Page 100 of Captured Immune

Trey settles down next to me. “You do too.”

I wince when he accidentally rubs against the shirt tied around my arm.

“Oops. I’m sorry, babe—I mean, Arella.”

I almost forgot I had told him to stop calling mebabe. I’m fine with him calling me that. I only told him not to because I was angry.

I press against my arm to ease the ache. “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt much unless it’s bumped. I’m more worried about your ribs and thigh than my arm.”

“Funny. I’m more worried about your arm.” Trey stands and gestures for me to stand as well. “Let’s switch spots so I don’t bump your arm anymore.”

After we switch, Trey glowers out the window from behind a pair of black sunglasses—another purchase from the souvenir shop. I’ve got a matching pair covering my eyes. I think he’s trying to see if anyone out there is a Royal. Can he know that someone’s a Royal just by looking at them?

Katie said Zordis feel a special tingle in their chests whenever they get close to each other. Does Trey’s tingle work from a farther distance?

Katie also explained that every Zordi has three powers. Trey’s elemental power is Fire, and his body power is telekinesis. I don’t know what his mind power is, nor will I ask right now because I don’t want him to lose concentration on whatever he’s doing. Whatever his mind power is, it was able to tell him that a teenage boy was getting roughed up in an alleyway, and it’s able to tell him if someone’s a Royal just by looking at them.

The bus is about half full when the bus driver finally shuts the door, and we roll away from the Greyhound station. Only then does the tension in Trey’s shoulders relax.

Since the closest people to us are three seats away with headphones on, I turn to Trey and ask in a low voice, “Are there a lot of your kind in the world?”

“Lots. Most live in Europe and Asia.”

“And is everyone either a ZIRDA agent or a Royal?”

“No. Most are just regular people. Think of ZIRDA like a secret organization that does research, develops products, and also works to stop the Royals. Then think of the Royals as violent gang members.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Why is it up to a research facility to stop violent criminals? Didn’t you say you guys have a special government?”

“The zovernment is useless when it comes to getting rid of the Royals. A part of me thinks the Royals pay them off. It wasn’t until after the Royals caused the Black Plague that ZIRDA started their anti-Royals department, and only because at the time, the zovernment was too busy still trying to clean up the mess from the mass genocide and worldwide scrub job. Considering that was over six hundred years ago and the Royals are still around, I think it’ll take more than the zovernment and ZIRDA to get rid of them.”

I take a moment to process all that before asking, “Why don’t the zovernment and ZIRDA work together to fight off the Royals?”

“Because that’s not how things work. That’s like saying, why don’t the cops team up with regular civilians to stop crime? To the zovernment, ZIRDA is just a bunch of researchers whothinkthey’re vigilantes. To ZIRDA, the zovernment is nothing more than some elites in uniforms who only care about keeping Ordinaries from finding out about us.”

“Interesting.” There is still so much I want to learn about Trey’s world, but my eyelids are getting heavy. I fall asleep within minutes.

When I wake up to our bus pulling into the Greyhound station in Vegas, Trey is wide awake.

“Why didn’t you take a nap?” I ask as I lift my head off his shoulder.

“How can I protect you if I’m sleeping?”

My heart does a little backflip in my chest. It’s endearing how much he cares about me and isn’t afraid to show it.

“Besides,” Trey says, “I was enjoying watching you sleep. Whenever you stayed over and it wasn’t my night to sleep, I used to spend those hours just holding you and trying to sync my breaths with yours.”

With anyone else, that statement would be creepy. With Trey, it’s wholesome. He told me once that he used to hate cuddling until he cuddled with me. I’m happy to know he likes cuddling with me enough to do it for hours upon hours without getting bored.

I tilt my head back so he can see my smirk. “When this is over, I’ll be sure to tell the media that watching women sleep is one of your favorite hobbies.”

Trey lets out a light laugh. “They’ll love that.”

We’re the last to leave the bus. When our feet are back on the ground, Trey spends a moment scanning the crowd.

“I think we’re good.” He takes my hand, then leads me toward a row of taxis waiting for passengers.

We pick a taxi toward the front of the line and climb into the backseat.

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