City of Lies

Chapter 16 - Night Time Horse Ride

Awkwardly I sit alone at the table eating my small breakfast. Chase and Lacey are all catching up with Jane and Lacey. A acid feeling begins to grow in the pit of stomach, I'm not sure if it's jealously or something else.

We've spent about a week now traveling across Valencia. So far I've actually learned a lot about the past. I haven't learned much about my real mother though.

To be honest, I don't miss Colina a lot. I mean I miss my best friend and the food but other than that, I don't miss it. Back in Colina it was too stressful. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Not to mention, almost everyone at my school hated me for some reason. I only had about three friends.

"Hey Bree," Jane's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. She extends her hand, "I'm Jane."

I smile and shake her hand. I'll act polite at first but if she turns out to be a mean, crazy she-devil, then I won't. "Hi."

"Anyway," she clasps her hands together and smiles. "If it's fine with you everyone was planning to like take a stop in the Fae."

I'm kind of shocked. "Um yeah sure I'm fine with that," I look around and see Matthew and Chase talking. Lacey is by Janes side.

"Yay!" She says excitedly. "And you don't have to worry about like 'making it on time for Magnus' because Fae is only about a two or three days away from the Down Worlders."

I nod and smile a fake but polite smile. "Okay. But is the Seeli Queen alright with it? Because I know sometimes visitors aren't aloud in some places."

"Oh she's totally cool with it," Jane causally shakes it off. "Why is that how it's like in Colina?"

I keep a calm expression. "Eh," I shrug. "Kinda yeah."

Jane laughs then walks about over to Chase. She seems like she's flirting with him. I look away in disgust and jealously. What if Chase likes her? No, he can't, he told me doesn't.

"Jealous much," Lacey teases as she sits down next to me. She plops a watermelon square into her mouth.

"What? No!" I slightly push my food aside because I lost my appetite.

"Okayy whatever you say," she laughs and plops another watermelon into her mouth. "I can tell the way you look at him."

I roll my eyes and can't help but smile. "No. I told you I'm not interested in him that way," my smile gives away my lie.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a horrible lair?" She teases and laughs eating the rest of my watermelon.

"Okay whatever," I giggle. "Anyway what happened last night with Matthew," I slightly look over at Chase and Jane. They're talking about something I can't hear.

Lacey's expression goes from playful to serious. "He told me he loves me," she whispers leaning a bit closer so now one will hear. "He said he never wants to loose me again and he wants to go back to the Forgotten with me."

Honestly I think that's pretty cute that he's so head-over-heals for her. "Well what'd you say?"

"I didn't really know how to respond," she pauses probably thinking about what happened last night. "I told him I have mixed feelings for him but it's be kinda cool if he came back."

"Do you have mixed feelings because of Chase?"

She doesn't answer right away. "You better keep this conversation between," she pauses and I nod. "It's true that I used to like Chase, like a lot...but now seeing him with you and after seeing Matthew I don't know any more."

I look down at my hands. "Chase doesn't like me."

"I don't know about that Bree, he could," Lacey gets up from the table to talk to Matthew. Once again, I'm alone with my thoughts.

~*~

We all leave Matthews place around three. That leaves us with about four hours of sunlight to get safely to the Fae. Jane brought two guards with her and three horses.

She spins around to face Matthew. "Unless you have a carriage for the horses, one or two of us are walking."

Matthew shrugs. "Then I guess some of us are walking because I don't have a carriage. Demons destroyed it last time I was out riding."

Jane crosses her arms upset. "Alright then who's walking?"

Janes guards dressed in black armor raise their hands. "Obviously us."

Jane secretly rolls her eyes. "Okay," she turns to face me. "Bree, I'm guessing you don't know how to ride?"

I blush embarrassed. I'm guessing everyone here knows how to ride a horse but me. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," she says sarcastically as she hops onto the white horse in the middle. I roll my eyes annoyed with her. She seems mean.

Chase comes up to my side. "I guess we're riding together," he points to Lacey and Matthew already on a horse. Lacey has her arms around his waist and her head lightly resting on his back.

"Alright then," I smile and follow him to the horse. It's majestic with light brown fur and dark blond hair.

Chase hops on in one swift motion. He extends his arm and holds out his hand so he can help me get up. I take it and he strongly pulls me up onto the horse. I wrap my arms around him too.

"Thank you," I whisper.

I can't see his face but he says "anytime."

~*~

It's night time and we still have about half an hour before we get to the Fae. We didn't make it in time because we stopped for about an hour and a half to eat and for the horses to rest.

We hear demon howls in the distance. My arms tighten a bit around Chase. "Calm down Bree, I'm here," he whispers.

The demon howls get closer and closer and soon you can hear their footsteps. Janes guards get into fighting position with their swords out.

A raptor demon swoops down from the sky and picks one of the guards up with its talons. Chase jumps off the horse to help the guards. Matthew and Lacey do the same. Another raptor comes down and picks the other guard up. Both demons then drop the guards and rip them up into pieces. Their blood splatters everywhere.

"Ew oh my God!" Jane squeals. I wonder if she knows how to fight.

The demons move too fast to keep track of all of them. I scream at the top of lungs as a demon with talons jumps in front of me. The shock makes me jump back and I fall to the ground from the horse. I hit my head on the way down.

The demon towers above me with its drool rolling down its face. Some of its drool gets on the jean vest. I scream again and put my hands over my head to shield me from the demons face.

When I hear and feel nothing above me I look up and see Chase with a demon blood stained sword in hand. He killed the demon for me. He holds out his hand to help me up.

I take it and get up with his strength. "Thank you," my heart is still racing from the demon. That's the closest I've ever been near a demon. "I guess that's like the third time you saved my life."

He laughs. "And I'm planning to save your life again if you ever need it," the demon howls are all gone now.

Jane shoots me a dirty look. I smirk to myself and hug Chase. He hugs back tightly, but not too tightly. We stay like that for half a minute before breaking away.