chapter
923 Words
4.1 Golden Eyes
Dedicated to Saylorso
Crickets usually chirped like a choir at this time,
but tonight, they swapped buzzing alacrity for
silent sorrow, and the feeling was contagious. As
Lu and her four companions lingered inside the
creaky, abandoned cabin, her heart thrummed
with a plaintive note.
"It feels smaller" Miles said.
Indeed it did, despite the extra space. For the past
three hours, Lu, Miles, and their friends had been
cleaning their hangout as instructed. The usable
furniture had been taken away, and the rest had
been sorted into donation and garbage piles.
Gone were the vibrant teals and reds of the Aztec
rug, gone was the texture of ivory deer antlers
mounted on the walls. Boxes with miscellaneous
junk and knickknacks were all that was left.
Lu would miss it. The stale scent of old wood, and
even the stubborn cobwebs that she never seemed
able to remove. This dilapidated structure had
become a cozy haven these past years, and she
clung to the freedom and tranquility that
permeated every molecule of air.
Her gaze found Nika, who leaned against the door
frame, hands shoved in the pockets of a red jacket
and dark gold hair fastened into brutally tight
braids.
Kovachev had set her free before announcing that
the lockdown was over and the investigation had
closed. It was all quite suspicious, especially the
phone call between the headmaster and High
Keeper Kovac.
Studying Nika's determined expression, Lu knew
she hadn't stopped thinking about it. She
wondered if her sister-friend's interest originated
from genuine curiosity or fear of being framed for
theft.
"We were bound to get caught sooner or later," Lu
announced.
Jade scoffed. "There are only two more months of
school. We might have made it to the end, if Nika
hadn't ditched class."
Nika's green eyes marked Jade like a target,
flashing with vexation. "I won't be guilted into
apology tfor tosing the hangout. My mindis
occupied by more pressing concerns at the
moment."
They shared a seething look, but it was nothing
out of the ordinary for them, and a heartbeat later,
everyone returned to wistful sighs and reveries.
"We should get going" Miles said after a few
minutes. "Ill be late for a training session."
He and Elliot leapt down from the piles of boxes on
which they'd been perched. Elliot landed with all
the elegance of a blooming rose and strode toward
Lu, hooking an arm around her shoulders.
She smiled, taking in the slender height and olive-
toned face of a cherub. Elliot's Arab beauty had a
way of making Lu's stomach flutter, and despite
him being trapped in the awkward stage between
boy and man, she was happy to own the privilege
of kissing him whenever she pleased.
They followed Nika outside, with Jade trailing
behind them. A full moon gleamed in the sky,
drowning the midnight canvas in silvery light.
Miles jogged ahead and fell into place beside Nika,
saying, "Can we talk about what happened last
night?"
"Shhh, not now."
Lu's curiosity perked at the brief exchange. It was
no secret to her, or anyone else present, that Nika
and Miles danced on a strange line between
friends and lovers. Lu had suspected Miles's
feelings for months now, and had warned Nika
what a prolonged arrangement would incite. She
wondered if "what happened last night" marked
the final tipping point
"Oh, no," Elliot groaned. "I know that look."
Lu frowned at him. "What look?"
"Stay out of their business."
"Nika's business is mine, and mine is hers."
"And yet, you're dating me against her wishes"
"That's different."
Elliot winced. "Don't think so."
Lu opened her mouth to protest, but her chin
slammed against Nika's skull, and a hiss of pain
came out instead.
Elliot pressed his lips together, restraining a laugh.
Lu scowled at him and rubbed her sore chin,
exclaiming, "What are you doing?"
Nika stood like a pillar, squinting into the woods,
as if her vision pierced all the way to the other side.
"Can you see that?"
"See what?" Jade said, strolling up on Lu's left.
Nika pointed to some spot between the trees.
"Two yellow dots. I swear, they've been following
me all night."
All Lu savw were the vague shapes of trees and utter
darkness. "I don't see-"
"Watch."
So they did, and long seconds passed. And just
when Lu began to feel ridiculous, two orbs
flickered to life amid the foliage, like distant
torches.
Elliot c****d his head. "They're getting bigger."
"Brighter, too," said Jade.
"What are they?" Miles murmured.
Nika snuck forward. "They almost look like"
A collective gasp burst from all of them, and Lu's
heart plummeted into her stomach. Because the
bushes-they were stirring, right where those
specks of light shimmered. A leg poked out of the
forest, then a copper-tinted arm, and before Lu
remembered how to breathe, she found herself
staring at the young man she'd seen in aphotograph only hours before.
"Dante" Nika growled.
A pearl-white smile sliced across his handsome
face. "I'd hoped to meet you again, halfblood. But
so soonit must be my lucky day"
His arrival alone was enough to thicken Lu's blood,
but there was something wrong about him.
Perhaps it was those eyes, which Nika had claimed
to be a unique shade of brown. But right now, they
were gold. It wasn't any trick of the light, because
they continued glowing, as intense as a shadow-
eating blaze. And whoever or whatever Dante
Azzara was, Lu sensed the unmistakable presence
of danger.
- Writer
