Page 12 of Livewire Witch

“I thought we were one and done with her. You said her friend told you the curse was lifted, right? So we don’t need her anymore.”

“Dude, she saved Fab’s life. Seb’s too, by the sounds of it. Plus, I want to see her again.” He bats his eyelashes at me until I smack him on the arm and tell him to knock it off. “We’re gonna have to be careful, though. Even if Felix has forgotten, someone tried to blow us up just last week and I don’t really want a repeat of that kind of action.”

“Fine,” I mutter, aware that I sound like a grouchy toddler. “She can help with this new job. Hadn’t we better find out where they’re hiding and... like, drag them out of their love nest or whatever?”

Roscoe beams at me. “You might wanna fix the attitude before we see her. What is your problem with her, anyway?”

I ignore him and shove my hands into my pockets. I don’t want to delve into my mess of feelings surrounding the little witch. Especially not right now.

I don’t want to get into the way the witch and I met. The total lack of control I experienced when I lost my ever-loving mind for long enough to ensure we both came hard in an alley not unlike this one.

That isn’t me. And having spent time with Silver, I’m pretty sure it isn’t her either.

Even after that night, I’ve found myselffeelingthings a lot more intensely when Silver’s around. It’s like she pushes my buttons on purpose.

If there’s one thing I fucking hate, it’s losing control. If I let out the storm inside me, I don’t know what would be left in the wreckage, and I don’t want to find out.

“Head along the old railway line toward the southwest of the city, past the old engine house. Keep going until you’ve passed the old station house. Then there should be an alleyway to your right.”The voice shits me up, the instructions projected directly into my fucking brain.

If Ro’s surprised by this, he doesn’t show it. It takes a moment to realize he’s been holding out on me. Probably because he wanted to watch me freak out about having someone talking telepathically into my head.

Sneaky shit.

I school my reaction like a pro. I’m a goddamn expert at stuffing down my true emotions most of the time, anyway.

We’re quiet as we park the car at the edge of the Nexus District. We then head under a bridge, along an abandoned railway line, through what looks like a recently abandoned drug den, down a creepy ass alleyway until we reach a hole in the ground.

A hole. In the fucking ground.

Not like a drain, either. Like the ground is sinking into itself and this is what we have to head through.

And I have a broken leg.

Just fantastic.

“This is where they ended up? Seriously?” Ro’s voice is incredulous, but I don’t respond. I’m too busy trying not to break my other leg as I make my way into the hole.

It takes a stupid amount of shimmying and slow shifting until we reach the infamous city beneath the city.

The Buried Citadel.

We’re both quiet as we take the place in. Ro doesn’t say a word to me, instead muttering to himself every so often. It takes a minute for me to realize he’s softly cursing under his breath.

I don’t blame him.

This place, it’s like if desperation and despondency were a physical location.

A fucking nightmare.

It’s cold. Damp. Dirty. It stinks, too.

And it feels like we’re being watched the whole time.

Ro’s still mumbling, although this time he squeezes my elbow, so I know he’s talking to me. “Days, man. They’ve been down here for days. Nearly a damn week.”

Then. “Silver thought this place was safe. Safer than being up on the surface.”

“I don’t know what she was thinking,” I spit.

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