Providence

“What kind of activity?”

Jared swal owed and shifted closer to me on the bed, holding my hand tighter. “The Others don’t understand my draw to you…even with me being half-human. It’s interesting to them. So their visits here have increased.”

“But I haven’t…they haven’t bothered me.”

“They don’t engage us unless they have to.”

I swal owed. “So you’re saying when you’re near, they won’t hurt me?”

Jared’s eyes clouded over. “They don’t want to cross that line, trust me. They know better than to get too close to you when I’m near.”

“That’s why you had Claire sit with me the night you were with Mr. Dawson.”

He nodded. “I don’t want you to be afraid. It’s only an issue in my apartment; they’re drawn to the dwel ings of Hybrids. Remember I told you that they’re attracted to those that are aware of them?” I nodded. “Claire, Bex and I, and those like us, are very aware of them. Our lineage enables us to see them even when you can’t. I’ve noticed more of their kind coming and going. They’re curious about you.”

I held his hand tight. “Should I be worried?”

Jared offered a comforting smile. “You let me do the worrying.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “What did Samuel tel you?”

“They’ve noticed…,” Jared rubbed the back of his neck, “they’ve noticed that we’re spending more time together. Both sides. The Archs are unhappy about it. It’s unusual—and heavily frowned upon—to become involved with one’s Taleh. It’s considered more of a taboo than fal ing in love with a human. Even though I’m half-human, they find it irresponsible. Samuel is concerned that the Archs won’t be inclined to help if things get messy.”

“Why would we need their help? I thought you said they wouldn’t come near me when you’re around?”

“I’m not talking about a dozen or so Others, Nina. Samuel wouldn’t be concerned if it wasn’t serious.”

“How serious is it?”

Jared sighed. Al of his energy seemed to have been sucked from him. “Hel is familiar with our fathers. Being their children in addition to our unique circumstance…we’ve become people of interest, so to speak. The Others made a game of trying to catch my father off-guard. With me having a stronger reason to protect you…,” he choked off. He swal owed and then began again, “Samuel came to warn me.”

“Warn you,” I repeated. My head was swimming with confusion and the whiskey stil saturating my system.

“Our relationship could unintentional y provoke Hel .” Jared rubbed his temples. He was having trouble focusing as wel . “Samuel informed me that the curiosity they already have, coupled with Jack’s death…we could have bigger problems than just the increasing visits.”

I shook my head. “What does Jack have to do with it?”

“The men that kil ed your father knew how to bypass Gabe because of who they work for. Those cops, and a few other enemies of your father’s, are employed by a man named Shax. Except…he’s not a…he’s not exactly a man.”

“He’s Other?”

Jared attempted a smile, but the tension on his face twisted it into something that resembled pain.

“Shax is a Duke of Hel . He is also a renowned thief and takes great pride in his spoils. Somehow Jack made an enemy of Shax, and I’m going to guess that he took something that Shax felt belonged to him. Not something you want to do to an aristocrat of Hel .”

I nodded, unable to speak in a calm voice.

“Samuel advised that we…see less of each other.”

“What? No! You’re not…you’re not going to listen to him, are you?”

Jared took my face in his hands. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you again, didn’t I?”

I nodded. “You did. You promised,” I said, more to myself than to him.

Jared returned his elbows to his knees and lowered his face in his hands. “I have made a mess of everything, Nina,” he groaned. “You’re in more danger than you’ve ever been. I see now why Jack forbade me to see you.”

I positioned myself behind him, wrapping my arms around his middle and pressing my cheek against his back. “So we have to jump through some hoops to be together. Who doesn’t?”

Jared twisted, looking at me with an incredulous expression.

I sighed. “For us to be together…it’s a miracle isn’t it? A Hybrid and his human, in love when everyone from Heaven to Hel says we shouldn’t be.

The starvation of a multitude turned into miraculous fish, the enslaving of a nation brought on the parting of the sea, blind men to see, lepers healed, a mother’s grief brought back the dead…it takes a nightmare to earn a miracle.”

He laughed once. “In this scenario I’m the nightmare—you’re the miracle.”

“Jared?” I asked, pausing for a moment while I reconsidered broaching the subject again.

He sensed my trepidation and touched my cheek. “What, sweetheart?”

“What do you plan on doing with the information Samuel gave you?” I braced for his eyes to cloud over but to my surprise he smiled. His eyes even brightened a bit.

“We’re going to fight through the nightmare to earn the miracle, right?”

I smiled back. “Right.”

He kissed my cheek. “I’l let you get dressed.”

“Are we going somewhere?”

“To see a friend,” Jared said, jogging downstairs.

I thought about that for a moment. “A human friend?”

“Negative,” I heard him say from the kitchen.

After my shower, I descended the stairs stil feeling a bit woozy. I felt even worse for Jared, who didn’t even enjoy the debauchery before feeling the consequences of it.

Jared kept the accelerator to the floor, making the buildings of Providence blur by. I fidgeted with the temperature until final y resorting to the air conditioner. The stream of air blew against my face, and I closed my eyes.

Jared touched my knee.

“It’s helping with the nausea,” I said, knowing he would be just as relieved to have a smal fraction of my symptoms al eviated.

The Escalade slowed to a stop beside the fence of an abandoned warehouse. We were just outside of town, no more than ten miles from Jared’s loft. I immediately felt a bit skittish, but the fear disappeared with Jared’s warm touch. He took my hand and didn’t let go as we hiked along an aging, gravel walkway and stopped at a gate harnessed with rusting chains. He pul ed a key from his pocket and twisted it in the large vintage lock.

Jared pressed open the heavy gates and led me around to a side entrance, where he pressed a button on a smal grey box. No one answered, but we were buzzed in.

Jared led me by the hand across the vast concrete. Pane after pane of glass lined the wal s, shooting beams of sunshine to the floor through the decades of dust. He stopped in the center and smiled at me before cal ing out into the huge, empty space.

“Eli?”

We waited for almost half an hour. I wanted to ask Jared if he was sure his friend was there, but as long as he was being patient, I would play along.

“Oh, c’mon. She knows,” Jared said suddenly, rol ing his eyes.