A Touch Mortal

Chapter 49





Eden’s mind fluttered through the subway ride, up the stairs, guts writhing in agony. She’d never carried so much Touch.

She flashed back to the rave as her feet dragged across the asphalt, how she’d lost control in the crowd. She’d felt fine before that first brush of skin, and then everything had to spill out. Clutching her hands tighter into her pockets, she whimpered every time someone passed within reach. She repeated Az’s name, a hushed soundtrack to close the world out.

Her eyes wouldn’t stay down, scrambling across the bare flesh peeking out from behind scarves. Ungloved hands sent a shiver through her. Though it wasn’t yet six, the more popular parts of the city would be bustling. Luckily, Libby hadn’t sent her to Times Square or anything. The weaker her resistance to passing Touch got, the louder his name left her lips. The louder she was, the crazier she seemed to the few passersby. She must have looked more wrecked than she felt if New Yorkers were avoiding her.

Soon there was no one. The buildings were decrepit shells, windows and doors boarded shut. There weren’t addresses, but she knew she had to be getting close. Her pace slowed. Around her, the silence of dawn had settled in. The lack of noise sent her hackles up. It was never quiet, not even in these parts of the city.

The streets were clear. Eden peered warily down the spaces between the buildings, each one cluttered with windblown trash.

Against the rust of a fire escape ladder, a flash of white caught her eye. She took a last look around and stepped closer.

Scotch taped to the last rung, a row of feathers dangled by their quills. Each one had been chopped, sheared apart. The two largest, almost as long as her arm, had been sliced in half vertically. The tips were shorn off others, leaving the feather shaft a skeletal spine. She lifted her hand, cringing as they etched across her palm. From above came a scream.

I can’t do this, she thought, but her hands were already grasping the rung, her feet digging into the wall for purchase as she hoisted herself up.

The scream came again, louder. It was Az. She quickened her climb, the rusting metal flaking onto her fingers. When she reached the roof, she threw herself over the lip and onto the wrinkled tar paper.

Adam, Jarrod, and Luke were in a line thirty feet away, their eyes already on her. In front of them, Az was tied to a chair, shirtless, head bowed. His back was to her. Libby stood next to him, her hand hidden where he’d doubled over. A moan rose out of him before he fell silent again.

Eden stumbled forward, fists curled tight as she took him in. Whip marks gaped where they intersected, weeping down his pale skin. His mangled wings clung tight into the hollow that housed them, the scant traces of the feathers left broken and tattered.

“Stop,” Luke commanded. “She’s here.”

Libby pulled away. In her fist, the gardening shears reflected wetly in the first strains of sunrise.

Az’s shoulders strained, his head bobbing as he struggled to lift it.

“No,” he moaned. Luke made his way to the chair, rocked it onto its back legs, and turned Az to face her. She couldn’t stop her feet, couldn’t take her eyes from his broken face. Every step brought his wounds into sharper clarity. An eyebrow jutted in a broken line, the cut forcing the eye closed. A distorted patch of dark purple bruised from cheekbone to temple, yellow green at the edges where it had tried to heal. The marks from her own fingernails, where she’d slapped him, stood out unhealed.

“Az.” Her voice broke on the syllable, cracking in her throat. A single, desperate word slid through his split lips.

“Run.”

Never, she thought.

Libby lifted his head, giving Eden a better view. “She’s not going anywhere,” she said consolingly. “Eden’s here now. We can stop.”

For the first time Eden’s attention went to the others lined up behind the chair. Only two of them mattered. Jarrod had turned away, but Adam was staring back at her, his eyes full of fire.

“You came for him,” he said. A shadow crossed his face, a mixture of the hurt and pain he was trying to conceal. “It wasn’t just the eye trick, was it?” Eden felt no pity. Libby left Az’s side and threw an arm around Adam’s shoulders.

“You f*cking traitor,” Eden seethed.

“Me? I wasn’t making out with my ex behind your back! You…”

Libby plinked her finger against his nose. Adam turned to her in surprise.

“You,” she picked up, “have served your purpose. Spare us your little Emo speech.”

Libby gripped his collar. He was already off balance when she gave it a yank.

As Libby’s lips neared his, his eyes met Eden’s. She saw him take the breath in. Saw his brown irises flare, fall gray as he stumbled backward, his arms and legs dimming to spent ash. By the time he should have hit the ground, there was nothing left.

Jarrod took a step, faltered, his hand held out as if he could strain Adam out of the breeze. The ashes twirled, a blurred whirlwind.

“I warned you that you’d lose more of your friends, didn’t I?” Luke’s voice was tender. “If you’d only listened, none of this would have had to happen. Such a shame.” He brushed back Libby’s hair to kiss her cheek.

“You did so well,” he whispered in her ear. Libby blushed.

“Where’s Gabriel, Eden?” Luke asked, giving a chummy grin that made her skin crawl.

She kept her eyes down. “I came alone. I did what you said.”

“I thought you’d at least have some plan.” Luke almost seemed disappointed. “See, Eden, you and my girl have a talent in common. Both so cunning.” His face lit up with pride. “With you being so closely watched, I was concerned about Libby. Honestly, we planned on pulling her out of there much sooner. But she spoke so highly of you. Said you two were friends. You have to admire anyone who can crack that shell of yours, right? I mean, poor Adam there…” He pointed to his left, confusion on his face when the space proved empty. “Well, there…” he said, his finger twirling lazily through the air.

“Any who…Even Adam never really had a chance.” He strolled slowly toward Az. “Because of this one.” He ruffled Az’s soaked curls. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was sweat twisting his hair into tight spirals.

“Eden, go.” Az racked out a cough, a glob of pink phlegm hitting the ground at his feet.

“Aw. She would never leave you!” Luke said cheerily, giving Az’s jaw a rough squeeze. He spun to Eden, his features sharpened with the potential of untapped cruelty. “Would you, Eden?”

She froze.

Az coughed weakly. They all turned to him, though Eden was the only one who wore a look of concern. Luke waited for him to stop before he went on.

“I tracked the Siders Libby killed. The fact that I was able to track them should tell you enough, being as I only have access to one set of records.”

“Mine aren’t going Downstairs,” Eden said. The hard edge in her voice startled her, but she didn’t let it show.

“I assumed the Siders were going Downstairs because they were damned, pathless. But it’s dangerous, relying on assumptions. Almost a sin.” Luke took a step toward Eden. “Did you ever get around to asking your boy here about how you came to be?” The look on Eden’s face gave him the answer he needed.

Az shook his head, too tired to lift it or speak.

At his side, Libby’s hand twitched, ready and eager.

“Az won’t tell me what happened on the beach.” Luke held out his hands. “Perhaps you can enlighten us?” Luke’s head dipped in a subtle nod. “Libby, convince Eden to tell the truth.”

Eden went rigid as the blades flashed closer to Az. “You harm a single hair on his head and I swear…”

Libby ran her free hand through his dark curls, revulsion and terror swarming in Az’s eyes at her touch.

Libby squeezed the handles together as she yanked up a handful of hair. With a dull snip, the curls fell from Libby’s fingers, scattering. “It wasn’t even painful. You should just tell the truth, Eden. It’s only going to get worse for Az. Don’t make me hurt him.”

Luke ran a finger over the broken skin of a wing and Az winced. “If you’d feel more comfortable, Eden, you can always convince him to Fall. There’s room for both of you on my team.”

“No.” Eden kept her eyes on the shears in Libby’s hand, the tips grazing Az’s scalp. “You said it would be a fair trade. Let him go.”

“You haven’t convinced me of your loyalty yet, Eden,” Luke said sadly. “I just don’t feel like I can trust you.”

“What do you want from me?” She looked from him to Libby.

“I want you to answer my question, Eden,” Luke said. “You were with Az in the hotel. I watched you walk in. An hour later I found you on the beach, dead. What happened in between?”

“I don’t remember,” she insisted. She hesitated, shot a desperate glance at Az, and moved on to Jarrod. He met her gaze, his eyes intense. Lie, Jarrod mouthed. Eden froze.

“What was that?” Luke strode across the roof. He caught Jarrod by the throat. “What did you tell her?” he asked.

“Nothing!” Jarrod forced out.

“I don’t believe you,” Luke said.

Eden’s mind flashed back to the park and his pledge of loyalty. But what had he been doing with Adam? Spying? What was she supposed to lie about if she really couldn’t remember?

“Let them go, Luke!” The voice materialized behind Eden.

“Gabriel,” he said, adjusting his grip, twisting Jarrod against him as he spun toward the fire escape Gabe had climbed. “Finally!”

“You okay, sweetheart?” he asked Eden. She nodded, but kept her eyes on Libby.

“Your timing is perfect. Eden and I were just having a chat while we waited for you,” Luke said.

Waited? Eden thought.

Behind her, Eden heard a soft cry from Az. Fire in Gabe’s eyes.

“Libby, shears,” Luke yelled. She threw them high over Eden’s shoulder, and Luke snagged them from the air. “How did you die, Eden?” Luke asked. He shifted his grip on Jarrod, drawing the blade across his shirt. The fabric split with a gush of red. Jarrod screamed. “Tell us how you died.”

She saw Gabe flinch, her eyes darting between him and Luke. Eden shook her head. Luke yanked Jarrod’s hand, catching it between the blades, squeezing the handle to keep it there.

“Don’t! Please! Okay,” she croaked, tears filling her eyes, her hand held out. “Someone killed me.” She blinked, sending the tears coursing down her cheeks.

“And who do you think did it, Eden?”

She hesitated, shot a glance at Gabe before going back to Jarrod. Blood streamed from his hand.

“Answer, or I help myself to his fingers.” Jarrod’s eyes bulged in fear, found Eden.

Eden swallowed hard. “Az,” she moaned. “Az killed me.”

Gabe didn’t move. She waited for him to react, but his features stayed hard and drawn tight, only the sudden sadness of his eyes giving away that he’d heard at all.

“Eden, I’m feeling generous. Would you like to save your friend?” Luke smiled, his eyes cruel. She nodded dumbly. “Even if it means taking his place?”

“No!” Gabe shouted.

Eden’s stomach churned. She nodded, walking slowly toward Luke. With so much Touch, Luke could do his worst. It didn’t matter. She’d take the pain. Heal. She could free Jarrod.

Eden edged closer. Luke spun, tossing Jarrod aside and ripping her into his arms. She screamed at the sudden movement. The shears against her throat cut off the sound, the blades leaving shallow cuts as she trembled. Luke turned his attention to Gabe, tightened his arm around Eden. “She lets her friends suffer before she spills her secrets. How much will you make her suffer before you spill yours?”

Gabe’s foot crunched against the buckled tar as he took a step forward. “Az killed her, Luke. Is that all you need to hear?”

The words stung. Hearing Gabe say them was even worse, knowing there was no chance of them being untrue. She shook as the blade moved from her neck, up her cheek. The point stopped beside her eye. Eden froze.

“Luke, don’t.” Gabe sounded desperate.

“Gabriel!” Luke chided. “I don’t want to hear Az’s secrets.” He leaned his head against Eden’s. She gasped as the blade sunk into the skin beside her eye socket. “I want to hear yours.”

Eden tried to keep her head still, flicked her eyes to Gabe.

“I don’t have any.”

Luke tsked. “See, Gabriel, that’s the problem with lying. It’s a skill. Doing it well takes practice.” He twirled the tip of the shears closer to Eden’s eye, digging. She winced as the trickle of blood thickened, coursing over her cheek, dripping from her chin in double time. “Spill it, or I carve out her eyes.” Gabe hesitated, his eyes shifting from maroon to gold and back. “If you’d like,” Luke added, “I’ll save them for you in a jar.”

“No, you’ve had your fun. Let her go,” Gabe whispered, looking sick. He snapped his hand back, hooking the back of his shirt and yanking it off in a single motion. Eden gasped. A rush of feathers surrounded him as his wings expanded.