CHAPTER TEN

Wendy

In the tunnel, Alec paces back and forth, his fist pressed to his mouth. I can nearly feel the energy crackling off him.

"I don't know whether to trust him or not," he says.

Sighing, I take a seat on a barrel. "What does that even matter? Like it or not, he's all we have."

He shakes his head. "He's freaked out. Afraid of something or someone."

"Yeah." Using the toe of my shoe, I draw a line in the packed earth. "He didn't seem to be scared of the Silver Hunters, though. It's something else."

"And I doubt he'll tell us what."

"If he'd just tell us, we could move on."

"I don't think he wants to move on," Alec says. "I get the sense he's been underground for a long time. I might actually be worried about him. If he doesn't rejoin the world soon, I think he might go crazy."

I nod, agreeing with him. "There's something about him that's just ... off."

"What do you mean?"

I wrinkle my nose. "He's not a bad guy, but he's been closed up in that cave for so long."

"You mean he's not bad, but he's a little strange?" Alec asks.

I laugh—he's so quick. "You're right. He's strange."

"Very strange." Alec laughs too.

I start to reply, but something in the tunnel catches my eye. It’s hard to believe it, but it’s a half-goat, half-man. A faun!

He walks down the tunnel, carrying a lantern in one hand. Seeing me watching, he frowns at me.

Embarrassed to be caught staring, I look away. Alec has noticed the exchange, and he gives me an encouraging smile.

“Is this what your whole life has been like?” I ask. “Magic everywhere?”

He shakes his head. “No. I grew up in a mostly normal home. Normal parents. Only child.”

“Just like me.”

“Yeah.” His eyes soften, and my insides turn to mush.

“Your parents must be worried about you,” I say.

He looks down, and I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about them. Maybe it’s too hard.

"What else did Igor say?" I ask. "What was that about the coin being hidden?"

He takes a deep breath. "The coin is hidden in plain sight and only visible in the dark."

"So, we just need to go out at night and look." I scoot to the edge of the barrel, aware that I'm making the whole mission sound simpler than it is.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" I ask. "Do we need a boat to get to the islands? Or maybe a helicopter?" I grin, hoping to lighten the mood.

Alec scoffs. "You sound like you're joking, but I can't think of a better way to get there than to ride in a helicopter."

"Let me just call my contacts and see if I can set something up." For the first time in what feels like forever, I laugh.

Alec smiles back at me, and it's like I'm walking on air. With just one look, he turns everything around.

But then the moment is over as swiftly as it began.

"Let's tell him we're going," Alec decides. "Seriously, though, how will we even get to the first island?"

"We'll figure that step out when we get there." I jump off the barrel. "Same as we have with everything else. One step at a time."

"We'll need money." He rubs his hairline.

I think of my phone and wallet, sitting who knows where. "I don't know my account or card numbers, but if I can sign into mobile banking or call the bank then maybe I can get a—"

"No." He shakes his head. "We don't know if they can trace our stuff. We don't know who the Silver Hunters really are, what they can do."

He's right. "Darn," I mutter.

"We'll figure it out," he assures me.

I nod, trying to believe him. "What's the plan?" I ask.

"I think we should tell him," Alec says. "He might know a safe place for us to stay."

"I guess that makes sense. Who knows, maybe he'll have a helicopter too."

He chuckles, and it might be the best sound I've heard in my whole life.

"Hey." His hand finds mine, and it's hard to breathe. My heart flutters into my throat. "I'm sorry about ... everything. You've been through a lot in a short period of time, and—"

"It's okay."

His gaze pierces mine. "It's not."

He's right, of course, but right now, I can't agree with him. If I did, that would mean letting down my defenses. Admitting that everything I've gone through—from my dad's death to the hazing at school to the Silver Hunters' attack—has beaten me down to an impossible point.

Right now, I'm in survival mode, running on adrenaline and the need to help our school. If I come out of that, if I let myself fully feel everything, I'm not sure I would be able to go on.

My throat burns with checked emotion, and I force a smile. "This sucks for you, too, though."

"True ..." he admits. "But I'm used to it."

What does that mean?

It occurs to me that I know next to nothing about him. All the information I have is that he's a vampire and he dated Heather.

Aside from that, I have this insane attraction to him that sometimes feels otherwordly and is way more than I can unpack myself.

He gazes into my eyes, and it's like when we were in the clock tower, and I was so sure he would kiss me. My breathing picks up, and I can't help but lean closer to him.

The moment spins out until it's too much to take. I want to kiss him. I want to pull him close and feel his warm skin against mine. I want to disappear in each other for just a little while and forget about the nightmare we've been walking through.

But he doesn't want that, does he? Or else he would have already made a move. Instead, this is the third time we've sat close together like this, our breaths intermingling, nothing else happening but me going slowly crazy.

"Wendy." He lets go of my hand, and I feel lost. "I—"

“Hey.” I wave him off. “I’m okay. I’m pretty tough.”

He hesitates, like he wants to say something else, but then nods and wraps his arms around me.

He’s warm, and the sensation is like sinking into a hot bath.

I feel his hands on my back, his lips graze my forehead, and for a moment, I feel like I'm home.

I'm here, with Alec, and everything is going to be okay.

It's perfect, and I don't want it to end. Not ever.

But it does, and it's over before I even realize it.

He pulls away, and the moment that never even belonged to me is over.

Worried he can read the disappointment on my face, I head for Igor's front door. "Let's go talk to him."

Before he can answer, I push the door back open to Igor's tiny house. He's still sitting in his chair, bent over, his hands laced in front of him.

"We're gonna do it." I fold my arms. "We're going to Nova Scotia. Also, thank you for telling us about the islands. We really appreciate this, Igor. More than we could ever show you."

"Yes, thank you." Alec comes up behind me, and my skin dances at his close proximity. "I'd also like to ask a favor of you. Do you know anywhere we can sleep for the night?"

His question takes me by surprise, and I almost want to laugh at myself. In all the excitement of finding Dyad Marketplace and Igor, I completely forgot about sleep.

That must be why my head is pounding, and it’s hard to even lift my legs.

"You are welcome to be my guests and stay here," Igor says, sweeping his hand at the dirt floor. "I can roll out a mat for you."

"Um ..." I glance at Alec, and I can see he's also hesitating.

Igor's place is cramped and musty. Then again, we're underground. Every room down here is probably that way.

And it's not like we know anyone else. Igor is the only person we've met down here. Plus, even if there is a hotel of some sorts, it's not like we could afford it. Alec has a bit of cash left, but aside from that, we're broke.

"We would really appreciate it," I say. "Thank you."

He nods and shuffles to one of his bookcases. Pulling out a map, he unrolls it on his table. "You can start in Lockeport. There is a man there who can provide a small boat for you."

A lump forms in my throat. I don't know the first thing about driving a boat, and I'm not sure about Alec's experience either.

I guess we'll have to figure it out. Just like we've been doing.

"I'll mark it here." He points to the map. "Now, I want you to be careful. The Silver Hunters are everywhere."

Something in my chest tightens at his words. I didn't expect to see Silver Hunters along the way.

Does this mean that they've always been around in society, standing behind me in the grocery store or sitting next to me in traffic?

Of course. They're people too. They probably have jobs and families. Or bankers who can track my card activity.

And then they moonlight as killers.

Bile rises up my chest, and I fight the urge to be sick. I nod. "We will."

"Good. Now, go to the bay and I'll have someone give you a boat. There are some islands close to there that you can start with."

"Who is giving us a boat?" Alec's brow furrows.

“His name is Chuck." At this, he pulls out a scrap of paper from the top drawer of his bureau.

"Chuck," I say, the name rolling off my tongue.

"Go to him, and he will help you." Igor hands me the paper. "This is his address."

"And how do we know we can trust him?" Alec asks.

"He's a friend of mine. He won't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Alec pushes.

"I know him well enough to trust him."

Alec squints, clearly unsure. "That's not much of a reason."

"It's reason enough." Igor's face wrinkles more. "I trust him with my life."

I want to jab Alec in the side with my elbow. I get that he's being cautious, but if we're too cautious then we'll never take action.

"Okay," I say. "We'll do it. Thank you for all of this."

"You'll need supplies." Igor is back to shuffling around the room, stuffing canned food and a loaf of bread into a ratty backpack.

When he hands the bag to me, I touch his arm and look him in the eye. "Thank you."

His lips fold, and he nods. "I should have opened the door to you right away. I shouldn't have ..." He shakes his head and looks away. "You are both brave. You're doing something most people never would."

My inhale makes my chest ache. "What's the other option? Give up?"

"Many people do."

Igor's eyes focus on me again, and I see the pain in them. "I did."

His words are like a punch to the gut. I don't know why, but they nearly send me backwards. The amount of regret seeping from him is shocking.

"But you're not anymore," I tell him. "You're here now. You're helping us."

He rolls up the map and hands it to me.

"You're not coming with us?" I ask.

He shakes his head, his jowls jiggling. "No. My place is here."

Alec catches my eye, and I can nearly hear his thoughts. Yep, Igor hasn't left the underground in quite a while.

"Rest tonight." Igor drags a ratty mattress out from under his bed. "It will take you all day tomorrow to get to the first island. And after that ... who knows?"

"Thank you." Alec gestures at the mattress, which doesn't look much better than the one that homeless man had at the warehouse.

But it's a bed. And it's safe.

And I've never been more exhausted in my life.

Taking the blanket and pillows Igor tosses my way, I take a seat on the edge of it. Igor extinguishes the lights without any announcement, and we're left in pitch black.

There are footsteps right next to me. "I can stay on the floor," Alec mumbles.

I shake my head, then remember he can't see it. "Of course not. There's room for both of us."

"We can do head to feet." He feels around, his hands bumping into me before he gets into position with his head at the opposite end of the mattress.

One benefit of the dark is that he can't see the blush filling my face.

I don't have long to feel awkward, though. The second my head hits the pillow, I'm out. The last thing I hear is Igor's voice cutting through the black.

"Be careful out there," he says. "And be careful with the coin too. It can be dangerous in the wrong hands."

He pauses, then adds, "And don't forget to come back and tell me how it all works out."