Page 100 of Dead Wrong

“Grab the bikes, Reed,” Kaine told the dark-haired one as he tossed a rope ladder down from the platform. “And leave Azrael’s alone. You know how he gets if anyone touches his things.”

Reed’s eyes flickered to me for a moment, then he let out a hearty laugh, disappearing down the ladder.

What was that about?

“Irwin, we’re headed for the City. Go ahead and make a call to the scouts in the area to see if they’ve got any updates.”

“Aye, Kaine.” Irwin vaulted over the railing of the platform, ignoring the ladder altogether.

Kaine sighed, shaking his head. “Those two are going to be the death of me,” he muttered, reaching a hand down to help me up.

“Did you say bikes?” I asked him, my voice colored with confusion. “Wouldn’t it be faster just to catch the train?"

Kaine merely laughed again, dropping down onto the rope ladder and descending with a speed and grace I would never hope to achieve, even if I had two working shoulders. Clumsily, I followed suit, my foot getting caught only twice as he watched me from the ground, his expression bordering on leering.

“This way,” he said, beckoning me to follow him.

We were outside of the town, trees towering overhead, taller than most of the buildings I’d seen there. Kaine led me out onto a worn path through the leaves and underbrush, his footing confident, even in the darkness. We moved in silence for a few minutes, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I made the most of the time we had.

“You’ve known Azzy—Azrael—for a while, yeah?”

“More than a while,” he replied.

“Were you the one who found him? When he was on the street, I mean.”

Kaine glanced over his shoulder at me. “Yeah, I was.”

“How was he? When you found him, I mean.”

He stops then, turning to face me. The playful smile he usually wore had faded, and when he spoke, his words were all fangs, sharp as a warning. “He was a child, Greene. How do you think he was?”

I swallowed down the next question, giving a slight nod.

Kaine resumed his way down the path, his steps heavy as the atmosphere around us had grown. Thunder rumbled in the distance and I couldn’t help but imagine Azrael, cold and alone on the streets because of a foolish decision I made.

I would make it up to him should my second life continue past what lay ahead.

Before the rain could set in, we happened upon Irwin, who stood leaning against a tree, a bar of chocolate between his lips. Beside him, three motorbikes stood in a row, each more ghastly in appearance than the last. They looked as though they’d been made from a scrap heap, with rust spreading across the majority of the surfaces.

“There you are, Kaine. We were about to send a search party,” Irwin teased, his bottom lip covered in melted chocolate.

“Greene here isn’t used to all this hiking back and forth,” Kaine explained, walking over to the larger of the three bikes. “I’ll have to thank Azrael for saddling me with babysitting duties.”

Reed shimmered into existence beside Irwin, the glimmering magic fading from his tanned skin as he said, “The path to the road is clear. We shouldn’t have any trouble.”

Peering through the branches above, I eyed the swelling grey clouds. “And we’re sure the train isn’t an option?”

“Aw,” Irwin hopped on the smaller of the two remaining bikes, kicking the engine to life. “He’s afraid to get a little wet.”

I shoot him a look. “I’m not afraid of rain. I’m wary of skidding off the road on one of those death contraptions.”

“Good thing you’re not driving, then,” said Kaine, patting the space on the long seat behind him.

“Gods, save me.”

Climbing onto the bike, I did my best to maintain a polite distance between Kaine and me, but as the engine rumbled to life and the bike kicked off, my arms wrapped around his waist to keep me from flying off the back.

Irwin howled with laughter as he took off past us, the trees streaking by in shadowy smudges. Behind, I could hear the engine of Reed, who seemed to be the most reserved of the trio, but even he was smiling when I chanced a glance back at him.

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