by Sara Mack
“I think you’re right,” I say as my head swims. “Although, there’s one thing I do miss.”
“What’s that?”
“The feeling in my leg.” It’s pinned beneath him again. “Is it possible to move to a different location?”
He raises an eyebrow. “You want to move to a different spot?”
“Yes, please.”
“Right now?”
“No, next Tuesday.”
He grins and shifts his weight. “Will you allow me to sweep you off your feet?”
I can’t help but smile. “I think you’ve already done that, but sure.”
He moves his legs beneath mine and wraps one arm around my waist. He slides his other arm under my knees and stands, lifting me and holding my body against him. I curl one hand behind his neck and set the other against his pounding heart. He kisses me again as he carries me away from the couch and into the bedroom.
“Are you ready?”
I tighten my ponytail as I walk toward the foyer. “Yep. Ready to catch me a shark.”
“It’s more like a marlin or a tuna,” Dane says. He opens the front door. “Did you grab the sunscreen?”
I hold out my hand. “Got it.”
He makes sure the door is locked from the inside. “This is your last chance to back out.”
“You wish,” I say and push against his arm to get him moving. Last night’s decision has created a monster; he’s been trying to get me to forego the fishing trip and stay in. “Like I said before, you shouldn’t have told me what you had planned. I want to go; I’ve never been.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “Stubborn.”
“Who’s being stubborn?” I push him harder. “Move!”
He laughs as he steps outside. I follow behind him, grabbing the door handle as I go. Suddenly, he stops short, and I nearly bounce off his back.
“What are you doing here?” Dane snaps.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to see you, too,” I hear a male voice chuckle.
I can’t immediately place the person behind the voice, but I know I’ve heard it before. Tension radiates off Dane as I remain behind him, unseen. I decide to stay put.
“May I come in?”
“I was just leaving. I have an appointment.”
I hear footsteps. “It took me awhile to find you,” the gentleman says. “You could at least afford me a few minutes of your time.”
Dane lets out a heavy breath. “Did she send you?”
“Of course she did. Do you think I run around looking for errant employees for the fun of it?”
The light dawns and my stomach twists. Mr. Meyer is standing on our doorstep.
“Listen, I’m sorry about the way I left.”
“Your lack of professionalism was a bit shocking,” Mr. Meyer says. “You gave me no notice and quit over email? I would never have expected that from you. I had quite a mess to clean up with the Harris account.”
I take a step back. Should I run and hide or stay and defend Dane? Defending him sounds like the better choice. Besides, I owe him.
Dane scoffs. “Harris will be fine; you have everything I was working on. Designers are a dime a dozen; go find yourself a fresh college grad. Besides you should be thanking me. You can get away with paying the newbie a lot less.”
Mr. Meyer sighs. “This isn’t about money or the company. This is about my daughter.”
“We’ve had this conversation,” Dane argues. “I can’t believe you flew all the way down here! Teagan and I…I don’t love her. She doesn’t love me. It’s done.”
I hear another step. “My daughter is distraught. I poured over at least a hundred flight manifests to find you. Can I at least be allowed inside to sit down while we discuss what may or may not be?”
I know Dane doesn’t want to let him in for a number of reasons, namely me. I decide to take one burden off his back and step around him, exposing myself to Teagan’s father. “Come on in.”
When Mr. Meyer’s eyes meet mine the look on his face is indescribable. Obviously, he recognizes me from the charity dinner, and he’s surprised to find me here. Has the realization finally hit that Dane is no longer in love with his daughter?
“What are you doing?” Dane turns and asks, blocking me.
“The man asked to come inside. You’re being rude.” I widen my eyes to subliminally send him a message. It’s okay.
Dane sets his jaw and shakes his head infinitesimally. His expression screams that it’s not.
“Emma.”
Mr. Meyer’s voice pulls our eyes away from each other, and Dane looks confused. “How do you know her?”
Teagan’s father looks at me pointedly. “Who else knows you’re here?”
His tone sends a chill down my spine, and I don’t think twice about answering. “No one.”
He looks between Dane and me, clearly agitated. “It’s imperative that I speak with both of you.”
I step back to allow him through the door, and Dane begrudgingly does the same. It’s clear he’s unhappy, but what if we can put this whole Teagan mess behind us? If we can convince her father that it’s over maybe he can, in turn, convince her too.
When Dane closes the door, Mr. Meyer turns to me. “We’ve never been properly introduced.” He extends his hand. “My name is Luke Meyer.”
I take it and nod. “I’m familiar. Emma Donohue.”
He grips my hand. It’s not painful, but it’s not an ordinary handshake either. I meet his eyes with a questioning look.
“Your friends call me Lucas.”
At first his comment doesn’t register, and I maintain my puzzled expression.
“I assume you received the money I sent.”
Fear consumes me. I try to yank my hand away, but he maintains his firm grasp. Dane immediately steps to my side.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he says sincerely. A familiar, calm feeling radiates up my arm and then travels down my body. Reiki.
“I had no idea you were here,” he says. “I came only on my daughter’s behalf.” His eyes flash to Dane. “I was clueless that James’ Emma and yours were one in the same.”
Dane looks blindsided, yet he sets his hands protectively on my shoulders. “Let her go.”
Lucas obliges, allowing me to step back against Dane. “I thought…at the dinner…”
“I was there to pacify Jack,” Lucas says. “I normally don’t attend frivolous work functions. But, he asked that I check on you to make sure you could be trusted.” He smiles at me in a genuine way. “I told him his worries were unfounded.”
“Who is Jack?” Dane demands.
“Jack is a Garrett’s twin, a Guardian,” I say. “He doesn’t like me.”
“Ah,” Lucas disagrees, “he likes you just fine. You can trust that his intentions are pure. He only wants what’s best for his brother.”
Dane steps to my side and takes my hand in his. He looks at Lucas with disdain. “And just who exactly are you?”
Lucas regards him. “First and foremost, I am a husband and a father.”
“And?”
“And I am also one of The Allegiant.”
My knees feel weak at hearing him admit this. I didn’t realize how much fear of The Allegiant I held in my heart. James and Garrett did an excellent job of placing it there.
“Speaking of,” Lucas says as if he has read my mind, “they’re safe. You don’t need to worry about them.”
“On the contrary.”
Dane and I spin around at the sound of a new voice behind us. A man materializes with broad shoulders, sandy blonde hair, and blue eyes. Dane clutches my hand and my heart completely stops as two more men appear beside the first, one on his left and one on his right. All three of them are intimidating figures, tall and muscular. One has dark hair while the other’s is so gray it’s nearly white.
“Excellent job,” the sandy blonde says over our heads to Lucas. “You’ve practically led us to them.”
Blood pounds behind my ear
s. I look at Lucas, and he appears defeated, but not fearful.
“You’ve been spying on me?” he asks, offended.
The dark one scoffs. “You didn’t think we’d catch on? You’re not above us!”
“It was just a matter of time until you tripped up,” the blonde one says. “Thankfully, patience is one of our many virtues.”
Lucas remains confident as he defends himself. “Before you do anything rash…”
It’s too late. I barely see the blonde nod and in the blink of an eye the other two men spring into action, grabbing Dane and me and wrenching our hands painfully apart. They hold us by our shoulders, across the room from one another, while the third man renders Lucas immobile by light that emanates from the palm of his hand. I can see Dane’s eyes fill with panic as he struggles against his captor, but it has no effect on the Guardian. I don’t even bother to move against mine; if Dane can’t break free surely I don’t stand a chance. Terror and utter sadness threaten to crush my chest.
My captor speaks and his voice rumbles over me. “Kellan,” he says, pulling the sandy blonde’s eyes our way. “Shall I do it now?” His grip around me tightens and fear cuts through my body.
“You’re right to be afraid,” Kellan says, giving me a tiny, malicious smile. “This is going to be incredibly painful.”
Chapter 28
Inky darkness surrounds me as if the very sun has been extinguished. I am blind, my eyes slowly beginning to burn. It’s as if a match has been lit inside my skull, and the flame is crawling along my optic nerves, incinerating them. Blinking does nothing to soothe the intense ache behind my eyes, so I close them tight, praying for tears to put out the fire. None appear.
An image is placed behind my sightless, burning eye sockets; I know this because I physically feel it. It’s like my mind is a View Master loaded with a picture reel, and what I see defines the meaning behind Kellan’s threat of pain. I realize this torture will be infinitely more mental, more emotional than the initial threat could allow me to comprehend. The flames in my head change direction to consume my heart as I’m forced to memorize things I’ve never seen before. My chest constricts as I try to scream, but I am rendered incapable as bile rises in my throat. My legs give out as the images change:
James lying in his casket, so swollen and caked in make-up that he’s barely recognizable.
James naked in the morgue on a silver table, his face sliced, his chest badly beaten and bruised.
Paramedics holding his limp body drenched in blood, his legs twisted in an unnatural way.
His open, lifeless eyes as he stares into nothing, slumped in the front seat of his truck.
“Enough!” I hear a voice, and my vision immediately returns; I’m on my hands and knees in front of the dark haired Guardian that held me. I concentrate on breathing as the burning pain inside me fizzles.
“I’m here! You can stop!”
The pain leaves my body.
Lifting my head, I find James in the middle of the room, his eyes trained on me with a look of desolation. Relief washes over me at seeing him whole again, and I push myself to stand despite my shaking legs. I want him to know I’m okay, and I can handle this. The Guardian behind me collects my shoulders to restrain me a second time, but not as strongly.
“That was quick,” Kellan says to James, impressed, as he continues to hold Lucas immobile. “Now if you would just lead us to your former mentor, we could end this little game.”
“I’m willing,” James says. “But I don’t know how.”
“Abraham,” Kellan calls to the Guardian that holds Dane then looks in my direction, “Ethan.”
Both men release us, and when they do, Dane is in front of me in an instant, frantically gathering my face in his hands. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I say, although the images seared into my brain will haunt me forever.
A sharp intake of breath redirects my attention, and I look around Dane to see The Allegiant standing on either side of James, one of their hands on each of his shoulders. They must be doing to him what they did to me and he closes his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists. My gaze jumps to Lucas, still frozen by Kellan, then back to James. I’m helpless to stop any of this.
“I feel the bond,” Abraham finally says. Ethan nods in agreement.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kellan snaps. “Fetch him.”
The Guardians disappear, and James slowly opens his eyes. He blinks to focus his vision and then turns toward Dane and I. Crestfallen, his clear blue eyes lock on mine. “I hope you two will be happy together,” he says, his voice heavy and stuck with emotion.
It’s in that moment that I know, without a doubt, what he was shown. What else would cause him pain to reveal Garrett’s bond? Both Abraham and Ethan touched Dane and I; they read our minds, they saw what happened between us. James just received a first row seat to last night’s show. The urge to throw up overcomes me and I swallow, breaking out in a cold sweat. It’s one thing to hear what happened. It’s quite another to witness it firsthand.
“Aw,” Kellan interrupts, mocking us. “Do I sense a love triangle?”
Both James and Dane shoot him an irritated look. Kellan gives me a once over and then leers. “She’s pretty; I’ll give you that.”
His comment makes my skin crawl.
His tone changes as his eyes leave mine and harshly turn to James. “Might I remind you that your feelings for her are forbidden? You’re aware of this, yet you continue to feel the way you do? Act the way you do? And now you’ve taken part in this scheme? Enabling renegades? You should be banished!”
James lowers his eyes. He can’t defend himself; Kellan will know he’s lying. He clenches his hands into fists again, as if preparing for what’s coming. He always said he would be punished if The Allegiant discovered his actions, and my heart races in anticipation of the worst. Is Kellan going to hurt him right here, right now?
Impulsively, I take a step around Dane. “It’s not his fault!”
Dane tries to stop me, by grabbing my arm, but I look at him and mouth the word “no.” My argument for staying at school, instead of running away, comes back to me. “He’s been used; we’ve both been used.”
Kellan looks at me, his mood shifting again as he offers me a maliciously arrogant retort, “A fact we’ve taken in consideration, I can assure you.” He gives me a sly smile. “I said he should be banished not that he would be.” He winks. “Your decisions are about to get a lot harder, sweetheart.”
Before I can ask what that means, Ethan and Abraham reappear with Garrett in tow. My mind reels trying to figure out how that’s possible. Dane steps protectively to my side, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Well,” Kellan says. “Look at what the cat dragged in.”
Abraham and Ethan push Garrett to his knees. His eyes grow wide as he sees Lucas trapped in Kellan’s hold. He looks to his left, spotting James, and then to his right, finding Dane and me. A defeated look crosses his features, but he regains his composure and faces Kellan.
“What? You still feel justified?” Kellan asks. He nods toward Lucas. “You still believe in his cause? You don’t even know what he was fighting for!”
“And you do?” Garrett asks.
Kellan scoffs. “I know a hell of a lot more than you.” He looks at Ethan who lashes out with his fist, connecting with Garrett’s temple. I cringe against Dane’s side.
“You went against everything you’ve been taught, everything we stand for,” Kellan growls. “To hurt our Wards goes against the essence of our very being, yet you wounded yours beyond repair for your own selfish gain!”
Abraham gives Garrett a sickening kick to his lower back, which causes him to fall against the floor. As much as I despise what Garrett did to James and me, I can’t bear this. Garrett was a friend.
Kellan turns and unexpectedly releases Lucas from his hold, his body crumpling to the floor in a heap. He walks over to him and kneels b
y his side. “Your muscles have been severed, but your senses have been spared,” he says in an eerie tone. “How does it feel?” He pretends to listen for an answer that doesn’t come and smiles. “That’s what I thought.”
He rises, grabbing one of Lucas’ hands in the process, and drags him across the floor toward Garrett. “You wanted to be human?” he spits. “You sacrificed the Choice for a human life?”
Garrett clenches his jaw as he pushes himself back to his knees. He defiantly stares at Kellan.
“What you desire will not be yours,” Kellan says. “Your mentor should have known better. Now he will watch as you are destroyed, and he will know the cost of his mistake.” He looks to the others, and they step around Garrett to stand beside him. The four of them make up a line, Lucas included, although he is lying defenseless on the ground. They leer over Garrett, each of them touching one another at their feet, with the exception of Kellan, whose foot is set against Lucas’s head.
Tears spring behind my eyes, and I lean into Dane, grabbing his shirt and twisting it in my fist. He clutches my shoulder and reaches up to shield my face against his chest. Neither of us thought we’d be witnessing a murder today.
Even though my eyes are closed, I still see the blinding light behind my lids. I can feel it, too. Instantly, the temperature in the room increases by multiple degrees. After several seconds, it returns to normal with a cool rush of air, leading me to believe they have incinerated Garrett. Tears course down my cheeks.
“Emma look,” Dane whispers.
I open my eyes expecting to see a pile of ashes where Garrett knelt, but instead find him still there in one piece. My face twists in confusion until my eyes land on James. He’s holding his hands out in front of him, examining them, with a look of complete awe.
Kellan leans down, leveling his face with Garrett’s. “Your Ward now has what you so desperately wanted,” he says with a smug expression. “What you thought you’d taken from him, we’ve given back.” He presses the palm of his hand against Garrett’s forehead. “While you rot for eternity as one of the Banished, keep this one thought close,” he sneers. “He’s human and you will never be.”
