Elliot, page 8
part #3 of Anarock Shifters Series
Aria shrugged. “I don’t see how we can. We have no way to communicate with Anarock. Even if we could communicate with them, we would have our work cut out for us convincing them that Bryce and Alexa are their enemies. I find it hard to believe myself.”
“We have to get out of here.” He spun away. “I don’t care what you say. We’re leaving.”
She stayed where she was and watching him storm off. He paced a few steps up the cliff edge, but he didn’t leave. He came striding back with his hands on his hips. He kept glaring across the Coast and shaking his head. He chewed his lips and shrugged his shoulders.
She chose her next words with care. “You’re the one who said we couldn’t talk about escape. You’re the one who said we had to play along and act like joining the Blood Kin was the greatest thing that could ever happen to us. If you go shooting your mouth off to Chimo and anybody else about leaving, they’ll kill us for sure.”
“Well, I ain’t gonna stand around and watch my people wiped out!” he fumed. “I don’t see how you can.”
“I’m not. I’m just saying it looks pretty much impossible to me. How do you say we communicate with them? How do you say we even begin to consider getting out of here?”
“There has to be a way. We got here. There has to be a way to get back.”
She turned on her heel and set off back toward their own chamber. “When you think of something, you let me know.”
To her surprise, he hurried after her. He pulled up at her side and murmured into her ear. “Just tell me you’re on board with leaving. Just tell me you don’t want to stay in this fucking cesspit.”
She chuckled to herself. “Are you kidding? They want to kill me. I don’t want to stay here. I hate it here. I hate all of them.”
He relaxed and his pinched expression softened. “Okay. Then let’s figure out how.”
She halted and faced him. Should she say it? What if he changed his stripes again? She didn’t want to trust him if he might turn on her later.
“What is it, Aria?” he whispered. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She took a deep breath. “All right. Here’s what I think. We can’t get out of here, so there might be a way to turn the Blood Kin our way from down here. They have power the New Breed don’t have. They have this whole hidden kingdom. We could try to make allies out of them.”
He started back. “Do you really think so?”
“No, I don’t, but it’s better than nothing. It’s better than giving up or letting them kill us as their enemies. If there is a chance we could form an alliance with them, they might be able to help us. If the military finds out about them, they’ll come after the Blood Kin, too.”
“Well, yeah!” Elliot exclaimed. “That’s the whole reason they want to stay hidden.”
“If, on the other hand, the Blood Kin and the New Breed worked together, the military wouldn’t stand a chance. If worse came to the worst, the New Breed could evacuate down here where they would be safe. We could all come to live here instead. Then the military wouldn’t have any need to try to kill us because we wouldn’t be around humans.”
“You know that could never work,” Elliot countered. “The Blood Kin would never let the New Breed come down here. They already object to you and you’re one shifter. They couldn’t stomach so many others of different kinds. You know that.”
“I know.” She drew herself in and turned away. “It’s just a thought.”
She wandered off toward…..She didn’t want to call it home. It would never be home. Nothing in this crazy underwater world could ever give her comfort. She wanted to hate it the way she hated the Blood Kin, but she couldn’t exactly do that.
The Halcyon Coast had its own beauty, its own mysterious power. It captivated her in an alien way, but now that she spent a while living here, she understood its appeal.
If she was a dragon, she might want to stay here. She might want to get to know these people in all their curious eccentricities. That would never happen, though. She wasn’t a dragon and she would never belong here. As long as she stayed here, she would be living on borrowed time.
Elliot hurried up to her side one more time. “We might as well give it a shot. We have nothing to lose. It’s the first step before planning an escape.”
“As long as they still want to keep us for information,” she replied, “I see no reason to spoil their goodwill. We’re not in any immediate danger. We can at least propose it to them, even if we’re certain they’ll turn us down.”
He scanned the area. “You’re right about one thing. It would be nice to have this as a last resort. Things couldn’t be any worse in Anarock. Beslatia is right. The military doesn’t even seem to be trying to hide what they’re doing or to avoid targeting humans. They’re just shooting at anything that moves.”
Aria lowered her voice, but she didn’t see any reason to disguise what she was saying. If Malfie and the others could use those magical windows to see what was going on above the water, they could surely use them to eavesdrop on Aria and Elliot having a private conversation.
“If all the house Crests worked together, they could overthrow the Blood Kin. They could conquer the Halcyon Coast and take it for themselves.”
Elliot spun around and caught his breath. “Don’t even say that! You know they would never do anything like that.”
“You’re right. They never would because Victor is an honorable man who cares about all New Breed—even the Blood Kin. He would never turn against another mutant group, not even his enemies. He would have made allies of the Omega Battalion if they weren’t out to murder us all. I’m sure he would want to try with the Blood Kin first before fighting them. Besides, as long as the water up above is toxic, more New Breed will be coming along in the years to come. Victor would never abandon them as long as he held out hope of bringing them in with the rest of us.”
Elliot didn’t answer. He gazed off into the distance. He walked at her side the way he used to, but something about him struck her as different. She’d never seen him like this, not even back in Anarock when they first started to hang out together.
They returned to their own room and stepped through the walls. Aria still couldn’t get used to the total lack of privacy. Nothing hid them from anyone who might pass by.
Elliot paced around looking at nothing. He came back to where she stood. When he spoke, he muttered half to himself. “I still can’t believe Alexa would turn on us like that. I thought I knew her better.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions yet. We don’t know the whole story. We only know what the Blood Kin found it useful to show us.”
His head whipped around and his eyes flashed at her. “Do you really think so? Do you think they concocted that picture to make us think Bryce and Alexa went over to the other side?”
Aria shrugged. “I’m just saying we don’t know for certain. Maybe they showed us something to see our reaction. Maybe they were testing us to see if we would really divulge incriminating information. Maybe they wanted to see how loyal we would be to the Blood Kin when we saw our friends and families in danger. I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter. I’m just saying don’t write Bryce and Alexa off just yet.”
He chewed his lip and glared off to his right again. “I’ll still tell Victor what’s going on if I ever get the chance.”
“All right,” she murmured. “I can’t argue with that.”
He jerked around one more time and locked his gaze on her. He didn’t waver now. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch these last few days. I really treated you like shit and I’m sorry. There was no call for that. I won’t do it again.”
She wanted to smile. She wanted to laugh for joy, but his unflinching gaze wouldn’t let her. She couldn’t even say it was all right when it so wasn’t.
Was it that obvious how much his behavior hurt her? She thought she hid it pretty well. Then again, he didn’t come to his senses from anything she did. He had to see it spelled out for him in that window. He had to wake up and smell the coffee to realizing what the Blood Kin were really all about.
He took a step nearer and breathed low. That voice weaseled up her spine on a tendril of electricity. “Listen to me. Whatever happens, we’re in this together. I want you to know that. It’s probably asking too much for you to forgive me, but I know better now. We’re doing this together—whatever it is. He said whatever happens to you happens to me and I’m glad, you hear? If they come for you, they come for both of us. If I get out of here, you’re getting out, too, no questions asked. You got that?”
“Yeah.” Was that her voice? “I got that.”
“All right.” He looked away, out over the shimmering, watery landscape. “That’s it, then. We’ll try the alliance angle and take it from there.”
She studied his profile. Who was this man? She hardly recognized him. He changed too many times in the last few weeks to be the man she first got to know. She’d known him all her life, but she never would have guessed he could turn into this.
A few minutes ago, maybe an hour ago, she considered him the next best thing to an enemy. He was part of her problem—probably the biggest part. He worked against her and she couldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.
Now she believed every word coming out of his mouth. When he said they would go together, she never doubted him for an instant. When he said they were in this together, her heart leaped at that and clung to it for dear life. She wasn’t alone the way she thought she was. He was there. He was with her.
She did more than forgive him. She wanted him. She wanted to put her arms around him right now and feel him solid against her. She wanted to hide in him from this whole wretched world. He was her only rock, her only sanctuary.
He didn’t seem to notice the change in her. Why should he when she didn’t show it? She held herself apart. She didn’t touch him. She didn’t give any indication she welcomed him back with open arms.
He kept looking around for something. When she didn’t move or speak, he ducked around her and crossed the room to the bed. He slumped onto it and let his chin fall on his chest. He heaved a heavy sigh. “Damn! Alexa! I can’t believe she would…..” He broke off.
Aria rotated around to stare at him. Part of her ached to reach out to him, to reestablish the bond that broke when they left Anarock. Another part of her maintained that distance.
She didn’t hold him at arm’s length because she mistrusted him. She trusted him, all right. She trusted him now more than she ever trusted him in the past. Did she ever really trust him before this moment?
She trusted him, but she kept her distance because she was scared. The intensity of bonding with him frightened her as never before. If she went to him now, if she touched him and let him touch her, if she opened her heart to him, she would do it in ways she never dared before.
Could she handle that? Could she survive the tempest of emotion that would ensue? Just thinking about it sent a sizzle of adrenaline through her guts. Was that fear or excitement or a combination of both?
He shook his head down at his hands. “I thought she was hurt or maybe dead. I thought she was in trouble. I thought she needed my help. Turns out she didn’t need my help at all. She’s doing just dandy over there…. wherever that is.”
Her legs moved her across the room. Her body sat her down next to him, but an invisible wall stopped her from making contact with him. She heard and sensed and smelled his body. She knew that body. She knew what it felt like. She knew what his lips tasted like. She knew the way he moved inside her. She didn’t have to guess.
She didn’t know this terrifying emotion, though. She didn’t know the quaking fear of going there, of going beyond the body to something so much deeper, so much more meaningful.
Did he? Did he even suspect? Maybe he never really wanted to go back there with her. Maybe when he said he wanted her forgiveness he only meant it in a friend sort of way. Maybe all that talk about them being in it together only referred to their shared intention to get out of the Halcyon Coast. She didn’t want to hope he meant more than that.
He didn’t notice her sitting there—at least, he didn’t show it. “I don’t know if I can be the one to tell Victor that she turned against us. I mean, they used to be close, you know what I mean? He probably wouldn’t believe it. He’s married to someone else, but he still would want to believe the best about Alexa. I would if I was in his place. I wouldn’t want to believe she betrayed the whole fucking New Breed with this shit.”
Aria brushed her hair out of her eyes even though it wasn’t in her eyes to begin with. “Don’t do anything yet. Don’t make up your mind about what she’s doing and what she isn’t doing. There might be some other rational explanation for her and Bryce helping the Omega Battalion.”
“That’s impossible,” he whispered. “You know it is.”
“Even if they are helping the Battalion. there’s nothing we can do about it now. If we ever get the chance to tell Victor—which we probably won’t—we can tell him what we saw. We don’t have to draw any conclusions about Bryce and Alexa’s loyalties.”
He snorted under his breath. “We won’t have to. He’ll do it for us.”
Her hand itched to touch him. He was so close and so alive and so…..so real all of a sudden. He was never real to her before. She just didn’t see it. He was always some distant phantom even when they shared a bed. Even when she kissed him and felt his skin gliding over hers in the depths of passion, he was never real, not like he was now.
She had to bridge that gap. She had to break down this chasm holding her apart from him. She had to cross the divide if only to find out if he was really over there the way she hoped he would be.
She lifted her arm. Her hand floated through space toward him. At that moment, a whizzing blur rippled the water all around her. A streak of movement shot into view and Chimo plunged to land in front of them.
“Why are you moping here?” the young dragon crowed. “Collect your belongings and come with me. The day waits for no one.”
Elliot raised his head, but he didn’t straighten his back. He sat hunched and exhausted. “Where are we going?”
“Down the Halcyon Coast, of course,” Chimo returned. “Beslatia said the Kin approved you to move whenever you choose to. I searched everywhere for you. I thought you would be there already, not lurking around up in this wretched hole. Come. What are you waiting for?”
Elliot cast his gaze around him. All at once, he looked old and worn out. His eyelids took too long blinking and the whites around his irises appeared red and strained. “We’re comfortable up here. You go ahead. We might move down later, but right now, we just want to sit quietly and talk about the meeting. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow maybe.”
“Nonsense,” Chimo chided. “You must not stay here under any circumstances. Now the Kin have given you their approval, everyone on the Coast wishes to meet you….” He shot a pointed glance at Aria. “Both of you.”
That was the first time he ever looked at Aria. That was the first time any of the Blood Kin looked at her directly. She experienced a momentary thrill. She was in—for now, at least. Malfie and Beslatia and their fellow dragons gave their tacit approval for Aria and Elliot to move down the canyon with the other Blood Kin. This could be the beginning of acceptance and maybe more.
The next instant, that hope died along with all the other hopes she cherished about the Blood Kin and their strange world. They would never accept Aria and that meant they would never accept Elliot. Malfie said so in no uncertain terms. They would treat Elliot with the same disdain with which they treated Aria.
They let the pair move down the Coast as a reward for cooperation. Aria didn’t for one second believe they would ever let her into their world. She was an outsider, an alien. She was a bear among dragons who hated everyone but their own kind, including Elliot.
She braced herself to hear what Elliot would say. Would he bite? He studied his friend for a moment. Then he cast his gaze at the ground. “You go on. I’m tired.”
Chimo regarded him for a second. Then he burst out laughing. His voice made tinny vibrating undulations in the water all around him. “You are tired! That is truly humorous, Elliot. Come along. Quite a few people have heard about the ruling and they want to meet you. The rooms are better down there. You will be more comfortable there than you here and the fishing is better. Come. Do not make me wait.”
Elliot scanned the room, but Aria sensed him drifting farther away from Chimo and her and everything else. He withdrew in on himself. His eyes ceased to focus and he stared straight ahead at nothing. “You go on, man. If we’re going to move down, we’ll get there tomorrow or another day. I’m sure the Coast isn’t going anywhere in the meantime. We’ll stay here tonight.”
Chimo gaped at him a moment longer. Then he turned away with a swish of his tail. “You are insane, my friend. One day you will wish you moved there now instead of later, but that is your business.”
He dove upwards and disappeared in a heartbeat. Aria watched him out of sight. She didn’t expect Elliot to react like this.
After Chimo left, Elliot rasped low in his throat. “I can’t stand those fucking things.”
Aria’s eyes widened, but he didn’t look at her. “Those things? You mean the Blood Kin?”
“They’re heartless monsters,” he breathed. “They’re fucking inhuman.”
8
Elliot woke up in the middle of the night—at least, it should have been night. The moving surface of the water above him shone with a glossy black texture that told him it was dark outside. It was dark above the water. Down here, it never really got dark. It just turned a darker shade of blue.
He studied the patterns of waves and current. That much of this bizarre world calmed him. It helped him to think. Other than that, everything assaulted his senses with a distorted, annoying feeling.
