by Carly Marino
“What? You knew he was alive?”
“Honestly, I don’t know if he’s really her Yuenfan. He couldn’t live without her if he were.” Drake gave me a quick smile, flicked his wrist, and yellow light sparked in his hand. “But, that’s all in the past. We’ll see what the future has in store for them. I have a feeling a lot will change very soon.”
I pressed my back against the wooden rail. He blew toward the glowing globe hovering above his palm. Snapping, rays of light soared into the lanterns and lit the candle wicks. Soft light danced inside the gazebo. Drake curled his hand into a fist, dousing his light. The fire flickered over half of his face. The shadowy side brought a chill to my arms and legs.
He inhaled. “I love the night. So peaceful and pleasurable. Don’t you think?”
“It’s all right.”
Drake scooted next to me and held my hands. “We thrive in the darkness. Our powers are directly linked to our souls. I’ve always felt a sense of freedom after the sun descends. You must feel that all time. I’d give anything to feel at peace in the sunlight.”
“Sun or not, I don’t think I’ll ever feel at peace.” This world continued to bring danger into my life. I hated the unknown and uncertainty littering any chance I’d ever relax again.
I glanced at the house to avoid his eyes. Through the glass, Nora and Logan paced back and forth, arguing. Nora waved her arms and chucked pillows at him. She sure knew how to make a scene. I thought about what Mnemosyne had said and wondered if she and Drake really hadn’t noticed me before Cole moved here. If they had, Nora would’ve said something. How could she not? She was Nora.
Asking couldn’t hurt. “Drake?”
“Hmm.”
“Why didn’t you or Nora talk to me sooner? You must’ve heard the rumors about me seeing memories. Wouldn’t you think I was one of you?”
He adjusted. “For some reason, we didn’t notice you until Cole pointed you out in the auditorium. It’s almost as though”—he breathed deeply—“as though you’re missing from my memory. I have memories from moving here in tenth grade up until now, but you aren’t in any of them. I suppose that’s why Noralee didn’t trust you. She thought you’d just appeared at our school that day and somehow convinced everyone you’ve lived in Seaside your entire life. Silly.” He shrugged. “Though, maybe someone wiped us. I imagine there is a reason no one told you you’re Inflexaen.”
The mind field had separated Nora, Drake, and me for two years, until the first day of senior year. What changed? Why had the bubble my parents put me in burst, exposing me to them? Did Cole have something to do with it? He must have. Mnemosyne had asked if I found my Yuenfan. Either way, I didn’t like how close Drake came to guessing the truth. “We should probably try this masking thing. I might not get it the first try.”
The candlelight glimmered in his eyes. Something about sitting here in the dark with him made me nervous. He could toss me over the side of the gazebo. Nora and Logan wouldn’t hear my screams, and I hadn’t seen another house for miles.
“Don’t be nervous. This is very easy.”
“Okay. I’m ready.”
Drake squeezed my hand. “Emotions are different from memories or thoughts in that they are external. A skilled Fector can read them with a slight brush of your skin. Your emotions, however, are so powerful I don’t even have to touch you.” He studied me. “I’m not exactly sure why that is. Perhaps you are simply an emotional person. Either way, you need to learn to protect them.”
I thought about charging. “Can you take or manipulate my emotions without touching me?”
“No. We have to touch you to do that.”
“I saw Nora manipulate three people, but only touch one. How did she do that?”
He chuckled. “My sister loves to show off. That skill is very difficult. It requires quite a bit of power to achieve. If we charge off another Inflexaen or pool our abilities with another Fector, we can link humans, thereby changing them all at once. This works the same for the other Inflexaen abilities.”
I frowned, thinking of my parents. They died using that very skill to save me.
Drake cradled my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about my parents.” I averted my gaze. “Not sure why.”
His fingers trailed my neck before he removed his hand. “Let’s move on.”
“Okay.”
“Emotions are guarded similar to your thoughts and memories. However, you have to lock them in your heart.”
“Can I still have feelings? I don’t want to be completely emotionless.”
He clutched my hands, again. “You won’t. Someone like you will never lose their caring heart. Now close your eyes. It’s much easier to accomplish if you open your mind.” His tone flowed smoothly, like a hypnotist’s.
I relaxed to the night sounds. Waves rolling on shore, crickets chirping, and the soft crackle of the lit candlelight.
Drake rubbed the backs of my hands with his thumbs. The way he caressed my skin made me uneasy, yet, at peace. I focused on his voice. “Thea, listen to your heartbeat. Feel the rhythmic thump against your chest. Imagine your hands holding your heart.”
I let the soft cadence ease my mind. With imaginary hands, I captured my heart, careful not to break it. Cole had done that already.
“Pull that sadness you are now feeling inside your hands.”
I cupped them. Tucking my sadness deep inside my ribcage. I thought about every emotion. Anger, fear, happiness … love. I visualized each emotion as colorful butterflies, catching each one.
“That’s very good, Thea. Your emotions are fading.” His breath warmed my ear. “Lock them away.”
I closed my hands. These emotions were mine. Only I had control over who viewed them. Not Nora, not Drake, and not any other Inflexaens or Resparés I came in contact with.
“That was excellent. I’m in awe by you.”
I opened my eyes, excited I’d accomplished masking on my first try, and Drake’s lips pressed to mine. Although my first instinct yelled for me to shove him away, something strange happened. I fell as if being tugged downward, sinking into the dark abyss of his mind.
I walked through his memories. Not just one, but multiple played in short bits.
I sit on a bench, kicking my feet and crying into my hands. Nora went home with a friend, and my parents forgot to pick me up from school again. I have no one to call.
A strong hand clutches my shoulder. His touch is not gentle, but rough and threatening. “Stop your crying. Crying is weakness, and you are not weak.”
The nape of my neck prickles. I flinch upward. Larc’s electric-blue eyes narrow at me.
I swipe my fingers under my nose and sniffle.
“Larc? Is that you?” A woman with silver hair and tired green eyes peers from a rolled-down car window. Her cheeks sink in, making her facial bones protrude.
Larc straightens. “Do you need something?”
She narrows her eyes and points a frail finger. “You know exactly what I need. He’s hiding again and—”
“Go home. I’ll take care of this.” Larc turns as the car zooms away. “Come, son.”
Son? Why would he call Drake son? The nickname could be a term of endearment but not with Larc. He was a monster.
New images whirled me to the next scene.
Loud hip-hop music and laughter reverberates throughout the room. Beer splashes on the floor, and I cringe. I’d call the maid straight in the morning. This sticky mess makes me ill. I hate house parties, but I knew Thea would come. I lean against the marble column and watch her maneuver around people.
She’s beautiful, graceful, and full of delightful emotions. They reach to me, luring me in like a sweet smelling perfume. She’s captivating. Her emotions are captivating.
Cole is right. Something is different, special, about her.
She stops, stares past me, and I follow her gaze to Holden. He laughs with Macy until his eyes met Thea’s.
Feelings of longing pour out of her. She frowns, lowers her head, and steps away. Holden trails his gaze over every curve of her body. I’d found my opportunity.
My phone buzzes. I sigh. “Yes.”
“Is it her? Can you get her alone?” Static muffles the sound of his voice.
I close my eyes. “Not tonight.”
“We cannot risk the boy finding out before we do. Do you understand?”
I scowl. “I’m not even sure it’s her. Give me until the dance.”
“Fine, but if he finds out before us—”
“He won’t.”
The line goes dead, and I tighten my grip around my phone, inching closer to Holden.
“Drake, what’s up man?” he asks with a grin. “Great party.”
I curve my lips upward to subdue him, and he sways.
I shift next to him as his gaze returns to Thea, who is now causing a scene in the entryway.
I furrow my brows, hating what I have to do next. I grab his forearm. Lust, infatuation, and love soar from my hand into his heart. His demeanor softens, and his eyes glaze.
I release him. Macy giggles and circles her arms around his waist. “So when are you going to ask me to the dance?”
He removes her grasp from his body and starts toward Thea, but Cole guides her from the room.
Drake’s memory dissolved.
When the next one came into view, I stood on a staircase, spiraling into darkness. Stones covered the walls, and dim track lights illuminated the way down.
The ocean waves and calling seabirds quiet the further I descend. Halfway down, the outside noises mute, and I hear only my shoes tapping on the concrete mixing with the beat of my heart. A beam of light floods the end of the tunnel.
A loud smack. Another. I suck in a breath and press my shoulders to the wall.
“Tell me where the girl is,” the man yells.
Someone spits but says nothing. Chains jingle.
“Fine. Have it your way. We’ll drain each of her humans one at a time, and she will blame you.”
I returned to the present. Had he let me into his memory on purpose or by accident? Was that even possible? Why—
My eyes blew wide. My present self was still kissing Drake. His hands were wrapped in my hair, and his lips were moving feverishly against mine. The passionate way he held me, breathing me in, sent terrified shivers up the backs of my arms.
I jerked away.
“Thea, I…” He stared at me with hunger flickering in his eyes. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “I couldn’t help myself. Your emotions…” He exhaled.
I wiped my mouth. “Drake, I’m—I—”
He frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. It’s too soon since Cole left.”
I slid away from him. How had he known Cole had left me? Had Nora told him? She hadn’t while I was in the room. Maybe outside? In his memory, Larc called him son. Could they be in on all of this together?
I rose from the bench and shuffled to exit the gazebo.
His clean-shaven chin slanted, a quizzical look on his face.
“It’s—it’s fine. I probably should head back. You”—I gulped—“want to come?”
Drake stared at the ocean. The crescent moon smiled at us, and a soft trail of white light shimmered across the water. “No. You go on ahead, luv. I’m really very sorry.”
I raced up the hill. His memories jumbled in my head. I didn’t know what they meant or why I’d seen them.
Something bit at the back of my mind. “Her humans will die…” If he hurt them…
Why had I left them alone? I never should’ve went to The Mirrors. I should’ve sent my family somewhere safe after the Resparé woman had attacked me on the beach. How could I have been so stupid?
I dug my phone from my coat pocket and dialed Karen. Hers rang and went to voicemail. I called again. No answer. I did the same for Wynter and Ethan but got the same result. No. Answer.
I called the diner.
“Seaside Diner.”
“May—may I speak to Karen Scott?”
“I’m sorry. She never showed up for work today. We’re a bit worried. If you see—”
I hung up. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I called Ethan’s foster mom. Maybe Ethan and Wynter were at her house. No one answered.
I glanced at the gazebo from the top of the hill. Drake sat with his back still to me. He’d come up soon. I scrolled through my contacts. Cole had added Nora, Logan, and Drake in my phonebook. My fingers hovered over Nora’s name. Was she in on all of this? I flicked the screen to Logan’s name. Was he?
Inside, I didn’t see Logan or Nora. They hadn’t searched for me after I disappeared. Did either of them even care? Did they not see the urgency in any of this?
Logan wanted a fight and Nora … I didn’t know where her motivation came from. Whether they sided with Larc or not, they’d never understand why I cared so much about Aunt Karen, Wynter, and Ethan. To them, they were just humans—weak and used to help them survive. To me, they were family.
Lyra and I might be the same Inflexaen, but I didn’t share her memories. Thea loved these people with all her heart, and so did I.
I shoved my phone into my pocket. The only person I had left to trust was myself. I had to go home and make sure Larc couldn’t hurt my family.
I ducked through the darkness, pissed I couldn’t shift into shadow form, and sidled toward Nora’s car. Her keys still lay in the visor where she’d left them. I rolled my eyes as I climbed in.
I started the car and sped down the driveway.
If Drake’s memory had happened recently, I didn’t have much time. Larc would kill Cole. He killed his wife. Why wouldn’t he kill his own son? Then again, maybe he’d keep him alive just to lure me to him. Larc had to know I’d search for him.
I turned on the headlights and whipped the car onto the main road. The engine roared as I slammed my foot on the pedal. The memcap was useless to Larc without a way to extract the contents inside. He needed me, and if I had to trade myself to keep my loved ones safe, I would.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I parked a block from my house and walked the rest of the way to Wynter’s. Her living room blinds bent in different directions, and Mrs. Loman’s flower beds had been trampled. I jogged up their walkway, trembling.
Burn marks covered the wood of her front door hanging from its hinges, and smoke drifted from the lock.
I raced inside. “Wynter? Mr. and Mrs. Loman? It’s Thea.”
My pulse quickened, and tremors threatened to collapse my legs. Lamps had toppled over. Pillows, frames, and candles littered the olive-colored area rug. Everything looked … dirty as if not one had dusted in months.
I clamped my hands over my mouth.
Dust.
Gray particles blanketed the floor, tables, and furniture. Tears spilled over my lower lashes. Had they been drained?
“Wynter!” I barreled to her room at the end of the hallway. Carnation-pink shone from her unicorn nightlight. Her blankets stretched from her bed to the doorway as if someone had dragged them, or dragged her. I swallowed the waver in my throat. “Wynter!”
No answer. My breaths came in quick wafts. Either she’d escaped or they’d… No. I wouldn’t go there. Wynter got away. She probably ran to my—
Oh my God. Aunt Karen.
I tore from Wynter’s house, across the lawn, and to my own.
Aunt Karen’s car rested in the driveway, but the windows were dark. I inserted the key but my front door inched open. Not a good sign. My aunt always locked the deadbolt. I flicked the light switch, and the living room illuminated.
“Aunt Karen, are you here?”
“Thea, No.” The painful shriek sliced down my spine.
“Aunt Karen.” I charged up the stairs, reached the top, and slammed into Ethan.
I grunted.
He gripped my shoulders, his fingernails digging into my skin.
I kicked and squirmed. “Ethan, what are you
doing? Let me go.”
“Give Larc what he wants.” His voice was flat, emotionless.
“What?”
Ethan’s white eyes stared through me. “Give him the formula, Lyra.”
I kneed him, and he dropped me. Shoving past him, I barreled into Aunt Karen’s room. A male Resparé held her up against the wall her by the neck. Her hair had grayed, and she clutched his hand with her wrinkled fingers.
The Resparé glared over his shoulder. Not an ounce of surprise on his face. If anything, he was amused, glad for the interruption. His lips crawled to the side, he released Aunt Karen, and she crumpled to the ground. He stalked toward me, light flickering in his eyes. I backed, colliding with Ethan’s chest.
Ethan laughed, the sound cruel and unfamiliar. He wrapped his arms around me. I fired my legs forward, wiggled, and elbowed Ethan in the side, freeing myself.
My knees banged on the floor and pain ricochet to my shins. The Resparé snatched me, slamming my head onto the hardwood. My vision blurred. My temples throbbed, and my neck ached. Humming invaded my hearing, and I groaned.
The Resparé’s fingers bit into my skin. Sharp pain ripped down my arms as he drew from my essence. I focused on my light. Please. More pain. “Ethan, help me.” He had to snap out of this trance. I needed him.
Ethan loomed over us, his expression vacant and uncaring. I struggled, clawing for relief.
A yellow flash lit the room, and Ethan collapsed to the ground. Another beam fired toward me. The Resparé let me go. I curled into a ball and shielded my face with my hands.
Streams of light flowed overhead and cornered the Resparé. I squinted at Nora stalking closer. The Resparé growled and sent his light at her. Sparks exploded as she blocked with hers.
The Resparé faded into a shadow, and zipped around the room. Nora did the same. They fought. Grunts, smacks, and yelps echoed. Books tumbled from shelves, lamps crashed, and photos of Aunt Karen and me smashed on the ground.
Ethan lay unconscious by doorway, his hair disheveled and his face pale.
I crawled to Aunt Karen. “Aunt Karen?”
