I preferred to call him by his surname. Adam was too soft and personal. For fuck’s sake. Now I was going to
have
to call him Adam and I knew he was eating it up.
“Adam, I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?” All the soft edges in his voice wore away.
“Nothing’s wrong, I just need your advice.”
“Shoot.”
“And your confidence.” I let that sink in; what I really needed was his silence. “I mean it. If you want to help, then what I tell you stays between us.”
“On my word, Silver. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I called Sunny and she’s flying in tomorrow. I can’t bring her here, so I was thinking about taking one of Justus’s cars, but knowing him he probably memorizes the mileage on them and—”
“What time?”
“Her plane comes in around four.”
“No, what time do you need me to be there?”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I only called because you’re the man with the plan; you have ideas, and I need help.”
“I can go in public without my Ghuardian.”
“Come again?”
I stood up and paced the room. I kicked a dirty sock under the bed and took a cleansing breath.
“Novis is very old, Silver. The light he gave me is strong, and he has no problems with my ability to take care of myself.”
“How old is he?”
“
Ancient
. Look, I’ll come along and you won’t have to worry. It’s too dangerous to be out alone and we all know you’re a pocketful of trouble.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m bringing a friend along, remember Knox? He’s in town for a little while, so we can all hang out.”
“What’s Knox doing here? That’s not exactly severing human ties,” I said through clenched teeth.
“If you don’t give me a time, I’m coming over right now and we’re having a slumber party.”
Chapter 3
A knock pounded against the door and I shrieked, springing to my feet.
Someone laughed. “Silver?”
I lifted the latch to the heavy door and pulled it open. “Adam, you scared me to death, why didn’t you flare?”
He gave a wolfish smile and I knew it was because I called him by name.
“What happened to your hair?” Someone gave him a bad haircut, and he brushed his fingers through the wavy brown locks. He tried to keep it long on top, but a little too much came off the sides.
“Yeah,” he said, scratching at the whiskers on his cheek. “Maybe I better keep my day job.”
I looked over his all black attire, as it went against the grain of Adam, who preferred jeans.
I peeked around his shoulder.
“Knox is up top, I don’t think he liked the looks of that ladder.”
“I don’t think the ladder liked the looks of him, either.” I smirked and folded my arms.
“Where’s my hug, baby doll?”
I gave him one of those awkward hugs where I cradled my arms against my chest.
Since when was I his baby doll?
Adam grabbed my wrists and hooked them over his shoulders. “Better,” he said.
I wrinkled my nose and sniffed his collar. “Are you wearing cologne?” I pulled at the fabric and looked at his neck.
“What are you up to?” he asked. “Because if you’re trying to take my clothes off then I should warn you, I’m wearing a thong.”
“Oh,
shut up
. I’m just curious where your mark is.”
Each Mage carries the mark of their Creator; mine just happened to land on my ass cheek as a promise of future embarrassment.
“Wouldn’t you love to know?” he said with a lift of his brow.
“You’ve seen mine, remember? Doesn’t seem fair.”
“Maybe someday if you ask me nicely,” he said, keeping his arms locked around my waist. My nose drew in his scent, and a flood of memories came back.
“Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure if I could do this alone.”
“Are you sure you trust Sunny?”
I fell out of his arms and he backed into the hall.
“As much as you trust Knox.”
I looked at the threshold with concern and my gut knotted. Was it worth the risk to ruin the trust I shared with my Ghuardian?
“What’s wrong?”
“I promised Justus I wouldn’t step outside the front door,” I said, shuffling a foot across the floor. “It’s not as easy as I thought it would be. My conscience is a pitchfork prodding me in the rear.”
Adam bent forward, grabbed me around the hips, and threw me over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” I gasped.
“You can’t get in trouble for being kidnapped, can you?”
I hung upside down and stared at his rear. It was a nice view, but it faded in the dark tunnel when the door closed behind us.
“No, but you can,” I said, arms swinging like pendulums.
When we reached the ladder, my stomach lurched as he whirled me back on my feet.
I looked up and saw Knox looming over the open hatch like Mount Olympus. He served with Adam in the Special Forces—the kind that no one knew existed and Adam never detailed. It explained a lot about Adam’s personality that never clicked for me. Sometimes I saw another side to him that made me wonder about the life he used to live. He worked hard to take care of his sister, and despite dropping out of school, he later obtained a diploma. Adam was loyal and capable, a dangerous mix for someone who lost his twin to murder.
Knox took hold of my arms and lifted me to my feet.
“Hey, dollface.”
“It’s good to see you, Knox.”
Adam shot up out of the tunnel and gave his friend a scornful glance. “Her name is
Silver,
so you can cut the dollface shit.”
“I’ll call her whatever the fuck I want to,
Razor
. I’m not a Mage. Your rules, not mine, brother.”
I looked at Adam. “He knows?”
“He can be trusted. Are you positive you want to tell your friend? Remember, there are consequences if a human breaks our trust.”
“If she believes who I am, then she’ll have to know
what
I am.”
Adam nodded in agreement.
Knox pulled a dark knit cap over his eyes. “Let’s roll.”
***
The human bar was a smoky, forgettable joint, full of regulars. We stole a table in the back and ordered a few beers. I picked up that Knox and Adam were sharing information based on enigmatic glances and abbreviated remarks. I pressed, but they refused to answer my questions.
“Are you dating anyone, Knox?” Adam kicked my leg and I gave him a “
What the hell was that about?
” glare.
Knox held his beer between two fingers and pointed at Adam. “I have a bone to pick with you, brother.”
Lifting his hands defensively, Adam laughed. “It’s not my fault she likes to stir it up. I didn’t tell her a thing about your situation—or lack of it.”
Knox tilted the bottle to his lips like a weapon and cursed with his eyes.
The waitress appeared with fresh beers and a hungry smile. Knox’s eyes slid up her body like a rocket on a launch pad as he admired her long legs. The direction of her stare was obvious as it fell across his thin shirt that hugged him like a long lost lover. His chest was broad and heavy. Knox was an intimidating man who was rough around the edges. He licked his tight lips and flattened his shoulders against the back of his seat.
A flush of color rose in her cheeks, and she played coy—twirling a silver chain around her neck. She wasn’t a young demure thing, either. “Sure you don’t want something with a little more bite?”
His teeth scraped along his lower lip as they stared at each other. I nudged Adam, but when I turned to look, he was too busy soaking me in with his eyes.
“Where are my manners?”
“Funny, I’ve been wondering that since we met.”
The waitress with small cherry earrings strolled off, passing by the front door where a young woman stepped in, shaking rain from her wet hands.
“That’s her,” I whispered. “That’s Sunny.” My stomach twisted into a pretzel as the music switched songs.
Both men leaned around for a look.
Soft light accentuated the curve of her back as she stood on her tiptoes, searching the length of the room. Sunny dressed for the weather in a snug, ashen sweater dress, wide belt, black leggings, and a scarf wrapped over her head. I forgot how much I envied her curves; she could have been a model except she lacked the pissed off, vacant look in her expression. She had a cute button nose and her apple cheeks pushed up those bright blue eyes whenever she smiled. Tonight, she wasn’t smiling.
Her blond hair spilled out in short waves when the scarf pulled free, and the bracelets on her wrist clinked together.
My hands were shaking. “She won’t recognize me.”
“Call her over,” Adam suggested, and nudged me with his elbow.
“Sunny!” I stood up to make myself more visible. She looked me over with a blank expression.
“It’s me, Zoë.”
I put myself in her shoes, and I knew she wanted to bolt. “Please, sit with us for a few minutes. I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“I don’t
know
you.” She clutched a small, black purse and raked me over with her eyes. “This was a mistake.”
I did the only thing I could think of. “It’s me, Sunshine.” I reached out and shocked her arm. I always had an unexplainable talent at summoning static electricity. She bounced back and I saw something that wasn’t there before—recognition.
“Don’t let this be a cruel joke. Please be you.”
“I promise it’s me. You’ve come this far and that’s more than I expected. Will you sit down and have a beer with us?” I grabbed her hand and we walked to the table.
“I’d like you to meet my best friend—”
Knox stood up so fast the table lifted off the ground. An empty beer bottle sailed into Adam’s lap, and he caught the remaining bottles before it turned into a fiasco. Knox pulled off his cap, releasing a mess of black hair that covered the tips of his ears. He wrung the hat between his hands and looked down at her shoes. The man was nothing but muscle and mouth, yet there was something so lovely in the way he looked at Sunny.
I smiled—couldn’t help it. “This is Knox.”
He started to reach for her hand, but when she only nodded at him, he stuffed his hat in his back pocket and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Hi, Sunny. I’m Adam. It’s good to finally put a face to a name.” He waved a polite hello from his seat. “Silver speaks of you often.”
When I sat beside Adam, Knox moved over and gave Sunny every inch of space the seat would allow. He looked scared of her.
“Who is Silver?” she asked.
“That’s me, I’m Silver.” I nodded towards the vacant spot. “If you sit down, I’ll spill the beans.”
Sunny was apprehensive, but set her clutch on the table and folded her hands. Adam dabbed his wet pants with a red cloth napkin, while Knox looked like a molding adhered to the wall.
I detailed the events of the night I disappeared, and everything that transpired since, in thirty minutes. What threw her for a loop was the one detail I had no explanation for—my physical transformation. It was difficult to accept, and I hoped that someday I would find out the truth. I was a girl who came from a world of explanations, and now I was living in one that lacked them. Sunny knew me as a red-haired girl, a little shorter than her, and pale with pink undertones. Now, my raven colored hair swept past broad shoulders, and green eyes glinted against my warm complexion. I was taller—just by an inch or so—and even my voice was brighter.
The shiny, red cherry swirled in her drink as she digested the information. Sunny always had beautifully manicured nails, and tonight they were a plum color.
I stared in annoyance at Knox who was flipping his silver lighter open and closed.
Click. Click. Click.
Adam’s finger traced invisible circles on a glass of ale, and a dribble of water splashed on the wooden table. “Knox, let’s go out for a smoke and leave these ladies to talk.” Adam didn’t smoke, but he was playing
good guy
.
Knox snapped the lighter shut and twirled it on the table. He lifted the pack of cigarettes tucked in his pocket and waited for Sunny to let him out.