Touch Me ✔

Chapter Thirteen

We were standing in an alley in downtown Eden. The town was as quiet as the first night of my life, when I had wandered into its depths. I stood bouncing on my toes as Oliver and Miles teased each other. It was intriguing to watch their antics, the constant jokes and random attacks. I could imagine them living their life just constantly trying to trip each other at the most inconvenient times.

"Alright," Miles announced, looking up at the sky. I followed his gaze curiously, wondering what it was they were planning. Miles abruptly crouched down, steadying himself before suddenly leaping from the ground with enough force that it appeared as though he were flying momentarily. I gasped, watching him with concern as he rose and then fell, landing gracefully on the edge of the adjacent building.

"You ready?" Oliver asked me. I lowered my gaze to him, not understanding what he meant. I couldn't jump more than a couple inches, much less on top of a rather tall building.

"What? No..." I answered him uncertainly.

"Good," He responded wickedly, having led me into another one of his traps. I abruptly turned to run, not particularly ready to die of another heart attack. Oliver slipped his arms around my waist and then we left the ground, leaving my stomach behind with it. I screamed in surprise, the cold wind rushing around me. My hair flew wildly around me as I watched the vision of the ground traveling further away from me.

Oliver landed next to Miles, beginning to release me. I immediately stumbled, nearly slipping off the edge of the building breathlessly. Oliver quickly caught me, steadying me with a laugh.

"Are you scared now, little devil?" He asked me teasingly. I scowled at him.

"Why do you even bother asking me if I'm ready?" I grumbled, but as my eyes scanned my surroundings I found myself dumbstruck. Laid out in front of us was a stretch of building after building, their rooftops rising and falling almost artistically. The snowfall in the night had transformed it into another world entirely.

"Now we run," Oliver told me. "And jump."

I blinked at him with a frown. "You mean jump building to building? I don't know..."

"It's one of our favorite games to play with scared little..." Miles hesitated at the look Oliver threw his direction. His dark eyes targeted me and he smirked sarcastically. "...Chicken fingers."

"You mean the people you hunt," I responded sharply, turning my eyes from him to Oliver. Their intentions weren't clear to me. Was this really for fun or were they mimicking all along? Was this a hunt and was I the prey? "Are you going to hurt me?"

The question seemed to strike a certain chord within him. Oliver widened his eyes momentarily, but Miles caught my attention swiftly. He gripped my upper arms firmly, smiling slowly at me.

"Run, Katia," He growled, the threat clear convincingly in his voice. For the first time, I felt a sliver of doubt. Theo's words and Jax's warning rang in my mind. When Miles released me, I hesitated. When it came down to it, I couldn't find it in myself to fear him or to fear Oliver. But they wanted me to run and so, if only to figure out what their aim was, I would.

I took a deep breath, turned, and began to run. My feet crunched against the roof of the building under me as I targeted the adjacent one. I wasn't aware of what type of stamina I had or what athletic abilities would be available to me. But I trusted Oliver and Miles. I trusted they would keep me from harm, even if that wasn't what they wanted me to do. I cared about them, despite their nature. No amount of pushing me away would change that.