Page 20 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)

Thirteen

Hours later, the sun’s set and Titus, Ensley, and I sit in one of the two shabby rooms munching on lukewarm pizza in relative silence.

I tried calling Talon three different times, but I got sent to voicemail every time.

As much as I try to reassure myself that there’s a perfectly good explanation for why they are taking so long, I’m still nervous.

What if after everything, Imogen convinces Talon to ditch us? There’s no way to get to the human world without his help. I’d never see Becks again.

“We should have asked to hold the book for collateral,” Ensley says as she drops her half-eaten slice on the napkin she was using as a plate. She eyes the slice with scorn, but it’s not the pizza she’s upset with. “At least we thought to grab our bags,” she grumbles.

“They’re going to be back soon,” I say with confidence I don’t feel.

“Locklyn’s right,” Titus says as he peers out the window through the curtains. “They just pulled up.”

I’m up and crossing the room in an instant. By the time I swing open the door, Imogen and Talon are already out of the Valkyrie. They’ve moved to the rear hatch to unload whatever they have in the back of the SUV. I jog over to them just as Imogen hefts a couple filled backpacks over her shoulder.

“You’re back,” I say unnecessarily.

Imogen rolls her eyes. “Wow. Nothing gets by you.”

I clench my fist, wanting nothing more than to punch the snark out of her. “What took you so long?”

“What, you missed us?” she asks with a laugh, and then shoves a backpack at me. “Here, bring this inside.”

I sling it over one shoulder. It’s heavy. “What’s inside?”

Imogen pushes past me without answering and disappears into our motel room. I really don’t like her.

When I look back, Talon is reaching for something deep in the cargo area of the vehicle. His shirt rides up slightly, revealing a long, angry-looking cut on his side, where blood is slowly trickling down his skin.

Without thinking, I drop the bag and grab the edge of his shirt, hauling it up.

Two more slashes cross his ribs. Thin, jagged lines that look almost too evenly spaced to be random.

The wounds are red and inflamed, the edges raised and still bleeding in places.

They look like claw marks, or maybe the aftermath of barbed wire, messy, but with a strange kind of pattern. Definitely not from a blade.

My stomach knots. “Talon,” I whisper. “What did this to you?”

“Whoa,” he says, pulling away.

His T-shirt falls back into place, covering the wounds. I try to reach for his shirt again—I want to see how serious an injury it is—but he sidesteps me.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” he says, ducking his head to avoid my gaze. “We just ran into a little bit of trouble when we were collecting weapons. Nothing Imogen and I couldn’t handle.”

“Evidently,” I say with a raised brow.

He sighs. “Our old suppliers were already alerted by the Society to be on the lookout for us. We had to make sure they didn’t report back that they’d spotted us, or come morning the area would be swarming with Society members. Something we definitely want to avoid.”

I gape at Talon. “So you killed them?”

The corner of his mouth lifts. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or offended that you think I’m so bloodthirsty.”

“Definitely offended.”

His smirk kicks up a notch. “And yet I’m not.

But no, we didn’t kill them. Not that they wouldn’t have deserved it.

Underground arms dealers have plenty of blood on their hands.

But we did make sure they couldn’t reach the Arcane Society.

At least for the next day or so. We definitely need to find that gate tomorrow or move on to a different one. ”

“Where’s the next closest?”

Talon winces. “In the drylands.”

“The drylands? That’s the other side of the country. At least three days’ drive from here.”

He nods. “And that one is guarded, so we need to make tomorrow count.”

I sigh, the weight of the world settling on my shoulders. “About those cuts?—”

“They’re nothing.”

I narrow my eyes. “If they’re nothing, then why aren’t you healing?”

“I am, just not as quickly as usual. One of the dealers was a Komodo dragon shifter. Some of its venom got into me when he bit me.”

“Those are bite marks?” Taking a step forward, I reach for him again, wanting a better look at his injury, but he traps my wrist when I snag the bottom of his shirt, staying my movements.

When I go to pull my hand back, he doesn’t let go.

I glance up, and he’s watching me. We’re standing so close now I can see the shift in his eyes as his pupils expand, nearly eclipsing the stormy blue-gray.

“Locklyn,” he says, his voice dropping, the kind of tone that vibrates more than it sounds. The narrow space between us stretches tight with something electric. “Before we go through the gate, we need to talk.”

I lick my lips, suddenly hyperaware of every breath.

“Talk?” I echo, though I’m not sure if I’m asking a question or just stalling.

His gaze drops to my mouth and my stomach hollows. He slowly swipes his thumb over the wrist he’s still holding and my heart beats faster.

“There’s something I need to tell you about?—”

“Yo! What’s taking so long?” Imogen yells from the doorway of our motel room.

Talon’s grip loosens and I slip out of his grasp, feeling slightly breathless.

Turning my back, I scoop up the backpack Imogen gave me and flee like a coward, speed-walking back to the room without checking to make sure Talon is following. I dump the bag just inside the front door.

“You okay?” Ensley asks, giving me a funny look.

“Yeah. Of course. Why?”

“You look flushed.”

Talon enters the room at that exact moment, carrying a large black duffel bag.

“I’m not flushed,” I mumble. “It was just cold outside.”

Ensley shoots me a confused look. The swamplands are hot and muggy at the best of times, and sweltering during the others.

“I mean hot.”

I turn away from Talon and Ensley only to come face to face with Imogen. There’s a knowing smirk on her face that I choose to ignore as I sidestep her and take a seat at the small bistro table across the room.

“Did you get everything you needed?” Titus asks.

“We did,” Talon says, holding up his hand to reveal a bulky gold ring set with a black stone. “Most importantly, I got our ticket home.”

Titus eyes the ring with curiosity. “That’s the tamalite?”

Talon nods. “Yeah. Sorry it took so long. Took a little extra convincing to get them to hand it over.”

“I tried calling a few times but you didn’t pick up,” I say, still a little salty about that.

Talon pulls on the back of his neck. “Right. I don’t actually have my phone anymore. I left it behind so that I couldn’t be tracked. Imogen did the same.”

“Oh.” I didn’t even think of that, but it makes perfect sense.

“What are in these?” Ensley asks as she bends down to look at one of the bags. “They’re only half filled.”

“We wanted to leave space to bring some clothes and personal items,” Talon explains.

“Granola bars, first-aid kit,” Ensley says, listing items as she digs through the pack.

“What’s that at the bottom?”

“A compact tent.”

“We’re going to be camping?” she asks, a note of surprise in her voice.

I grimace. I’ve only been camping once, with my dad when I was nine. He’s a nature lover, which is pretty typical for bear shifters. It’s basically in their blood. But I learned quickly that it is not in mine. Ensley enjoys glamping, but sleeping in a tent is a stretch for her too.

“We know our worlds influence each other,” Talon says. “I think it’s safe to assume they have some modern amenities. But we don’t know how safe it’s going to be for us in the general population. Best to be prepared.”

“But we brought our own bags,” Ensley says, pointing to her pink backpack in the corner.

Talon nods. “You can keep whatever personal items you need, but these are better suited for traveling light and staying mobile. Just transfer the essentials into the new ones.”

Ensley frowns, not looking pleased with her new backpack, but she goes over and starts sorting through her things to figure out what to bring and what to leave.

Bending over, Talon unzips the black duffel he brought in. I can’t see what’s inside. Titus’ eyes widen as he gets a good look. Leaning over, Ensley peeks in the duffel and her mouth drops open.

Titus lets out a low whistle and glances up at Talon. “Are we going to war?”

Talon responds with a grim look. “Take what you’re comfortable using.”

I get up from my seat and cross the room. Ensley and Titus are already bent over the duffel bag, rifling through the contents.

“Seriously, Talon?” Ensley says, holding up a spiked metal ball attached by a foot long chain to a small rod. “Who’s going to use this?”

“That would be mine,” Imogen says as she plucks the medieval looking weapon from Ensley’s hand.

I peek over Ensley’s shoulder and see a cache of various weapons. Some of them I recognize, like knives, daggers, and crossbows, but there are others I don’t. Titus grabs a pair of daggers and matching sheaths. He steps away from the bag, not bothering to get anything else.

After a few more minutes, Ensley throws her hands in the air. “I don’t know how to use any of these weapons. I’d probably do more harm to myself than someone else if I try to use any of it.”

Reaching over, Titus sifts through the weapons and pulls out a small dagger that’s safely tucked in a leather sheath and hands it to Ensley. “Here, at least take this. I know you can protect yourself with your powers, but we might not want to reveal ourselves when we are there by using them.”

She eyes it with uncertainty, but eventually puts it in her bag and steps back.

I bend over the duffel, gazing at the different options.