“What is it?” Aria was also on her feet, her hand on her tail spike.
“Lucas,” Nikolai gasped, and lunged for the door.
He was only dimly aware of Aria following him. His entire focus was on the desperate, nearly hysterical energy emanating from Lucas, and the imagery that crashed through his brain.
The mind link wouldn’t help him find Lucas, but he followed the Morph’s life essence like a bloodhound hot on a scent. Absorbed in the task, Nikolai narrowly avoided getting hit by vehicles as he bolted across busy streets. People shouted and ducked as he flew past, nearly seven feet of straining muscle and flying long gray hair, trailed by a redheaded woman whose curves certainly did little to slow her down.
With every step he took, the voice in his head yammered at him.
This is not your concern.
Nikolai gritted his teeth.If it concerns Lucas, it concerns me.
You are wasting your time on things that do not matter.
Nikolai focused on Lucas. The glimpses he’d had into the young man’s memories had almost frozen his heart. How could any living being do that to another? But from what he sensed now, Lucas was skating the edge of sanity.
Stopping it wasn’t a choice. Or a decision to be made.
The rage rose in him as he ran, until all he could see was a black mist that obliterated any other thought.
* * *
Betsy’s house wasn’t far from the apartment block Lucas had called home.
Only a few days had passed since he’d left it, but it felt like years. He hoped Sadie was staying with whatever male she’d recently traded favors with. The twisted mix of connection—he couldn’t classify it as love—and humiliation that arose in her presence was the last thing he needed right now.
He had enough confusion in his life.
The muscles in his legs ached as he walked. Lucas finished the apple off in record time and started on the banana. His entire body trembled, warning him he was running on empty.
Thoughts of Nikolai occupied him as his feet carried him along the familiar route to home. There were a few things he needed from the apartment—his second set of lock picks. His phone and tablet—they were only useful in this realm, so he’d left them behind. A few clothes, and his old boots.
He’d distilled his list down to those basics. He’d leave a few coins for Sadie. But he wasn’t planning on coming back.
Odd, that it had taken meeting Aria for him to finally see his life for what it was. Or was it Nikolai’s influence? Maybe having the big guy delving into Lucas’s memories had unlocked something deep inside.
Because he’d sensed Nikolai’s horror at what he’d seen.
Lucas had always known his home life wasn’t normal, but that had shown him just how warped it had really been. The abuse had lessened once he’d reached maturity and finally been able to morph more than just his extremities. He’d crushed more than his last abuser’s personal bits with that last encounter—it had been enough that Sadie stopped selling his services to whoever waved a coin in her direction.
But although he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Sadie, the humiliation factor associated with the abuse ran deep. His stepmother had taken full advantage of his vulnerability, claiming that as his body so obviously enjoyed itself, he had nothing to complain about.
The holes in his heart and soul could claim otherwise.
Lucas shook the thoughts away as he finished the banana and threw the peel in a dumpster. This was the last time he’d visit this place. There were other ways to live, and he wanted to explore them. Preferably with Aria. And without Nikolai.
Just how he was going to achieve that, he had no idea. But step one was vacating the apartment.
The building didn’t have an elevator. His legs shook as he stomped up—he usually ran up, but no way he had that energy today. A big man coming down gave him the once over—Lucas had his hood up to disguise his eyes and ears, but the guy might have caught a glimmer of emerald. Not someone he’d ever run into before, but people were always coming and going.
Going. He was definitely going, this time.
When he found the door locked, he breathed a sigh of relief. Sadie never locked it when she was home. The place still functioned with keys and he pulled the spare from the light fixture two doors down. He had to sort through three possibilities—they’d marked theirs with a bit of masking tape. Security wasn’t the prime concern for the locals.
The apartment was dark—Sadie must have pulled the curtains when she was last here. No matter, he wasn’t staying. His stomach rumbled—the fruit had only been a stopgap measure. Lucas entered the kitchen and opened the fridge.
He had a split second to appreciate the futility of the endeavor before powerful, hairy arms closed around him.
