Chapter 28
“Fuck.”
Ursuline’s voice rang through the room, stirring me from slumber.
I rubbed at my bleary eyes, my whole body aching after the intense fuck last night.
My cock was hard as a rock, which felt foreign after having it caged up for so long.
In a way, I missed being in chastity for them.
Maybe we could explore it more if we found our way out of this mess.
They were sitting up beside me, hunched forward, their phone to their ear. Their face looked stricken, concerned. “We’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Panic shot through me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, pushing myself up from the comfort of the mattress. Ursuline radiated a nervous edge, which was unlike them.
“Jason called,” they said. “He said he’s got urgent information for me. Something he wasn’t able to share over the phone.”
I placed a hand over theirs and squeezed. Already I sensed what was at the heart of their concern. “About your family.”
“If he can’t tell me over the phone…” They worried their lower lip.
The news couldn’t be good. That much was true.
“We’ve got to go,” I said, sliding off the bed. My feet landed on the floor, and I made my way to my bag for a fresh set of clothing, which was limited. “Where does Jason want to meet?”
“Haven’s too obvious,” Ursuline said. “Guaranteed, Triton will have people lurking nearby. So we agreed upon Starlight Diner in the center of town. It’s busy enough that we can use the buffer of the public in our favor.”
“And then come straight back here?” I asked, curiosity rising in me. Ursuline’s jaw was clenched, their look a bit faraway.
“I’ll have to chance my apartment,” they murmured. “I need to get a few files from there, and I can’t delay any longer. However, I’ll make sure you’re safe here first.”
I crossed my arms and fixed them with a look. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”
Ursuline glanced up, their wan smile wavering. “Can’t be dissuaded?”
“You’re stuck with me,” I said, confidence building inside me that I hadn’t felt with anyone else. In the past with partners, I’d back down, unsure of their true feelings or if they’d find me a bother.
Meanwhile, Ursuline called me “sunshine.”
They treated me like I mattered.
I wouldn’t leave them to face this by their lonesome.
“Thank you,” they said as they slipped on a tunic and then leaned in to press a kiss to my cheekbone.
They glided to the attached bathroom, and the water from the faucet sounded a second later.
I popped on my boots, my mind whirling with what Jason might tell us.
I’d been to the Starlight Diner before with Jason, even though it was in an area my parents didn’t approve of me going.
Their approval stretched over a few choice sectors on the outskirts of Peregrine City and the mansions of their friends, which was a paltry experience at best.
Ursuline stepped out of the bathroom looking perfectly presentable, their hair slicked back, their tunic neat. All the sharp lines and edges reminded me of the armor they always donned for the outside world.
They’d need it more than ever today.
I slipped into the bathroom and relieved myself, then brushed my teeth. I didn’t bother doing anything else, mostly because I’d somehow end up making a mess anyway. When I stepped out, Ursuline waited at the door, humming, humming, humming.
“I let Amelia know we were leaving,” they said, a smaller bag slung over their shoulder. “Starlight Diner is a few subway stops from here.”
We exited the room in haste, and I didn’t even peer through the open doors we passed by, since Ursuline moved with enough rapid purpose that I worried I’d fall behind.
They ran a card at the elevator, followed by a thumbprint, and we descended to the lower levels of the Spires.
The place sprawled out before us, rich red carpeting, swords on the wall, and deep golden and bronze embellishments that seemed antiquated compared to the jangling slot machines lighting up throughout.
Yet all the flashing lights whirred by in our hurry, until we plunged out of the casino and onto the streets.
The second we stepped outside, my nerves jangled.
I hadn’t forgotten the pursuit from the other night, the way Triton’s men had hunted us down. And now they could be lurking anywhere in the city, waiting to drag us back to the manor. Or…worse.
My skin prickled despite the bright sunlight beaming down on us, and a shiver ran down my spine as we coasted along the sidewalks, en route to the light rail stop.
My heart thump, thump, thumped as we passed dozens of people strolling through the city, going about their day.
No one paid us any mind, no furtive glances or staggered steps, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, whether it was real or remembered.
“What will we do if the news is bad?” The question slipped out unbidden, even though I handled a live grenade.
Ursuline slowed down the slightest bit, their shoulders hitched. “Keep moving forward. It’s all I can do at this point.”
I swallowed hard. Their resilience was something I envied, even if I hated their need for it in the first place. “One day, we’ll be able to stop.”
They glanced back to me, a heartbreaking sadness in their eyes. “That’s a beautiful dream.”
We halted in front of the light rail, and the subway car came barreling our way with thunderous force. It stopped in an explosion of screeches, and the doors zipped open. I hopped on, and Ursuline followed me, casting a wary glance over their shoulder.
“Are we clear?” I asked as the doors closed.
“Yeah,” they said. “I thought I caught some extra stares back there, but no one who boarded with us.”
Cold water trickled down my spine. No freedom existed while Frederick pursued us like this.
We’d have to fight for it tooth and nail.
The subway shot off on the rails, and I clutched the cold metal pole, my mind whirring.
From the second I’d woken up today, we’d set into motion, and I’d barely been able to process everything that had shifted last night.
“Are we dating?” I blurted out and then clapped my hand over my mouth. “Shit, that’s a terrible question right now.”
Ursuline shook their head, a faint grin on their lips. “Not terrible. I’ll cling onto any good thing I can.” Their tentacle wound around my leg. “And I’m proud to claim you as mine.”
My heart thrummed. Despite all the unknowns facing us, how at any minute this temporary bliss could be dashed, I’d take this one beautiful moment.
The subway car screeched to a halt, but Ursuline shook their head. “Next stop.”
Once a few people had shuffled off, it zipped forward again in a cacophony of whines and screeching metal.
“Do you miss the paintings you left behind?” Ursuline asked.
I chewed on my lower lip. “A little? They represented pieces of my journey to get here. And I had one very clear source of inspiration.” I met their gaze, and their eyes softened.
Ursuline brushed a thumb across my lower lip. “If I have it my way, you’ll have the opportunity to create thousands more.”
“What does that entail?” I asked, hope stirring inside me. I ached for a future with them, more than I could express.
Before Ursuline could answer, the subway slammed to a halt at our stop, and they let out a sigh. “Let’s go. Starlight Diner is a block away from here.”
Disappointment thudded in my chest, because once we stepped outside, the cozy bubble of conversation vanished. Nerves returned, along with the awareness that Triton’s men would be prowling the city. Waiting for us.
The sign for Starlight Diner stood out at the end of the block, navy blue and white, and the silver accents on the exterior of the building glinted in the sunlight.
Ursuline and I walked along at as fast a pace as possible—not that we’d be able to relax even in the diner—but I wasn’t sure if the desperation was for cover or answers.
A little bit of both.
A heaviness settled over me, a foreboding I couldn’t explain.
We were walking into bad news, but the ever-present danger of our current situation rolled in like storm clouds.
My phone sat heavily in my pocket, turned off for the moment to avoid tracking.
I’d also avoided checking it because I didn’t want to see the messages my parents were guaranteed to have sent.
The only thing they cared about was business, and I’d botched their biggest deal.
I stepped in front of the Starlight Diner, and when I opened the door, the casual murmur of conversation mixed with the scent of berries and bread.
The interior featured a navy-blue ceiling studded with softly glowing yellow lights, like stars, and the black vinyl booths with their silvery, almost mirror-esque tables created the perfect ambiance.
It didn’t take more than a moment to spot Jason in the back, his preferred spot when he was out in public.
He hunched deeper than normal, his tentacles twitching as he stared at the surface of a mug. My heart thumped hard, and I reached over to interlace my fingers with Ursuline’s. Whatever he had to tell us, I could guarantee it wouldn’t be good.
“Jason,” Ursuline announced as we stepped up to the booth.
He looked up at last, his face stricken. “I ordered teas.”
I slipped into the seat across from him first and placed my hands around the porcelain mug, clinging to the warmth. The furls of steam tickled my nose.
Ursuline didn’t touch their tea. They withdrew their hand from mine and balled theirs into fists, the whites of their knuckles visible. “What is going on?”
Jason’s brow line drew together, his black eyes filled with pain. “They’re dead,” he said without preamble. “You asked me to check on your family when I went down…”
Ursuline’s shoulders stiffened. “But I just got a letter a month ago.”
Oh no.
The pieces started to click together, far too fast.
Jason shook his head, one of his tentacles twitching. “It wasn’t written by them…”