Page 39 of Avelina

I felt numb, so all I could do was state the situation plainly. “I pissed Seleca off and she vowed to kill both of our families. Then, she opened a bridge and disappeared. I sent Spirit after her. Oh, and . . .” I pointed at Rogue, or whoever it was.

Aaron looked at the naked man, then, having had a second to follow the logic to its conclusion, he stood and pulled out his giant knife again. The man looked like he would be tall and thin if standing, even taller than Aaron, although it looked like Aaron had about a hundred pounds of muscle on the guy. This man was so tall and skinny that he looked like he had been stretched on a medieval torture device.

“Rogue,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to call him. “Rogue, wake up.” The man stirred, then stretched out on the ground just like a dog, rolling over and exposing himself without shame or embarrassment. He had coppery-auburn hair, the same color Rogue’s fur had been, and the left half of his face had a nasty scar in the shape of a handprint. I knew immediately who it was.

“Ward,” I said.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. He smiled brightly, looking relieved, then his eyebrows squeezed together, and he looked at his own hands. His eyes widened, and he sat up quickly, backing away from us. He didn’t get up, though, but stayed on his hands and knees. Then, as if giving up, he slumped down to the ground and lay there, motionless, as if the life I had forced back into his body had unexpectedly drained out again.

Aaron and I looked at each other uncertainly. It didn’t seem like this man planned to kill anyone. He looked like he had been so beaten down by life that he wanted to give up. In fact, he looked like he already had. Tentatively, I placed my hand on the ground, digging my fingers into the dirt, and sought him out. What I found there broke my heart. Anguish, dejection, humiliation, hopelessness. Even feeling a shadow of his despair through Connection was painful.

“Why did you bring me back?” he asked.

I got up to move toward him, but Aaron stopped me, stepping in my way. “Lina, don’t. You don’t know what he’ll do. He’s been spying for her all this time.” Aaron stared at his ex-roommate’s little brother in horror, the blood draining from his face.

“He won’t hurt me, Aaron. Maybe Rogue has been Ward in disguise this whole time, but I felt him, and what I found there was love. He couldn’t possibly have faked that. Seleca was lying. He could never hurt me. Please, I need to talk to him. Alone.”

Aaron didn’t move. He glanced at me and then back at Ward, an unsettling look creeping over his face. I stepped in close to him and raised my hand to his cheek, connecting. His eyes flicked to me, then softened. He placed his hand over mine. He was understandably worried but also jealous, something he had experienced before but not in a long time. Rogue had been with me for more than ten years and supposedly loved me. He’d slept in my bed, practically on top of me, and he was a man the whole time? How could Aaron compete with that kind of closeness when he’d known me for less than two days?

In answer, I lifted myself up on my toes, tilting my face as close to his as I could, and I pressed my body into him. He leaned forward and kissed me, much harder than earlier that morning, like he wanted to claim me.

My appearance in the Rhoya at the foot of the mountains had led to the worst and best two days of his life, but now it all unraveled before his eyes. Our near-death experience at the hands of his childhood monster had shaken him to his breaking point, and the family he’d been waiting all these years to find could be in danger. He doubted Seleca could find his mother since it’s nearly impossible to sneak up on a precog, but it might be possible now that Seleca had acquired Precognition herself. Additionally, his uncle Jorin, as well as his cousin, Terik, were probably in danger, since they were easy to locate on the farm.

Aaron had never felt like he needed someone at his side, so it surprised him how much the idea of having to compete for my affection troubled him. My choice to stand by him at that critical moment when Seleca first found us had meant more to him than either of us had realized. He was attached now, for better or worse, and he worried that I would vanish like everyone else in his life. He didn’t know if he could handle that on top of everything else.

Through Connection, I let Aaron feel that I shared his affection as well as his unexpected attachment. I let him take comfort in my lips and in the feel of my body pressed to his. I needed it as much as he did. If we had been alone and not in danger, and not in a hurry to figure out how to get back to Earth so that our families weren’t slaughtered, then we might have—wait. Slaughtered. That word was in the poem.

Yes, Lina, the poem, Spirit thought.

Aaron heard her, too, and jerked his face away from me. “Ugh. I hope you find a way to block her at some point. There will be times when I won’t want an audience.”

I laughed a little, though the dire situation tried desperately to smother my sense of humor. “I’ll work on it,” I said.

He looked down at me, still debating. Aaron liked to think things through, and he needed time for that. I let him think while I questioned Spirit.

“What did you find, Spirit?” I asked.

Seleca is at your house, but it’s empty. There’s police tape everywhere from my murder. Nobody’s around. Even the horses are gone.

“Thank you,” I said, exhaling. “Could you please follow her and report back when you have something?”

Okay. You only need to call my name and I’ll be there.

“Spirit,” I said, my throat tightening. “I’m sorry I got you into this. It’s my fault you’re dead. If you hadn’t been at the stables trying to help me, this wouldn’t have happened to you. Now here you are, trying to help me again. I’m so sorry. I love you, my friend.”

Spirit somehow conveyed a sad smile. I’m not sure how, but I knew it was there. Then, her presence retreated. She didn’t seem angry about her own death, but I knew that if I dwelt on it, I would be overwhelmed by guilt. I didn’t have that many friends to begin with. I wondered how long it would be before Seleca started to pick off the rest of them out of spite.

I can’t think about that right now. I have to just keep going.

I steadied my breath, then turned to Aaron. “Everyone is safe for now. Seleca’s waiting at my house for someone to show up. Hopefully, no one will.” Aaron puffed out a breath and nodded. “I need to talk to Ward. He might know something that can help us. Please. I need you to trust me.”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll get the packs.” He wrinkled his nose as he said it, then turned and walked back to where we had hidden our bags. He looked over his shoulder several times as he went, then paused to stare for a long minute before disappearing behind the trees.

I sighed and turned to face my friend. He still lay on the ground, facing away from me, and curled into a fetal position, which looked very odd on his long body. I approached him slowly, trying not to frighten him. Then I knelt behind him and placed a hand on his bare shoulder. He jumped a little but then relaxed.

“I have a shirt you can wear,” I said. Aaron grumbled from behind the trees. He heard that? Huh. Super eyes and ears, I guess.

Ward’s shoulders rose a little with a deep breath and sank again with his exhalation. I lifted my hand to his head and stroked his hair. I could only see the burned part of his face. His eyes were squeezed shut.

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