He matters. For whatever reason, Ketill matters to me. I’ve always known—even when I didn’t know him.
Unexpectedly, Ketill and I seem to go hand in hand.
Again, I expect him to say something stupid. But instead, he leans into me so I can cup his cheek, and he nuzzles the tip of his nose into my wrist.
“Amazing…” he replies, just as softly.
For a long time, bathed in the shadow of rain splashing across the window, we stay silent. Neither of us wanting to break this fragile connection. Not just between our eyes, but something deeper. Something that, if I really think about it, could cause tears to swell with how wonderful I know it could be.
For now, I don’t question it.
But if history taught me anything, it’s that nothing stays the same.
A door somewhere slams shut, and I startle back. “What the…”
Ketill curses in a language that sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. “More shifters.”
Bolting upright, he grabs hold of me and takes me towards the counter. “I’m going to lead them away. You stay hidden, treasure.”
“How do you know they’re more shifters?” I ask, yelping when Ketill grabs hold of my waist and sits me up on the counter. “We haven’t heard from a single other passenger; it could be one of them.”
“Trust me,” he replies, nodding to indicate for me to get a move on.
“This time.” I swing my legs around and drop behind the counter, lowering myself until I’m hidden.
“Stay safe.”
“Y-you too!” I blurt out in a whisper just as he’s about to turn away. “I’d be very annoyed if you died.”
Ketill takes a cavalier step backwards, throwing me a devilish wink before spinning on his heel and bolting towards the door we came through.
I duck completely, only able to hear another door sliding open and more footsteps approaching.
“Looking for me, fuckers?” Ketill yells, then his feet pound away.
“Get back here!” Someone shouts, then chases after.
I suck in a lungful of air to breathe out a sigh of relief, then nearly choke on it when the crackle of a radio fills the empty cabin.
“Have you found him yet, Olly?” a crackling voice says.
My heart beats wildly, and I slap both hands over my mouth to keep silent.
There’s a click, and a gruff voice says, “Craig is after him. He’ll get Ketill.”
“What about the other passengers?”
“We drugged the water supply,” the voice says. “No one will be waking up anytime soon.”
“Good. And even if Craig fails, my team has a backup plan. We’ve blown up the bridge fifteen miles away, so either you stop him or in ten minutes, a nasty drop will. We’re getting that damn egg back.”
My blood freezes, yet my whole body is drenched in a panicked sweat.
“A heads up would’ve been nice,” The gruff voice complains.
“This is your heads up.”
“Fine,” the voice sneers, not happy at all. “I’d better get a move on then.”
