Unable to control myself, I shoot past Cornelius, not very far, but just far enough so I'm in the lead. The reflection of their headlights in my mirrors leaves me with a sense of power that makes little sense. But I still revel in it.
They allow me to take the front, continuing until finally, they both fall back enough to get my attention, and I slow. Cornelius overtakes me, and I stay back, knowing he's leading the way from here on out.
Out of nowhere, more headlamps appear behind us. First one and then two, eventually a dozen, and then more and more until I’ve lost count.
The lack of a reaction from Zion or Cornelius indicates that they’re friends and not foes, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less nervous about my lack of information. I should’ve at least known who would be assisting us, or even that what we were going into would require assistance.
Eventually, we roll to a stop at what appears to be a dead end at the side of a mountain. Even though I should already know they’re going to bring me to random places that appear not to exist, I still find myself looking around for a building. We park our bikes, securing our equipment before congregating at a door that’d previously been hidden or simply appeared out of nowhere. Cornelius slings an arm over my shoulders, squeezing me. “Good job out there, Viv. I was nervous there for a second, but you really pulled it out.”
Zion pushes Cornelius off me, glaring. “You could have been a little more frigging careful, you asshole.”
Cornelius grins and shakes his head. “Pretty sure being careful on the way to danger would be stupid.”
Smiling, I poke Zion in the ribs, waiting for him to turn his attention to me before replying, “He’s right. It was better for meto work the kinks out now. No one needs their maiden voyage to happen when they’re running for their lives.”
Zion goes to say something else, but Cornelius interrupts, handing me a long, cloth-wrapped object. I take it from him tentatively, my smile growing as I unwrap what turns out to be a short sword in a fancy scabbard. My eyes shoot to Cornelius, who’s watching me closely, then to Zion, whose scowl has deepened, his jaw clenching. “Is this for me?”
“Yes,” Cornelius responds. “You’re going to need that where we’re going.”
Eyeing the sword speculatively, I pull it slightly from the scabbard, my smile growing as I glance over the intricacy of the etching on the steel before inserting back in the leather. Then I meet his gaze again and ask, “You’re not afraid I’ll hurt myself?”
One corner of his mouth curves up, and he shakes his head. “Not really. But if you do, I’ll know it wasn’t made for you.”
I frown at his peculiar words, then shrug as he helps me fit the belt around my hips, instructing me to practice pulling it free a few times to ensure the positioning is ideal. Zion just watches us, obviously unhappy with what’s going on, his silence an indication that he’s accepted he can’t take it back.
Zion gives me a disgruntled look but says nothing further, and I knock my shoulder against his playfully.
An Asian man approaches, shaking Cornelius’s hand before turning and shaking Zion’s. The man turns to me expectantly, and I stare back at him in confusion. After a moment, Zion says, “Viv, this is Jacob.”
Frowning, I reply, “Is this what you actually look like?”
Jacob looks surprised for a moment, and then realization dawns, and he laughs. “Yes. No need to hide out here.”
I shake his hand with a nod, and then he turns back to Cornelius and says, “If we’re gonna go stay ahead of this, we better get to it. I’m sure they’re already onto us.”
Cornelius levels a pointed look at Zion and me as he mutters, “Yeah, because these two had to get wild and send an all-points bulletin out into the world.”
“Don’t look at me,” I reply. “I didn’t know anything about that until it was too late.”
Zion appears rather smug, and he shrugs as he replies, “I took a chance, but obviously I underestimated the explosive level of our bond.”
Cornelius shakes his head but remains silent, so I poke Zion, tsking at him. “Well, a heads-up would’ve been nice.”
His smile is almost boyish, and I blush as he retorts, “Pretty sure you won’t be needing one in the future.”
I give him a stern look that I’m certain doesn’t match my eyes, but then everyone starts congregating around us. Cornelius heads toward the door with us directly behind him. He reaches for the handle, then stops, and I put my hand on his arm. “What am I walking into?”
Jacob mutters under his breath, and I glance at him before looking back at Cornelius. “Is it just going to be one big damn trap?”
“Everything is a trap in its own way, Viv,” he replies calmly. “But think of this place like the clown car of demon hideouts. It’s our job to clear the way for Zion to get to Gemma. She’s the main target here.”
My heart stops in my chest, my blood runs cold. I glance at Zion, who’s still watching me, and I have to swallow the lump in my throat as I whisper, “Are you sure?”
Zion closes the distance between us, gripping my forearms as he stoops over and says, “Yes. Out of all the possibilities, she’s the last one we want getting those keys.”
“Maybe I should stay behind.”
Cornelius frowns. “Why?”
