20. Riley
RILEY
T onight was a night for dangerous decisions.
I’d thought so long on the random appearance of the female in the rose garden, of her power, her ability, how Sly had never seen her. I’d toiled over the whispered words she’d spoken, of Raya’s death foretold like a prophecy, but it seemed more like a warning instead. Then, last night had happened, and I considered everything I saw a gift. Perhaps our goddess Omni favoured me, showing a small bit of mercy for all I had sacrificed to be in this position. Either way, I took it seriously and spent all last night after Sly had taken me back to my room and most of today forming a plan to protect Raya and gain myself an advantage at the same time. The knowledge I’d acquired would be something I could leverage. It may be the only way to keep her safe.
It was why I was now slinking through the streets, keeping to the shadows instead of staying locked away in my room. It had been difficult to leave undetected by guards, even more so to move quieter than the deathly silence that smothered the city on the nights of the thinning.
But I’d remembered so many valuable things in the quiet of this week, even if I dared not touch part of the answer I knew was sitting in the vent of my room. I tried not to think about it right now. Raya might even be proud of my risky solution to our problems, though I didn’t plan to tell her. I couldn’t tell her. The less others knew, the better. It was just the way this city worked. For now, at least.
I hadn’t even whispered a word to Sly, knowing he would hate it. I intended to execute it myself and show him the prize once all was said and done.
Zander had told me that these four nights per year were significant to us here at the Haven, as he had the most potent line of communication with our Goddess Omni. For these four nights, I’d watched him follow the same, pedantic ritual now so enmeshed into my own mind.
Step one was to shower for thirty minutes, washing only with soap that smelled of roses. Then, he would anoint candles as well as his body with rose oil to strengthen his connection through the ambience and tranquillity of his environment. Step three: he would dress in all white, soft linens rather than his usual business suit.
I personally didn’t mind the smell of roses, and their beauty was undeniable, but the aroma wafting from his room was as sickly and suffocating as his obsession with them. I sucked in a slow breath, the smell of spices an instant comfort and sign I’d made it to the Outer Ring unnoticed.
I’d been a good Rose of the Haven and listened tonight as he declared again that roses vibrated with the frequency of love, that there was nothing purer to offer our God Omni for her dedication to our city.
Zander became fixated on many things, but his obsession with beauty outlasted them all. He so desperately surrounded himself with things he found beautiful, one of the few things I so often tried to wield.
This entire city was curated to please our Goddess Omni, in the hopes he would receive guidance from her when they met in his dreams. On nights like tonight, with his more potent connection, I knew he would be asleep for longer, especially after he inhaled his special herbal smoke to facilitate his connection.
I jumped to the ground with a thud and bolted down the path leading towards the edge of the desert. The tube station drew near, now dark and still for the night, and I used the opportunity to lean against it to pause and catch my breath.
Tonight, I’d taken a calculated risk. I’d weighed it up against the slow progress of my relationship with Zander and his lack of trust in me, the looming threat of Raya’s foretold death hanging over my head. Even if I didn’t truly understand or know what that experience was or meant, I couldn’t ignore it. If I didn’t act and something happened to Raya, I would never survive it. It would destroy me. It would mean everything I’d ever done was worthless. It would mean I was worthless.
“What are you doing?” A velvety voice startled me, and a dark figure stepped out from the shadows of the tube.
I inhaled a sharp breath, slowly allowing myself to breathe again when I recognised Sly. Why hadn’t I heard him? Not good enough, Riley.
“You scared me,” I said, placing my hand over my racing heart. An ache was forming there, and I rubbed my hand in circles to soothe its intensity.
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing?” he asked curiously, carefully watching my expression. He was cautious. I hadn’t told him.
“I needed some air and a walk around. Have you been following me all night?”
He took another short step forward, his blue eyes piercing me. “Yes. You didn’t tell me you were leaving.”
I ignored his comment.
“Why?” It was a demand disguised as a question. I was surprised he’d even seen me; I’d waited for him to leave for the Inner Ring’s broader perimeter check before I’d made my descent.
When I didn’t answer, he continued. “I was worried, and I wanted to see where you would go. I just didn’t think you would be so rash as to head towards the desert on the night our shield thinned, least of all with no one to protect you.” His brow furrowed as he spoke in confusion and disbelief.
I smiled darkly, drawing one of my hands behind my back to tap lightly on my gun in reassurance whilst I slowly edged towards him. “What makes you think someone like me was stupid enough to come unprepared?” I mocked him in return, confirming the area was empty around us. The shield hadn’t thinned just yet but everyone had long since bunkered down.
Then I lunged at him.
I wouldn’t be pulling my gun on him. I wasn’t here to kill him. He needed to be shown that I was not just an object of desire, but someone with power and cunning. A female who could hold her own.
Hook, jab, kick, elbow. We traded blows back and forth, him mostly on the defensive but pushing me forward until I was teetering on the edge of the platform before it dropped down to the tube tracks.
I laughed at the pinched expression on his face; clearly, I was still in okay form, as he worked hard to block the fury of my blows. I pushed him back until I stumbled. He blocked my roundhouse kick with no effort and then disappeared.
I looked around in disbelief, spinning left and right, my fists still raised to cover my face and my eyes tracking the space around me.
There was nothing. He was gone, and everything was quiet again.
I frowned, carefully keeping my fists raised whilst I rotated on the spot to scan my surroundings. Something was distinctly off. An Omega couldn’t just disappear like that.
After several long moments where I saw and sensed nothing, I knew I had to decide to keep moving. I could see in the distance that the time for action was close.
My arms dropped to hang at my sides, and I turned back towards the archway, the desert now visible between its stone walls.
Strong arms grabbed me suddenly from behind, dragging me backwards. I knew who it was; there was no mistaking his scent. I kicked out, trying to use my weight to throw him off balance, but he moved us, tackling me to the ground, pinning me beneath him.
“Yield,” he ordered.
“How did you do that?” I huffed out, blowing strands of my hair up off my face. His grip on my body was both determined and unrelenting.
“Yield.” Sly’s voice was a low and deadly rumble, causing my body to relax beneath him and an unwanted flutter to spring to life in my core. Goosebumps rose on my skin.
“You didn’t answer my question. How did you do that?” I was impatient tonight, eager to put this task behind me.
His chest vibrated against my back when he chuckled in response. “I’ll tell you a secret if you tell me one of yours.”
A dangerous proposition for a female who held many. “You first.” His grip relaxed around my body, and I rolled off him and lifted myself up to face him.
He glanced around us, checking again for observers, though we both knew there was none. He was clearly unable to step away from his role as a guard. Gratefully, he never allowed me to forget it either, something my body didn’t want to understand.
“Not here. In there.” He pointed towards one of the tube carts. The transport system itself was hop off and hop on to enable the Outer Ring residents to jump on for a few minutes at a time to get to their destination, increasing their productivity. The sight of it made me bitter.
Sly ducked into the dark cart and grabbed my hand to guide me. His rough hands gently caressed my skin, and terrible thoughts of all the other ways these hands could be touching me bloomed in my mind.
He guided me down to a seat, the leather cushion squeaking when he took his seat beside me. The air was stuffy and smelly, like sweat clung to every surface and had penetrated the interiors of the cart.
I waited patiently until he sighed, resigned.
“I am half-Omega and half-Gifted. My ability is that I can become invisible at will. I found out the day I turned twenty. I’d presented late as an Omega, and then my skin began to become transparent at night. I had to take a whole two weeks off work to try and get it under control. It took me even longer to master.”
“You would be sent to the Outer Ring if he found out.” I was blunt, but I was honest. He would lose his position and be cast to the Outer Ring to either work beneath the Benefactors or in our defence.
“Yes, and I don’t want to live in the Outer Ring.” His voice was firm and matter of fact. I turned towards the heat of his body, irritated by his disregard for where I’d grown up.
“There is freedom beyond the hedge, joy to be found in community.”
“Maybe, but I have a purpose now within the Inner Ring.”
“And what is your purpose?” I asked curiously as I lazily fumbled around with the few rings on my fingers.
“To help take care of you, Riley.”
I scoffed. I could have cringed, even moreso when I waited for him to tell me he wasn’t serious. But the silence seemed to stretch on. The sandy dunes on the opposite side of the darkened carriage snagged my attention, warning me that time was running out.
“How noble of you, Sly. Do I look like I need taking care of?”
Distance was needed between us. No matter how much I thought I wanted someone to hold me, I knew, inherently, that I would push it away.
He pulled my fumbling hand over to rest on his knees, holding it within his own, his thumb rubbing soothing motions over my skin. It was a small, strange comfort I hadn’t been given much of in my life. “You are clearly independent, Riley, but I quite enjoy spending time with you. I haven’t experienced that joy in a very long time.”
I closed my eyes at his omission and focused on the soothing back and forth of his skin touching my own as roars echoed from the expanse. His words served as a reminder that very few of us in the Haven were untouched by loss and heartache. Sometimes, the only thing keeping us moving forward was focusing on a reason, no matter how singular or small.
“I want to help you,” he reassured me, and I breathed in his confidence, allowing it to bolster me. I’d never truly had anybody, too mistrustful to allow anyone in.
But maybe, for once, I could try.
“Fine.” The words were gritted out, but they were an approval for him to carry on as he wished. I didn’t need him to protect me at all, but maybe he did. I turned back to stare towards him in the darkness. “I suppose it’s my turn to share why I’ve come out here tonight,” I said as my mind began to transform my plan. “But first, I want to know whether you could make me invisible alongside you. Your skill may come in handy.”
Yes, I would try to allow someone in, but at the very least, I would ensure I benefitted from it.
Brilliant white teeth gleamed back at me in the dark.