Page 64 of Ashes

“If you want to shower, I can show you where the bathroom is.”

“Thank you.” He reaches for the water on the nightstand and takes a long drink. “It’s been a while since I had a hot shower.”

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. There are too many questions swirling in my brain. I need to know how he ended up in that place, how Madame ended upowninghim. What he did for them. What they did to him.

As if he can see the confusion on my face, Sam inches closer and strokes a gentle finger across my knuckles. “I want to tell you all of it,” he says gently. “I want you to know my life.”

“Me too.” I catch his hand and stroke it. “But there’s so much, I don’t know where to start.”

“How about we start with that shower?” he asks, making a show of sniffing his armpits. “I promise you, it’s long overdue.”

Downstairs, I point Sam in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll find you some fresh clothes,” I tell him. “Take your time.”

When he disappears, and the water starts running, the others hurry over. Tanner kisses me hard on the lips. Mack stands in front of me. “You’re all right?”

“You already asked me that,” I say, smiling at him. “I’m fine. Luther took good care of me.”

In his armchair by the window, Luther simply nods.

“Luther filled us in on what happened,” Tanner says. “It sounds rough. You saw a lot.” He fixes his gaze on mine. He can feel it, the swirling pit of emotion in my stomach.

“I’ve no idea what he’s been through.” I wrap my arms around myself. “I thought my life was hard, but Sam’s must have been…” I can’t find the words.

“He’s safe now,” Kole offers. “He’s with us.”

Sitting down on the edge of the couch, I glance at the whiskey bottle on the side. “Can I?” I ask. It’s approaching sunset outside, so doesn’t feel too early. Besides, I need something to calm me down enough so that I can think straight.

Luther pours me a glass. Tanner clicks some ice into it and hands it to me. I take a sip, closing my eyes.

“What have you done to our girl, Luther?” Tanner quips. “Took her away to the big city. She comes back drinking neat whiskey?”

In response, Luther pours his own drink and stares down into it.

Kole sits down and pulls me onto his lap. He sighs quietly. His body hums with pleasure at being close to me again. I lean into him. “So, what do we do now?” I ask as Tanner sits and slings his arm onto the back of the couch, winding it round Kole.

“Now?” Luther asks. “You’re the one with the visions. You tell us.”

Cutting in, so I don’t have to answer, Mack says, “We know something’s happening in town. We can’t be sure if it’s to do with the League or the Bureau. So far, both of them seem to be lying low. But I don’t imagine it’ll stay that way for long.”

“You guys are on the run?” Sam appears in the doorway of the bathroom, towel slung around his waist. His chest glistens as droplets of water follow the lattice work of scars. “Well, shit. Looks like I jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.” He smiles at me and walks over. Nodding at my whiskey he adds, “Could I?”

Luther obliges, and Sam perches on the arm of the couch next to me.

“It’s a really long story,” I tell him, laughing a little.

“Well, I don’t think I’ve got to be at work tonight, seeing as you guys bought me out of my contract. So, I’ve got time.”

Sam’s light hearted sense of humor completely surprises me. After everything he went through last night, everything he’slivedthrough over the past ten years, he’s still managing to seem… normal.

“What do I need to know?” he asks.

Breathing out between pursed lips, Luther turns to the window and stares out at the lake.

“I don’t even know where to start,” I say, looking at Tanner for help.

“I guess,” Tanner says, “it starts with Kole. He’s a seer. He was undercover with the League when he accessed a prophecy called The Phoenix Prophecy…”

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