by Sophie Davis
Erik and Randy had never officially met. Their shared time in Tramblewood had formed an unspoken camaraderie between the two guys that was undeniable. They talked about trivial things like the fact that San Lolito had no good bars, which I found amusing since Randy hadn’t seen daylight, let alone a bar, in like six years.
Having quickly grown bored with our conversation, Alex fell asleep on Erik’s shoulder. Randy excused himself to start fixing dinner. “Would you guys like to stay and eat with us? I make a mean sandwich.”
“No,” Janelle answered hastily. “I mean, thank you, but we need to be back at Headquarters before dark. Big day tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?” Cadence asked, confused.
I bit my lip and debated how much to tell her. The attack was bound to be public knowledge within hours after it went down. Did it matter if she and Randy had advanced warning? Who were they going to tell?
I glanced sideways at Erik, who nodded, and then up at Janelle. She shrugged like it didn’t make a difference to her one way or the other. So, I spared no detail of UNITED’s plans to bring Mac to justice.
“Damn it, I want to go,” Cadence swore and hit the arm of her wheelchair. Her dark eyes flashed with anger, and the air around her shimmered before she became transparent. Janelle’s expression morphed into one of surprise and unease. She wasn’t alone. In her mid-twenties, Cadence was too old and too acquainted with her talents for her emotions to impact them.
“Sorry,” she muttered, becoming fully corporeal. “It’s like hitting puberty again. I get upset and go invisible. Sucks.”
I met Erik’s turquoise gaze. The alarm in his irises mirrored my own.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked in what was supposed to be a casual tone, but came off a little frantic.
Cadence shook her short hair in annoyance. “I don’t know. Since I got injured, maybe?”
I didn’t want to scare her, so I kept my theories to myself. One look at Erik and I knew we were on the same page. Guilt was emanating off of him. He blamed himself and I didn’t understand why. I dug into his head, and realized he was actually one page ahead of me.
Her inability to control her talents led me to believe she’d been injected with the creation drug – or some derivative of it – at some point. I was half right, if Erik was all right. He thought her condition was a result of the amplification drug she’d used to heighten her light manipulation.
Cadence was only a mid-level talent, at least she had been. She’d amplified her abilities, using the same drug TOXIC gave children during testing, to allow her to hold her invisibility long enough to rescue the Kelleys. The drug was supposed to wear off in a couple of hours. If Cadence was still feeling the effects over a week later, that wasn’t a good sign. It also meant Mac’s super-Talents might be even more super than we’d thought. Not only was he injecting people with the creation drug, he was probably amplifying their abilities on top of that.
His army would be on a power-high and might truly believe themselves invincible. Sure, actually being invincible was different than simply thinking it, but thinking it meant they’d take bigger risks, be bolder, know no fear.
“I’m sure it’s just stress,” I said tightly. “It does weird things to people.”
“Right, once I get adjusted I’ll be back to normal,” she agreed half-heartedly.
My heart and mind weren’t in the conversation after that. I wanted to get back to the cottage and tell Crane about Cadence and the possibility of TOXIC’s army being super-super-charged. It occurred to me this might prompt UNITED to demand Cadence undergo evaluation.
The entire hover ride back, I mentally weighed the pros and cons. Erik, who wasn’t fooled by the fake smile I’d been wearing for so long my cheeks ached, threw in his opinions every so often. He was firmly in favor of divulging the information. Better to be prepared, he’d said. Which was, of course, true. I hated condemning her to the evaluation, though. UNITED didn’t need her as proof of Mac’s crimes the way they’d needed me, Erik, and Penny. Studying Cadence wouldn’t advance Dr. Patel’s research into a reversal drug. Still, those reasons wouldn’t stop UNITED from containing her if they thought it necessary.
Alex slept fitfully, sprawled across mine and Erik’s laps like he had a desperate need to touch both of us. He relaxed some when I stroked his back, but continued to twitch every so often. In between worrying about Cadence and whether to tell Crane about her, I worried about Alex. He’d recently lost both of his parents in violent ways, so nightmares were only natural. It felt like more than that, though. I wasn’t familiar enough with viewing to know if he was having a vision in his sleep, and I couldn’t get a good read on his thoughts while he slept, either.
“He’s a tough little kid. Have some faith,” Erik sent.
“Not you, too,” I grumbled.
Chapter Eighteen
That evening, over the oddest family dinner ever, I did tell Crane about Cadence. All the usual suspects were present, Crane, Marin, Penny, Brand, Edmond, Evan, Henri, Erik, Alex, and me. Even Frederick, looking disheveled and exhausted and like he wanted to hit someone, made an appearance. This meant there were a lot of opinions on the effects of the amplification drug on top of the creation drug. After awhile, I sat back and just watched the shit storm I’d started.
We were sitting on the large back deck that jutted off the main level of the cottage. The breeze coming off of the ocean made the heat bearable but wasn’t so strong we had to yell to hear one another. Seaweed-scented air reminded me of my childhood and my parents and stirred unpleasant thoughts about my father in my head. I pushed them aside; tonight wasn’t the time to deal with them. There was probably never going to be a good time to deal with them, but the eve of an epic battle – one for the history books – was too dangerous. I needed to concentrate, focus on what we were about to do. Come to terms with my potential death.
This wasn’t the first time, and hopefully wouldn’t be the last, that I’d faced death. Maybe I was prone to drama or unlucky, but I found myself in life-threatening situations fairly frequently. This one felt different. When it was over, I’d be different. We’d all be different.
Speaking of different, Alex was distant, spaced out, over dinner, but not nearly so agitated. Now I understood why. Whether he was able to view in his dreams, I still didn’t know, but he was viewing while awake. He was following Mr. Kelley to D.C. Through Alex, I was able to watch the journey in real time. It was fascinating, like watching TV but better.
I let Erik in on the secret so he, too, could watch and know that his father was safe. The group had just reached Virginia when I tuned in during dinner. After taking a roundabout flight pattern, they’d landed in a rural area approximately one hundred miles south of D.C., on the water. There they boarded a tiny submarine that was only spacious enough for the three of them to sit in. Three back-to-back-to-back chairs were positioned in the very middle of a round, clear bubble. I felt my chest tighten as I watched them lower themselves down through a hatch on top. It was suffocating to watch from a distance, being there in reality must’ve sucked.
“I was thinking I would take Alex for the evening, so you and Erik can be alone.” Marin’s voice snapped me out of Alex’s head.
“No,” Erik and I shouted in unison.
“Sorry,” I smiled. “It’s just, we’d really like to spend time with him tonight.”
The lie made me feel icky all over. Obviously I did want to be near Alex, but more because I wanted to watch the scouting mission play out in his head. I was pretty sure Erik could’ve viewed his father, had he been willing to try. Viewing was too weird for Erik; he was reluctant to use it, which was odd since he had no issue with his other new gifts. I thought it might be because Mac had given him the ability to view solely to find me. That was when they’d beaten him the worst, when he’d refused to use the gift.
For the next two hours, the three of us tracked Mr. Kelley underwater, to an entrance to the old metro system in A
lexandria, Virginia, and into the tunnels. Cat Eyes, the same man who’d helped Frederick, Alex, and me escape D.C. was the one who smuggled the scouting party through the padlocked gate. The trek through the underground tunnels wasn’t terribly exciting, save the creepy-crawlies and enormous rats that called it home. One section of the tracks was surrounded by dank, slick walls that had large fissures running along the concrete.
“It’s the section that runs under the river,” Erik murmured. “Riskiest part. Structurally unsound.”
I nodded and leaned back on the pillows decorating the sofa bed. Erik and I were lying in the bed with Alex between us. The little boy seemed anxious, but showed no signs of letting go of his link to Mr. Kelley. I wasn’t sure this was healthy for him. In fact, I felt like we were using him. But when I voiced my concern to Erik, he said that Alex was going to watch whether we did or not. If the scenes turned ugly, one of us would attempt to pull Alex back.
At one point, Mr. Kelley and his team reached an impasse where a section of the tunnel roof had caved in. This slowed the group’s progress as they took the time to clear a pathway through the rubble. I was glad they’d done so, now we wouldn’t have to contend with the same obstacle tomorrow.
Finally, the threesome reached a familiar door, and I nearly wept with relief. They’d made it. Alex seemed relieved, too, and once Mr. Kelley limped into Adam’s outstretched arms, he passed out from exhaustion.
When I blinked my eyes open and surveyed the bedroom, I found I was exhausted, too. Living through the journey vicariously had been draining.
I heard Erik exhale. “They’re safe for tonight,” he said, sounding just as tired as I felt.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “For tonight.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” Erik whispered into the dark room.
“What? Seriously? Aren’t you tired?”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to be able to sleep. I want to stretch my legs.”
“What about Alex? I don’t want to leave him alone,” I said.
“I’m sure one of my brothers will stay with him. Edmond seems fond of him. I’ll ask.”
Erik was out of bed and off in search of his younger brother faster than I’d have thought possible with his knee. The injury had healed mostly, but he’d been favoring his good leg after dinner. I stroked Alex’s silky hair and let myself think about how much he looked like his father. Tears started to pool in the corners of my eyes, and I didn’t hold them back. No more had been said about a possible memorial service, but I intended on forcing Crane to make good on his promise. Donavon deserved that much. Alex deserved better.
Erik and Edmond returned a couple of minutes later, and the younger Kelley was all too happy to sit with Alex, even if he pretended like it was an inconvenience. I thanked him.
“Yeah, whatever,” he replied.
After our first encounter, Edmond had gone out of his way to either avoid me or be nasty to me. He and Brand had a lot in common, I realized. Since the rescue in Kentucky, he’d been worlds more pleasant. I still wasn’t his favorite person, but that was okay. Blaming me for Erik’s capture was fair and not unwarranted. And, for Edmond, it meant he didn’t have to blame himself. He tried to hide the part of his mind that carried that guilt. I saw it every time he was close. I wondered if Erik saw it, too.
This was Erik’s first foray to the beach. He’d never seen the Pacific Ocean, and I loved how excited the sound of the surf and the smell of fresh salty air made him. Even his limp was less noticeable as he hurried down the winding path to reach the sand.
Erik and I strolled hand-in-hand on the stretch of beach at the base of the cliffs, and it was easy to forget the chaos that tomorrow would bring. We’d both left our flip-flops at the end of the path, and the sand was warm and soft beneath my feet and between my toes. The moon was full, a round white orb casting a soft glow over the black ocean. I hated that my first thought was about how much light that would cast on D.C. the following evening. We wouldn’t have the cover of darkness. Neither would they, I tried to reason.
In my prior trips to the beach, I’d kept close to the cottage except when in bird form. In the first days after my arrival, I’d been too keyed up to sleep, and had taken to midnight flights to burn off the excess energy. Tonight Erik led me far enough that the cottage was little more than a pinprick of light in the distance. Down here the beach was more rock than sand, and Erik gallantly offered to give me a piggyback ride to save my feet from the sharp edges. He was playful, tickling the backs of my knees to make me squirm and giggle. I kissed the back of his neck and blew in his ear, causing his pulse to quicken. He waded into the water up to his knees before attempting to throw me in. I clung to his back like a spider monkey, dragging him into the gentle waves with me.
With a fantastic splash, we landed in the surf in a tangle of limbs. Salt stung my eyes when I tried to wipe tangled curls from my eyes. Erik managed to twist his body around while still keeping my legs securely around his waist. He locked his arms around me as he moved deeper into the ocean.
“You’re in a good mood,” I said, smiling up at him.
Erik’s turquoise eyes sparkled with what I’d come to understand was desire. The scar in his bottom lip was illuminated by the white moonlight. Instead of making him appear disfigured or deformed, the scar made him seem stronger, tougher somehow. I kissed his mouth gently, and he leaned me backwards until water lapped over my ears. The soft noises he emitted when I worked my hands beneath the navy tee that clung to him like a second skin were all I heard beneath the waves.
I stared up at him. Water droplets clung to my lashes, creating a prism effect and causing a rainbow of light to dance across his handsome face. He radiated vitality and longing, and all I wanted was to be with him. Tonight might be our last chance to be together, and even if we did both survive tomorrow, the future was uncertain. Once we’d lost our usefulness to Victoria, there was no telling what she’d do with us. Maybe we’d be neighbors with Harris in Bern. I’d been to Switzerland; at least I thought I had. So many of my childhood memories were fuzzy, sometimes it was hard to know if they were even memories at all.
“We can’t control the future, Tals. Tonight I need you, and I don’t care how selfish that makes me. I want all of you. I want your head here with me. I want to be the only thing on your mind.”
“You are,” I assured him, and gazing up at Erik, I meant the words. He deserved my undivided attention. He was the center of my universe, and I wanted him to know that. “I promise.”
Maneuvering in the water was difficult at first. The waves provided a natural rhythm like nature was conforming and aiding in our escapades. When Erik or I shifted, the water swirled around us to accommodate our new position. Clouds appeared out of nowhere to block the moonlight the instant I worried we’d been seen. A tiny part of me knew that I was responsible, and maybe Erik, too. Between the two of us, our talents were controlling the world around us to create the perfect atmosphere.
There was no cuddling afterwards. Instead of exhausted from the exercise, I felt invigorated and alive. Already devoid of our clothes – no clue where they’d floated off to – we morphed. In bird form, we played tag high above the forest floor. Chasing one another through the trees, we took back a small bit of the childhood TOXIC had stolen from us. We were carefree and silly, and I knew that this was how I wanted Alex to grow up. In his short life all he’d known was violence. That was about to change, I vowed. I couldn’t bring back his parents any more than I could bring back my own, but I’d give him the life every child deserved. I’d never be his mother, but I would be the best caregiver possible.
Chapter Nineteen
The atmosphere on the hovercraft was charged. The air so heavy with anxiety it felt like a boulder on my chest. I fidgeted in my seat and tried to block the others’ emotions. It was a lost cause. Adrenaline was pumping too fast, sounding like white rapids to my oversensitive ears. Hearts were beating too loud. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. The stench of fear, swee
t and pungent, made me gag.
“Calm,” Erik soothed from beside me. He placed a hand over mine, the other gripping the armrest with white knuckles. “You’re stronger than this, Tals. Block them out.”
Erik was wound nearly as tight as the other passengers, but he was making an effort for my benefit. We both knew that this might be it – the end. Mac and his cohorts would fight to the death; they’d already made that clear. And Mac no longer cared whether I lived or died; he’d made that obvious in Kentucky. Tonight Donavon would not be there to save me. And I wouldn’t let another person die on my account. The blood spilled on my behalf was so much, at times, I felt like I’d drown in it. Even if my body survived the night, my psyche was already irreparably damaged.
“Talia, it’s time,” Crane sent from the front of the craft.
I sighed. No amount of time was ever going to adequately prepare me for this fight.
“Coming,” I sent back.
I turned and met Erik’s turquoise gaze. His smile was thin, but reassuring all the same.
“Ready?” I asked out loud.
He squeezed my hand by way of reply.
My fingers were numb as I unfastened the safety harness. I needed to get control of myself, and fast. Otherwise, I might as well spread my arms and declare that I was throwing in the towel now.
Erik slid his hand into mine as we walked between the rows of soldiers lining the back of the craft. Their eyes followed our every step, but no one said a word.
In the front of the craft, Crane sat at a glass tabletop depicting a map of the country, Victoria beside him. I’d been unable to hide my surprise when she boarded the hoverplane. She wasn’t exactly the fighting type. She was more of the talk-you-to-death-with-big-confusing- words type. Seeing her dressed in a uniform identical to those worn by the rest of UNITED’s guard – jumpsuits that instantly blended into the surrounding area – gave me a new respect for her.
