Dark Matter - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 2

Chapter Twenty Seven - Silver

That night, Leah couldn't sleep. The entire day had been spent organising tomorrow's attack on the rebels, and the plan was running obsessively through her mind, withstanding every attempt to quiet it.

First, Jared would enter with Tai and Riley as hostages and ask to speak to Brenton, pulling him away from his study. Then, she'd teleport herself inside through her connection with the world of the dead and search Brenton's books while Jared distracted him.

Leah groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, glancing at her alarm clock through the blankets. It was two a.m. Determinedly, Leah smashed her eyes shut, trying to dissolve her thoughts amongst other calmer ones; thoughts of Seth and Danny, of relaxing in the sunshine with Tai at her side.

Then, Riley would –

"Bloody hell," Leah hissed, and with a final grunt of annoyance, she sat up, glaring into the darkness.

Determined to beat the nerves out of herself, she jumped out of bed, threw on some leggings and made her way to the gym.

She wasn't used to this suspense, to the calm before the storm, and the cracks in her control felt dangerous, only needing one small nudge to release a world's worth of pent-up energy.

The gym was shadowed and quiet as she entered, with slithers of moonlight leaking in through the high windows and casting the room in patches of shifting silver. With a sigh, she grabbed a pair of boxing gloves and was about to make her way over to the punching bag when she noticed a strangely human-looking shadow cast onto the floor.

She glanced up at the window and froze. Someone was sitting on the sill and watching her.

Wordlessly, the person dropped down, landing on the floor with a light thud and Leah felt a new pressure push against her chest. Jared was still only a silhouette, the darkness bleaching his hair and eyes of their usual colour, but she recognised him well enough.

"Sorry," he said, his voice rough and quiet. "I couldn't sleep."

Leah stared at him for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, suddenly wishing she'd never left her bedroom.

"No, um, don't apologise," she said, hovering awkwardly. "I'll let you –"

"You don't need to leave," Jared interrupted, halting her movements back towards the door before they'd even started.

There was something in his voice that made her thankful for the darkness. She didn't want him to see how much his unexpected appearance had caught her off guard, to realise that simply being around him made her feel like the world was shifting under her feet.

"No, that's okay," Leah said, her tone betraying how flustered she was.

She dropped the boxing gloves and backed towards the door.

"I'm sure you came here to be alone. I'll –"

She cut off when he shifted between her and the door, his movements slow and hesitant, but enough to make her come to a stop anyway.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Leah felt her breath beginning to quicken.

This was exactly what she'd been avoiding ever since he'd arrived here. This tension and awkwardness; all the unspoken things that still hovered between them.

Jared saw the hesitation in her eyes and he swallowed, glancing away.

"We're on the same side now, you know," he said softly, his eyes locking with hers again. "You don't need to keep avoiding me."