Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lia
Bodies surround Leo, kicking him as he lies helpless on the floor. I try to move, to reach him, but my feet won’t budge.
“Leo!” I yell. “Hold on!”
He’s drifting farther and farther away, no matter how fast I run.
“Don’t hurt him!” I cry.
“Lia, wake up.”
I blink awake, groggy and disoriented, the remnants of sleep still dragging at my thoughts.
“Are you okay? I caught flashes of your dream,” Kylo says.
“I’m fine,” I say, brushing it off.
“We’re stopping here for the night,” Carter says as he hops out of the truck. “No one should find us here. It’s secluded.”
We’re surrounded by towering evergreens that block out most of the light. Only slivers of moonlight slip through the canopy, casting faint silver patterns across the forest floor.
A handful of stars glimmer overhead, reminding me how far away from everything I am.
The area is quiet.
The kind of quiet that makes me feel both hidden and hunted.
Zayne opens the bed of the truck. “I’ve got tents and supplies.”
Carter drops a crate with a grunt. “Let’s set up camp, then go somewhere to eat.”
Kylo flicks his wrist, and the next one lifts out of the truck bed and lands beside him.
Show-off.
His mouth twitches.
I hug my arms around myself, trapping what little warmth I can. The four of us set up tents in silence, and Carter starts a fire using the wood Zayne pre-packed. I drop down beside the flames, rubbing my hands together until my skin tingles.
Kylo pulls me into him, his body heat seeping into mine.
Slowly, the shivers fade.
“We’re not too far from a store and a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants.” Carter brushes dirt from his hands. “We should grab something hot to eat. Maybe pick up warmer clothes while we’re at it.”
I glance at the tent, the fire, the effort we made. “What about our campsite?”
Zayne turns, the fire casting faint shadows across his tired face. “I’ll stay and keep watch. I’ve got enough food packed and extra layers.”
I don’t know Zayne as well as Carter or Kylo because he keeps his distance. But I know he just lost Marco, a good friend—betrayal or not. Now, he’s choosing to stay behind alone, and I worry he shouldn’t.
“Zayne will manage,” Kylo says.
Carter claps Zayne on the shoulder. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”
After we finish shopping, I change in the store bathroom, pulling on a hoodie, a knit beanie, and insulated boots. The warmth is immediate, and I exhale in relief.
Kylo emerges a few minutes later in his own beanie and hoodie, all black, of course. Somehow, he still looks like a walking threat, even dressed for snow.
“Does Waffle Shop sound good for dinner? It’s low-key,” Carter asks.
“I’d eat anything right now,” I tell him.
Inside the cozy little diner, we take a booth in the corner. I order waffles, eggs, and potatoes. I haven’t eaten since morning.
Kylo and Carter stack their order with pancakes, omelets, sausage, and extra toast. My own small feast feels a little less ridiculous.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Kylo asks Carter between bites.
“Elijah’s changing the rendezvous point to Seattle. He’s gathered his people. They’re ready to fight the Aether Hunters.”
“Is there another compound?” I ask.
“We’ve confirmed the Aether Hunters have their own compound near Seattle. Since Marco compromised us, we’re changing tactics. We skip recon entirely. This is a direct assault.”
“Do you think they’ll take Leo there?”
“The probability is high. Leo is too skilled and too well-trained to simply be discarded. My guess? They’ll keep him alive long enough to use him. That buys us time.”
I can’t bring myself to imagine what that time will cost Leo.
“We’re going to make them pay,” Kylo says beside me as he squeezes my hand under the table. “Every last one of them.”
“How far are we from Seattle?”
“We’re in Payette National Forest,” Carter says. “We had to switch locations. Marco knew our original plan, and he wouldn’t expect us to come to Idaho.”
“Seattle’s about eight hours away,” Kylo adds.
That’s what separates me from Leo. He’s possibly being tortured while I sit here surrounded by syrup and comfort I don’t deserve.
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Kylo says.
“Do what?” Carter asks, looking between us.
“She’s comparing her situation to Leo’s.”
“Leo knew what he was doing. He wanted them to capture him.” Carter says it so casually that I lean in, unsure if I heard him right.
“What? Why?”
“He can’t tell you that,” Kylo says, shooting Carter a warning look.
Carter holds up his hands. “I’m not revealing anything specific. But Lia deserves to know that Leo made a deliberate choice.”
The untouched food on my plate sits there as I try to piece it all together. “Why would he do that?”
“I can’t give you the answers you want.” Carter lifts his fork. “That’s how this works. You won’t know until you’re meant to.”
Easy for him to say when he has the answers.
“Does his decision have anything to do with Marco?” I ask.
Carter needs to give me something.
“Not even close. Zayne said when Marco ambushed him, Marco told him we made the wrong call choosing you and Leo over him and Abel.”
Oh. “Carter, I’m sorry—”
“This isn’t your fault,” he interrupts.
“They can fuck off,” Kylo adds.
“Let’s discuss our plan of attack,” Carter says, shifting the conversation right as the waitress passes with drink refills, asking if we need anything.
Sweet syrup hits my senses, and my stomach growls.
“After we eat.” Kylo digs into his waffles. He takes a massive bite and groans in satisfaction, eyes fluttering closed for a second.
Kylo makes eating waffles look like a sin. He’s so effortlessly hot, it’s annoying.
“Want a taste?” His voice slips into my head, teasing and smooth. “Maybe I’ll take some syrup to go and see how it pairs with something sweeter.”
Goosebumps rise uninvited as his gaze scorches through me.
“I can’t hear you,” Carter deadpans, “but I can definitely see you.”
Kylo shrugs. “I’m thinking about what I’ll be having for dessert.”
My jaw nearly falls to my plate.
Did he just say that? In front of Carter?
My cheeks flame.
Kylo smirks. “Believe it, beautiful.”
He takes another bite of his waffle like he didn’t rewire half my nervous system.
Carter shakes his head, clearly regretting every life decision that brought him to this table. “We’ll run through the rest of the plan once we’re back at camp and get Zayne up to speed.”
Kylo and I both nod, though mine’s more of a please-look-anywhere-but-at-me kind of nod.
“I hope you’re ready. I plan on devouring every desperate sound you make when I ruin you in that tent later.”
I nearly choke on a piece of food.
“Cut it out,” I hiss. “Your brother is sitting right there.”
Kylo grins wider, his damn dimple mocking me.
I stab at my food, pretending it’ll distract me. But his words work like a charm. His smirk is pure mischief, and his eyes hold a kind of magic that leaves me defenseless.
I sit inside my tent, tucked beneath the hush of night. A few lanterns cast a soft circle of light around me, barely holding back the dark.
Every second Leo is gone matters. If there’s even a chance I can find him, I have to try.
Crossing my legs, I close my eyes and apply the breathing techniques Carter taught me.
Please let this work.
I cast my consciousness out, and it’s swept up—spun into a hurricane.
Grief. Rage. Laughter. Joy.
I’m laughing, smiling, sobbing.
I force my way through the crush of strangers, shaking with the strain of their emotions.
Not him. Not him. Not him.
I push harder, past the cacophony of lonely sparks and dying embers.
Warmth trickles from my nose, but I don’t pull back.
A faint tingle creeps through my limbs, a current winding up my spine. Familiar warmth unfurls.
Leo.
Fear and wrath slam through the link between us. My shoulders tense under pain that isn’t mine. Exhaustion follows, bone-deep, dragging me under like I haven’t slept in days.
“Leo. If you can hear me—if you can feel this—we’re coming for you.”
A shadowed figure appears in front of me. I startle, my hand flying up to clutch my collarbone.
Kylo crouches in front of me. “What are you doing?”
“Recovering from a near heart attack.”
“I’ve been here for a while. You were too busy—” He scans the space with a skeptical look. “Channeling the spirits or something?”
I glance around and laugh. It does look weird. “I felt Leo.”
He takes a seat beside me. “How?”
“I don’t know. I tried to find him telepathically, but felt his presence instead.”
His hands frame my face. “You never fail to surprise me. But don’t push yourself like that again.” He wipes beneath my nose with his sleeve. “This is what happens when you do.”
“Maybe it worked because we’re twins?”
“I think it worked because you were hell-bent on finding him. Mind over matter. That’s how telepaths are wired.”
“But I didn’t hear him. I felt him.”
If I did it once, I can do it again.
“I need to keep trying,” I say quickly. “What if I can reach him again and send another message?”
“You’d leave Leo vulnerable.”
“How? Knowing where he is will help him.”
“Think about it, Lia. He’s alive because they need him. He’s a vision seeker. The telepaths could torture him until he drops his shield, then dig into his mind for whatever visions they’re after. If you’re also trying to breach that shield, you’ll weaken him.”
“I thought shielders’ minds were impenetrable unless they choose to drop their shield?”
“Not against a telepath as ruthless as Joaquin.”
Hearing Kylo say his name puts me on high alert.
Block your thoughts. Don’t think about it.
But if Joaquin gets his hands on Leo…
“What if they already broke into his mind? We have to go. We need—”
“I know you want to move, but we can’t. Not yet. We stick to the plan.”
“I can’t lose him. If something happens to him before we get to him—”
He places his hand on the middle of my back. “Take a deep breath.”
I fidget with the zipper again. I hate this—waiting, feeling useless, stuck.
He taps my temple. “You planning to live in there, or…?”
A laugh slips out. “I can’t turn them off.”