Wings and Shadowthief by May Sage
Urbs Aeterna
4th of April 2158
Gwen’s choice of clothing was highly distracting.
Jack had been preoccupied for most of the day, after waking up completely pissed at Tris—and that other guy.
Hunter. It called itself Hunter.
Tris had been right to force the issue, he could see that now. It didn’t mean that he had to like it.
Having finally gotten a glimpse of his shadowthief, Jack started to understand it. That thing wasn’t thoughtlessly violent, or truly dangerous for that matter. It was Jack, stripped of all but his basest needs, his simpler impulses.
And that made him smarter. Stronger.
Handsomer, too.
Jack grunted, pissed to hear the thief’s voice in his mind for the third time that day. The wall between them was crumbling.
A concern he couldn’t focus on right now.
Damn.
Hunter had to stop talking, or Jack was going to punch himself. But "damn" was right. Gwen was wearing tight leather pants and a high-necked duster flowing to her ankles.
“You look amazing.” He offered her a hand to help her in Seth’s jet.
She grinned, surprising him by taking it. “Tris’s old wardrobe is what’s amazing.”
He’d never seen his cousin wear any of those clothes, but he sure was glad Tris had passed them along.
He glanced back at his cousin, already settled on one of the comfortable cream leather seats at the back of the plane. Tris winked at him, knowing exactly what monster he’d unleashed.
Everyone else was already present, save for the man of the hour, Seth, who was fashionably late. Cat and Bash, Mikar, without Diana, who was remaining behind as part of Chloe’s guard—mostly because she was too recognizable—Tris, Alexius and Avani. Alexius, stuck in Oldcrest for the best part of the last thousand years, couldn’t be recognized on sight by just about anyone. He’d also dyed his hair black for the occasion. Jack had considered coloring his, but settled on cutting it much shorter and wearing a charm changing the color of his eyes to a dull brown. Blair had wanted to join them, at first, but Seth only needed to mention Velvet to talk her out of it.
“Have you ever been to Italy?” he asked Gwen, to fill the silence and also simply because he wanted to know more about her.
“I lived there for a time.”
“Oh, whereabout?”
“A small town in the south, close to the mountain. Plati.” She shrugged. “Nothing special, but it was close to a river, so we could practice our magic.”
It wasn’t unusual for witches to prefer smaller towns and keep to themselves. Yet he couldn’t imagine Gwen there, as if in hiding.
Seth stepped inside before he had a chance to say another world, carrying two full trays of coffee.
“Starbucks, anyone?”
Gwen laughed. “I can’t remember why I didn’t like that guy.” She greedily accepted the cup.
“I’ll make a mental note: apologize with coffee, next time.”
“Do you plan to do anything that’ll require an apology?” Gwen countered.
“Not if I can help it, but a wise man plans ahead.”
Seth’s staff started the plane, taking off over the Highland countryside.
Gwen stiffened on her seat as the plane lifted, closing her eyes and letting herself sink into the cushy seats.
“You don’t like flying?” he guessed.
“Just don’t remind me it’s safer than driving. I’m aware. I’m still not fond of the idea of being stuck in a tube of metal.”
“Me neither.”
She opened one eye, shooting him a skeptical look. “Isn’t the sky, like, your domain?”
“Sure, but I'd much rather be in charge. Or as much in charge as the wings ever let me be, in any case.”
Now she opened her other eye and turned to him, distracted from her fears. “Your wings?”
“They have a will of their own.” At least he’d thought so before. Now he amended his statement. “Or perhaps the other part of me drives them.”
“The part I don’t like much.”
Jack could feel Hunter’s interest pique; his other self stirred, annoyed and frustrated.
“It likes you. He,” Jack corrected. “He likes to call himself Hunter.”
She chuckled. “You know how insane you sound, right?”
Funny, when he hadn’t felt quite so lucid in a long time.
“Well, tell Hunter he’s on my shit list.”
“I think he wanted to talk to you. That night, you know. I get some flashes, some memories. I think I—he—left your room to take a phone call. Then I woke up. I had no clue what happened, or I would have been right back.” He stared into her eyes as he said so, needing her to believe this.
Gwen looked away, uncomfortable.
He wasn’t about to push. Besides, neither of them needed the distraction. In a few hours, they’d be on a mission.
He asked her about her taste in music to keep the conversation light. Gwen was unfortunately into pop. No wonder she and Tris got along. But somehow, surprisingly, they shared some of the same favorite books and movies.
One layer after the other, he was getting to know her—and more importantly, she was letting him.
They landed in Rome in the later afternoon, where a driver was waiting for them.
“I can’t believe we’re in Rome and we’re not visiting,” Avani grumbled to Alexius. They were the last ones to enter the back of the limo.
“We’ll come back.” The ancient kissed his mate’s temple.
The driver closed the door behind them and returned to his seat. “Where to, sir?”
“The jetty, if you please. I have a mind to take the yacht.”
“Certainly.” The driver closed a screen separating the passenger car from the front and smoothly drove the enormous vehicle through the busy streets of the Eternal City.
Gwen looked out the window, taking in the tall antique buildings. “You’re a virgin to our fair city,” Seth gleaned. “I’ll have to make sure to give you a tour on our way back.”
Jack shot the other demigod a warning glance. Seth didn’t get to use that smooth, flirty tone with Gwen.
“Right. If we’re in the mood for tourism on our way back,” she shot back in a half-whisper.
Jack didn’t want to get into it, with a driver no doubt possessing supernatural hearing in the next compartment, but it was obvious that Gwen was stressed about their upcoming night.
He did the one thing he could think of: slid his hand over hers and held on to it.
And she let him.