The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 43: Ice

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Skylar stop to talk to Jamie. I stopped throwing icicles at the wall and started to frost the tips of my hair.

Still watching them, I frowned when I saw Skylar's spine go rigid, which always happened when she hears something she doesn't like.

But before I could get up to see what was wrong, David appeared in front of me. "Harry, there's something you need to know about Jamie."

Skylar's hand was a blur as it flew across Jamie's face, whipping it harshly to the one side. Everyone in the room turned and stared, even Tony opened his eyes to look.

"I'll find out soon enough," I growled. I stood up, fists clenched, ice falling and shattering against the floor.

Jamie's eyes were wide and bright, either from humiliation or pain from the slap. Skylar's print left a huge red mark on his cheek in shocking contrast to his pale skin. He gingerly touched it and winced. "I guess I deserved that."

"You're fucking right you did!" Skylar hissed, her whole body shaking like it did when Jamie first came back.

"What's going on?" I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Jamie's a liar. A damned liar. He never loved me. It was a trick. To weaken me. He died just to try to destroy me emotionally!" Skylar started shaking harder, and by now, everyone was surrounding the three of us.

"What the hell?" Evalynn said. "Jamie too?"

"That doesn't make sense." Derek said. "You acted like you loved her when you first came back to life. You only came back because you wanted to see her again."

Jamie let out a bark of laughter. "I came back because I wanted to live. And I didn't know if I would still have to act like I was in love with Skylar. But seeing as she found her soul mate, I don't have too. But Troy and I had the whole thing planned out before it even happened."

"You knew you would have to get abused by Troy, get stabbed and die? And you did it anyway?" Evie said disbelievingly.

Jamie shrugged. "It was my job. People die on the job all the time. And hey, it worked out. Still alive now. And it's not like I don't like her. She's just not my type."

"But Stacy was in love with Skylar!" I said. "He told me himself."

Jamie shook his head. "Stacy was a clone. Not very bright. He would just get memories every once in a while of Skylar. He thought I was really in love with her. So he fell in love."

"You sick bastard." I snarled. "How dare you treat Skylar like that!"

"How dare I!" Jamie half-shouted, half-laughed. "I heard all about how you left her, and dumped her publicly for a whore."

"I did it to keep her safe!" I stepped in front of Skylar as if I could somehow protect her from the emotional pain. "I did it because I love her! Why did you do it?! What was in it for you?!"

Jamie's light blue eyes bore into mine. "Phoenix."

"What?"

"Phoenix Summers. The girl I love. She got to live. If I didn't do it, she died. So I did it. To keep the girl I love safe."

Skylar drew in a shuddering breath. I stepped back, and put my arm protectively around her. "So, are you still working for Troy then?" I asked.

Beside me, David's hands started crackling with electricity. Jamie glanced over at him, face paling. "No. He is a jerk, I'll give you that. What I did was jerkish. And I'll help you defeat them, or whatever. But you have to see it from my view-"