It made Gem giggle. Couldn’t be helped. Naivety was so adorable. She made a tiny little ball of light in her hand and quickly crushed it. “I’m a Mage.”
Wyatt scooted back his chair. “Whoa, Nelly. What did Viktor tell you about no lightning balls in the house?” He stood up and limped around his chair to push it in. “I’ve got one last thing to finish up before I kick your ass at darts.”
Switch claimed another burger when he saw that Wyatt was leaving. “Keep dreaming. I’m a badass at any bar game.”
With his plate in hand, Wyatt stopped behind his chair and glared at the back of Switch’s head. “Hopefully my limp doesn’t affect my aim.”
Switch piled tomatoes on his burger. “If you have any intention of pinning the tail on the donkey with those darts, just remember who the wolf is.”
Chapter 8
When nighttime rolled around, we had the most magnificent view of the sunset from the back of the train. Bronzed light poured through the windows, and the treetops shimmered before turning into black silhouettes against the painted sky. The landscape had changed from buildings and telephone poles to trees and low mountains. Viktor switched off the overhead lights since the accent lamps between the windows and by the tables were sufficient. Blue closed most of the curtains shortly after dusk once there was nothing to see but our own reflections. While there were heaters, the night air had a cooling effect on the car.
Christian relieved Shepherd of guard duty, and after a shower, Shepherd put on his boots again as if ready to start his day. I watched him take inventory of his bag before heading to the back of the train and nodding off.
I stared out the window to my left but saw only my reflection in the glass. Many hours had passed. The alcohol had long worn off, and without the landscape to admire, I was bored out of my mind. If only we had a deck of cards.
Niko sat across the table from me and steered his gaze in the same direction.
“It’s pitch-black out there,” I said.
“Not from my view.”
“What do you see?”
“Blurred energy from animals. Some are on the hunt based on the intensity of their light, and others are resting. Sometimes the trees give off energy left over from the sun. It’s quite a view.”
I looked at the narrow bag of peanuts in front of me. I’d eaten a few but had no appetite to finish the rest.
Niko was wearing all black, as usual. He swept back his ebony hair and used small hair bands to secure it in a thin braid.
“Why do you grow your hair long?” I asked. “Wouldn’t short hair be easier to manage?”
“In part, I did so to disguise myself from Cyrus. I cannot wear contacts or change my features, but I can use my hair to obscure my face. After a while I just grew accustomed to it.” A smile softened his features, and his pale blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “I never have to worry about a bad haircut.”
“Claude wouldn’t let that happen.”
Niko scanned the room. “Where did he go?”
“You really took a long nap, didn’t you?”
“I hope you did the same. It sounds like we’ll be moving to a new location after midnight.”
I closed the curtain next to me. “Claude went to stretch his legs. Or so he said. You know how women flock to him. He’s probably fighting them off in the dining car.” I sat back and rubbed my neck. “Blue jumped off the train.”
Niko leaned back with a startled look. “Are you telling a joke?”
I rolled up the bag of peanuts. “Nope. Her bird was itching to come out, and she didn’t want to shift on the train. Don’t worry, she asked for Viktor’s permission. I think she’s back though. I heard her a few minutes ago talking to Christian outside the door. Maybe she went to find Claude.”
“Hopefully with her clothes on.”
We both laughed.
Niko rested his arms on the table. “I hope Viktor’s animal doesn’t get the sudden urge to run.”
“At least we’ll have privacy.” I took my hair out of a ponytail and combed my fingers through the messy strands. Brushing it seemed like an exercise in futility. My hair had a mind of its own, and usually it suffered from multiple personality disorder.
The kids emerged from the bedroom and stampeded into the car. Adam darted over to the bar and disappeared from sight.
