Dentelle #3 Guardian series

by Bowhay, Heather

  “I miss you, Alex.” His voice was soft and genuine.

  I envisioned his handsome face and wished I could see his expressions. “I miss you more than you’ll ever know,” I replied, tears collecting in the corner of my eyes.

  “Sorry you’re going through all this, especially with Ava Rose still missing and this mess with the Senior Council.” He sighed. “I wish I had some good news for you, but there’s nothing new to report. No new leads or anything. We’re not giving up. I promise.”

  Choking on the words I wished I could say, I didn’t respond. I felt even guiltier when he broke in, “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to upset you again.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said just as Ava Rose swung open the dressing room door.

  Modeling a cute one-piece swimsuit with a flared skirt, she said with a big smile, “Do you like this one?”

  I’d barely had time to cover the phone when the door flew open. Now, I fumbled to hide it in my lap. “Very nice,” I said, crossing my legs with the phone between them.

  “Are you crying?” Concern had her eyebrows furrowing around her big blue eyes.

  “No, sweetie,” I said quietly, rubbing my eye. “Just a fleck of something in my eye. That’s a great suit; bright yellow is perfect on you, but why don’t you try on the other one just to be sure.”

  She nodded and closed the door. Hastily, I held the phone up to my ear. Amazingly, Jason was still talking and hadn’t noticed I’d been gone. After a couple more minutes, I ended our conversation with a promise of calling him again soon and a reminder he wouldn’t be able to reach me on my phone. Hating myself for even saying it, I told him he could always send a message through Ash if he needed to reach me in a hurry.

  “I hope that changes one day,” he said rather forlornly. “I’d really like you to hear my voice in your head instead of his.”

  “I know; me too.”

  “Okay, I’ll stop feeling sorry for myself. Love you. I’ll see you…?” He paused, leaving the half-finished question hanging.

  “In a few days,” I said nervously. “Love you, too. Gotta run, but I’ll call you soon.” By the time Ava Rose and I left the dressing room, I’d pulled myself together, and no one was any wiser about my phone call. Thank goodness for small miracles.

  After wrapping up our trip at the mall, we stopped by an arts and crafts store. Kieran insisted Ava pick out a vast supply of paints, brushes, and paper. Then he purchased a bunch of canvases as well as an easel. She’d never painted on canvas because it was too expensive, but she knew the majority of artists used them. She hugged Kieran and thanked him profusely. On the way to the car he gave her a piggy back ride, and they joked back and forth. Their physical contact made me sick to my stomach, as did the way he bought her affection. Every bad name I’d ever heard bolted through my mind. A couple minutes later, when I finally ran out of words, I realized just how rich my vocabulary was. Climbing into the SUV, I slammed the car door shut behind me. James, glancing in his rearview mirror, was the only one who noticed, and he chuckled to himself. Ava buckled herself in next to Kieran. It was obvious she idolized him with the same intensity with which I hated him.

  We spent the afternoon at the Oklahoma City Zoo along with a flock of other people. Kieran said it was rated one of the top three family-friendly zoos in the nation. I, of course, reminded him we were not a family. But he got the last laugh when Ava Rose clutched each of our hands as we stood together at the Asian elephant habitat and said, “This is so much fun. It’s kind of like we’re a family – huh, Lexi?”

  Grinding my teeth, what could I say? Other than, “Kind of.”

  While eating ice cream, we hung out at the Great EscApe exhibit where the comical chimpanzees, mighty gorillas, and energetic orangutans entertained Ava Rose and Kieran to no end. I was not amused. Later, while watching the tigers and lions stalk through their terrain, Kieran sidled up next to me – as close as he could get without actually touching me.

  “Wild and vicious hunters, lions. Their Essence is unlike any other living animal. I would have to describe it as…fiercely violent.” He toyed with a strand of my hair that refused to stay in the ponytail. “When we’re linked, I’ll bring you back here. After hours, of course.” There was cruelty in his snicker. “Let you sample it for yourself.”

  I squirmed, stepped sideways, and bumped into a lady who was holding a huge mass of pink and blue swirled cotton candy. I apologized as the sickly sweet scent tickled my nose. Turning back toward Kieran, I said defiantly, “I don’t need any Essence boosts. Thank you very much. And, let’s get this clear – I will never steal another’s Essence, whether it be human or animal.”

  He laughed but narrowed his eyes. “Oh, you might not ever need any Essence boosts – I probably won’t either after we’re linked,” he said thoughtfully, scratching his chin. He was clean-shaven again, but I only saw him as savage-looking. His expression darkened, and he suddenly eyed me like I was a disobedient pet. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t be sampling what the lower species around us has to offer.” He stopped and waved at Ava Rose. A few feet in front of us, she’d maneuvered her way to the railing for a better view. “And by that I mean animals, Innocents, and even Guardians. There’s a whole world you haven’t experienced yet. And I mean to show you, whether you’re a willing participant in the game or not.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said indignantly, facing forward.

  Chuckling, he said. “It will be exhilarating. And while we’re on this topic, I wouldn’t mind a little rush right about now. My shoulders are rather stiff.” He gave me a look that clearly meant business.

  Mustering up the courage to touch him while working hard to suppress my anger, I stepped behind him and massaged his expansive shoulders. They were overbearingly muscular like he ate steroids as a snack three times a day. Realizing it was probably because of animal or human Essence, I gagged a little bit. I hated touching him. Made me feel dirty. Defiled. And it wasn’t like a shower would wash away the filth. His contamination and corruption seeped into my body. I used my Essence to counter-attack.

  Kieran sighed and relaxed. “You are the best addiction I’ve ever had.” He laughed and turned his face sideways, giving me a full profile view. His nose was rather large and fleshy. Offensive just like the rest of him. “You belong with me now. You might as well get used to it.”

  Never.

  “Once we link, you’re stuck with me. You’re probably disappointed you can’t kill me without killing yourself, huh?” he taunted. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll grow on you.”

  Like a noxious weed, I thought and held my tongue. It was a moot point since I wouldn’t be linking with him. But it was an interesting topic – one I’d never thought about it before. Then again, why would I? No Guardian would kill another Guardian, especially not their partner. Well, not that I’d ever heard of anyways. But I suppose it made sense that if you killed your partner and severed the link between you, then you’d both die. Interesting, yet scary ideas. I’d have to ask Jason about it…if I ever saw him again. All I knew was that my revenge against Kieran couldn’t come soon enough. I dug my nails into his shoulder blades on purpose.

  He moaned. “Mmm…I like that. Push a little harder – a little deeper.”

  It took all my willpower not to lop his head off. As I caught sight of Ava making her way back to us, I clenched his shoulder blades and imagined breaking his bones. She came up, grabbed Kieran’s hand and reached for mine, giving me an excuse to break free of him. “Can we go to the petting zoo now?” she asked.

  “Absolutely. By far the best part,” he responded. She nodded emphatically, pulled us through the crowd, and marched us on our way. But not before he bared his teeth in a wide smile. Alarm bells rang in my head. Why did he seem so thrilled? Walking with a bounce in his step, he whistled cheerfully. I grimaced. Was he intending on stealing animal Essence at the petting zoo? I moaned inwardly. How macabre.

  As we passed the musical, endang
ered species carousel, organ music bombarded my ears. The hot sun beat down on us and other meandering families, and the atmosphere around us remained merry. I couldn’t believe I was at the zoo with a killer, an innocent child, and a chain of Ray-pacs. It was all too surreal. I was relieved and even a little bit grateful when we finally left and no animals had dropped dead during our visit to the barnyard interactive “touch” area.

  After a pizza dinner and several arcade games, Ava Rose finally looked worn out. As we walked toward the car, James and Vincent shadowed close behind, as usual. I could sense the Ray-pac links close by, but couldn’t see any of them. They were skilled at making themselves scarce. But I knew Aiden and Aria were two of them, because I’d finally spotted them when we’d watched the sea lion show at the zoo. With them, I’d noted a satiny brown-skinned Ray-pac who was built like a gymnast. She’d appeared very watchful with her eyes continuously darting in different directions like she was secret service. She’d seemed on high alert, as if worried there might be an attack on her Commander-in-chief, Kieran. I’d actually laughed aloud and wished I could only be so lucky.

  We were not far from reaching the car when my head started pounding. I stopped dead in my tracks. Oh no! I’d never considered what would happen if I had a premonition while in Ray-pac company. Unable to stop the wave of swirling colors, I bent down and pretended to adjust the strap on my sandal. All at once the snapshots were upon me:

  A brick building with an overcrowded third story balcony

  Boards snapping and the balcony collapsing

  The collapsed balcony plunging onto the second story one below it, also filled with people

  A little girl buried in the dark at the bottom of the pile

  Bodies…and more bodies

  After the images cleared, I shot to my feet, gasping for air. This was bad. There were going to be a lot of fatalities. No matter how much I wanted to, there was no way I could save everyone. After years of guilt and trying to understand why I couldn’t save all the people, I still didn’t have any answers. I just knew that was the way it worked. And while I didn’t want to accept it, I couldn’t blame myself for lost lives anymore. Fate didn’t intend for everyone to survive. I knew that much to be true because we’d had several discussions about it within our Bellingham Circle. All my Guardian friends had experienced the same kind of guilt-ridden experiences. I was certain about one thing – I was meant to save that little girl. Afterwards, I could use my Essence and save many others as well.

  Suddenly, I realized Ava Rose was tugging on my ponytail. “Lexi, are you okay? You look kind of funny. Like you’re going to throw up or something.”

  I glanced at Kieran who was studying me curiously. Then his jaw tightened and his eyes widened. Tilting his head back, he stared into the cloudless, empty sky as if there was something there to see. At that point, my breath hitched. The look on his face was intense, and his lips curled into a wicked smile. I guessed he was having a premonition – the same one I’d just had. That happened every once in a while with my friends.

  Would Kieran let me go? I couldn’t let the little girl die. But what would we do with Ava? I couldn’t take her along.

  Concerned, Ava put her hand on my forehead. “You feel kind of hot, Lexi.”

  “Yes,” I said. Standing up, I put a hand over my stomach. “I feel sick. I think I might throw up…” I faked a dry heave to be more convincing.

  All at once, Kieran grabbed Ava by the shoulder and directed her to the car. “James,” he said with a tone of command, “Get Ava Rose home to Maya. Lexi is going to be sick, and we don’t want her throwing up in the car.” Glancing at Ava, he added, “We’ll grab a taxi and come back when Lexi’s feeling better. You run along now, Ava. James will take good care of you.”

  “Um…okay,” she said with hesitation, looking between me and Kieran. “You promise to take good care of Lexi?”

  “I will.” He boosted her into the car, shut the door, and within seconds they were gone. He sized me up and smiled. “How ironic we’d have the same premonition. Let’s go have ourselves some fun.” His voice was charged with excitement, like he’d just returned a lost puppy and was about to receive a substantial reward. He even rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

  Without waiting for my response, and obviously feeling confident I’d follow, he took off running. I was confused, though. Why would he be so excited about helping me save people? As we darted across the street and down the sidewalk, he nearly knocked over several bystanders. Running like a lunatic, he burst through a group of ladies, shoving them to the side. This provoked several shouts of anger, but he didn’t care in the least. I tried to be more careful as I followed in his wake. When I heard hollering coming from behind, I glanced around to see if I’d accidentally banged into someone myself. Instead, I spotted Aria, Aiden, the dark-skinned girl, and another guy hot on our tails. That’s when I knew the shouts weren’t directed at me. That’s also when I figured out what was happening, and I almost tripped. Dodging around a man and his kid, I uttered an apology and zoomed past them. Kieran wasn’t planning on saving anyone, he and his legion were running toward what could only be called a Ray-pac feast.

  My stomach dropped, and I felt like I was on that balcony with all those people as the floorboards collapsed beneath our feet. My mouth filled with saliva, and I wondered if I just might throw up after all. I held it in the best I could, sending Essence to every part of my body. I didn’t have time for weakness. I needed to be strong, because in a matter of seconds, I’d be fighting more than one battle.

  Having progressed a couple blocks away from the action-packed center of downtown, we’d entered an urban living community. Up ahead, I spotted the brick apartment building with the crowded balconies. The bass pounded out of the speakers, voices carried on loudly over the music, and I noticed several people drinking. Even though we were running fast, I knew we weren’t going to make it there in time to warn them. Fear gripped my chest as I watched the third story balcony beginning to collapse. Unbelievably, more than 40 people were crammed together on the deck. Drawing closer, I heard the loud splintering of wood.

  In a chain reaction and with a whoosh of air, bodies and boards from the third story porch crashed downward, taking out the second story balcony and the twenty or so people gathered there. Then they smashed into the first story, crushing a smaller group of people at a sit-down dinner. Everything transpired so fast, there was no chance for anyone to react or even begin to understand what was happening. With a loud boom and a cloud of dust, a clutter of boards, railings, and bodies slammed into the ground, creating a mess of chaos and misery. A lot of screaming ensued. A bit of the porch frame remained on the third floor, and I noticed people clinging to it with their arms and legs intertwined around the remaining boards.

  Immediately upon reaching the pile of debris, my instincts directed me to the northwest corner. Throwing bits and pieces of decking to the side, I paused when I thought I heard laughter. Glancing around, I noticed Kieran and the other Ray-pacs had gathered around the pile as well. They looked to be digging people out of the debris, but I felt certain their intentions were anything but honorable. Then I spotted Aiden holding a woman in his arms. He was the one laughing, but the look on his face was feral. My stomach twisted and I gasped. Frozen in place, I watched him with disgust. He was worse than a wild animal. His amber eyes glowed as he wrapped his hands around the woman’s shoulders. Closing his eyes, he inhaled and smiled like he was in ecstasy. I swear I could see the Essence being sucked out of her body and transferred into his.

  Appalled and angry beyond belief, I barely had enough forethought to look around for witnesses before acting. Luckily, we’d been so fast to arrive on the scene, no one else had gathered yet, so I sprang toward Aiden as if he was my prey. Taking him by surprise, I grabbed him around the neck and squeezed as tightly as I could. He gasped for air and immediately let go of the woman. She fell to the ground in a lump, and I prayed she wasn’t dead yet. I knew
it was coming, but for once I wasn’t fast enough. He took both elbows and jabbed them backwards. I avoided the left one, but the right one sunk into my gut, causing me to release my hold on his neck. In a flash, he turned around and attempted to punch me in the face, but I swung my arm up, blocked and kicked him in the groin. I thought his eyes were going to burst from the pain.

  Feeling fierce and ready to explode, I yelled at him. “You’re so dead.” With that, I punched him in the chest, and then jumping in the air, I spun rapidly. Using all that momentum and power, I kicked him in the face. His head snapped back, and he fell to the ground. Filled with wrath, I didn’t offer a moment’s reprieve. I grabbed a loose plank at my feet, brought the board above my head, and then bashed him across the face with it. His head swung brutally sideways, and a couple teeth, along with a lot of blood, flew out of his mouth.

  Grabbing the sides of his head, he stared up at me with a numbing expression. “I’m going to rip you in two,” he spat out viciously. I’d been waiting to see what his Flair was and suddenly I knew. Sensing something flying at me from behind, I leaped sideways and ungracefully fell to the ground, but thankfully I missed being pierced by a single iron spike. Full of adrenaline and hatred, I rolled over, grabbed the spike and raised it in the air. I’m sure I must have looked savage. I could feel strands of hair standing on end around my face. It was like they were charged with electricity. Breathing heavy, I thought I felt drool on my chin. Oh well, there was something to be said for the dangerous and crazed look.

  A couple more incoming chunks of wood flew at me, but I ducked. “I hope this hurts. A lot,” I said violently. Just as I was ready to stab Aiden through the heart, I heard Kieran’s voice.

  “Lexi. Stop.” His tone was hostile. He came up beside me, and I didn’t move. I didn’t sense any threat from him, so I lowered the iron spike. Growling, he snatched it out of my hand. “This is not the time or place for a fight. That’s enough. Both of you.” He stepped in front of me. “You’re pushing my limits. I told you not to do that.” He looked down at Aiden and nudged him with his foot. “Get up.”