Thirty minutes into the drive, Mikey’s finished reading. I feel her mind racing, images passing from hers to mine—which is strange, considering we haven’t shared more than words telepathically. I see her interpretations of battles and bloodshed that were most likely talked about in the book, and symbols that mean nothing to me. Two stand out: the obvious Mount Rook symbol and the Paws and Claws Association logo. I could have guessed they might be related, but if that’s what Mikey’d read, that PnC is a branch of this overpowering secret society, then that solidifies it.
Mikey points as she fiddles with the device for the next thirty minutes. “Never been driven... to Sonny’s before,” she chokes out. “Think... that way.”
I assume she’s instinctually following the pull her siblings give off. I haven’t said anything about them becoming Bleeders, but... I don’t think Maverick or Ein have told her, either. Really, I hope she assumes it’s her memory leading her in the right direction, and nothing else. Unless she’s sensing Etem, and that’s what’s steering her.
She’s going to kill me when she finds out.
“Those are... the trees,” she says, pointing out my side of the car. I slow, no other vehicles on the road at this time of night. It’s been about two hours since we left Nick’s coven. It’s amazing how much quicker we can move on wheels. I’m glad the second-worlders didn’t get rid of cars but updated and altered them to accommodate the creatures who wanted to use them. I barely learned to drive, as zombies rarely did. Busses were a safer commute for us.
I roll onto the shoulder, preoccupied with how to hide this car from sight. Nick said Vaporface is insanely durable, so I doubt covering it with leaves and branches would damage the paint. Fingers crossed.
As I go to open the door, Mikey stops me, locked on the shadows outside. I follow her gaze to see glowing eyes staring back at me, the shape of a humanoid wolf frozen as it watches.
“They were waiting,” Mikey breathes.
The first time we encountered Rock’s pack was when we went into the underground city to cut through it. They jumped the train we hijacked and stalked us all the way to the radius where Sonny could blip us to his area. They thought to regroup here, correctly assuming its significance.
I exhale. “You said there’s a way around to Sonny’s, right?”
Mikey nods. “Never driven there. But... can find.”
I slowly reach for the gearshift as the wolf comes nearer, more glowing orbs appearing from the darkness of the half-moon above. We outran them once before in a Jeep. I’m sure a sports car won’t have any issues speeding out of their range.
I search for her siblings with my compass. There’s a faint tugging, but it’s there.
I take off, gravel flying as the wolves fly out into the moonlight. One howls, a chorus rising, but they don’t give chase.
“I can’t keep my eyes open anymore,” I mutter as I pull the car over. Mikey sits upright, scanning the area. The sun will rise soon, which means we’ve been awake way too long. Guess a week in a coma wasn’t enough sleep for me.
Mikey lifts the device and presses the blue button. Her limbs shake less as she maintains normality.
“I can... try—”
She’s back to Raging Out as soon as she speaks.
“Frick!”
She stops her fist from hitting the dash, frustration palpable.
“It’s okay. We should probably try to get some rest, anyway.” I rub away the sleep clinging to my lashes and check my surroundings, cracking the windows some as a precaution.
My phone rings. “Maverick.”
I answer as quickly as I can. “We tried to call you. There were—”
“You were supposed to be at Sonny’s hours ago.” The snap in his voice sends a wave of confusion through Mikey.
“We were followed, so we took a detour.”
“How far out are you?”
I glance at Mikey, who shrugs. “We were close, but Paws and Claws was waiting for us, so we had to turn around. We got a car, so—”
“Don’t dawdle,” Maverick says before the connection dies. I gape at my phone, irritation bubbling in my throat as it mixes with exhaustion.
“Is he always like that?” I ask, already knowing the answer. He’s usually so calm and collected. It’s like I’m watching him grow unhinged in real time.
She works her jaw before pressing and holding the button. “He’s… complicated.”
“Apparently,” I mutter. Then, “I’m glad to see you’re getting better.”
Her form shakes as she searches my face for something, but she doesn’t shift. And then, like a waterfall, words tumble from her mouth. “I trust you the most, too.”
My brow furrows, but my heart does a jump. “What?”
She turns away, tapping the book in thought. “What you said to Cayla back there, that you trust me the most. I’ve been wanting to tell you… I feel the same.” She pauses, taking an unsteady breath in. Her words aren’t perfect, and they still have that rasp that comes from our Bleeder forms, but she’s talking. Slurringly, but that’s beside the point. “It’s scary. I’ve always been… bad at trusting people. They either leave or screw me over. I’ve never had a proper family, not one that I remember. You’re everything I wish I was.”
Stunned into silence, I stare at Mikey. All I can get out is, “Looks like you’re not having so much trouble talking anymore.”
She makes a face. “Not really. It’s… better now.” Sighing, she shifts in her seat. “When I left to gather people to start the riots… that wasn’t the real reason. I started… growing attached to you.” Mikey clears her throat. “I… felt things for you. Romantically.”
I say nothing, my brain activity both in overdrive and dead.
Purposely avoiding my gaze, she swallows hard. “Vulnerability… made me angry. But I’ve been working on it. Now… I get skittish. Scared.”
Bright green eyes meet mine. I have this overwhelming urge telling me I need to say something. It’s like I should, but I can’t.
“I thought about you all the time while we were apart. Maybe you didn’t need me at first, but I so, so needed you. Without you, it’s like I had no purpose… I came back because… I missed you. And I finally talked myself into seeing you. I’m sorry I scratched you. Again. But I just… you looked so defeated. I wanted to see you alive again, like you were when you were a Bleeder. So… thank you. For being exactly what I need.”
She gives a small smile, a gray tear creating a ravine and dripping from her chin. My muscles twitch to reach out and offer comfort, but I hesitate.
“You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to stay by my side… for the rest of my life.” She stares at her fingers as they clench around the sphere, and she trembles. “And that is the most terrifying…”
She trails off, chewing on her bottom lip as another tear tumbles off her chin.
“Sorry,” she apologies, lifting her hand to wipe it away.
But this time I don’t hesitate.
Her breath hitches as my fingers weave through hers. She waits for me to talk, anxiety, confusion, and anticipation making the air surrounding her tingle with energy.
Finally, I speak. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
She returns to Raging, but doesn’t break contact as the terrifying face of her Bleeder form softens. “Except… to sleep.”
I take in our surroundings once more, my entire being ready for a nap. There’s a ball in my chest, like something’s trying to burrow its way out in response to Mikey’s confessional. Before I can decipher what exactly it is, the dawn breaks, and a strange, fizzy sensation saturates the air. A shimmery light catches my attention, and I lean forward, squinting to see better over Mikey’s shoulder. “What’s that?”
Mikey shrugs before opening the passenger door to investigate. I call after her, but she waves me away. I grumble about not being able to catch a break, turn off the car, and clamber out after her. As we approach the glimmer, a large electrical box comes into view, made from thick slabs of stone. There’s a corner missing, and the rock appears charred, like there was an explosion. Inside the box are glowing, shifting lights and non-metal objects that look like gears and cogs running, connecting to a gem infused with an overwhelming amount of magical energy. Wires extend from it and plunge into the dirt below.
It sparks again as we draw nearer, and there’s a tingling sensation that races over my skin, much like when I passed through the doorways in the Glub Sub.
The world shifts.
A skull sits not far away, broken in half. There’s another farther down, but that’s what ultimately draws our focus.
Between the trees rests a tower, jutting into the sky. It reaches over the treetops, overlooking the earth. Mikey and I share a glance as I lock Vaporface, and we venture toward it, her curiosity bleeding into my system. The door is ajar, the insides ransacked. There, we find other bones turning to dust, crumbling with each passing year. Torn and tattered, worn clothes litter the floor, and what weapons weren’t looted rust on the stone below. A heavy stench of mildew clings in the air and sticks to the insides of my nostrils.
The tower is wide, broken and tumbled desks, chairs, and workstations overturned on either side of us. Bookcases, or their remnants, line the walls, their contents scattered along the floor, marred with scorch marks along the shattered tiles. Mikey rushes over and pokes through them to investigate. But the material of the tattered robes, the decorations on the walls mired with muck, grime, and ivy, tells me only one thing.
This was a wizard’s tower.