by Jamie Magee
What he didn’t see in her emotions was a reason for her to assume so easily he was a supernatural being. Which meant when she was told of such things she more than likely didn’t believe what she heard, offered no emotion to capture the memory.
“Did the wall jar this memory you’re trying to get back? What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked as he reached to brush his fingertips across the burn on her brow once more. Even if she did have her memories back, as far as he knew she didn’t clearly know about immortals.
Adair searched his jade eyes as her mind went haywire. Memories were firing off—his lips, those perfect, lush lips—she knew how they felt across her flesh. “Say something else,” she demanded as her stare fixed on his.
“What?”
“More than one word. I’m remembering.” Her cheeks flamed. “You and me…”
Scorpio searched her gaze seeing the void she had looked at him with for days fading.
“Friends,” he grated, stepping back, looking for the towel to cover his wound that was pushing open once more.
“That’s not what my memory says,” Adair argued, reaching for his arm.
Scorpio stepped back from her, rushed his hand through his hair, cussed then went to the sink to wash the blood off his gut—anything to avoid her knowing stare.
“One hook up, princess. One time benefit. You got off, I got off—no one slid home, simple as that.”
“You’re lying,” Adair said, not moving from where he left her. She didn’t want to stop the flow of memories. “You rejected me. You sent me to him.”
Scorpio shook his head as he kept to his task. He never said a word, even though her memory was bullshit.
“You asshole! You know what he did to me—what they all did to me and you don’t even fucking care.”
Scorpio spun around. His anger had caused flames to surface in the centers of his eyes. “Trust me, princess, if anything I care too fucking much. You made your choice.”
“What choice?” she demanded as she charged forward. “Tell me, tell me anything and I swear to fucking God if you tell me it’s Judge’s place—if you treat me like property just like everyone else I will put another bullet in you for the fuck of it.”
Scorpio lifted his chin, then nodded toward the hall. “Clean up. I’ll pour you that drink.”
“Fuck your drink. You need a doctor.”
Scorpio flung open the drawer next to the sink and pulled out a spoon, then grabbed the knife from his pocket. “I don’t need a fucking doctor. Go.”
She stepped before him, blocking his path to the porch. “Tell me.”
He hesitated. Jogging her memory in any way would be a direct violation of the orders Reveca had left everyone, but looking at Adair now he could see her emotions, how she remembered him, and he couldn’t handle letting her see it the way she was—he didn’t push her away.
“I told you about the claim Judge had, you picked him. Black and white. Not some grand mystery or wild love affair.”
Adair felt her heart hammering; she was having a hard time breathing. The way he looked at her just then, the rapt emotion in his stare made her feel absolutely beautiful, more so than she could ever remember. She’d hurt him, and had no idea why, all she knew was it was clearly the wrong choice to make.
“He killed Talley, he blinded me…please help.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Please. I’m sorry I hurt you. I can’t answer for it—whoever I was then is gone. This is who I am now.”
Silence lingered in the thick emotion coating the room. Finally he spoke. “I would have killed him too, Adair.”
The tears welling in her eyes finally spilled down her cheeks.
Scorpio stepped up to her and wiped her tears. “Who Judge laid down wasn’t Talley.”
“He didn’t deserve it,” she whispered.
“You look me in the eye and tell me you think the man that raised you would have wanted to live knowing Finley wasn’t here because of him.”
She couldn’t. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his chest.
Scorpio sighed. Feeling her so close to him was testing his willpower. He reached up and grazed his fingertips through her dark hair. “Adair, I swear everyone here wants what’s best for you.”
“People don’t get over things by forgetting them, they get over them by facing them…” She balled her fist and brought them to the center of her chest. “There is a deep, cold, hole in my chest and it’s been there for years. I don’t know what caused it…I can’t make it go away.” She leaned back, slowly letting her gaze move across the tattoo on his chest, before moving up to his pensive stare. “You feel safe.”
“I’m not.”
Adair stepped away from him. One of the six senses she counted on was knowing when someone was lying to her; he was. She knew he was safe. He was honest and clearly hated her position as much as she did. What she had to figure out now was how she was supposed to help him.
“Tell me about us,” she said, wondering if the answer was there.
“There was no us. I told you that once.”
With lightning speed he left the kitchen for the back porch. He knew if he looked her in the eye much longer she would see right past his bullshit just like she always did. She’d know they were friends before and after their escapade, and that he swore to always protect her no matter who she belonged to after she ripped his heart from his chest.
Adair stood there dumbfounded for a few precious seconds then she tiptoed forward to the screen door. Just off the porch she saw him literally digging into his own gut with a spoon and a knife, barely winching as he did so.
No fucking way…
She ducked behind the door when she heard the roar of bikes approaching.
It was Steele and Scorpio’s VP, Dust. Neither one of them seemed shocked that Scorpio was shot and bleeding.
It was hard for Adair to hear but she was sure Dust reported they found nothing along the perimeter as Steele started to help Scorpio with his wound.
When Adair heard more bikes rumbling in the distance she ducked further inside. She didn’t want anyone suggesting that she be taken back to her room. She was sure if she was alone with Scorpio longer one of two things would occur; either she would remember more or she could get him to confess what he knew.
Doing what he asked, going and cleaning herself up seemed like an excellent way to stay out of sight and mind.
She found a tank of his and locked herself in the bathroom. Slow deep breaths were what Adair was taking as she rinsed the blood that was staining her flesh.
The calmer she stayed the easier it was for her to grasp memories.
She had dried herself off and pulled her stolen clean shirt over her bra when Dagen appeared out of thin air right next to her.
She barely stopped herself from screaming as her body slammed against the wall behind her.
As if he didn’t have a care in the world, Dagen leaned against the vanity and crossed his arms. His gaze dipped down Adair then to the space around her, evaluating any and all possible damage. From what he could see only her emotions were in peril, which was nothing new.
“I spend hours each day teaching you how to use energy to protect yourselves, and yet, you still fire your brute weapon when the wind blows the wrong way.”
Adair glared at him as she pulled her damp hair up into a bun. “Most guardian angels show up as drama is happening, not after. Your timing sucks.”
“Does it, then?” Dagen asked with his famous half smirk as his ice blue eyes glinted.
“What?”
He half-heartedly shrugged.
“Answer me.”
He glanced away then met her eyes. “You had an issue with believing in immortals, maybe now you don’t.”
Adair stepped up to him. “You know what? Every single time I think to myself I can trust this dude, he’s not that bad, he’s legit and gives a damn about my issues, you go and pull a stunt like this.”
Dagen slanted his he
ad, silently asking her to elaborate.
“Reveca. She gave me the book on immortals, and what you just said and what I just saw makes me feel like you’re on their side—for all I know all of this was some set up, a wacked illusion spell.”
“You’re lying.”
“Shut up,” Adair said, crossing her arms.
Dagen stifled a grin. “I’m on your side.”
“Then get me out of here.”
“You don’t want that.”
She hated it when he and King did that, when they acted as if they could read her mind. What pissed her off even more was they were always right.
“I should be able to come and go as I please.”
“Why are you so eager to come face to face with the evil hunting you?”
Using the skill he taught her, she assailed a force of energy at him, at least she assumed she did. Dagen never physically acknowledged feeling it. “He’s my family—not evil.”
“I’ll grant you that, but you have no idea how to help your ‘family’ so what’s your rush? What good would it do for you to perish, or worse allow him or those who are supporting him to torture you?”
“If I leave here then I can find what I need to help him.”
“Which is what?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“I don’t know, maybe so I can go and get what you need and bring it here so you will not try and escape and end up shooting someone for the hell of it.” He lifted his chin. “You’re developing a trigger-happy rep.”
Adair appraised him for a long, hard moment. He had asked before, more than once, what she needed. She’d never told him because, even though she could not get a clear read on him, she was sure he was asking for Reveca, or the others, that he was the ‘good guy’ earning her trust. The last thing she wanted to do was put a weapon in anyone’s hand that could hurt Talley, and for all she knew the spell book she was after would have the power to do so.
“Why don’t you tell me about immortals instead.”
“They’re real. Now what do you need me to get you?”
“You suck at this.”
“Suck at what?”
“This angel stuff.”
“I’m not an angel, I’m an Escort. We’ve been over this.”
“Phoenixes are real?”
“Among other things.”
“The birth of myths?”
“Yes, dearie.” When Adair seemed to drift deep into her thoughts he spoke again. “Curious, why are you concerned about Phoenixes? I would assume the vamps and seers would have more of your interest.”
“Why would you think that?”
Dagen didn’t answer. He let his penetrating stare say it all.
“He’s…Judge is immortal?”
Dagen grinned. “Most here are.”
Adair swallowed nervously and stepped back. Her head was spinning and her heart was racing. Every single day she slipped further down the rabbit hole—into the insanity her life had become.
“Why did you ask about the Phoenixes?”
“Um…” Adair barely heard his question. She was deep her in her thoughts scrambling through everything she knew of Judge, and wondering if she ever knew the truth she had discovered just then. She was sure she hadn’t, because up until that moment she had never had fear when she thought of Judge, it was always anger and pain.
She wanted to know which myth he was, and was struggling to remember everything in the book Reveca had given her, the one she had skimmed because she thought Reveca was simply trying to distract her from the real problem at hand by having her read fiction. “Scorpio. He’s the Phoenix the haunt wants saved.”
Dagen stood from his lean. This was the first he’d heard of this. What he did know was the haunt refused to surface around Reveca and King, or him. The lively debate between Reveca and King now was whether it was Evanthe or Zale. King was sure it was Evanthe—Reveca had her doubts. She was sure Evanthe would make herself known, especially if she had something to say.
“The haunt is steering you away from Judge?”
Adair glared up at him. “Judge is steering me away from Judge.” She shook her head trying to clear her own thoughts. “Look, this is not about him, not really. It’s about Talley, me saving him, and in the middle of that I figured I had a thing with Judge once who apparently knew how to mask my memory—that’s it. If I were to leave here, be back at the Cauldron he’d be just another name—here it’s something because of this culture. Here I’m his used property and that fucking sucks.”
Dagen lifted his brow. “You know I can read energy.”
Adair had nothing to say that would defend his accusations that she cared about this elusive past she had with Judge, that she cared about anything beyond putting Talley at peace and going back to her life. “It doesn’t matter, which is my point. Everyday people walk around with broken hearts—people do not walk around with dead family members hunting them. I have to deal with that first and foremost. Whatever else there is will be there when Talley is at peace.”
Dagen leaned forward. “Emotion is rich in you, it’s energy, and it’s power. It is all that matters.”
The very emotion he spoke of welled in her eyes. “Are these people going to kill me? Are you going to let them?”
Dagen jerked his head back shocked she would think such a thing.
“I’m not an idiot. They took my memory for a reason. They don’t want me to know why they did what they did. They’re powerful and live by a code that cannot be broken, especially by some ex-girlfriend. I don’t want to die over this.”
Little Dove…
He lowered his head, looked deeper into her eyes, to punctuate his words. “I’ve told you a hundred times, it’s my charge to keep you safe, and I will.”
“A charge King gave you, the lover of a powerful witch that knows I was blinded, more likely did it herself—do you see why I have trust issues?”
He stepped up to her. “Not with me. I never break my word, Adair, and I have given it to you.” When she nodded vaguely he spoke again. “What did the haunt say?”
A shaky grin came across her lips. “Save him.”
***
After Scorpio figured out what he already knew— Talley and the evil in him was long gone, never let any Son come close to him at all—he sent everyone back to whatever they were up to before Adair decided to put a bullet in his gut. Steele had gotten the bullet out. The wound was closed but still sore as hell, which was doing nothing to aid his salty mood.
He didn’t like the fact that Adair could read him so easily in the past or much less now, and he sure as fuck did not like the idea that she was slowly losing her mind, doubting herself and everything she saw.
Right as he went to walk back inside his phone rang. He grunted a cuss as he went to answer it—his night was only getting worse.
“Sup’” he said. Judge checking in with him a few times a day wasn’t odd, but at this point it was getting old.
All Scorpio heard was the roaring echo of cars moving by. He glanced at the phone and right when he pulled it back to his ear he heard. “You fuck her?”
“What? Where are you?”
Judge was a good three hours away. He’d pulled over right after he had almost laid his bike down, which occurred after a vision slammed into him. One that made him sick to his core: Scorpio, shirtless, moving toward Adair, holding her. You feel safe.
“I saw you.” Judge’s tone was menacing, daring Scorpio to lie to him, to add to the reasons that Judge wanted to slaughter him.
“You guys back?” Scorpio asked, relief filling him. He didn’t trust himself to be alone with Adair, not with that look in her eye—she’d pull everything he knew out of him.
“No,” Judge rasped.
Scorpio furrowed his brow. He knew Judge was a seer, a gifted one, but as far as he knew Judge had to be looking at someone. This deal right here was twisting him.
“I asked you a question,” Judge said in a cold, murderous tone
when Scorpio’s pause was too long.
Scorpio glanced back, toward the backdoor then forward. “You calling me a fucking turncoat?”
“You didn’t have a shirt on and you were holding her against your chest—what should I call you?”
“She shot me, you fuck.”
“What?” Judge nearly yelled, his rage escalating for he was sure Adair had to have a good reason to do so.
“You heard me. I’m pretty sure she’s sick of sitting around being lied to daily. She tried to get in the Cage—didn’t see the force field around it. I tried to help her get up and the next thing I know I have a .45 in my gut.”
Silence, nothing but the sound of cars flying by Judge was heard.
“Look,” Scorpio said, “I’m sure you got your reasons or whatever but I’m here to tell you that they’re fucked. There’s no reason for that girl to think she’s insane, she’s too brilliant.”
“She still doesn’t remember?”
Scorpio clenched his eyes closed. “She’s got pieces man, and a lot of anger—and she’s right, about it all.”
“I don’t need your lecture.”
“The fuck you don’t. Have you taken two seconds to imagine how she feels about this—what she’s going through?”
“It’s not your business.”
“I’m making it mine. You got no claim now, and you know it. We’re voting when you get back—you better not be the only hold out. You can’t be that cruel.”
“If you think for a second that I’m going to let her remember him slicing her up, nearly raping her, you have lost your fucking mind—you have a death wish? You want to go head to head about this?”
“Why the fuck not,” Scorpio said, knowing what hell he’d just asked for. “Look, man, I know you’re going through some serious shit. I don’t want to add to it—but this girl is too right for the wrong you’re puttin’ on her. You didn’t cut the rape out—you cut the Club out, her family.”
They both listened to the cars zooming by Judge for a long hard moment.
“She see you heal?” Judge asked.
“Yeah.”
“You explain that?”
“No.”
“Where’s Reveca?” Judge asked.
