by Sara Mack
It takes him a moment to answer. “1942.”
“See?” The cashier rings up our sundae buffet. “A night out is long overdue. Who knows? You might enjoy yourself.”
He reaches for his wallet. “Doubtful.”
“That will be $18.51,” the cashier says as she pops her gum.
Garrett tries to hand her a twenty. “Stop.” I grab his wrist. “I set you up. My treat.”
After we gather the bags, we meet Samantha by the door. “I drove if you’d like to ride back with me,” she volunteers.
I smile, yet study her eyes. “You get the backseat,” she sends my way. Shouldn’t she be grateful that I got her some time alone with Garrett?
The ride to our building in her yellow Volkswagen Beetle is short. Surprisingly, the interior of the car is pretty big. “There’s a lot of room back here,” I volunteer from the rear.
“Plenty,” she says suggestively.
Garrett flashes me a look and I hear “Help me” in my head. I stifle a laugh.
Just inside our apartment entrance, I divvy up the dessert between the plastic bags. “Have fun!” I wave as I send them on their way. Samantha shoots me a smile as Garrett tries to mask a scowl. “You know where to find me,” he sends into my brain. “Feel free to create an emergency.”
I give him a small wave and turn the key in my door. A fake emergency or otherwise is not likely to happen. When’s the last time he kissed a girl? He may thank me later.
I flip on a few lights and rid myself of my coat. My stomach makes another unsettling noise, and I immediately head to the kitchen to create the most obnoxious sundae ever. Huge scoops of chocolate and strawberry ice cream – I gave the lovebirds the vanilla – drip with fudge. A mountain of whip cream sits on top. Oh yeah.
When midnight rolls around I turn off the TV and glance at the door. I kind of thought Garrett would be back by now. I’m starting to feel guilty about what happened. All I wanted to do was let Samantha know we weren’t together and avoid involving Dane. I didn’t mean to subject Garrett to hours of her company. Should I rescue him or is he having a good time? I wish I had his number; I’d send him a quick text.
Standing, I fold his blankets and pile them neatly on the couch. I should try to go to sleep. It may be an hour or two before I drift off, but I do have class tomorrow. I also get to spring my neighbors from Emma Restriction. At first I smile, but then it fades. I haven’t heard from them in two days. Will they want to see me or have they reached the conclusion that I’m not worth the effort? Either they took what I said seriously or they’re extremely pissed. How will I feel if it’s the latter?
I push the question aside because I’ll never sleep if I ponder it. I move around the room turning off lights, leaving one lamp on for Garrett, should he return. As I pass by the door, I pause. Would he really spend the night with Samantha? It has been awhile since he’s done anything remotely romantic. The thought unsettles me and shake it away. He’s a grown man; he can do whatever he pleases. He could fall in love with her if he wanted to. For some reason the thought makes me physically shudder. Why am I allowing his absence to nag me so much?
Minutes later, I find myself in bed with the sheets pulled to my chin and LB at my side. I occupy my thoughts with upcoming finals and my move back home. Eventually sleep takes me, but it’s restless. I can’t help but keep one ear tuned for the sound of my friend’s return.
Alarms are the worst. Even though I’m partially awake I still loathe the sound. I slam my hand on the snooze button and rub my eyes. LB stretches and leaps from my bed which causes me to pause. Since Garrett’s been here she sleeps with him; I think they bonded while they were in hiding. If she spent the night with me that can only mean…
He never came back.
I throw off the covers and spring from my bed. Sure enough the lamp still burns and the blankets on the couch haven’t been touched. He stayed upstairs? This is unexpected. I thought he didn’t want to spend time with our neighbor, let alone the night. A few hours together were enough to change his mind? What kind of mad seduction skills does she have?
Surprised, I make my way to the bathroom to ready myself for class. I run the shower and confusion clouds my thoughts. Something’s not right. Is it possible Garrett’s hormones took over? He doesn’t seem the type, but what do I know? Just because he stayed with her doesn’t mean anything happened. I almost laugh out loud. This is Samantha we’re talking about.
By the time I’ve dressed and choked down some yogurt, I’ve made up my mind. I need to see him. Just to set my mind at ease. It’s selfish, but I need to know he doesn’t blame me; that he’s not mad and he stayed out because he wanted to. Maybe he thought my set up was to get out from under his “protection.”
I leave for class early and head upstairs to Samantha’s apartment. Nervously, I knock on her door. Will they be awake? Technically Garrett has Intro to Ethics with me in a half hour not that he’s been attending class. He could use it as an excuse to leave though, if he wanted to.
A moment later the door opens. Samantha’s dressed and she’s toweling her hair. “Oh, hey,” she says. “What’s up?”
My eyes search behind her. “I’m sorry to bother you.” I refocus on her face. “But is Garrett here? We have class in, like, thirty minutes.”
Her eyes get a somewhat dreamy look to them then she snaps out of it. She steps forward, almost through the doorway. “Thank you for last night,” she says quietly. “Between us girls I owe you big time.”
I concentrate on her eyes and her thoughts mirror her comments. No sarcasm this morning. I clear my throat uncomfortably. “I take it things went well?”
“I got one kiss. I had to work for it, but it was worth the effort.” She smiles.
One kiss? That’s all? So what’s he still doing here? I fake an encouraging expression. “So, is he ready to go or…”
Samantha frowns. “I don’t know. He left around 11:30.”
“He’s not here?”
“No. He said something about homework and left. He’s not at his place?”
My pulse starts to accelerate. He could be there, but anxiety is building in my chest. “He must have left without me,” I mumble. I need to get downstairs and fast. “I should go. Sorry to interrupt.”
“It’s okay.” She steps back. “I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah.”
I wait until she closes the door then break into a sprint down the stairs. I bypass my place and pound on Garrett’s door, careful not to punch my fist entirely through. Please be here, please be here, please be here, I silently chant.
James opens the door. “Emma?”
“Tell me Garrett is here,” I nearly plead.
He looks confused. “No. I thought he was with you.”
My stomach drops to my toes.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s gone,” I barely say.
“What do you mean he’s gone?”
“I don’t know where he is.”
James searches my face. He can see I’m upset and his expression turns anxious. I try to read his thoughts, but all I get is silence. Maybe it doesn’t work when I’m worried?
He reaches out and pulls me over the threshold, closing the door. “What happened?”
I look over and see Dane frozen, holding a bowl of cereal with a spoonful midway to his lips. His forehead creases and I stare at him. His voice resonates in my brain, relieved. “She’s here.” Then it changes, concerned. “What’s going on?” Apparently my mind-reader isn’t broken.
I answer both their questions. “Garrett and I ran into Samantha last night. I read her mind; she thought Garrett and I were together. To set her straight I sent him with her for a few hours. He never came back.” The guys know about my new found abilities. Garrett filled them in, excited that I was supposedly a Larvatus.
“He left you?” James asks, shocked. “Why would he do that?”
Guilt is written all over my face. “I made him. It was only supp
osed to be for a little while. I thought he should have some fun.”
“Did he want to go?”
“Not really.” I look down. This is all my fault.
Dane sets his bowl aside. “Where do you think he is?”
“Hell if I know,” James responds. “He’s not with Samantha?” he asks me.
“She said he left around 11:30.”
James crosses his arms as Dane approaches us. I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing, but none of us want to say it. I meet Dane’s eyes. “11:30? That’s when…”
“Hey,” he addresses James. “Isn’t that when you got that headache?”
“It was more of a hum in my brain,” he says. “Like when I was a Guardian.”
That seals it for me. I guess I’ll be the brave one and say what no one else will. “Garrett’s been taken,” I state matter-of-factly.
“You don’t know that,” James says. I think he’s trying to set my mind at ease although he doesn’t look like he believes his own words. I try to read his thoughts again. Nothing comes through.
“He wouldn’t just leave,” I protest.
“You’re right.”
A voice that sounds eerily like Garrett’s sounds from across the room.
All three of us turn and my heart nearly bursts with relief. It’s Garrett, but…it’s not. The person is his mirror image dressed in army fatigues.
“Jack?” James blinks. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help,” he says as he steps toward us. “Kellan has Garrett.”
Chapter 9
“It was too much not to know,” Jack says, looking pensive. “I had to go back. I wanted to check with Lucas and find out what was happening.”
Reality has hit me square in the chest. I know James and Garrett were once Guardians and I’ve seen others that I’ve forgotten. But Jack is the first I’ve encountered with new eyes. Dane sits next to me and I glance at him for the briefest of seconds. His thoughts echo in my mind. “Holy hell.” You got that right.
“Were you able to speak to him?” James asks.
“Barely. I couldn’t find him at our normal meeting locations, so I took a chance and went to Post. While the others were at Assembly, I appeared in Quarters.”
“What?” Dane asks, puzzled.
“Post is where The Allegiant reside. You can’t get in unless you’re summoned,” Jack hesitates. “Usually.”
“Us rabble shy away from The Allegiant,” James says. “The stigma is you don’t go to them, they come to you. You don’t dare manifest in their personal space. It’s monitored.”
“So how’d you get in?” I ask Jack.
“Garrett and I have been there before. Lucas was our Guardian before he became Allegiant. I’m familiar with the layout.”
“What did you find?”
His expression turns pained. “I found Lucas. Bound and gagged and extremely weak. I never knew The Allegiant could be subdued; I’d thought they were omnipotent.”
James frowns. “Well, that’s clearly not the case. Two of them were killed. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“I believe you.” Jack looks grave. “When I removed his gag, Lucas thanked the Great One that I’d returned and told me what had happened. He wouldn’t allow me to release him; he asked me to locate Kellan, get as much information as I could, and report back instead.” He pauses and looks at each of us. “That’s when I found Garrett with the others.”
James gets animated. “You saw Meg? Thomas and Joss? How are they?”
“Tired. Angry. Ready for revenge.”
Guilt weighs heavy on my heart for Garrett’s capture. I should never have pushed him to spend time away from us. “Is your brother okay?” I ask.
“For now,” Jack says. “Part of him is still Guardian, but he has human needs too. He can’t stay in the Intermediate indefinitely. The longer he’s without food and water he’ll die.”
I close my eyes and my stomach feels like lead. Could he have said anything worse?
“Not that I want anyone hurt,” James says, “but why hasn’t Kellan disposed of Garrett and Lucas already? You know, pick us off one by one.”
“Lucas told me Kellan is using him to accomplish tasks that cannot be done alone, like creating more Allegiant. Lucas knows Kellan will kill him when he’s no longer needed.”
“Wait.” James stands. “The Allegiant create others? I thought the Gift was bestowed by God.”
Jack’s expression twists. “Apparently not.”
James regards him in disbelief. “What’s he keeping Garrett around for?”
“Bait.” Jack grimaces. “Kellan wants to lure you into a fight.”
Adrenaline surges in my veins. It must register on my face because Dane wraps his hand around mine. I meet his eyes with a questioning look. None of us deserves to be hurt by this psycho, and I immediately begin to strategize. We need to prepare.
“When?” I ask.
Jack shakes his head. “I didn’t get all the details; I had to move to avoid being seen. I do know Kellan has begun to rally his troops, and he’s forced Lucas to create at least one other Allegiant. Lucas said he didn’t want to because the person wasn’t worthy.”
James begins to pace. “So why didn’t you free him? He could be helping us right now.”
“Yeah,” Dane says, perturbed. “We’re sitting ducks.”
Jack looks him in the eye. “That’s why I’m here. Lucas has a plan.”
I have to stop myself from letting out a sarcastic laugh. It doesn’t appear that Lucas’ plans have panned out so far. I manage to prevent myself from rolling my eyes, but can’t help the smart words that slip from my lips. “Really? You trust this guy? He lied to you. He’s trapped and weak. What makes you think his plan will work?”
Jack is surprised by my sarcasm and he shoots me an irritated glance. I concentrate on his eyes. “Who does she think she is?” he asks. His eyes find my hand wrapped around Dane’s and his look turns questioning. “What? No more love for James? That’ll clear the way for Meg.” His words are condescending.
I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but I don’t appreciate his tone. I pull my hand from Dane’s and lean forward. “For your information who I think I am is a Larvatus. I can read your thoughts and I can kick your ass, so you might want to watch your silent commentary.”
James’ eyes widen and he tries to hide a smile. It turns into a lopsided smirk, and I wish I could hear what he’s thinking.
“Well.” Jack raises his brow. “Lucas wasn’t kidding when he said the game has changed. He mentioned the Charmed.”
I cross my arms. “And I assume we’re part of his grand plan?” It’s amazing how quickly I’ve claimed this group as my own. Do I truly have their power? Will they even want me? All I know is I have some serious energy coursing through my veins and my friend’s lives have been threatened. Bring it on, Jack. Tell me what you’ve got.
“Yes,” he says, annoyed. “Lucas wants us to work with The Larvatus to free him and the others when the time is right. With me as your spy, we can take Kellan by surprise before he acts.” He gives me a superior look. “Although convincing your kind to work with an Allegiant might be difficult.”
My kind? I feel the need to defend these people I know nothing about. “Madeline and Ash are Garrett’s friends. If for nothing else they’ll do it for him.”
“You know that for sure?”
He’s got me there. I’ve never met The Larvatus that I can remember. “No,” I say stubbornly.
His expression turns smug.
“Then let’s get them here,” James says. “The sooner the better.”
Jack stands. “That’s my next stop.”
“You know where to go?”
“Hope Mills, North Carolina. Garrett said I’d hardly recognize our home town.”
“We’ll be here waiting.”
“Are you sure?” Jack looks over his shoulder. “It might be hard to contain Miss Know-It-All over ther
e. Maybe the three of you should talk about your roles while I’m gone. We’re only going to get one shot at this.”
Is he insinuating I’m going to screw things up? I jump to my feet to question him, but he vanishes before I can utter a word.
James’ eyes light up. “You certainly got under his skin.”
I scowl. “He should keep his snide remarks to himself.”
“You read his mind?”
I nod.
“To be fair he didn’t know he wasn’t keeping his thoughts to himself,” James says. “What did he say?”
“He thinks my feelings for you have changed. He said the way is clear for Meg.”
James tries to look unaffected, but he swallows nervously as Dane muffles a snicker. This deserves an explanation. “Care to fill me in?” I ask.
His eyes dart to Dane and I turn to see what he’s looking at. Dane wears a self-satisfied grin. “You heard the lady.”
“Like you have room to talk,” James says approaching us. “Why don’t you tell her your fiancée has been blowing up your phone since Saturday?”
“Teagan?” I ask.
“Ex-fiancée,” Dane corrects James. “At least she knows about her. What have you told her about Meg?”
My eyes shoot back to James. What is going on here? I have one memory of Meg; I know what she looks like. Other than that her name has only come up in conversation about his captured friends. As I recall her face I don’t have any feelings of jealousy aside from the fact that she’s incredibly pretty. What don’t I know?
James scowls at Dane then looks at me. “We used to fight about Meg. I told you we were friends, but you thought she wanted more.”
I eye him. “Did she?”
He lets out a heavy sigh and runs his hand through his hair. “Yes. She kissed me right before you left for St. Thomas. I didn’t have a chance to tell you, I swear.”
I stare him confused. “You kissed Meg?”
He nods.
Why doesn’t this bother me? I mean it bothers me a little, but not nearly as much as I’m sure it would if I had all my memories. I turn to Dane and his thoughts ring in my ears. “Should I bring up Rebecca?”
