by Lucy Rains
Pierce stopped suddenly, twisting around to look at me. “Careful Jade,” he warned.
His blue eyes turned dark and I stiffened. Trying to play off my nerves, I said, “There’s not enough privacy here for what you want.”
A smile spread across his face and he turned back to the house. There’s an empty shed out back.
My heart jumped in my chest as I turned to look at the shed he was implying. Images of the things we could get away with in the shabby structure flew through my mind. “Oh,” I said aloud.
But not enough time.
He disappeared through the house without another thought but I felt his desire burning in his mind.
I stood outside for a few minutes longer, arms folded, looking at the mountains in the distance. The sight of them bringing back feelings of triumph overshadowed by sadness. I reminded myself that we had succeeded. My body felt whole again. There was no longer a constant anxious pull from all of the guys about me. We had freed Roman from his prison. Broke him away from those that hurt him. The thoughts made me straighten my shoulders and stand a little taller.
We had succeeded.
It was ironic how I had wanted to kill Merrick the moment I saw him, when he in turn is what saved us from going back into danger. If we didn’t have him, we would have flown back to Paris and fallen into an unknown trap.
My toes tiptoed through the dirt and back up the porch steps. I rubbed my feet along the scruffy rug at the front door before stepping inside.
There was a flurry of moment through the house. Alex and Pierce were packing up stairs, talking to each other. Gavin and Kyson walked around the downstairs, and out of Harold’s room with dark articles of clothing. But one person in particular stood out to me.
Merrick stood in the kitchen by the stove scraping something off a rusted skillet.
Roman sat at the counter, watching him, talking in low tones. I walked up quietly, but knew Roman would feel my presence regardless. He was relaxed though, and I didn’t want to ruin that.
“You made...pancakes?” I asked.
Merrick smiled and added two more to a large pile on a plate.
“How?”
Merrick placed the skillet into the sink and washed his hands. “I found some flour, sugar, and a bit of oil. No eggs but I think these seeds will help. I’ve watched some cooking shows, when I was allowed.” His long brown hair, peppered with patches of gray at the sides, had been cleaned and crudely trimmed. It was now brushed back from his forehead and tied at his neck. His thin forearms were uncovered as he washed the flour off his hands and I saw his skin for the first time. Scars lined his left arm from the inner wrist up to his elbow. His skin had been disfigured by his elbow with missing patches and puffy welts.
My eyes snapped back to his face when he turned around and I had to clear my throat. “And you just remembered how to make them? Just from watching?”
Merrick glanced at Roman, communicating something with his eyes.
I turned to Roman and back at Merrick. There was a secret I didn’t know.
“Show her,” Merrick urged softly.
My eyebrows came together as I put the pieces together, trying to figure out what was going on.
Roman turned to me, his body tense, his mind nervous. His right hand went to his chest and rubbed for a moment, his eyes glued to my knees.
Every cell in my body screamed for me to touch him, to comfort him. But I didn’t move. It took all of my strength to keep my face blank as I said, “You don’t have to. It’s okay.”
Roman’s eyes lifted at my words, and his gaze met mine. My heart skipped a beat as we looked at each other, neither of us looking away, standing only a few feet apart. Realizing he could feel my thoughts, I tried to relax. I offered a small smile. “You can feel me here,” I tapped my temple lightly.
Roman looked at my finger and back to my eyes. He nodded once.
“And here,” I touched my chest.
Another nod.
My smile was genuine now. “I feel you too."
Alex came down the stairs and walked past me to grab a pancake. “Merrick, man, I love you already.” He shoved the soft round cake into his mouth and gave my rear a small pat of affection before walking down the hall to Harold’s room.
Roman watched all of this with interest, his eyes tracking Alex’s movements. His mind shifted from fear to curiosity. Interest peaked through his thoughts.
I took a step back and turned towards Merrick, but Roman spoke before I could say anything. “Wait.”
Roman’s eyes were cast down again, looking at my hand. He held up his own, “Your hand?”
Confused, I lifted my right hand, palm facing the ceiling. Roman took a step towards me, and I forced myself not to breath. Not to smell his scent, not to be overcome with need. The need to be close to him, to touch him, to feel his skin under my fingers. If I could hold my breath through what was about to happen, maybe I could keep my emotions in check.
Roman reached out his hand and rested it on my own. I felt the warmth of his skin on my me, cracked, dry skin against my fingers. I wonder briefly if he had ever used lotion, if it had ever been offered to him. His own emotions began twisting in a frenzy and he closed his eyes.
My own eyes remained open, glancing at Merrick and back to Roman. The world around me began to disappear as images started flooding my mind. Flickers of my childhood at the lab, meeting Pierce for the first time, crying on my 16th birthday. I gasped as the images began to move faster. Faces appearing and disappearing. Swimming for the first time, Charles putting a bandaid on my knee, Tiffany’s smug smile in the locker room. The pressure of the memories became overwhelming and my hand shook underneath Roman’s.
I was about to pull away when the images suddenly stopped, pausing on a single image. My mother’s face filled my mind. The sight of her filled me with a mixture of anger and regret. A low hiss escaped my mouth and I pulled my hand back.
When my eyes opened, Kyson stood behind Roman, watching me. Roman’s eyes opened and he stared openly into my eyes. His emotions twisted into perplexion. The lines of his jaw relaxed and he blinked.
“So,” I cleared my throat. “Memories? You can see people’s memories?”
His hand that had still been extended dropped. “Yes.”
My eyebrow raised as I looked at Kyson again. He gave me an encouraging nod. I turned my attention back to Roman. “What can you do with them?”
Roman straightened a little at my question. “I can confuse people, if I want. Manipulate their memories. Or I can help them find a memory.”
“What about yours?” I asked. “Can you show your memories to others.”
Roman’s mouth closed and his shoulders tightened. He nodded and took a step back.
Kyson’s voice interrupted my thoughts, “We have to remember that his abilities will become stronger over time.”
“What do you mean?” Merrick asked, confused.
Kyson looked at me and I smiled. “As I allowed the guys into my life, their abilities became stronger,” I explained. “More advanced.Their bodies became stronger as well.”
“Of course,” Merrick whispered. We all turned to look at him, his eyes wide. “An empress has never been without her victri on Lothreland. The process you have been through is much different than what it would be normally.”
“You mean, we would have grown up together?” I asked.
“Of course,” Merrick nodded. “Your abilities naturally kick in through your ‘changing’ years. But if you were apart when that happened, they must not have fully developed.”
I held up a hand and looked at my palm, remembering the power I felt yesterday. “Simply being near Roman brought a new level of strength to my own ability I had not felt before.”
The three of us, Roman, Merrick and I, were quiet as we stood there, soaking in the new thoughts and adjusting to them.
When Gavin and Pierce came into the kitchen in search of food, Merrick frowned at me. “Your highness, I ha
ve not seen you eat in two days. Please,” he motioned towards the pancakes that were quickly disappearing.
“I haven’t eaten in a month.” I said wryly. “I’ll be fine.”
Merrick’s scowl deepened, and I swear I saw Roman’s mouth turn down.
Gavin layered 3 pancakes on a plate and handed them to me. He did not leave my side until I finished two of them.
Pierce announced that we had 20 minutes and everyone stopped talking to quickly eat and finish prepping. I tried to put my last pancake down so that I could gather my things when Gavin stepped in front of me.
“It’s taken care of, Princess.”
I scowled, “I can clean up my own stuff.”
He gave a single nod. “We know. But we also know that you didn’t sleep, so we wanted to make it easier on you.”
My mind became warm with emotion. The hum in my chest purred. “Thank you,” I whispered.
A glass of water appeared in front of me, Kyson holding it out. I expressed my gratitude and drained it quickly. Gavin’s eyes following my every move. His emotions thickened with need as he watched me, causing my cheeks to burn.
Our moment was cut off when people began walking out of the house with bags on their backs and in their hands. I stood there feeling numb as Gavin went to join them.
Soon all the bags were loaded and it was time to leave. I sighed a mental farewell to Harold and his home as I slipped my flip flops on. I had to maneuver around Alex as he was trying to shove the last, now cold, pancake in his mouth. Pierce grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him as we walked out of the house towards the old jeep that would take us to the train station.
Chapter 37
“Why water?”
My body swayed and jerked with the movements of the vehicle as it rolled down the rugged terrain. We were passing by a collection of large ponds surrounded by overgrown grass and energy lightly pricked my finger tips.
“Why does my energy react with water?” I asked. “Why does water make me feel...alive, pure?”
Merrick did not answer right away and I turned to look at him. His face was turned down, solemn.
“What?” I asked again.
“We came from a world of water. Vast stretches of oceans, waterfalls covered our mountains, rivers criss crossed through our lands, connecting all of the sources together. Water feeds the krin, gives it strength and clarity to work within you.” He looked up at me, his eyes and mind full of sadness. “It was a beautiful world. But you should also know that your krin responds to all of the elements,” he said in a voice filled with wonder.
I shook my head. All of the elements? “You mean…”
“Air, fire, water, and earth,” Merrick finished for me. “Obviously you already work very well with wind and water.”
“I’ve never been around fire,” I thought aloud.
Kyson turned down to look at me with a frown.
My head shook, “I didn’t camp, no bonfires, just an occasional candle or fireplace but I was never close to it.” I looked back to Merrick. “How?” I asked quietly, still trying to digest what he was saying.
“The elements respond to the power of the krin that runs through your entire body.”
“So,” Alex wondered out loud, “if Jade walks through a fire won’t burn her?”
“No. But water is the most powerful of all, because of where you came from.”
I jogged my memory back to my first conversation with Nara. “Nara said there was a lot of water on Lothreeland.”
Merrick nodded, his mind wistful.
“How does this transfer from your world to ours?” Pierce asked from the driver's seat.
“Our worlds are connected in ways you do not understand. Another story, for another time.”
“So, where did this energy come from” Kyson asked.
“The krin is an energy that originated from the deepest part of our planet. The ancient ones discovered it, and it has transferred to a worthy heir of the same family bloodline for generations. Daughters, grand daughters, nieces, cousins...”
“So, it doesn’t have to be direct descendants?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, not all children born of an empress are deemed worthy. Or perhaps an empress does not birth a girl.”
“Always a girl?” Kyson asked.
Merrick nodded.
“Wait…” Kyson held up a hand. “I’m confused. Does that mean Jade’s mother no longer had that power as soon as Jade was born?”
Merrick shook his head. “The krin passes to the next person when it is ready.”
“It’s like it has a mind of its own,” Alex grumbled.
A million questions were running through my head the longer we talked and I didn’t know which to ask first. “How old was I when my mother died?”
Merrick’s eyes lowered to his hands. “Only 8 months.”
Tension locked into my muscles and my stomach dipped at his words. I needed to ask the question. I should know how my mother died. But these were not things I was ready to know yet. It would include having to know how her victri were killed and that was even more painful for me in that moment. It was a horrific idea I could not fathom. Kyson’s fingers wrapped around my thigh as he felt my mood shift, pressing his lips to the side of my head.
My eyebrows lowered as the next questions came out of my mouth, my stomach dipping with tension. “Why you? Why did you take us?”
Merrick turned his head back to answer but a cough wretched through the car and everyone jumped.
I twisted to look at Roman, grimacing at the pale sheen of his face and realizing that his emotions were tainted with pain.
“Pull over!” I shouted.
Pierce jerked the car to the side and Alex threw the door open. Everyone began clearing the way for Roman to hobble out of the van and drop at the nearest bush. Kyson walked over and stood next to him, laying a few fingers on the back of his shoulder.
“Yesterday was his first time in a car,” Merrick said quietly. “I’m guessing he was too caught up in the shock of the events for the ride to the house to bother him. That and his body is ridding itself of medication.”
I smiled as I felt an ease come over Roman’s body. Kyson spoke softly to him and I saw Roman’s head nod.
“He is a healer?” Merrick asked.
“He is,” Pierce confirmed. “Saved my life.”
Pierce proceeded to give Merrick a tame run down of being shot by Vera and how the action was a blessing in disguise. That it helped us to learn of Kyons’s full ability.
Alex and Gavin leaned against the side of the van, arms folded, bodies relaxed as they watched Kyson and Roman. I walked over slowly to them, holding my hand out for Gavin’s water bottle. He passed it to me without question.
“You seem better today,” Alex said cautiously. “You doing okay? After yesterday and all?”
I wiped a few drips off of my chin and nodded. The Chersky mountain range was disappearing behind us, the tips of the mountains covered in a blanket of clouds.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Gavin asked.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said curtly. “We accomplished our mission,” I nodded towards Roman as he walked back over to the van. “We got what we came for.”
When I looked back to Gavin and Alex they both wore matching frowns. Gavin’s face was stoney while Alex shook his head.
“Babezilla you were amazing and all. Hell, you could have taken out the whole compound on your own. But I know it must have left some scars.” Alex proed, trying to get me to open up.
I smiled and shrugged, not willing to let Alex looked into my head. I had put yesterday behind me, but I was not ready to talk about it, to relive it. More time was needed for those wounds.
A steady breeze blew my hair around my face. As I tucked it behind my ears, my eyes shifted to the dirt and rocks scattered around my feet. I breathed deeply, tasting the air on my tongue. I looked around at the weeds and shrubs that lined the road we traveled on. Cu
riosity pricked my mind and I squatted slowly down to the ground.
My mind tuned out the voices around me, as I closed my eyes, setting my fingertips down into the crusted dirt flakes on the worn ground. I turned inward, focusing on the energy running through my body. As I released a small amount I opened my eyes to see the reaction.
Nothing happened. I stared at my hand and the dirt around it. Making an effort to relax I moved my head slowly side to side and took in another deep breath. My body released a stronger force of energy into the ground and this time I kept my eyes closed.
It was like my hand was reaching deep into the ground. The krin moved around beneath the soil and I felt the dirt, rocks, and other materials shift around it. The sensation was complex, new. The krin had become an extension of my body and responded to my mental commands as I felt it flow and move. A smile spread across my face. I wanted to do more.
My concentration broke when voices raised in volume behind me. My sixth sense snapped back into action and I was forced to feel the curiosity and intrigue from the others.
But one person was not curious. Merrick was happy, pleased.
I stood up and looked at the ground around my feet. The rocks and thin layer of surface dirt had spread away from me, creating a perfect circle around where I had been squatting.
“You are embracing your full potential,” Merrick hummed in delight.
“Now we just need some sticks and matches,” Alex added.
Roman was walking back towards with Kyson trailing behind him. He kept his head down, embarrassed tainted the edges of his mind.
My mouth turned down, wishing there was something I could say to help him. But I knew the best thing in that moment was to give him space.
********************
Pierce parked Harold’s vehicle in an abandoned dirt parking lot a block away from the train station with the keys left under the driver mat. We made our way over to the train station and quickly located an ATM.
“I’m going to buy some food,” Alex announced. He looked at Merrick and Roman, “You wanna get something?”
