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"It's the best way to look at it." He leaned back, taking me with him until we were lying side by side in a tangle of arms and legs. "Get some rest. We'll be there soon enough and we'll both need all the strength we can get."
I exhaled softly. "Yeah, we will." All that and then some. An army wouldn't go astray about now. Wolves, foxes, a few hemitheos on our side, and a squadron of Dragonesque. That wasn't asking too much, was it? I'd even take a witch or two.
I closed my eyes and tried to relax.
Just before I drifted off, Bain whispered something which sounded a lot like, "I love you."
19
Viva
I awokewhen the truck jolted to a stop. I was still tangled with Bain.
He pressed a finger to my lips when I started to speak.
My first instinct was to protest, but I was silent instead, listening.
It wasn't until then that I realised I had hoped to hear Dex or Kerina outside that truck.
They would insist we be let out. I could have a long, hot bath, a good meal, and a change of clothes. Not necessarily in that order. I hadn't thought about it in much detail.
The voices outside weren't Dex or Kerina, or anyone I knew. Granted I didn't know all the residents of the Residence. They might still be friends.
"Take the truck around to the back," someone ordered. "Take them out there. Be careful, she's one."
I frowned. One? One what? Awesome chick? They better not mean witch. I knew exactly what they did mean though. I was hemitheos. There would be others like me, ready when they opened the back of the truck.
"Friends of yours?" I asked in Bain's ear.
"No voices or minds I recognise," he said. "If I had to guess, I'd say they're shifters for hire. The hemitheos are likely waiting somewhere else."
There was that same wavelength again.
"I don't suppose you can tell who is still on our side?" I whispered.
He sighed and his warm breath brushed past my cheek. "Only one at a time, and closer up than this. All I can sense now is a jumble of thoughts and a lot of anxiety."
"And that's just me," I quipped.
He chuckled. "You're surprisingly clear headed."
"You're just saying that so I don't freak out." My hand found the side of his face. I rubbed a thumb lightly over his cheek.
"I'm being honest, but not freaking out is a good idea," he said.
The truck started to move again, this time slowly.
I sniffed in the hope of finding a familiar scent. The Residence’s gardens were extensive. Something was always flowering or fruiting, or had fragrant leaves. It was a pain in the ass when I was trying not to use my power.
Conversely, not being able to smell a thing when I reallyneededto downright sucked.
"Still nothing?" Bain asked.
"Not even a drop," I said in frustration.
"They'll be ready for you if you can access your power," Bain said. "Save your strength. We'll need it to deal with whoever is behind this. And free the others."
I nodded. He was right. I couldn't afford to exhaust myself again. Not if I had to fight back.
