Lightning Bringer: (Lighting Seeker Book 2)

Stories and Sky

Vale held her breath, knowing that what she was about to hear would change everything. The way Dash clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white told her to brace herself. His gaze grew distant as he spoke. "Even though Sky and I are cousins, our upbringing couldn't have been more different..." He blinked, and stood up, his hands opening and closing several times, looking for something to do.

Dash opened his suit jacket and reached inside, pulling out a pair of tweezers. He motioned for Vale to sit on the bench and turn around. Vale stayed still, looking up at him with irritation. Dash sighed, his voice hard. "I can't have you looking at me when I tell this. Humor me and let me work okay?"

Vale, who had never seen Dash so unnerved, nodded mutely and move to the bench, her back to him. He began to inspect the damage of her fight in the ballroom, sending the room into silence. The neon lights flickered above them, casting long glittering brushstrokes across the room. The sound of Mortem and Sparrow's argument was muted behind the large steel door.

The cream colored dress had offered little protection across her upper back. Another reason why a dress is a terrible thing to wear in a fight, Vale thought. Dash gently pushed her long black hair over one shoulder, his fingers accidentally brushing against her skin. Vale ignored the strange feeling that entered her chest, killing it before she would have to add it to the items she needed to process.

Dash began to work on removing the pieces of glass that had embedded themselves into her skin as he continued to talk. "My family has been a part of the rebellion since before I was born. My father and mother met at an underground tech expo. Learning what kind of materials they could use to help save human life." He paused, hesitating. His next words sounded forced, almost like it took effort to get himself to talk about it.

"My mother had never been to an underground tech expo before. She stumbled into it after running away from a life she didn't believe in and was severely injured when my father found her at the expo, hiding in a corner. She hadn't realized that she had made her way into a black market until she woke up to find my father finishing up on her wounds. She didn't know human doctors even existed."

Vale heard Dash drop the tweezers on a small table against the opposite wall and felt a sharp sting across her back as he sanitized her wounds. "My father had no idea where she came from but she took to the life of a rebel pretty quickly. She was a natural with tech, making beautiful pieces that helped enhance my father's work and others lives. They were a good match."

Vale noticed Dash's use of the past tense and felt her breath catch. She had known his dad was missing, but wasn't sure where his mom was, and the way his voice fell broke her. The despair that trickled through his words made it impossible to sit still. Vale turned, aware that Dash was going to chastise her for moving while he was trying to work on her back. She stared at him, waiting for him to look up at her.

He stared down at the ground for a long moment, his green eyes hard. Then he slowly lifted his eyes up to hers, uncertain and so full of raw vulnerability that Vale took his hands in hers, wanting to lend him any comfort she could. "I'm sorry Dash," she whispered, not trusting herself to speak the words any louder, afraid that it would shatter him. He looked down at their hands and swallowed.

After a long pause, he spoke again, pulling his warm gentle hands from hers. "I was lucky to have the time I did with them. Especially considering that the life they chose is a dangerous one." Dash chanced a look up at Vale as he put the wipes away and picked up several bandages. "We don't get the people we love long."

He motioned for Vale to turn around again. "You're lucky your cuts are shallow." His hands began to apply the material across Vale's back with careful precision. "And you are lucky I don't charge you for my work." She could hear his lips quirk up into a smile behind her. "I'd be very well off if I did."