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“Is that what I’m doing here?” I asked quietly, rubbing my thumb against the sharp thorns.
“Are you planning to kill me, Emily Sharrow?”
“Not yet. How about you?”
“I’ll let you know.”
4
Ifound Luke and Trevor near our building, at an outdoor stall made from an old truck selling something that smelled like sausages. It was a relief to see their familiar faces, but after my meeting with Augustine, I still felt unsettled. It was too much to process right now. I didn’t want to have to explain the white rose and romantic candlelight dinner, so I tucked it quickly into the bushes. I wasn’t sure why I felt like hiding it, and part of me didn’t want to let it go, but I told myself I could pick it back up later.
“Taco stand,” Luke said, chewing with his mouth full. “Em, you’ve got to try these.”
“Already ate,” I said, as I sat next to them. “I thought you were out of cash?”
“It’s on me,” Trevor said, handing me a coin. “Haven’t spent all mine yet.”
The cuisine was interesting, with a soft flour shell, filled with meat, lettuce and tomato. I ate two, even though I’d recently eaten upstairs.
Trevor was avoiding my eyes, but when I finally caught them he looked sullen. When Luke went to buy us some cold beer, the silence became a pressure, like a heavy blanket.
I could still smell the elixir in my pocket, but maybe it was in my mind. Is that what Trevor was smelling also? We’d all be more sensitive to it, after drinking so much. Did he think I’d been with Augustine, trading blood for elixir like I had with Damien?
I was expecting another accusation, followed by an argument, but instead he finished his tacos in silence and then wiped his hands off on his jeans.
“Luke and I have been talking,” he said, turning to face me. “There’s ash in the hills, just outside the city. A lot of it. If I shift forms again, two of us could get back. You and me. We could leave tonight.”
Shift.I felt a surge of hope as I pictured his plan.
“It would take days to get back,” I said.
“Only a few. But we could connect with the others. Luke and Camina would be fine here for a while, until we come back for them.”
“She’d never agree to that.”
“She might,” Trevor said. “Have you even talked to her since we got here?”
I hadn’t. I wasn’t avoiding her exactly, but I’d made no effort to check on her either.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said, chewing my lip.
“Anyway, she’s not in the headspace for a fight,” Trevor said. “And we can’t afford to wait. We both know it.”
“We’d need more elixir to change you back,” I frowned.
“Unless I find an elite to eat,” he grinned back at me.
Each shift could take years off of Trevor’s life, and if we didn’t find more elixir soon, he’d get stuck. Until he lost himself for good. I hated that his offer tempted me anyway, even though we both knew what it could cost. Was I really willing to sacrifice my oldest friend?
“It’s too risky,” I said. He started to object and I reached out for his hand.
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “Smart, and brave. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“You found something better?” he asked.
“Augustine showed me around.”
“Doing what?” Trevor asked, his expression tense.
