Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy Page 37

  I planted my feet on the ground to stop myself from rocking. Leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees, I stared across the room at Liana seriously. Her eyes remained wide and unblinking. They drifted from me to Noah, slower this time than before. Another sweep back to Noah, and her gaze locked on him.

  “You’re Noah Starr, aren’t you?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  He nodded.

  It didn’t take her long to put two and two together. “So you both left…and now…”

  “And now we’re back,” Noah finished for her.

  “And we need your help,” I added.

  Eighteen

  We explained as much as we could to Liana in the half hour that followed. I told her about how I was sent away unfairly, and I complained about how they took my magic. Liana asked about why I’d been sent away, but when I tried to tell her about Tristan, the words caught in my throat. The memory of his unmoving form, when I thought he might be dead, and of my father’s betrayal hit me hard in the gut, taking my breath away. Noah noticed and distracted her by talking about how I showed up on his doorstep. He knew well enough by now that I wouldn’t—couldn’t—talk about it.

  “And you’re back because…?” Liana prodded.

  “Because we have to get back what they took from us.” I stopped the swaying rhythm I had picked up again in the chair. “We’re not here to stay.”

  Liana nodded slowly, but her face communicated sympathy. “I am so sorry this is all happening to you, Bree. I’ll help any way I can. I just wish you didn’t have to leave again. Now that you’re back…” A small smile began to form across her face until it grew into a full grin. “I’m just so happy to see you again.” She leapt off the bed and over to me, where she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

  My body hitched. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a laugh or a sob. It felt a lot like both. “I haven’t been gone very long.”

  “I know,” she said into my hair. “I just thought I wouldn’t see you again for a long time.” She pulled away. “This all makes more sense now. It seemed so unlike you to decide something so big without talking to me about it first. But,” she shrugged, “I guess there’s a side of you that might actually run off like that.”

  She was actually right about that one. Maybe that’s why my friends and family just went along with it, because I would be the type of person to jump on a big decision like that in a snap. But seriously? Journalism? They should have known something was up when I mentioned that.

  I took a deep breath and swallowed. It didn’t help clear my throat, which felt like it was closing up and making it difficult to breathe. “I hate dragging you into this. We just need a place to hang out for a bit. If things go as planned, we’ll be long gone before they realize what we did. No one will know you helped us.”

  Liana eased herself back down onto the bed and glanced between me and Noah. “What exactly is your plan?”

  Noah visibly relaxed and let out a light laugh.

  “Shh,” I hissed in warning. There were plenty of other people in this house we didn’t want to wake.

  “Sorry,” Noah said in a whisper. “I just think it’s funny because we still don’t have a solid plan.” He turned to Liana but pointed his chin in my direction. “Bree here sucks at plan making.”

  I crinkled my nose up in displeasure. “So do you. Otherwise we’d have a plan by now.”

  “I suggested getting her mom to help us get Dr. Sloan’s keys. She won’t let her mom get involved, though.”

  “No,” I stated almost too loudly. “It’s bad enough asking Liana for help. At least if we get caught, she can still plead the innocent little girl card. My mom wouldn’t be able to get away with that.”

  Liana tilted her head and batted her eyes. “You think I’m an innocent little girl? How cute!”

  I rolled my eyes at her. “Plus, let’s face it. You have more balls than my mom does. I think we should just learn how to pick the locks.”

  “That’s a lot harder than you think,” Noah said from across the room in the shadows.

  I felt the urge to stick my tongue out at him. “Okay, Mr. I’m-so-good-at-making-plans.”

  “Be quieter,” Liana warned. “We don’t want to wake anyone. As long as you two stay quiet, you can hang out here. My family never comes into my room. Okay? But as far as how you’re going to get in and get your magic, what if I stole the keys?”

  “You?” I narrowed my eyes, wondering where she was going with this. “How are you going to get them?”

  “I could visit your mom at the clinic, use her as an excuse to get in,” she said with a shrug.

  I pressed my lips together. “That almost seems like it’d spark suspicion. You’ve never visited her before.”

  “I think we’re missing something,” Noah said, nearly cutting me off.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “It’s not just about getting into the clinic or distracting him. We know he has the keys, but how do we know where he keeps them? He might not even keep the key to City Hall and the key to the door we need in the same place. They could be at home, at his office, or on him.”

  I raised my eyebrows, an idea striking. “That’s three options.” I glanced between them, waiting for the realization to strike. When it didn’t, I clarified my idea. “There are three of us. Liana can take Dr. Sloan. Fake an emergency illness and ask to see him.”

  “What am I going to fake?” she asked before I could finish.

  “I remember my mom talking about this kid who came in once complaining about finger pain. They didn’t think anything was wrong until they took the X-rays and found out he’d fractured one of the bones in his finger. You couldn’t even tell looking at it. I think that would be a good one. It’d get you in with him, and we don’t actually have to hurt you.” I paused for a moment, and a teasing smile crept across my face. “Unless you want us to.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks.”

  I grinned back at her, hoping she could see it in the darkness. “You were in the high school play freshman year. You’ll do fine. Just remember to keep an eye out for his keys. The one to the door we need is a small golden key. And the one for City Hall…” I actually wasn’t sure.

  “I’d think that one would be with his regular keys,” Noah pointed out.

  I sucked my teeth. “I’m just nervous about him realizing his keys are gone, to be honest.”

  “Don’t worry,” Liana said confidently. “We’ll get them back to him the next day. Drop ‘em on the floor in his office or something. He’ll just think he lost them for the day.”

  I nodded along, though I wasn’t entirely confident that would work. “Okay. So Liana’s covering Dr. Sloan’s person.”

  “I’ll take his office,” Noah offered.

  I let out a breath of air. “I was just going to say that.”

  “His office is a lot more public than his home. Being you’re the talk of the town right now—”

  “How do you know I’m the talk of the town?” I interrupted harshly.

  We both looked to Liana for confirmation. Even in the darkness, I could tell by the way she ducked her head that she was blushing.

  “You kind of are,” she admitted. “That usually happens when someone leaves.”

  “See?” Noah gloated. “I know because I was the talk of the town when I left.”

  “People will still recognize you if they spot you, though,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, but they might not notice right away, or they might think they just didn’t hear that I came back. Right now, they’d notice you a lot more than they’d notice me. Besides, if I’m as stealthy as I think I am, I won’t get caught.”

  “As you think you are,” I emphasized with an eye roll. I wasn’t sure if he noticed it in the shadows.

  “As I know I am,” he sneered back. It made me want to laugh out loud at him, but I knew I couldn’t get too loud, and I didn’t quite have the energy left for it.

  �
��So I’m left to the boring job? Searching his house? It’ll be empty during the day. That’s not even fun. Too easy.”

  Noah moved his entire head with his eye roll, making sure I could see it through the darkness.

  “Fine,” I agreed reluctantly. I hated this, all of it. Was I ready to wake up yet?

  “We’re good, then?” Liana asked, hopping up from her bed. She crossed the room over to her closet and dug out two sleeping bags. “You’re lucky we still have these from our sleepover days.” She held both up and tossed one at each of us. “Sorry, Noah, but you’re going to have to sleep in a pink girly one.”

  He shrugged and unrolled it quickly. “I’ll survive.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t have extra pillows,” Liana said as she settled herself under her own covers.

  Noah situated himself at the foot of Liana’s bed, so I took the spot beside it near the door. As soon as I lay down, my face stretched into a yawn. It didn’t matter that the floor was hard and uncomfortable. I was exhausted. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up to reality. Unfortunately, I knew I had to accept at some point that this was my new reality. Reality sucked.

  I heard Liana’s and Noah’s voices continue to carry through the darkness, but I didn’t process what they were saying—probably making more plans. I cradled my head in my folded arm and fell asleep in what felt like seconds.

  Nineteen

  “You’re not going to get away with this,” I stated confidently.

  I was back in City Hall. Carson Ray stood in front of me holding the glowing vial that called out to me. I eyed it longingly, my mouth going dry just thinking about it. I couldn’t take my eyes off it, as if it was the only thing that existed in the world, as if it would make everything better and ease the pain growing in my chest and the ache in my head. I needed it like I needed water. No. I needed it more than I needed water. That blue magic was everything. It was all that mattered.

  “You and what army?” Carson asked with a sly smile.

  I scoffed. “Me and what army? This army!” I gestured around me, only when I glanced around, no one was there. I spun toward the front door, expecting my allies to back me up, expecting Sharon, Noah, Liana, and Christina to walk through the door and tell me everything would be all right. My eyes only met a solid wall. The door was gone.

  I spun back toward Carson. He continued to hold the vial within eyesight. He knew it would rile me up. And it did. My hands clenched into fists.

  Punch him in the throat, I told myself.

  “I don’t need an army.” My voice came out sounding more confident than I truly felt, but Carson didn’t buy it. He only laughed in response.

  “You’re not a hero, Ms. Waters.”

  My fists tightened until my nails began digging into my palms. I didn’t know what it was about that name—I mean, it was my name—but I hated it.

  “You’re going to need a hero to save you now,” he said with an ugly smile just as he raised his arm, preparing to smash the vial that held my magic.

  “No!” I shouted, lunging toward him the same moment another hand came up to grip Carson’s wrist.

  Shock crossed Carson’s face, and he turned to see who had stopped him. Noah’s hand gripped Caron’s wrist tightly. He squeezed so hard that Carson’s hand began shaking. Fear entered his eyes. In the next moment, Carson’s hand sprung open, releasing the vial.

  My breath hitched as I watched the vial fall in slow motion. Reflexively, I reached out for it at speeds even I didn’t think I was capable of. In the moment I expected my hand to clamp around the descending vial, it never came. I only clutched at empty air. Then I realized Noah had been faster than me.

  He held the vial in his hand, smiling in my direction. Though the vial commanded all of my attention just moments ago, now all I could look at were Noah’s sea-blue eyes. A mesmerizing swirl of color danced behind them as if he’d gotten his magic back and it glowed in his eyes.

  He dropped Carson’s hand and stepped closer to me, but Carson didn’t seem to matter anymore. All that mattered was Noah, his eyes, his hand gently running up and down my bicep, his warm breath on my face as he stepped closer to me.

  He spoke softly. “I saved this for you.”

  He held the vial up next to my eyes, but I couldn’t seem to process it anymore. Just like that, it wasn’t the only thing that mattered. In this moment, Noah mattered more. He was my hero, and he deserved a proper thank-you.

  I swallowed deeply, and without saying anything, I raised myself on my toes, placed a gentle hand on the back of his neck, and brushed my lips across his.

  I awoke to the sunlight seeping in through the window. It was warm and welcoming. The sound of the ocean waves past the window reached my ears, and a painful longing for the water hit my gut again.

  Noah shifted at the foot of the bed. The thought of him brought back memories of my dream, and my face heated. I buried my face under the shield of the sleeping bag just in case anyone would notice.

  I shouldn’t be feeling this way, I told myself. I barely know Noah. My mind seemed settled on that argument, but minutes later when Noah sat up, his hair in disarray, I couldn’t help my heart from pattering hard against the side of my rib cage. You’re being dumb, I told myself. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if his lips would taste as sweet as they did in the dream.

  “Okay, guys.” Liana’s voice surprised me. I jerked my head in her direction and found her at the door instead of her bed as I expected. She must have woken and stepped over me while I was still asleep.

  “My family is all in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast. If you need to use the bathroom, now’s your chance. Just don’t flush until I go in there. Otherwise they’ll wonder why I had to flush so many times.” She crinkled her nose up into a small giggle.

  I groaned and sat up straight. “I guess I’ll go first.”

  I snuck down the hall and did my business. I eyed the shower when I was in there, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to use it, not with Liana’s family in the house anyway. When I returned to her room, Liana had laid out several granola bars and a few apples on her bed.

  “Breakfast is served,” she said with a smile.

  “Thanks.” I smiled back, picking up an apple and biting into it.

  “Wanna listen to the show?” Liana’s smile transformed. It was still a smile, sure, but it was unmistakably an evil one.

  “The show?” I asked.

  Noah didn’t even seem to notice Liana’s question as he crossed the room and tiptoed out of it toward the bathroom.

  She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I have to put on a show if my injury is going to sound believable.”

  I nodded slowly like I understood. I didn’t. Not really.

  “I just have to get one of my brothers riled up.” She bit the end of her lip and crinkled her nose up as if she had an evil little plan. It sure sounded like she did. “Just watch—er, listen. It’ll be fun. I just gotta wait for Noah to come back.”

  Noah returned not even a minute later.

  “Liana’s going to put on a show,” I said casually from my spot on her bed. I bit into the final bite of my apple and chewed it loudly.

  “Okay,” she said, hopping up from her bed. “But you two have to be quiet in here, okay?”

  We both nodded.

  Liana tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and turned to us with one hand on the door knob. “This is going to be fun!”

  Noah took a seat next to me on the bed and picked up one of the granola bars between us. Besides the crinkle of the wrapper, the room remained silent. I locked my attention on the sounds outside the door. Voices drifted from the other end of the house as Liana’s family chattered around the breakfast table. Then the sound of Liana flushing the toilet reached my ears. The door to the bathroom creaked open, and I heard the slap of her feet against the hardwood floor as she retreated down the hall.

  “Gross!” she shouted so the entire house could hear. “Which one of you left a giant hair
ball in the drain this morning?”

  I turned to Noah. “Which one do you think she’s gonna get? Taylor or Tyler?”

  “Those her brothers?” he asked while he chewed.

  I nodded. “The twins. They’re two years younger than her.”

  “And her other brother’s Lucas, right? From my grade? Or were they cousins?”

  “No, you’re right. Lucas is her older brother. He doesn’t live here anymore, though.”

  One of the twins’ voices carried down the hall. “It wasn’t me!”

  “Me, either,” the other one said.

  I couldn’t tell which was which. Sure, I could tell them apart from looking at them, but their voices were almost more identical than their faces.

  “I swear, the next time one of you does this, I’m going to slap you both. It’s disgusting! This is the last time I’m cleaning it out for you.” Her voice seemed more distanced now. I guessed she had already reached the kitchen.

  One of the twins laughed loudly. Their arguments always seemed to turn their voices up about twice where they should be. The sound of Liana bickering with her brothers was surprisingly soothing. It felt familiar, like home. This whole place felt like home, and sudden sadness hit when I realized I’d be leaving it again shortly.

  “It was you, wasn’t it, Tyler?” Liana accused.

  I tried my best to keep my attention on Liana instead of my homesickness. How was it that I could feel so homesick when I was already home?

  “You’re the one with the most hair,” one of the twins accused. “It’s probably all yours anyway.”

  I pictured Liana narrowing her eyes and placing her hands on her hips like she did most times she argued with them.

  “Your hair is practically as long as mine—both of yours,” she countered.