heart fluttered as he looked back at her. There haven’t been many moments where the two of them had just been alone, since reuniting, and she wished they had been given more opportunity to find that time. But it would never come, not unless she upturned the elders’ rule and in doing so halted al the Vassiz chasing after them. Only then would they have some real time in private, time that they sorely lacked so far…
She felt her cheeks turn red, and turned away from his gaze. That’s what she got for letting unruly thoughts into her head with him staring right at her. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at him, and noticed the barest hint of a very suggestive smile on his lips. It was like he could read her mind. Not that she very much objected to that, at the moment…
Al of it evaporated when Logan creased his forehead again. And Laura was back to playing devil’s advocate with him.
“Why don’t you like this?” she asked. But she knew his answer before he even spoke. They had gone through this half a dozen times already, while the others were asleep.
“It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Going to Middle East, to Egypt of al places, to search for some supposed repository of ancient artifacts? We don’t even know if it exists! And you heard him, too – he was just as uncertain about its existence as we are!”
“It’s something we have to try,” Laura said, starting to feel like a broken record. They had gone over this argument so many times that it made her head hurt.
Logan didn’t want to go to Middle East to look for the torrial artifacts because he believed it was too dangerous for them to be out in public. Which made Laura end up tel ing him again and again that the torrial that they might find would make their fight against the elders infinitely more manageable. Then Logan would disagree, saying that their use could prove just as dangerous as facing the elders unarmed. And Laura would come circling back to say that the risk they had to take was wel justified by the reward it would grant them.
The reward of freedom , of not having to look over their shoulder every time they heard something move, of not living their lives in fear of being caught. Of taking the fight back to the elders as she had promised the angels, and of making them pay for what they did to their brothers.
“And what if they catch us?” Logan asked. “What if the elders know we’re coming? It’s completely possible that they know of the torrial as wel , and are safeguarding the repository right now!”
“But don’t you think,” Laura said, “that if they knew of them, they would already be using them? From what little I know of the elders – although I think I’ve had more of a crash course than any newborn Vassiz might expect – they don’t seem to be the kind to put much stock in the wel being of others. Anything that might increase their strength, their rule of power, they would grab as quickly as they can. No?”
Logan nodded somewhat reluctantly. “You’re right.”
“So if they knew of the repository, don’t you think they would have opened it up by now? And then found the most powerful torrials , and started making use of them? Who knows what the devices can do. Besides,” she continued, getting up slowly and walking to Logan, “both of us are incapable of entering the dream world in our current state, and we don’t know how long that wil last.”
“I know,” Logan admitted, taking her hands in his. “I just… I just don’t want to risk you .” There was such sincerity in his voice, such pure, unadulterated concern, that al Laura could do was sigh dreamily.
“I know you don’t,” she told him quietly, squeezing his hands back, “but there are some things that I have to face. And I know if I were by myself, I would be scared. I would be terrified. Of al of this.” She motioned al around her. “But I’m not. And you know why? You know what keeps me strong? It’s knowing that you’re
She felt her cheeks turn red, and turned away from his gaze. That’s what she got for letting unruly thoughts into her head with him staring right at her. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at him, and noticed the barest hint of a very suggestive smile on his lips. It was like he could read her mind. Not that she very much objected to that, at the moment…
Al of it evaporated when Logan creased his forehead again. And Laura was back to playing devil’s advocate with him.
“Why don’t you like this?” she asked. But she knew his answer before he even spoke. They had gone through this half a dozen times already, while the others were asleep.
“It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Going to Middle East, to Egypt of al places, to search for some supposed repository of ancient artifacts? We don’t even know if it exists! And you heard him, too – he was just as uncertain about its existence as we are!”
“It’s something we have to try,” Laura said, starting to feel like a broken record. They had gone over this argument so many times that it made her head hurt.
Logan didn’t want to go to Middle East to look for the torrial artifacts because he believed it was too dangerous for them to be out in public. Which made Laura end up tel ing him again and again that the torrial that they might find would make their fight against the elders infinitely more manageable. Then Logan would disagree, saying that their use could prove just as dangerous as facing the elders unarmed. And Laura would come circling back to say that the risk they had to take was wel justified by the reward it would grant them.
The reward of freedom , of not having to look over their shoulder every time they heard something move, of not living their lives in fear of being caught. Of taking the fight back to the elders as she had promised the angels, and of making them pay for what they did to their brothers.
“And what if they catch us?” Logan asked. “What if the elders know we’re coming? It’s completely possible that they know of the torrial as wel , and are safeguarding the repository right now!”
“But don’t you think,” Laura said, “that if they knew of them, they would already be using them? From what little I know of the elders – although I think I’ve had more of a crash course than any newborn Vassiz might expect – they don’t seem to be the kind to put much stock in the wel being of others. Anything that might increase their strength, their rule of power, they would grab as quickly as they can. No?”
Logan nodded somewhat reluctantly. “You’re right.”
“So if they knew of the repository, don’t you think they would have opened it up by now? And then found the most powerful torrials , and started making use of them? Who knows what the devices can do. Besides,” she continued, getting up slowly and walking to Logan, “both of us are incapable of entering the dream world in our current state, and we don’t know how long that wil last.”
“I know,” Logan admitted, taking her hands in his. “I just… I just don’t want to risk you .” There was such sincerity in his voice, such pure, unadulterated concern, that al Laura could do was sigh dreamily.
“I know you don’t,” she told him quietly, squeezing his hands back, “but there are some things that I have to face. And I know if I were by myself, I would be scared. I would be terrified. Of al of this.” She motioned al around her. “But I’m not. And you know why? You know what keeps me strong? It’s knowing that you’re
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