Chapter 5
The first punch woke me up. Or maybe it was my head hitting the limestone that did it, and my attacker gave me zero time to prepare before my jaw absorbed the second impact. I didn't have a clue where I was, and darkness contributed to my disoriented state, but I had a hunch I'd been sleepwalking.
"Fight back, bitch!" My assailant shouted as I took a heel to the stomach. The solid wall kept me from falling, but falling would have been preferable to the punch that followed it up. When I tasted blood, I knew it was time to take my attacker's advice.
"Stella! Stop!"
The cry came from my left just as I balled my fists, and strangely, I recognized the voice. Christoph appeared in my line of sight as he shoved Stella into the opposite wall.
"Get off me, Christoph!" Stella growled. "The bitch deserves to get her ass kicked. She called me... She called me something."
"What did she call you?" he said.
"She called me sylvie! I don't know what a sylvie is, but I'm sure it's something foul."
"My best friend," I said as I chuckled. The chuckle had been unintentional, but I was still in the process of waking up.
"What?" Christoph turned to look at me as I swiped a finger across my bloody lip.
"Sylvie is my best friend. I was sleepwalking. I must have mistaken Stella for Sylvie."
Christoph continued to stare at me as he released Stella and dragged his hand through the bristles of his short hair. "Sleepwalking?"
"She's lying," Stella argued. "She's using it as an excuse to come in here and spy on me. It was probably her plan all along."
"Why would Reese want to spy on you? She doesn't even want to be here."
"I don't know why she was doing it. Hybrids are sneaks and liars, just like gollums."
"Go back to sleep, Stella." Christoph turned his back on her and reached out to me, pulling my hand away from my mouth. "I'll take you to the clinic, Reese. You're bleeding."
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt that bad."
The hallway soon filled up with curious bodies, but just as quickly, the crowd dispersed when Austin appeared. He examined my bloody face first, then he pegged Stella with an angry scowl.
"Please, tell me this wasn't your doing?"
"It wasn't my doing. She started it."
Stella pointed at me and Austin's eyebrows reached to his buzzcut. I didn't have to offer my alibi. Christoph did it for me.
"Reese was sleepwalking and apparently wandered into Stella's room. I can vouch for her. Heath told me Reese used to sleepwalk when they lived together."
Austin offered an imperceptible nod before dealing with his ornery daughter. "Back to bed, Stella. We will talk later."
Stella crossed her arms over her chest and followed this up with a loud snort as she stomped into her room. After which, Austin resumed staring at me and Christoph.
"I need to talk to you two," he said. "In private."
"We're sharing the room at the end of the hall." Christoph motioned in that direction, but his lips pursed when he noticed me rubbing my chin, feeling for the spot Stella had introduced her fist to. "Are you sure you're okay, Reese?"
"Yes, but my jaw will probably complain tomorrow."
Christoph didn't look happy as we walked back to our dorm room, and he started wringing his hands when he sat on the cot next to me. Austin spent the next few seconds scrutinizing us from above.
"We have a situation happening outside the hive," Austin said finally. "A group of gollums have set up camp at apiary number four. They've sent two of ours to the clinic, and they're holding one hostage. They promise her safe return in exchange for Reese."
Holy shit. Vincent.
As I stared dumbly at Austin, Christoph continued the dialogue.
"Who's the hostage?"
"Cara, although I think they're regretting their choice. She hasn't stopped cursing them since her abduction."
Christoph's expression hardened. "Has anyone been negotiating with the gollums?"
"Of course. Fredrik is maintaining a dialogue, and Cecile has instructed me to give Reese her walking papers without further engagement." Austin pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. "Cecile assured me you would know what to do with this. She also wanted me to inform you that someone will be watching you at all times, making sure you hold up your end of the bargain."
Bargain? Did we have a bargain? I just remembered being abducted and Cecile telling me I needed to find an amulet so she and her wicked daughter could continue their reign.
"I'll do whatever she asks. I just want to go home." I tucked the paper into the front pocket of Cara's tight-fitting cargo pants, and picked up my dirty clothes from the floor. That's when I noticed Christoph watching me through his peripherals. He looked disappointed. Did he think I would want to stay?
"Will you take me to the gollums, Christoph?"
It took him a moment, but Christoph suddenly sat up straight and jutted out his chest like someone had prodded him with a fireplace poker. "I have been assigned to shadow you, and I plan to see that through."
Christoph remained brutally quiet during our journey topside. Fortunately, we didn't have to walk far, and we accessed the surface from a steep stairwell that twisted as it led up to a trap door. From there, we entered a massive greenhouse, where I realized it was nighttime outside. Overhead however, the nursery had been lit like a Times Square Christmas tree. After enduring twenty-four hours of dim light, the florescent bulbs had me squinting painfully.
Christoph reached into a bucket hanging on the wall, pulling out two pairs of sunglasses and handing one to me. "Put this on. It'll help with the glare."
With my eyes properly shielded, I followed Christoph down a row of plants growing out of a raised bed. A healthy crop of squash in various shades of orange, yellow and green peeked out from thick greenery, and I slowed to admire them. Just then, a figure stepped out of hiding, and I startled. Willem smiled apologetically when he realized he had scared the snot out of me.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said, assessing me from behind dark shades. "But, I'm glad I caught you, Reese. I didn't want you to leave the hive without knowing something about your parentage."
Aw, nuts.
"You have probably heard rumors that your grandmother was a pawn in the queen's plan to procure the amulet," he went on. "That rumor is true. Cecile tasked me with finding a gollum to mate with and produce a hybrid, but you need to know that I was in love with Petula. Otherwise, she could not have conceived your mother. I loved them both, and you... when you came along."
"Petula? That's my grandmother's name?"
"Yes."
I nodded mutely, feeling grateful for the barrier of our sunglasses, and I watched him warily as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"This is from Cecile," he said, handing it to me. "She asked me to deliver it personally. It contains extremely confidential information, and she hopes you will not share it with anyone who might wish harm on the hive." Willem smiled again as he touched my arm. "I am very glad to see you doing well for yourself, Reese. A demon's life can be a difficult one, and the fact that the gollums have accepted you and offered you protection is encouraging. I wish you well."
After a nod in Christoph's direction, Willem took off toward the trap door, and I tucked the letter into the canvas bag I'd been given for my dirty clothes.
"What was that all about?" I asked Christoph.
He shrugged. "Maybe the letter will explain more. Willem is one of Cecile's closest mates. He has fathered many of her offspring." Christoph didn't take his eyes off me as he spoke, making me feel a little uncomfortable, and I turned my attention to the row of overflowing planter boxes, desperate to change the subject.
"It's great that the hive grows its own food," I said lamely.
"We have to. How else would we feed ourselves?" His response came out like a curse, making me feel like an idiot.
"I'm sorry, Christoph. You probably think I'm a spoiled brat, but I didn't know a thing about demons before I came here." As I surveyed the planters, I realized we were standing next to a patch of strawberries, and I touched a ripe berry tucked beneath a tri of leaves. Christoph watched me curiously, then he reached down and plucked the berry from its branch.
"Here," he said, handing me the fruit. "I know you haven't eaten in a while. You're probably starving."
"Thanks." I bit into the berry without preamble, and an explosion of sweet juice filled my mouth. "Delicious."
"Hmm," he moaned as he watched me chew. "Reese, I hope your experience in the hive has given you a better perspective on demons. I'm sure the gollums don't paint a nice picture of us, and I know your relationship with Heath wasn't always smooth."
"It wasn't always rough either," I offered as I finished off the strawberry. "Thank you for being my friend, Christoph. You made an awful situation a little more tolerable."
"Was it that awful? I mean, could you ever imagine living among us?"
As he spoke, Christoph took my hand and used it to pull me closer. Despite my inability to see outside, I automatically glanced through the glass of the greenhouse, feeling self-conscious about Christoph's intimate gesture. Could the gollums see us from where they waited? Was Vincent watching?
"I don't know. I just found out I'm not human. I haven't had a chance to absorb that yet, but if I didn't have the Valentinos keeping an eye on me, I might consider hanging out with a demon."
A small smile lifted his lips. "I'm glad I was assigned to shadow you. I like you, Reese." As he confessed his feelings, he took a step closer until we were breathing the same air and I could feel the warmth from his skin and smell his scent. "If you ever need to call in a favor, just mention my name. I've got a little pull around Manhattan."
"Okay."
I could tell Christoph wanted to kiss me. He hadn't taken his eyes off my mouth, and I felt his pulse increase as he continued to hold tightly to my hand. I politely pulled away and took a step back, severing our connection. "I'm sure Cara is anxious to get back to the hive," I said by way of a reminder.
"Yeah. She's going to be impossible to live with for the next few days. Maybe I'll get lucky and Cecile will have me shadow you again."
"Then we'll see each other around."
Christoph stared at me, making me feel obliged to stare back, and I knew it was coming even before he reached around my waist and dragged me against him. His lips came crashing onto mine with violent intent, and he jammed his tongue past my teeth. Christoph kissed me like he might never get another chance, and he was right. I put a stop to his major breach of personal boundaries by strong-arming him in the chest and shoving him into the bench of strawberries.
"Dammit, Christoph! Don't ruin it."
He didn't move from the position I'd put him in, and a strawberry rolled off the bench and landed at his feet. We both stared at it before he bent down to pick it up.
"I don't have to be hit over the head to see the metaphor here," he said as he placed the berry in my hand. "I'm sorry if I've broken your trust. I hope I haven't broken our friendship."
I accepted his peace offering and waited for him to look at me before I gave my reply. "We're fine, Christoph, but if Vincent saw what happened, you may be nursing a broken arm."
Christoph snorted. "If I thought you were at all interested in me, I would kick his ass all the way to Providence."
"Let's not do this, okay. You don't have to walk me outside. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Hell no. I'm taking you out there."
Leaving the sunglasses in a different bucket, we walked outside and Fredrik greeted us at the greenhouse door. Introductions were made but that was the extent of the conversation as the three of us walked between a row of beehives. The aroma coming from the hives smelled nothing like honey, but I was stumped for a good comparison. Damn. I should have asked for a jar to take with me.
I became aware of my rapid heartbeat as we came upon a small rise in the landscape covered in trees. Were my gollum rescuers hiding there? Would Vincent be among them, or had he been told to steer clear of me? This internal chatter did nothing for my nerves, and I sent up a quick prayer before the voice of an agitated female drew me out of my thoughts. She cursed at someone for being ugly, which was followed by a vociferous 'Shut the fuck up!' If I wasn't mistaken, the shout had come from Vincent, and he sounded angry. Really angry.
Five figures stepped away from the tree line, and my heart skipped several beats when I recognized Vincent among them, but apart from Ward, who I remembered from a previous mission, none of my rescuers had come from New York City. Ward had the pleasure of maintaining a grip on Cara, and she didn't stop fighting him while her pale eyes flashed white against the dark sky. Her rose-colored glasses were missing, revealing their true purpose. She wore them to protect her sensitive eyes.
"Reese, are you injured?" Vincent stomped ahead of the others and came to stand in front of me. His chest and arms were scored with bloody scratches, but he didn't seem phased by his condition as he surveyed me with an unflinching jaw. "Is that blood on your chin?"
I lifted my hand to my face, touching the spot where Stella had taken advantage of my sleepwalking stupor. "Probably, but it was mostly a misunderstanding. How are you?"
I felt like an idiot for making small talk with him, but this was what he did to me when we were together. I just wanted to stare at his roguishly handsome face and lose myself in his stormy, gray gaze.
"Hey, are those my clothes?" Cara screeched.
"Yes," Christoph offered. "I'll replace them."
"You better," Cara groused as Ward walked her to the front of the pack, stopping next to Vincent. On Vincent's nod, Ward released her.
Christoph stretched out a hand to Cara, but she ignored him, retreating down the hill toward the greenhouse as she shouted over her shoulder. "Thanks for the battle training, pussies!"
I felt my hand being snatched, and Vincent dragged me into his chest, holding me close and infusing his glorious scent into my sinuses. Damn. It felt good to be back in his arms.
"You, Christoph," Vincent growled. "If I ever see you kissing Reese again, it will be the last thing you do."
Christoph lifted his chin and eyed Vincent over the bridge of his nose. "Your threats do nothing for me, but if it comes to that, I will go with a smile on my face."
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