Page 184 of Bones
A sudden wave of emotion washed over me, and my eyes prickled. “That’d be nice.” I managed to get out.
He smiled. “Let me change and grab one. I’ll be right back, ok?” He headed for the door, then paused, turning back to look at me. “Bones?”
I glanced at him. The firelight played across his face and highlighted the golden sparks in his eyes.
“You’re a part of my crew,” he said in that soft voice I rarely heard, “but you’re also myfriend.You’re not alone, ok?”
My eyes burned. “Ok.”
He flashed those dimples again. “Be right back.”
After he left, I headed up to the loft to change my clothes. The relief coursing through my body made me lightheaded. A few months ago, I would've seen that as weakness. Now I wasn't sure what I'd call it, but maybe it could be something good. A little bit of the fog I'd been living in had cleared. I wouldn't have to be alone anymore, and maybe tonight I could tell Mac about the other powered person. I knew I needed to tell them, but I hadn't been able to think or care past my grief.
* * *
I'd only just reached my dresser when I heard the door open. I stopped and turned to walk back to the edge of the loft to see if Mac had forgotten something, but I froze mid-step when the light flicked off. A chill crawled up spine as I tried to get my eyes to adjust to the dark. That wasn’t Mac. He wouldn’t shut the light off like that.
I stood in silence, straining my ears when I heard a whisper of a noise to my left. I half turned, panic flooding me, but someone grabbed me, spinning me around and pinning my back against a tall, wiry body. A hand clapped over my mouth, muffling my scream. He wore thick gloves, so when I tried to bite him, I didn't get any skin. I tried to kick his knees, ready to fight, but a low voice spoke harshly in my ear.
“Don’t make me do this the hard way, Ember. Your time’s up.”
My heart stopped beating. Hearing my real name for the first time in twelve years felt like a painful electric shock, but hearing that voice was worse. Even after all this time, I knew it. I’d been dreading hearing it again since I was ten years old.
“Lights,” someone said in a low voice from down below, and then a few seconds later the lights came back on.
He spun me around to face him, large hands gripping my shoulders, and I met those green eyes identical to my own. There was no softness, no kindness, no love in my brother’s face, just a burning fury that seared through me.
“Think you ran far enough?” asked Wolf.
To be continued…
