Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 43

The Sahara desert was as blistering as Kami had been warned. A warm breeze whipped up the sand ahead. She dug a sneaker into the dry, gritty sand that stretched on for miles and miles in every direction, broken up only by the occasional patch of hardy shrubs. Haji had said sometimes it didn't rain here for years. The desert appeared to be devoid of animal life, though she'd been told there were animals that slithered and slunk in the open during cooler parts of the day.

It was into this oblivion that they were going, risking their lives. But it's not like they had a choice. They couldn't live with themselves if they left Neina at the mercy of her captors, especially when they knew what they were capable of doing to her. She thought of Ibrahim's dead body and shuddered.

Liam tucked a water bottle in the side pocket of her red backpack and a laser saber in the other pocket. They each had one, though with any luck, she'd never have to use it.

"Ready for this?" he asked as he placed it over her shoulder, his fingers lingering longer than was necessary.

"I guess," she shrugged. "Neina's counting on us." She peeked over at Gedo. His sharp eyes missed nothing.

"Don't look now, but I think the dragon's about to breathe fire," Kami said under her breath. Liam grinned.

"I miss the old days when I could flirt with you in peace," Liam whispered in her ear.

"Old days? I haven't even been here a week."

"Crazy. It feels like I've known you forever."

"I know." 

They'd spent the previous day assembling the laser sabers and plotting their course. There had been no time for personal talk, just an overwhelming pressure to complete the work on time. She hoped she and Liam would have plenty of time to chat on the way. The other night at the police station they had been edging toward something that seemed promising. She wanted to bring it all into focus, to nail down the hazy possibilities into something more concrete.

Kami wanted to talk about it, but at the same time, part of her wished things could remain light and flirty and vague. Even if Liam seemed worth it, which he did, she wasn't sure if she wanted to get serious with a boy anytime soon. With Vance she hadn't considered any of this. In her naivety, it had only been exciting, at first anyway. But people change. Vance had changed. Who was to say that Liam wouldn't change his mind once she got her heart involved? She wasn't sure she could trust Liam. She could feel the panic rising. Maybe this was a clear indication she wasn't ready.

"Hey," Liam said, snapping in front of her eyes. "Anyone home?"

"Hey," she said, trying to chase the worrying thoughts from her mind. She was blowing this all out of proportion. She looked into Liam's face. She wasn't sure she could trust him with her heart, but she felt like she could trust him with her life. That was saying something. He was risking so much for her grandmother.

"You don't have to do this, you know?" Kami said. "I have Gedo now, and Samuel and Chris and Yasmin. You and Haji don't need to protect me anymore. I'm sure you have responsibilities you need to get back to."

Liam looked into the distance and scratched his chest, then flashed her a devastating grin.

"I need to come," he said simply. "I would be worried the entire time if I didn't. I have to know I did everything I could."

"Why?" Kami asked.

"Do you need to ask?" he replied. "Really?"

She flushed and looked down. 

"So I just realized you still owe me," he said, smoothly changing the subject.

"What?"

"An answer, remember? The one you promised when I scored those scarves for a killer price."

Kami had totally forgotten.

"Oh right. What did you want to know?" she asked curiously.

Liam paused, as if he wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what her reaction might be.

"C'mon Liam. Spit it out."

"Fine," he said, peeking at her sideways. "Who hurt you?"

"I don't know what you mean," she said, confused.

"You keep shutting down or changing the subject every time I talk about something personal. People don't just do that for no reason. So what gives? Who hurt you?"

Kami didn't know how to answer him. What was she supposed to say? There had been plenty of pain from a number of people over the years. Her father, although dying hadn't been his fault. Her mother. Vance. Others. There are some kinds of pain that you buried deep on purpose. It was too difficult to dredge them up and examine them. You pretended they didn't exist, that they never happened.

His voice was gentle and kind. Maybe he would understand, but she hadn't realized when she'd agreed to answer a question, she'd agreed to bare her soul. This was asking too much.

"I—" Kami's voice cracked.

Before she could finish, Gedo's booming voice interrupted.

"Kamilah, I wish to have a word with you," he said.

"The dragon summons," Liam muttered.

Kami didn't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed. She didn't really want to answer him, but she wanted to know so badly what they were becoming. However, she couldn't ignore Gedo without being rude.

She walked over to her grandfather.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You will ride with me."

Kami gritted her teeth and slid into the backseat of Samuel's jeep. Samuel was at the wheel and Chris was in shotgun.

"Yasmin," Gedo said. "Ride with us."

"That's okay, Gedo. You are already full. I'd rather ride with the boys."

Gedo glowered, but there was little he could do about it as Yasmin hopped into the SUV with Liam and Haji. Realizing her mistake and knowing she'd rather be with her friends, Kami spoke quickly.

"Maybe I should just ride with them to keep Yasmin company," she said.

"You will stay," Gedo said. "I want to get to know my granddaughter."

Sighing, Kami buckled up.

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The dedication for this chapter goes to a Facebook friend and huge supporter of Born of Shadow @MelissaNewberry! I have so appreciated her consistent reading and words of encouragement along the way. Thanks Melissa!