His eyes look as wild as his tousled hair, and it’s such a beautiful thing.
“Where can I find you when this is over?” he asks, brushing a hand across my cheek.
“Your house,” I decide, earning one of his glorious smiles.
“That will be the best homecoming ever.”
He steals one last kiss, leaving a sweet taste in my mouth before he steps away and joins Solana.
His eyes never leave mine as Solana tangles Raiden’s wind around them, sealing them inside the bubble without another word.
There’s nothing more to say.
One way or another, this ends tonight.
All I can do is hope and wait.
CHAPTER 49
VANE
So far I haven’t thrown up.
Or peed my pants.
Which is pretty awesome, considering this ruined wind is flying us way faster and bumpier than any wind should be allowed to move.
“You okay?” I ask Solana as we hit an especially hurl-worthy patch of turbulence.
She nods, and I realize she’s been awfully quiet since we left.
I guess we’ve both been quiet—though I’ve let out a bunch of yelps and squeals during some of the scarier dives. But I wonder if it’s still a little awkward for her, since, y’know, she did just have to watch me rebond with Audra. . . .
Actually, no, she’s probably trying to prepare for the upcoming battle, and I seriously need to get over myself.
I close my eyes and try to copy Solana’s focus, but it’s hard to concentrate around the steady tugging in my chest.
I’d forgotten how strong the pull of a healthy bond feels, like part of me is tethered to Audra, stretching thinner with each mile I put between us.
There’s a steady pain that comes with it, but it’s strangely comforting. It tells me she’s safe. And that she’s slowly drawing me back to her.
“By the way,” I say, hoping this is an okay thing to tell Solana. “Thank you for giving back your link.”
“Yeah, well . . . I figured you two might never get together otherwise. Honestly, for two stubborn, willful people, you both can be super insecure and wishy-washy.”
I have to laugh at that, glad things finally feel more normal between us.
She even adds, “You guys really are good together.”
I should probably stick with “thanks.” But for some reason I add, “You’ll find the same thing someday.”
God—why not just tell her Someday your prince will come?
I’m all set to apologize, but Solana laughs it off.
“Let’s worry about my love life after we survive tonight, okay?”
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
The whole, flying into Raiden’s Trap of Inevitable Doom thing.
“Any idea what we’re in for?” I ask.
“I thought your new motto was ‘screw planning.’?”
“Hey, just because I don’t want to try to out-control a control freak doesn’t mean I don’t think we should brace ourselves.”
“Well, in that case, I think it’s going to start slow. I think Raiden has something he wants to say to us before he does anything violent.”
“He is a bragger. . . .”
“Right, but I think it’ll be more than that. He went to a lot of effort to bring us somewhere personal to him. I’m assuming that means he’s going to tell us why we’re there. What I can’t figure out is, why us? And why now? If he’s really planning to kill us afterward, what’s the point?”
It’s a good question, actually.
Villains in movies tend to “monologue” a lot—but that’s usually just the screenwriter stalling things so the hero has enough time to make their dramatic escape.
Raiden’s way too smart for that.
Then again, it’d be awesome if he does it. Especially since our whole plan is: Stay alive long enough for the wind to tell us how to end him.
“Are you going to be okay?” Solana whispers, breaking my train of thought. “I mean . . . there’s no way this isn’t going to be violent. . . .”
“I’m ready to do whatever I have to do in order to finish this.”
I wish my mouth weren’t so dry as I say the words.
I try to focus on Gus—stay angry—remind myself of all the evil things Raiden has done. But really, it all comes down to one thing: “I’m trusting the wind. I know we keep saying that, but it’s all I have. Either my heritage will save me—or . . . it’ll break me. Either way, it’ll be up to the sky.”
A long silence follows, until Solana asks, “It feels like we’re flying lower, doesn’t it?”
“I think so. But it’s hard to tell when I can’t see the ground.”
There’s a moon out there somewhere, but it must be blocked out by clouds. And I can hear thunder rolling in the distance.
It was a dark and stormy night . . .
I can’t remember what book that comes from—but I really hope it doesn’t end with and then they all died.
“Do you think—”
My question morphs into a yowl as our draft drops so fast and hard that I feel the need to shout, “You don’t think he’s going to splatter us like bugs, do you?”