He'd discovered them on their Russian assignment, and that had enabled them to teach the other students at Rent-A-Kid how to tap into theirs. That was the assignment she and Luke had been talking about in her dream.
Doubt nagged her. Sure, it had only been a dream, but clearly her subconscious was trying to tell her something. "Do you think we're the right people for this mission, Luke?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you regret that we agreed to help IPI?"
He took so long to reply that Lucy had almost fallen asleep again when he finally answered. "No, but I do wonder if we could be doing more good somewhere else. Maybe if we were back at the mansion, helping those kids out, helping Sam and her baby. It's just... I feel like we're stuck here, like we can't move forward."
It had felt that way to Lucy, like something had pulled them to this magical valley and now wouldn't release them. Even her own mind betrayed her in moments of complacency. Every second they weren't looking for a way out was a second they didn't have.
"We will get out of here and find a way to complete our mission. Saving those kids in that facility is too important."
"Yeah, I just wonder if we're needed. IPI has a bunch of agents, and Hunter seems pretty capable. If there are any more like him, I'd say their odds against Rent-A-Kid are pretty good."
"Maybe." She thought about Hunter and wondered if there were others like him. Didn't matter. Lucy had to believe that what they were doing was important. She had to believe that her role mattered in all of this, otherwise it was all for naught. "All this talk has wiped me out. I'm sorry, Bro, but I'm crashing again."
Sleep stole her away before her brother could even reply.
The next time she woke up, she felt remarkably stronger, though still bruised and sore. Still, the improvement gave her the courage to try and stand. She needed to see Hunter. Something felt off about his recovery... and hers.
Every muscle protested as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Tears ran down her cheeks and her back felt like it was ripping open again, like a silk dress that was several sizes too small. No telltale trickle of blood dripped down her back, so she rocked onto her heels and into a sitting position. When the dizziness faded and her breathing returned to normal, she took the last challenge and pushed herself to stand. After a few more deep breaths, she was sure she wouldn't pass out. Well, mostly sure, as another wave of dizziness threatened to topple her over.
A long-sleeved, button-up, black IPI shirt had slipped from her body when she stood. She reached for it, wincing from the stretch, then pulled it against her bare chest and inhaled Hunter's scent. Woodsy and wild, the scent made her stomach flip-flop. She slipped the shirt carefully over her shoulders and buttoned most of the middle buttons, grabbed the sphere out of her backpack and slipped it into her pocket, then left her make-shift tent to search for the man who had saved her from her own recklessness.
All the tents were made from large green leaves layered over strong but flexible branches, which they'd braided together and secured to the ground. Luke and Hunter had conspired to place Lucy's tent in the center, presumably to keep her safer. She'd scoffed at their overprotective maleness, but deep down appreciated the gesture—though she'd never tell them that. Especially Luke.
She tiptoed into Hunter's tent and gasped when she saw him—pale and hollow, as if something were sucking the life from him. While she'd been healing at lightning speed, he'd clearly taken a turn for the worse. On auto-pilot, determined to be closer to him and get a better look at the damaged he'd sustained, she took another step, snapping a twig under her foot.
Hunter's bright green eyes peeked through thick lashes, and he smirked. "Hey."
"Hunter! You okay? You look like—"
"Shit? Yeah, I know. Don't get too close. I'm starting to smell like it too."
Lucy ignored that comment and knelt by his side. His body's warmth and scent wrapped around her like a familiar quilt. "Thank you for what you did."
"It was nothing. I'm just glad you're okay. You are, right? Okay?" He locked eyes with hers, then pulled away to scan her body.
Heat rushed to her face under his attentive gaze, but she knew he was just checking for injury. "I remember you carrying me back to camp. That must have been tricky, with my back shredded. Is that why you're so tired now? Because of carrying me?"
"Well, you were pretty heavy."
"Oh, thanks." No girl wants to feel fat in front of her man. Lucy rolled her own mental eyeballs at that whole sentence, but still couldn't deny it was true.