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With that, Mr. Collins turns on his heel and leaves. Speechless, I watch him go. I’m blasted by a cold wind, and Ayden’s father’s words echo in my head. I don’t notice the bike until it stops right in front of me, and Ayden calls my name.
“Tess, are you okay?”
I flinch and look up in confusion, then I nod, go to him, and put on the helmet. “I was just lost in thought.”
“Judging by your face, I’m guessing they weren’t nice thoughts,” he says. “Is it the Fabricis?”
Right now, they’re not my biggest problem. And that shows just how heavily Mr. Collins’ words are weighing on me.
“I can smooth things over with the Fabricis,” I say, climbing onto the motorcycle behind him and squeezing him tight. “And it was worth every minute – I wish I could stay with you longer.”
“Me too,” he replies. “Hopefully we’ll soon have that freedom again.”
He moves off, and I press myself against his back as the wind whistles past me. I feel his body heat, the contours of his muscles under my hands. I never thought I’d enjoy riding on this hellish machine, but I find myself wishing this moment would last forever. Ayden seems to be making an effort to ride at a sedate pace and not terrify me with his usual riding style.
We arrive at our destination far too soon, and my stomach clenches as the huge house comes into view. Ayden stops in the side street where we found Kate that time, haunted by one of her visions.
Ayden removes his helmet and dismounts. I do the same and look up at him. What I’m about to do is so hard. But I’m afraid Mr. Collins may be right this time.
“I’ve been thinking,” I begin, knowing it’s a clichéd way to start such a conversation.
Ayden draws his eyebrows together. He can guess he’s about to receive some bad news.
“Your dad came to me just before and tried to appeal to my conscience, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s right. You shouldn’t turn down the assignment because of me. It’ll do you more harm than good. We probably won’t get to see much of each other anyway. And you’ll just rub everyone the wrong way. Plus, it would reinforce your father’s assumption that we’re no good for each other.”
For a moment, Ayden just stands there and looks at me. “Tess, I don’t care what my father or the Council say. You’re going through a difficult time, and I want to be here for you.”
“I know,” I reply, and part of me wishes I could just accept this. “But we don’t have a lot of time for each other right now anyway, and if you defy the Council and your father, I’m sure they’ll come up with other ways to make our lives difficult. It’s not a good idea to go against them. Not this time.”
Ayden steps forward and hugs me. “Tess, it’s not fair of him to guilt-trip you.”
“But you love being a hunter, and you take your work really seriously. I don’t want to come between you and your responsibilities. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have hesitated to accept the assignment.” I can see from his expression that this is true, which only strengthens my resolve. “Follow your path. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are. Don’t give it all up because of me.”
“Tess,” he whispers with a flicker of longing in his eyes. His fingers touch my cheek and dance across it. Then he leans forward and kisses me. It’s an incredibly tender, intimate kiss that gives me butterflies in my stomach. I want more, and I sling my arms around his neck and pull him closer. Very slowly, we pull apart.
Ayden looks at me with those gorgeous green eyes and says, “I’ll be in touch as often as I can. And if anything happens, let me know. I’m here for you. I know it’s harder for me to help you from Boston, but I’ll do everything I can.”
I nod and feel my stomach tighten painfully. But I smile at him. It’s for the best, although it’s going to be a tough time for me.
Chapter 25
Ayden has been away for almost three weeks, and I miss him more and more each day. But the Fabricis are making sure that I’m so swamped with training sessions that I barely have time to think.
Meanwhile, I’ve had the dubious pleasure of being put through the wringer not only by Alfredo but also by another hunter the family has hired to train me. Cesar’s tall and broad-shouldered – a real iron man. And he has the kind of commanding tone I associate with military movies. He doesn’t believe in taking breaks, shows no mercy, and I pray every time that the grueling hours will end before I get seriously injured. One thing Cesar is really good at: injuring me so that it hurts but doesn’t inflict any serious damage that would require longer-term treatment. I don’t know whose sessions I should fear more – Alfredo’s or Cesar’s.
I hobble out of the bathroom where I showered after training. My hip is sore after being thrown roughly against a wall. And my body is covered in bruises. I secretly hope to get my own back at my two tormentors one day. I’d really like to try merging with Yoru again and assuming that fiery form. But for that I need a few minutes of reprieve – something my opponents don’t give me.
I grab some clothes from the closet and get dressed. Then I reach for my phone and see that I have two new messages. One’s from Ayden. Reading his name is enough to make my heart beat faster. He doesn’t get the opportunity to message me often. He’s actually not supposed to have any contact with home while he’s there, except with the other hunters. But he keeps messaging me anyway.
“I think of you all the time and hope you’re okay. Everything’s going well here so far. The assignment is totally different from what I expected. I’m thinking of you and can’t wait to see you again. I love you. See you soon.”
I read it again and try to imagine what he’s doing in Boston. It’s not a nice feeling being kept in the dark about his assignment.
“I love you,” I read again and feel profoundly happy. That’s the most important thing, and I’m sure we’ll get to see each other again soon.
I read the next message. It’s from Noah, asking me to call him. I quickly hit the call button, and after two rings, I hear his voice.
“Can you get out of the house tonight? We need to meet.”
