someone gets hurt. I don’t want to hurt you.” Allison called. Nina chuckled: she glared at me when I didn’t join in.

 “Princess? Are you okay?” We froze, listening to the sound of her soft footsteps getting closer. “I’m here to help you. It’s okay to tell me where you are. I know you don’t trust me but I’m going to help you. Nina is a liar. She is not your friend.”

I laughed that time. I was about to answer with a “no duh” when Nina’s hand clamped over my mouth.

“Shh…” she breathed in my ear. Her fingers dug into my cheek; they smelled like dirt, like moss and mushrooms.

Allison kept talking in her quiet, calm voice. “She is of the Dark. You know about them, right? Her people want you dead. Her king wants you alive and under his control. Neither one is a good option for you. Just make a noise, even a small one and I’ll hear you.”

Our heads turned toward the door in unison as we waited for Allison to come. I was in Nina’s head, watching as she scrambled for a plan. All her bravado was gone; she was afraid of Allison. Images of Nicholas and King Daniel flashed through her mind. I saw the fight at the gate of Witchwood Manor. Allison was fierce, terrifying. It really seemed there was no way Nina could win. Nina didn’t think she could. But just when she was almost finished, about ready to drop, she lashed out blindly and struck Allison, who stumbled and fell. I felt Nina’s surprise as her opponent toppled to the ground. A lucky swing was the only reason Nina had beaten Allison to my door.

“She is the one who killed your sisters,” Allison said calmly from right outside the sitting room door.

Her timing was impeccable, I’ll give her that. Hearing those words gave me the strength I needed. I thrashed and pulled away from Nina, crashing us both to the floor in the process.

Exactly what happened after that isn’t clear to me even now. There was a struggle. Allison yelled for me to run to the attic and I obeyed, racing down the hall as fast as I could with the sound of the fight following behind me.

“Go,” Allison yelled just as I stopped at the attic door and looked behind me. She stumbled from the sitting room, a dagger sticking out of the right side of her chest.

“Oh please. Just die already,” Nina yelled as she shoved her out of the way. Allison fell.

Before I knew what was happening, I was on the stairs again, running for the front door. I could almost hear George’s voice telling me to turn around. I hesitated for maybe half a second, less probably. But it was enough; Nina’s hand clamped onto my arm.

What happened next was a reflex; not a plan, believe me. I yanked my arm away from Nina as hard as I could, gripping the railing with my still-free hand for all I was worth. I saw her face as she lost her footing; fear followed by the dawning realization that she was going to fall. She let go of my arm, grabbing for the railing instead. But it was too late for last minute saves; she toppled down the stairs, her head hitting the floor at the bottom with a sickening, wet thunk.

Alex was right; in the end it all came down to balance.

Allison pulled the knife out of her chest herself, which I thought was extremely bad ass. She stitched the wound closed and took a shower. I bandaged her up.

I put her in George’s room to rest. She blushed like a schoolgirl when I mentioned that it was his room.

“Are you sure he won’t mind?” she giggled as I pulled back the covers for her. Bad ass points were quickly subtracted. She’d been stabbed and I’d been beaten to a pulp, not once but twice that day; we had moved well beyond girlish modesty.

“He won’t mind. He’d be happy to share his bed with you.” I sighed. “Well, you know what I mean. Just get in.”

She hesitated a second before she slipped between the covers. She settled in slowly, adjusting the pillow behind her head twice. I looked away when she sniffed the sheets.

“Are you sure you don’t want any painkillers?” I asked again.

I kept asking and she kept saying no; she was worried They would come back and she would be helpless.

“I’d better stay alert,” Allison mumbled through a yawn. I could have pointed out that her eyes were already closing but I didn’t. It seemed rude to contradict a person who’d been stabbed in the chest while attempting to help me.

“Thanks for saving me,” I said.

“You saved yourself. All I did was create a little diversion.”

“I think it was a little more than that.”

“You underestimate yourself. You were doing fine before I got here.”

 I shrugged.

 “Take my word for it,” she said gently. “I’ve gotten a lot of the Hidden People out of very bad situations; I know what ‘in need of rescue’ looks like.”

The adrenaline that had kept me going was almost gone; it took real effort just to stand. I leaned against the dresser for support. “That’s why you knew Rivers?”

She was exhausted but patient; I knew she would answer my questions. “Guardians protect those who are of the Light when they come and stay in the World, after their magic has gone. That’s how I met Rivers; she was one of mine.” Allison yawned again, bigger this time, “I kept her safe.”

We were both exhausted; it would have been inhumane to expect either of us to stay awake any longer.

 “My room is right through there.” I said pointing towards the bathroom that connected my room with that one. “You can call me if you need anything and I’ll call you if someone else tries to kill me.”

I wasn’t asleep for long before the sound of rushing feet woke me up.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said aloud.

I couldn’t believe They’d come back a third time. What was it going to take to convince them that it wasn’t my day to die?

I wanted to thrash out of bed and stomp my way to the closet but I wanted to live more so I slid and then tiptoed instead. I closed the door behind me, careful not to slam it. I was alone in the closet for a minute or two, long enough to wonder if maybe I’d dreamed the whole thing. Then suddenly, the bedroom door burst open, the knob slamming into the wall. I jumped at the sound but managed to avoid yelling out.

“She’s not in here,” a voice called to someone in the hall. My back loosened up the minute I heard him speak. I found I could take a deep breath.

“Alex?” I whispered.

I pushed the closet door open and peered out into the dark room. He turned to face me before I had a chance to speak. His eyes were wild, his body crouched low; he didn’t recognize me. Even in the dark room I could see he was ready to fight—that he wanted to. He was thinking about killing whoever had killed me.

“It’s me,” I said, holding my hands up in surrender.

A look of complete confusion crossed his face before he pulled me into his arms, crushing me against his chest. I let myself collapse against him. Resisting was painful and it felt good to be home.

“Don’t squeeze so hard,” I said as he tightened his arms around me.

He let me go and reached for the light before I could warn him. He winced when he saw me.

I’d already seen the damage and it wasn’t pretty. My left eye and jaw were black and blue. There were small cuts and bruises on my arms, my neck, and my legs. There was also a pretty sizable gash across my stomach that I assumed was from a rock.

He didn’t say anything for a while. He stood there, his face a mask of anger, and committed every bruise to memory with the intention of recreating them, first on Nicholas and then on Robbin.

“You should have seen the other guy,” I said hoping to lighten the moment. I got serious when he didn’t even crack a smile. “I know. It’s awful. But I’m alive and I’ll heal.”

“But your friend…” he said, his eyes darting to the door.

My eyes followed his. I was on the edge of panicking when I realized he didn’t mean Allison. “Wait, Nina?”

Just then Robbin ran into the room.

He didn’t look much better than I did, to tell the truth. He was covered in a patchwork of bruises, cuts, and scrapes.

“She’s not downstairs…” His voice wobbled with fear and worry and regret. Then he saw me standing there. “You’re alive.”

Some people look at the ceiling when they’re trying not to cry; Robbin folds in half. I knew he was on the verge of tears when he bent over, bracing his hands against his thighs. I’d only seen him do it once or twice in all the years I’d know him but I recognized the posture right away. I was glad he felt bad. He should feel bad. Normally, I hate to see men cry but I wanted him to. If I’d have had a sharp stick I would have poked him with it until he teared up.

“You’re OK,’ he said as he straightened back to his full height. He was telling himself, not asking me but I nodded anyway.

“How about you?” I was surprised by how nonchalant my voice sounded, how totally untraumatized.

“You’re really OK?” This time he was asking.

“I survived two out of two murder attempts. I’m taking it as a victory.”

Robbin looked at Alex who squeezed my hand reassuringly.

“Babe,” Robbin said cautiously. “Babe, Nina’s dead.”

“Yeah, I know.” I said, ignoring his use of the familiar endearment. “She was of the Dark. She came here pretending to be my friend and then she tried to kill me. She fell down the stairs when she tried to push me.”

I watched Robbin as he took in what I’d said. His face crumbled. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

 “That’s ok,” I said in a voice I didn’t even recognize as my own. “It turns out I didn’t need you anyway.”