The Key to Starveldt (25 page)

‘You called me Ev,’ he said, with a rueful grin. ‘Only Jess does that.’

Solace smiled in turn. ‘Hey, you keep calling me Lacey.
Nobody
does that.’ And yet the fact that he did – that
only
he did – was enough to shiver her.

‘You both give good advice, too,’ Evan went on. ‘When I bother to ask for it. Or when I need it. Or when the Earth rotates around the sun.’

‘I’ll take that as a good thing.’

‘And I’ll take your advice.’ He closed his eyes. ‘Or at least, I’ll try to. I’m a lot of things, but brave isn’t one of them.’

‘How so? You fought Mikhail with me.’
You held me back from Glide
, she wanted to say, but the words stuck in her throat.

‘That was different. Besides, it’s not like I actually helped.’

‘What, and I was a force to be reckoned with? The point is that you stepped up.’

Evan rubbed a hand along his jaw. To Solace’s surprise, it was covered in a light stubble. Of course he must shave; she’d just never noticed before. ‘Maybe I did. But it was still different.’

‘How?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘You make it different.’

Solace stared at him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Evan blinked. ‘That you’re different. In a good way.’

‘Why, though?’

He waved a hand at the surrounding darkness. ‘Because if it wasn’t for you, I’d be getting drunk in the Gadfly right about now. So would the others. None of us would have any idea about Sanguisidera, or the Rookery, or Starveldt. None of us would ever leave Earth. And one day, we’d grow up. We’d get sick of living the way we do, rejoin the world or wander off, and that would be it. All this craziness right under our feet, and we only ever skimmed it. Maybe we’d be safer. But I don’t think we’d be happier, or better people. You’ve given us purpose.’ He laughed awkwardly. ‘Even though we still haven’t figured out what it is. But it’s more than most people get. More than I’d ever hoped for.’

He fell silent. Solace felt herself blush anew, uncertain how to react. She shifted under the blankets, and was struck by the startling realisation that she was talking to Evan, in bed, about relationships, while naked. It was a bit like juggling: she’d been fine while everything was in motion, but thinking about the mechanics of it had stalled the process. She struggled for something to say, but before she could get the words out, Evan caught up with what was bothering her, eyes widening as he belatedly noticed her exposed shoulders.

‘Not that it’s relevant, but are you naked under there?’

Solace felt panic rising in her stomach. ‘Is that a problem?’

‘No! No problem!’ Evan leapt up so quickly that he tripped on the edge of the doona, pulling enough of it with him that Solace’s calves were bared. She shrieked with embarrassment, leaning forward to cover herself at the same time Evan did. Their skulls collided with a painful
thwack
, causing Evan to fall sideways and Solace to reflexively clutch her head, dropping the doona she’d been holding to her chest.

‘Sorry!’ Evan yelped, grabbing the end of the bed to lever himself upright, ‘I didn’t –’

Evan stared, confronted by the sight of Solace’s naked torso. Solace made a strangled noise and tried to pull the doona back up, only to find that it wouldn’t reach: Evan had managed to pin too much of it at his end. Frantic, she covered her breasts with one arm while tugging at the covers, trying desperately to recover some semblance of dignity.

‘Evan, get up! You’re lying on it!’

He gawked at her. ‘What? Lying on what?’

‘
Move
!’

‘What’s going on?’

It was Jess’s voice.

The door opened. The lights flicked on, revealing Jess and Laine, looking sleepy and irritated. Solace froze in mid yank, watching with sick horror as Jess’s expression turned to one of delighted disbelief and Laine’s complexion grew ashen with shock. For a moment, no one so much as moved. Then Evan lurched up into the centre of the room, freeing the trapped doona. At the release of tension, Solace fell back with a rush of breath and smacked her head on the bedstead. Fighting the temptation to hide under the blankets, she settled for cover from the neck down.

Kill me.
Her embarrassment was absolute.
Dear sweet merciful universe, kill me now.

If the ninth circle of hell could be said to contain its own private ring of near-infinite demi-hells, then Evan was in the lowest and worst of these. As Jess clapped a hand to her mouth and smothered laughter, he closed his eyes and mentally apologised to Solace, hoping she’d understand why he remained silent. Talking wouldn’t do any good, and neither would their innocence: Laine had walked in on them, and her roiling mindscent betrayed her reaction. What was he supposed to do? Tell the truth?
Yeah, that’ll go down well.
Psychic or not, Laine was still human, and no matter what truth she’d read or failed to read in their thoughts, the scenario had still wounded her. Anything he said now would only make matters worse.
Just keep quiet. Don’t dig your own grave.

Behind him, he was aware of Solace vacillating between rage and humiliation. Selfishly, he hoped she settled on the latter, having no pressing desire to be beaten to a bloody pulp.
Although I probably deserve it.

‘A little privacy, please?’

Solace’s voice was cool, though he could hear the tremor beneath the words. Guilt flooded him, and then Laine caught his eye. Evan flinched at the betrayal in her face, both sad and angry, tasting it in her mindscent like the bitter dregs of cold coffee.

Yeah. I definitely deserve it.

‘Right! Well, um, as you were!’ Grinning maniacally, Jess grabbed Laine by the arm and pulled her out of the room, pausing only to hit the lights again on her way out. ‘Bye!’

The door closed in his face. Silence fell. Evan took a deep breath.

Behind him, Solace growled. ‘Give me one good reason not to break you like a piñata.’

Evan turned, thoughts whirling. Insolence warred with contrition. Insolence won. ‘Because I’m so damn handsome. Also, you’re still naked under there. You’d have to get up.’

From where she was tucked firmly beneath the doona, Solace withdrew a hand and pointed at him. ‘Dead man. You’re a dead man.’ She flicked a finger towards the door. ‘Get out.’

His stomach churned. ‘What, out there with the other crazy women? They’ll eat me alive!’

‘Do I look like I care? You totally froze just now!’

‘I did not!’ He crossed his arms, flustered. ‘I was just, you know. Impersonating a statue.’ At the look on her face, he cowered. ‘Hey, they were the ones thinking smutty thoughts, okay? For once, my conscience is clear!’

Solace groaned and lay back, covering her eyes with her free hand. ‘This is all just a horrible dream. I’m still asleep, and you’re a hallucination.’

Evan stayed where he was. A feeling of utter wretchedness settled on him, accompanied by a very strong desire to find a bottle of scotch. He quashed the latter and wallowed in the former, sinking to the floor.

Solace snorted. ‘Didn’t I tell you to get out?’

‘Hallucinations don’t have independent motor skills.’

‘Yes, but you’re
my
hallucination and
I
want you gone. Out!’

‘Please?’

‘No!’

Evan stared at her. The memory of Solace’s bared breasts resurfaced. He gulped and mentally kicked himself.
Focus!
Out loud, he said, ‘But they’re still awake out there! Talking!’ This, at least, was true: by extending his awareness, he knew that Jess and Laine were in the next room, discussing him. From their joint mindscent, it was nothing good. The idea of facing them now, even for the few seconds it would take to reach his own room, was unbearable.

‘Please, Solace? I’ll be quiet. I promise. I’ll sleep on the floor. You won’t even know I’m here.’

‘Yes, I will! You woke me up to talk, and we’ve talked, and we’ve embarrassed ourselves, and it hasn’t been even remotely restful. Read my lips: You. Can’t. Stay.’

‘Is that a maybe?’

Solace made a pained noise and stared at the ceiling. For several long, agonising moments, she remained silent. Finally, with a seething sigh, she nodded towards the corner of the room.

‘Go and stand over there, then. Close your eyes until I tell you to open them.’

Baffled and grateful, Evan obeyed, listening as Solace got out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe. After some shuffling and fumbling, she called the okay. He turned to find her dressed in a pair of white-and-purple striped pyjama shorts and a matching singlet. At his evident confusion, she waved a hand.

‘If you insist on staying, you might as well share the bed. It’s big enough, and I’m used to sleeping with Manx. Alongside Manx. Not with,’ she amended hastily. For once, Evan refrained from making the obvious joke, and felt oddly adult.

‘Thanks, then.’ He swallowed awkwardly. ‘Um. Can I – do I you mind if –’ He gestured hopelessly at his shirt. Regret was instantaneous. ‘Or I can stay clothed. Whatever.’

Solace stared at him, utterly indignant, then snorted. ‘Why not?’ she muttered. ‘The damage is done. Just keep some form of pants on, and I’m a happy vampire.’

‘Roger.’ He pulled his shirt over his head, feeling slightly self-conscious as he realised that Mikhail’s magic had left a pattern of bruises on his body, even though his throat, like Solace’s, was unmarked. Mercifully, Solace refrained from comment, choosing instead to straighten the doona and climb back into bed. Was she bruised, too? Her mindscent was muted, but he suddenly found himself wishing that it were otherwise, even as he rebuked himself for such intimate curiosity.
That’s what got you into this mess, remember?
He lifted the doona and slid in beside her. The sheets were warm with her body heat. His breath caught a little.
If you can call this a mess.

‘Goodnight, Ev,’ said Solace. Was there something else in her tone? Evan couldn’t tell, and was hardly about to ask. He rolled over, facing the opposite direction. His bare spine touched the cotton of her singlet. He thought about saying something, but then he remembered the shock on Laine’s face, and felt thoroughly chastened.
Tomorrow will be hard enough.

‘Goodnight, Lacey.’

‘So,’ said Jess. ‘You and my brother.’

Laine nodded. The two girls were curled up at opposite ends of the lounge, facing each other. Jess sighed. Ever since they were little, it had been her and Evan together, a pairing of complementary differences. They’d constantly been mistaken for twins, not least because they’d always been in the same grade at school – he’d been conceived just after her birth and born premature, with the result that she was only eight months older. She had no concept of life without Evan, though there were times, like right now, when she sometimes wished she did.

As wry and silent as the psychic habitually was, Laine was also good company, and whatever they’d walked in on, Jess didn’t have to be a genius to see that it had hurt her friend.

Laine didn’t speak at first, but Jess was in no hurry. Though Solace’s shriek had roused them both from bed, the others were evidently too exhausted to bother. She’d been tired earlier, too, but not anymore. Patiently, she watched as Laine plucked at the hem of her nightgown – black, of course, though clearly borrowed from the Rookery wardrobe – and waited.

‘At the house,’ Laine said at last. ‘The night we escaped the dungeon. We slept together.’

‘Oh,’ said Jess, who hadn’t been expecting quite that much. ‘Um. Has he said anything since?’

‘No. And he won’t, either.’

‘What, because of Solace?’

A hollow smile ghosted across Laine’s face. ‘Perhaps. But even if not, he’s just not – I’m not –’ She dropped her gaze, uncharacteristically lost for words.

‘Oh,’ Jess said again. ‘Sorry.’

Laine smiled again – genuinely, this time, though still with a trace of sadness. ‘Not your fault. Or his, really. Though I sort of wish it was.’

There was a moment of silence. Jess burned to ask what Solace and Evan had actually been up to, but couldn’t find a means of asking that didn’t come off as blatantly self-involved. Laine raised an eyebrow.