Chapter 14

Kylen

"She should be back by now," Lindsay muttered as he paced lines into the cheap motel carpet.

This was the first time I'd seen him really worked up. Even when Bruin was chasing us down on the highway, Lindsay was cool and in control. Hell, he'd wanted popcorn when Harlow was fighting! He clearly knew when Harlow wasn't in any danger, and this…may not be one of those times.

No one had been happy to let Harlow roam the woods alone, but what could we do? She wasn't the type to let someone tell her what to do, and none of us were the type to manhandle someone into obeying. Except maybe Bruin. But there had been something off about him since he explored the catacombs with her yesterday. He'd been lying on his bed, glaring at the ceiling ever since we got back today. Hadn't spoken a word to anyone. I couldn't tell if he was plotting something, or just pissed he'd finally let Harlow out of sight. Possibly both.

Lindsay continued to pace between the bedroom window, the open door to the other room, and the main door leading outside, constantly checking the peephole for any signs of the missing lightning witch. Addie followed him with her eyes from where she'd curled up in the armchair, concern lacing her young features. Every few seconds, she'd check her phone—an early iPhone model, by the looks of it, with more scratches than Harlow's car.

Grabbing my trusty backpack from beside the bed, I rummaged around until I pulled out a beat-up deck of cards. "Anybody up for a game?"

Addie's eyes lit up, and she bounced over to sit at the end of my bed. "Ooh, yes!"

"Bad idea," Lindsay commented from beside the window, smirking at Addie. "She's a grifter. Harlow taught her a few years back and now flat-out refuses to play her."

"I can't help that I have trustworthy eyes and very little remorse, Lins."

"Eh, I might give you a run for your money, kiddo." I grinned as I started shuffling the worn cards. "How do you think I've afforded to stay on the road so long?"

She scoffed. "Bullshit. You don't even look that old."

I chuckled. "Thank you. But I've been traveling with my research since the day I graduated college, so it's been a few years."

"Oh, don't be shy," Bruin taunted from his bed. "Share with the class."

"I will if you join us for a few games," I offered, holding up the cards like an olive branch.

We'd left him untied since yesterday, which was probably for the best. The way my mind wandered when he was around was dangerous, especially when he was tangled in my vines. I'd said they have a mind of their own, which is only mostly true. I don't have to be actively in control of them all the time. But when I'm not concentrating, their actions reflect on my mind. And my attractions. I really hope they didn't try anything with Bruin. I'd at least like to trust someone before groping them with plants.

Bruin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the invitation.

Unable to resist the challenge of his attitude, I stepped over to his bed and whispered in his ear, low enough to prevent the others from overhearing, "Be a good boy now, and stop brooding. Harlow will be back soon for you to antagonize her. Play with us until then."

His jaw ticked, as I imagine he scanned through the many ways he could kill me for that. But I had to take the risk. There was something so enticing about him, I wanted to know more. And I think he did, too.

"Fine." He growled. "You're on."

"Yes! Haha!" Addie cackled. "Looks like mama's gonna have a shiny new bike by the end of the night!"

He stood with a dramatic sigh, probably to distract her from the redness creeping up his neck. "Keep dreaming, kid. Hope you've won enough from your friends to pay me off by the time I'm through with you."

Lindsay snorted. "Destroy him, Addie."

Not if I destroy him another way first.

We sat in a small circle on my bed, and I dealt out the cards for a five-card draw. While Lindsay gave Addie a quick pep talk about how to take everything Bruin had and leave him with nothing but his underwear and tears, I looked over at the biker. He was intriguing. Not my usual type at all when it came to men, but his fierce attitude drew me in, much like Harlow's. I couldn't say if I wanted to tame it or let it consume me.

While I checked my cards, I told him, "I'm twenty-seven, by the way."

He didn't look up from his cards, but his posture softened a little. "So you've been traveling for what… five years? Not bad."

As Lindsay predicted, Addie quickly dominated each round. Seriously, the girl was something else. She could pass a lie detector test as easily as ordering a coffee. No wonder she had Harlow and Lindsay wrapped around her little finger.

"Jesus, kid." Bruin mourned another defeat. "If I ever need someone to lie on the stand for me, I'm calling you first."

She smiled sweetly as she retrieved another fifty dollars and added it to her winnings. "I know I'm a good liar, but trust I'm telling the truth when I say this: If you do anything to hurt Harlow, you'll want to keep me very far away from government officials."

He watched her suspiciously, and I could swear I saw the faintest glimmers of respect and a smidge of fear in his dark eyes. "Noted."

Bruin was smart to be careful around Addie. Magic or not, she could be a lot of trouble for him if he planned to carry out his threats. If anything happened to Harlow, Lindsay would need help keeping her from going after him, and I'd be the first volunteer.

"She was so freaked out earlier. It's weird seeing her like that." Addie frowned, deep in thought, before she looked up at me. "Do you think that girl in the drawing is really one of Harlow's ancestors? Is that why she was called here?"

"Maybe, yeah," I answered, thinking of the books Lindsay found. "A lot of spells in the grimoires were storm related, and it's hard to deny that resemblance, even in a painting. Does Harlow know anything about her family history?"

Addie shook her head. "Nothing, same as me and Lindsay. We're all from the same under-funded orphanage of abandoned magical brats. Well, mostly magical."

Lindsay sighed, finally turning away from the window. "Actually, that's not entirely true."

"What are you talking about?"

"Not about your magic. Sorry, Ads, that one's still a mystery. But we do know something about Harlow's mom." He dragged the wooden desk chair over and took a seat close to Addie. "Harlow got a call when we were…must've been around nine or so. Her mom had just died in jail."

"She never told me that." Addie's voice was barely above a whisper.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "She doesn't like to talk about it because she never really knew her mom. I don't think she even remembers her name. She was arrested while pregnant, so Harlow was born in jail and sent straight into the system. Kinda like you."

"My mom was in a car accident and died of her injuries after," she explained to me, her voice cracking. "Apparently, the last thing she said was for the doctors to save me instead of her. There wasn't a dad to take me home, or maybe he didn't want me, so here I am."

"He would have wanted you," I said, leaving no room for arguments. "If he'd been there, he'd have brought you home."

Addie wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I dunno about that. He was probably a dirtbag who knocked up my mom and ran." She sniffed and forced a smile at me. "But thanks, it's a nice thought."

I had no idea why I felt so protective of this kid I'd only known for three days. Maybe it was because I saw how fiercely Harlow loved her. It would destroy her if anything happened to Addie. But there was also something familiar about Addie's eyes. As I stared, it finally clicked. They were the same blue as my mom's. Her right eye was even a little smaller than the other. How strange to meet someone like that here, the place where I might finally complete her research. The fates were tricky things.

After a moment, Bruin asked the question on everyone's mind. "How did Harlow's mom die?"

"At the time, we were just told there was an accident. But this was the first Harlow had ever heard about her mom. They'd never met or spoken to each other. She kept on asking and calling the prison directly but got nothing. She even started going to the library to research it." Lindsay smiled for a moment, then dropped it as he continued, "Eventually, we discovered that there was a riot that got real crazy. A few hours in, it caused some kind of electrical explosion. Her mom was right at the center of it."

The room fell silent. No one wanted to make the comparison between Harlow's magic and her mom's death, but maybe it was an accident. We had no way of knowing if it was her magic that caused the explosion. It could easily have been fate's ironic and sick sense of humor.

A creaking in the other bedroom broke the quiet, with footsteps following behind.

"What the… I thought they'd be asleep." Harlow's voice was quiet. There was a small click, then light bloomed beneath the adjoining door.

"We're in here!" Addie called out.

"Lookie who decided to finally come back." Lindsay tsked, the tension finally relaxing from his shoulders as Harlow opened the door to our room. For the first time in hours, he looked like himself. "What took you so long?"

Harlow stood in the door frame, her hair oddly mussed and dirt covering her cheeks. She looked like she'd lost a fight with a herd of cows.

Jeez, what happened to her?

"I got a little… caught up," she answered, shrugging out of her jacket with a tired smile.

A deep voice I didn't recognize spoke from behind her. "Where did you say your friend's clothes were?"

Lindsay's jaw dropped as he scampered into the other room, pushing Harlow out of the way before yelling, "Yes, Harlow! Get some!"

Bruin and I exchanged a confused look, our curiosities piqued by the mysterious voice.

Laughter and muffled threats continued to spew from the room while Addie cautiously moved towards the door, calling out, "Harlow? What's going on in there?"

Before she could get a look inside, Harlow dashed into our room, slamming the door behind her. "Nothing your adolescent eyes need to see."

"Well, now I gotta know!"

Harlow sighed. She looked exhausted, even without the dirt on her face and leaves in her hair. "It's a long story, but his name is Ranto, and he says I'm his mate."

"As in the fated kind?" she asked. "I thought that was a shifter thing."

"Sparky, did you bring a naked man back from the woods? Are we not enough for you?" Bruin grinned mischievously.

He gestured between the two of us, and I immediately turned away to focus on packing up the cards. Why was I being brought into her possible relationships? Sure, I was definitely attracted to her, but I had no idea if she had any serious interest in me.

Harlow rolled her eyes, pointing at Bruin as she spoke. "Pretty bold to assume I'd ever consider you as an option with the whole trying-to-kill-me thing."

"Every story has its obstacles. You know my stance on the situation." He winked at her before moving to his own bed, flopping down with a grunt.

She turned to Addie, pulling her in for a tight hug and gently kissing the top of her head. "Anyway, I'm sorry for worrying you, kiddo. I didn't mean to be gone that long."

Addie hugged her back, squeezing like she was afraid Harlow would disappear if she let go. "It's okay. You brought back a boyfriend, so I guess I understand."

"I dunno about ‘boyfriend'." Harlow cringed at the word. "He got me out of a tough spot and wants to keep helping, so that's enough for me right now."

"Ooh, if he's your fated-whatever, maybe he'll let me get the dog!"

"Funny story. He is the dog. Wolf, actually. Raiju, technically." Harlow grinned down at her. "So, if he decides to stick around, I guess we'll see."

"What? No way! I want a do-over dog! It doesn't count if he's your boyfriend."

The door behind them opened, revealing a handsome East-Asian man in his mid-twenties, with long white hair tied up in a messy bun. He'd clearly been dressed by Lindsay; the sequined cat t-shirt and neon yellow shorts didn't look like this man's usual style.

"Hey." He smiled, showing pearly white teeth with a little extra canine. "Just wanted to say it's safe to come in now. Sorry about that."

Addie pulled away from the hug, staring at the stranger. "I have so many questions for you."

"Questions that can wait for tomorrow, kid." Harlow chuckled, giving Addie a little push into their room, before looking up at Ranto. "Do you need to rent a room, or…?"

"I'm good with a pillow on the floor. Don't worry about me." He turned to Bruin and me, giving us each a long stare, like he was trying to remember our faces from somewhere. "Uh, nice to meet you and good night."

As Ranto went back to the other room, Bruin rubbed his eyes and wordlessly walked over to the bathroom, leaving me alone with Harlow.

"Got a minute?" she asked.

I nodded, gesturing at my bed for her to sit down. "What's up?"

Taking a seat next to me, Harlow took a moment before finally speaking. "I wanted to say thank you. You've been amazing the past few days, especially with Addie. I hope we haven't held you back from your research too much, but I really appreciate everything you've done. You've turned into someone I can trust with my family, and I won't forget that."

"It's no problem at all. Addie's actually been really helpful with the research. She's collected soil samples that tell me Spells Hollow has the right components to produce the plant I'm looking for. We've made progress, and I'm quietly hopeful," I explained, excited to talk about my research. "And we were just worried about you today. Lindsay didn't say what had you so weirded out."

"That's another long story. I'll explain tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Thank you." She smiled, then leaned in to brush her lips against mine in a gentle kiss that lit a fire in my chest, warming me from the inside.

Why was I reacting like a teenager? I'd kissed plenty of people before. But for some reason, kissing Harlow was different. It didn't take my breath away; it gave me the air I needed to survive. How had I lived this long not knowing what she tasted like?

She pulled away before we could take it further, her cheeks pink and pupils wide. Maybe I stood more of a chance with her than I thought.