Page 12 of Sound
“No, we can’t go now.” There is so much panic in my voice he stops suddenly, peering at me over his shoulder.
Or looking down at me over his shoulder I should say.
“My friends.” I hurry to explain in case he changes his mind and leaves. “They are here, too. I’m not sure where but I see both of them every time Seraphina makes me play. I can’t leave them here, please.”
Indecision is plastered all over his face when his gaze roams from me to the closed door behind me and back. He will leave me here. I can feel it in my bones. Unshed tears sting my eyes and blur his face. A lump forms in my throat the size of a tennis ball. His gaze flicks to Salmon, who is sitting patiently at my feet. I duck my head and let the hair fall over to cover my face. No need for him to see me crying. I look pathetic enough as it is.
“Do you know where to find them?”
My head jerks up, hope blooming in my chest. But he is not looking at me. The question is aimed at Salmon and my brain short circuits. The cat brought him here? As if this night hasn’t been weird enough. I look at Salmon as well. He glares at us, his tail flicking in agitation.
“I’d say that’s a no.” When Étienne’s eyes meet mine, I press my lips tight. “He does that tail thing when he doesn’t like something.” As if I make perfect sense, he nods and glances at the door again.
“We can come back for them later.” I stare at him for a long time before he sighs. “I don’t know what we are dealing with here. I detest magic and witches. If we go searching now, I might not be able to protect you or get you out of here tonight.” His eyes soften when I swallow thickly. “We will come back for them, I promise.”
God help me but I believe him.
I’ve had trust issues my whole life but there is no doubt in my mind that he speaks the truth, or that he really means it. The problem is this: do I dare leave Viola and Harmony here until we can manage to get them out of here? What if it takes a while? What if we can’t find them?
“What if she hurts them because I escaped?” Voicing my biggest fear, my fingers tighten on his hand like that will stop me from falling apart.
“You would stay to protect your friends?” He searches my face for something but I have no idea what.
With a herculean effort, I uncurl my stiff fingers from his hand and take a step back. Everything in me screams to grab him and run to wherever he takes me, but the pale, wide-eyed faces of my friends float like ghosts in front of my eyes. I can’t do that to them. I can’t just leave.
“Yes. I’m sorry.” Taking another step I fight the tears that want to spill out. “I’ll never be able to live with myself if something happens to them.”
A rustle of fabric and a scuff of feet comes from behind the closed door. My stomach drops to my feet and I can see Étienne fighting with himself to stay or go. My heart warms because I know he will stay with me if I ask him, facing whatever the bitch throws his way, but it breaks at the same time because of what I’m about to do. No one will get hurt because of me. Not my friends or him. With a sad smile, I launch forward and shove his chest as hard as I can. Eyes widening, he falls back and disappears through the wall.
The door opens behind me.
10
Étienne
Choking down the growl so I don’t make a sound and give myself away, I jump to my feet, somehow ignoring the wet pants sticking to the back of my thighs and ass. I should’ve known this girl is like no other female I’ve dealt with before. The first time I saw her she knocked down two human males by hitting them across the head with her violin case. I found it amazing at the time, the fire in her eyes as she stood there daring them to mess with her.
Grimacing, I glance down at myself. I don’t find it so amazing at the moment.
Something brushes against my leg and I see the cat as quiet as a whisper threading around my feet while he stares up at me, his orange eyes glowing in the darkness of the tunnel. I guess he doesn’t want to be seen by the magic user either, not that I blame the cat. Melody said it was a he. Salmon, she called him. My lips twitch, my smile threatening to appear more times tonight than ever before. The slamming of a door wipes it out completely. Grinding my teeth, I lean as close as I dare, as if that will help in any way.
“Who are you talking to, girl?” a familiar voice I cannot place snarls on the other side.
“Myself.” Melody’s soft words tighten my chest. “I’m always alone, so if I don’t talk to someone I’ll forget how to speak, sorry.”
“There is no need for you to speak. All you have to do is play that instrument. Haven’t you learned that by now?” The voice sounds louder, so I assume whoever the female speaking is she has moved closer to the wall I’m hiding behind.Like a coward.The snide remark in my mind stabs my pride.
“Yes ma’am.” The docile way Melody speaks contradicts everything I know about the girl, which is not much I guess. Still, it rubs me wrong to hear it.
“Drink,” the female snaps, the word like acid dripping from her mouth. “That’s it, all the way to the bottom. I said all of it.”
Fists clenching, I swallow the mouthful of blood where my fangs pierce the inside of my mouth. My entire body is stiff, muscles bunched and ready to rip the magic user to shreds. The only thing holding me back is the uncertainty of whether Melody will be safe or get hurt in the process. I may have just met the girl, but the idea of hurting her makes me want to roar and destroy the world.
“If it wasn’t for what you are and that stupid violin, you’d be useless.” The female sneers just as something bangs on a wall further away. “There you go, sleep. You’ll give me more of your life tomorrow.” Chuckling like a deranged clown, she moves away, her voice fading with her. “Disgusting creatures, the lot of you. And they thought they could hide you among humans to make sure not even you know what you are. Not from me they won’t. I will take everything you have to give, all of it, until there is nothing left from you.”
I stand frozen, my mind reeling while the female laughs, the excitement clear in her tone before I hear the thud of the door closing. The lock clicks next, leaving only silence behind. I don’t dare move, let alone breathe. The cat brushes against my leg again and I recoil from it. The words from the magic user ring in my head on repeat.“They thought they could hide you among humans to make sure not even you know what you are.”That means the girl doesn’t know she’s not human.
It means she doesn’t know I’m not human.
