Chapter 19
Jace POV
I'm numb.
Numb to the constant screeches, the stench of blood, the flash of camouflaged scales.
But my brain—my treacherous, infuriating brain—keeps replaying the moment I held his waist.
Over. And over. And over again.
The way Avery looked up at me, quick and startled, as if I'd stolen the breath right out of him.
I exhale sharply, ducking another whip-fast tongue aimed at my head.
Focus, Jace.
I don't.
Instead, my gaze flicks toward him—dodging, pivoting, shooting—every movement sharp and precise. And I have to admit it.
I am so attracted to Avery Cole.
Eventually, the last of the giant chameleons crumples under a spray of blood and collapsed camouflage, and silence presses in. My chest heaves. My mana's running low, but my pulse is still spiking for an entirely different reason.
"I know, baby, we'll look for a place with water," Avery murmurs to Sparkle, stroking the massive beast's fur. Sparkle leans into the touch like an oversized feline, all murderous claws and quiet adoration.
I pull the flare gun from my belt—time to signal the others—when Avery turns, catching the movement.
"Don't." His voice is a blade, sharp enough to freeze me mid-action.
"I don't think these are the last of them," he says. "We have to find the nest and get rid of them."
"They have a bloody nest?" My voice drips with disgust.
"I know. Learned the hard way." His mouth quirks into a small, unguarded smile—gone almost as soon as it appears. Shame, really. His smile could disarm an army.
"Elias says your ability's destructive?"
"Yeah. Wipes out everything."
"Perfect. We'll need that. Let's go." He strides past me.
"Where?" I follow.
"Looking for the nest."
"You can find it?"
"It's easy. They usually nest near a water source with thick greenery—easy prey, easy cover." He ducks under a branch without breaking stride.
"Haven't you noticed how quiet it is? No birds, no insects. They've probably eaten everything that moves. That's why they were so far out in the first place. The scouts… well, you know."
I do know. My jaw tightens.
"And you know so much about them how?"
"Trial and error." His tone is flat.
Right. Unlike me, Avery's been surviving out here alone.
**
The sun sinks, shadows stretching long and gold before the dark swallows them whole. We make camp at the base of a massive tree, a small fire crackling between us. I sit with my back to the trunk; Avery leans against Sparkle, her breathing slow and steady, like a living wall behind him.
It's awkwardly quiet. Now that he's mentioned it, the absence of forest sounds is deafening.
I fidget with the ring on my finger, letting the cool metal ground me. It's the only fragment of my past I still have. My only anchor.
When I glance up, Avery's watching me with an unreadable expression—there and gone in a blink.
"Engaged?" he asks, nodding toward the ring.
I scoff. "No. I don't have my memories. This ring's the only thing I kept from… whatever life I had before."
"The world's gone to shit," he says. "You're better off not remembering."
"I'd still like to have something. One good memory. Even if it hurts."
His gaze flickers, something old and raw passing over it.
"Trust me, such memories are painful. Nothing hurts more than knowing you can never go back. I wish I could forget."
"You don't mean that," I say quietly.
His eyes soften. "No. No, I don't." A small smile ghosts his mouth. "I was trying to make you feel better."
"And here I thought you hated me."
"I don't hate… hate you. You just remind me of someone precious to me. A reminder they're gone."
"Ah. The first love," I murmur. His eyebrows lift in surprise.
"I overheard you and Elias," I add.
"Yeah. Him."
"And I remind you of him how?"
"For starters, his name was also Jace. And you have similar features."
"Really?" I blink. The odds are absurd. No wonder he stares sometimes.
"Yeah. Especially your eyes."
"It could be me," I joke.
He snorts like I've just said the most ridiculous thing imaginable. "Impossible. My Jace was… an angel. He lit up every room he walked into. Loved laughing, teasing… and I was his whole life."
My chest tightens. "Sounds like you loved him."
"…Does it?" He looks away, then back. "I guess I still do." He leans into Sparkle, who starts purring—a low, ominous rumble that vibrates through the ground.
"What happened to him?"
"I lost him. Before the convergence."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I want to say I'm doing better, but… I think I'll always love him. At least it doesn't hurt as much anymore."
I pause. "On the bright side, sounds like you had something most people never do."
His lips twitch upward. "Yeah."