And yeah, the war between humans and aliens was now fought privately. Something I hadn’t known until tonight. I’d assumed we were living in harmony and at peace with our visitors. I shuddered. What a fool I’d been.
The car eased to a stop at a towering iron gate. Erik placed his left palm in the ID box. Blue light instantly glowed and scanned each of his fingers, lingering on his thumb.
Finally, a computerized voice said, “Welcome, Erik.”
The gate slowly creaked open. Obviously Erik had done this before and was a welcomed guest. My heart, however, pounded with uncertainty as the car inched up the long, winding drive.
“I just thought of something,” I said, straightening in my seat. Dread coursed though me. “Shanel and Silver.”
“Yes?”
“Will they be picked up by A.I.R.?” Just the thought caused bile to burn in my throat. And yeah, guilt. I hadn’t thought about her or worried about her as much as I should have.
Erik reached over and squeezed my hand. “Your friend is fine. Silver would have called me if they were being chased.”
“Unless he was incapacitated.”
“He’s not incapacitated. He sent those Morevvs for us, remember?”
That’s right, he had. I relaxed. Slightly. “Silver might be okay, but that doesn’t mean Shanel is. A.I.R. could have picked her up at home.”
We reached the front entrance of the house and the car stopped. Erik didn’t exit, but shifted in the seat and faced me. He studied me intently, silently. Then he said, “After you passed out at my place, I called Silver and told him to keep Shanel with him. She’s fine.”
Every muscle in my body slumped. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Erik manually exited. Around he raced and popped open my door, holding out a hand.
I had to use every ounce of my strength to stand. My knees wobbled and almost gave out, but he kept his arm around me and held me steady. Morning was fast approaching, painting the sky in a haze of pretty hues, and the air was hotter, wrapping me in a warm cocoon.
Safe, I though. Finally. That was all my body needed to prepare for sleep. My eyelids drooped heavily and exhaustion pounded through me. A thin fog wisped through my mind.
Obviously informed of our arrival, Silver opened the French double doors and pounded down the porch steps. His blue hair blew around his shoulders as his gaze took in our ragged, bloody appearances. “Glad to see you alive.”
Erik grinned. “Thanks for sending in the troops to get us out, man.”
“My pleasure,” Silver said. “I would have sent them sooner, but didn’t think to track you until later.”
The two guys slapped each other on the shoulders, jostling me. “Where’s your dad?” Erik asked.
“Hasn’t made it home yet.”
Erik motioned to me with a chin tilt. “Tell Camille her friend is okay.”
“She’s fine,” Silver said to me. “She’s inside and sleeping peacefully.”
Even though Erik had assured me that Shanel was fine, hearing it confirmed was like waving a magic wand of relief over me. “Thank you. Thank you so much for keeping her safe.”
Erik’s arm tightened around my waist as he ushered me inside the house. The smell of plants and dirt wafted to my nose. Not a bad smell, but a little strange. He didn’t say a word as he led me up the marble staircase, past alabaster vanities and colorful art. Past plush red rugs and crystal holoscreen TVs. There was even a chandelier with hundreds of lights that looked like dripping stars.
“Where are we going?” I asked. Were my words slurred? Even to myself I sounded far away, as if I stood in a tunnel. I wanted to see Shanel and tell her what had happened to her car.
“You’re going to bed. You’re barely able to stand.”
“But—”
“No buts. You can talk to Shanel in the morning. She’ll probably be pissed about the car, and I don’t want you to have to deal with that now. You’ve been through enough.”
I thought about arguing, then pressed my lips together. I’d reached my limit and we both knew it. “Okay.”
“I stay here a lot, so they keep a room ready for me.” He stopped at an azure metal door with a swirling design etched around the frame. “This is mine.”
After a quick hand scan, the door slid open. We stepped inside and I gasped. Colorful murals decorated the walls. My eyesight was too hazy to make out all the details, just a rainbow of shades. A large bed with black silk sheets consumed the center of the room. A small rock waterfall pressed against the far end, emitting a peaceful rush of smooth, dappled liquid.
A soft black fur rug—that was probably illegal to own—was draped over the floor. I didn’t know which animal species. Most animals were on an endangered list; quite a few had died during the war with the Outers.
“Wow,” I said.
“I know. I didn’t do the decorating, but it suits me.”
“Me, too.”
Erik kissed my temple. “There’s a shower to the right and clothes in the dresser. Use anything you want. I’ll be in the room next door if you need me. Shout, and I’ll come running.”
“Okay,” I said with a chuckle, gazing longingly at the bed. Sleep. How wonderful that sounded. Thirty minutes ago, I hadn’t thought I’d ever sleep in a bed again. I’d thought I’d be sleeping with corpses for all eternity.
“Don’t hesitate to call for me,” Erik said firmly. “I mean it.”
I nodded. Erik lingered, watching me with tenderness and concern in his eyes, but he finally left. I remained in place for a long while. Here I was in Silver’s house. Alive. With Erik seeing to my every need. Who would have thought I’d find myself in this position? Sure, people were chasing me. Sure, my parents would freak if they knew where I was. Sure, I’d almost died. That hardly seemed to matter at the moment.
With a sigh, I trudged forward. The bathroom was bigger than my entire bedroom at home, with a silver-veined marble floor and chrome faucets. In the back, beside the toilet, was a command box. I punched the button for the shower and a dry enzyme spray began shooting from several nozzles.
My limbs were shaky as I stripped and removed my bandage. The wound looked better than before, less red, less angry. Already scabbing. I stepped into the center of the shower, letting the spray cleanse me from inside out. The dirt and blood and sweat that had caked me dissolved instantly. Hmmm. A shower had never felt so delicious.