Night Watch

“Again! Again!”

Darah Lawlis eyed Alicia Monroe, her captive audience, for the past thirty minutes. The five-year-old’s eyes sparkled, and her large lips held a wicked smirk that promised her thoughts weren’t nobly productive.

“Are you trying it after me, or are you just enjoying the show?”

“Both?”

Darah chuckled and picked up the deck of cards from the borrowed table they sat at. Her deft hands shuffled the cards, but slower than she would have had she been preparing to play a game.

Alicia watched the cards with the same attention she gave Disney’s Hercules, though she didn’t marvel at Darah’s skill. No, she was looking for the moment Darah switched out the current deck for the ‘cold’ deck she had waiting in the front pocket of her oversized hoodie.

Three solid, silent minutes passed, and in that time, Alicia’s raptness faltered. Irritation nibbled at her focus, and it wouldn’t be much longer before impatience had her whining.

When the kid was at her breaking point, Darah went to make her move.

Unfortunately, Casey Rowan, Queen of Terrible Timing, entered their bedroom. “I should have known—”

“Ssh!” Alicia told her. She still focused on Darah.

Casey stopped mid-step and held up her hands. “I’m sorry.”

Alicia nodded at Darah. “Go on.”

Darah resumed shuffling the deck. She did it as fast as she could to make up for the momentum lost by Casey’s interruption.

Casey frowned. “Guys, I’m on a tight schedule tonight. I don’t have time for whatever is going on.”

Alicia didn’t miss a beat. “Then go away.”

Darah bit back a laugh. As Alicia’s unofficial guardian, she had to correct unsavory behaviors, not encourage them by snickering. The problem was that Darah found it difficult to reprimand the kid for things that she herself did. A hypocrite was the last thing Darah wanted to be.

What kind of example was that setting for Alicia?

But from the harried shadows under Casey’s massive eyes (not helped by her dark makeup), Darah knew this wasn’t a time to indulge Alicia’s surliness. Casey didn’t bother her when she was spending time with the kid unless it was necessary. Unfortunately, that had been happening more recently, much to Alicia’s growing annoyance.

Darah ended her shuffling and set the cards on the table. “No, no, let’s hear Casey out.”

Alicia grunted and threw herself back against her chair. She folded her arms across her chest in a Darah-like manner. “Fine.”

Darah gestured to Casey. “So?”

“You’re on watch tonight.”

Darah’s stomach filled with an emotion like joy but devoid of happiness. “Lisa granted me approval for the mission to Shady?”

“Yep.”

“Another mission?” Alicia demanded. “But you just returned from one.”

That morning, in fact, Darah had come back to base. She’d been gone for a week instead of three days, and the Bakugan toy Darah had brought barely soothed the kid’s wrath. And while she hadn’t promised to hang around for a long time, Darah implied she was done with running missions for a while. She couldn’t say how much she’d meant it when she spoke. She’d said it to quell the storm brewing in Alicia.

Darah despised herself for jerking the kid around like she did. It’d never been her plan, but she hadn’t expected Alicia to gravitate toward her. Especially when Alicia had a mother figure in Lynn Mille, the Wer-leopard they shared a room with. She had the patience and mental fortitude to deal with raising a kid. Plus, she was an excellent cook.

But Alicia had chosen Darah. And Darah did try. After losing her mother and sister earlier that year and her best friend moving to Vermont, Alicia was the only person Darah had left to care about.

“Well, I didn’t think Susan would go for the switch,” Darah told Alicia, not that she thought the kid would know what she was referring to.

Darah had done everything in her power to keep Alicia ignorant of what went on. To the five-year-old, not much that she did for (and against) Uprising mattered. Nor was it safe for her to have any details.

“Yeah, I guess Susan decided to go home after all.” Casey shrugged. “Her grand—”

“Good.”

Darah didn’t care about the Wer-bear’s reasoning; only that it got her what she wanted. This mission wasn’t that important, but her eagerness to please Lisa Bani, Uprising’s leader, made Darah a candidate for Lisa’s inner circle. If the rumor were true, Darah was close. There were just a handful of missions left to go.

Alicia’s furious glare didn’t leave Darah. “How long will you be gone this time?”

Darah answered with what little honesty she had left to give. “I don’t know.”

With a burst of sudden, uncontrolled energy, Alicia jumped from her chair and ran at Darah. After balling her tiny fist, she punched Darah’s shin, then left the room before either adult could blink. Her attack left no pain, or if it did, it couldn’t register past Darah’s shock.

After a moment, Casey cleared her throat. “That’s, um, familiar.”

“I don’t hit.”

“You do in training.”

Darah rolled her eyes. “That’s what Ben expects of us.”

Granted, he didn’t promote using violence to vent frustrations on her fellow Uprising members. Though he couldn’t punish her for things he didn’t know about.

“Yes, but—”

Darah had had enough of the Wer-tarantula. “Isn’t your schedule tight?”

Casey’s mouth opened, but whatever it was she wanted to say, she kept to herself. “Yeah, and you need to get ready for the night watch.”

Darah rose from her chair and placed the ‘cold’ deck next to the other one. She considered taking care of the cards, table, and chairs, but she hoped that Lynn, once she finished in the kitchen, would play with Alicia. The Wer-leopard had no gambling tricks to teach the kid, but she was a pro at Go Fish.

“Who’s with me?”

The way Casey’s lips twitched could have passed for a smile. “Jayce.”

The knot in her stomach tightened, but not with guilt like it had with Alicia’s outburst or the grim anticipation caused by Casey’s news. No, this time it was pure, bittersweet excitement.

Not that Darah paid it any mind. It meant nothing. She couldn’t allow it to.

Yet Casey couldn’t sense her turmoil. Darah spent little time around the Wer-tarantula. They were too busy to hang out. Plus, talking with people who had been close to her sister made it harder for Darah to ignore the hollowness left behind by her family’s death. She’d see Casey less if she wasn’t vital to Darah’s revenge plot.

“Good. At least he’s not insufferable.”

This time, Casey’s smirk was undeniable. “No, he’s not.”

A biting comment sat on Darah’s tongue, but the Wer-tarantula scuttled out of the room. Darah hoped Casey would stab herself in the eye when she next put on eyeliner, but she forgot about her when she left for the gymnasium. She nodded at the few people she encountered, and no one stopped her for chit-chat. Minutes later, she reached her destination.

Several bodies made use of the space. Of all the rooms in the school-turned-Uprising-base, the gymnasium was the only one in constant use. Training was mandatory, and there weren’t many activities to do now that winter had set in. Board games, reading, and movies only went so far. Sometimes, a friendly game of three-on-three basketball kept boredom from shutting down the brain.

Two Crossborns, Zelphin and Larwoon, held themselves apart from the others, jumping rope in the corner. It was the single activity all five Crossborns liked most, and they’d do it for hours if left to themselves. Their uncomfortably thin bodies looked more otherworldly when jumping. Was that the main reason they did it? Though they were a part of Uprising, the Crossborns made no genuine effort to fit in.

Four of them were pleasant and didn’t intentionally make anyone uneasy. Larwoon, though, couldn’t give any less of a fuck. He never failed to let Darah know what he thought of her, even without words.

Walking over to the doors that led outside, a chill ran up Darah’s spine. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Larwoon’s eyes on her. She flashed him the most obnoxious smile and waved so hard her wrist hurt. His gaze narrowed.

Zelphin giggled, and Larwoon stopped jumping to hiss something at her. Darah would have moved closer to hear what he said, but she’d already wasted too much time with Casey. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late.

With one last look over her shoulder at Larwoon, Darah slipped outside.

As if it’d been waiting for her, the cold winter night draped over her, its embrace bitter. The deafening silence of the season pressed on her, making her thoughts much louder. Darah rubbed her hands together and muttered under her breath as she made her way over to the farthest corner of the square building. Never could she understand how anyone could prefer this time of year to any other.

Darah considered Changing. In her Wer form, she wouldn’t feel the chill, and she’d be excused from talking to Jayce.

However, unless Lisa allowed it, walking around in Wer form was forbidden. The likelihood strangers would stumble upon Uprising’s base was slim, but not impossible. If humans started mentioning the monsters they saw, it wouldn’t be long before the Orions were notified. Annihilation would soon follow.

“Hey, give me a jacket,” Darah said once she reached the trio who waited for her.

All three turned to her. The lone man, Jayce Wheddon, looked the happiest to see her. The other two, Monica Lister and Angela Garcia, a Wer-fox and human, respectively, appeared ready to go inside.

Monica slid out of the communal jacket that she wore as Angela finished filling them in on all the non-events that had occurred during their shift. When done, Angela gave Jayce the holster and gun she carried, and Monica wished them well.

Then they were gone.

Darah was alone with Jayce.

A forest surrounded much of the land that came with the old school. Jayce jerked his head in that direction. Those on night watch were expected to patrol along the forest’s edge every two hours. Though not required, it was easier to start there.

Darah nodded, and they started for their destination. She walked faster than her normal pace, and, as she’d hoped, his steps matched hers. What didn’t happen, though, was the speed distracting him from conversation.

“How’s your night been?”

Darah stuffed her hands into the jacket’s pockets and pretended as if her heart didn’t skip at the unexpected roughness of his voice. “It’s not the worst of my life, but it’s in the ballpark.”

“Because of the… usual?”

Of the few people she spoke to often, Jayce was the one she’d opened up to the most. It was difficult not to when he’d stopped her suicidal notions from manifesting results back in September. Only her best friend, Walker, had ever seen her completely distraught, and that hadn’t been as severe as what Jayce experienced.

Besides Lynn, he was the only one aware of the depths of dysfunction in Darah’s and Alicia’s relationship. He was the only one who knew how much Darah hated herself for what she put the kid through.

“Yeah. I’m, uh, going out on another mission.”

There was a long pause. The crunching sound their feet made on the hardened snow made Darah’s tongue itch. She ran her top teeth along it, to no avail.

“But you just finished a mission,” Jayce said as they reached the forest line, and they began their slower progression.

“I’m in a better mental state when I’m being productive.”

“There’s a lot you can do here.”

That was true, but nothing she could do would get her closer to her goal. Lisa appreciated all that anyone did for Uprising, but the activities at base weren’t as impressive as the ones away from it.

“What if the stuff here’s too boring?”

“I’d think you’ve had enough exciting stuff happen to you to satiate that need.”

“There’s a certain high that comes from watching your loved ones die you can’t help but chase once you’ve had a taste.”

Jayce pushed past Darah so he could stop in front of her. His eyes were sharp slits. “Do you plan on being an asshole the whole night?”

Darah paused before him. “I’ll do what I want. It’s a free country. Even freer for us since we’re—what?—rebels.”

“Go right ahead, but I won’t put up with it.”

“Lisa will be super-duper mad if she discovers you left me to go do your own thing. Now, I don’t enjoy tattling, but I’ll do it to uphold Lisa’s precious rules. Without them, where would we be?”

For the briefest moment, Darah worried that her true feelings for Lisa shone through her thick sarcasm. She’d never acted chummy with Uprising’s leader, but she’d hidden her instant disdain of the Wer-lioness for months. Darah didn’t kiss Lisa’s ass, but she only criticized her in front of Casey and Balla Blark, Lisa’s second-in-command and mastermind behind Darah’s ulterior motive.

Darah was almost sure Jayce wasn’t a Lisa superfan, but she hadn’t known him for long. Maybe, like her, he was adept at masking his real thoughts.

Even without her concern about revealing her inner thoughts about Lisa, her anxiety would still be heightened by what she had just said. As much as she shouldn’t, Darah wanted Jayce’s interest. Acting like an asshat was a surefire way to send him running.

That’d be the smartest thing she’d done in weeks.

But who had ever accused Darah of ever taking the most logical route?

Jayce stared at her with a look that reminded Darah of one her mother used to give her when she threw a tantrum as a kid. “Are you done?”

Darah bent close to him. Despite wanting to backtrack on her previous statements, her pride wouldn’t let her. Besides, who did he think he was, going all paternal on her? What right did he have to make her feel guilty and look sexy while doing it?

Sexy?

Fuck, she needed to stop thinking about him like that.

“What if I’m not?”

“There would be repercussions.”

Darah snorted. “Oh, what?” She pretended to shake. “Is that supposed to scare me?”

Jayce wasn’t tall, and though Darah wasn’t either, she was far from her mother’s and sister’s five feet. So, he didn’t have to bend far to close the distance between their faces.

Had he been anyone else, even Walker, she would have clocked him for invading her space as he did. The thought crossed her mind, yet his boldness impressed her. Her ranting and aggression didn’t intimidate him. Several times over the past few months, she’d threatened him, and all he’d done was roll his eyes. He called out her bullshit.

Like now.

“Definitely.”

“Nothing you can do can scare me.”

Jayce cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what you think?”

“Yeah, I do. Though try to prove me wrong.”

“I can do anything?”

Darah snorted. “Sure. Give it your best.”

Jayce kissed her.

For several long seconds, surprise stopped Darah from reacting. She’d never admit it, but when her thoughts wandered, she fantasized about his mouth against hers. Darah imagined how undone she’d be if he ran his hungry, scarred fingers over her flesh.

She never believed she’d freeze, as if it were her first experience with physical affection. Even back when she had her first ever kiss, it’d only taken half a heartbeat before she reacted.

When she took too long to respond, Jayce stiffened. He pulled back, but he didn’t get far. Darah wrapped her arms around Jayce’s neck. She pressed her lips to his.

His hands ran down her back to cup her ass, and he pulled her hard against him. Darah moaned and added her tongue to the kiss. Jayce growled low in his throat.

The bitterness of the weather was forgotten. That they were in plain view of anyone who might look wasn’t a concern. Their reason for being out at night was the last thing they thought about.

By the time they parted to breathe, Darah’s mouth pulsed. Every nerve in her body buzzed as if she’d shot-gunned four energy drinks in five minutes. She debated shedding her jacket; she was so warm. Jayce’s flushed cheeks and glazed eyes told her he was as flustered as she was.

After a minute, they locked gazes. Darah’s heart pounded at what she saw. He liked her a lot, and these few kisses weren’t enough. From this moment on, he was going to pursue her.

Tonight’s brief lapse in judgment had complicated everything.