he winks at the stunned commander and casually walks away, brushing his chest against my arm as he weaves around me. His skin is against mine for mere seconds. The lost look in his eyes as he stares down at me breaks my heart, his eyes dip to my mouth as he swallows hard and in an instant he disappears into the crowd. Leaving me out of breath and alone with Prince Charming himself.
What a jerk.
Hours pass, the dawn threatening to overtake the skyline, and finally with reluctance, I decide I should go to bed. Night terrors have consumed my dreams for the past several nights. I wake sweating and shaking, wishing badly that Asher was there with me… If only I had the nerve to talk to him publicly, to find that closeness we once had.
I toss my empty paper cup into the fire and stand from my dusty spot on the hard ground. Kaino abandoned me long ago, Luca and Gabriel have kept me company off and on before disappearing into the night together.
As I leave, I see Declan sitting alone, his legs spread wide as he watches the celebration, his shoulders slouching low. I pause near his spot along the outskirts of the crowd, set far away from the others.
My heart slips a little, dipping for just an instant as my eyes meet his.
“Are you okay?” I ask, kneeling at his side.
A slashing white smile fills his face, a smile that I don’t believe for an instant. “Perfect, thanks for asking.”
I swallow, wondering why he alienates himself like this. Why did he say those things about us? I thought we were friends…
“Are we okay?” he finally asks, his eyes focusing on the empty cup in his hands.
I clasp his palm in mine, it’s warm and calloused… Just like him.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” I say with a half-smile. “Could you help me get something? Supplies?” I ask, an idea crossing my mind.
“Of course. What do we need? I’ll take care of it.”
He sits forward now, his forearms resting on his thighs, coming closer to listen to my instructions.
Ripper makes his way from an enormous group of children, they all track the happy dog’s every move. Out of everyone, Ripper might be the only one unaffected by what happened last year. The dog trails over to me on quiet paws, dancing at my side until I run my fingers through the short white hair at his temples.
“Can you get into the Department of Human Health?” I ask Declan in a conspiratorial whisper.
One of his blonde brows cocks high for just a moment before he nods slowly.
A real smile fills my face, excitement pushing through me. Declan’s lips quirk, a smile almost touching his lips as he sees my happiness.
I explain to him what the supplies are and what they might look like at the department, supplies that would normally never be wasted on lower class citizens. Supplies that Declan will have to steal from the government.
Declan agrees easily, not questioning why I need what I do, though I’m sure he knows. The special medical supplies are not something normal mystics need but will help one in particular.
There’s nothing left to do. I make my way through the crowd and follow the shoreline to the mass of trees that my pallet resides in, Ripper follows me through the night. I don’t make it into the forest though. There, standing at the shore is the walking image of the corpse I watched float away from me, never to be seen again. Until the Infinity witch stole her reflection.
My stomach sinks as her eyes meet mine. My mother smiles and the pain builds in my chest.
My feet move, walking toward her like I’m coming home after all this time. A low growl signals Ripper’s dismissal. I stare after the little dog as he makes his way back to the children that love him. Some things never change. Ripper might always be wary of some of the mystics, but mortals have harmed him more than anyone…
The witch and I stand side by side, the breeze shifting strands of her hair all around her worry-filled face.
“Sorrow so heavy I think it might cripple you fills your eyes whenever you look at me,” she says as she glances down at me “What do you see when you look at me, child?”
She isn’t anything like the first Infinity witch I met. She isn’t lust filled or conniving. A feeling of wisdom and worry rolls off of her