“Friends don’t let friends do drugs, Alex,” Declan said.
“That’s not what I—” Alex broke off when she caught the laughter in his eyes and instead grumbled, “You’re hilarious.”
In an effort to keep from saying anything else unintentionally implicit, she swallowed the pain reliever. Kaiden then handed her another vial, this one filled with an orangey liquid, and with a sigh, she downed it as well, not bothering to ask what it contained. Heat instantly flooded her veins, and the shivers that she hadn’t noticed wracking her frame began to settle.
“Mmm,” she said, peering into the now empty vial. “I like that one.”
Both Declan and Kaiden chuckled, before Kaiden moved off again and returned with some of Fletcher’s healing ointment.
“Since when do you play nursemaid?” Alex asked when he reached for her left hand and started massaging the vanilla-scented salve into her skin. She wasn’t sure whether she felt awkward from his ministrations or just plain grateful that someone was taking care of her.
It was Declan who answered, his wicked smile the only warning of what he might be about to say. “When it comes to you, Kaid here is always happy to—”
The rest of his words were cut off with an “Ooof!” when Kaiden elbowed him in the stomach before continuing to patch Alex up like there had been no interruption.
Biting back a laugh, Alex looked at Declan. “You were saying?”
Declan’s only reply was to rub his stomach and grunt out, “He’s always been good with first aid.”
At the sour look on Declan’s face, she couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. A smile hinted at Kaiden’s lips too as he released her left hand and reached for her right.
He continued covering her cuts and scratches with the ointment, paying particular attention to the deeper wounds from where she’d hacked into her flesh while sawing through her bonds. The ointment also healed the raw skin around her wrists and ankles, and by the time Fletcher and Hunter arrived carrying the high-as-a-kite Bear, Alex was as good as new.
“How’s he doing?” she asked, jumping off the bed. Wobbling as a wave of exhaustion hit her, she accepted Kaiden’s offered hand to steady herself and made her way over to where the doctor and teacher carefully laid her friend.
“I had the weirdest dream,” Bear slurred out, his eyes glazed as he looked straight through Alex in his drug-induced haze. “There were all these angry little people and we were hiiiiiiigh up in the trees.”
He laughed, though at what, Alex wasn’t sure. But then his humour died and his already wide eyes widened further.
“Then there was this creek monster that nearly ate you, Alex! It dragged you underwater for so long—I thought you were dead!” He blinked a few times and relaxed. “Then Ghost was there and—oh, hey, look! Ghost is here, too!”
Grinning dopily, Bear pointed at Hunter, before yawning and turning back to Alex to finish, “It wasn’t much fun.” He laughed again and shook his head. “Crazy, crazy dream.”
He then tipped his head back, closed his eyes and was instantly asleep.
Alex turned to Fletcher. “What the heck did you give him?” She only just managed to keep from adding, ‘And how can I get some of it?’
“Bear was in a lot of pain, Alex,” Fletcher told her, something she already knew. “Since I still have to re-set his bone, I thought it might be best for him to be unconscious during the process.”
Alex cringed at the alternate.
“As you can see, the pain reliever I gave him is extremely effective, resulting in what he currently believes is a dream state,” Fletcher continued. “But don’t worry—once the bone is back in place, the Regenevators will do the rest of the work and he’ll be up and about in no time, with all his memories of your… adventures… intact.”
The doctor peered closely at Alex, looking at her now-healed body before turning to Kaiden who was still holding the container of healing salve.
“It appears I left you in good hands while I was gone,” Fletcher said, his eyes twinkling. “Do you have anything more serious that I should look at, or can I take comfort in knowing you’ll live another day without further medical attention?”
Another whole day was a bit of a gamble, since Alex didn’t know what she would face with the Shadow Walkers and Dayriders in the morning. She offered him as much honesty as she could when she answered, “I’m good for at least eight hours.”
With a longsuffering sigh, Fletcher reached for his MedTek and turned back to Bear.
When a holographic X-ray of the broken bone rose out of the Device, Alex’s lunch threatened to make a reappearance, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to watch what was coming next.
Offering a rushed farewell to those in the room, along with another quick but heartfelt “Thank you” to Hunter, she spun around and headed for the exit.
“Hold up there, Alex.” Kaiden grabbed her arm just before she could step outside. He gestured a hand up and down her body and said, “Winter. Snow. Cold. Remember?”
With the orangey medicine having reheated her body, Alex had forgotten what she would face outdoors. And her expression must have shown as much.
“Here,” Declan said, unbuttoning his thick coat. “I’ll stay in case Fletch and Hunter need a hand. Kaid can walk you to the dorm and then bring this back for me.”
Relieved beyond words, Alex moved impatiently from foot to foot as he helped her into his coat. It was massive on her, enough that she was swimming in it. But it was also toasty warm and she knew that even with her legs bare she would still make it back to the dorm relatively unscathed.
“Thanks, Declan,” she told him once she was all bundled up. “Your grandfather might be a piece of work, but you go all right.”
Startled, Declan laughed. “You obviously don’t know him very well,” he said. “If you did, you’d be calling him more than a ‘piece of work’.”
Alex could only imagine. “I was trying to be generous.”
“Jaxon’s an ass, plain and simple,” Declan said, his tone oddly amused given his relation to the royal advisor. “But for better or worse, he’s family.” He paused, then corrected, “Nope, just for worse.”
His words prompted a chuckle from Alex as he nudged her towards the door.
“Now get out of here before Kaid offers you more ‘first aid’,” Declan said, using air quotes for the last two words. “CPR’s probably next on his list, and I doubt you’d want an audience for that.”
Feeling her cheeks flush, Alex’s mind blanked enough that she couldn’t form a response, so she forced out another huff of laughter and stepped outside with a shamelessly grinning Kaiden in tow.
It was too cold for them to dally, so they set a brisk pace across the campus, frozen puffs of vapour leaving their mouths with every breath.
“Did what Bear say really happen?” Kaiden asked as they hurried towards the dorm building. “The ‘angry little people’ in the trees—did you visit the Jarnocks?”
Seeing no point in lying, Alex nodded.
“And was the part about the underwater monster dragging you down true as well? Was he talking about Kaku?”
Alex shuddered and, more hesitantly this time, nodded again.
Kaiden released a loud sigh and said, “I’ve never encountered anyone more prone to finding trouble than you.”
“I don’t find trouble,” Alex said, indignant. “It just… finds me.”
“With everything that you’ve been through, I’m amazed you’ve managed to survive this long.”
“You’re not the only one,” Alex murmured her agreement.
Silence. And then—
“Is there anything you can’t do?”
Kaiden’s question surprised her. Not the words themselves, but the wonder in them. The admiration. The… affection.
Feeling the need to lighten the suddenly heavy mood, Alex flippantly replied, “I’m afraid I’m not very good at baking.”
Kaiden laughed, just as she’d hoped h
e would. “How scandalous.”
“You can’t tell a soul,” Alex told him. “If my secret gets out, it’ll be the end of me.”
“Your secrets are safe with me,” Kaiden promised as they reached the dorm building and stepped through its entrance. Halting just inside the doors, his face was serious as he finished meaningfully, “All of them, Alex.”
She couldn’t hold his gaze and instead focused on unbuttoning Declan’s coat. But Kaiden’s hands reached out for hers, halting her fingers to pull her closer.
As in, way closer.
With one hand curling around her waist and the other moving up to her cheek, Kaiden looked deep into her eyes and whispered, “What’s it going to take for you to finally trust me?”
Mouth dry at both his words and his proximity, Alex couldn’t respond. All she could do was feel the warm touch of his fingers on her skin and the comforting strength of his arms holding her tight.
“Kaiden,” she whispered as he moved impossibly closer.
“What’s it going to take?” he repeated, his breath fanning over her lips, causing her to shiver.
Slowly, carefully, he tilted her face upwards, watching her intently to gauge her reaction. Her eyes began to flutter closed of their own accord. But then—
“… so of course I said ‘no’. I mean, as if I would ever agree to that!”
Jumping back about three feet and dislodging Kaiden’s arms in the process, Alex spun around, heart pounding, face burning, and found two fifth-year girls descending the stairs, presumably heading to the Rec Room.
“And then—oh, hey, Kaiden!” one of them called. “Did you finish Luranda’s flesh-eating algae assignment? It took me forever!”
Kaiden called out a token response and the girls took that as an invitation to approach. Her heartbeat still erratic, Alex decided to be relieved rather than disappointed by the interruption, and she used the girls’ presence as an excuse to strip out of Declan’s coat and shakily hand it over to Kaiden.
She could barely meet his eyes before she had to look away again, and she was thankful for the unending dialogue from the girls that kept her from being able to say anything. Instead, she mustered the most genuine smile she could offer, hoping it didn’t look as skittish as she felt, and quietly excused herself.
She only just managed to make it up the stairs without looking over her shoulder, and she determinedly ignored the heated stare she felt branding her with every step.
“What do you mean, you almost kissed Kaiden?” D.C. all but shrieked later that night after Alex had showered off the jungle grime, checked in with Niyx to let him know she was safe and hear his promises that he was too, and donned her comfiest pyjamas.
“I didn’t almost kiss him,” Alex corrected, sitting cross-legged on D.C.’s bed and facing her roommate. “He almost kissed me.”
“Semantics.” D.C. gave an impatient wave of her hand. “You so would have kissed him back. Jordan told me you’ve liked him for ages.”
“Jordan has a big mouth,” Alex grumbled.
“Aha! You admit it!”
“It’s not like it’s a secret, Dix,” Alex said. However, until now she’d never spoken with her closest girlfriend about Kaiden, which was kind of telling. “But it’s also not exactly at the top of my priorities right now.”
“It should be,” D.C. said, passing a bottle of nail polish to Alex. “You deserve to have something nice happen in your life for a change. Something exciting.”
Alex frowned. “I have lots of nice things in my life. And way more excitement than I need.”
“You know what I mean,” was D.C.’s dismissive reply.
“Well, anyway, it’s not going to happen again,” Alex said, starting on her nails. They were using her favourite polish—one that went on clear but changed colour depending on the wearer’s mood.
“What? Why not?”
“Because, it can’t,” Alex answered. “For so many reasons.”
If they’d been standing, Alex was certain D.C. would have stomped her foot.
“Like?”
“Time, for one,” Alex said. “I don’t have room for more relationships in my life right now, let alone a boyfriend.”
“So you do want a relationship with him? I knew it!”
Alex glanced up briefly. “Dix, please, at least try to stay focused.”
With a sheepish smile, D.C. said, “Sorry. But can you blame me? We’re talking about Kaiden James here. The guy is the stuff of fantasies. If I wasn’t so into Jordan, I’d be swooning right along with you.”
“I am not swooning,” Alex spluttered.
“You should be,” D.C. said, with a soft sigh. “He’s so dreamy.”
Choosing not to respond to that for the sake of her sanity, Alex only said, “It also can’t happen because if Aven finds out, he could make Kaiden a target.” And learn about his gift in the process, Alex added mentally, her breath hitching at the thought. At both thoughts.
“We’re all targets, Alex,” D.C. reminded her, if gently. “Being close to you is worth the risk, as I’m sure Kaiden would agree.”
Alex didn’t concede the point. Instead, she said, “I also have to spend a lot of class time with him.” A lot more than D.C. knew about come Monday and their joint lessons with Athora—which was another reason for her caution. “I don’t want things to become… awkward between us.”
“More awkward than an almost-kiss hanging over both your heads? ’Cause I can see how that’s not going to be uncomfortable at all.”
D.C.’s sarcasm, while unwelcome, was nevertheless valid.
“It just can’t happen,” Alex finished lamely. “Not right now.”
“But you like him,” D.C. said, sounding more miserable than Alex felt.
Alex didn’t say anything. Confirmation or contradiction—there wasn’t any point. One would be a lie. The other would only make things harder.
D.C. slumped in resignation when no response came, showing that she was going to let it go. But before she did, she offered one final statement. “The nails never lie, Alex.”
Looking down, Alex sighed.
Pink.
A colour with universal meaning in every world.
Rather than stuffing her hands under a pillow and ruining her drying manicure, Alex turned their conversation around.
“Speaking of relationships,” she said, “how’s things with you and Jordan? He seems to be doing much better lately.”
D.C.’s face softened as a contented smile settled on her lips. “He’s incredible. What he went through—everything he’s been through…” She shook her head, her focus inward. “I had no idea… None of us had any idea.” Her eyes cleared as she looked up and said, “He still has a way to go, but he’s getting there. And I feel so… so honoured that I get to be with him on the journey. To have his trust—to have his heart—” D.C. shook her head again and blew out an amazed breath. “There are no words to describe how that feels.”
Alex felt the prickle of tears as she took in D.C.’s glowing features, as she saw the pure joy that her friend was radiating. Heedless of their drying nails, Alex clasped their hands together, whispering out a choked, “I’m so happy for you, Dix. So, so happy.”
Wet glimmered in D.C.’s eyes as she held Alex’s gaze. “I just—I never thought I’d have something like this, you know?” She sniffed. “With my childhood, no one ever—there was no one I could trust, let alone allow myself to care for.” She sniffed again, before snorting quietly as she added, “But then you barged your way into my life and almost got me killed, and here we are.”
Alex offered a wobbly smile, unable to summon words due to the emotion clogging her throat.
Blinking against her tears, D.C. finished, “I can never thank you enough for everything you’ve done, everything you’ve given me. Jordan, Bear… friendship, laughter… hope. I never knew life could be this beautiful.” She squeezed Alex’s hands and quietly admitted, “It’s better than I could have ever dreamed.”
r /> Inhaling deeply through her nose lest she release the sob she felt building in her chest, Alex gripped D.C. all the tighter and said in a hoarse voice, “You deserve all of it and more, Dix. And if you think you’re honoured to be on the journey with Jordan, imagine how I feel witnessing you blossom at his side.”
Apparently too overwhelmed to offer a verbal response, D.C. lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Alex in a crushing hug. Their teary embrace lasted until a knock sounded at their door and they broke apart, both of them wiping under their eyes as they did so.
“What did I just walk in on?” Jordan asked after D.C. let him in. He eyed them both, likely noting their wet cheeks and tremulous smiles.
“We were just doing our nails,” D.C. answered, giving him a quick kiss on the lips that he turned into something deeper, only pulling back when Alex cleared her throat to remind them that she was still in the room.
Jordan sent a grin in her direction and, seeing him so carefree and at peace, Alex felt tears well up again. Perhaps it was from the trauma of her day, or her raw conversation with D.C., but either way, her emotions were all over the place. And apparently that was clear for her friends to see, since Jordan’s brow furrowed and he moved closer, holding his arms out for her.
A strangled sob left Alex as she leapt up from the bed and he wrapped her in his embrace.
“Is this about Bear?” he asked into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly. “I just checked in on him—he’s going to be fine.”
Alex didn’t move her head from his chest as she shook it from side to side. “No, it’s about you. I’m just—I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Jordan’s hand stilled before he continued his soothing circles. “Have we gone back in time? Because I’m pretty sure we already had our emotional outburst a fortnight ago when you first Released me. Did you bump your head while fighting off jungle deities, or is your mind just scrambled from having nearly kissed Kaiden tonight?”
Alex pushed back and gaped at him through blurry eyes. “How do you know about that?”