Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4) (10 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Hawa paced the room of the Thirteenth Street Hotel while Modem sat on the mattress, sipping a soda. Peter wasn’t allowed in, at risk of being seen by Blade and causing a bloodbath.

Jayden stood beside the window, his hands tucked in his front pockets. “You’re going to wear out the carpet.”

“Shut up. This is your fault.”

“It’s my fault Modem’s a dreamwalker?”

“It’s your fault she had an episode on the sidewalk, and we don’t know she’s a dreamwalker for sure.” She mumbled a few sentences in Spanish, spinning the silver ring around her finger.

Modem set the empty can of soda on the floor. “You don’t have to worry about me.” Her voice had been hoarse since she came to. “I don’t need anything from you. I don’t want you to treat me any different.”

“But you are different.” Hawa stopped pacing and gazed down at her. “You’re like us. Different. You’ll have to get used to that if you don’t want your power to control you for the rest of your life.”

Modem’s tiny features turned to stone. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“I could have helped you.”

“Like you are now?”

Hawa’s lips parted.

“How about both of you calm down for a minute,” Jayden interrupted. “This could be a good thing.”

Modem pushed to her feet. Her legs wobbled beneath her and she leaned on the wall to catch her breath. “This whole thing is so messed up. You were never supposed to find out.”

“But now that she knows, we can do this together,” Jayden said.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Hawa snapped.

Jayden glanced at her. “They need us.”

Hawa’s eyes darkened. “You want to go after Contessa?”

“Peter said—”

“Are you shitting me?” Hawa groaned and rubbed her temples. “You want to help him?”

“No.” Jayden pushed off the wall and stepped into the middle of the room. “I want
us
to do it. You, me, and the kid.”

Modem rolled her eyes, probably too weak to scold him for calling her a kid.

“Why do you even care?” Hawa said. “You left. Checked out. Why get involved?”

“Because Renato and his band of groupies can’t beat this on their own. I thought they could. I didn’t think Zanya would actually leave, but that’s not how it played out. Without Zanya, I’m the only one who can seek Contessa and steal the book.” Jayden shifted his weight. “If we don’t help, everything will suffer. Not just Renato and everyone in his precious mansion, but the hotel, too. It will all crumble, along with the rest of the middleworld when the demons rise. We won’t stand a chance.” He looked at Modem. “None of us will.”

Hawa’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh.” She stood up straight and grinned. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

Jayden threw his hands in the air. “Unbelievable. That’s all it took?”

Hawa shrugged. “I can’t be the reason these kids…” She blinked and swallowed. “I care about them.”

Modem sucked in a labored breath. “I don’t know if I can…” Sweat collected on her brow, streaking down her face. Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Jayden scooped her up and laid her back onto the mattress, then gently pulled the covers over her. “It’s too soon. She needs more time.”

“Then we make a plan, and when she’s ready, we go in.”

“Go in, where?”

Hawa’s grin widened. “The underworld.”

Even though it wasn’t possible, it was still pretty badass she was willing to risk everything. Jayden took her hand and pulled her into him. “I knew there was a reason I…”

She cocked her head. “You what?”

He wanted to say he liked her, but it was more than that.

Her smile blossomed. “I didn’t know it was like that.”

He grinned. So much for keeping his thoughts to himself.

Hawa pressed a kiss on his lips, and he curled his fingers around a handful of her hair, sliding his tongue over hers. When she shifted closer, her body felt like home.

She pulled away and gazed at Modem, now asleep. “I can’t believe it. She’s like us. Everything changed so fast.”

“Yeah.” That was the understatement of the century. “You think she’ll be okay? I mean, after she learns more about her ability?”

Hawa tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, adorned in rows of silver earrings. “I don’t know. Being a dreamwalker isn’t something I’d want for anyone. Being trapped forever in a kid’s body? It’s like a bad dream.”

Jayden frowned. “When we tell her, I hope she can deal with it. Without hurting herself, I mean.”

Hawa exhaled. “Yeah. Do you think she’d be better off with Renato? She wouldn’t be the first Riyata he helped ease into their place in the world.” She met his gaze. “I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I can take care of her like she needs.”

“We’ll figure it out.” He held her close and pressed his cheek against hers. “As far as going to the underworld, we can’t.” When Zanya had returned from retrieving his soul from the underworld, she’d told him all about the cave and the portal, and how Arwan had offered his half-underworld blood as a sacrifice for entrance. Without that, they’d never get through. And unfortunately for him, even though he’d spent some time in the underworld, he didn’t bleed. Not anymore.

“Contessa won’t come to the middleworld again until she has a solid plan. Last time she was here, she was falling apart at the seams, remember? She’s in the underworld because she’s fading, and there she can feed off the damned souls. We have to assume the worst.”

There was a slight knock on the door. Hawa slipped out of Jayden’s arms and opened the hotel room door.

“Hey, Brisa.” The little boy they called Tic-Tac stood at the door.

“Hey, buddy.” She opened the door wider. “What’s going on?”

“Um…” He twisted the fabric of his shirt in his tiny hands.

Hawa glanced at Jay, then back to the kid. “What is it?”

Tic-Tac gestured to the foyer with a nod of his head. “Blade wants you. He sent me up. Said it’s important and to meet him down there…now.”

Hawa nodded. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be down in a minute.” She ruffled his hair.

“I don’t think he’ll wait a minute.” Fear streaked his tone, clearly setting Hawa on high alert.

She crouched in front of him. “What’s wrong?” She rested her hand on his shoulder.

Tic-Tac flinched away.

Hawa gently pulled down the neckline of his shirt to expose a yellow and blue bruise on the boy’s collarbone. She winced. “What happened?”

Tic-Tac lowered his head. “I’m fine.”

“Did Blade do this to you?”

Tic-Tac responded with a sniffle.

Hawa pushed to her feet, her hands balled into tight fists. “Why don’t you stay here with Modem?” she said in a low growl. Hawa guided the boy inside. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you when she wakes up.”

Tic-Tac nodded. “Okay.” He sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Sure.”

Jayden looked down at Tic-Tac and winked. “You’re one tough little dude.”

“Blade says I have to be. He says life is too hard for me to be weak.”

Jayden’s features sobered. “He said that, huh?”

Tic-Tac nodded.

Jayden examined the boy’s bright eyes. He was too innocent to be here, in this place, without parents or a family to take care of him. His chest tightened. “Promise me something.” The boy stared up at him, waiting. “If you hear people shouting or things breaking downstairs, don’t come out, okay?” The boy paused, swallowed, and nodded. “Good.” He pointed at Modem. “Keep an eye on her for me. I’m counting on you.” He reached out to pat the kid on his back, but pulled back his hand, afraid he might hurt him if there were any more bruises they couldn’t see.

Hawa had already left the room and was halfway down the stairs by the time Jay caught up.

She walked with a purpose, her focus trained on Blade.

Jay slowed when they reached the bottom floor. He circled around the room, recalling what Modem had said about making things worse.

“
Hijo de puta!”
Hawa swung a right hook and landed it square on Blade’s jaw.

Jayden raised his eyebrows. So much for not making things worse.

Blade stumbled, and the back of his legs buckled over the fountain in the center of the foyer. She shook her hand, sucking in a sharp breath through her teeth.

Blade wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Are you flirting with me, Brisa?”

She scowled. “I’ll show you flirting.” She charged him.

Blade stood, his eyes dark, grinning a sinister smile. “Here we go,” he said under his breath, almost too low for Jayden to hear.

Hawa swung again. Blade blocked the assault and punched her in the gut.

Hawa gasped and collapsed to the floor, clawing at the aged wood as she gulped in shallow breaths.

Jayden stepped forward. Hawa extended her hand, coughing through labored breaths. “Stay out of this,” she croaked.

The hotel became eerily silent. Jayden looked up as the hotel room doors quietly clicked shut, everyone vanishing from sight. It was like they had seen this a thousand times, and knew it would get ugly.

Jayden returned his focus to Blade. His gut twisted, fury boiling in his veins. He’d kill that piece of shit. He’d kill him, and wouldn’t lose a moment of sleep over it.

Hawa stumbled to her feet, forcing herself to stand on her own.

Blade chuckled. “You sure you want to go for round two,
Brisa
? You know what you’re getting yourself into. You should remember well enough.”

She drew in deep breaths, her glare deepening. “
You
should remember,” she wheezed. “I’m used to it.” With her lips pursed into a tight, rigid line, she leaped forward and swung her elbow, cracking Blade in the mouth.

He backhanded her across the cheek, sending her spinning. She stayed on her feet and squared her shoulders, her fists in the air.

Jayden shifted as jolts of electricity bolted through his muscles. He couldn’t just stand there and watch Blade beat her black and blue. Hawa’s cheek had already begun to swell. An ugly purple shadow blotted the fair skin under her eye.

Her gaze flickered to Jayden for just a second. She shook her head, and clenched her fists. “You have no right to hurt these kids, Blade.”

He strutted toward her, his hands at his sides, making no effort to guard himself. Hawa tightened her jaw. Knowing her, it was clear
that
insulted Hawa even more than Blade’s smug laugh.

“No right?” Blade echoed. He scowled. “You, of all people, have no room to talk about rights.” Blade pushed out his chest. His gaze dragged down Hawa’s body to her belly, where his gaze lingered for a long moment. “You don’t give a damn about rights.”

“Go to hell,” Hawa growled. “You know it wasn’t my choice.”

“Oh, really? So you didn’t call me from the clinic? I’m just…” He shrugged. “Imagining it all?”

“So stupid,” she mumbled. “I was so stupid to call you. I should have never—” Her voice caught in her throat. Her fists slightly relaxed, and her gaze drifted. “I can still hear her heartbeat…” A tear slipped down her cheek.

Jayden’s chest hollowed with a silent exhale.

Modem never did tell him how far along she was when she lost the baby. She could have had plenty of doctor appointments before it happened.

“You,” Blade said, stealing Jayden’s attention. “You never wanted her.”

Hawa shook her head. “That’s not true.”

“You got rid of her,” he continued in a deep, ominous tone.

“No.” Hawa swallowed. “I knew I couldn’t take care of her. She would have ended up in this hotel, like these kids.”

“Bullshit.” Blade glared at her stomach. “You tore her out of you.”

“No!” Hawa’s shriek echoed through the empty foyer. “You stole her from me. You hurt her. You
killed
her!”

Hawa sprinted forward and collided with Blade. They both went down in a ball of flying fists. Blade grabbed Hawa by the shoulders and rolled on top of her, then coiled his fingers around her neck, bearing down with all of his weight.

Hawa’s eyes widened, and she kicked under him, clawing at Blade’s wrists.

Jayden tore Blade off and grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him to his feet. He drew Blade’s face an inch from his. “That’s the last time you’ll ever touch her.”

Blade grabbed his arms, digging his fingers into Jay’s muscles. “Then I won’t be the only one.” Blade shoved Jay back and threw a right hook, cracking his solid knuckle against Jay’s cheekbone.

Jay stumbled back and blinked repeatedly, shaking off the rattled daze. He curled his lips into a grin. “That all you got?” Jayden ran forward and tackled him like a cornerback, slamming Blade into the wall.