CHAPTER SIX

Wendy

"I think that's deep enough." Alec stands back and wipes his brow, leaving a smear of dirt on his forehead.

I twist my lips at the hole we've dug. We both know it could be deeper, but we've already hung around in one spot for an hour. We're pushing our luck when it comes to evading the Silver Hunters.

There's an awkward moment as we stand there. Professor Trowles's body is next to the hole, her eyes closed and her face pale. All of her energy and sparkle is gone. She's nothing but a husk of the person she was.

Anger and sadness ripples through me. I barely even knew her, but she was one of the few people at Hawthorn who welcomed me in with open arms. She didn't whisper when I entered a room or treat me like I had the plague.

Which one of the Silver Hunters was responsible for her death?

My fingers curl into the dirt. I want to find that person. I want to make them pay for what they did.

Energy courses through my veins, and I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I'm dangerously close to losing control, and with no immediate enemy to direct that aggression towards, I don't know what might happen.

If I hurt Alec, I would never forgive myself for it.

"Wendy."

I open my eyes. His gaze is soft, but I know he's telling me to hurry. He doesn't want to rush me, but he also doesn't want us to stand out here all day, prey just waiting to be eaten.

"Yeah," I say from a thick throat. "Let's put her in."

He goes to her head, and I take her feet. She's heavier than I expected, and the aches through my body make hefting her even harder. Carefully, we carry her over to the hole and set her in.

Alec takes a step back, and I reach forward, touching the corner of her lips with my fingers.

"You were a good person," I whisper, a tear sliding down my cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

I don't want to remember her like this. I hate that this will be my last sight of her. What can I do, though?

Nothing. The Silver Hunters' damage is irreversible.

Without another word, Alec and I fill in the grave. We make sure it's level and then I reach down and pick up a rock to place atop the earth.

"We should say something," I murmur.

Alec looks at me, his eyes unreadable.

"She was a brave woman," he says, his voice low. "She didn't deserve any of this."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "She was a friend to me when I had few of those. She was a teacher and a protector. She was a warrior right to the end."

I look away, tears burning my eyes. Alec's hand wraps around mine, and I squeeze his fingers, grateful for his silent strength.

We stay there for a few more moments, then Alec takes a deep breath and looks around. "We should go," he says.

I nod, and together we walk away from Professor Trowles's grave.

Birds chirp in the woods, and the whole area feels peaceful. Like nothing bad could ever happen here.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I focus on putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to think about the woman we've just left behind. My stomach gurgles, and I realize I can't even remember the last time I had something to eat.

The date with Gregory seems like a lifetime ago. I don't even recognize the girl I was then; I've been through so much in the last day and night.

The woods start to thin out, and we emerge at the edge of a highway. A gas station and antique shop sit nestled between the trees, a few trucks gathered in the gravel lot between them.

"Do you know where we are?" I ask.

Alec frowns. "We're about five or so miles past town. I didn't realize we went that far."

I chew on my lip. "Do you know if there's a bus station around here?"

How we'll even get tickets, I don't know. I took my wallet with me into town last night, but I lost both it and my phone somewhere in the constant chaos between then and now. I don't have a penny to my name.

Alec frowns. "Maybe we can thumb a ride to the closest one."

"Do you have a phone?"

His frown deepens, and he rakes his fingers through his dark strands. "No. I never carry it unless I'm not on campus. You know since there's no service there anyway. I forgot it last night when I went into town. It's still back in my dorm. I have some cash, though."

My stomach grumbles again, this time so loud it's impossible to ignore.

"Sorry." I stuff my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," I admit.

He looks around, then points at the gas station. "Let's see if we can find something to eat in there."

We head over to the gas station, and Alec buys us some snacks and sodas with the money from his pocket. It's not much, but it's enough to tide us over until we can figure out our next move.

We sit on the curb in the parking lot, and I stuff my face with chips and candy while Alec studies a map of Portland.

"We can try to find a bus station this way," he says, pointing to the map. "It'll take some time, but it's our best option if we want to get to Dyad Marketplace."

I nod, my mouth full of chips. "Do you have any idea where it is?"

His lips turn down. "Nope. Maybe we can find someone who knows, though."

"Let's get going, then," I mumble.

Alec gives me a serious look. "You sure you're up for it? We can rest a bit if you want. We don't have to rush."

I finish my chips and toss the bag into the nearby garbage can. "No. Let's go. We've already wasted enough time."

An older man in a trucker hat emerges from the gas station, headed for his truck, and I run over to him.

"Excuse me, sir."

He stops and stares at me, his eyes sweeping up and down my muddy clothes and ratty hair. I adjust my sweater, hoping that I at least don't have blood on myself.

"Uh huh?" he finally asks.

I clear my throat. "We need a ride to the nearest bus station. Do you think you could help us out?"

He looks around, his eyes finally settling on Alec. He steps closer to me and crosses his arms.

"What's he to you?"

I blink, taken aback. "He's my friend."

The man raises his eyebrows. "That's not what I asked."

My cheeks heat up, and I glance back at Alec, who is watching the exchange with a slight frown.

"He's my friend," I repeat, this time with a bit more force.

"Okay, okay," the man says, holding up his hands in surrender. "I can give you a ride. But I'm warning you, I won't tolerate any funny business in my truck."

Funny business? What does he think Alec and I are gonna do in his truck? Make out?

Heat floods my cheeks. Do we look like we're a couple?

I mean, I wouldn't hate the idea, but ... I shake my head. I shouldn't be thinking about this right now.

Alec approaches. "Don't worry, sir. We just need a ride and then we'll be out of your hair."

The man grunts and heads over to his truck. He unlocks the doors and pops open the back, gesturing for us to get in.

Alec and I exchange a look, then we climb into the truck bed. We huddle close together and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, his warmth a comfort.

The truck rumbles to life, and we start off, the trees flying past us. My cheeks are still hot, and Alec's arm around my shoulders isn't helping.

What did he think about the "funny business" part? Was he just as embarrassed as me?

Did a part of him secretly like thinking about that, just like me?

I bite my lip. This isn't the time to be thinking about crushes, but when it comes to Alec, it feels impossible not to.

Since the moment I first saw him, it felt like there was this magnetic pull between us. That feeling has been overshadowed while we've been fighting for our lives, but here, nestled in this truck bed, butterflies flit through my stomach.

I chew on my lip and try to push the feeling away. We don't have time for this.

Still ...

"Hey." Alec looks down at me.

"Yeah?" I lean back to get a better look at him.

"I ... I'm glad we're doing this together." His eyes blaze with intensity, and it's like I'm melting from the inside out.

"Yeah," I breathe. "Me too."

***

We step off the bus, the daylight blinding. Covering my eyes, I shuffle under the shade of a tree and study our new environment.

"Well," I say. "We're here."

We made it into Portland. Thank God, Alec had some cash on him. We were able to grab a bus and be in the city within a couple hours.

But what do we do now?

He must read the question on my face. "I wish I had an answer." Alec looks up and down the street.

My chest tightens. It's definitely not what I want to hear, but at least the rumor about Dyad Marketplace being in Portland is better than nothing.

"Should we just walk into places and ask if they know about a magical marketplace?" I joke.

He frowns, his gaze shifting left and right. I know that look. Something's wrong.

Instantly, I go on high alert. My hands curl into fists, and I whip around, checking out our surroundings.

"Are they here?" My breathing speeds up.

"No." Alec shakes his head, but he still looks unsettled. "It's not the Silver Hunters."

"What is it?"

Another bus pulls up behind us, and people spill out of it. Alec shies away from them. The way he's acting, it's like he thinks he'll catch a virus from them.

"Alec?" I slowly ask. "Are you okay?"

He steps back, into the shadows of a building. "I'm fine. It's just ... a lot of ..." his voice drops, "… humans."

It takes me a second to even process what he said.

"Wait." Fear tickles the back of my neck. "Will that be a problem for you?"

When we were in the trees last night, before everything went down at Hawthorn, I asked him if he drank human blood. He told me that he could survive on animals, but that human blood was so much better.

A chill ripples down my spine.

Is Alec about to snap and go into a frenzied feeding?

Would I be able to stop him if he does?

He's weak from all the fighting, but so am I. Plus, I still don't know how to perfectly control my abilities. I'm not sure I would be a match for him.

"Alec," I say softly, "I don't think it's a good idea to be here. We should go somewhere else."

I take a step forward and reach out for his arm, but he jerks away from me.

"No," he growls. "I'm fine. I can handle this."

But there's something in his eyes, a wildness that wasn't there before. It worries me, and I know I have to get him away from here.

"Come on," I say, taking his hand. "Let's get out of here."

He looks at me for a long moment before finally nodding. We turn and walk away from the bus station, and I can feel the tension radiating off him. He stares at the people we pass by, and every second makes me more tense.

He's not right, and things could go sideways at any moment.

But I don't know what else to do. I can't help him if he won't let me. All I can do is be there for him and hope that he'll be okay.

Finally, we reach a small park with no people in it. Following a winding path, we locate a bench hidden behind some bushes. It's the perfect secluded spot.

"Here." I yank him towards the bench and, thank goodness, he doesn't fight. "Sit down."

Plopping onto the bench, he drops his head into his hands and breathes deeply. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

He lifts his head, and the red flashing in his eyes makes me freeze. A moment later, they're hazel again. You would never think the guy sitting next to me is anything but human.

"When I'm around a lot of humans, it's ... hard to fight the urges."

"Is that why you were in the library when I first saw you and not at the selection?"

"It's one of the reasons, but yeah, it's the main one ..." He drops his head back and looks up at the sky.

I hold my tongue, unsure whether I want to ask if he's ever tasted human blood.

Maybe I'd be better off not knowing.

Rubbing my palms on my thighs, I stand. "You could stay here while I ask around."

"No." He shakes his head vehemently. "Let's just wait until dark. We only have a few more hours, and it'll be easier then."

"Sure." I sit down next to him.

The minutes creep by, and we're both lost in our own thoughts. Memories of the fight at the school come back in flashes, and faces fill my vision. Brynn. Gregory. Professor Trowles, dying in the woods.

What did they ever do to deserve something like this?

The sun dips below the horizon, and the sky turns dark. It's time to make our move. Somewhere in this city is a man who has the answers we need. He could be a mile away or on the other side of this park, but we won't stop until we find him.

"Ready?" I stand.

Alec nods up at me. "Ready."