43. Aspyn
Chapter forty-three
Aspyn
A spyn Aged 21
I read through the email one more time before I press send. I don’t know who Ezy is, but we’ve exchanged several emails since he came out and contacted me over a crystal he found in the street.
He’s sweet and kind, and when I find an email in my inbox, I get the same shivery feeling in my gut that I get when I see Shale, Keagan, or Beau.
I don’t know who he is, but I like having a friend.
A secret friend.
So, why do I feel so guilty?
P resent Day
Sonny follows me down to the oh so familiar beach. There’s an awkwardness about him today that I can’t put my finger on. The lone cop on the island is scanning our surroundings with his usual intensity, but he’s tense. He’s taller than me, with broad shoulders and brown hair that is cut short.
“So, where is Nat?”
“She’s recovering.”
Sonny clears his throat and looks away. I catch sight of Mitch in his van, watching us, too. The unease has my stomach churning. We’ve been back for a day, no, less than that, and we were met by Sonny late last night, who hasn’t let us out of his sight except when he delivered us to the hotel room. He booked it so we wouldn’t have to go deal with the packed up house. It was sweet.
I’m used to this damn island being weird, but this is extra, even for them. I kick my shoes off and leave them on the sand while I walk down to the edge of the water.
My fear throbs at me, and my knees get weak, even standing this close to it has me almost incoherent, but Gael, my only connection to the pack, is out there.
He got up at dawn and said he needed an hour or two.
It’s been thirty minutes, but as soon as he left, I started to panic. So I got ready, and here I stand, watching him ride the waves. The sun is glistening on the aquamarine ocean. Gold highlights on a smooth surface.
All my love playing in everything I fear.
Only the swell further out is any sign of the sea’s turbulent mood. The sand is soft and warm beneath my feet, not yet hot from the day, but no longer cool either. The smell of the salty ocean is softer today. Even the sun feels not quite as bright.
I smile as my hair is picked up by a breeze and whipped past me. Despite everything, it is good to be back.
“How are things going with Mitch?”
Sonny glances at me in surprise. “You knew about it?”
I roll my eyes. “I think everyone knew about it. Is it serious?”
Sonny swallows and shades his eyes to look out at Gael. “It’s serious.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“You are?”
I shrug. “Despite everything, I don’t want people to be unhappy, Sonny. You and I never really had anything to do with each other, but I don’t hate you or wish you ill.”
“Because you never report anything.”
I laugh. “That is true.”
“Where are the others?”
“They’ll be here soon,” I say back, which is the same answer I’ve been giving people since we got here. Why do they keep asking?
They were tense, but they are starting to relax. Gwen has been making comments. I wish her parents didn’t own the hotel. The fear in the air is ebbing, but I ignore them like I always have.
I’m not sure how safe it’s going to be to remain here. The Daane kept them in line.
My enjoyment of the day fades as the throb of the bond inside me reminds me once again of the absent bonds. It’s like a hole inside me. It’s like something that is vital is missing.
The day turns gloomy, and I sit down, my cane tight in my hand, watching Gael, just making sure he’s not going anywhere.
“Hey, you!”
I whip my head around and see Marian from the pub and Omar from the head of the market committee.
I get up carefully, using my cane to balance and wait for them, but when I turn, I find more people. Mitch, Gwen, the two guys the Daane beat up. People I’ve known for years.
Fear rips through me. I’ve been the recipient of mob justice before, I recognise exactly what this is.
“Why did you come back?”
I blink and look around at them all. “This is home.”
“It’s not your home!”
The panic is swirling, but I try to stay calm. I don’t want Gael to rush into this.
“I’ve been here for years. It’s home.”
Gwen spits.
I glance sideways at Sonny, who is still looking out at the ocean. At Gael. He’s not going to help me, I realise in horror.
I turn back to the crowd. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“We don’t want your witchy stuff here.”
“Okay. I won’t do it anymore,” I say weakly.
“You gave the island a bad name.” Omar slaps his leg. The blow is vicious and scares me more than any words so far.
“I will leave as soon as the pack comes back. I’ll leave. Trust me, I don’t want to stay. I will absolutely go. I promise.” I’m shaking and trying desperately to give them the words they need to back off.
“They aren’t coming back for you,” Gwen sneers. “They finally saw the light.”
Her words hit true, bringing up old wounds and ripping them open.
I shift and look over my shoulder, spotting Gael running through the water.
“What’s going on?” he shouts.
Sonny glances back at the group. At me. I’m confused. He reaches for Gael, grabbing his wrist, and slaps a pair of handcuffs on him before Gael can even struggle.
I shove Sonny. “What are you doing?” My voice is shrill, panicked. “Sonny, stop!”
“Gael Dahan, you’re under arrest for the violent assault of one Natalie Livingstone.”
I gape at him for a full second. “Sonny, what are you doing? It wasn’t Gael.”
“I’ve got a witness, and Nat corroborated it.”
I whip my head back in the direction of the hotel. “She would never.”
“Well, she didn’t deny it.”
“Who would? It’s preposterous!”
“We can work this out. Aspyn, just go home. We’ll sort this out, and I’ll be out in a couple of hours,” Gael soothes, glancing at the growing crowd and back at me pointedly.
I feel like screaming.
Sonny and the crowd walk Gael up the beach and disappear. I’m left by the ocean, listening to the water lap at the sand. The sound of water, the sound of my fear.
Where are they? I need them.
T wo more weeks pass, and Gael is not allowed out. No screaming from me or Nat is unlocking that cell. I’m not even allowed to see him.
I’m going out of my mind.
Sonny is getting increasingly hostile and is now refusing to take my calls.
I hobble over to Nat and sit beside her.
“What are we going to do?”
“Call them.”
“With what? All three of our phones disappeared that first night,” I murmur. “No one will let us use a phone. I can’t get to Mitch.”
“They won’t wait much longer. They’ll come and find out what’s happened soon.”
“Do you think so?”
“Babe, the Daane are yours. They always have been. I don’t know what’s keeping them, but they will come, and they will come with guns blazing.” Her optimism is a thing of wonder. I squeeze her hand but wonder how much longer we can survive this.
I know they’re coming, but every day without them has my anxiety rising. What if they don’t come in time? What if something went wrong?
Nat puts a hand on my shoulder and smiles her most evil smile. “I’ve got a new idea to fuck with the town.”
T hey come at night like they’ve come every night since Gael got locked up. A group of guys that I recognise from the island. They come and throw rocks at the windows, yell and scream. Graffiti the outside of the house and break bottles.
They shout about raping us. Beating us up. What they will do to us. The words and insults are almost worse than the property damage.
They come to scare us, to terrify us.
It works.
I sit silently on a chair up the back of the house, glaring at the floor. Nat sits beside me, a baseball bat clenched in her white-knuckled hold.
Neither of us say a sound.
We listen.
They wreak havoc, and then they slink away before the sun rises.
And I send into the world the same question now that I have every night.
“Where are the Daane?”
Nat squeezes my hand and puts her head against her knees and starts to cry. She’s learned to be afraid. I hate that for her.
My anger grows, and I decide that I’ve had enough.