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Aria reached for my hand without even looking. I let her lace our fingers together.
“She wasn’t. But that didn’t matter; we loved each other in a way that, I don’t know… wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. We knew each other so well, it felt like she could read my mind,” he said softly. “I think I’m glad we weren’t mates. It just meant that we’d learned each other that well by choice.”
The car went quiet again before Johnny cleared his own throat.
“This got real heavy, real fast,” he said. “Marilyn and I have an idea for where we can go, since we can’t drive around all night.”
“Good,” Reese mumbled. “My ass is starting to go numb.”
“Do you want me to—”
“Don’t talk to me, Neo. Please, just everyone except Marilyn and Johnny shut the fuck up until we get somewhere safe.”
“There’s a small Resistance compound a couple miles from here,” Marilyn explained. “I know the people running it. They used to be in the Resistance when Neo and I’s parents were in it.”
Neo opened his mouth to speak, but Reese shot him a quelling glare that had his jaw snapping shut.
“It’s worth a shot, right? A regular motel would be too easy to access. The Resistance would at least have things in place to make it difficult for the Upper Council and its friends to get in.”
Marilyn nodded at Johnny’s words. “It might not be much, but they’re also a wealth of information. I don’t know if you’ve heard of those colonies in Europe that take people like us in, but they might know something about that, too.”
“Tell me where to go,” Reese said.
Marilyn rattled off the directions. Aria and I locked eyes.
I hope we’re not putting anyone in danger,she worried.
Everyone would be in danger anyways, I replied, because telling her that I didn’t give a fuck who was in danger as long as she, specifically, was safe might not be the right thing to say to her at a time like this.
12
THE DIRECTOR
Aria
Acompound, as defined by my brain, was a sterile, military-looking place with depressing gray walls and yellow, dying grass on the front lawn. It was possibly accompanied by training grounds full of death trap-looking equipment and contraptions, with maybe a few steroid-shooting men out front doing pushups.
As it turned out, Marilyn had very inaccurately used the word “compound” as a descriptor. Because this? This thing that we pulled up in front of? Was not a compound. I refused to believe they would label this place as that.
Compounds were decidedlynotgorgeous, multi-building properties with immaculate grass, a vibrant yellow front building, and children—kids!—running around on the front lawn. The air was clean and refreshing, and while I could still make out the faint undertones of witches, wolves, and vampires, I could also make out the scent of humans, happiness, and peace.
Guilt assaulted me at the thought. We were quite possibly leading danger right to their doorstep. I didn’t think I could knowingly endanger innocents.
Before I could open my mouth to say as much, a man appeared at the double gates.
The fencing was the only thing really “off” about the place, as it was all topped with two rows of barbed wire and humming with the telltale sign of an electric current. There would be no getting in or out unless you had wings, and even then, if I squinted slightly, it looked vaguely like there was something in the sky that shimmered when the sun hit it just right.
“Let us handle this,” Marilyn instructed quietly. “Neo, get out of the car. You’re helping.”
My gaze narrowed on the angel as he shook his shoulders back. If I wasn’t watching it happen, I wouldn’t think he was emanating the subtle glow he was, because I could see his hair getting blonder and skin lightening until even Reese had turned to squint at him.
“What the fuck?” she breathed. “How are you—”
“It’s a little something extra we’ve got to help…persuadepeople to be better people,” Neo managed with a small smile in her direction when she reached out to poke his cheek.
“Your eyes are glowing,” she whispered in awe.
“Pretty, right?” he asked, leaning into her touch.
