The Alignment (22 page)

Before the words have settled he’s up and sprinting toward the house. The man is fast. And that cute little punch? Distraction. It’s like all this is programmed into him so well even
he
isn’t aware of what he’s about to do.

I follow him almost to the edge of the woods, taking my time to keep my footsteps light. When I get to the last row of trees, I don’t move until the wind blows, then I take as many steps as I can while the rustling trees mask my tread. Once I’m high enough to have a good view, I survey the yard, taking notice of all the normal shadows and shapes so when something looks out of the ordinary, I will know.

A shadow flashes along the wall of the garage. With no way for me to get to him undetected, I maneuver down the slope the same way as before, only moving when the wind blows. The house is now only a quick sprint away. He has moved to the corner of the garage—running now would put me right in his view. I pick up a branch and throw it as far up the slope as I can. When I hear it hit the ground, I run for the house, along the side and across the back. I peek around the corner. He’s sprinting to the front of the house. I sneak around the side toward the front, hesitating at the corner. I’ve lost my hold on him.

All of a sudden he’s behind me. I dodge, and he catches my arm, so I twist my core, breaking his grasp. His body comes down on me. As my back hits the ground his arms come down on either side of me like fence posts, bracing his fall, protecting me from his falling body weight. All motion stops. I stare into his eyes. The rhythm of our rapid breathing is the only sound.

I realize my knee is up, and he and I both look down at the same time to see my dagger drawn and pointed directly at his heart. He looks as surprised as I feel.

I lay my dagger arm against the ground as I relax my knee and open my leg to the side. He lowers his body against me. We lie motionless until I reach up for him with my other arm. He takes my wrist and holds it against the ground. I start to move the other arm but he’s predicted it and pins it along with the other, dagger and all.

I open my mouth, astonished to be at his mercy. I withdrew too soon. He doesn’t even try to control his winner’s grin. I lower my eyes to his lips, daring him to kiss me. At his mercy sounds like a great place to be.

He cannot resist.

A wave of heat runs the length of me as his lips meet mine. I move against the pressure of his body, unable to cling to him with my wrists still pinned. He frees my wrists and drops himself onto his elbows, still keeping most of his weight off me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer. His lips become more urgent against mine and it’s just like that night. We’ve no option but to do this. It has to be.

One jarring heave breaks my arms from his neck and pulls him away. He rises to his knees, then to the balls of his feet. There’s a universe of space between us and it’s cold. Unnatural. Wrong. He leans his head back, facing the starry sky, breathing hard. He looks back down at me, intent but pleading, like he wants to be talked out of something. Like he’s just made some painful decision he doesn’t want to live with.

I’m afraid to move. I know we set rules but I refuse to be the one to shatter this moment.

He picks up the dagger and pulls me up with him to a standing position. He brusquely takes me in the house, strips off my gear, and closes me in the bedroom by myself. Thirty seconds later he returns to put a gun on the nightstand. “This one’s loaded. You can protect yourself. I’m going to run this off. Listen for River.”

I pull my shirt and pants off, get under the covers, and force my eyes closed.

Chapter 27

Trey

“Y
ou have to
see this,” she says as she comes into the kitchen. I’ve been up long before her even though I went to bed hours after she did.

She pushes her sleeve up her arm and turns her elbow out for me to see. It’s scraped deep, and the length of her forearm is darkly bruised from her wrist to her elbow.

I was afraid of this. It doesn’t seem fair that any wounds I get from our training heal easily and quickly but she doesn’t have that luxury. I know how I could fix this, but it is not an option.

“Do you want to see the one on my leg?” She pulls the robe up her leg.

“No.” I turn my back to her. I don’t want to see her body wounded, and it’s better if I don’t see any more of her bare skin. The combination of the two could easily divide and conquer me. They both have a very valid reason for me to take her to bed right now. I won’t allow my will to be broken a second time.

“I remember scraping my elbow, but it barely hurt.”

“That’s good. That means you can use the focus I gave you. No more fooling around. I’m putting an end to it. It’s getting out of hand.”

“I’m sorry. I never mean to do anything. I just have no control over it.”

“Me neither. Until now. I made these last night.” I pick up the plastic bag of capsules and shake it.

“What is it?” She takes the bag from me for a closer look.

“Liv Gilchrist repellent.”

“No way.” She laughs.

“Yes.”

Worry clouds her face. “It’s going to make it like it was before?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just supposed to suppress desire. Calm lust. I’m going to take two a day, a double dose. Just for a while.”

She takes a seat at the table just as her plate of breakfast lands in front of her.

“We need to do more practicing tonight. Every night. And unless I do something it’s always going to end up like it did last night.” I glance at her to see if she understands me.

“I’m glad you brought this up. I should have told you this a long time ago.” She pauses to move the food around on her plate. “It’s kind of a weird thing to tell you…”

“What is?” I know my life, and now her life, will never be normal, but I’m not sure what she’s referring to.

“I got pregnant while I was on the pill.”

I can’t hold back my bitter laughter. “That’s great. ‘Cause I can get women pregnant with the pill and a rubber.”

“What?”

I can only nod at her. This is too fitting. I’ve been a prisoner to this prophecy my whole life and now she is too. We can’t be together yet it drew us to the same damn intersection in the same damn town, like some sadistic dare. They forbid me from fulfilling their prophecy while setting me up so I will. And once I do, they’ll end me and tell me it’s my fault.

“I know how to keep track of my cycles. I guess you don’t have anything you could mix up downstairs?”

“No. I’d have no idea what I was doing.” I wonder if my mother… Maybe she could talk to my mother about that.

“It’s just a few days a month you have to abstain. The only problem is it’s not one hundred percent safe.”

“That’s kind of a big problem.” It’s a deathwish for both of us. I’m quick to blame them, but if they are behind this, they have it backwards. It would be a big disadvantage to them to affect both of us with a problem like this. And they have no motive. It could be a coincidence. A fucking unfortunate coincidence. But it fits pretty well into my life.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” I get up and take a shower. When I get out, she’s pulling on her jacket, and my mind wanders. I break myself out of it. I wonder how many of those capsules I could take before poisoning myself.

I sit on the couch to put on my boots, and she asks, “Do you want me to examine your leg?”

“I already did.”

“How does it look?”

“Fine.”

She stands in the entryway while I tie my boots. I finally look at her, and once our eyes meet she turns and opens the door.

“Let me walk you out.” I feel like I need to say something but I’m not sure what.

She closes the door and waits for me. I get my keys and phone, put on my jacket, and we walk outside together into the chilly morning air. A flock of at least five hundred rosy-finches is camping out in a nearby aspen, so I click my tongue to move them on their way. They’re curious about her. But they make such a mess. The sound of so many flapping wings taking flight is almost deafening. They seem early this year.

Liv glances at me, shaking her head. “You are something else.”

I shrug as she slides behind the wheel and drives away.

I check in at Wayne’s work site to see how it’s going, but he still can’t use me so I don’t stay long. It looks like I have no work today either. I spend the morning running errands and buying things for our trip. I pick up a gym mat to protect the living room floor at Liv’s house since we’ll need that tonight.

After lunch, I opt for a haircut. I’ve needed one for a long time and finally have the motivation to drag my ass into town to do it. The wait is short, and I take a magazine to the chair so the stylist doesn’t think she needs to talk to me. She does anyway. She is relentless. I do my best to ignore her, but by the time I’m paying I feel like I need to punch something. I decide to go straight home before I do.

At home, I mow and clean up the yard and do some work in the garden. As I’m heading into the house to take a shower, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I dig it out, and the display shows an unfamiliar number with a Chicago area code. It has to be her. She never calls me.

“What’s wrong?” I answer. I already know it’s something bad.

“Trey.” Her voice is too calm.

“What!”

“There’s an unfamiliar gray car parked near mine. The windows are tinted so I can’t see inside. And I think it’s idling.”

“At the clinic? Stay inside. I’ll be right there.” I rush into the living room and grab the Glock which I stick in the back of my jeans.

The front wheel of the Ninja lifts off the ground as I blast out of the garage, gravel flying. My pace is crippled by the turns in the road, but as soon as I hit the straight stretch I’m well over one hundred miles per hour. A red light tries to slow me down, so I ride the shoulder past the line of cars. I don’t need a big gap in traffic to make it. I’m already far past the intersection when I hear someone honk their horn at me. People are so damn self-righteous.

I turn into the parking lot and see no sign of the car. I circle toward the entrance. Liv comes outside with Shawn behind her.

“Which way?” I ask.

She points. I turn back out on the road and continue in the direction I was going. The engine growls as I rip through the gears to get the bike back up to speed. There are too many intersections, too many turns, too many options. When I remember Shawn standing behind her, I give up and head back.

They’re standing by her car when I return, and I can hear her bright laugh all the way across the parking lot. I pull up near them and take off my helmet.

“Looks like your escort is here,” Shawn says, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

He just insists on pushing me. I kill the engine and start to dismount. She’s already starting her car. I pause, and she pulls away. I can’t let her go home by herself, but I can’t leave without dealing with him. He asks for it every time I see him and it’s time to shut him down. He watches me, his arms crossed on his chest, and I glance at her car to see it turning onto the road. Screw it. I put on my helmet and peel out. There will be a next time.

I pass a few cars illegally until I’m directly behind her. She seems to be driving slowly on purpose to keep me from going too fast. When we get to the house, she stays in her car. I go for the handle on her door but it’s locked, so I tap the window once with my fist.

“You need to carry a gun,” I tell her as soon as the door is open.

She rolls her eyes. “Trey, I cannot carry a gun with me to work every day.”

“You can conceal it.”

She gives me a long look, and I take the gun out of my jeans and put it under the seat in her car. She sighs, and I follow her into the house.

“What did you tell him?” I have several things I’d like to tell him. But I’d feel much better if I broke his nose.

“That I have a crazy ex. It really isn’t a lie. What did you want me to tell him? That a family of witches is after me to cut out my uterus?”

I snort. “They wouldn’t even bother. They would just execute you.” My voice sounds cold, making my words harsher than I intended.

Her smile falls.

With nothing to say, I head into the kitchen and start on a quick dinner. When I turn around to set the table, she’s already sitting in her spot with her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. I didn’t even hear her enter the room. Either she’s getting that good, or I’m really out of it.

“You look handsome,” she says softly.

I make a sound at the back of my throat. “Please,” I say, disgusted.

“Your hair. It suits you.”

If she only knew what I had to endure for a haircut. I need to buy my own electric clipper so next time I can shave my own fucking head. I bring the food to the table and dig in, avoiding her eyes. She slowly picks up her fork and takes a bite, watching me the whole time. When I sense her about to speak, I stand and refill my glass with water. She goes back to eating, so I sit back down. I finish my plate and take it to the sink. She gets up. Leans her hip against the counter. I continue cleaning the dishes.

“What’s gotten into you today?”

“What.”

“You seem so…down. Not yourself.”

Maybe I do feel more irritated than usual. “Guess that car showing up again pissed me off.”

“But I noticed it this morning, too.”

“Fuck.”

“Trey.”

She stands on the tips of her toes to be taller. Not satisfied, she hoists herself up to sit on the countertop and checks my pupils before pulling back to look at my face. “Something’s wrong.”

“You’re imagining things.” I throw a towel down on the countertop.

She looks at the towel for a drawn out moment before returning to me. “It’s got to be those capsules you made. How many did you take today?”

“I don’t remember.” I honestly don’t, but I know it was a lot.

“Well it’s not worth it if they’re going to make you more depressed and angry. Please don’t take them. I’ll take all the responsibility of making us behave.”

“Don’t make me laugh.” Although I don’t think I could if I wanted to. She’s right—most of what’s in the capsules are depressants. And I took a lot more than the recommended dose. I should probably be in a coma.

“Where are they? I’m going to count them.”

“You don’t need to count them.”

“So you’re not going to take any more?”

I can’t say no to her, so I avoid the question. “We need to get going. I bought some mats for your house. Let’s go over there and practice before it gets too late.” I pull her off the countertop and set her on her feet. “Go change into some workout clothes.”

“I’m not letting this go,” she says over her shoulder as she leaves the room.

I change into some clean clothes, put on my running shoes, and sit on the couch to wait for her. I never got to take a shower but who the hell cares. She comes out wearing the type of clothes dancers practice in and her hair twisted up, pulling on one of my hooded sweatshirts. We take the truck and as we pull up to her house, she sighs. “I miss it here.”

We haul the gym mats to her front door. I suppose I’m being careless not checking the yard and the outside of the house first, especially since my circle’s been disturbed. I’m not feeling very motivated. It was probably her anyway.

Inside the house, she walks around turning on lights while I roll out the mats. I take off my shoes and start to take off my shirt but decide against it. She comes toward me, pulling the sweatshirt over her head, then stepping out of her shoes.

“So how do you want to die today?” She cracks her knuckles.

“Slowly and painfully,” I answer, trying to play back.

“I can arrange that.” She steps toward me on the mat.

I decide to take offense and reach for her, but she’s too quick. I try again, and she slips away, laughing.

“Do I know Judo?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I might.”

“You’ve already used it on me. In the woods, remember? When you flipped me on my back, that was a
Uchi Makikomi
.”

Before she has a chance to answer, I strike again. She dodges and goes for my shoulder and I counter with a
Ura Nage
as gently as I can. As she makes contact with the mat, she continues my forceful motion and I end up thrown over her on my back. My technique must be off.

“Now is when I need my dagger.” She rolls back to her feet.

I remain on the ground, splayed out.

“Come on, get up!” She puts her fists up, ready to box.

“I think I’m done for the night.”

“Oh come on!” She drops her hands and steps just within my reach. I pull her foot out from under her and roll to catch her before she hits the mat.

“You play dirty,” she gasps, about to laugh.

“You should know that by now.”

She scrapes her fingers against my hair. “I love this, buzzed off. It’s so different.”

I remove her hands from my head.

Her face lights up. “Do I know Kung Fu?”

“Yes.”

“What else?”

“Everything.” I know it will all become familiar to her once her body carries out the moves. “Even street fighting. The wrestling I taught you may be useless. I suck at wrestling.” She’s probably much better at wrestling than I am, but she doesn’t have my strength.

“Which style do you use most often?”

“Now why would I tell you that? I’m not disciplined enough to stick with one. I use a combination of everything.”

“Great.” She rolls her eyes.

She slips out of my grasp and stands. I get up slowly then throw my arm out, grabbing her throat lightly. An instant later her knee is a millimeter from my groin.

“Not you too.” I laugh, and I feel a weight lift off my chest. It feels good to laugh.

She takes advantage of my distraction. Grabbing my shirt at the shoulders, she swings her leg against my ankle and drops her body weight to the floor, taking me with her. She’s starting to make me look bad.