Mack’s eyes go wide, his lips forming the words I love you before they both disappear in a cloud of black smoke.
My knees give out, and I fall to the floor, my power exploding out of me and cascading around the room. Grief, so complete and overwhelming, has a chokehold on my heart as I stare at the empty spot Mack just filled.
This is all my fault.
The sounds of screams and the stench of sulfur hang heavy in the air. It’s difficult to breathe, or really even think, but I keep trying. I have to. For Fate’s sake. She’s got to be losing her mind with worry right now, and considering I’m in a five foot by five foot cell, I have nothing better to do than plan my way out of here.
My options are slim.
My mark is covered by a cuff made entirely of flames, similar to those she bound me with in the Gateway. It’s powerful enough to cut off communication with the guys and my ability to travel through the ether, taking those escape options out of the equation, but not strong enough to dull my recovering powers completely.
Hopefully, now that Asher reversed the potion’s effects, they’ll be fully operational soon. That’s a plus.
Being in a gigantic body in such a small space is definitely...not.
Who knew being six foot six and nothing but muscle would actually be a hindrance? It’s damn hard to get comfortable when you can’t stretch out and you keep hitting your hands and feet on the bars because you’re not used to your new wingspan. Now, if I had Thad’s powers and could manipulate the darkness into some sort of key, that might have been helpful, but unfortunately, I quickly discovered that was not a possibility. Don’t get me wrong, knowledge is great, but little good it does me here.
I heave a long drawn out sigh as my brain tries to come up with alternative options.
“Thad?” a soft voice whispers from the darkened cell next to me. I can hear the uncertainty and maybe a teensy bit of hope clinging to the single word.
I clear my throat to cover up the fact that I was just the smallest bit startled and decide now is a good time to test out my best Thad impersonation. “Uh...yeah? Who are you?” Why I deepen my voice, I have no idea since it's his tone that comes out anyways.
A petite ghostly figure approaches the bars, a collar tight around her throat with a small red ruby nestled inside the metal. Her long hair is nearly to her waist, and the nightgown she’s wearing is tattered and torn. She tilts her head as she studies me intently, eyes going wide as her small hands wrap around the bars.
“Oh my god! It’s really you! Is Fate here too?”
“Fate?” I ask, as if I don’t know who she’s talking about. I have no idea who this girl is or whether she can be trusted. Better to really play dumb. Come to think of it, that’s a perfect Thad reaction.
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Fate. You know. Guardian of the Spirits. The woman who owns your heart. Buster of balls and self-proclaimed sarcasm queen.”
“I know who Fate is. How do you know Fate?”
“Don’t you remember me?”
“No, should I?”
“What did she do to you?”
“Who?”
“Karma. The fucking bitch who thinks she’s hot shit.”
“It’s a long story,” is my simple reply as I rub my temples. A headache is forming behind my eyes, either from my powers trickling back to full power or the whole body swap thing. I can’t really be sure at the moment.
“You really don’t remember me?”
“Nope. Sure don’t.” It’s honestly easier to channel Thad than I expected. Just think in monosyllabic terms. Should I fondle my balls? I feel like that's the kind of thing Thad might do. Take a moment to rearrange things downstairs regardless of who might be watching.
It’s her turn to sigh as her hands fall away from the bars. “I was hoping you’d have back up on the way and you’d be able to get us out of here. Is she...Fate is back...right?”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Liv.”
“Liv? Nick’s sister?”
“So you remember Nick, but not me?” Her hands land on her hips, her words full of indignation. For a moment, I see a hint of Fate in her reaction, a sign that these two really were as close as everyone has mentioned.
“Let’s just say we had a run-in with your brother and it didn’t end well.”
“Ugh. Karma’s got him wrapped around her little finger. The bitch never hesitates to throw it in my face. I’m not even sure he knows I’m a prisoner down here.”
“Why are you stuck in here? Can’t you just walk through the bars?”
Her delicate hand comes up and runs along the collar at her throat. “Not with this on. It gives her control over me and nullifies most of my ghostly characteristics while I’m in this place. I’m little more than her puppet.”
“Hmmm. Maybe we can use that to our advantage if we can get it off you. Not sure I can craft any tools down here, but there’s got to be something we could use.”
Her eyes narrow, and she studies me again. “You sure don’t sound like Thad.”
Good going, Mack. Already forgetting your cover. “Um. Well...like I said. It’s a long story, and we…” Doubt trickles in. Us nerds aren’t meant to go undercover. We don’t get to be heroes, and we definitely don’t rescue damsels in distress. We fight with our knowledge and our brains. Not our fists. Except in this body, maybe I can use my size to our advantage. Alright, Mack. Time to pull up your big boy pants and get shit done. For the first time in your life, you’ve got the brains and the brawn. Use it. You can’t let Fate, or Liv, down.
“Is this a trick? Are you here to gather information for her?”
Taking a calculated risk, I decide to drop the Thad act. This girl was like a sister to Fate, once upon a time. If that’s true, then maybe she has information that can help us. “Definitely not. I just have to think for a minute. Maybe I can come up with a plan to get us out of here. If we can get the collar off and then electronically alter it, reversing the polarization, we might be able to use that to escape.”
Her eyes widen again. “Wait a minute. You sound more like...Macklin?”
She obviously knows us pretty well, even if we don’t remember her. I nod, my lips tilting up. “Nice to meet you...again...Liv.”
“But...how are you in Thad’s body?”
“I probably sound like a broken record, but it really is a long story. Karma can’t know, Liv. She thinks I’m Thad, and we need to keep it that way.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” She mimes locking her lips and throwing away the key. “Boy, this has to be one helluva tale. Fate dies, you all go missing for a hundred years, and now you’re back with no memories, in someone else’s body. Bet Fate freaked the fuck out.”
“You have no idea.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“If we can get out of here, I’ll let Fate regale you with all of the details that I’m sure she’ll embellish just because she can.”
She chuckles. “That sounds like Fate, for sure. God, I’ve missed you guys.”
“Don’t worry, Liv. I’ll figure something out.”