Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ORION
“He threw her in the river?” Cate said, drying her hair with a towel.
“An assbug of the highest order,” I replied, Wendy sitting in my dry lap. “Now stuck between a speedie’s teeth.”
“Serves him right.”
We’d moved a little further inland, taking shelter in a terraced house.
The wolves had gone off to find some supplies in the other buildings before we settled in.
They’d found dry clothes, underwear, a substantial medical kit, bottles of in-date ginger beer and a dog-eared paperback Cate was excited to get stuck into once things calmed down.
Not likely!
Basil sulked the whole time in the corner of the living room, slumped in one of two blue armchairs. I tried talking to him, but he remained resolutely silent.
We’d been through a lot. I couldn’t blame him for wanting some peace and quiet.
“I’m glad Wendy’s okay.” Cate dropped the towel into a wicker basket. “And dry.”
“Yes,” I agreed.
As dry as we were, we still stank of the Thames. Never mind. My wounds were cleaned and bandaged. I insisted Basil not waste his strength on my chest cuts. My system was now loaded with painkillers and some usable antibiotics. I’d be fine.
From my perch on the blue, two-seater sofa, I stroked my digital pet’s orange casing and sent a quick thanksgiving to the stars for being alive in this house.
The windows were heavily boarded, the light of the candles the wolves had found hidden from outside eyes.
No matter where you were in this city, you could always find a candle or some light source. Apparently, back in the normal days, there were blackout issues across the country. Something to do with transitioning energy supplies, hence the huge stock of candles and such like.
A win for us.
“I can’t believe Wendy survived a dunk in the Thames,” Miko said from beside me, his hand on my thigh. “Again.”
This had been her second plunge into the murky water.
I loved his hand being there. “She’s something else, that’s for sure.”
A true understatement.
Were there clues to her mysteries within the games I played with her? Hidden details within her food or poop?
Yuck. Not the poop, please.
But then, maybe hiding things in poop was a smart move. I mean, who would want to dive into poop unless they were a dung beetle, a doctor, a scientist, or anything like that?
Gah. I was spiraling. And how would I even begin to rifle through her turds?
Basil looked up as Cate settled in the other armchair beside him. I expected him to speak, but he glanced at Miko’s hand, bowing his head again.
“When do you want to leave?” I asked my mate, popping Wendy into the pocket of my new gray jeans.
“Soon. Rest for a bit.”
I didn’t mean to yawn, but there I went. “Sorry.”
Miko’s thumb stroked my denim-wrapped thigh. “Yawn all you like. Sleep.”
“Maybe…”
“Then can we get back on the road?” Basil interjected, glaring at the alpha.
“Soon,” Miko retorted.
That got Basil’s lips pursing.
Was he mad he’d been saved by Cate and healed by me? For once, he wasn’t in the spotlight as a heroic charmer crossing an ocean to find me. How silly. There was no competition here, only a fight for survival.
“What if we’re attacked?” Basil asked.
“We can get attacked on the road.” Miko’s robot mode activated. “We’ll head out soon. First, I want you both fit for the journey.”
“I’m raring to go.” Sarcasm practically dripped from Basil’s lips.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Frustration, Orion. I hate sitting here.”
“We’ve just been through—”
“I know what we’ve been through. Don’t lecture me.”
“I’m not. I’m worried.”
“Why?”
I leaned forward. “What’s the matter?”
He shook his head, swallowing an answer.
“The walk to the pack will take us over two hours,” Cate said, glowering at Basil.
“Where are we going?” I asked, eyes on Basil.
When did he become so pouty?
“Mile End,” Miko answered so quietly he was almost inaudible.
Basil looked up again. “Something happened with the zombie that bit me.”
I wondered when we’d get to that.
Basil glanced at each of us, then explained.
“Shit,” Miko said.
“A memory?” Cate added. “Has this ever happened to either of you before?”
“I’ve never been bitten before,” Basil and I answered at the same time.
I smiled, he didn’t.
Why did I even care about his sulking? Let him stew in his pot of bitterness.
“And I haven’t encountered any other fae since coming here,” Basil added.
“Same,” I said. “Not until Basil showed up. I’m sure there were fae trapped here, but I’ve heard nothing about them or this.”
Cate crossed her legs. “This could be big. Cure levels of big.”
Miko sat as still as stone. “Possibly.”
“If Trev starts unlocking more details, this might be part of it.”
“Maybe,” Miko said. “Doesn’t make sense, though.”
“Why?” I queried.
He faced me, removing his hand to fold his arms. “Because of what Trev said.”
“What if there are two options?” I knew how desperate the alternative sounded. “There are layers and nuances to—” I stopped myself. “Sorry.”
His hand returned to my thigh. “I think the best thing to focus on is leaving London. Get into the countryside, take some time to absorb stuff.”
Will you sneak away one night while we’re all sleeping?
I sighed, leaving that thought in my head. “It’s going to be tricky, especially with these evolving speedies.”
Stars. The tangle of anxiety in my stomach and chest really, really hurt.
This was bad.
Seriously bad.
Miko patted my thigh and got to his feet. His energy seemed to dominate the room, sending flushes of wonderful heat across my skin.
The man held serious power over me—the lustful, fuzzy kind. A power I wanted to go off and explore further with him. Not in this house, but somewhere special, free of death.
Only in your dreams…
“When you’re both ready,” Miko said, “we’ll head out. But I mean both of you.”
“Are you suggesting I would pressure Orion?” Basil countered.
Miko shrugged and left the room.
“Why are you being like this?” I asked.
“Waiting around is irritating,” Basil responded.
“So is your attitude.”
I got up and hurried after my mate, shooting Basil my best irritated glare.
He rolled his eyes.
Miko was just in the hallway beyond the door, looking at a picture of a man and a woman relaxing on sun loungers.
“That’s Blackpool,” he told me.
“Is that north?” I asked. “I think I’ve heard of it before.”
“Yeah. Northwest. My sisters loved the Blackpool Illuminations.”
“What are they?”
“A famous light show, basically. And they loved the funfair on the beach, fish and chips, candy floss on a stick, all of that seaside stuff. There was this one guy who had a shop just off the main drag who spun the best candy floss.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“It was to us. We made so many memories there. Our family holidays pretty much split between there and visiting family in the Philippines.”
I slid an arm around his waist, the physicality between us so easy, so free.
He leaned into my touch. “I’m so happy you’re alright.”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for coming after me.”
“No problem.”
Thump, thump.
Thump, thump.
His body brought me so much comfort, a pleasant tingle racing up and down my spine.
But his sadness hurt me in equal measure.
“What I wouldn’t give to be there with them again.” Miko touched the dusty glass, drawing a line through it. “Give me just one more day. One more day.”
“Miko…”
“I know you can say nobody deserved to be killed by Dawn, but my family…” There was a quiver in his voice, a crack so delicate it reached the epicenter of my soul. “They were…”
“Take your time. I’m here.”
He tensed, so rigid it frightened me. “I wish we could run away.”
“We can if you want.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
But the corner of his mouth lifted into a tiny smile. “Where to?”
“Somewhere hot and beachy.”
“Nice.”
“I can wear my skimpiest shorts.”
“Very nice.”
I pressed myself closer to him, a thousand words on my tongue, every one of them a trigger for a potential argument. I mean, it was all very well to joke about running away, but what if we did? What if we—
“You would’ve loved my family dinners,” Miko said, cutting down my thinking. “God, the fuss they’d have made over you. Especially Dad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Dad was bubbly to the max, a real…liar.” His softness shifted to something darker. “What the fuck did you do?”
For a moment my breath caught in my throat, thinking he was talking to me. Obviously, he wasn’t.
“I have to know, Orion. None of this makes sense. Why him? Why me? What did he do?”
I rubbed his bicep. “I’ll be with you.”
He kept his eyes on the Blackpool picture. “You don’t have to. You can try going home with Basil. Get out of this while you can. You can all…” He shook his head then told me about an argument he’d had with James.
“Good for James,” I responded, heat in my cheeks.
“What?”
“Well, he’s speaking for all of us. I should be yelling in your face myself.”
“Please don’t.”
“I won’t, but if you bring up doing this alone again, I will. I’m a good yeller.”
He smiled. “I know. I remember your drunken outburst back in Haven.”
Stupid earthly alcohol. “Then let that be a lesson to you.” I jabbed his bicep with my finger.
He nodded, still gazing at the picture, saying nothing else.
His heartache hurt me. I couldn’t begin to understand his loss, the absolute horror of having to end his family’s undead lives. He was the only supernatural creature in his family since his great-grandmother. So Dawn had turned them into zombies.
Stars.
“If you ever need to talk, I’m here,” I said.
He nodded.
“I mean it, Miko. You don’t have to carry your pain alone.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t press the issue. I just wanted him to know.
“Appreciate it,” he added.
The elephant in the room sat on my chest. Both of our chests. The journey to Dunstable was happening, no matter this potential development with fae blood. Because answers were up there, not here. Fae blood didn’t tell the story of Miko’s father.
Thump, thump.
Thump, thump.
I would miss that rhythm.
Don’t think like that!
I held myself together, trying to hide another yawn.
“I think you should sleep,” he said softly.
“Not here.”
“We’ve got a bit of a trek ahead of us.”
“I’m fine.” Fatigue crept into my bones. “I’ll sleep later.”
However, after a return to the sofa, I drifted into sleep minutes later.