Placing both hands on her arms, he pulled her into a tight hug.
Her gut reaction was to pull away. People who hugged only wanted one thing: to lure you into a sense of safety before taking advantage of you. Growing up in a series of homes after her father died had taught her that. Sure, the Fairy Godmothers had given her hugs, but they were different. They had been consistent in her life. But Max? She’d only just met him and, so far, he’d only hurt her.
She stiffened and stepped away from him. “Right, well, thanks for the hug,” she said awkwardly. “You better hope you can decode the encryption on the files. And that they contain something important.”
He didn’t say anything as he pulled a small chip from the computer and placed it into a cushioned case. The lid clicked shut, the digital lock glowing bright blue against the black case. He held out his hand to her.
“I know it’s asking a lot of you, but come with me and I know we can decode this thing,” he said.
“To where?” she asked.
“My people have several camps around the kingdom. I know someone who is skilled at deciphering data from extractions when the information has been damaged or encrypted.”
Layla took the small black case from his hand. She marveled at how something so light could contain the levity of her history in it. Her fingers curled tighter around the case. She’d let Penny go for this. She couldn’t stop now.
“When do we leave?”
Chapter Ten
A bird chirped, welcoming the growing sunlight as it crept through the shadows to brighten the main room of the cottage. Layla groaned and rolled over, pulling the cover up and over her head. She slit her eyes enough to see the small black case nestled on the pillow beside her.
“Can you believe everything that’s happened?” she asked Penny, her mind still groggy and unfocused.
The silence and void that followed sent a shiver down her spine. The realization that Penny was truly gone struck her like a punch to the face. Worse still, was the knowledge that she had allowed it to happen. She had chosen this path. She gasped, attempting to stifle the cry breaching her lips. Although her heart clenched and her mind whirred, no tears came.
She just felt hollow.
Numb.
She breathed in deeply, focusing on the way the air flowed through her. Her chest expanded and tightened as her lungs filled to capacity. She held it there, welcoming the burning sensation in her chest. Needing it to ground her.
She released her breath in a burst of hot air. A muffled cry followed.
A firm hand gripped her shoulder, rolling her over and into a tight, warm embrace. At first, she remained stiff, unsure of how to respond. He stroked her back and hair, sending rivers of warmth cascading through her body. She breathed in deeply, her mouth pressed against his chest. His scent filled her, reminding her of an autumn day.
“You’re going to be alright,” he whispered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head, his lips lingering.
Logically, she knew Penny may never be recovered. Files and coding being corrupted was its own form of death. And she had been the one to sign the death warrant. Nothing Max could say or do would change that. Sure, he’d assured her that Penny would be safe. Just like he had promised her they’d find a way to bring her back. His optimism only deepened the wound. Him holding her like this only made her feel even more at fault for what had happened to Penny.
“We should go,” Layla whispered, placing her hands firmly on his chest and gently shoving him away.
He stared at her with hooded eyes, his fingers flexing. He angled his head towards her, a crooked grin on his face.
Her hands turned clammy as she realized what he was about to do. Thoughts zoomed through her. She didn’t want to kiss him, did she? She’d felt safe in his arms. Calm. But this would add a layer to their budding friendship that she wasn’t sure she wanted. He leaned in and she turned her face away from him. His lips grazed her cheek. She stiffened.
He pulled back, his cheeks had turned a shimmering silver.
“I, umm, I should get everything together,” he stammered. He didn’t meet her gaze as he spoke.
Layla stood up and turned her back to him. She didn’t trust her face to convey the right message. She didn’t want him to think she would never be interested in kissing him, but now wasn’t the right time.
“I think that’d be a good idea,” she said, walking towards the door. “I’ll be back in a minute. I just need to get some fresh air.”
He didn’t say anything as she unlocked the multiple bolts on the interior of the door and stepped out into the sunshine beyond. In the morning light, the beach was still a glorious sight. The water undulated with color. Turquois blue deepened into a midnight black. Coral and green flowed over rocks. Though colorful, the water was so clear she could see dozens of schools of fish swimming with the waves. A cool wind caressed her face, carrying with it the salt from the ocean.
She breathed in deeply. She could get used to this place.
She stood there for several moments, just staring out at the seemingly endless sea. She knew there were worlds beyond her knowledge out there. The United Island Nations. The end of the known world. Entire civilizations deep beneath the waves. Others she couldn’t even begin to imagine. Penny would’ve loved being here with her.
The thought threatened to make her fall to her knees once more.
She shook her head, willing herself to remain calm. The burden of her loss weighed heavily upon her as she took one last look at the colorful ocean before twisting the door handle to return to her new reality.
A laser blast melted the door as it swung open. Six soldiers, all bearing the sigil of King Renard, fired their laser pistols at Max, who was barricaded behind a wall of silver-blue light. Layla stood, stunned, in the doorway, her mouth gaping open. The wind caught her hair, twirling it up and fluttering across her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How had they found them?
“Run!” Max yelled as he fired at the soldiers.
They turned towards her in unison, their movements stilted. Metal glinted in the sunlight. Layla stepped back, her heart pounding wildly. These weren’t just soldiers. She’d never seen anything like them before. Exposed gears rotated in what was a semblance of a face. Their eyes glowed red as they pointed their weapons at her.
“Layla Dione,” one said, its voice mechanical and raspy, “you have been summoned by our lord, King Renard. You must come with us at once.” It stretched a long, clawed hand at her.
She screamed, stepping back. Stumbling over debris from the destroyed doorframe, she fell backwards, her head thumping against the porch railing.
“Running is futile,” the same robot said. “Do not make us hurt you. This is a direct command. Our orders are to capture, not kill.”
She couldn’t tell if the robot was thinking for itself or only regurgitating phrases that had been coded into it. She didn’t care to find out. She leapt over the porch railing, landing hard on her feet. Her hands touched the ground as she attempted to lessen the impact before charging forward. Flames licked at her hands. She tried concentrating on creating a large enough fireball to throw back at the robots, but she was too distracted by the running and the fear to create much more than a single flame.