“What? Why?” I ask.
She shrugs and gives me a sad smile.
“Because like I said, guys are assholes. He decided it would be safer for me to not be associated with him anymore, and that was that.”
“Wait. You’re a goddess. Surely you could have held your own in a fight,” I say.
“Sails, I was more powerful than the two of them put together. But you know what guys are like. Women are there to be protected, not to be strong and all that jazz.”
I shake my head.
“I guess I thought this world would be different.”
“It’s not.” Grace laughs.
“So what happened?”
“When the war was over and he came back for me, I told him to just keep walking.”
I reach out and high-five her. I hope I’m strong enough to do the same with Rye if he comes crawling back, but I already know I won’t be. He would only have to say the word and I’d be all over that.
Nice phrase, Sailor. Classy.
I’m starting to feel tipsy. I glance at my beer. I feel like I’ve drank a load of it, yet it’s barely gone down. Grace sees me peering at the bottle and she laughs.
“It’s never-ending,” she says.
“Huh?”
“It won’t run out. While you keep drinking, it’ll keep filling up.”
“Oh that’s dangerous. Good but dangerous.” I laugh.
“I’ll drink to that,” Grace says with a twinkle in her eye.
We clink our bottles and grin.
***
Today has been the kind of day I just want to write off. It started with a banging headache and a mouth like sawdust this morning. Bottomless beer is not a good idea. Well it is at the time, but it really isn’t the day after.
I spent half an hour before school Facebook stalking Felicity Lake and I learned two things. One, her dad is my dad’s boss, which can’t be good. And two, she’s even more gorgeous than I thought.
I’ve seen her around a few times today, and every time I’ve seen her, she’s been fawning over Rye, watching him with drool practically running down her face. On the plus side, Rye has acted like she barely exists, so it’s not all bad, I guess. He hasn’t exactly been warm and welcoming with me either, but at least he’s not making out with Felicity in front of me and rubbing my face in it.
I’ve reaffirmed my vow. I’m done with guys and I’m going to focus solely on the mission. Saving humanity is more important than Rye. No matter how cute he’s looking.
A sharp elbow in my ribs pulls me out of my head.
“Ow,” I say, rubbing the sore spot and giving Aziza, who dug me in the ribs, a dirty look.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her apology clearly fake, “did us talking about how to keep you alive interrupt your day dreaming?”
Okay, from now I’ll focus on the mission. Definitely this time.
“I wasn’t day dreaming. I was thinking,” I say.
“Oh, please do enlighten us with your wisdom, Paradox,” Aziza says mockingly.
Right. You asked for it, bitch. I stand up and look around at the team.
“We can sit here all night debating scenarios and coming up with plan A’s, plan B’s, plan Z’s. But none of it matters, because if we’re being honest, no one has any idea what we’re facing. I say we stop wasting time and just get on with it.”
Aziza’s face falls and I know she wasn’t expecting that. Rye gets to his feet.
“Sailor is right. Let’s go. Grace?”
Grace gives me a subtle thumbs-up and gets to her feet. She makes a portal and one at a time, we step through it. Rye holds back until there is only me and him left.
“Don’t put yourself in any unnecessary danger and do exactly as I tell you to do,” he says.
I roll my eyes and step through the portal without replying. He doesn’t get to blow off my training and ignore me all day and then still get to play hero when it suits him.
“Freeze,” Jinx hisses as I step out of the portal.
I’m not in the mood for taking orders from him any more than I am from Rye, but the urgency in his voice registers and I follow his order. I find myself between Jinx and Sunday. A low growl in front of me pulls my attention that way. I move only my eyeballs.
I can see at least four…somethings…slinking low in the shadows of the bus station. The things are dog like, but much bigger than the average dog. Bigger even than I imagine a wolf to be. They’re pitch black, their fur blending in with the darkness around them, but their eyes glow yellow and their drool-covered teeth stand out as they snarl. They don’t come any closer to us, but I can see the door behind them, and I know we have to get past them somehow.
“What the hell are those things?” I hiss, my lips not moving.
“Krop,” Sunday says. “Hellhounds crossed with Speed Demons. They move faster than the speed of light. If we try to run, we’re dead. If we so much as move, we’re dead.”
Well that’s reassuring. We’re going to die before we even get the dagger. I knew this day was only going to get worse.
“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Jinx hisses from my other side.
I never expected Jinx to be the voice of reason, but if he has a way to get past these things in one piece, then I’m all ears.
“We can kill them,” he adds.
“How?” I say.
“Watch and learn, little girl,” he replies.
I don’t have long to be offended by his comment. Rye hisses at him from behind me, commanding him not to do anything stupid, but he’s Jinx and it seems stupid is his middle name.
“Hey, uglies, over here,” he shouts loudly, waving his hands at the Krops.
Every head turns in his direction and the Krops leap for him. He springs forward, standing in front of me, and brings his
