I was draining Warwick’s strength, ripping through it with brutality. A hunger made me want more. To take until nothing was left.
“X!”
The shrill whistle of the departing train on the track next to us screeched through the air, breaking me out of my trance, fracturing my hold on Warwick, his strength leaving my body.
My chest heaved with exertion. My body trembled as I felt my energy drain, already craving more of the high of Warwick’s energy. I blinked, peering at the litter of dead bodies strewn around me. Their blood covered me and dripped off my lashes into my eyes.
Holy shit.
What had I done? They were slaughtered, and I barely had a cut. It wasn’t possible. Definitely not for a human... not even fae.
My eyes drifted back to Lukas. He stood there, his eyes wide, a touch of fear in them, then his mouth opened, his finger pointing. “Behind you!”
Whirling around, I saw a guard spring for me, his gun ready to shoot. I dropped out of the way of the bullet, rolling on the ground, my legs kicking him in the groin before rising back up, my fist plunging into his throat.
With a groan, he stumbled back, falling onto the rails, the tracks trembling as the train rolled forward, its momentum picking up.
He turned his head to see it coming, but it was too late. A guttural scream plunged from the guard’s throat and was cut off almost as fast and was replaced by the crunch of his skull, the sound of matter and brains crushing under the weight of the train, beheading him.
I jerked my head to the side, though I knew the image would haunt me forever.
“Come on!” A woman’s voice bolted my head up to see Ava and Sab, motioning from the conductor’s cabin.
They hijacked a train?
I darted for it, reaching for them to pull me up, Luk right behind me.
“Took you long enough, fuckers.” Luk climbed in, spitting blood onto the floor.
Our team was stuffed in the cabin. Blade had a gun to the conductor’s head, telling him to ignore the calls to return.
“They’ll be waiting for you at the next stop.” The conductor’s voice was more confident than I would have thought.
“We won’t be on then,” Blade replied, keeping the gun primed on the man.
“Good.” The guy dipped his head. I had a feeling he was pro-Povstat.
Peering out the open door to see if anyone was coming for us, my gaze ran over the sea of death and damage scattered over the tracks, some guards still breathing.
Lukas contributed to the body count, but most of the kill was from me. Warwick poured his strength into me and let me take it until there was nothing. I couldn’t feel any connection now, as if I burned it out. A surge of fear laced through my gut, wondering if this lack of a link would be for good. Wasn’t it what we wanted, though? I wanted to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach and answer yes.
Luk’s gaze, still full of confusion and alarm, burned into the side of my face. He had seen it. Seen the impossible speed and skill no human, trained as the best or not, should have.
The train pulled out of the station, the whistles and yells behind us bleeding into the afternoon air. I rubbed my head, fatigue hitting me like a hammer, rushing over me, my bones aching.
“You okay?” Ava reached for me as my body stumbled back. Darkness circled my peripheral, and my head spun.
“Guys!” Ava yelled over her shoulder. Jak, Sab, and Luk rushed over. Their hands caught me as I fell to the floor.
Tired. So tired, like coming down from the biggest adrenaline high ever and crashing painfully to the earth.
“X? What’s wrong?” Ava leaned over me, then peering over at Luk. “Was she shot or stabbed?”
Luk ripped open my coat, his fingers pressing down, trying to find any wound. I couldn’t muster the energy to tell him I was fine.
“No.” Luk shook his head. “This isn’t even her blood.”
My lids fluttered, everything growing dim.
The darkness didn’t bleed in; it crashed like a wave and tumbled me into nothing. I couldn’t fight it.
“Kovacs!” My name roared through the fog as I sank, making me want to reach for the voice like I could almost touch him here... but he slipped through my fingers.
The coldness of losing him was as if death had finally found me.
Chapter 5
Chirp.
“You know, I think you’re right. She does like it.”
Chirp.
“No, not there.”
Chirp.
“I do not! I told you it was a big misunderstanding!”
“Oh gods... ” I groaned, batting at the obstruction in my nose, my lashes fluttering open to Bitzy’s huge ears and eyes. Sitting in her bag, her ears were decorated with dried flowers that seem to have been glued on. “Please tell me I’m dreaming.”
“Fishy!” Opie pushed past his friend, his hands clapping excitedly.
Another groan fell from my lips. “Nope, this is real.”
Opie stood there in see-through gauze wrapped around himself like a bodysuit with strategically placed dried flowers and herbs covering his bits. His beard was braided with flowers, his feet in cotton balls. Leaves and twigs circled his head in a dramatic crown, and his lips and eyes were painted glittery green.
Pushing up, my murky brain registered I was in my room at Povstat, but it took me a moment for it to click in that my two friends were also here with me.
“Wait. How are you here? How did you find me?” I rubbed my face, heaviness sucking out my energy, making me groggy and slow. I couldn’t remember anything past being on the train. How did they get me back here? How long had I been out?
“We will always find you, Master Fishy. We are your family now,” Opie replied, his attention back on his outfit, twirling. “Do you like it?”
“It’s very... nature-y.”
“It took me the whole way here. Though seeing his face when we went through all his supplies... Wow. Didn’t think he could get so red.”
Chirp! Chirp! I swore it sounded like Bitzy giggled evilly, her two teeth showing.
“Whole way here? Who turned red?”
“But he was nothing in comparison to the other. He was one big crabby pants the whole way here. Scary with extra hot sauce.”
Chirp! Bitzy’s fingers went flying out, her forehead crinkling with annoyance.
“No, he was by far grouchier!”
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
My eyes went wide as she went off, her fingers flying about.
“You’re just mad because your mushrooms were taken away.” Opie placed his hands on his hips.
Mushrooms. Holy shit.
“Again, how did you get here?” I sat up straighter. If Opie and Bitzy found me...
Chirp-chirp. A strange smile pulled on Bitzy’s face, her three-prong fingers rolling up, her arms outstretched like she was holding on to handlebars.
“We rode on a vroom-vroom.” Opie picked at the flowers in his beard.
“You mean a motorcycle?” No, no way. Did he find me? We had a link, but I didn’t think he could track me down to the exact spot. “How did you find me?”
“I told you, Fishy, I will always be able to find you now.” He tapped his nose. “Smelled you out.”
Warwick knew enough of the area I was in, and Opie could find my exact spot.