Flight (21 page)

“What’s up?”

“I have secrets too secret even to tell you.”

I’m on my way to the market when I’m finally graced by bumping into none other than Dodge, all suited up in business attire and looking like your average underground human. I try to veer past him but he stops himself in front of me on the sidewalk.

“What’s up, Madden?” he says. I look around but all I see are city dwellers bustling to their own destinations, dealing with their own lives. I can’t make a scene.

“I was just heading to the market. There’s this sale on banana berries and I want to make it before they’re all sold out, so I’ve got to, you know…” I stammer awkwardly, but he steps in front of me, blocking my way.

“I don’t think so, sweets. You and I have some unfinished business,” he whispers, his voice dark and foreboding.

“What kind of business?” I ask. He takes me by the arm and drags me into a nearby empty alley, pulling me far enough away from the public eye that no one could ever hear or see us. I don’t struggle. As soon as we’re shielded I grab his wrist and twist him around so his face is pushed against the cold concrete wall, his arm yanked behind his back.

“Now tell me, what the hell is this about?” I growl into his ear. He raises his other hand in the air in peace.

“I’m trying to help you,” he says into the wall.

I groan as I let him go. He twists around to face me, stretching his neck out side to side.

“At least you’ve still got it, huh? Now look, I know you don’t remember, but you and I used to be pretty palsy back in the day,” he says.

I glare at him questioningly. “What are you talking about?”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty in it. You don’t remember a thing. I’ll tell you neither does Asher, or Gabe, or Darcy, but all four of you were key players. The only conclusion that comes to mind is that the Corp did a little memory erasing and sent your fresh, blank minds back into society,” he says.

I run a hand through my hair, willing myself to dismiss him, but knowing that what he’s saying might, just might hold some truth.

“What is there to remember?” I ask.

A great old smirk flashes on his lips and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out two tiny little pills.

“Why would I tell you when I can show you? The memory erasion is implemented through Nano-machines placed in the bloodstream, much like what happened with your dearly departed brother. These little pills here will disable the machines, bringing your full memories back to light!” he says theatrically, laughing like a madman.

I raise my eyebrows sceptically. “And you want me to swallow those after the Dr. Frankenstein impression? Why are you helping me, anyway?”

He shoves the pills into my hand. “You’ll see,” he says.

I hold the tablets in my hand, staring at them in quiet contemplation. I quickly analyse the outcomes. One: the pills kill me and I drop dead right here. Two: They work and I get all the answers I’ve been seeking. Three: They work and I get too many answers, leaving me wanting to die. Decisions, decisions.

I shove the pills in my mouth and swallow them before I can change my mind. Almost immediately my vision begins to blur and a sea of emotions and visions clouds my mind.

Hunting in the dark, stalking my prey, crossbow in hand, the Harpy in front of me fading away into dust. Arguments with Tor, pressure from the Corp to produce a live Harpy body. Happiness in the tunnels, the smells of my mother’s cooking, David alive. David alive. A cloudy night, grappling with a Harpy and nearly outmatched. Familiar blue eyes and dark hair. Seeing him everywhere, every hunt, always outmatched. I trace him, follow him, try to figure him out. He finds me, those blue eyes, it’s Asher.

Asher clouds my thoughts, my motives. We meet in secret, always at night, balconies in the dead city, beaches by the sea, hidden wood cabins. Dodge is there, we’re friends, we laugh and joke and wrestle. We’re caught. David knows, he’s yelling, disappointed, outraged. I hit him and he trembles and fades away. Trials, I’m locked away behind thick iron bars, Asher tries to save me but the Hunters overpower him and capture him.

War is in the air, whispers of the Hunter and the Harpy Prince, wrong, wrong. Rumors of execution, treason. The eventual needle of all needles, the Nano-machines that hid it all away. Asher. Asher. Asher.

I’m in the clearing again, but this time it’s not hazy. Every detail’s in focus, from the whishing blades of grass to the bright full moon. David stands before me. He’s sick, his eyes clouded in darkness as he stares at me in disbelief.

“You can’t love him!” he shouts, “He’s a monster. A Harpy!” He paces back and forth, his blood boiling over. I feel like tearing my own hair out.

“David, would you listen to yourself? What has the Corp done to you? They’re not monsters. Not all of them.”

“Lies!” he screams, “the Harpy prince, Piper? You had to pick the inherent?”

“It’s not like that!” I shout in return, “Do you honestly think we choose who we love? I didn’t choose this, nor do I regret it. We can live in harmony, David. I know we can.”

He lets out a sardonic chuckle, then turns and glares. “There can be no harmony. I can’t believe how selfish you are! He’s my enemy! Our enemy!” he grabs me by the wrists and no matter how hard I struggle, I can’t break free. We wrestle and spit at each other until I gain enough leverage to kick him squarely in the chest. On impact he sputters as blood drips from his lips.

“Oh shit! David, I’m sorry,” I babble as he drops to the ground. His skin begins to corrode, his face cracking up like a broken mirror.

“Don’t trust them, Piper,” he says. The last expression on his face is one of almost relief as his body crumbles away into ashes on the wind.

I come to, gasping, my vision focusing back to the real world. I’m back in the empty alleyway with Dodge. Even though I’m soaked through with sweat I collapse into him, sobbing into his chest. It’s all back, but even still it’s finely covered in a thin veil. My memories.

“Oh God, it all happened before,” I cry into Dodge’s shirt as he rubs my back softly.

“I thought you ought to know, sweets. It’s not fair to keep all that from you,” he whispers. I sniffle lightly and step back, rubbing the remaining tears from my eyes. Then I vomit heavily onto the floor.

“Shit. Does Ash know?” I ask, feeling terrible for anyone who has to walk into this mess. Dodge nods.

“I gave him his dose just before I came to see you,” he says. So Ash knows. I need to see him.

“Where is he?”

Dodge hands me a small, golden key.

“My private penthouse room, 1305. He’s there waiting for you,” he says. I wrap my arms around him again, hugging him fiercely.

“Thank you,” I whisper before jetting back out into the streets.

I run, ignoring the stares from the sidewalks and exclamations at my Hunter speed. I need to get to him, now. All this time here and I didn’t even know the truth, that Asher was the one. He was my mysterious lover, the end to my endings. In one instant my feelings have erupted from a fluttering infatuation to something much stronger, something real. The memories are overwhelming, but in every single one he’s there, holding me, loving me, flying with me.

I rush up the Corp stairs, all the way up to the thirteenth floor and hastily find 1305. Fumbling with the little key Dodge had given me, I hear the lock click, and Asher swings the door open. For a moment, we just look at each other, my head trying to absorb every facet of him, of all the features I used to have memorized and have now memorized again.

“Get your ass over here, Piper Madden,” he finally says gruffly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into the room. I hold him tightly, inhaling him, and nothing has ever felt better than this moment, like a veil’s been lifted, and we’re the only ones left in the world.

“It was always you,” I whisper over and over as he rocks me back and forth.

“Shhh,” he says into my ear, “it’s going to be okay. We’re here now.”

The funny thing is, it feels like I’ve been two different people. Since the incident it’s like I’ve been walking in a dream, like they not only erased parts of my memory, but parts of my personality as well. Now it just feels like I’m back home after a really long vacation.

“I’ve missed you, Sparrow,” I say into Asher’s chest, citing my old nickname for him. He chuckles and pulls my face up to look at him.

“And I thought I’d heard the last of that one,” he says before tilting his head down and kissing me softly.

I run my hands through his hair and he moans gently, pressing back with ferocity and pushing me against the wall. I let my hands wander his body, finding all the nooks and crannies I used to know so well, tracing the lining of his scar, running them up his rippled chest. He turns his kisses to my neck and collarbone and I inhale sharply, slowly unbuttoning his dress shirt.

With a rough growl his lifts me and lowers me onto the bed underneath him, his shaggy hair hanging down from his face as he positions himself over top of me. I rip off his shirt as he slowly kisses all the way down my collarbone, heat rising in my cheeks as he unbuttons my shirt and kisses his way down my stomach. I can feel him quivering, his skin starting to crawl and his breathing getting heavier, and I know he’s about to change. I grab his head and press his face into mine, kissing him deeply as his skin tears and his shiny, ebony wings force themselves out. Even though I know it’s painful for him, when his wings come out he’s just so beautiful, like a fallen angel. He pulls back and looks me in the eyes, his hand gently caressing my face.

“I love you,” he whispers breathlessly.

“Asher, I love you more than I could ever say,” I reply. Softly he begins kissing my neck again, my back arches with how good it feels, and then the door to the room slams open.

“What in Harpy hell is going on here?” a voice sounds loudly. I gasp, scrambling to find my shirt and cover my indecency when I see who the figure is. The ominous silhouette isn’t hard to make out; it’s Gabriel, and his eyes are already turning a tumultuous shade of black.

Asher leaps from the bed and tackles his brother, wings deftly folding into his back.

“What the hell is your problem?” he growls, fighting to keep Gabe on the floor and free from changing. I hurriedly button my shirt back up and reach into my boot for my hidden dagger—just in case.

“You’re my problem, Asher! Fucking a Hunter? And not just any Hunter but David Madden’s fucking sister? What the hell is the matter with you?” Gabe growls, fighting his way out of Asher’s grasp and wrapping an arm around his neck.

“Gabriel, you just need to relax,” I call out. He turns to glare at me.

“You don’t even have the right to speak! How can he even look at you? You’ve killed our friends and family!” he roars. His eyes widen as his pupils dilate larger and larger. He’s going to change if Asher doesn’t do something. Right on cue, Ash twists his brother around and throws him face down on the floor, using his foot to keep him down.

“Gabriel, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on. There were casualties on both sides,” he says calmly, “now I’ll let you go if you calm down and agree to talk.”

Gabe spits on the floor vehemently. “You’re a disgrace to all Harpies, Asher. Ehvelar doesn’t need a weak Emperor distracted by his
feelings
. They need someone who can lead them against the Corporation and rightly claim our freedom. I’m done being controlled by a government who thinks we’re second class citizens. First I just have to kill you and your little bitch over there and then I’ll be Emperor,” he says maniacally. He heaves greatly and his wings burst out, ripping apart his shirt and throwing Asher off balance. I jump at my chance and leap on top of Gabe before he can whirl around, winding up and jamming my hunting dagger into his flesh through his back.