Hourglass

“Doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have any idea what to do for you.” Lucas kicked at the railing and swore. “Balthazar, I’m going to try, but I can’t promise.”

“I understand,” Balthazar said. He was speaking to me more than to Lucas now. “Don’t put yourselves in danger on my account. It’s not worth it.”

“Yes, it is,” I whispered. Lucas’s eyes darted toward me, but he said nothing. “There’s no way we’re leaving you here. I don’t care what I have to do.”

Lucas cut in, “We’ll come up with something. But it might take a couple of days. Those days might be pretty rough.”

With my vampire-sharp hearing, I detected Milos and the other guards coming closer. “They’re back.”

Balthazar quickly said, “Whatever they do to me—I promise you, I’ve been through worse.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Lucas said, “but hang on.”

The door banged open, and Milos and the other guard returned. “Had your fun?”

“Just had a little chat,” Lucas said. He glanced down at Balthazar, giving him a look I could see but the guards couldn’t—like a warning. Then he pulled his fist back, as if to punch Balthazar, who winced. Their playacting almost convinced me. Lucas relaxed, grinning wickedly. “Let him think it over for a while, huh?”

“Sure,” Milos said with a leer. “Take Bianca off to bed.”

They both laughed, happy to join the taunting. Balthazar closed his eyes.

Lucas grabbed my hand and towed me outside, before I started crying. I let him even though I didn’t want to go. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see Balthazar again.

Chapter Nine

IF I’D THOUGHT STAYING WITH BLACK CROSS WAS claustrophobic before, I hadn’t known the half of it. Now all twenty or so people staying at the harbor station were huddled in a room that wouldn’t have been big enough for ten people to sleep comfortably. There was no privacy, no silence, and no chance to talk to Lucas.

At least we were near each other.

Lucas and I technically slept on separate pallets that lay side by side, but that left no space between us, not in that room. As soon as we stretched out, Lucas pulled his blanket over us and spooned behind me, his belly to my back. One arm cradled me around the waist, and I could feel his breath against the back of my neck.

I closed my eyes, luxuriating in the moment. If only we were alone. If only I weren’t still so shaken from the attack and Balthazar’s capture that my entire body trembled. It would have been so sweet.

Lucas softly kissed the back of my neck. I knew he was trying to tell me to have faith that we’d figure something out. But I knew as well as Lucas did how difficult that would be.

My fingertip traced along Lucas’s hand and fingers. I could feel the fine hairs on his forearm, the movement of his thumb as he made little soothing circles around my navel.

For a moment, I contemplated turning around and kissing him. If the others woke up and laughed, I almost didn’t care.

Yet exhaustion weighed me down, and I knew Lucas was even more wiped out than I was. Besides, tomorrow, we’d need our wits and strength.

I closed my eyes, wondering if I could possibly fall asleep with so much on my mind—and then, what seemed like a few seconds later, I realized that everyone around me was getting up. I’d slept through the night without feeling like I’d rested at all.

“Mom?” Lucas said, pushing himself up on one elbow. He was still curved behind me; we’d been tangled up in each other all night. “How are you?”

“Fine.” Kate pulled her hair back tightly into a stubby ponytail. Her body was so tense that I could see every muscle in her arms working. “I’m going upstairs. We need answers.”

I gasped in dismay, but Lucas put a warning hand on my shoulder. When I glanced at him over my shoulder, he said only, “Get dressed. We should be a part of this.”

Robotically, I grabbed my clothes—the same stuff I’d worn yesterday—and started to pull my jeans on.

The trained hunters around us got ready and went upstairs first, which left Raquel and me alone for a minute. “Looks like we’re back in uniforms,” Raquel said, pointing to the new white undershirt she wore; Black Cross had kept a case of them around for emergencies, which meant everyone was matching today. “We’ll have to go back and look for our stuff in the tunnels. Some of it might be okay. I hope we can get your brooch at least.”

I hadn’t even thought about the jet brooch Lucas had given me. Though it pierced me to imagine that it was lost in the rubble forever, that wasn’t exactly my top priority. “Raquel, do you know who it is they captured?”

“A vampire,” she said breezily. “Wait, was it Mrs. Bethany? No, they’d have told us anything that good.”

“It’s Balthazar.”

Raquel’s head jerked around. I could tell she almost didn’t believe me—as if I would’ve ever joked about something like that. During the school year, Balthazar and Raquel had spent a lot of time together because of me. We’d all gone into Riverton together, studied in the library, and even shared a picnic on the grounds of Evernight. She’d always liked him, at least until she learned that he was a vampire. Surely a year of friendship couldn’t vanish overnight.

Each word clipped, she said, “Let’s get up there. We’re late.”