“He’ll be pissed, but he won’t hurt me.” She doesn’t sound entirely convinced that it’s the truth.
“Why did you call this place Sin City?” she asks me. “It’s actually called Las Vegas. There’s no such thing as Sin City on a map.”
“Oh, that’s just a nickname,” Leah answers, because I’m unable to speak right now.
“Where’s the rest of the Scooby gang?” Kya asks as I skid to a halt and climb out of the car, my fists clenching and unclenching. “Isn’t this sort of thing right up their alley?”
Zee follows me out as I walk over to the side of a large wall of rocks. The trail ends here. And the scent of candy is seriously strong and out of place.
We’re close.
Chapter 5
KYA
Chaz bolts out of the car instead of answering my question, and Zee gets out like his ass is on fire. They both go to examine the mountain side.
I stay put, since Leah isn’t getting out. I shouldn’t be so close to Chaz, since he’s apparently brooding and a little too dangerous for my comfort level.
“So, the rest?” I ask Leah, even though my eyes are on the fake duster.
He’s stronger. He’s tapped into his power. I can tell just by the way he examines things. His mannerisms are even different from earlier. He’s acting more animal than man right now with the way he cocks his head and sniffs the air.
Shit. He’s tapped into the dragonite power.
It’s dark, and my lesser night vision is working to see as he scales the side of the wall with raw power. When my legs press together, I mentally curse myself. This is ridiculous.
Leah decides to answer, fortunately, distracting me from trying to squint into the darkness and chase the view of the man I should not be coveting.
“Zee hasn’t been honest about his past with his friends. Chaz is the only one who came.”
She acts like she wants to say more, but bites back the words.
“So they’re pissed? They’re too emotional and lack proper logic. Now is a dangerous time to split up like this.”
“Yet you’re here,” she points out, causing me to clap my lips shut.
I really hate someone calling me out for my own hypocrisy.
“Is it for me? Or... Is something up with you and Chaz?”
She’s perceptive. I forgot about that.
Chaz disappears over the other side of the rocks, and I blow out a breath.
“I was taken from my home when I was a child,” I say quietly. “It’s not an experience any child should suffer. It struck a nerve, so here I am.”
“But how did you know?” Again with her perception.
“Karma shouldn’t be that upset by Zee. She barely knows him,” I point out, deflecting. I was expecting to run into her with this mission.
I was hoping to.
If I got to work with her, I wouldn’t have to worry about her asking probing, personal questions about my past... T
he things I’ve survived... I see the guilt in her face like she failed me when she thinks of what I’ve gone through. If we were working, I could tolerate being around her, because she’d be focused on something other than me.
Maybe... I don’t know. I keep expecting to have my sister, but until this Master thing is resolved, I’m too scared to get close. We could all die.