Broken: (Ignite, Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Blank Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

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  Copyright © 2016 FLEUR CAMACHO

  All rights reserved. Blah, blah blah. Don’t steal my stuff. I worked hard on it.

  to all the people who love so strongly

  that it sometimes breaks them.

  Live Passionately

  it is worth it

  and for Brian and Craig

  who showed me I was worth loving

  CHAPTER ONE

  Laura grabbed the smokers stool that sat right behind the back door to the restaurant. She balanced it in the doorway and let the door go. It shut, pushing the stool inside and closed with a snap.

  “Shoot.” She’d just spent the past seven minutes fighting with Rico, convincing him that girls do take out the trash and are capable of walking safely to the dumpster, which was only about thirty yards away. Then she rolled her eyes as he’d warned her, “Don’t get locked out.” She tried the door, just in case someone forgot to lock it, but it jingled stiffly, unyielding.

  She sighed at herself, heaved the trash over her shoulder and struggled across the back lot towards the dumpster. At least she was done with her shift early today. The wind tore at her hair and goosebumps broke out on her arms. A knot formed in her stomach, nervous for some unknown reason except that her intuition was telling her that something wasn’t right. She approached the trash bin and used momentum to throw the bag into the container.

  Jeez, it smelled horrible.

  A hand shoved her up against the dumpster, blocking her in. “Hello, beautiful.”

  Urban slapped his hand around Laura’s mouth and began to drag her towards the woods. Laura kicked at his legs but he effortlessly swung her into the air. Her feet slapped empty air for a moment until they landed on the pavement, stinging from the impact. He gripped her again, with one arm around her stomach and the other around her mouth, and began to push her forward.

  “Help! Somebody help me.” Her muffled cries echoed through the empty parking lot.

  Sighing, Urban calmly threw her over his shoulder and sprinted towards the woods. Laura pounded on his back until her inner balance felt the effect of Urban’s speed, and then she gripped him tightly, feeling dizzy. When he reached the creek, he threw her in.

  She breathed in sharply, shocked, and jumped to her feet; he was gone. She climbed towards the trees, crashing through thin layers of ice and frigid water. As soon as she crawled out, Urban reappeared and grabbed her.

  She yelped, scratching and screaming, pummeling him as he pulled her back into the water. She shook with the shock of bitter cold and her teeth chattered. He held her hands down, climbed on top of her and weighed her down. He’s going to drown me.

  She bucked back and forth, trying to throw him off, but he was immoveable. Fear seized her; she could only watch helplessly as he inched his head towards her. Afraid he was going to violate her, she swung her head from side to side. He shifted one of her arms to his other hand and grabbed her head, forcing her to look at him.

  “Laura.” His rank breath overwhelmed her and she heaved, her lunch coming back up, and began choking on her vomit. He jumped up and flipped her over so she could throw up into the water. Broken chips and slushy salsa floated down the creek and she kneeled, breathing heavily, in the water.

  “What do you want?” Her throat scratched as she spoke and she wanted to punch him in the throat. Show him how that feels.

  But, if he’d wanted to kill her, he could’ve just watched her choke herself to death.

  He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her out of the water. He dropped her to the ground and she lay on the frozen earth, catching her breath. She stared up at the night sky and the stars blurred in and out of focus. She always felt so helpless around them, like a caterpillar trying to move a house. Why did she have to be so freaking defenseless against them?

  “I need your help.”

  “What?” She looked at him in disbelief, shivering violently. He pulled off his shirt and knelt beside her and she crossed her arms over her chest. He covered her with his shirt, almost gently, and lay next to her on the ground.

  “I need you to help me with something.” He covered her hands with his, warming them, and she didn’t pull away. She was too freaking cold and his warmth was actually helping. She would punch him in the throat when she was warm.

  “Now that Camilla is — gone. I have nothing else to live for. At least not like this.”

  She thought of her visions she’d seen of his life. He was happy once. And in love. “Like what?”

  “As a Fallen. I only left home so I could be with her.”

  At this point, Laura could care less. She thought about everything he’d done to Jace and anger boiled in her stomach. “Why? Why did you have to leave to be with her? If she loved you, why couldn’t you just tell everyone you wanted to be together?” If talking to him about his stupid problems would keep her out of the creek, then she would do it.

  “There were rules back then and they weren’t bendable. It was the only way we could be together. But I wanted to be with someone I loved.” His voice grew softer. “She deserved to be with someone she loved.”

  Silence stretched between them. Laura considered for a second what she would do if she were in the same situation. Still, that didn’t justify the things he did after the fact. And it didn’t justify trying to kill Jace. Her anger boiled over. She rolled, climbing on top of him, and pounded him on the chest. “You tried to kill Jace!” She pounded, pounded while he protected his head from her fists, but didn’t try to stop her.

  “Laura.”

  She ignored him. How could he ask her for help? After everything that happened. Plus, he’d ruined her favorite place and her relationship with Kayla.

  “Laura.”

  She pounded harder.

  “Laura!”

  “What?” She screamed now, so angry.

  “I didn’t stab him.”

  She stopped mid-hit. “What?”

  “I didn’t stab him.”

  She eyed him suspiciously. “Oh, so the sword just floated in the air all by itself and Jace just stood there, watching it hack up his stomach?”

  He laughed but she looked at him, and it stopped him short.

  “That was Cherry. He did that. And then he was going to come for you. But I made him go back home.”

  She stared at him in shock. “Why? Why do you care?”

  He shrugged but didn’t answer.

  “I don’t believe you.” How could she believe anything he said?

  “Look, I didn’t kill Jace because… Because I couldn’t.” His voice was quiet.

  “Because why?”

  He cleared his throat. “I wanted to. Believe me, I would’ve if I could. But I… He’s…” He was quiet, staring off.

  She leaned in closer and put her hand up to her ear. “I can’t hear you, Urban.”

  His eyes hardened. “That’s not my name.”

  She ignored him. “I said I can’t hear you, Urban.” She stared at him defiantly.

  “You know my real name.”

  “Urban’s a nice name. I like it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine Lori. I was just telling you that I could never kill him.”

  “Why? You seemed t
o be trying pretty hard to do it.”

  “That was just playing around.”

  “That’s not what that was.”

  “Look, I was mad. Okay? He killed her! He killed Camilla and then just ran off. Like she was nothing to him.”

  “What about when she fired arrows at us?”

  “If she wanted to hit you, she would’ve.”

  “What about when she lit his wings on fire?”

  He stopped. “Well that was… I told her not to. Besides, he shouldn’t have been wearing those wings. He wasn’t a Fallen.” His voice was bitter.

  “I saw you, Urban.” Her voice was tight.

  “You saw me what?”

  She hit him again, her anger boiling up. “I saw you. Right before he killed Camilla. You were about to stab him with your sword. Right in the back.”

  “No I wasn’t.”

  “I saw you. The only thing that stopped you was when you saw that Camilla had die…”

  Laura stopped short. Urban was as still as a statue, staring at the sky. He didn’t answer her and she crawled off him.

  Finally he stood up, pulling her up. “You should probably get back inside.” He pulled his shirt over her head and tucked it into her pants, making her stomach lurch. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

  Her mouth dropped. “Then why did you throw me in the freezing water?”

  “I needed to get your attention.” He stepped closer and traced the line of her nose. “You would’ve only fought me.”

  “You have a funny way of asking for help.”

  He inched towards her face and Laura held her breath. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Tell Jace I want redemption.”

  Then he was gone.

  ❦

  Laura shivered in the parking lot; she refused to go inside like this. An antique black Camaro with racer stripes pulled up and Jace jumped out. “What happened? Why aren’t you inside?”

  He picked her up gently, cradling her, and placed her in the passenger seat. He blasted the heat and pulled a coat from the back seat. “I got this for you, too.” He wrapped it around her and ran around to the driver’s side.

  Concerned, he rubbed her arms gently and her shaking subsided.

  “What happened?”

  Laura considered her words. What will happen if I tell him? She wanted to pretend that this never happened. Her life the past couple months were like a dream. They spent every waking breath together, which was almost all the time except when she had to work. If she told him about Urban, their whole world would turn upside down.

  He pulled on Urban’s shirt. “Whose shirt is this?”

  “It’s… It’s Urban’s.”

  Jace jumped out of the car, slammed the door and disappeared.

  The coat was a soft leather with a velvety inside and the heat felt amazing. A few minutes later, he climbed in the passenger seat and pulled her onto his lap. She lay her head on his chest and breathed in deeply. His heart was beating furiously. “Tell me. What happened. Please.”

  “He threw me in the creek.”

  “I can see that.” He ran his hand through her wet hair. “What did he want?”

  “How do you know that he wanted something?”

  He squeezed her tight, breathing rapidly. “You’re still alive. That means he wants something.”

  Laura’s breath caught and Jace’s hands trembled while he ran his fingers through her hair again.

  “Where did you go?”

  “I went to see if he was still around. Maybe watching us.”

  “Is he?”

  Jace shook his head. “No, he’s gone, and he won’t be back. There's no reason for him to return. Now, please. Tell me.”

  Laura pulled back, staring into Jace’s eyes. She traced her finger on the palm of his hand. “He says he wants redemption.”

  Jace breathed in sharply. “He wants what?”

  “Redemption.”

  Jace shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s impossible.”

  “Why?”

  Jace stared out the window. “Because it is.”

  He was quiet and Laura didn’t ask any more questions. He would tell her when he was ready.

  The heater blasted warm air over them and the flowery scent of Jace settled in Laura’s heart, calming her. He ran his finger through her hair, studying it. “Do you have to go back to work again?”

  “I wish I didn’t. I could be with you all day.”

  He sighed. “I know.”

  “And what did you do today?”

  “I decided we needed another car. A more reliable one.” They’d spent thirty minutes getting the car started earlier that morning. Laura had asked him if he couldn’t just heal it, which got a good laugh from Jace.

  “I can see that.” She traced his arm with her fingers, she couldn’t stop touching him while she studied the car. The stereo was new and the seats were completely reupholstered. “How did you pay for it?”

  He pulled her chin closer, peering into her eyes. “I asked for it, of course.”

  She leaned back. “You can’t just steal a car, Jace.”

  He laughed. “Of course not.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Then how…?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do anything dishonest. I promise.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “You’re telling me, not to worry? The last time you told me that everything would be fine, you almost died.”

  He grinned. “And everything worked out, didn’t it?”

  She hit him playfully. “Jeez.”

  He leaned his arms over her shoulders and cuffed his hands behind her neck. “Look, anytime someone helps an Angel, they are rewarded ten times over. So, if they give me one car they’ll earn ten times the car’s worth. No one is losing out.”

  “Wow.” Laura wasn’t sure what to think about that. “Let’s go to the Bahamas then.”

  Jace laughed, then leaned in again and kissed her nose. A comfortable silence settled over them and Jace stared at her in the silence, tracing her cheek with his fingertips. She grabbed his hand to study his fingers. They were long and nimble. She touched the tips to her lips and rubbed them softly. “Why do you have callouses on the end of your fingers?”

  “It’s from all the harp playing.”

  She laughed. “No, seriously.”

  “They’re from healing. When I use my powers to heal, it makes them callous.”

  She studied them. “Do you like healing people?”

  He pulled his hand away and tugged her close, resting his chin on her head. He sat quietly, listening to her breathe. “It’s the best thing in the world.”

  She shivered again and he pulled back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I was just cold.”

  “And scared?”

  She nodded and stared at Jace. She felt vulnerable. “A little.”

  He rubbed his hand across her back and pulled her closer. “And how do you feel now?”

  She leaned into him. “Good.”

  “Good? Only good?”

  She closed her eyes and nodded.

  “I’ll have to remedy that then.” He moved her chin so that she was facing him and traced her lips with his thumb. She closed her eyes and leaned into him. He ran his lips across her mouth and she opened her mouth, pulling his head closer, and kissed him. He gripped his hand across the back of her neck, loving the way her mouth felt on his and the way his heart constricted at her touch.

  He pulled back and grinned. “Feeling only good now?”

  She smiled. “Much better than good.”

  “How much better?” He kissed her again, deeply, his tongue entangling with hers. Then he pulled back his head and smirked. “How much better?”

  She grinned and leaned in. “The best.”

  He pulled his head back, teasing her. “Unh-uh.”

  She sat back, thinking. “Safe.”

  His face lit up and he grabb
ed the sides of her head. His blue eyes, a bright contrast to his black hair, were tender as he stared deep into her eyes. “You are a wonder.” His voice was husky, soft. She didn’t turn away but stared back in return.

  He leaned in, pecked her lips and then turned, gesturing towards the emergency brake. “Look, no armrest.”

  She raised her eyebrows up and down. “I like your taste.”

  Jace revved the engine and tore out of the parking lot while Laura checked out the car. “I love it.” She reached for his hand. “It is mine, right?”

  He grinned. “Of course. Not.”

  “What? You said you decided I needed a more reliable car.”

  “No, I said we did.”

  She folded her arms to her chest. “So where’s mine, then?”

  “I left it with the dealer.”

  She turned to him. “What? Why? Jace, I need a car.”

  He grabbed her hand and rubbed her palm. “The salesman needed it. Well, his mom needed it. Hers died and so I gave it to him. He knew a mechanic who could fix it up.”

  “But what am I going to use?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He let go of her hand and shifted up.

  “Why?”

  “Because we’ll always be together from now on.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Jace. Urban won’t kill me. He wants me to convince you to help him.”

  He grabbed her hand again. “This time. This time he didn’t kill you. I’m not taking that chance again.” He rubbed his lips against her hand.

  “Jace, I can’t be a prisoner.”

  “So, being with me all the time is like being in prison?”

  “No, I didn’t say that. I just… I just need my car.”

  He glanced at her and frowned. He kissed the top of her hand. “Of course you do. I’m sorry, I was just teasing you. This is your car.”

  “Oh.” She let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders.

  He rubbed her hand against his lips again and she closed her eyes. “Besides, I don’t need a car, remember? Wings.” He licked her hand and she squealed. “Gross, Jace.”

  He grinned and she climbed into his lap, happy that there wasn’t an armrest to climb over, and kissed him slowly.

  “Hey, I can’t see.” He tried to peer around her.