24. Lea
24
LEA
M y eyes fluttered open slowly.
I looked around, finding myself in unfamiliar territory. I couldn’t remember what happened or how I had gotten here. I could have mistaken it for a dream if not for the man standing with his back to me.
I jumped up suddenly, feeling the aching soreness riddling my body. I hissed sharply, grabbing my ribs.
The man turned around to face me.
His warm brown eyes searched mine. “Try not to move, you'll strain yourself.”
Emory Blake.
“What happened to me?” I demanded, sounding angrier than I meant to.
He calmly took a breath and leaned against the counter behind him, crossing his arms. “You really don't remember anything?”
Flashes of fire and the feeling of heat against my face ran through my mind.
I closed my eyes, remembering the horrified face of a woman stuck under a burning piece of wood. I could even remember the sensation of the burning wood biting into my fingers and the fire singeing me. I looked down at my hands only to see how burnt they were. “Someone burned the city to the ground…”
“Not someone . You know who it was,” he corrected me, his voice sterner now.
My eyes darted up to him sharply, dropping the facade of ignorance. “Diesel.”
He smiled and gave me a nod of approval before turning back to the counter and pouring something into a glass. “Here. Drink this. It’s bitter than all hell, but it’ll help heal your wounds.”
He handed me the glass of auburn liquid, and I accepted, holding onto it with both my hands.
I peered hesitantly into the glass. “Looks like whiskey. Are you sure you aren’t just trying to get me drunk? Though, I might just prefer that over being sober right now,” I laughed humorlessly, wincing at the sudden aches it incited.
Damn, Diesel really did a number on me, I thought as even that little laugh was enough to make every part of my body protest violently. He did a number on the whole city.
A part of my heart broke for those people, but they had money to rebuild. It wouldn’t be like if Diesel had burned down Dask. Besides, I had a more important task at hand. I couldn’t be distracted by a privileged city.
The anger welled up inside of me, but this time it felt dishonest—like I was fanning a flame for the sake of turning a blind eye.
That’s who I am now. Deal with it.
“You look torn, Lea,” Emory observed, his voice was deep and smooth.
Hearing my name from someone else’s mouth gave me a shock. I didn’t know how to feel about it. On one end, it was revitalizing, but on the other, I had a sense of misidentification. “That’s not who I am anymore.”
“I hope that’s not true. The person I met before was strong and kind. The world would be at a loss without you in it.” He glared down at me with his dark brown eyes, as if it was supposed to sway my opinion.
I looked away, sneering at the very idea. “Well, sorry to disappoint. I’m here for one reason, and one reason alone: to destroy Diesel and exact my revenge on Jax. There is nothing else left of Lea.”
His face didn’t change. He didn’t scold me, or voice a retort. He simply leaned his head to the side. He didn’t need to speak. His expression said it all.
“Don’t look at me like that. You obviously changed, too, considering I don’t even recognize you, but you recognized me. If you want to worry about something, worry about that.”
I thought I had him. The triumph swelled in my bones, and I even managed to raise my chin past its natural angle.
His head dropped as his eyes scanned the floor. Then he moved toward me and took a seat on the table right in front of the couch I was sitting on.
“This change was done to me, I had no power over it. I’m still the same person on the inside, though. My alias is for my protection, but it’s not who I am. I’m still the man I was…who met you in prison all those years ago.”
My mind ran at the speed of light, too fast to catch a single thought.
My heart was pounding so loudly that I could barely hear anything else.
Someone I met in prison?
“At the time, you knew me as Miller.”
The words lingered in the air between us.
My breath hitched in my lungs, and my blood ran ice cold.
What should I say? What should I do? I don’t know how to feel about ? —
My mind abruptly went quiet at the sensation of something running down my chilled cheek. It was a tear that might as well have been on fire.
I quickly wiped it away and looked down at my wet fingers as another teardrop fell.
Then all the other feelings came rushing through me at once.
It felt like he had reached out, grasped my heart, and started squeezing it until it burst.
“I thought—” The words were weak and didn’t amount to half of what I wanted to convey. “But you died…”
He gave me a pained smile, and shook his head slowly. “I didn’t. After that day, they dragged me away to be tortured and killed by General Achlys, but when I didn’t die so easily, she thought of a better use for me… Trust me, there were times when I wished for the release of death. I was taken to a dungeon—some sort of lab where they were testing illegal potions.”
My eyes went wide as soon as I realized what he was talking about.
Was he once trapped in Facility B in the underbelly of Jax’s company?
His eyes dropped down to his folded hands as he began ringing out his fingers. “I was there for years before I was able to escape. By that time, though, I was hardly recognizable anymore. The ingredients and potions I was fed altered me right down to my genetics.”
He took a step toward me, wiping his hand down his face, causing it to transform. He went from looking like a common-looking magical being to a frightening one. His familiar brown eyes had become a spiraling silver nightmare.
What terrible kinds of potions could have changed him so drastically?!
His face was now gaunt, his eyes sunken into his skull, his cheekbones sharp and protruding, with hundreds of little white scars peppered all over his discolored skin. He was even taller and considerably bulkier now. They’d turned him into a beast…
He ran his palm across his face again, replacing the disguise. He was Emory again, those familiar earthy eyes studying me carefully, as if he expected me to start screaming, or outright tell him he was a monster.
But all I could think was how happy I was that he’d been alive all this time. It didn’t matter how much he had changed, that he survived and made it out was what was most important.
My bottom lip quivered.
I reached forward, placing my hand over his to stop him from fidgeting, ignoring the discomfort I felt from the burns. His disbelieving gaze followed my hand, then looked up at me in utter astonishment.
“I'm so sorry that happened to you, but I’m glad you showed those bastards they can’t break you, despite everything they did to you,” I murmured, feeling something between rage and relief bubbling within my chest. “Had I known you were still alive, I would have come looking for you.”
“You didn't have to. Fate brought us together just like she did the first time.” I felt my heart squeeze as the look in his eyes softened. “Please drink the potion. I know you must be in a great deal of pain.”
I gave him an uneven nod before bringing the glass to my lips. I allowed the liquid to simply touch my tongue at first. It was unbelievably bitter, but I could taste the magical properties within it. I trusted that whatever was in this glass would heal me quickly… Or maybe it was just that I trusted him .
I gulped down the rest as quickly as I could, ignoring the urge to spit it back out.
As I breathed in deeply, my nostrils felt like they were on fire.
I shook my head sharply at the terrible taste and sensations, but instantly regretted it.
My body screamed at me to stop moving. So, I decided to stay perfectly still, allowing the potion to take hold. “I remember you said you were somewhat of a potion connoisseur before you were captured and thrown in prison.”
“You sound surprised,” he chuckled lightly, the sound of it sending waves of heat coursing through my blood—or maybe it was the potion’s effects spreading through my body.
“If I've learned anything from having to work with highly paid Potionists, it's that none of them deserve to be there. It’s just that I’ve never actually met anyone truly competent—or useful—in a long while.”
“Is that Lea talking, or Emma?”
The question caught me off guard. I tilted my head and forced a smile. “What difference does that make now?”
“It makes a world of difference to me.” His voice went quiet as he leaned in closer.
The unruly thing in my chest began pattering with excitement. It wasn't something I was used to it doing anymore.
I didn't know how to react. So, I held completely still, and allowed him to take hold of my face.
His hands were rough and calloused as they caressed my cheeks.
My eyelids fluttered closed, as if my lashes had suddenly become too heavy to hold up.
My lips parted slightly, letting out a gentle breath.
My senses were heightened, and I could hear the way his heart was pounding against his rib cage.
“If I'm going to kiss you, let Lea be the one to receive it, no one else,” he whispered, his soft words cascading against my mouth as he hovered less than an inch away.
My eyes opened suddenly, and the rage boiled up in my throat, as if Emma was trying to crawl out of me and strangle him for saying that.
But I didn't want to hurt him. I nodded my head slowly and closed my eyes again.
Even if it's just for a moment. I want to be that young girl with hope again. Is that really so bad?
There was a spark of electricity between our lips right before he pressed his mouth to mine.
His hands moved from either side of my face to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair as he pulled me deeper into the kiss.
I had never been kissed like this before. The only person I had ever kissed in my life was Jax, and the time it had meant something to me was too long ago. I hardly remembered how it’d made me feel back then, but I knew it hadn’t been anything like I was feeling now.
This kiss was kind and tender. It was given freely without a hint of demand—without an expectation to get anything more out of it. This was what a kiss was supposed to feel like. It tasted of raw acceptance, light, and promise. Things I’d once only been able to dream of.
My hands found his chest and moved up to cling to his shoulders.
I almost allowed myself to be taken over by the feeling of the kiss, of him, but my mind was flooded with thoughts of Diesel and Jax. I imagined them smirking at me as if they had won simply because I had given in to Lea’s wants for a mere moment.
I pushed him off me. “I'm sorry. I can't…”
I can't be Lea for you. That girl is dead and gone. She has been for a long time now.
“I understand. I appreciate you trying for my sake,” he said softly, forcing a smile to his face before standing up. “How are you feeling?”
I looked down at my hands, realizing the burns had cleared up.
My body also no longer ached.
My ribs even felt like they were in the right place again.
“I feel better than I have in a long time.” I brought myself to my feet slowly.
“That's good to hear. If you're feeling up to it, I have something to show you.” He glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes cold now. It was as if he had given way to whatever dark shadows haunted him.
It wasn't exactly like I could blame him. I knew what it was like to deal with that oppressive darkness that always lingered no matter what I did to try and ignore it.
I gave him a quick nod and followed him. As we walked deeper into the building, I realized just how devastatingly rundown the place was.
I figured we were somewhere attached to his bar, which was outside of the city of Theskin. That would explain the dilapidation of the place.
I couldn’t stop myself from looking up at the ceiling, my brow furrowing with concern with every long creak and grind emitting from there. It was as if the whole building was about to collapse in on itself at any moment.
The wooden support posts in the walls we passed intermittently were warped from water damage, accompanied by the faint scent of mildew.
Regardless of how the place looked and smelled, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. In fact, I preferred this over the stinking cleanliness—and pretentiousness—of most buildings in Theskin.
What is Miller up to? No… Emory. He was no more Miller than I was Lea any longer. We’ve changed too much to go back.
I stopped in my tracks as Emory reached a large iron door. I was on guard in an instant.
I wasn't exactly sure what was on the other side of it, but I could sense a great number of people there. Not just any people, either. Magical beings.
He grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. The simple feat seemed to require all of his strength. “Welcome to our band of rebels.”
He held out his arm, motioning for me to enter.
I hesitated for a moment, smelling the air to make sure there wasn’t any obvious danger ahead. I gave myself a slight nod of reassurance before marching forward into the large warehouse-looking area.
No less than eighty people were there, who all stopped what they were busy doing to look at me. Most of the faces were unfamiliar to me, but there were a few I recognized from the bar that day.
My eyes lingered on the tall, muscular woman with pink hair. “Dai?”
She flashed a toothy grin and bowed her head to greet me. “So nice of you to finally join us. Emory here said you would, but we weren't sure if we could trust his opinion. We thought he was being swayed by his feelings too much.”
She let out a chortle, but Emory’s answering smile was more of the gritted-teeth variety. “Keep messing around with me, Dai, and we’ll see who’s swayed after a good old pummeling.”
That only made her laugh even louder.
“Not everyone here is swarthy and unbearable like her,” he declared conspiratorily, turning to me as he rolled his eyes at Dai, but then his face became serious again. “Most of them are everyday people, much like you and I once were. They had something precious taken from them as well. You see? You're not the only one who sees the wrong that's being done. Other people want to fight for justice, too. You’re not alone in this.”
I hated to admit it, but Emory’s words comforted me. Although I had Rowan, I operated and felt alone more often than not.
Emory had a whole army behind him.
“What do you plan to do about the Ransoms? Do you guys really believe you'll be able to change anything?”
Over my lifetime, I had seen many people try to stop Diesel but fail miserably. All they’d accomplished was making him angry, which usually led to them losing everything and everyone they’d ever cared about.
Meaning, I had a hard time believing these people would succeed when so many others hadn’t even gotten close to getting back at him.
“That’s the plan. Even if we can only hope to make a dent, we can’t keep turning a blind eye to all of the horrors being done in their name.” Emory walked a few feet in front of me with his arms tucked behind his back. Then he turned on the ball of his foot and faced me. “Why do I get the feeling you think you’ll be able to get more done than the eighty-six of us could together?”
“Because I have nothing left for Diesel to destroy. To defeat him, you will have to walk into the fire and know that you're not coming back out. I'm willing to do that. Are you?” My eyes narrowed at him. They were sharp and unapologetic.
He stepped toward me, not hindered by my words in the slightest, his eyes delving into mine with something like playful adoration. “Don’t you remember that I’ve walked through that fire once already? I’m willing to go whenever Solara deems it to be my time, as long as I can give the Ransoms all kinds of hell before that.”