Finn tromped out, Ute and Torrin in tow.
Marin approached me and rubbed my shoulders.
I put my hands on the washstand and let my head drop forward.
“How are you?”
Whirling, I wrapped my arms around him and let out a breath. I wanted contact. I needed someone to hold me right now.
He wound his arms around me and rested his cheek on my hair.
“I’m okay.” I wasn’t okay but I didn’t want to talk. I needed to know what was going on, which was fast becoming my mantra.
Tears swam across my vision, but I couldn’t cry. I didn’t know if I could stop once I started. No. I wouldn’t let this bastard make me cry. I tightened my arms around Marin.
His hands drifted lower, pulling me close.
Whoa again. I looked up and I knew it was deliberate, that motion. His savage intelligence gleamed at me, along with something else. I was secure in the knowledge that this man would protect me. I never doubted that, from the second I saw him in the clearing. It just now occurred to me he might want something more as well, which was stupid, because he’d come damn close to kissing me by the lake. I’d tried to forget that. Not sure why.
He inched closer; his breath mingled with mine. I breathed out as he breathed in. I felt heat gather in the pit of my stomach and lightning race along my skin. His lips curved. His head dipped. I burrowed my head in his neck at the last second. His hands formed a fist at my back.
God, I just slept with Finn and here I was, almost kissing Marin; guilt crashed through me in a sick wave. Juggling two men wasn’t for me.
I untangled myself and moved to the table. I brushed my hair back and took a deep breath. “You hungry?”
Marin’s eyebrow rose.
“For food,” I clarified, flushing.
He ran his hands down my face. “I am hungry for a lot of things. As I think you are now aware.” With a smile, he relented. “But I can have the guards bring food.”
“Better bring enough for all of us.”
Chapter Seventeen
“What did you find?” Marin asked when everyone returned.
Finn went first. “His trail starts at the entrance. No one saw him enter. The guards state no one has been in or out who was not authorized. He came straight here. His scent is concentrated outside, and then he left. Went right back out the way he came. Again, the guards did not see him. His trail disappears soon after he leaves town.
“As for the other scents, there were the assigned guards, Beta, myself, the people in this room. I can identify those scents. There were a few others, such as the neighbors, Zanth, and some I could not name. That is not surprising, given the amount of people who pass this area to get to the entrance. I am new at differentiating the scents and what they mean.”
Marin looked startled. “Zanth was not here. I know for a fact he is at the house. He was entertaining earlier in the evening. When the guards came to get me, he came out of his rooms.”
Hmm, Zanth. I didn’t like him, but at the same time, I couldn’t see him killing children. Plus, the person we saw meeting with the murderer at the second crime scene had long hair, not short. It didn’t make sense. But why was Zanth’s scent here? Maybe he was ambitious and wanted to take his brother’s place? That didn’t ring true. And like Finn said, a lot of people went through this area.
Marin held fast. “Zanth is not involved in any of this, but that is interesting. Maybe someone is trying to lay blame? It is something to think about. Any other information?”
After everyone said no, he finished, “We need to reconvene away from this room. Everyone take different paths and head to my house. Meet there in a few minutes. Elizabeth, you are with me.”
I gathered up the plates as everyone trickled out.
Finn left last. He gave me a smoldering look then turned to glare at Marin.
Marin smiled at him.
As soon as Finn left, Marin grabbed my hand and walked me toward the edge of town. It was pitch-black outside. Clouds obscured the stars. We went behind some rocks where he pulled me in tight against his side.
A smirk danced at the corner of his mouth then we were moving. The landscape was a blur. The wind blew my hair straight behind us. We arrived at his home in under a minute.
“What was that?” I inquired breathlessly after we stopped our precipitous run.
“New talent.” Marin continued to hold me against him. I stepped out of his arms. “I have many talents.”
He winked at me.
I snorted and bopped him on the nose. “Oh, I bet you do, Flash.”
We entered the house; Marin led me to a meeting room. A long, square table dominated the room, surrounded by rickety chairs.
People trickled in; I saw Jace and Bob enter the room, then Finn, Ute, Torrin, and a few more guards. Marin elected not to include his brother in our discussion for now. Chairs scraped the floor as people took their seats.
“You cannot stay at Ute’s. You know this,” Marin began.
I’d been readying myself for this. “I don’t know that. I could be bait! When he comes after me, you can get him.” I’d rather be hurt than see another child die. I was fine with being bait.
Marin pointed at me. “I knew you were going to say that. It is not an option.”
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you it is rude to point” I gripped his finger. “And why not?”
He leaned closer.
“Now, Marin,” Torrin butted in. “There is merit to what she says.”
“Now, Torrin,” he replied, “you are not thinking clearly if you think it is acceptable to risk someone else’s daughter to avenge your own.” Marin shook my hand off his finger.
Torrin looked down, flushed. “And my daughter’s murderer gets to roam free when we can use Elizabeth to get him. How is that just?”
“What you suggest goes against our ways, and you know it. I would not do what you ask for any reason. I would not sacrifice a woman, and especially,” Marin emphasized, “not this woman, one beloved of the earth, one who bears our jatua. She gains more power every day. As do I, as does Finn, as do a lot of our people. Our magic is waking. You would risk that for vengeance on one? One we are not even sure we can kill? One who will reveal himself with time?”
“With time and more bodies,” Torrin snarled.
“You think I do not know that?” Marin seethed. “We all know whom we face, and I will say it. The Imani have found us, if they ever lost us. The weapons are Imani. We know this. We cannot guard against them. Our ancestors could create shields with their powers to protect them, and they lost. Plus, the Imani have their own shields and technology. How are we to fight against them?”
One of the guards spoke up. “Yes, how are we to fight them? Might it not be better to give her to them?”
Ute objected. “That is wrong and you know it!”
Torrin shook his head at the guard. “Even I would not want that.”
Finn pitched in. “They have to want her for a reason. We need to try to figure out that reason. We have to assume she got away from them, and they are trying to get her back, or else why come after her at all? He could have shot her through the door. He did not; again, why?”
“Good point,” Marin agreed. “What has changed that they want you back?”
“Maybe I escaped,” I pointed out. “But honestly, I don’t know if anything is different. I don’t remember much of anything yet.”
Finn added, “But you are remembering pieces in your dreams.”
I glared at him. Finn didn’t look away, just jutted his chin.
Ute jumped on it. “What dreams?”
“I am remembering the day they took me. I remember their ship. I keep seeing these glimpses of a man. He has white hair and eyes, and I hate him. So much.”
They all absorbed that information.
“An Imani, she remembers an Imani,” Ute murmured, finger tapping his lip. “Those pasty monsters are memorable.”
Marin concluded, “R
egardless of what the dreams mean, our enemy wants her. I say they cannot have her.”
I sensed defeat, but persevered, regardless. “Where can I go? If Ute’s isn’t safe, then nowhere will be safe. People will notice guards, and we know someone is giving the Imani information.”
Marin declared, “I think you should stay here with me. I always have guards, so extras now would not raise suspicions. I will hide them and you inside the house. This house was made to withstand a war. Multiple exits. My father was a paranoid man.
“We will tell everyone you ran away. No one outside this room will know. That means you cannot be seen. That means people you were known to associate with cannot come visit.” He glanced at Finn, then Ute as he said this. “You will hole up with your guards. The rest of you will go about your normal days and act as if you believe she left us, ran away.”
Finn protested. “That might not be the best for her.”
He peered at me for support but…my mouth curled down. “I still would prefer to be bait.”
“You are bait, just not as easily obtained bait. It gives you time to practice your magic, and us time to prepare. We need a weapon.” At this last, Marin’s gaze swept the room. Glances were exchanged. “You all know what I am talking about. I expect another kill soon. This creature has a taste for it now. We know what we are up against. Your part in the investigation is done, Elizabeth. For now, we will focus on keeping you safe, keeping you hidden.”
I stirred at this, and Marin waved me down. “We are doubling the guards everywhere, four on the entrance. No guard goes anywhere alone. No one travels alone. The clans now have a curfew, all in at dusk. We’ll find the murderer, and we will kill him. We will show the Imani there is strength in the Fost yet.”
Everybody argued for another hour or so. No one had any better suggestions. It was the middle of the night; everyone was tired.
I’m moving in with Marin. Not the best of situations. Finn, Ute, Hana, all the people I was closest to had to stay away. Finn had been openly championing me to the other leaders. The spy would know to follow him to find me. The thought turned my stomach. I didn’t realize how much I had come to rely on him, too much and in too short a time. I knew last night didn’t mean anything to him, but my affections didn’t come lightly; even though it was just for comfort, I still felt…something. Things were up in the air. We needed to talk.
Ute and Torrin left. Finn turned toward me. Marin asked him a question, and they strolled out together.
Marin’s house was as majestic on the inside as it looked from the outside. The house had two stories, built with a combination of wood and white stone. The dark wood gleamed atop cool white tile flooring. A smooth polish covered the sanded wood. An open foyer led to a wide staircase. Meeting rooms were located to the left and right of the entrance, along with a study and the kitchen. The bedrooms were upstairs, which was where Marin directed me when he returned.
Jace and Bob got the room next door. They were my own personal bodyguards. Their cover was that they’d been sent out to find me. They disappeared when I did. The rest of the guards rotated outside to provide protection. Jace and Bob’s job began and ended with me. It surprised me they didn’t want to sleep in the room with me; actually, I was pretty sure Bob suggested it, but that was a no go. They were good at being invisible, too, which, given Bob’s size, was quite amazing.
“There are only the two of us,” Marin said out of nowhere as he escorted me to my room. “Just Zanth and me; our parents died when we were little, the same time as Finn’s father. The corecks attacked; they are pack predators. Normally, they don’t bother us unless food is scarce. That year was a bad year, a long summer followed by a drought. Many families lost people that day. I was fifteen when that happened, over ten years ago, an adult by our standards, but Zanth was only eight. Lots of people offered to take him in for me, free me of the responsibility, but he is more than just my brother, he is all I have. Regardless of opinions otherwise, he is not disloyal. He would never betray the clan. I know this.”
I nodded and squeezed his arm. “For what it’s worth, I believe that too. He’s a hothead, but he seems too…proper to do this.”
Yes, he’s a proper punk. I grinned, and Marin smiled back, covering my hand with his. Damn, his smile stunned me and sparks shot up my arm, stealing my breath. His thumb stroked the back of my fingers.
We entered the room, and I squealed in glee: a real bed. I jumped on the mattress. “Covers.”
His eyebrows winged up.
“I like lots of covers. My mom always said I was a nester.” I flushed, then let go and lay on the bed. Wow. I’d missed a real bed. I rolled around a bit, just ’cause I could.
Marin’s eyes glimmered as he watched me.
“It has been an eventful night so far. You should sleep.” His eyes drifted over me for a perilous second before he left and shut the door behind him.
My breath whooshed out. A nap sounded good.
I stood in a line next to the others.
He walked down the row, inspecting us. Rage filled me, and I made sure to keep my head down when he passed. It was never good to draw too much attention. Not from him.
Xade’s boots stopped in front of me anyway.
“Elizabeth.” His voice sounded smug.
I kept my eyes downcast. “Yes, sir.”
“You will be with me today.”
My stomach fell.
Inside, I was already screaming.
Chapter Eighteen
Thunderous knocking filled the room. I sat up, disoriented; tears ran down my cheeks. My belly hurt. Marin opened the door and poked his head inside. I saw the guards behind him, but he waved them back and entered the room, closing the door.
“Everything well? You were crying.” Finn had told them about the dreams, but not the details.
I bundled myself in a blanket. “I’ve been dreaming about the Imani, about what happened to me.”
Marin breathed out and sat next to me on the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m not sure I can. Not yet. Every time I think about them, I’m filled with such fear or rage. I’m not used to it. I was always so in control. It was how I was raised. I can’t handle this.”
“You can handle anything.”
I snorted. “You don’t know me. You don’t know that.”
“But I do. I have been watching you; we all have.”
“I feel like I am falling apart from these few memories. But I need to remember more. I feel like I know even less now than when I woke up out there.”
Marin lay down next to me, facing me on the bed. “We will have some answers soon.”
“When I think through everything, all I get is more questions. I know the Imani brought me here. I know they hurt me. But why? For what purpose? And how did I get here, specifically, to Groos? Why do they want me back? How come I can do magic? Why can I heal, do the haze thing? Why the spark when we touch?” I laughed bitterly. I kept running in circles. One answer only led to more questions I couldn’t answer. I smashed my hand into the mattress.
Marin ran his hand down my hair. He regarded me a second then asked, “When did you start healing?”
“When I first came into town, I was injured. I know I was. I was bleeding. The wound, poof, gone by the time we got here.” I pointed to my lip. “Zanth hit me here. It healed in an hour or two, maybe less.”
“That sounds like fire magic. The haze, I do not know what that is, land magic, maybe. My family and I are strong in air magic, air and water, so pretty much the opposite of you. Our library here is even more extensive than Ute’s and much better organized.” He smiled. “Maybe we will find something there.
Marin took his time choosing his words. “We will learn the answers to your questions, in time. I know it is hard to be patient, but that is something I am good at. I will help you. Remember, what is the goal of learning? Do you need the answers just to know, or do you need them to figure out what the next step is? You could
rush out and be bait. Learn some of your answers now, but the Imani would kill you. We cannot fight them. Not yet. This arrangement”—he gestured around the room—“this is temporary until we know more. We will find your answers. That is my pledge.”
His eyes, all that intensity, focused on me. He took my hand and placed it over his heart.
I felt a spark zing through me; he stroked the back of my fingers.
Marin spooned me and pulled the covers over us. “Now, no more dreams. Go to sleep.”
“You said the speed thing was a talent. Is that new?”
I felt him nod. “Yes. I cannot speak for everyone, but I believe we are all getting our powers back. I noticed mine the night you came to town. I fancy the land senses the Imani are coming back. It is arming us. I hope so. As for my powers, my communication has improved. I can call out from this room and project my thoughts to the guards. I heard when the guard died, but I did not get there in time to see anything. My speed is much improved, as you saw. I think everyone is noticing changes, whether they admit it or not.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
I turned and curled onto my side, facing Marin, who rolled onto his back. “We will get him, right?”
A vicious smile carved his face as he turned to look at me. “Yes.”
We remained looking at each other. He lifted a hand and skimmed the back of his fingers down my face. I fought the urge to kiss his palm. What was wrong with me?
“I should sleep.” I scooted close and tucked my head against his shoulder. His hand rested on my head. We fell asleep that way, and I’d never felt so safe.
When I woke up, I was still curled up on my side, facing Marin. His one arm was under my head, his other hand tangled in my hair. I tried to tug my hair free and ended up waking him.
Marin blinked at me and ran his fingers through my hair. A smile ghosted across his face. Marin leaned forward that extra inch and kissed me. His kiss was firm but light; a mere sweep of his lips against mine, but the sensation rocked me.
Must Remember: Dead or alive, they want her back. (Solum Series Book 1) Page 13
