CHAPTER 23
Astrid
She won’t come out of her room.
Won’t eat. Won’t say anything. Won’t even take the whiskey we left by her door.
Derek gave her one day before punching in his code and storming into her living room.
Her bedroom door was also locked, but that barely slowed Derek.
He flicked on the lights, but she turned them off.
That was the only indication that she was there.
Otherwise, we couldn’t find her. I mean, there wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room, pretty much only the bed.
Derek looked under the bed frame, but she wasn’t hiding under there.
I slide open the closet door and there she is, curled up in the dark. Her eyes are hollow. She’s still wearing the t-shirt from yesterday, hasn't even put on shorts.
“Sparks, it’s time to eat something.” I reach a hand down. “Come on.”
“He can’t see me here,” she mutters. Her phone buzzes from the end table and she flinches, a tear falls down her cheek. “He can’t see me.”
Derek picks up the phone, anger crossing his face.
“What the fuck?!” He scrolls through the texts.
I peek over his shoulder. Photos of Sparks line the text history, some explicit, some not, none of them posed.
I miss you. Sparks riding her motorcycle.
Come outside. Sparks out for a jog. I just want to see you again.
Sparks kissing a stranger. This could have been us.
Another notification, a new text. I snatch the phone from Derek and power it off. He doesn’t need to see that picture. Derek walks into the closet and kneels by her side.
“Kiddo, you need to get up.” Derek tousles her hair. “Time to rejoin society.”
Sparks doesn’t respond, just buries her head in her arms. I go to the kitchen and grab a glass of ice water. I nudge Derek out of the way and sit next to her.
“Drink up, babe.” I extend the glass. No dice. “This is your last warning.” Still nothing.
I use my powers to remove the ice from the glass, leaving the brisk water. I fling the cup at her, splashing her with the chilled liquid. She jerks up, startled to reality by the cold. I grab her hand, forcing her to hold an ice cube.
“Listen, Sparks.” I gesture toward her hand. “This ice, that’s real. It’s frozen in your hand. Feel it. Notice how the cold stings, how it melts and starts to drip off your palm. That’s real. Right here, right now.”
Sparks actually listens to me, studying the ice cube in her fist.
“That guy out there, he doesn’t matter,” I whisper. “You’re here. You’re safe. We’ll protect you. But if you shut down, he wins. If you stop eating, stop taking care of yourself, you are playing into his hands. You’re better than that, baby. Tell me, what does the ice feel like?”
“It hurts,” she says quietly. “It’s really cold.”
“What about these?” I toss her a pair of shorts.
“They’re rough, but the kind of soft that you can only get from well-worn denim.” She squeezes the fabric. “They’re my favorite pair.”
“Put them on.” I brush her hair back, using my powers to dry her off as I do so. “Then let’s go get something to eat.”
Derek follows me, and together we cook a full breakfast for the three of us.
Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit. I smack his hand as he reaches for the coffee machine.
As we set plates out on the bar, Sparks emerges from her bedroom, freshly showered and wearing a complete outfit.
She’s right, those shorts fit her perfectly.
I pass her a plate and she picks at it with her fork.
She pushes the same blueberry across her plate three times.
“Derek, I think we’re out of eggs. Can you go grab some from the kitchen in the common area?” I smile at him sweetly.
“Sure thing.” He ducks out.
“Listen to me, Sparks.” My voice lowers, and her eyes snap up to mine. “You will eat that entire plate or so help me god, I won’t fuck you for a week.”
“That’s not fair,” she protests. Her pleas fall on deaf ears.
“I don’t care.” I shrug. “I’ll sit on your couch wearing nothing but those panties you like, you know the ones, and I’ll touch myself until I scream my own name.”
“I have ways of convincing you to let me play.” She looks at me sultrily, batting her eyelashes as she twirls her hair.
“You know what’s really sexy?” I tease. “What really gets me going?” I drop the fun banter, switching back to seriousness. “You not starving. Eat.”
Perfect timing, Derek walks in with a carton of eggs.
“Wait, there are eggs right here?” He gestures at the counter, confused.
“Oops,” I say bluntly.
He huffs and sets the eggs down. Begrudgingly, Sparks stabs the blueberry and slides the tines of her fork against her teeth.
Slow-moving progress. Licorice jumps on the counter, and Sparks holds her in her lap, still eating with her free hand.
Derek and I help ourselves to breakfast, and soon, all three plates are empty.
Sparks makes a point to show me hers. I roll my eyes.
Derek clears the dishes and Sparks sulks to the couch, laying upside down with her head dangling off the cushions. Suddenly, she bolts up and throws a pillow.
“I can’t do this anymore!” She screams, chucking cushions across the room. “I can’t stay in this lifeless apartment on self-inflicted house arrest. I can’t be followed everywhere I go like a toddler. I’m going crazy.”
“Where do you want to go?” I ask. “Let’s make it happen.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Sparks sniffles. “He’s out there. I can’t do anything without him watching. I used to just hop on my bike and drive wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Now I practically have to ask permission to visit my fucking girlfriend.”
“You and me.” I grab her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Derek protests. “You don’t honestly expect me to be cool with this. It’s dangerous.”
“He’s right.” Sparks slumps her shoulders.
I swear I could see the life drain from her eyes. Maybe this is stupid, maybe it isn’t. Either way, it needs to be done. I walk to the sink and pour myself a very tall glass of water.
“Derek, I want you to know that I’ve really come around to you.” I take a sip of my water, as he looks at me suspiciously. “That’s why I want you to know that I’m sorry.”
He moves abruptly, but he doesn’t stand a chance.
I shape my water into a tendril, whipping it around his wrists.
It freezes, forming a temporary restraint.
I grab Sparks’s hand, yanking her to her feet despite her weakening protests.
Sparks throws her head back laughing as we sprint through the compound.
With each step, a bit more color returns to her skin.
Her security detail follows us to the parking garage, but Sparks sucks the energy from the van battery.
They struggle with the ignition, confused when it won’t start.
“Go, go, go!” I grab my helmet and jump onto the bike behind her, tightening the strap as she peels out of the garage.
The engine purrs as she merges onto the interstate.
Her shoulders finally start to relax. She didn’t grab her helmet, so her hair flies freely in the wind.
It’s been forever since I’ve truly ridden with her.
I’d forgotten the way the open road feels when it’s just us on a bike.
I loosen my grip on her torso, enjoying this nearly as much as Sparks is.
Sparks leans down, pressing her chest against her handlebars.
Without her body to block the wind, it gusts into me unrestricted.
The air pulls at my shirt. I cautiously let go of Sparks, squeezing the motorcycle with my legs.
Feeling more confident, I fling my arms in the air, cheering the adventure.
Sparks sneaks a look back, and I see her chuckle.
She sits back up and I rewrap my arms around her, cherishing our time together.
We drive until we run out of gas and pull over at some greasy truck stop to grab some burgers and milkshakes.
The light returns to Sparks’s eyes. I drip my french fries into my shake as she relentlessly mocks me.
She throws her head back laughing. I take the tip money and fold it into a little origami crane.
She pats its head and slings her jacket over her shoulder.
I straddle her lap as we sit on the motorcycle after we fueled up.
After all, she cleaned her plate. While I wasn’t about to get her off in some random parking lot, I was less opposed to making out.
Sparks nips at my ear, and I let my head roll back.
She grabs the nape of my neck, pulling me back to her lips.
My fingers weave in her hair, and I give her a quick yank.
She gasps, and I use that as my opportunity to slide my tongue in her mouth, dragging it along the edge of her teeth.
Sparks moans, and it takes everything in me to not eat her out on this bike right now.
While I was debating the pros and cons of a public indecency charge, two black SUVs pulled up to the truck stop. They come to a stop in the middle of the parking lot, ignoring the painted lines on the concrete.
“Sparks…” I whisper in warning.
“I see them.” She slides her arm past me, and I use it as leverage to scoot to my side of the seat.
“Get us out of here.” I cling to her waist. She revs the engine and chuckles as their headlights flash.
“This is going to be fun.” I don’t like the sound of that.
Sparks burns out of the parking lot, leaving a rubber tread mark on the asphalt.
As we drive past the first car, she flings out her arm, and flashes of electricity dart to her outstretched hand.
The lights of the first SUV go dim, and Sparks swerves onto the road.
She weaves between traffic, dashing between cars and vans to put distance between us and the second SUV.
The pursuing vehicle has a different approach, bypassing traffic by driving in the ditch along the road.