Wildfire

Chapter 16

16. Laugh

Going back through the inter-dimensional doorway felt just as gross as it had going in, and I came to the swift conclusion that jumping dimensions was never going to be something I could get used to, no matter how many magical drinks I had in my system.

My feet touched the ground a little more gracefully this time – which was surprising, given my intoxicated state – but the cold, slimy feeling lingered on my skin. Like a balloon pop, a weight seemed to lift from my shoulders, and I felt like I could breathe for the first time since I'd followed Darren through the gate.

I shivered and hugged my jacket around my shoulders, inhaling the frigid air. Diego's form oozed from the gate a few seconds later, his boots landing on the pavement with a muted thump. My head was slowly starting to clear as the effects of the Kri Drekavac wore off, and it started to occur to me that my skin was still glowing – vividly.

A spasm of panic squeezed my chest. What if somebody saw me? It wasn't exactly something that people saw everyday –

"Relax." Diego tugged gently on a strand of my hair, dragging my attention away from my luminescent skin. The corners of his lips were turned up slightly; an expression, I was starting to realize, that meant he was probably laughing at me. "Nobody can see. Nobody human, at least."

I frowned softly. "How did you...?"

"You were doing your freak-out face." He started walking, his hand automatically curling around my elbow in an attempt to stabilize me. An attempt that worked, if I was being honest. His grip was light, but I could feel the steady concentration of strength emanating from his hand, holding me upright.

I frowned as the meaning of his words finally penetrated my cloudy brain. "I have a freak-out face?"

"Yep."

I glanced up at him, and I just knew he was laughing at me. It was his eyes – the gold flecks were more pronounced than they had been, even in the darkness. His laughter probably should have bothered me, but it didn't feeling mocking or malicious. He was just – amused.

"Oh."

The streets were almost empty this time of night. The Kri Drekavac had mellowed my mood somewhat, but each movement in the shadows still sent a pang of faint alarm down my spine, and I was absurdly grateful that Diego was there. The ergot hadn't started wearing off yet, and being able to see what really lurked in the shadows was a freaky experience.

And... sort of pretty.

A cluster of what looked like butterflies had gathered along the windowsill of a nearby building. They were much larger than actual butterflies, with thin, wispy wings protruding from their backs. Their wings seemed to have a radioactive glow about them, green and yellow light pulsing slowly through the veins.

As we passed, they seemed to emit a low, sighing sound before they spread their wings and took off, one after the other, in a cloud of wispy, green and yellow smoke.

I jumped, startled, as one flew over my shoulder and Diego's hand automatically tightened on my arm.

"Easy," he murmured.

I watched them flutter off into the distance, a little mesmerized. "They're really pretty with all the smoky stuff coming from their wings and... stuff."

"The 'smoky stuff' is poisonous," Diego warned. "Well - in high doses. Some witches use it to season food."

"Because just eating the food isn't thrilling enough for them?"