Indigo led us through security, which had been a quick and timely affair. From all I had heard or read about it, I didn’t think it would be so easy. Only after we got through and walked to our gate did I notice that the airport hadn’t been teeming with people. I thought they were always somewhat busy.

  “Why is this airport so slow?”

  “It’s a Mystic airline. They make special accommodations for us. And considering human airports ask a lot more questions, it’s easier this way. Though we’ll have to start using human transport when we get to Seattle to keep you off the radar. Do you have any idea if the rest of the Quintano family know you exist?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “We’ll need to get you an alternate ID once we arrive to town, then. And I can’t stress this enough, Rowan.” Indigo stopped me, his eyes focused on mine, his hands locked on my shoulders. “You can never tell anyone you meet that you’re a Curse Breaker. In the city, others don’t flaunt what they are.”

  I nodded. I knew all that. My parents had told us what we needed to know about life outside our little town, but even now, I felt out of place. Part of me knew I needed Indigo, at least for the time being.

  “All right.”

  “You promise?” he asked dubiously.

  “Yeah.”

  Indigo nodded, accepting my answer. He and I had to sit for an hour before our flight took off, and the longer I sat, the more worried I became. Indigo pulled out his phone and had been texting fiercely since we got there. I had been peeved and told him so since my phone had been dumped on the side of the expressway on our way here. Only after Indigo sneakily asked to see my phone for a second had I given it up to him. Dick threw it out the window.

  “I promise it’s fine. We had to ditch your phone because your parents will use it to track you. My dad can’t track my phone.”

  Instead of asking him more questions he wouldn’t answer, I just shut up.

  We boarded the plane not long after. Once we were settled and others joined us, I lost control of the buzz of magic under my skin. Indigo wrapped his hand around my knee, stopping it from bouncing, his touch comforting and soothing.

  My power continued to crackle under my skin as my fear for our flight and the unknown of what would happen rose inside of me.

  Chapter 14

  Planes were terrible, horrible, man-made machines. The moment the plane went up, so did my fear level. And as soon as we hit the sky, my powers shut off. Or rather they had become so muted that it felt like I’d regressed back to that powerless feeling I’d had a day before. That time though, it was even worse, and I couldn’t shake it. It wasn’t until the plane started to make its descent that my magic buzzed under my skin again. I released a breath, but when the landing gear hit its mark, I shivered.

  The power inside of me pulsed, and for a moment, I felt as though I’d black out from the sudden swell of magic. Indigo reached over and moved so quick that I couldn’t track him. He unclicked my seat belt and pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him then wrapped his arms behind my back, securing me against him. Before I could register what was happening, his lips were on mine.

  A spark of something more flared in my head, in my blood, rushing through my ears and blocking out all thought. His lips moved against mine like he knew exactly what chords to pluck to make my heart warm and my body sing. His tongue brushed gently before his teeth nipped at my bottom lip, coaxing and then demanding, with barely a second between the two. Definitely the werewolf way.

  A different kind of shiver went through me then. My brain and body refocused on his lips against mine and the warmth that radiated off his body like a furnace. I felt like a livewire indeed, but this time the power was different. Once the sizzle of the ignition simmered, a comforting warmth took its place. It was like coming back to my safe place. My house with my bed and blankets.

  It was only when my body got the better of me and my hips thrusted forward I came back down to earth. I realized whose lap I sat on, whose lips pressed against my own, demanding more than I wanted to give. I reared back, and Indigo’s arms tightened as a growl rumbled through him. His eyes lit up, a sure sign that he was completely turned on. He pulled his lips back into a bright, predatory smile. His canines had elongated. I had no doubt that his arms had probably sprouted some unwanted hair too.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

  “Relaxing you,” he replied innocently.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Your powers were flaring. Even I could feel it.” Indigo glanced over his shoulder, taking a deep breath. He scented the plane, probably trying to decide if the others onboard were friends, foes, or completely indifferent. I hoped for indifferent. Friends could easily turn their back on you.

  “Well, next time pinch me or something,” I said, annoyed.

  “Remember the dimmer and turn your powers down. Especially now. This airport will be busier than the last one.”

  Instead of answering him, I tried to dim my powers. The overwhelming swell of death in this city had nothing on the town we’d left just hours before. Escaping to a small, forgotten town in the wilderness of Alaska made so much more sense to me now. I cringed as my head pounded with an oncoming headache.

  “After we get off the plane, we’re going to have to move pretty quickly. There should be a gas station where we can buy a burner for you. From there we’ll call a taxi.” Indigo kept talking of our plans, and oddly, it helped me focus. If I couldn’t keep my powers from taking over, I wouldn’t be able to search for Abel. I would be a liability.

  “I think I’m good,” I told him.

  “Then we need to get off.” Indigo stood, urging me out of my seat. He reached in the overhead compartment. At the airport, he insisted we buy a small duffel bag to put my blades and Tomes inside, shoving it overhead when we got on the plane. I would’ve preferred to keep it close, but Indigo made some valid points. Such as how it might be dangerous if the plane started to drop suddenly and my blades went flying.

  Indigo strapped the small bag across his back. I reached out to grab it, but my powers flared on me unexpectedly. Gritting my teeth, I refocused my attention to the problem at hand—me.

  Indigo gently nudged me into the aisleway before stepping up right behind me as we followed the small line of people off the plane.

  The walk through the airport had been different to say the very least. At home, many of the Mystics didn’t hide behind glamours. Even then, they had been fairly weak. Here, I had to squint and stare for some time before some glamours dropped even a little bit for me to see beneath them.

  The noise was deafening but at the same time, eerily silent. There were so many people but also so many individuals; no one person spoke to another, just moving from point A to point B. The overhead speaker came on, directing people to certain terminals or gates.

  The call of death had been so overwhelming that my magic began to swell once more, distracting me once again. It burned under my skin, needing out, wanting out. My magic sought out an anchor, something to hold onto.

  Indigo moved us swiftly through the airport, a scowl on his face when he saw my Death Lines branching out. My own eyes widened at the sight—most Death Lines were invisible to other Mystics.

  “Give me my blades.”

  Indigo looked around before reaching into my bag and pulling out one of my Kodachi blades. “Keep it close and out of sight. Here, it isn’t that big of a deal, but some might take it as a challenge. Humans will especially not like the sight of your blade.”

  “Okay.”

  As soon as my fingers brushed over my blade, the Death Lines tangled themselves onto the conduit of my sword. The black tourmaline soaked up my excess magic, and I breathed a little easier as my powers bled into the blade. It could only hold so much before I’d have to release the power in the dark depths, however.

  I handed the duffel back to Indigo, and he took it with care, waiting for me. Inside my bag were the holsters I used for my blades. Indigo grunted when I tugged on the bag, trying to dig around to find them. My fingers brushed across the worn leather. The small cracks and withered edges sparked memories, good ones.

  Indigo had watched me struggle, trying to fit it around my body for the first time. I chased my back for a good minute before Abel stopped laughing long enough to help me. And then fast forward a couple years into the future when my boobs started to fill out. That had been an experience of its own.

  I had become an expert at putting on my holsters, and even though they still accented my breasts, I didn’t mind as much as I did before. Once upon a time, I wanted to be one of the guys. I didn’t want to be seen as the girl of the group. I had no such qualms now.

  Strapping myself in, I took the blade back and slid it into its scabbard, which had been forged with onyx. It worried me that the scabbard immediately glowed red, just like my magic, once my blade slid back into place. My powers had been so concentrated that both my blades and scabbard could barely contain them. Indigo eyed it carefully as well. He handed me a thick leather jacket, and I pulled it on, muting the glow of my blades. Hopefully it would bleed out slowly and carefully.

  Indigo leaned down, brushing his fingers through my hair and tucking it backward. Leaning away from him, I tried to figure out his grand plan. While I decided to let him help me, I hadn’t meant he could get handsy with me.

  He brought his lips to my ear. “Relax. Let’s get out of here. I’ll have a cab take us to our hotel.” He caressed my neck, the pads of his fingertips sending bolts of electricity throughout my body. The seductive purr of his words and his intimate touch made me raise my brows. What exactly is his end game?

  Instinctively, I wanted to ask him just what he thought he was doing. The only thing that stopped me had been that glimmer in his eye that dared me to challenge him. He wanted me to respond exactly how he thought I would.

  “Sounds good.” I tried to mimic his lusty purr, but mine came out strained and awkward. Somebody had been practicing. I had not.

  Indigo gave me a placating smile before he grabbed my hand, leading me to the exit. I watched as Indigo stepped up to the curb, trying to flag down a cab. Wrinkling my nose, I tasted the air as it settled on my tongue like a weight. There hadn’t been any freshness to it that made me think of home. Or even of nature. We had truly stepped into a different world.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Sneaking a peek around the area, I noticed no one struck me as nerve-racking.

  “Hello. You’re looking a little lost, duckie.” Fingers ghosted across my skin.

  A snarl twisted my lips. Really didn’t like this guy’s personal space issues. I sidestepped and glared. While I had a big family and could be very affectionate, I didn’t like random people touching me. Nor did I like them being in my space.

  Glowing amber eyes smiled back at me.

  “Not a duck. And definitely not lost,” I said.

  “No, not lost. Hmm, I can smell werewolf on you. But perhaps from the brooding male over there?” He nodded in the direction of Indigo.

  Refusing to look away from him, my eyes narrowed. My power swelled, but I couldn’t decipher what the man was. A glamour didn’t melt away, and he didn’t come off as a shifter to me. And why wasn’t Indigo rushing over?

  “Does it matter?”

  “It’s a big city, duckie, but a very small world. What is that human saying? Keep one eye open?”

  “Not appropriate for the situation.”

  “But isn’t it, duckie?” His breath fanned on the crook of my neck. For a very real moment, I wanted to slap my hand over my neck to protect myself. My skin prickled and my powers swelled inside of me, searching eagerly for that dead person. While I struggled to push my powers down, my mysterious friend disappeared, and Indigo called my name. He stood holding open the door of a cab.

  Ignoring my strange encounter with the man, I ran over to Indigo. His nostrils flared, and his eyes filled with unspoken questions. If I had an answer, I would’ve said something. Mystery man’s warnings didn’t sit well with me. My whole encounter with the man felt wrong. And it really hadn’t only been because of his weird nickname for me.

  “Get in. We need to get going.” Indigo ushered me into the cab, taking one last glance around the airport before he sat down and asked the cabbie to take us to the closest gas station. There I would pick up a burner phone. I itched for my own phone again, worried that Abel had finally messaged me, or maybe his captors had.

  After the quick in-and-out trip at the gas station—drama free, thankfully—the cabbie drove us to a human hotel. He looked confused for a second before shrugging when we gave him the destination. I wondered how many paranormal-owned hotels there were in a city like this.

  As we got out of the cab, Indigo grabbed my hand gently and tugged me into his arms.

  “You keep doing that, and I’ll knee you in the groin and not feel bad about it,” I quipped, the threat very real.

  “We’re playing the part of a couple in love. Deal with it.”

  “Why?”

  Indigo dropped his chin, tucking his head in the crook of my neck, breathing in slowly. I ignored how my knees weakened and refused to acknowledge the subtle increase of my heartbeat.

  “Rowan, did you think of me often while I was away?”

  Hammer, nail, coffin. My muscles went rigid in his hold, and considering his hearty sniffs died down, I guessed that he caught on to my mood shift.

  “I shouldn’t have disappeared on you, Ro.” His deep blue eyes, so like his name, pleaded for me to forgive him. To listen to his words and the sincerity in them. But actions often spoke volumes louder than words.

  “Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve,” I bit out, annoyed.

  “If you want to know, all you have to do is listen, but not here.”

  “Where to next on our weird list of destinations?”

  “I’m making sure we don’t get trailed,” Indigo said.

  Pressing my lips together, I nodded. How he knew to think of that, I didn’t know, but begrudgingly, I had to admit that I was grateful for it. I felt like a bumbling fool trying my best to figure it all out. This certainly wasn’t my world even though I’d dreamed of it for years.

  “Whoever talked to you at the airport is bothering me. The Quintano family must know you’re making your way here. We can’t let them get a leg up on us. We need to get more information. For now, let’s get back to my apartment and rest for the night.”

  I nodded, knowing he needed to sleep. After my week of almost no sleep and our travels, I was drained. Stifling a yawn, I waited on the sidewalk while Indigo flagged down a human taxi. A little wisp of a girl walked past, eyeing me and then him.

  My powers flared under my skin, urging to reach out and find every dead thing they could. Had that girl who passed us been a ghost? Even tamping my powers down the best I could, some of the stronger ghosts had slipped through.

  “Come on, Ro.” Indigo waved me over.

  Stealing one last glance, I watched the girl turn the corner and leave. If she had been a ghost, why wouldn’t she have stuck around? I shook my head, realizing I’d become very paranoid very quickly.

  The drive to Indigo’s apartment seemed to take forever, and he kept shifting in the seat. It seemed like he couldn’t get comfortable, and it grated on my nerves.

  “What’s going on? Did you get crabs all of a sudden?” I asked, suspicious.

  Indigo growled low enough for only me to hear.

  “No. Fuck, I should’ve told you this before, but my sort-of roommate won’t be happy to have a visitor. You’ll have to just deal with him.”

  “Oookay.” I hadn’t planned on being friends with his roommate. I wanted to find Abel and make sure he was safe. Which only sparked my worry. I checked my burner phone, which had two numbers programed in it: Abel’s and Indigo’s.

  “We’ll find him.” Indigo touched my wrist as if to reassure me. I sighed. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do right that minute.

  The cab rolled to a stop in front of a tall, pretty building.

  “Ya sure this is the right address?” the cabby asked.

  “Yes.” Indigo paid the man, and we climbed out. For a second, the glamour around the building covered it, and I saw what the humans saw: a broken-down warehouse. The whole area had been a bit deserted. I didn’t even see any Mystics hiding in plain sight.

  “What’s up with this place?”

  “Later. Come on.”

  Indigo had to not only use a swipe key to get in, but he had to put his hand against a scanner. I pressed my lips together holding back all my questions. After moving through a very modern, posh-looking lobby, we got on the elevator, music playing between us.

  “So, this is where you live?”

  “Almost.”

  “It’s got some serious jams.”

  The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to only one doorway. My brows pinched together with my confusion.

  Indigo stepped forward and unlocked the door then paused and looked over his shoulder at me. He shook his head before opening the door.

  “Oh fuck no,” a gravelly voice said from inside.

  My powers flared out, latching onto any dead I could find in the nearby area.

  Chapter 15

  My head exploded with pain. My powers were unleashed now. Death Lines shot out of my fingers, desperate to control any dead they could find. The power pulled at the delicate bones in my fingers and I flinched, trying to rein it in while also trying to control my vision that had gone haywire.

  Ghosts filled every space of the room. Some noticed the power that shot out from me and staggered forward, all speaking at once. Some of the ghosts were echoes, barely there, lost souls who had been in our world for far too long. And a few of the ghosts shockingly kept their attention on Indigo and his sort-of roommate.

  “Fuck, tell her to turn it off.”

  “If you can’t control yourself, Rowan, I’ll kiss you again.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22