Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 29 - Lies

A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left. 

- Marilyn Monroe

Once Leah calmed down she glanced around the campsite, expecting to find Jared watching her, but it quickly became obvious he wasn't there. Instead, his sleeping bag lay open and empty, the zipper pulled back and the fabric sprawled across the dirt. Leah rose quietly, scanning the bush, but still found no sign of him.

For a moment, she hovered, considering going in search of him, but instead she slumped back down against a tree.

His absence was probably for the best. Her emotions were still tainted with residual hatred from her dream, and its intensity was startling. That kind of loathing didn't appear quickly; it festered, accumulating with time. It was the kind of anger that changed everything.

Whatever relationship she'd had with Jared in the live world had obviously been bad — bad enough for her to completely despise him. And yet, she hadn't remembered him before this.

It was only now that her mind decided to remind her that he was the reason she was here; only now that she was beginning to realise how royally screwed she was. Because her body was with the rebels. And unless her consciousness appeared somewhere else when she returned, she was going to fall straight back into Brenton's hands.

The thought hurled her to her feet, panic racing through her veins.

She wanted to believe Jared wouldn't deliver her to such an awful fate, but trusting in that would be like hanging her life from a thread. What were these few weeks of arguments and awkwardness compared to a lifetime of war? Even if Jared did feel somewhat fond of her, she doubted it would change anything, no matter what Cassandra had hoped.

Which only left one option.

If Jared hadn't agreed to help her before they got to the whirlpools, she'd have to kill him. What other choice was there?

She'd just started pacing back and forth, deep in thought, when she felt something unlike anything she'd experienced before.

The air around her thinned, racing away as if she'd stepped into a vacuum, and a dreadful pressure pushed into her ears. But this strangeness paled in comparison to what was happening to her surroundings. The air in front of her had split in two, tearing into a slit that withered and curled in a grotesque black mass.

And there was something coming out of it.

Leah screamed and jerked backwards, her eyes wide as the darkness morphed, surging forward and allowing a figure to emerge.

For a moment, Leah just stared, convinced she'd lost her mind, but then Jared's eyes narrowed characteristically and he grunted in annoyance.

"I didn't think you'd be awake yet," he muttered, more to himself than her.

Leah just watched, wide eyed, as the darkness retreated, suctioning back up into the slit and disappearing, leaving no evidence of its sudden appearance at all, except for the boy in front of her.

When she continued to stare, Jared frowned and turned away, crouching down beside his bag and rummaging through it.

"Stop looking at me like that," he mumbled.

"Like what?"

He shot her a disturbed glare. "Like you're scared of me."

Leah blinked and glanced away, making a conscious effort to stop gaping.

Jared's appearance had shocked her previous thoughts to silence, but now they started creeping back, followed by that undercurrent of anger she hadn't managed to shake since waking.

"What was that?" she asked.

Jared sighed and glanced back at her, his eyes guarded and defensive. "I can move between the worlds. I've told you that before."

"You didn't tell me how it worked," Leah said, her voice gaining strength. "That looked like a gateway to hell or something."

Jared pulled out his drink bottle, taking a large gulp of water. "Stop being dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic," Leah snapped, stalking over to him. "Why were you even going back to the live world anyway?"

"Does it matter?" Jared asked, turning to face her.

"Of course!" Leah shouted. Her vision flashed back to her body lying motionless on that table. "What's happened there that's so important you needed to return?"

"Nothing," Jared said dismissively. "I don't have any other way of finding out what's going on, that's all."

"Well, what is going on, then?" Leah asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow. "Any progress in destroying the whole world plan?"

Jared shot her a glare. "Can you lay off? Why are you trying to start a fight?"

"I'm not trying to start a fight. It's a simple question."

"No, it's not," Jared growled.

"Why not?"

Jared ran a hand through his hair, his muscles tense. "It just isn't, Leah."

"Why?" she pushed.

"Because you know I can't tell you!" Jared exploded suddenly, flinging his hands up into the air. "Is that what you want to hear?"

The look he levelled on her then made her insides shatter. She could see the helplessness and frustration under its surface, hidden in the cracks. It was the same look he'd had when he shot Matt; like he didn't have any choice in the matter, like the decision was being forced on him.

Leah looked away, biting down on her lip.

"Can I ask you something, Jared?" she asked.

He stilled, watching her warily.

"What's are you going to do when I get back to the live world?"

Jared blinked, surprise flicking across his face. "What?"

"You said someone must've sent me down here," Leah said, eyeing him carefully. "And you didn't know who it was. So how are you going to find me when I get back? I presume I'm going to return to wherever my body is?"

Jared stared at her for a moment, his gaze unreadable. "Why are you asking me this?"

Leah just watched him, waiting for an answer.

Jared's jaw clenched and he squeezed the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath.

"I don't know," he said finally. "I'll have to track you down or something. I hadn't thought that far ahead."

Leah cocked her head to the side, her gaze hard. "So, you have no idea where my body might be?"

His eyes met hers for a second before darting away, but that second had given her more information than she knew he wanted to convey.

"No," he said softly, unable to meet her eyes. "I don't. I told you that before."

Leah straightened and turned away, moving back to her makeshift bed before lowering herself into it.

"I'm tired," she said softly. "Do you mind if I sleep for a little longer?"

Jared shifted, as if to come towards her, but then stopped, hovering awkwardly. "Yeah, of course."

Leah shot him one last look before rolling to face away from him.

She didn't want to feel his eyes on her. Not right then. It'd just make it harder to figure out when to kill him.