“And you think your mom will be able to help us? Give us more than just a few spells?” Luther’s voice is steady, but the question makes Kole scowl at him.
“I think it’s a better idea than charging up to The Hollow with no idea how we’ll even get past the forcefield they’ve got up.”
Stepping in, aware of the heat building between his friends, Tanner calmly says, “Luther, Kole’s right. You weren’t there, you didn’t feel the darkness. The energy surrounding the place, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” He glances at me. “And, yeah, Nova’s more powerful than she was. But she’s notdefeat The Shadow Kingpowerful.”
“Not yet.” I’m surprised to hear my own voice. Looking around at each of them in turn, I try to inject confidence into my voice. “I’m not that powerful yet, but maybe if we know more about the prophecy itself, we’ll figure out how I can be.”
“In that case.” Kole turns his back to Luther. “We should get packing. We have a train to catch.”
21
KOLE
“I’ve never travelled by train before.” Nova is hanging onto the open carriage wall, air pummeling her face as she stares out at the fast-moving night.
“Me neither.” Sam is next to her. The two of them share something. An innocence. A sense of wonder at the world around them because they spent so much of their young lives living in pain. It’s the same lightness that quivers in Tanner sometimes. The lightness Nova does a good job of bringing back, but which can’t ever stay thanks to what the League made him do for them.
“Not the most salubrious for your first train journey.” Mack brushes his lips across Nova’s forehead. Something has changed between the two of them at the ball. It’s almost as if I can see a heaviness has lifted, just a little, from his shoulders and he seems more at ease with her now. More at peace. It’s good to see him like this.
Luther, on the other hand, is still in a dark place. Hunched in the corner of the carriage, alone, he is pretending to sleep so he doesn’t have to interact with us. Seeing how much this is eating him up, I’ve softened toward the idea of him and Nova being together. But he has to make the first move—he has to tell her how he feels, or at least take a step toward telling her. If he allows himself to wallow in his own misery much longer, I really will be pissed.
Sitting down next to Tanner, he and I watch as Mack shows Nova and Sam a map of our route up toward the Fore Valley. “I didn’t know you’d been going home,” he says quietly—not looking at me.
I twist my beard between my thumb and forefinger. “No one knew.”
“Right.” He rubs his knees, then goes to join the others.
Seeing me alone, Nova leaves Sam and Tanner with Mack and comes to sit next to me. Her warmth makes me sigh. She tucks herself under my arm and rests her head on my chest.
You okay?Her voice rumbles through me.
I’m okay.I stroke her hair from her neck. It’s still a little curly from her outing with Mack, and smells of whatever stuff Rev sprayed in it. I prefer when she smells like herself. No creams or lotions. I stroke the spot on her neck that still bears the shadow of my teeth marks. Her mouth opens and a small whimper escapes.
Why do I keep thinking about it?she asks silently, curling her fingers around mine.The way it felt when you…
I clear my throat and sit up a little straighter. I can’t talk to her about this. Not here. Not now. I won’t be able to control myself if I think she wants it as badly as I do. Changing the subject, I say out loud, “Tanner’s not happy with me.”
A flicker of disappointment crosses Nova’s face, but then she gives in and follows my line of conversation instead of her silent one. “Why?”
I grind my teeth as I try to find the right words. “Because I didn’t tell him I’d been going home.”
“You didn’t tell Mack or Luther either,” she says.
“No, I didn’t.”
“But you and Tanner would usually share something like that?” She’s not jealous, just curious, watching my face carefully.
“Usually.”
“So, why didn’t you tell him?”
I look down at her. Navigating the relationship that the four—or five—of us now share with her is difficult. I want to explain, but it’s not my place to reveal Tanner’s truth. He needs to be the one to do that when and if he’s ready.
Picking my words carefully, I say, “Because his family couldn’t forgive him for his past. It didn’t feel right to tell him that mine could.” I stop; she still doesn’t know how Tanner came into our lives all those years ago or the things he did when he was under the League’s control.
“He’s an empath, understanding other peoples’ feelings is what he does.” Nova smiles at me. “He’ll soften up.” Then she nudges my ribs. “If he doesn’t, I’m sure you could find a way to persuade him to.”
A low rumble fills my chest. It’s been too long since I held her. Too long since I was inside her, and now we have a full night’s journey ahead of us. Stuck in this moving carriage with nothing else to do.