Oath Bound
Page 76
“Where anyone would be least likely to look.” Van glanced from me to him, then back to me, silently questioning the change between us. But it was nothing I could explain to her, or to any of them without further embarrassing myself.
“Why are Seers always so damn obscure?” I flipped through the notebook absently. Casually. “What good are her predictions if they’re too vague to be used?”
“She wasn’t always vague.” Kris took the journal from me and closed it. “Her waking predictions were usually much clearer, like what Hadley told us the other day. But when Elle was asleep, she couldn’t elaborate, and when I woke her to ask, she never remembered what she’d been dreaming.”
“Okay. So we’re going to do this.” Van closed her laptop and stood.
“Yes.” Kris stood and slid the notebook into his duffel bag on the floor by the couch. “But you’re staying here.”
“No way.” Vanessa clutched her laptop to her chest. “Kenley needs me.”
“She needs you to stay alive and unharmed. You have no combat experience, and I don’t want to leave Gran alone if I don’t have to.” Kori glanced at me as she lifted a shoulder holster from the arm of the couch and slid her arms through the straps. “You, too.”
Vanessa looked as if she’d argue, if she didn’t already know it would do no good.
I knew no such thing.
“I’m going.” If Kris was right and the blood farm was at the Sycamore Grove warehouse, then there was every chance in the world that I could cull a couple more indentured servants from Julia’s bonds, and a couple of guns made loyal to us—or at least removed from Julia’s arsenal—could mean the difference between life and death if Kris and his crew found themselves outnumbered.
Beyond that, I was not giving up another chance to test my newly inherited bonds and to free more of the poor bastards bound by them.
Of course, I’d have to do it without anyone seeing, but I was up to the challenge.
“She’s right,” Kris said, and I turned to find him wearing a double holster, armed with a gun on each side. Could he shoot left-handed? “You’ll be safer here.” There was no malice in his eyes. He wasn’t just trying to cut me out of the action.
“I thought you needed me to jam your psychic signal. I can’t do that from here.”
“That’s a moot point in this scenario,” Ian said, and I decided, for the moment at least, that I hated every single one of them. “We can’t break Kenley out of a secure building we’ve never even seen before without being noticed by the enemy. In which case they won’t have to track us. They’ll be able to see us.”
“But couldn’t you use an extra hand? Holding an extra gun?”
Kori shrugged a jacket on over her shirt and shoulder holster, then gave me an almost sympathetic smile. “You don’t shoot. Guns, at least. And this time I doubt they’ll leave bottles of spray cleaner around to tempt you.”
I glared at Kris. He didn’t have to make me sound like such an...amateur. Even if I was one.
“Liv and Cam can’t make it right now, but they’ll check in later to see if they’re still needed,” Kori said, reading from her cell phone screen.
“Fine. Don’t give me a gun.” I followed them into the hallway, pissed off even further over being forced to beg like a puppy. “I’m not bad with a knife, and I know you have extras.”
“Not this time, Sera.” Kris held the closet door open while Kori and Ian stepped inside.
“Don’t you dare close that door!” I demanded as he stepped in after them. Kris gave me an apologetic look, then closed the door in my face. “You are not going without me!” I yelled at the closed door, my hands balled into impotent fists.
Furious, I kicked the door, and something inside me...slipped. It felt like the mental version of bumping into a dresser and knocking one of the drawers open a few inches.
My kick to the door was followed by a louder, deeper thud from inside the closet.
“What the fuck!” Kori shouted, and the closet door swung open so fast I had to jump back to keep from getting smacked by it.
“What happened?” Vanessa said from the end of the hall, and I could see Gran behind her, both of them drawn by Kori’s shout. Or maybe by my own heartfelt objection.
“I don’t know.” Kori stuck her head out of the closet and Kris pushed her aside so he could step into the hall. “I tried to travel, and nothing happened. It’s like the shadows are locked. We ran into the fucking door.”
Gran burst into laughter, then headed back into the kitchen, and briefly, I wondered what she’d heard that I hadn’t. Did Alzheimer’s make unfunny things sound funny?
Van turned from Gran back to Kori, frowning. “Has that ever happened before?”
“No,” Kris and Kori said in unison.
“Maybe you’re just tired,” Ian said, joining the rest of them in the hall.
Kori nodded. “I’m going to try it again.” She stepped into the closet alone and closed the door as I backed slowly, silently into the living room. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but I was almost sure I’d done something. I’d felt it, right after I kicked the door. Maybe if I removed myself from the situation, things would go back to normal.
I sat on the couch, staring down the hall at Van, Ian and Kris as they watched the closed closet door. A second later, another thud came from within, and this time the string of expletives Kori shouted could have singed the hair off a sailor’s butt.
“Why are Seers always so damn obscure?” I flipped through the notebook absently. Casually. “What good are her predictions if they’re too vague to be used?”
“She wasn’t always vague.” Kris took the journal from me and closed it. “Her waking predictions were usually much clearer, like what Hadley told us the other day. But when Elle was asleep, she couldn’t elaborate, and when I woke her to ask, she never remembered what she’d been dreaming.”
“Okay. So we’re going to do this.” Van closed her laptop and stood.
“Yes.” Kris stood and slid the notebook into his duffel bag on the floor by the couch. “But you’re staying here.”
“No way.” Vanessa clutched her laptop to her chest. “Kenley needs me.”
“She needs you to stay alive and unharmed. You have no combat experience, and I don’t want to leave Gran alone if I don’t have to.” Kori glanced at me as she lifted a shoulder holster from the arm of the couch and slid her arms through the straps. “You, too.”
Vanessa looked as if she’d argue, if she didn’t already know it would do no good.
I knew no such thing.
“I’m going.” If Kris was right and the blood farm was at the Sycamore Grove warehouse, then there was every chance in the world that I could cull a couple more indentured servants from Julia’s bonds, and a couple of guns made loyal to us—or at least removed from Julia’s arsenal—could mean the difference between life and death if Kris and his crew found themselves outnumbered.
Beyond that, I was not giving up another chance to test my newly inherited bonds and to free more of the poor bastards bound by them.
Of course, I’d have to do it without anyone seeing, but I was up to the challenge.
“She’s right,” Kris said, and I turned to find him wearing a double holster, armed with a gun on each side. Could he shoot left-handed? “You’ll be safer here.” There was no malice in his eyes. He wasn’t just trying to cut me out of the action.
“I thought you needed me to jam your psychic signal. I can’t do that from here.”
“That’s a moot point in this scenario,” Ian said, and I decided, for the moment at least, that I hated every single one of them. “We can’t break Kenley out of a secure building we’ve never even seen before without being noticed by the enemy. In which case they won’t have to track us. They’ll be able to see us.”
“But couldn’t you use an extra hand? Holding an extra gun?”
Kori shrugged a jacket on over her shirt and shoulder holster, then gave me an almost sympathetic smile. “You don’t shoot. Guns, at least. And this time I doubt they’ll leave bottles of spray cleaner around to tempt you.”
I glared at Kris. He didn’t have to make me sound like such an...amateur. Even if I was one.
“Liv and Cam can’t make it right now, but they’ll check in later to see if they’re still needed,” Kori said, reading from her cell phone screen.
“Fine. Don’t give me a gun.” I followed them into the hallway, pissed off even further over being forced to beg like a puppy. “I’m not bad with a knife, and I know you have extras.”
“Not this time, Sera.” Kris held the closet door open while Kori and Ian stepped inside.
“Don’t you dare close that door!” I demanded as he stepped in after them. Kris gave me an apologetic look, then closed the door in my face. “You are not going without me!” I yelled at the closed door, my hands balled into impotent fists.
Furious, I kicked the door, and something inside me...slipped. It felt like the mental version of bumping into a dresser and knocking one of the drawers open a few inches.
My kick to the door was followed by a louder, deeper thud from inside the closet.
“What the fuck!” Kori shouted, and the closet door swung open so fast I had to jump back to keep from getting smacked by it.
“What happened?” Vanessa said from the end of the hall, and I could see Gran behind her, both of them drawn by Kori’s shout. Or maybe by my own heartfelt objection.
“I don’t know.” Kori stuck her head out of the closet and Kris pushed her aside so he could step into the hall. “I tried to travel, and nothing happened. It’s like the shadows are locked. We ran into the fucking door.”
Gran burst into laughter, then headed back into the kitchen, and briefly, I wondered what she’d heard that I hadn’t. Did Alzheimer’s make unfunny things sound funny?
Van turned from Gran back to Kori, frowning. “Has that ever happened before?”
“No,” Kris and Kori said in unison.
“Maybe you’re just tired,” Ian said, joining the rest of them in the hall.
Kori nodded. “I’m going to try it again.” She stepped into the closet alone and closed the door as I backed slowly, silently into the living room. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but I was almost sure I’d done something. I’d felt it, right after I kicked the door. Maybe if I removed myself from the situation, things would go back to normal.
I sat on the couch, staring down the hall at Van, Ian and Kris as they watched the closed closet door. A second later, another thud came from within, and this time the string of expletives Kori shouted could have singed the hair off a sailor’s butt.
