Requesting permission to enter New York territory for the duration of forty-eight hours to escort a low-profile civilian.
Permission granted.
- Exchange of messages between the Arrows communication team and the WaterSky Eagles.
"Hi, Witch," Shane said, calling Hailey by the nickname she'd received from him when she'd tutored him in high school. "It's good to see you." He hugged her and smacked a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for coming." His distinctive raspy voice sounded more raw than usual.
They were standing in the hallway outside of Morgan's room, the typical scent of hospital lingering in the mint green colored space. Several staff members dressed in white garments walked past them as Shane leaned against the wall beside the door.
Taking in her friend, she saw he looked bad. His eyes were red and there were dark bruises underneath them, his skin ashen. The blue shirt Shane wore was crumpled, and there was dark stubble on his chin where he usually preferred a crisp, clean-shaven look. Hailey was relieved she had been able to come over this quickly
In less than two hours James had arranged everything for her, including another nauseating teleport to an extraction point in the city. He'd made sure his schedule was clear for the day as he accompanied her. They hadn't spoken much during their drive to the hospital, mainly because Hailey was still dazed by the fact that Morgan was in a coma-like state.
James had been gentle with her, an odd but welcome experience. He'd embraced her when they stood in front of the hospital. He hadn't said anything, but that was alright. He didn't have to. He was being there for her, there with her. Hailey was extremely grateful for his support, glad he understood her need to be with her friend right now as she focused her attention on said friend.
She smiled shakily at Shane as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm glad that I was able to come. I'm so sorry, Shane." A tremor ran through her voice. "Has there been any news about Morgan's progress?"
Shane shook his head, his fashionably styled jet-black hair falling across his forehead. "They don't know what's wrong, don't know how to help him." Hailey saw the light in his green eyes dim even farther, his voice a hoarse rasp. "I can't lose him, Hales. He's my baby brother."
Tears stung in Hailey's eyes as she embraced her best friend again. She knew the dark memories of his mother's sudden departure still haunted him. There were only so many hurts a person was able to endure, and Hailey was scared Morgan's current state could push Shane over the edge to closing his heart off for good. "The medics and Glen, they'll keep looking, right? Keep trying?"
Shane scraped his throat when she pulled away. "Yeah, but they haven't found anything yet." He frowned as his eyes focused behind her. "Did you have to bring a bodyguard?"
Hailey looked over her shoulder to James, who was standing in front of the wall across from them in order to give them privacy.
James was wearing a different outfit from his usual uniform; the black cargo pants were similar, but instead of his uniform jacket, he wore a black armor chest plate. He looked like he was ready to go into battle at any given moment. His posture was straight, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes were hard, distant. He was every inch the tall, vigilant, deadly soldier.
Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and Hailey could tell something was bothering him. "Something like that," she muttered as she looked at her friend again, mentally noting to check up on James later. "How have you been holding up?"
Shane's eyes were directed at the floor. "Barely slept." He rubbed his hands over his face and pushed back his hair, the dark strands absorbing the light from the bright white lamps in the corridor's ceiling. "I feel so guilty for writing Morgan's complaints off. I thought he was staying up a little too late, you know, hanging around with friends."
Dark green eyes met hers, red streaks in the white of his eyes. "We were just discussing which pizza we wanted to order for dinner. All of a sudden, he collapsed and had a seizure. I commed the emergency number while I rushed him to the hospital–no fucking way I was going to sit on my ass and wait for an ambulance–and he had another seizure in the car. He hasn't woken since."
A beep sounded from the room and Shane's head whipped up. Hailey placed her hand on his arm. "You go inside, I'll get you something to eat."
She waited until Shane had entered the room before walking over to James.
What's wrong? she asked as she leaned her shoulder against the wall where he was standing, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The shimmer of energy radiating from his body was almost tangible, his shoulders stiff and his jaw set.
He didn't look at her when he answered. You extended him skin privileges.
Hailey bit back a surprised smile–even though James' telepathic voice was coated with enough ice to freeze her on the spot.
Skin privileges.
It was a changeling term. Hailey wondered how familiar James was with changelings and their behavioral patterns. If he was, it was clear he didn't understand the context of the touches Shane and she had exchanged.
Yes, she answered, I've known Shane half a lifetime. He's like a brother to me.
She lifted her hand in an automatic response to calm James, to comfort him with touch, but caught herself as she wondered if the contact might be undesired from his end right now.
When James shot her a hard look–from which she could gather he very clearly noticed her hesitation–she winced.
The touch, the interest, it isn't romantic, Hailey explained. Just the thought of her and Shane interacting like that made her want to snort in negative. Eww. No, that was never the kind of relationship she'd had with her brother from another mother.
James kept on staring her down with that icy glare, as if he was one of the changeling alphas subduing his subordinates into submission.
Ha! Not in a million years!
Apparently, he was having a hard time with this, and therefore had decided to give her a hard time in return.
Determination pulsed through her system and she walked around the corner in the knowledge that he'd follow her, protect her, to a small alcove she'd spotted when they'd walked through this corridor on arrival. She wanted some privacy for the next bit.
Quickly jumping behind the wall of the alcove, she waited for James to appear before she pounced on him, pushing him against the wall with use of a little Tk. Of course, she didn't actually surprise him much. If he'd wanted to stop her, he could have done so ten times over. The fact that he let her gave Hailey hope.
When she cupped his face, he stared at her in an utterly unimpressed fashion, his gaze still distant and hard.
"Stop it," she whispered as she rose on tiptoe, bracing her hands on the hard surface of his armor, and brushed her lips across his jaw. Just in case it wasn't clear, I want you. It was a pointed growl.
She placed small kisses on the clean-shaven surface, as if she was attempting to soften the stiffly clenched bones underneath that smooth skin.
He didn't thaw.
So she bit him, sank her teeth in his neck, the rough caress meant to snap him out of his silence.
Still nothing, James' body distant in a way that was all too familiar. It felt like an iron brush rubbing against her senses, scraping them raw when he didn't respond to her needs. She didn't believe he was doing it on purpose; he was simply unable to deal with life in the normal world. However, that didn't make it hurt less.
Frustration spiking, Hailey arched back a little and studied James before coming up with a new course of action.
Brushing his hair off his forehead, she ran her fingers across his temple and cheek before cupping his chin. She needed to connect with him, see him in order to know if her plan was working.
Hailey opened herself up telepathically and sent James the images inside her mind. This is Shane and me.
Pictures of her and her friend appeared in front of her mind's eye, sitting on a wall in the park as they ate ice cream. She recalled the argument they'd had that day; it had been about a movie they'd seen.
They were laughing and nudging at each other's shoulders, her hand patting Shane's cheek as she smirked after she'd verbally destroyed his arguments about who'd been the hero in the movie.
James' jaw worked underneath her hand but she tightened her hold on him to snap him to attention.
This, she said with more than a little irritation in her telepathic voice, is you and me.
He wasn't blocking the contact, so Hailey channeled the images while also attempting to share the underlying emotions. It was a memory of a training session they'd had where she had to levitate the coins while he 'struck' her for every coin that fell.
James' big hand was wrapped around her throat, where he'd been able to place it after she had–once again–dropped her guard. All the levitating coins had fallen to the ground, his action making her focused Tk slip.
They stood within an arm's length from each other, not touching in any shape or form other than his hand , firm but gentle, around the column of her neck.
He released her but didn't step back as he spoke. It had been one of his infamous harsh comments, to which she'd responded with acerbic swiftness.
"Your Tk is coming in bursts rather than a constant flow. Change it."
"I don't think you'll be able to handle anything other than me coming in bursts."
The result of the interaction had them staring at each other, her cheeks full red as she'd caught the ambiguity of her impulsive reply. His gaze had glimmered with a ferociousness she now knew was pure, unadulterated hunger.
It had made her skin pebble in response, her pulse jerking and heat rushing through her body. His look alone had felt like he was stroking her in all the right places. Her lips had parted, her breath jagged and her mouth dry. She'd bitten her lower lip and had seen his eyes flick towards that spot before he'd turned around, ending the moment between them.
The intimacy hadn't been in touch. It had been in the cadence of their words, in the raw desire in their eyes, in the magnetic pull that caused the electrically charged air to crackle between them.
Touching, she said as she ran the fingers of her other hand from his clenched fist to his shoulder, is rarely a sexual act.
Keeping his gaze through the telepathic contact, she saw the storm of emotions blazing in azure. She released his chin and went to pet his chest but found herself unable to do so because of the armor he was wearing. She rested her fisted hand on the hard surface.
James still hadn't spoken a word, hadn't moved an inch.
Hailey sighed. "Alright." This wasn't the time or place to do this, and she needed to take care of her friend right now. "You go back to being cold and angry. I'm going to find a vending machine to get Shane something to eat." She tilted her head a little to the side. "The longer you make me wait, the more annoyed I'll get," she warned before she turned around.
James followed her back to the hallway of Morgan's room in silence and took his place across from the door again, his hands folded behind his back and his legs slightly spread.
She scowled.
Aggravating man.
No, her annoyance probably wasn't entirely fair, given the fact that James was hardly used to interacting on a different level from giving incident reports and ordering people what to do. But the fact that he wasn't even willing to respond to her efforts had her gritting her teeth to the point where her jaw started to strain.
Hailey walked over to the vending machine on the other end of the hallway and punched in the code for her bank account. She selected three energy bars and an orange, figuring Shane must probably be kind of hungry.
After taking the food out of the machine she walked back while forcing herself not to look at James. She wasn't some doe-eyed sucker that would fall to her knees and beg forgiveness for angering milord. Fuck that.
Stubbornly sticking out her chin, she placed her hand on the door handle of Morgan's room. When she went to open the door, Hailey saw James stir from the corner of her eye.
No. They have enough on their plate. Wait for me, please. There wasn't a chance in the world that she'd upset Shane by putting him in the same room as James right now. Unintentionally, James would make Shane feel uncomfortable while Shane was already in a dark place. She scowled at that thought as she stepped inside the room.
Painted the same mint green shade as the corridor, Morgan's room was filled with medical equipment. The bed stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by screens showing graphs and other data. Next to the bed stood two large chairs. Shane sat slumped down in the one closest to his brother.
Narrow tubes were connected to Morgan's arms, iv's which were probably supplying him with fluids in order to keep him alive. Two silver colored spheres stuck to his temples, a small blue light flicking on and off every few seconds.
Inhaling deeply, Hailey stared at the teenage boy lying in the bed. The dark tan of his complexion had turned pale, his cheekbones standing out razor sharp and deep, dark circles marked the skin underneath his eyes. Morgan's hair was the same jet-black as Shane's, but it looked dull and damaged.
When Hailey took Morgan's hand, she felt the fine bones of his fingers stand out. She could tell he'd lost a tremendous amount of weight. It was like some entity had literally and figuratively sucked all of the life out of this kind, gentle boy… and no one knew what to do to stop it.
A wave of sadness and worry flooded Hailey. She wasn't consciously aware of crying until Shane pulled her into his embrace.
"Don't cry, Hales. It'll be alright."
Hailey threw the energy bars and orange on the chair next to the bed and quickly wiped away her tears, feeling stupid for crying when Shane needed her to be strong. "I'm sorry. It's just…"
Shane let out a deep breath. "I know." He released her and sat down in his chair again, reaching over to the other chair to grab the food. He placed the items on a table next to Morgan's bed and unwrapped one of the energy bars.
"Are you going back home?" Hailey asked as she sat down, ready to offer to stay with Morgan for the night.
Shane owned a house just outside of Manhattan in Brooklyn Heights, near the docks. On a quiet day, Hailey estimated it would take him half an hour to drive to the hospital. On a busy day, it could take over an hour; too long if Shane quickly needed to come over.
"Nah, I can stay here," he said as he took a bite from the energy bar and looked over his shoulder. "I didn't even have to use your crib like last time," he grinned lazily, the light returning in his eyes.
Hailey followed his gaze to the back of the room where a duffel lay on top of a small couch, and she figured it could probably be pulled out to become a one-person bed.
She arched her eyebrow as she responded to Shane's comment. "There was confetti in my bed six weeks later. I haven't got the faintest clue where it kept coming from." She scowled at Shane's wide smile. "And what the hell was up with that life-size cut out of Lucas Hunter? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it standing in front of my window; I thought it was a burglar." Her tone was snippy, but Hailey was glad she was able to distract her friend a little, even if she was on the receiving end of his gloating.
Shane pulled a face. "Will brought that one along for Dani, but she was too drunk to take it home afterward, so I stored it at your place. Cardboard Lucas did visit some of the best bars that night. We even managed to decorate it with some glow sticks." Mischief in moss green eyes. "He got a kiss from several changeling ladies."
Hailey shook her head, remembering the ridiculous photo's she'd received while in London past autumn. "Your parties are insane. Never again in my apartment when I'm off to see my dad, that's for sure." Her eyes narrowed at Shane's smirk. "And if I ever meet Will," she added, referring to Shane's friend and colleague, "I'll make sure to scare the shit out of him with my Tk. That idiot used my best lipstick to write his comm code on my bathroom mirror."
Shane barked out a laugh. "He keeps trying to steal my phone to get your number after he saw the picture of us in my living room. You know," waggling eyebrows, "the one from our trip to Tirol."
Hailey grimaced at the reminder of their après ski adventure. Shane had tagged along two years ago when she'd visited her father for Christmas, and they'd taken a speedjet to Austria afterward to hit the slopes. Their hotel had hosted a neon-party they hadn't been able to resist. Shane had worn a flashy lime green mankini with tiny shorts, and she'd worn an equally flashy hot pink catsuit. With sweatbands, leg warmers and aviator sunglasses their looks had been complete, and they'd gone wild.
It had been an epic experience, just not one she particularly wanted to be reminded of on a daily basis. Of course Shane knew that, and he'd made sure to hang a digital frame in a prominent place of his living room containing–among others–a picture of them downing peach-flavored shots.
Jackass.
He gave her a knowing look. "I'm not sure even your scariest Wicked Witch act will work. Will's not the sort of guy that backs out once he's set his mind on something."
Hailey shot her friend a feral grin. "It's not an act." That made Shane laugh harder. She leaned back in her chair and shrugged, her eyes on Morgan. "I'm not interested in little boys trying to prove themselves." She already had a man that constantly required her wits to stay as sharp as a scalpel, and she liked the way they circled each other, liked the way they challenged and dared the other. It was refreshing and welcome to be with someone who had no problems clashing with her, without having to fear rejection. Hailey knew for certain one of the reasons why James was attracted to her was because she'd push when he pulled. He needed someone with a temper that matched his own, otherwise he'd stomp all over the other party. Good thing he had her.
Now use that scalpel-sharp brain of yours to make him thaw.
A small smile formed around Shane's lips. "Suit yourself. Will is a good guy."
Ah, but you don't want the good guy… you like the bad boy.
Stomach rolling at that thought, she tried distracting herself and asked, "Are you going to be alone the rest of the day?"
Shane shook his head. "Aiseline is coming over after work, Dani wanted to wring by tonight and dad will arrive tomorrow. He's still working on a case in Vancouver." Shane bit another piece off the energy bar. "He wanted to come over straight away, but I told him to finish his work before flying back. There isn't much he can do right now and his current client needs him badly."
Hailey nodded, understanding Shane's argument. Shane's father used to be a successful prosecutor, but a few years ago he decided to offer legal advice to humans who'd been subjected to telepathic intrusions and mind control. He was excellent at his job and was often asked to assist in cases worldwide.
When their father was out of town, Morgan stayed at Shane's place. The brothers got along very well and rarely fought, which made the living arrangement a good solution.
They sat in quiet for several minutes while Hailey tried to reach Morgan through the ShadowNet. She'd asked James to lower the shield during their stay in the city and he'd obliged. Unfortunately, her efforts to connect with Morgan didn't bear fruit. Shane explained he hadn't been able to telepathically reach Morgan either, and Hailey sensed the desperation rolling off him. She tried to distract him by reminiscing some memories of their holidays together, and managed to get a few smiles out of her friend.
When Hailey noticed it was turning dark outside, she hugged Shane goodbye and promised to contact him before leaving town.
She rolled the locked muscles of her shoulders as she left the room. Tipping up her head, she saw James still standing in the same spot. When he noticed her, he moved and walked out of the corridor towards a broad flight of stairs.
She took a deep breath. Round two.
She followed James down the stairs and nearly had to run through the crowded main hall to keep up with him. As he headed outside towards the parking lot, Hailey boosted her strides with a little Tk and grabbed his hand. She needed it, needed his touch to calm her, to comfort her.
He ignored her and walked towards the car. Hailey forcefully laced her fingers through his and held on. James stopped walking when they reached their vehicle, a matte black hover-capable car with tinted windows. It was a gorgeous sleek beast of machinery and must have cost more than everything she owned. It seemed the Arrows were doing good business, since James had told her it wasn't his car, but belonged to the Squad. Hailey's small purple city car looked like a fluffy kitten in comparison to this panther.
When James opened the passenger door with his free hand, Hailey said nothing. She didn't move, didn't release her hold on his hand and purposefully didn't look at James either. The burn of his gaze felt like flames licking over her skin, but she resisted the urge to jump him and kept her eyes straightforward.
They stood like that for long moments as people walked by, shooting James wary looks.
"What are you doing?"
Her lips twitched when his low voice filled the tense quiet between them, inciting a familiar shudder. She looked up at him, attempting to keep her face neutral. "Winning," was her prim response.
James' eyes sparked at her, and Hailey felt her irritation lessen a little. Ivy was right. He'd had a cruel life and there was no need for her to add to that. She was, however, allowed to push and banter until he opened up to her.
"Get in." It was a harsh order, James clearly not amused by her attempt to play with him to warm the cold shoulder he was giving her.
Hailey snorted at herself, the irony of the situation not lost on her.
Well, Hales… You wanted him to talk. Turns out you have to be careful what you wish for!
Putting duct tape over the mouth of the annoying voice in her mind, she batted her eyelashes at James."No." Her lips twitched at the flat glare he gave her. "I want a kiss first."
A familiar gleam appeared in his eyes, to which she responded immediately. "No, love. If you try to make me get into the car, people will panic and call Enforcement in a heartbeat." She gestured to the numerous people walking in and out of the hospital.
Even though it was almost dark, the parking lot and its surrounding areas were pretty busy. Aside from that, she noticed people were openly watching them by now, nervously glancing at James, the sense of danger he radiated a palpable force. The spectators looked with equal amounts of fear and fascination, like a child would at fire, tempted to touch the flame to see if it'd really burn. Hailey really hoped they wouldn't move, 'cause hell yeah, it would burn.
Wondering what James' next move would be, she kept quiet and waited for his response.
James had–once again–no idea how to deal with her. He was truly and utterly clueless, the contradiction of the situation–Hailey being angry with him but demanding affection nonetheless–adding to the confusing emotions rushing through his mind.
An image appeared in front of his mind's eye, where her so-called friend had embraced her and kissed her cheek. James had already had a large amount of time to think about his responses to Hailey, but when she'd walked out of the hospital room it hadn't changed his feelings.
He was jealous. Very much so.
Not only because the other male had put his hands on Hailey, but because of the easy, natural way Shane had done it.
Everything James was trying cost him tremendous effort, decades of Silence and torture scarring his instincts to openly show Hailey the affection she deserved. Hailey had never held that against him, but now that he'd seen a glimpse of what she was used to, he knew she needed more from him than what he was offering her.
He wanted to. Badly. But he was unsure if he could keep his Tk stable; it was already constantly viciously pushing and battering against the heavy layers of security he'd spent years building.
Hailey bit her lower lip and he saw the jade glow in her eyes dim. His heart jerked in his chest; the sight of her disappointment painful to him.
To hell with it.
He'd lived a secluded, strictly controlled life for decades, and what had it gotten him? Absolutely nothing. As Hailey had noticed when she'd seen his quarters, he had no personal belongings. He didn't have family ties. He had no knowledge of the concept of friendship. And James now understood that there was something incomplete, a void, inside of him. Beside his work for the Squad, he had nothing to fill the emptiness. He only had her.
James now realized that, even though the Squad leadership had switched, it hadn't changed how he viewed himself. Not until recently. He'd always been a useful asset in missions, someone to discard when he'd fulfilled his purpose. And even though Aden had issued places where retired Arrows could go, James always assumed that would be the case, that he'd be discarded like a malfunctioning datapad when he'd reached the limit of his usefulness.
What was he ever going to do with his life if he'd gotten to that point?
For the first time in his adult life, he was acting on his own impulses in an uncontrolled environment. It stood in sharp contrast to the past three decades. His entire life he'd been standing on the sidelines, watching over the lives of others while his own passed him by. Now that he'd tasted what living, truly living, could be like, returning to his former life would be a blank substitute, a cruel joke. Life without Hailey would be nothing more than a hollow shell.
No more.
He turned towards Hailey and wrapped his free hand around her throat. He could feel her swallowing, sense the rapid flutter of her pulse. James noticed several bystanders freeze but retained his focus on the unique being in front of him. Hailey unclasped their hands and cupped his face. And even though his hold on her was aggressive, the only thing James saw reflected in Hailey's eyes was longing.
Pushing her against the vehicle, he ignored the gasps he heard from behind him before lowering his head to take what was his. The kiss was demanding and hard–perhaps too hard–yet Hailey melted into him, her curvy body pressing against his while she tunneled her fingers through his hair. James could feel the tension in his body easing under her caresses, his need for her visceral.
She flexed her hands in his hair and nipped at his lip when his fingers tightened a fraction around her throat. "You'll scare them," she said after she'd pulled back, panting a little. There was laughter in her eyes as she caressed his cheek.
He released her throat and fisted her hair, gently tugging her head back a little. "But not you?" his voice sounded like gravel as he kept his Tk on a tight leash, the feel of Hailey under his hands enough to make his control slip.
Her eyes turned fully jade, a solemn expression on her face. "No." She traced the outline of his jaw. "I've told you before, you would never harm me." She gently pushed at his chest. "Let's go."
He tightened his hold on her hair. "Are you certain?" He had to make one thing very clear. "I can't be controlled."
The jade of her eyes glowed as she bared her teeth at him. "In the car. Right now."
James gave her the look that had made people whimper and beg during interrogations, but of course, Hailey didn't flinch.
He released her and turned her around with his Tk. She gave him a look over her shoulder before she sat down and slammed the car door shut.
Several bystanders nervously glanced down when James turned. He ignored them, walked around the vehicle and got in. After inputting the code of their destination, he manually drove out of the parking lot and watched several bystanders grab their phones.