Come to think of it, I mused, Mikey had told Dante who I was. There’d been no indication Mikey had revealed Starry Knight’s true identity.
Only a handful of people knew Raiya and I were dating—including Mikey and Cheryl. But—but—it was possible that she could get out of this without revealing herself to SWORD.
“Fine,” Raiya said, interrupting my thoughts.
“No, it’s not,” I said, jumping up. SWORD already knew who I was. Or at least, Dante did. There was no way to be sure of everything, including if they knew Raiya and I were together, but if there was a chance I could save her from being entangled in their operations, I had to take it.
Cheryl instantly rebounded on me. “Starry Knight is here because she agreed to surrender,” she said. “In exchange, we have agreed that you will not be harmed.”
“I won’t have her harmed in my place,” I objected.
“No one said anything about harming people,” Cheryl insisted. “This is a matter of breaking the law.”
“We haven’t broken any laws,” I argued. “And I would know that better than anyone. Even you, Cheryl … or should I saw ‘Mom?’”
“Hamilton, you’re supposed to call me … ”
That was the moment when I should’ve had the camera ready. Once more, the opportunity passed and I was unable to take it. My mother, always precise and proper, slumped over as her mouth dropped open.
Cheryl sank into silence, before she looked over at Dante, who nodded.
“I see … ” she murmured. She turned her attention down to her phone, where she fiddled with it long enough to convince me she was struggling to find a way to respond, and short enough to convince me she was at a loss.
Probably for the first time in years, she was at a loss.
I took Raiya’s hand, lacing my fingers through hers. I was desperately hoping that Cheryl would get the message and not reveal Raiya as Starry Knight.
Secrets upon secrets, I thought with a silent groan.
“I know that you promised someone once,” I said, “that if there was a time when you were able to help, you would give it.”
“What are you … ?” Cheryl’s voice trailed off as I tugged harder on Raiya’s hand. She glanced from me to Raiya, and then back again. From her expression, I knew my plan was working; I knew she was thinking of her promise to Raiya.
She was picturing that moment in the hospital, at Adam’s birth, when, after nearly losing him, he was handed back to her, his health restored thanks to Raiya’s blood donation. Her emotions all corresponded to such an event; desperation, panic, the most primal sort of terror, and helplessness—all of this, before the innocent pure euphoria of something deeper than relief.
As desperate as she had once been, I found myself now.
“If you need more proof,” I said quietly, “I can transform back into my normal self.”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Cheryl replied instantly. I think she was afraid to face the truth.
I tried to smile for her. “This should explain some of my missed curfews better,” I said.
“Dante,” Cheryl snapped. “Leave us.”
His eyebrows raised in surprised. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes. Leave.”
Dante’s lips tightened, but he followed orders.
The instant the door shut behind him, Cheryl stood up. “I knew you were dangerous,” she said, snapping at Raiya.
“Anyone who manages to get you to owe them a favor is dangerous.” I snorted. I pushed myself out in front of Raiya, protecting her from my mother’s wrath.
Non-ironically, Cheryl’s expression did remind me of Taygetay at the moment, as she fumed in pacing steps around the room.
“How could you do this?” she asked, turning her attention to me. “All this, and you attacked your father and brother in the hospital a few weeks ago?”
“Some of the reports were greatly exaggerated,” I said. “You can talk to Mark about it later.”
“Mrs. Dinger,” Raiya spoke up. “I’m going to ask—”
“No!” Cheryl interrupted. “Don’t say it. Don’t ask that of me.”
Raiya frowned. “Your son’s future is on the line,” she pointed out. “There is no cause on which we should agree more.”
“My son has lied to me,” Cheryl argued. “And he’s been breaking the rules by seeing you.”
“I offered to trade myself in for him,” Raiya reminded her, “and I would like to make good on—”
“Hey, stop right there,” I interrupted. “You’re not doing that for me.”
I stepped in front of her. “If you don’t drop the case against her, I’ll go public. I’ll humiliate the family name, and I’ll lose out on going to college and the presidency and every other good thing you’ve ever thought I would achieve.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Cheryl grumbled.
“No, you’re wrong. I know exactly what I’m saying,” I said. I turned to Raiya, who had a surprised look on her face. I gripped her hand again.
Raiya’s resolve came back at my determination. “I’m sure if anyone can find a way to throw out this case, it’s you, Mrs. Dinger.”
Yes! I cheered to myself. Raiya was no longer protecting me; she was fighting for us.
“Adam’s life is more than worth it,” I added quietly.
“I was under a lot of stress when I made that promise,” Cheryl muttered.
“Come on, Mom, seriously?” I frowned at her. “That excuse hardly gives you grounds to dismiss it.”
“I also promised to uphold my duty the day I was given the job of District Attorney,” Cheryl shot back. “Don’t you dare lecture me on duty, Hamilton.”
Raiya tightened her hold on me before I could respond, silently letting me know to wait it out. In the end, I think her way was better. As silent moments passed, Cheryl only became more agitated.
At last, Cheryl spoke. “Fine.” She shook her head and sat down, placing her hand on her head in frustration. “Fine.”
She picked up her phone again. This time, she punched in a number and waited for a response.
It came. “Hello? Carly? I need you to cancel my press conference and reschedule it for tomorrow morning.”
She paused while the girl on the other end seemed to ask questions, and I exchanged glances with Raiya.
Cheryl really can be incredulous sometimes. I can’t believe she actually booked a press conference!
“Yes, yes, they got away,” Cheryl said, her teeth gritted together. Her voice was strained and her eyes were hard as she looked over at us. “Yes, I know the statute of limitations is up as of midnight tonight.”
A moment later, she barked, “I can’t do anything else about it. We’ll have to spin it to make it look like the assistant mayor’s fault, or something to that effect … ”
I watched as she turned away and began pacing on the far side of the room.
“Geez,” I muttered. “That’s my mother for you,” I whispered to Raiya.
“You didn’t have to do that for me,” she whispered back. “I could have made a deal with her to take away your charges.”
“I know Cheryl is upset,” I replied, “but she’ll get over it. This is the first case in a while that’s given her national coverage. When she calms down, she’ll realize it was a pipe dream to begin with.”
“Still—”
“Still nothing.” I brought her hand up to my cheek. “We’re in this together, right?”
Raiya smiled. “Yes, we are.”
There was nothing in that moment that I wanted to do more than kiss her. But, given my mother was already unhappy, I decided to hold off for the moment.
“That reminds me,” Raiya said. “I should probably go signal Elysian.”
“What’s he doing?”
“He’s the one who managed to hold off a lot of the SWORD agents, or Otherworld officers,” Raiya explained. “He’s still out there, keeping the place at a standstill.”
“Oh, good,
” I said. “I’m surprised he’s not in here. He would’ve liked the chance to see me squirm.”
“He might’ve liked it, but that wasn’t going to happen while I was around,” Raiya assured me. “Elysian knows that.”
“Technically, one never knows when it comes to Cheryl,” I said, gesturing back toward my angry mother.
I turned back just in time to see her hang up the phone. She gripped it hard; even in the low lighting, I could see her knuckles turning white.
“There,” she said, facing us. “It’s done. As of midnight tonight, you’re free.”
“Thank you,” Raiya replied.
“Don’t thank me,” Cheryl scoffed. “But we’re even now. I don’t want to hear I owe you anything ever again.”
“Done.”
Cheryl turned to me. “And you … you! I can’t believe it. My own son has turned against me.”
“I’m not against you,” I said. “I’ve never been against you.”
“Really?” Cheryl turned and narrowed her eyes at Raiya. “I can think of a few good examples.”
“If you keep that up,” I said, “you’re going to make me change my mind.”
Softening my expression, I came up to her. “You are my mother,” I said. “You know me. You know we have our shortcomings and our spats, but I wouldn’t try to hurt you more than staying out and breaking curfew to spite you.”
Cheryl shook her head. “That’s enough,” she said. “Your father and I will discuss this later.”
I decided not to tell her that he knew the truth, too. That was something she should hear from Mark himself, I knew.
Cheryl brushed past me, ignoring Raiya completely as she opened the door and walked out.
I saw Dante’s shadow move in on her, and felt his confusion as he realized the truth of what happened.
Well, more or less the truth. He didn’t need to know the exact details of the truth. I knew I could count on Cheryl to keep quiet, too—if she was the one person who could’ve broken Mikey, she was also the one person who wouldn’t be broken.
Speaking of Mikey …
I turned back to Raiya. “Let’s go,” I said.
“Where?” I asked.
“We need to find Mikey,” I said. “I was captured because I saw him walking here.”
“He brought you to them?”
“Yes,” I admitted, feeling stupid about it now. “He told me that he revealed to Dante who I was—”
“So they do know for sure who you are?” Raiya asked. The worried tone of her voice made me falter slightly.
“It doesn’t matter,” I insisted, hoping that was the truth. “They don’t know about you, or that we’re dating.” I hope.
“I’m not worried for me,” Raiya told me. “I can fight off SWORD.”
I thought about what Martha had said, about how we were up against a cunning opponent when it came to SWORD. “I don’t think that will matter so much,” I said, “especially if we can get to Mikey.”
“But he was the one who told them about us.”
“Exactly,” I said. “They failed to get us to court. He just turned us in, and now we’re free. He’s going to have to find some way to be cooperative.”
“I see what you mean,” Raiya said, “even if I don’t agree with your conclusions.”
“About which part?” I asked. “The part where we can get Mikey to cooperate, or the part where it doesn’t matter if SWORD knows who I am?”
“Both.” She sighed. “But if he’s here, we should get him. Come on, Elysian is waiting for us, too.”
“Wait.” I took her arm and drew her close to me.
All the worry in the world would wait while I kissed her. The instant her soft lips were pressed against mine, everything seemed to right itself. I was caught up in an everlasting moment, a moment where time had no measure, beauty had no end, and truth had no competition. I felt her pleasure, and knew it as my own as it radiated between us.
The world could be falling apart, I thought, and as long as I had her beside me, I would welcome it.
I drew back from her reluctantly, the taste of her still tingling on my lips. “There,” I said, tugging her toward the door. “Now we can go.”
☼8☼
Friends and Family
Finding Mikey—or rather, not finding Mikey—quickly made me worried.
I was briefly able to remember he’d been tasered along with me, and I feared for him once Raiya, Elysian, and I were all able to escape the Time Tower and we weren’t able to find him.
A large part of me was still upset about his betrayal, and another part of me, a very, very, very small part, said that Draco was most likely behind it.
And that was the part that made me worry.
Draco vowed before he would frustrate us as we attempted to stop him. While Mikey should’ve known better, and I should’ve told him about Grandpa Odd’s true identity, and I should’ve tried harder to visit him in the hospital …
You know what? I’m going to stop that train of thought right there.
After hours of searching, I stared up at the sky as I was standing on the edge of the boardwalk by Lake Erie. My wings drifted softly along with the light, springtime breeze.
Even from where I was standing, I could see the Time Tower, like a great white sword, sticking up from the ground, piercing the bodies and souls of mankind as easily as it stabbed the city cloud cover.
Raiya landed beside me on the docks of the marina. “He’s not over at the observatory,” she said.
Elysian came up to us a moment later, his tail whipping through the wind. “No luck in the downtown area by the college,” he reported.
“It’s entirely possible he’s moving around,” Raiya reminded us. She clenched her hands into fists. “It’s times like this when I miss Aleia.”
“Not that you don’t miss her anyway,” I said.
Raiya nodded. “You’re right. It was very nice to see her down here.”
Elysian shuffled his claw against the wooden landing. “It’s getting late,” he said. “We’re not going to find him while you two have a pity party.”
“First of all,” I said, “if we were having any kind of party, we wouldn’t be inviting you. Second, we’re doing about all we can right now.”
“Did you try calling him?” Raiya asked, while Elysian stuck his long tongue out at me.
“Yes,” I said. I held up my phone. “He hasn’t answered his phone in weeks though. I wondered if his mom stopped paying on it.”
“Well, we’ve searched through all of the likely places in the city,” Raiya said. She counted off her fingers as she listed them. “We checked his house, the school, the marina, the college, some hotels, and Rachel’s.”
“Do you think he was still in the Time Tower when we left?” I asked.
We all looked at each other, and we all knew what we were thinking: No one really wanted to go back there. Not tonight, anyway.
“Well, I have school tomorrow,” I said. “I’d better get back. Cheryl’s got more reasons now than ever to chide me for slipping up.”
“Be careful,” Raiya said. “I know she’s your mother, but I don’t want you to let your guard down.”
“I won’t.” I turned to Elysian. “I’ve got backup, besides.”
She smiled, and then reached over and pet Elysian on the head. “That’s true. I do count on you to take care of him, Elysian.”
Elysian puffed. “Someone’s got to do it.”
“Yeah,” I said, “and I do it just fine, thank you very much.”
Raiya gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good night,” she said. “I’ll be working the early shift tomorrow at Rachel’s if you come by in the morning.”
“What do you mean, ‘if?’” I asked, playfully twirling a lock of her hair in my fingers.
“You didn’t come this morning. Well, yesterday morning, but this time.”
“Because I was apparently kidnapped.”
“That’s why I got wo
rried,” she said.
“Elysian was with me. Why didn’t he tell you where I was?”
“They managed to hold me down for a bit,” Elysian admitted. “And when I got free, I ran into Draco.”
“You did?” Raiya and I turned on him at the same time.
“Yes.” Elysian shrugged, sending a ripple down his long body. “He was close by, enjoying the scene.”
“Did he see you? Did you talk to him?” Raiya asked.
“Yes, to both questions,” Elysian grumbled. He raised his left wing. “And more, too.”
“Ugh.” I nearly puked at the sight of the wound under his wing. There was a purplish-green x-shaped gash, bubbling over with a thin layer of translucent scales.
“Are you alright?” Raiya rushed forward, but Elysian reared back.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t. Dragon’s blood is powerful; it could hurt you.”
“It’s me,” Raiya said. “I don’t have healing powers for nothing.”
“Nothing’s all that you’re going to be able to do for me,” he snapped. “You’re a Star, and a Starlight Warrior, a defender of the earth. I’m not part of that world.”
“But you’re part of ours,” Raiya insisted.
For a moment, Elysian’s eyes glazed over. He finally shook his head. “No,” he said. “No, I’m not.”
He shuffled his tail and turned, clearly hurting Raiya.
Before he could go, I said, “Don’t worry about it, Starry Knight. He always thought he was better than us.”
Elysian flicked his tail back at me, sending me flying into the water of the marina.
I grappled with the water, surprised to see my wings still on fire, even as I pushed myself back to the other side of the water.
When I resurfaced, it was just in time to see Elysian as he took off.
Raiya reached down and grabbed me. “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling on my hand as she dragged me back from the chill of the night waters.
“I’m fine,” I told her, spitting out my disgust as well as some of the lake water.
“You didn’t have to insult him, you know,” Raiya told me as she finished freeing me from the lake. “My feelings can take a hit.”
“He was hurting me, too,” I said. “And while he spoke the truth, I did, too.”