Hybrid

THIRTY-FOUR

⫷ ARIA ⫸

"I'm going to kill him."

I glance over at James. "No," I blurt, causing both pairs of eyes to focus on me. "I mean... he's not a bad person."

"Not a bad person?" James snarls.

Finn, snickering to himself, slowly backs away. "How about you two love birds argue in the car?"

"Where are we go-" I'm cut off by the power flickering off. What was once a bright room, changes to complete darkness. I instantly feel James' arm snake around my waist. I sniff; he smells nice.

"Finn," James snaps. "Get Carlos."

If it isn't for the large glass window beside us, I wouldn't be able to see a thing. "What's going on?" I whisper. His arm tenses around me, yet I don't make a move to leave his warmth. It's alarmingly soothing.

"I'm going to get you somewhere safe."

"What about everyone else?"

"They'll be fine." James lightly tugs my wrist forward.

I feel obliged to follow him, despite the constant nagging in my gut that begs me not to trust anyone. We exit the house and make our way to the same car that we arrived in. I sense his urgency once he recklessly drives away from the cottage. I glance over at him, noting the tense set to his shoulders. Something possesses me to reach over and grab his hand, interlacing our fingers together. He glances over at me, but I keep my focus ahead of us.

It's as though I'm constantly ricocheting back and forth between wanting him and not wanting him. The more I give in, the further my memories slip from me. The more I back away, the more my heart feels like exploding.

The pad of his thumb rubs gentle circles on my hand. The warmth of his hand is calming and I focus on that calm; I have a feeling we are about to face something that will change my whole world.

It's raining hard on the vehicle. Wherever we are, rain seems to be constant in the local weather. I focus on the strands of water that dance on the glass. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"I'll do what I have to in order to keep you safe."

I close my eyes firmly. "He's not against us."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do!" I try pulling my hand away, but his hold is firm. "I trust him. He helped me."

"Don't trust anyone," James growls. "They'll just stab you in the back."

"Don't trust anyone," I repeat. "Does that include you?"

James pauses. "I would never hurt you."

"And neither would Carlos." I suck in a sharp breath. "James, do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"Then, please, trust my judgment. Maybe he needs to tell us something. Maybe he has a warning for us. Just hear him out. Please."

James stares at the empty road that we're on. He curses a few times as he slows down. "Looks like I don't have a choice," he grumbles.

To see what he's looking at, I follow his gaze to a man standing in the center of the road. A black hood shadows his face but, for some reason, I can immediately tell that it's Carlos. I can hear James yelling at me to get back into the car as I fling myself out. Instead of listening, I run through the pouring rain over to him.

"Hi, chica."

"Carlos," I greet with a smile. "What are you doing here?" I feel arms wrap firmly around my waist. James.