Page 43 of Rising

Alexiares described how he’d attempted to treat Suckerpunch’s wounds and how the events had unfolded. I admired the dog from the side. A mountain lion was no small feat. Alexiares must have responded pretty promptly with some knowledge of what he was doing in order for Suckerpunch to still be here with us and not riddled with infection. Personally, I would’ve been a screaming mess. People were one thing. My baby Harley was another.

The vet assessed his wounds some more, wrapping the bandage back around his stomach and said he would take care of this and keep him overnight for monitoring. I surveyed Alexiares’ face, noticing his initial anxious features turn to a more tangible visage of concern. It was beyond me considering he’d left the dog in an abandoned house overnight. Unsupervised. But I understood the fear of leaving your dog in the arms of an unknown stranger. Sympathizing with him, I commanded Harley to go with them, knowing she’d make her way back to our rooms before the night was done.

His face softened, but his anxiety lingered.

* * *

My appetite wasn’t quite back yet,but my body was fighting to win its war of hunger. Tonight was Shepherd’s Pie, and the vegetarian version was decent enough to cause my stomach to grumble as Alexiares picked over his plate.

“Should I get a plate to pack it up for Suckerpunch? I have a feeling he would appreciate the food you’re ready to discard.”

His head rose as he looked me in the eye for the first time in hours. He said nothing, but the coldness in his eyes was clear. He wasn’t in the mood. To shut me up, he shoveled the food down his throat, parroting a barbarian as Riley walked in and took in the view.

Confusion stretched over his classic features, brown eyes dancing in amusement at the disgust stretched across my face.

Chuckling, he asked, “Hey, uh, what’s going on?”

He offered his hand. “Riley.”

Alexiares glanced at it for a few moments before taking it, eyes focused on Riley. Completely missing the ants that left Riley’s wrist and made their way up his arm and down his shirt.

I tossed my head towards Alexiares. “Riley, asshole. Asshole, Riley. Your new roomie.”

The boys’ eyes tore from my face and back to each other. Taking each other in and reading the situation. I knew Riley would say nothing and ask questions later, but I didn’t expect Alexiares to be so docile.

One by one the others started to pile in, Tomoe first. Who, to her credit, said nothing, though I could feel the questions swirling her mind as she practically threw them at me with the daggers of her glare. She’d never been a fan of surprises, but in my defense when I’d seen her earlier, I had no intention of letting him stay. Let alone bring him to dinner.

Then came Reina, everyone’s saving grace, as she introduced herself to him, slicing the silence of the table with her chatter and excitement. Filling us in on the last few hours of her life as if we hadn’t seen her earlier in the day. Proceeding to dive into excruciating detail of every item of clothing she’d bought from one of the shops in Entertainment Square on her way back from a house call earlier. Alexiares watched her, both bewildered and annoyed at her ability to talk without stopping for air.

Seth strode into the room last as everyone else nearly finished, fists balled at his sides as he made a point to keep his gaze directly over my head. He sat towards the end of the table, saying nothing as he fixated on the space between me and Alexiares. There was a strong chance he’d have an attitude with me for days, but I was used to playing the waiting game with him. He’d get over it soon enough.

We both had consequences to pay when our leadership had failed. I was ready to accept mine. The least he could do is own up to his.

Amaia

The few hours I had to myself after dinner were eerie. It was the first time I had truly been lucid in the last few months and had gone about my day as normal. It was a surreal feeling coming back to my room and not finding Jax there. Expecting to see him sneaking in a nap on the bed. Or running around my study causing chaos with Harley, tossing one of the many shoes Reina would drop off after talking it up with a vendor in Entertainment Square, introducing it to Harley as her ‘new toy from Auntie Reina. I hated it. I moved around from my couch, to my desk and eventually to the floor leaned up against his side of the bed. Zoned out and exhausted from the day, I craved the taste of alcohol on my tongue.

One of the nights I’d attempted to run right after his death, I’d picked up some of my favorites in the darkness of the night. Knowing my friends wouldn’t be back for a few more hours to check on me. I’d taken advantage of the opportunity, filled a duffle bag with bottles of liquor and wines, and had plundered in it as I read away my reality.

I knew my pores reeked of it. Knew Reina could smell it on my breath, saw the disappointment in Tomoe’s eyes when she’d take the empty bottles from my bedside and tucked it away before Reina could return. I’d heard Prescott demand Riley to have me cut off around The Compound and Riley remind Prescott what it would look like to the public if he did so.

If they openly addressed my drinking.

I dug my nails into my flesh, using the distraction of the pain to ignore the urge to pour a drink. My mind raced with Jax’s words, echoed by Reina’s wisdom ringing true. It was a hard pill to swallow. Admitting that the bottle was a crutch, not a requirement for survival. The alcohol was my escape, a way to dull the pain and forget the memories that haunted me. It was a choice, but one that I refused to let dictate the rest of my life. I’d decided nearly two days ago that my new beginning would be just that, another new Amaia.

The Amaia that existed without Jax. The Amaia that could stand on her own, take care of herself.

So I spent the rest of my evening distracting myself with the positive. I ran throughout The Compound with Harley, making sure to take a route that passed in front of Riley and now Alexiares home in the General Living Quarters. The lights were out in all the rooms. Whether that was a good or bad sign, I guess I’d learn in the morning.

Grabbing a coffee, I walked back to my quarters, taking a deep breathful of the salt from the ocean air. For once, it felt nice—in another life, I’d call the night peaceful. But I knew better than that. Was wise enough to never sayat least it didn’t rain, in the middle of a cloudy hike.

As I turned the corner, I halted in my steps, Harley bumping into the heels of my foot, caught off guard. Alexiares was in front of one of the apartments near the edge of the GLQ, talking to a man with honey colored skin and dark wavy hair. He was a bit shorter than Alexiares, but muscularly built. The man constantly checked over Alexiares’ shoulder, an indication of the intensity of the conversation taking place.

I stepped back, catching my breath and cursing myself for being careless.Interesting. Too far to hear what they were saying, my only hope was that Riley’s ants had hung in there and Alexiares wasn’t sensitive enough to feel them creeping along his skin and clothes.

After a few seconds, I peered back around the corner, catching them in an embrace, neither of them ready to pull away. I hadn’t figured him capable of having a genuine, empathetic bone in his body, and he’d never mentioned knowing someone in the community. Granted, I hadn’t asked, but this only added to the extensive list of questions and suspicions I had surrounding him.

Alexiares headed down the alley to the right as I took a step back into the shadows. Wisely opting to give myself some space to casually walk past the man he’d been speaking to, now headed my way.

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