AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I tune in to Snitch’s aura more closely, pushing everything else aside as I feel his vibrations. Animals never give off as much as humans, but the waves of contentment that reach me are more than enough to know that he’s okay. There’s a smidge of leftover pain that has me grinding my teeth, but it’s nothing that needs medical intervention.
It could have been far, far worse.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry she did that to you. We’ll go get you an extra special treat to make you feel better. You want to pick out a new shiny?!” I coo down at my baby, his answering squeaks helping to further calm my panicky heart as he nuzzles into my hand. When Gizmo squeaks offendedly from Nic’s shoulder, I give him a scratch and a smile too. “You can get a new stabby too, how about that? For protecting your brother and making sure he’s okay. Such a good boy!”
“Come on. Let’s get you guys out of the cold.” Nic tries to adjust his hold on Snitch and give him to me, but both trash pandas let out hisses of disapproval and he freezes.
“Looks like they finally decided to let you in. Good luck.” I can sense Nic blanching as I let out a chuckle at his expense. Stepping back after one last pat to Snitch’s head, I reach for Ezra, who wraps one of his ridiculously large arms around my shoulders and pulls me to his side. “Let’s go get some food, guys. Before I start gettinghangrylike the trash pandas.”
I hear the beeping of Ezra’s truck unlocking before he leads me to the passenger door, Nic following closely behind me. I start to get in when I pause. Feeling around for everyone’s auras, I feel one who hasn’t moved and is not focused on us at all.
“Kai? What’s wrong?”
Everyone pauses what they’re doing and all turn in his direction. Using my touch on Ezra, I channel our connection. The sight of Kai immediately solidifies in my mind, his back turned to our group as he stares at the front of the diner.
“I’m just thinking…” Kai finally speaks, turning to face us, his features twisted as if he’s deep in thought. “Do you thinkthatcounts as someone wronging Wicked?” He jerks his head towards the diner, emphasizing the subject he’s speaking about, his brown eyes sliding to where I’m standing next to Ezra.
“Oh my God.” I breathe out the words before a grin slices my face in half. “You’re a fucking genius, Kai!”
The smile that lights up his features sends my stomach into backflips and cartwheels as he finally steps towards us with a little extra swagger in his step.
“Who’s down for a little…stakeout?”
24
“God, I love you so much!” I moan around another huge bite of my cheeseburger to Ezra and the entire car falls into deadly silence. Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I let my burger fall to my lap as I angle my head towards the guys. “What? What did I say?”
“Did she just say she loves you?” Nic asks blandly, his tone and aura giving nothing away.
“Yes.” My giant, unphased hero says as he keeps eating.
He was just as hungry as the rest of us, and actually decided to do something about it while we continued staking out the bitch who kicked Snitch. We followed her all around town and well into the night. Of course, that’s also what led us to where we are now, currently sitting outside of a seedy bar on the bad side of downtown. Luckily, there was a fast food joint across the street that Ezra ran to. Stocking up on so much food, it’s practically falling off our laps. I’m currently eating my second.
“Woo-hoo!” Kai exclaims with a clap of his hand on Ezra’s shoulder before he starts singing childishly. “Wicked and Ezra sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes m-oof!”
He’s promptly cut short as Nic gets annoyed with his antics and takes violent action. I shrug my shoulders and return to my burger, content to let the guys duke it out however they please, when Ezra stiffens in his seat.
“There she is.” I slap my hand to his chest and he grabs it, letting me channel his sight.
A tall, blonde woman with dark roots stumbles out of the bar, screeching at whoever slams the door behind her. “Looks like we’re not the only ones who have had issues with her royal pain in the ass,” I mumble as she flips her middle finger at the now closed door and kicks at a can on the sidewalk.
There’s no one else outside or around and she quickly realizes there’s no audience to put on a show for, turning drunkenly in place as she takes in the empty street, not noticing our large truck parked between two buildings across from her. With another kick of her foot she turns left and starts stumbling down the sidewalk to the small parking lot a couple buildings down from her, where I know she left her shitty car when she went in.
“Anyone interested in calling the cops before she risks someone else’s life to drink and drive?” I mutter bitterly as I remember my own accident that was caused by the exact same scenario. Before anyone can answer me, a shadowed form moves from the mouth of an alley the woman passes, and deftly grabs her mouth and torso before dragging her into the darkness.
“Fuck!” My connection to Ezra’s sight is cut off as three doors open and slam shut when the guys race from the car. When I try to open mine and follow them, it’s pushed back closed and the clicking of the locks reaches my ears.
“You motherfuckers!” I scream as I fumble around to find the latch, hearing their muffled voices drawing further away from me.
A deafening gunshot rings out, pinging against the outside of the truck, drawing a scream from my throat. I duck down on instinct as more shots come, shattering the windows and sending my heart racing, causing it to seize painfully in my chest. Gizmo and Snitch let out squeals of terror as I spin in my seat, staying low as guns continue to fire, not all of them aimed our way.
“Get down!” I command. Complying without hesitation, they scramble to the floor of the backseat allowing me to breathe deeply as I try to stave off the panic and shaking of my limbs. Tears fill my eyes when I no longer hear any of the guys shouting at each other through the chaos, none of their deep tones filling the night to reassure me of their safety.
My heart beats once. Twice.
A rush of liquid fire floods my system as a vision is projected to me. It has no source, no real physical presence at all. It doesn’t come in pictures or from someone’s sight. It’s nothing other than the absolute all-encompassing feeling of justknowing. I don’t know how I do it, I don’t know how it happens.
Like I know my name, like I feel my heart in my chest, or the sweat on my palms. It justis.
