Chapter Six
Fox
I don’t like your friend.
I might not be human, but even I can see the familiarity you shared with Lai. The way your voice shifted, the way your body angled toward him without thinking—the history between the two of you is unfinished business, something I wasn’t privy to. I fought to contain my jealousy, for your sake.
I know you don’t love him anymore; you’d told me as much already, on the drive to the academy, trying to reassure me.
You don’t love him.
But you trust him.
So for your sake, I would have to trust him, too.
But I sure as Hell don’t have to like him.
Still, I could be nice, at least while you were watching me.
I huffed sullenly as you walked away, trusting me, leaving me alone with Lai. I listened as your phone signal stretched, thinned, and finally snapped, the connection between us dissolving into silence.
My engine snarled back to life, highbeams glaring at Lai.
It felt cheap to run over someone leaning on a cane, but no one’s ever accused a Mustang of being shy about who they hit.
There was nowhere for Lai to go.
“Hey, now.” Lai tried to soothe me, no doubt sensing my intention; I wonder what gave it away?
Was it the smoke curling over my back wheels as they spun in place, laying down rubber, building up power and speed?
All I had to do was lift my brake, and the pretty, purple-haired boy would be little more than paste.
“Look, we started on the wrong foot. Wheel?” Lai let out a nervous laugh, putting his hand out as if that would be enough to hold me back from painting the garage wall with his guts.
Tires still screeching, I allowed myself to be seen by the man. My form slipped from shadow to shape, settling onto the hood in front of him, close enough that he could see every detail, every line, every inch of what he’d insulted.
Close enough that he could understand the mistake he’d made.
“You called me ugly,” I hissed at him.
“And that was rude of me,” he offered, unflinching. “But you see, just because I said you’re ugly doesn’t mean that you are. Obviously, Al thinks you’re gorgeous. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.”
I tilted my head slightly, studying him. Bringing you up wasn’t going to save him, but I let him speak for your sake.
“For example,” Lai went on, gesturing vaguely behind him. “Everyone thinks my car is ugly, but I loved her to bits.”
“Loved?” I growled. The word slipped out sharper than intended.
Lai flinched.
“Yeah.” He winced, then motioned toward a dark corner of the garage.
I drew back just enough to follow his gesture, inching in reverse so I could look at what he was pointing at.
Lai was quick, for a man with a cane; he used the tiny opening to dart out of my way, but he didn’t run; instead, he gestured for me to follow him, guiding me towards a car that sat silently in the garage, tucked into shadow like something abandoned.
Broken.
Not a single panel of the old Toyota Corolla was unmarred.
Her once pristine, ivory-white paint was dented, chipped, and spotted with rust. Both of her lights and the windscreen were smashed.
I counted at least four different chips in the rear window as well, some already spread into cracks, threatening to shatter completely at the slightest nudge.
I rolled closer without thinking, my beams sweeping over her, illuminating every injury in my harsh, unforgiving light. “What did you do to her?” I asked, stunned.
“Drove her,” Lai explained. The answer came too fast, too defensive.
“You abused her.” My headlights flick over to him in disgust.
“I didn’t mean to! I’m not a good driver!”
I ignored him. All of my attention was on the Corolla; I could feel her spirit, weak like her battery, but still there. Still alive.
And to my utter dismay, she still adored Lai.
Even like this.
Even broken.
Even abandoned.
I exhaled sharply, exhaust cracking like a gunshot in the enclosed space. Lai flinched hard this time, his shoulders tightening.
He was afraid, after all. Good.
Now I had some difficult choices to make. I could crush Lai, end this here. Tear through metal and bone and concrete and leave nothing but ruin behind. I could let him go, wait for him to leave, and simply follow you back home, too disgusted by his neglect to stay.
Or I could stay and help a car stuck in a parking lot with no hope of escape, just like I was a day ago.
Fuck.
“Well,” I decided finally, my voice settling into something colder as my engine dropped from a roar to an idle. “Luckily for you, I can’t kill you tonight. You see,” I continued, rolling closer to him, bumper to kneecap. “Your car needs you. You’re going to fix her.”
Lai looked reluctant, but the exit was far away, and I could close that distance in 4 seconds. He could not.
“Fix her?” He protested. “She’s—”
“And then,” I cut in, “I’ll teach you how to drive.”
That shut him up for a moment.
He let out a groan of resignation, his hand resting on his car’s hood. He had a strange expression on his face, something I didn’t recognize, and his car was melting under the touch, fawning over him like a teenager in love. “Fine. But I need you to promise you’ll behave too.”
I inched toward him, bumper touching his knee. He didn’t move away. Brave little human. Or stupid.
“I’ll consider it.”
That was the best he was getting.
It seemed to be enough.
Lai relaxed a little after that. “You know,” he said, glancing at me sideways, “if you did decide to kill me, your new owner wouldn’t like it.”
I stilled. Interesting; this man might be useful after all. “What do you know about what Al likes?”
Lai’s smile shifted. Less nervous now, more knowing. “I know a lot about him,” he said. “We used to be engaged.”
Engaged?
The word hit like a misfire. An ex I could handle, but a fiancée?
Something in me snapped, clean and immediate. My shadow form vanished, my brakes released with a sharp jerk, and my tires screeched against concrete as my body lunged forward before I could stop myself, instinct overriding reason.
I was going to crush him.
I didn’t even question it.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t think.
All I knew was that he was yours once, and that was unacceptable.
Lai moved fast. Faster than he had any right to move. He vaulted up onto my hood, his hands slamming against my windshield, his face inches from mine.
“Now, now,” he purred, breath slightly uneven but voice steady. “I thought we were getting to know each other.”
I snarled, suspension tightening beneath him.
“This is going to be difficult,” he continued, “if you keep trying to kill me.”
“You only need to stand still,” I shot back.
Lai smirked. “Don’t make me wheel clamp you.”
I froze. A threat! That was bold of him. Stupid, too, but effective. I couldn’t risk tearing my wheel well to shreds with a clamp; the potential damage to my struts and suspension was enough to get me written off.
“Look,” Lai hissed. “I know you’re possessive of him, but trust me; I’m not your enemy, or your competition. I can help you. Teach you. Tell you everything he likes. You’ve known him for a day. I’ve known him for decades.”
“Fine,” I said at last, cutting my engine, letting the silence settle heavily around us. My shadow slipped free again, forming beside him on the hood. “But I have conditions.”
He stifled a laugh, which I decided to ignore for the sake of our truce. “You will repair your car,” I ordered. “Properly. No shortcuts. She gets everything she wants.”
“Repair her?” Lai looked over at the Corolla. “She’s—“
“She wants a wide-body kit,” I continued. “A new engine. Custom interior. She wants to be a track car.”
“That’s—” he started.
“You will also learn how to drive.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“I will teach you.”
A pause.
“Is that it?” He sighed.
“No.” Of course not. I stepped closer, letting him feel the weight of my presence. “You will tell me everything Al likes.”
Lai blinked. “Well, his favorite color is blue and his birthday is in May. Anything else?”
I smiled. Sharp. Certain. “What Al likes in his lovers.”
He stared at me for a second. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. “No—he didn’t…”
“I’ll be,” I declared, voice low and proud, “the best ride he’s ever had.”