Page 39 of Fight for Us

‘I don’t know,’ he says after a moment. ‘I don’t remember.’

Theo looks frustrated at this and the muscles in his jaw pop, but he doesn’t make any further comments about it.

‘What about you? What’s your family like? The witches?’

‘Kayleigh is my adoptive sister, she’s the one I speak to the most. We were always close when I was growing up. It felt like she was the only one who ever made an effort. There’s Terrance, who acts as sort of a “father-figure” to most of us. He isn’t around a lot but when he is, he always has orders and demands about things. He lost his wife to …’ I trail off, eyes flicking toward Theo. ‘A vampire. He’s basically made it his life’s mission to kill every one of them since it happened. So has Velistra, my adoptive aunty and the coven’s head honcho. Her wife was murdered by a vampire too. They were already swept up in the war, this just escalated things. I loved Sofia,’ I sigh wistfully. ‘That was Velistra’s wife. I don’t know what happened exactly.’

Theo’s brows furrow together, almost as though he’s close to catching a memory, but then he exhales, as if it slipped just out of reach. At least that’s how it feels when I try to think back to things in my past. It all bleeds together in a weird montage of memories and I don’t know if they are real or fake.

‘Marlene is an older witch who has been my trainer for the past couple of years. She prepared me for when I come face to face with a vampire. Then there are the guys.’ A lump forms in my throat at the thought of Jace. We didn’t have a very stable relationship by any means, but he was still someone to me, and I witnessed him being murdered in cold blood. I clear my throat. ‘Well, I guess they’re not around anymore.’

There’s a heavy silence and then Theo’s hand moves to my thigh. Awareness crackles down my spine at his touch. My eyes trace over his big hand. Tanned, like he used to spend too much time in the sun before he turned, but his skin is now smooth. Inhumanly so.

We’ve been driving for hours. The road’s thinned out, and there’s nothing but long grass and fence lines now. I lean my head against the window and watch the world pass, still feeling lost and confused about everything that has happened.

‘You said you and your sister are close?’ he asks.

‘Mmhmm,’ I nod. ‘She has a very nurturing side to her.’

‘That must have been nice.’

‘Yeah. She used to run her fingers through my hair and make up stories to tell me so I could fall asleep.’

‘That’s sweet.’

‘She used to say my eyes were the colour of the centre of a wildflower.’ I smile.

Theo glances at me. ‘What, like purple?’

‘No, the same dark brown as … what did she call them …’

I close my eyes, trying to hear it like I used to, when I was little and half asleep. ‘Karri-bells.’

Theo straightens, glancing at me once more. ‘Karri-bells?’ he repeats, and there’s something in his voice that has me half-turning to face him.

‘Yeah. She said they are little brown flowers, always hard to find, hidden by all the other flowers.’

He doesn’t respond straight away. Just tightens his grip on the wheel and flicks the indicator on. We turn off the main road, dust curling up behind us.

‘What’s happening?’ I ask, confused at the sudden turn.

‘I’ve heard of them before. They only grow around Karri forests. There is one north-west of here. They’re only small and are super rare. They only come out for a few weeks in spring. There’s only, like, three of these forests in the country.’

My heart lurches, like it’s trying to remember before my head can.

‘How do you know about them?’

Theo does that frustrated groan again. ‘I don’t know. I’ve travelled through one before, though, with someone I can’t remember, but I’m positive it has to be close to where you’re from. They’re too rare.’

‘You think that’s where I’m from?’ I ask.

He nods, eyes forward. ‘I only know of the forest area, but I reckon it’s the best lead we’ve got. This memory makes me feel like there might be something there for me too, if I can remember it.’

And just like that, the trip has a direction.

11

THE STALKER