Evernight (The Night Watchmen Series Book 2) (33 page)

“See,” Weldon says with enough amusement to build an amusement park. “You should listen to your girl. She’s smart, that one.”

“Weldon,” I say before breaking off into a coughing fit. Jaxen turns back to me, reaching for a glass of water on my nightstand. He looks tired beyond words. I want to kiss away the dark circles under his eyes. I want to smooth away the hair that permanently stands from his hands tugging and tugging.

He lifts me up with his other arm and presses the glass to my mouth. It’s like silk as it slides down my throat, waking me up with every greedy gulp.

I glance over at the clock. Three in the morning. We only have a few hours left until we have to be up and ready for class with the general, and I suddenly feel every single minute left that we have to sleep.

“What he did was foolish and wrong,” Jaxen says as I take my last sip. He’s trying to control his temper. I hear it in the wavering of his tone. “I can’t-I can’t trust someone who acts out on a whim. Someone who’s willing to put you in danger like that.”

After I take another sip, I push the glass away. I already feel a little strength coming back to me as the water settles in. “I controlled it though, Jaxen,” I say, following his gaze when he tries to look away from me. “I think I know how to control it now. Without Weldon’s whim, I may never have tried.”

His jaw clenches. I hear his teeth grind. “Whether you controlled it or not, putting your life at risk is unacceptable. I’m going to speak with Seamus about having him replaced as your partner.”

“Bullshit,” Weldon says, pushing off the wall.

Jaxen stands up, meeting Weldon in the middle of the room.

“Stop it!” I shout out, sensing what comes next. The fight. The anger. The blood.

My words overpower theirs.

“What happened was better than I could have imagined. Not only was I able to finally have a breakthrough with my power, but we have proof that we’re heading in the right direction. That Clara is the one to blame. We can take my Grimoire to Seamus. Show him what my mother wrote. He’ll have to retain her for investigation.”

Jaxen doesn’t move from his place. He keeps his stance firm as he glares Weldon down. “Yes, but we’ll still need more than that, Faye,” he says with his back to me. “The Priesthood will need solid evidence in order to make a conviction. Something more than the words written in your Grimoire.”

“I bet that warehouse has evidence,” Weldon says, already relaxed in his stance. He never intended to fight, and I’m so grateful that Jaxen has a friend like him. One with patience and understanding. One who knows the pain he’s been through. He puts his hand on Jaxen’s shoulder, and that’s all it takes for Jaxen to back down. That’s all it takes for him to find his place back by my side, his fists put away, saved for another fight.

“There’s no way we can get in that warehouse without getting caught. Not even if we took the others with us,” Jaxen says over his shoulder to Weldon. Fatigue has nestled in the deepest notes of his voice.

“I could go at it alone, stay in the shadows and watch from afar,” Weldon offers.

Jaxen rubs his temples. “No. I need… time. Sleep. Let’s discuss this when we’ve slept on it. I don’t want to make any more rash decisions right now.”

“I understand,” Weldon says, rubbing at his shoulder.

“We can at least talk to Seamus. Show him what we have. Maybe he could send Elites to that location,” I say, not wanting to drop the subject until we reach a decision.

“Maybe,” Jaxen says on a sigh. “Let’s plan on doing that first thing after class with the general. I’ll call ahead and let Seamus know to expect us.”

“Okay,” Weldon says, only looking mildly tired. It makes me wonder if he ever even sleeps. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He leaves the room.

Again, we’re left in silence.

Jaxen looks away from me. Curses under his breath. Tugs through his hair as if he’s trying to pull out the frustrations harboring in his brain. “For a minute, I thought we might not make it out of there,” he finally says. The fear in his words splits me right open.

I reach up and caress his face. “Me too.”

“Why does he always have to be right?”

“He’s not,” I say, wishing I could ease his pain. “He’s just lucky with his guesses most of the time.”

He leans down and runs his lips over mine. I part my mouth, inviting his kiss. His touch is like magic, warming my skin and waking up every hibernating nerve ending in my body. His kisses move from my lips to my cheek, and onto my neck where he settles, nuzzling his face against my skin and curling up against me.

“If we didn’t have to be up in a few hours, I’d finish where we left off. I want to… so bad.”

“But we need to sleep,” I finish for him. “If we want to remain inconspicuous, then we have to seem like we have nothing going on, on the side.”

He exhales against my skin and small chills rise. “Yeah,” he says, his voice slightly groggy.

I settle against him and let my eyes close shut again before slipping off into a dreamless sleep.

MORNING ARRIVES, AND I FEE
L
like I know death on a personal level.

My eyes are on fire, screaming at me to shut them again. My limbs feel like they’ve been sown to the sheets with no strength left to fight. Sleep has grown hands, and it’s pulling on my mind, offering blankets, warmth, and dreams that I don’t want to wake from.

But then the alarm switches on and sleep releases me.

I still feel the remnants of the dark magic I absorbed the night before.

I still feel it in my fingertips. In my heart. In my mind, and I’m scared because some small part of me wants to feel it again, wants to taste that unfathomable amount of power that gives magic limitless possibilities.

No conscience.

No fear.

No pain.

Just pure freedom.

Freedom to use magic without rules. To seek revenge without any guilt. Freedom to do whatever needs to be done to get the things you want, even if it means stepping over everything and everyone.

If only I could be that free.

Jaxen stirs, and my dark thoughts vanish like a plume of smoke. His hand is wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me close to him, and it almost doesn’t feel real. Like I don’t deserve to have this man, so good and so strong, here with me, holding me as if I’m the most precious, rarest gem on this earth.

But I feel his chest rising and falling, and I know it’s real.

I don’t want to disturb him. I don’t want the leave the safety of this mattress—the safety of his arms. His head’s resting against my back, as if he fell asleep listening to the sounds of my heart, and it makes me smile.

Despite everything that continues to go wrong, he’s the one thing in my life that makes it all better. The one person who I never thought in a million years I’d find and be loved by.

I slowly roll, feeling him stir out of the edges of sleep, until I’m lying face to face with him.

His eyes sluggishly crack open, and then begin to blink, fanning out his dark lashes.

“Morning,” he says with a raspy voice and a sleepy smile.

“Morning,” I say back, reaching around him to shut off the alarm clock. I kiss his cheek, wishing these small moments alone with him could last forever. Wishing for once that I didn’t know the definition of responsibility.

I lay back on my pillow and fight to keep my eyes open. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through today.”

He sucks in a deep breath, reaching up to scrub his hands through his hair, and then down his sleep-ridden face. After exhaling and dropping his hands, he says, “I know a Witch vendor who makes a really potent concoction of herbs that’ll take the edge off the sleepiness. We’ll swing by on the way to class.”

“Okay,” I mutter out through a yawn. If I could just have another hour… just one more hour of sleep, I’d be good.

He kisses my forehead, and then sits up, stretching. I can’t help but reach out and touch his skin. Run my fingers over the muscles indenting his back.

He turns back around to face me and says, “I’m gonna go get washed up and changed. Meet you in the hall in ten?”

“Yeah,” I say, wishing I could just pull him back down and hide under the covers with him. But that’s not a possibility. Not when we have to meet with the general.

He kisses my cheek, and then stands, grabbing his jacket off the floor. After he leaves, I get up, take a quick shower, and dress in my uniform. It all happens in a hazy blur. My body is in autopilot mode, driving me through the normal functions. By the time I pull my hair back and slide my boots on, Jaxen’s already knocking on my door. Water drips off his hair when I step out into the hallway.

“Ready?” he asks, his eyes a little bloodshot.

I put my hand over my mouth as I yawn. “Guess so,” I say as we both laugh. Heading down the elevator, we step out into the cool morning air. With only five minutes left to get to class, we rush to the vendor, and then to class, chugging down the drink as fast as we can. I don’t tell him that it tastes like grass when he asks. I don’t have the energy to complain.

I don’t even have the energy to be sad when we pass the Jumbotron and see the fires breaking out around the edges of the Academy in the enchanted forest. The names of the Elites and Watchmen who have been hit by Darkyn Rebel attacks scrolling across.

Twenty-four more names.

Twenty-four more bodies.

Weldon meets us on the elevator looking wide-awake and ready for the day. His golden hair is neatly combed to the side and his uniform looks freshly pressed. “You two look like hell,” he says with a smirk.

Neither of us answer as we continue to finish our drinks. It warms through my entire body, like tiny hands of strength lifting my limbs for me. It’s just enough to give me faith that I can make it through this class without falling asleep. Without slipping up.

When the elevator dings, the general’s waiting outside the classroom with everyone else. “So glad you could join us,” he says curtly, his eyes taking in every detail of our appearance. His lips go thin. His gaze falls flat.

I think he must know. He must have some power I don’t know about that enables him to read secrets because his eyes are so narrow and judgmental. I’m standing here with a flush growing on my cheeks, and the truth pulsing out behind my eyes. But then he points to the door behind us and says, “Let’s not waste another minute of this beautiful morning. To the roof,” and I feel like I can breathe again as I turn away from him. I feel like my secrets are back in their tiny box, untouched and unharmed.

We turn and head up the stairs without exchanging a word. Maybe Jaxen and Weldon were just as nervous, just as sure that last night’s adventure had been somehow found out, because they’re wearing tension in their shoulders like it’s the new fashion. They’re looking between each other with blinks that speak in a code only they can understand.

I jump when Gavin puts his heavy hand on my shoulder, stuttering like a fool when he asks me how my night went. I exhale in relief when Jaxen pushes the door to the roof open, and I don’t have to answer Gavin because I have to cross the threshold to take my place in line.

“Today, we’re going to address the results of your assessments yesterday, or more frankly… your weak points,” the general says. His voice carries out on the wind. I don’t know why he brought us back up here, but I’m grateful for the fresh air. It helps keep my eyes from drifting shut.

He paces the length in front of us, his presence alone demanding every bit of our attention. It’s hard not to look at him—not to wonder what he knows about us that we don’t. I know that each and every one of us feels the nerves of having their weaknesses spoken out loud. We all wonder who’s going to be his first target.

“You,” he says, stopping in front of Gavin, who was whispering something to Cassie.

Gavin stands back in his place, the smile on his face dimming a little. “Me?” he asks, pointing to his chest.

“You’re the go-to, aren’t you? The man with the plan? The one everyone turns to, correct?”

Gavin smiles confidently, the same smile he always wears. “What can I say? I know how to deliver,” he says surely.

Modesty isn’t his strong point.