Page 9 of Black Onyx
She doesn’t say anything, just follows along beside me. Loki comes up on her other side, his arm brushing against her and causing her to tense. He steps further away, noticing her flinch before he shoots me a look, finally starting to pick up on what I am. An uncharacteristic frown crosses his features as he subtly inhales before his eyes widen, the worried look intensifying.
I raise my eyebrow in question, and he shakes his head, mouthing later at me.
We make it to the cafeteria without incident, leading her through the tables to the lunch line. Since it's midway through the week, we only have cold options like sandwiches, baguettes, salads and wraps available. She follows, but she looks unsure for the first time since she arrived. This time, I share a look with Reaper and Loki.
“Here,” Reaper says, handing her a tray and placing it in front of her.
Loki walks down the line, and she moves behind him, watching him like a hawk as he picks up a couple of sandwiches, some crisps, a chocolate bar and a bottle of blood.
“I can have anything?” She asks.
Her voice sounds a lot harsher than it did this morning, almost as if she’s not used to using it or even that it’s taken some damage.
“Yep,” Loki replies. “It's free.” He adds quietly, and I frown. It's hardly like she has to worry about money.
At least that’s what I thought until I see the relief briefly flash across her stunning features.
Fucking hell.
She picks up three sandwiches and a packet of crisps and, when she thinks we’re not looking, she places a couple of granola bars in her trouser pockets. It’s all signs of someone who doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from or when. I should know I’ve lived like that, and so has Loki.
She shouldn’t have had that sort of experience though. Something just isn’t adding up.
My mouth drops open in shock when we take a seat as she finishes her food within five minutes. I’d be willing to bet that she had timed eating when she was allowed to eat. I nudge the others, so they stop staring, and Loki clears his throat, looking at her as if he’s just realised something.
“You’re not what you appear to be, are you?”
“It depends on what you see.” She replies cryptically, a slight smile tilting her lips for a fraction of a second before it disappears. “I’m going to bed.” She pauses, looking us over. “Thank you.”
I nod, staring after her as she leaves. As soon as she’s out of the cafeteria, I turn to the others to say I’m not going through with what Storm wants us to do, but I’m interrupted by Reaper.
“I’m not doing it. Something is going on with her, and I want to know what.” He says firmly.
“Me too.” Loki agrees. “When I showed her the room, she was almost shocked, and for a brief second, her barrier dropped, and I could feel the sheer joy radiating from her. It was gone within a second though, and I assumed she was being sarcastic. Now I’m not so sure.”
“She just sewed up her lip right in front of me. She didn’t flinch, not once, and I couldn’t see any numbing stuff in her supplies. Not only that, but she actually thought I was angry at her because I needed to use the sinks. Not because I know full well that you have to be damned used to stitching yourself up to do it that quickly and without fucking flinching.”
“That’s another thing though; she’s not healing.” I muse. “Most supernaturals would have healed by now, even the weaker ones, and she can’t be that weak, or they never would’ve let her in here, magistrate father or not.”
“Come on. I’m not hungry anymore. Let’s go back to the room. She’s there alone with Storm and Mayhem.”
“You sound protective of her,” Reaper observes.
“I guess I am?” Loki replies, confused by his own reaction.
“Me too,” I mutter, and Reaper agrees with a nod.
“She’s bleeding,” Loki says quietly as we walk the halls.
“What?” Reaper asks.
“Farren, when I got close to her earlier, I could smell fresh blood, and it wasn’t from her lip; there was too much of it.”
“But there were no weapons allowed in the fight, and we would've noticed if she got an injury that large during it,” I say.
“No, which means she had the wound before the fight,” Loki says, a dark look crossing his features.
“Fuck.” Me and Reaper curse at the same time.
