Della serves me eggs over easy and two strips of a yellow fruit that tastes like apples, and I gobble it down before sheepishly asking for seconds.
As she prepares another plate for me, Juniper enters the kitchen, wearing a black jumpsuit and chunky boots. Her hair has been washed and appears fresh and curly. She looks much better than she did when they had her in the ring, though her left eye is swollen and bruised, and her upper lip is stitched. She has a steel cup in her hand, her other wrapped in bandages, but blood is seeping through them. They’ll need to be changed soon.
“It’s quite early to be drinking, Juniper,” Della says, cutting her eyes at her as she cracks an egg.
“It helps me think.” Juniper sits on the stool next to mine. “Can I have breakfast too?”
Della nods, fetching more eggs from the fridge. With a sigh, Juniper lifts the rim of the cup to her lips and takes a long sip.
“What is it that you’re always drinking?” I ask.
“Blue tonic,” she answers. “They call it that because it eases a bad case of the blues.” She winks, and I can’t help smiling. I study Della’s back as she works on the eggs, then side-eye Juniper again.
“Listen…I know about…the teacher thing.” I glance at Juniper, who freezes.
“Who told you?”
“It sorta came up in conversation when we were on the way to get you and Killian from those fighting caves.”
“Hmm.” She sips, avoiding my eyes.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Juniper.”
“Don’t be,” she says, waving a dismissive hand. “It’s over. Happened so many years ago.”
I clamp my mouth shut and plant my elbows on the counter. Through my periphery, I see her take a bigger gulp of the drink, and I sigh for her.
I can’t imagine what it must be like being a woman living in this world—given no respect whatsoever. It’s a mid-century approach, this place. The women are only looked at for sex and meals. Fortunately, Caz and his crew don’t seem to be that way entirely, but encountering men who are is infuriating.
Della brings our food, setting it on the counter in front of us, then tells us she has to go to the garden for more fruit. She wipes her hands on her apron before leaving, and when it’s just Juniper and me, I smile at her. She returns a half-smile, then sets her cup down.
“Thought she’d never leave,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I huff a laugh, cutting into one of my eggs. “Do you not like Della?”
“Oh, I love Della. I fancy her very much, actually. She can just be a bit…overbearing.”
“She seems very motherly.”
“Hmm. Yeah. She was a mother once. A good one, I hear.”
I stop chewing. “What do you mean was?”
Juniper bites into her fruit. “Her son was killed by Rippies.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah, it was horrific. He was only fifteen at the time, walking home from a friend’s house. We assume he took a trail home because they found his body near there. The Rippies had carved an upside-down U on his forehead and two bullets were found in his chest. That’s how we knew it was them. The U represents the hills where they’re from.”
“That’s awful.” And suddenly I don’t have the stomach to eat.
“It was very tragic, but surprisingly Della didn’t cry. Not right away, anyway. She came to Caz’s door and asked him to find the people responsible. Caz found them and he put them on a stake for her in the village, lit the stakes on fire, and let her and all of Blackwater watch them burn. It was all anyone could talk about for weeks.”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. Why would I not be serious?” Juniper looks at me as if she’s insulted by my question.
“I’m sorry—I just mean…well, I didn’t know Caz had that much power to do something like that for the whole town to see. Aren’t there police or authorities in Blackwater?”
“Caz is the authority here,” she says, laughing. “As well as Killian and Rowan. Sure, there are coppers around, but they work for Caz. He pays them and tells them what to do, so they can’t stop him. He rules all of Blackwater. It was handed over to him after his father died.”
“Wow. That’s a big role to take on.”
“It’s actually quite calm here until someone steps out of line.”
“So, is there anyone above Caz who can tell him what and what not to do?”
“There’s The Council, but they hardly tell him what to do. They’re just a group of high-grade Mythics who oversee Vakeeli and make sure there is more peace than chaos, I suppose.” She rolls her eyes. “In my opinion, they’re doing a shitty job. Just a group of bored, superior people.”
“Wow. Everything is so different here compared to where I’m from. There are no people with gifts on Earth.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asks. “Maybe they just hide it.”
I press my lips. That’s a possibility.
“What’s it like where you’re from anyway?” she asks, turning toward me.
“Well, there are different countries, which I suppose is similar to how every territory in Vakeeli is different. But there is more…freedom, I suppose. And way less violence. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there is still violence where I’m from, it’s just not so open like it is here. People do unspeakable things to one another there, and most times they’re not punished for it. Justice is hardly ever served. And just like there is hate for darkies here, it’s the same in my world, only we call it racism.”
“Wow. That sounds pretty shitty.”
“It is. There are police. They’re like public servants, there to protect the people…but there are some who are corrupt and do the opposite. And the food is not like the food here. Most of it is…well, most of it is unhealthier, actually.” I laugh. “But, man, would I love a cheeseburger right now.”
“A cheese-what-er?” Juniper asks, gawking.
I laugh again. “It’s like a sandwich with a quarter pound of meat. It would be easier to show you than to explain.”
She shrugs and faces forward again, using a fork to cut into her eggs. I take another bite of mine, and Juniper giggles.
“What are you laughing about?” I ask, smiling.
“Just…you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” She sits up higher on her stool. “Caz fancies you. I’ve never seen anything like it from him.”
I look her in the eyes briefly before lowering my gaze. My mind instantly goes back to that kiss, and my heart thumps in my chest.
“He wants me gone.”
“Never in my life have I seen him carry a woman—let alone bring her into his house. Never. If there’s one thing he hates more than someone touching him, it’s touching someone else.”
“That doesn’t mean he likes me. I think he just feels obligated to take care of me because we’re Tethered.”
“Ah, yeah. That thing. Mum told me all about it. Still, it’s true. He hates being touched.” Juniper stretches her arms above her head, then winces and clutches her ribcage, a reminder of her pain. “That woman from the fight cracked my rib good. That bitch.”
“I don’t understand why they were making you and Killian fight.”
“Because the Rippies are pieces of shit,” she growls, and she cuts her eyes at me before sighing. “It’s what they do when they catch people from Blackwater out of their territory. It’s their way of degrading us before they…kill us.”
“They were going to kill you and Killian?” I gasp.
“Of course they were. Right after they’d gotten what they wanted, which was rubies and gold from our fights. Rami figured with two people from Caz’s clan gone, Caz would struggle to get us back and wouldn’t enter Ripple Hills unless he had an army. This would’ve started a war, and Caz’s goal is to not have them because he hates them. Rami would do that though. He’d push Caz to his limit, try to break him so that Caz will start one. And if Caz started it and killed a shit ton of Rippies—which he’s done in the past—Rami would run to The Council and cry over the damage, then Caz would pay for it with his rubies. It was all a numbers game to Rami. He was a terrible monarch who didn’t care how many Rippies actually died as long as he got paid. He was a bloody idiot. Always underestimating Caz.”
“Yeah. They asked Caz for rubies in exchange for you and Killian.”
Juniper scoffs. “Sure, they wanted rubies, but that’s not all they wanted. Their plan was to lure him there, in hopes that they could string him up and get him in the cage to fight too. I heard them talking about it. They were going to make him fight, make as much profit as possible, then set us free, just so Caz could come back with an army and start a war. But that’s the last thing Caz will ever do again—fight.” She shudders as if remembering something. “I’m surprised he even went to the ring to help us.”
“What do you mean? He had to save you.”
She pins her eyes on me, then shakes her head. “Never mind.” I want her to elaborate, but someone clears their throat.
“Are we ready?” Caz’s voice floats through the kitchen. When I look back, he’s standing by the window, his leather-clad fingers crossed in front of him, as if he’s been there for quite some time now. He’s put on a black trench coat and the same black cap from the first day I met him is pulled over his brows, creating a shadow over his eyes.
“Sure.” I climb off the stool, carrying my plate to the sink.
“So, you’re leaving Vakeeli for good?” Juniper questions.
“I hope so.” I feel a thump in my chest, and Caz shifts on his feet.
“Well, it was nice getting to know you for the short time I did.” She smiles and climbs off her stool to hug me.
I hug her back, then turn to Caz who has cleared his throat again, clearly wanting us to end the farewells. I’m not family or a friend to him. I’m just a woman in his way.
“I have the chant here,” he says, holding a sheet of paper in the air. “Seeing as I can’t take you there, to the portal where you’ll return, Killian will guide you to the forest and send you off. I made sure this was a one-way chant. One that will send you home so that you can’t return to Blackwater, or any of the Vakeeli territories, for that matter.”
I walk to him, taking the paper and clutching it in my hand. My eyes don’t leave his. A one-way chant? Why?
“This way,” he says, leaving the kitchen and ignoring the telepathic question.
I follow him out, waving once more at Juniper who blows a kiss at me before I step around the corner. Caz pulls the front door open and leads the way out. The air is salty and cool, and the wind nips at my cheeks. The leaves of the trees sway with the breeze, and as I take a few more steps out, Silvera runs across the field to me.
I smile as I drop to one knee and rub her head. “You’ll look after her?” I ask, pointing my gaze to Caz.
“Yes.”
I look back down at her and sigh. “I wish I could get to know you more.”
She pants, sitting on her hind. I don’t expect her to understand, so I give her one more rub on her head, a scratch behind the ears, and then follow Caz down the rocky path leading to the forest.
Once he passes the gates, he stops and says, “This is as far as I go.”
Killian is ahead, leaning against the trunk of a tree, using a knife to slice into a piece of bumpy-looking fruit. He pushes off the tree and walks off, and I assume I’m meant to follow him, so I turn to Caz and say, “Thank you for…getting me a way back home.”
Caz steps back and nods, his hands clasping behind him. “Take care of yourself, Willow Woman.” He looks me over twice, gaze lingering, before his throat bobs and he turns away, focusing on his house instead.
It’s all I’ll get, and I won’t ever see him again. It’s like our kiss didn’t even happen. None of the time we spent together ever happened. It’s all a wrap, and I get to go home.
I don’t know why that thought pains me, but I accept his cold farewell and follow Killian into the forest. I fight every urge to look back, but something deep inside me begs me to turn back and go to him. I won’t go running, but I do look.
Before a line of trees can cut off my view of him, I peer over my shoulder, and Caz is standing in the same spot, only he’s not looking at the mansion anymore; he’s looking at me.
Before the trees officially cut us off, he drops his head and clenches his jaw, and the sharpness in my chest intensifies.
