Page 40

Chapter thirty-eight

Forest

F allan reaches towards me, stuffing a small piece of fabric down into my pocket. I run my fingers along the cloth, feeling how the mask folds beneath my touch. He had pulled it free from his jacket only a few moments after we had left his apartment. He pulls the hood of my sweatshirt up and points to the mask.

“It's best if you cover up,” he says sternly. I can tell he’s forcing as much distance between us as possible and going back to the way we used to talk to each other is the first step in that direction.

I drag the mask over my ears, letting it cover the bottom portion of my face. He adjusts the material above my nose, keeping his hands resting along the sides of my face before dropping them back to his sides.

“Your face will be plastered on every Official's communication device,” he finishes, looking down the rickety staircase. “Once we leave this building, I never want to see you here again.” A pit forms in my stomach at the idea of staying away after all that’s happened.

“Hey,” he says, pulling me away from my rapid thoughts. “It will be okay,” he finishes, gently touching my chin.

I nod to make sure he knows I’ve heard him before following him down the staircase.

My head is spinning at the symphony of contradictions that make up Fallan. One moment, his words were sharp as ice, and the next, they were tender and kind. He is unpredictable, and being around his different moods was like being caught in a dance of extremes that left you unsure of your footing.

It's a dynamic that is driving me mad.

Kaiden

I watch Hunter work the dough with gentle precision, kneading and folding it with care. His grandmother had asked him to make the dough for tomorrow’s batch of pastries, exhausting most of her energy making the turnovers earlier today. She seemed happy to let me try one... or three.

He works with a love for the craft, smiling occasionally with a gentle curve of his mouth.

“You can help if you want,” he says after a few moments. My body jolts upright from its seated position next to him at the back counter. I glance at the dough, rolling up my sleeves, careful not to touch anything.

“I- I have no idea how to work with food,” I admit with embarrassment.

I’ve never had to prepare any of my own meals. Everything’s been prepackaged and delivered to my house for as long as I can remember.

“Take these.”

His hands fumble to hand me a pair of gloves, watching me as I gently try to slip my hand into them. The material stretches smoothly over the tips of my fingers, but I struggle to get it completely over my large hands. My brow furrows as I focus, trying not to tear them as I work. I hear Hunter laugh softly; his hand covers his mouth as I turn to him to see what’s so funny.

“Here, let me help,” he starts. My hands continue to fight with the gloves. He works the material down my fingers, easing the gloves on in seconds. I expect him to drop his hands, feeling surprised once he guides them closer to the dough.

“You have to knead it carefully. You don’t want to overwork it,” he says, pushing my palms down into the center of his pastry mix. It's warm beneath my touch.

He stands close to my side, my heart rate picking up at the presence of someone so close to me. He watches me work, never letting up on my hands as they continue moving. I notice how much smaller his hands are to mine while we work together.

“Eventually, it becomes more pliable,” he continues, cutting and weighting a section of the dough. He pulls it aside, forming the rectangular shape with ease. “Now you try,” he says, handing me the scraper. I do my best to mimic his actions, eyeing the uneven cut with a frown. Typically, everything I do comes so quickly to me.

“It looks-”

“Awful,” I finish for him, ready to throw it back into the pile.

He lands his hand atop my own again, making me pause before completely throwing out my work.

“I was going to say it looks like you genuinely tried.” A smile creeps along my mouth at his statement.

“I don't… I don't normally get to do things like this,” I say, watching him create a perfect shape from my disorderly lump.

“Why is that?” he questions, pausing his work to pull up a nearby chair.

“My life revolves around school and preparing for my future. I feel like all I do is study.” My hands rest on the counter, folding together anxiously. “And now, it feels like what I was working towards doesn't even matter. What's a Judgment Day if I can no longer stand by my people's ideologies?” I question. I know he can see the regret painted on my face, the shame I feel on full display.

“It wasn't your fault. You were raised to believe my people were scum-”

“And I was wrong,” I say, turning to face him.

“How could they stand there and try to tell me people like you and your grandmother were beneath us?” I question, once more feeling comforted as he looks at me with a tender smile on his face.

“It’s refreshing to know that you don’t hate us,” Hunter says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It was a pretty weak way of thinking,” I mutter, pressing my head to my hands.

I hear his laugh again, lifting my head to meet his gaze.

“What?” I question, feeling my cheeks grow red with embarrassment.

“It's nothing,” he starts, pulling off his glove before reaching his hand out. I go rigid as his hand passes over my cheek, wiping away a trail of flour that I must have accidentally left behind when I touched my face a few moments ago. It’s no doubt coating the rest of my face as well. “You have a bit of pastry on you too,” Hunter says, his fingers swiping at the sticky residue. His fingers are gentle as he runs them along my cheek to work to clean me up. I don’t move, surprised by my reaction to his touch.

Nervousness bubbles in my stomach.

“Hunter!” Valerie's voice shouts from the front, his hand yanking away. He gets up from the stool, noticing how close our knees are. He gives me a wide-eyed look, motioning me to be quiet so as not to alert Valerie that I’m here.

“Are you back there?” I hear the familiar voice of the redhead that my sister almost pummeled earlier. Aaron must be back from wherever he went after helping Hunter with the cart full of baking supplies.

“I-I’m a bit busy, just wait out there,” Hunter says, pacing back and forth.

As I get to my feet, my elbow knocks the scraper to the floor, and it clatters loudly. I curse at myself for being so clumsy.

“If you need help, just ask,” a hand passes over the curtain which separates the kitchen from the front of the store, and my eyes lock with the blonde who was always following Fallan around at school like a lost dog. Her eyes go feral with rage. My throat goes dry in an instant.

“Let me explain,” Hunter begins, stepping in front of the woman to block her from charging at me, only to be pulled back by Aaron. Hunter curses at him, my heart dropping once her hand reaches my front.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Valerie whispers, yanking me past the curtain and tossing me to the floor.

Forest

The bakery is lively with motion, bodies moving back and forth behind the pastel curtains. Fallan and I keep our distance, both hands tucked deep in our pockets. We stand side by side in front of the building, listening to the commotion from inside the small shop. I hear my brother yell, not giving Fallan a chance to try and stop me, as my hand meets the handle of the front door.

I force myself inside, pausing at the sight of Valerie on top of Kai. She sits atop his back, shoving Hunter back each time he tries to pry her off of my brother. She holds Kai in a chokehold. His hand slams against the floor in a struggle to get away from the girl and all of her fury.

Fallan quickly comes in behind me, giving the pair a wide-eyed look, moving directly to Valerie. I watch his hands grab her waist as she relaxes into the touch. Pulling her up and away from my brother, she pauses her brutal assault. Kai grasps his throat, taking Hunter’s hand to pull himself up. Valerie lunges for Kai again, stopping once she takes notice of my searing gaze.

“You crazy bitch,” Kai says, struggling against Hunter’s firm grasp as he tries to get to Valerie.

“I should call you crazy for being in my sector, you Untouchable scum,” she spits, leaning her back into Fallan, expecting his embrace. He keeps his hands on her lower back, urging her away. My chest is heavy as a wave of jealousy overcomes me. At this point I’m ready to squash her like the pest she is, wondering how much she’d squirm if I put her in the same hold as she’d had my brother in.

“We could drag her out of here by her hair,” it says silently, my mouth curling into a smile.

“Easy, Little Dove,” Fallan says, my eyes shooting to him.

Can he hear that other part of me, too?

“And who the fuck are you?” Valerie questions, only looking back at Fallan in annoyance when he nudges her away from him.

I lower my mask, watching her cocky grin drop at the sight of me.

“No fucking way,” Aaron’s familiar voice says, his red locks are visible from a mile away. He stands behind the counter next to Jolie, cramming his mouth with pastries. “The Untouchable girl,” he says, solidifying any suspicions Jolie might have had about our true identity.

“I can't believe this,” Valerie says, pointing her finger at Hunter. “You’re harboring their kind now?” she questions with disdain in her voice.

“This is my shop,” Jolie says, wiping the top of the glass counter. “If you must blame someone, then blame me,” she says, defending us for reasons beyond my understanding.

Valerie eyes Kai, ready to move toward him again but Fallan’s hand grabs her shoulder, stopping her from taking another step.

“Stop causing problems,” Fallan hisses, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Since when did you start caring about them?” Valerie says.

She watches me like a feral animal, ready to pounce on me at any moment. Hunter grabs my brother's shirt as he breaks away from Hunter, stopping him from grabbing the blonde and slamming her into the counter.

“Is it true? Are the two of you Untouchables?” Jolie questions, looking to me for some explanation.

I tap my foot, unsure how answering this question will benefit anyone.

“Can’t you tell? Look at the way they hold themselves like they’re better than us,” Fallan says hatefully, his nostrils flaring as he pursed his lips tightly together. I opened my mouth to let him have it but immediately felt a wave of calming reassurance surge down our connection.

How can one man be so confusing?

“She came back here to make sure you weren’t dead. Consider yourself lucky she even did that much,” Kai snaps, ready to take down everyone in his path.

“Why would you do something as foolish as that?” Jolie questions, her face filled with disbelief as she waits for me to answer.

Whatever connection drives me closer to Fallan makes it impossible to stay away. But I can’t tell her that.

“I have a few theories,” Aaron says, clearing his throat while adjusting the collar of his shirt.

I glance in the window again, seeing both it and my normal reflection. I’m startled to find the trail of love bites working up and down my neck. They peek out from the neckline of the hoodie as evidence of what being around Fallan leads to.

“Getting around, are we?” Aaron pushes, taking a step toward me. His hand reaches out to grab the front of my hoodie, ready to expose me to everyone in the shop.

Fallan’s hand slams down on Aaron’s arm, forcing it against the glass case. Valerie watches the two men, rolling her eyes at the sight.

“If I didn’t know any better, Markswood,” Aaron starts, smiling ear to ear. “I’d say you’re probably to blame for those hickeys I can clearly see on our new friend here,” Aaron says. Fallan’s mouth is curled into a scowl.

“I’ve heard enough from all of you!” Jolie says impatiently, moving away from the counter and shoving past us. I watch her move her grandson, urging him closer to me while whispering in his ear. He wastes no time pulling out the borrowed Cure-All, spraying a few layers along my neck while ignoring his friends' hateful stares. Kai takes the opportunity to move over to me, colliding shoulders with Valerie in the process.

“All of those Official assholes from your sector have been sniffing around here all day looking for the two of you,” Valerie says, cocking her head at the both of us.

“What do you guess the punishment is for sneaking into our sector and getting cozy with an Unfortunate?” Aaron begins, watching Valerie’s smile drop at the insinuation anything happened between Fallan and me.

“I would never let someone like him near me,” I finally say, feeling nauseous as the lie slips through my teeth.

“Glad we can agree on something,” Fallan says, allowing Valerie to settle into him under his arm.

My hands clench tightly at the sight of them together.

“You two being here is not safe for anyone,” Fallan says, moving away from her and closer to me and my brother. Hunter acts as a barrier between us, unaware of how little I want him to do that right now. “Better run off to find your Official, Little Dove,” Fallan seethes, the knife in my chest twists at the idea that he would purposely push me into Xavier’s arms.

“Gladly,” I say, moving past Hunter and getting right in his face. Once again, we find ourselves inches apart, threatening to burn each other if we move any closer.

“The sooner you are out of my life, the better,” I spit, wanting to feel his hands touch me once more.

He keeps his stern expression, mirroring my agitated body language.

“You know what they say about Untouchable women. Nothing in their heads, a hot temper, but great in bed,” Aaron says sarcastically. Fallan’s anger flashes down our connection at me.

“Aaron,” Fallan hisses. “Watch it.”

Kai scoffs at the man, dragging me back toward him. I don’t put up a fight, leaning into my brother’s protective arms. Hunter hits Fallan in the shoulder, clearly wanting to grill the man on his sudden attitude change. I give Fallan a long stare before drawing in a deep breath.

“I think it's time for you both to leave,” Jolie says, crossing her frail arms across her chest.

“I don’t want to see either of your faces here again,” Fallan whispers, lowering his eyes at the both of us.

I’m ready to hurl back an insult, feeling my words form in my mind. My brother’s words catch me off guard, his eyes only on Hunter.

“Things aren’t the same anymore. Even if we don’t come back here, you can’t avoid us forever,” Kai mutters, dragging his attention to Valerie.

I set my gaze on her, feeling nothing disgust.

“Lay your hands on my brother again, and I will paint the floor with you,” I say, unable to hold my tongue. She looks put off, Fallan holding her back from getting any closer to me.

“I think she’s good for you, cuz. She matches your level of crazy,” Aaron says with a smile, looking at Valerie with glee.

“Better get going, dove,” Valerie mutters, mocking the nickname Fallan gave me.

I draw my hood up over my head, watching my brother copy my movement. We eye the group, our hands clasping together in solidarity. I turn away from their curious eyes, dreading the thought of how alone we’ll be when we make it back to our sector. Everything will be different now, and I’m terrified of what that means for us.

“Does my heart still beat?” Fallan questions down the bond, his voice low and solemn.

I nod, not needing to say anything else.

“ Then you will never be alone.”