by Sara Mack
James gives him a curt nod and raises his arm in front of him. He holds his hand toward the wall, and a faint ray of light emanates from his palm. A water bottle sitting on the floor explodes, and I jump. How could I forget about the light beam of death?
“I thought you said we were physically matched!” I turn on Ash. “How am I supposed to work around that?”
He walks over and pats my shoulder. “I said you were closely matched, not evenly. And you guessed how. You work around it.”
I shoot him a confused look.
“Bob and weave,” Madeline says.
Bob and weave? Are these two insane?
“No,” Ash says, reading my mind. “This is why we practice.”
My expression twists.
“Just be lucky your minds are off limits to each other,” Madeline says. “The Allegiant can do some nasty things to human and Guardian minds alike.”
“Such as?”
James comes closer to us and there’s pain behind his eyes. “I can hear thoughts and capture memories by touch. I can force people to speak the truth. And then there’s Erasure,” he says.
I’m familiar with the term. It’s what Garrett thought happened to me when we learned of my faulty memory. But why does he look sad? “That didn’t happen to me,” I try to appease him.
“But Projection did.”
“Projection?”
“The Allegiant can force images and feelings into the mind,” Ash says.
“When you were found on the island, The Allegiant used you to find me,” James says. “They needed me to track Garrett through our residual Guardian bond. In order to pull me to you they caused you pain which I felt. One of them projected images into your mind; he showed you something horrible. I never got the chance to ask you what it was. You don’t remember, do you?”
I shake my head no.
“They did the same to me to break down my defenses and track Garrett through our bond. It was terrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I hate that I have the ability.”
I frown. “What did they show you?”
His eyes dart to Madeline and Ash. “I’d rather not say.”
It’s obvious he doesn’t want to tell me in front of present company. I’ll have to ask later. “So can you do anything that you like?”
He shrugs. “I can do that reiki thing, and what I just showed you is pretty cool. Whatever I want to happen occurs through the beam. If I want to immobilize you or cut off your senses or – ”
“Kill me?” It’s what Kellan tried to do after all.
James looks horrified. “I would never…”
I smile and grab his arm. “I’m kidding! Lighten up. I know you’ll use your talents for good.”
He gives me a wary look. “This isn’t fun and games.”
I sigh. “That was a poor attempt at humor. I’m sorry.”
He gives me a weak smile.
Ash interrupts. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” He turns to Madeline and extends his hand. She places a weapon in his palm. It’s a dagger.
“This,” he holds it up, “is your answer to his defenses.”
I examine it. It looks like the handle and the blade are one piece and crudely cut from stone. “Is that made out of rock?”
He nods. “We call it an anlace.”
As I look closer I can see an almost invisible outline of the amulet I wear on the blade. “How does it work?”
“It’s made of the earth and enchanted with the elements. When an Allegiant is struck it calls forth their human side and dispatches them.”
Suddenly, I have some serious reservations about today’s practice. I glance between James and Ash with a feeling of uncertainty. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”
Ash hands the anlace back to Mad, and she replaces the dagger with another. “That’s why you’re practicing with this one,” he says. “It’s not enchanted. You’d feel awful if you killed him.” He gives me a wry smile. “And I don’t want you hurting yourself either.”
I let out a heavy breath. “That can hurt me?”
“What it does to an Allegiant it does to us,” Madeline says sadly. “Don’t lose control of it.”
I focus on her face. Her thoughts reveal her mother’s death and my heart aches.
Ash holds out the anlace, and I tentatively take it. It feels oddly perfect in my hand seeing as how I’ve never held anything remotely this dangerous aside from a kitchen knife. “Now what?”
Ash motions for James and I to back away from each other. He grabs his own weapon and runs through a few moves with me; although, right now we’ll mainly focus on my dodging James’ light beam.
“I want you to get the feel for moving with something in your hand,” Ash says. “Up until now you’ve just used your body which isn’t enough against a real Allegiant.”
“Hey,” James speaks up. “I am a real Allegiant.”
Ash gives him a blank look. “I meant one that’s trying to kill her.” He backs away from us. “Look at me when you can,” he addresses me. “I’ll give you direction through my thoughts. That way James won’t know what to expect.”
Yikes. Am I ready for this? My body wants to jump into action, but my mind is playing tricks on me. Can I attack someone I used to love?
“Okay.” He nods toward James. “Come at her.”
Turns out I have no problem attacking my old boyfriend. I admit to holding back at first, but when it became obvious that James wasn’t, my pride took over; I wasn’t about to be bested. We relentlessly went at each other. James would try to immobilize me which, unfortunately, happened a few times. I’m proud to say he never took control of the anlace though, and he was trying in earnest. We’d dance around one another, dodging each other’s defenses, until one of us worked ourselves close enough for physical contact. We’d roll, wrestle, and flip the other until one of us was pinned. Then we’d separate and do it again. I didn’t rely on Ash’s thoughts after the first few rounds which was a small victory for me. He and Madeline were extremely pleased with how the night went. Maybe this lifestyle is my true calling.
As we walk home, out of nowhere, James shoves my shoulder and I nearly fall. “Hey!” When I regain my balance, I ram his side. He stumbles and I laugh. “Didn’t you get enough earlier?”
He smiles. “Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in months.”
I nod in agreement. “It was cool to actually fight. Training with Ash and Madeline is very stop and go. This was a full on battle.”
He glances forward. The Larvatus are way ahead of us, already at the next street corner. He threads his fingers through mine as we continue walking.
“Are you ready to manifest tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yes! Practicing teleportation? Are you kidding me?” Ash promised we would work on that next.
James laughs. “You’re a natural at this.”
I shrug. “I think it’s more the bracelet than me, but I am enjoying it.”
We’re silent for a few seconds, our joined hands swinging back and forth between us. “What will you be working on tomorrow?” I ask.
“Finding a place to live. While you’re in class the three of us will be snooping around our hometown for a place to stay.”
Talk about being self-absorbed! I never gave a second thought to what James and The Larvatus would do when I moved this weekend. I guess I figured they stay at Garrett’s place since they can all manifest wherever they want. “Why not stay here?”
He shoots me a look that says ‘Don’t be stupid.’ “Like we’d be far from you and Dane. We need to stick together.”
He squeezes my hand, and I get the feeling this is about more than that. “Strictly a business move then?”
He’s silent for a few seconds, a tiny smile dancing across his lips.
“Something funny?”
He stops walking. “I never…who knew we would share this? It’s…”
“Freaking awesome?” I finish.
“Yeah.” He grins.
&
nbsp; We don’t move and the longer he stares at me, I find myself getting lost in his handsome face. His eyes are so blue. “You have amazing eyes,” I say quietly.
His expression softens. “I could say the same about yours.”
Instantly, I pout. “You could? Does that mean you won’t?”
He lets out a small laugh. “No.” He raises his hand and slowly trails his fingers down my cheek. “All of you is beautiful. Even these,” he traces my lips with his thumb, “when they’re not being sarcastic.”
I narrow my eyes to calm my pounding heart. “They’d have nothing to do without sarcasm.”
He leans into me. “I could occupy their time.”
His mouth feels soft and gentle on mine; his kiss is much less demanding than Dane’s. It’s nice, but it feels like he’s holding back; probably because he thinks I’m going to shove him away. Instead, I reach out, find his waist, and pull myself against him.
Shocked, he steps back. “You’re okay with this?”
Apparently so. I should probably wonder what that means about my sanity. I scrunch up my face. “You’re right. We’re supposed to be mortal enemies.”
He quickly moves to me again. “Forget what I said.”
“Nope. You’ve done it now. The mood is ruined.” I turn and walk away.
He groans and draws out my name. “Emmmma! Come back.”
I shake my head and smile over my shoulder as I pick up the pace. He smirks and, before I know it, it’s an all-out chase. It’s a good thing it’s nearly midnight and there aren’t many people out. James and I blow past a few pedestrians on the sidewalk and even race past Madeline and Ash.
“So much for being inconspicuous,” I hear Ash chastise as we run past.
Adrenaline pumping, I make it to my building first and fumble with my keys. Damn it! If I could manifest alone I could poof myself somewhere. Within seconds, James runs up behind me just as I turn the key in the lock. I push my way inside leaving the front door open and race to my apartment only to be stopped again. Ugh! Again with the keys! He wraps his arms around me from behind and sets his chin in the crook of my neck.
“Your resistance is futile.”
Whatever. I move against him. “I can totally toss you and you know it.” I manage to turn my key and kick the door open with my foot. It leaves a dent. Whoops. I end up pulling him inside with me as I break out of his arms. I spin around and drop my bag with a wide smile. “Now what?”
He closes the door and looks at me. I recognize that expression. He slowly steps forward and I place my hand against his chest to stop him from moving further. His heart is beating like crazy. Just like mine.
“I want a do over,” he says.
The way he looks at me makes my insides melt even though my conscience has awakened. “Do you think that’s wise?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
I’m at a loss for words.
He stares at me for a few brief seconds then moves to hold my face in his hands. He lowers his lips to mine and moves against me, firmly this time. I lose myself; the hand I had pressed to his chest slides around his neck while the other curls around his wrist. We pull each other closer; when our bodies meet that now-familiar anticipation starts to build in my belly. This feeling should be illegal. It causes all rational thought to leave my mind. How is it possible that two people can make me feel this way? That has to be wrong!
James releases my face and his hands travel over my shoulders and along the sides of my body as we consume one another in the matter of what feels like a minute. Things have escalated into some sort of frenzy similar to our fighting, but instead of dodging one another we can’t get close enough. He winds his arms around my waist, pressing me hard against him. His mouth leaves mine and appears under my ear, then travels down my throat.
My cell screams from the floor, startling us. Hello reality! I freeze but James doesn’t. “Ignore it,” he says against my neck.
“I can’t.” I try to lean away. “Who would call this late?”
He lets out a heavy sigh and rests his forehead on my shoulder. A second later he moves back, keeping one arm around my waist. I take the few steps toward my bag and remove my phone from the front pocket. I see it’s my home number and my heart instantly stops beating.
“Hello?” I try not to sound panicked.
“Emma?” my mother asks. “Where are you?” She sounds flustered.
“At my place. Where else would I be?”
“I mean are you sitting down?”
Instantly, I drop to the floor. James follows and kneels beside me. “I am now.”
“Em, your father and I are coming to get you. When are you finished with your last exam?”
“Thursday around eleven. Why are you coming early? You’re freaking me out.”
I hear her take a deep breath. “The police just left the house. Patrick escaped. They can’t find him.”
Chapter 12
Patrick disappeared this morning during a routine transfer to a less crowded facility. I thought that stuff only happened in the movies.
The police stated they were doing everything in their power to find him and in the meantime we needed to stay alert and call immediately if he surfaced. I managed to calm my mother by reassuring her that I’d seen no sign of him and that Dane was still here. She was further appeased when I offered no resistance to moving home a few days early. The only reason I was staying until Saturday was to give myself ample time to pack. I desperately wanted to tell her I can defend myself, not to mention I have some kick ass friends with supernatural powers. Instead, I had to settle for repeating that I wasn’t scared and begging her not to worry. God help Patrick if he decides to mess with me now.
James went next door to inform Dane, and I filled The Larvatus in when they returned. The boxes I had been sporadically collecting for the move immediately appeared after that, and they all insisted on helping me gather my things. LB wandered around confused by the commotion until Madeline found a paper bag for her to play hide-n-seek in.
James angrily chucks my DVDs into a box. “I can’t believe that asshole vanished.”
“It’s okay,” I reply to try to calm him. Although, I know I’d feel a million times different if I could remember my attack. “I’m much stronger than I used to be. If he decides to show up I can take him.” Actually, I would relish the opportunity.
He pauses from boxing my movies to smirk. “I would love to see that.”
“Me, too,” Dane agrees from across the room.
They make me smile. “Should I charge admission?”
“I’d pay to watch,” Dane says. “I bet Matt and Shel and your family would, too.”
I laugh. Maybe after this Allegiant crisis is over I should become a wrestler.
Movement in the center of the room catches my eye, and I turn to see Jack materialize. “Hey there,” I greet him. It’s funny how his manifesting doesn’t faze me. I briefly wonder what it will feel like when I get to do it. “Ash!” I call toward the kitchen. “Jack is here.”
Ash appears around the corner with Madeline right behind him. “Any news?”
Jack nods then looks confused. “What’s with all the packing?”
“I’m moving earlier than expected,” I explain. “Sayonara Western and hello home in two days.”
He frowns. “Did anyone think to inform me? Unlike most people here I can’t read minds.”
I look around. No one mentioned the move to Jack? “Sorry,” I apologize. “Will you need my address?”
“A general location will suffice.” He crosses his arms.
James interjects to tell Jack where we’re from and I sense Dane move to stand behind me. Over my shoulder he whispers, “How was practice?”
I look at him and whisper back. “Good.”
“Did things get physical?”
I make a face. “Well, yeah. Why?”
“I didn’t know making out was a defense tactic.”
My eyes get wide. “E
xcuse me?”
He smirks and steps back, innocently rubbing the side of his neck with two fingers. Instantly my hand flies up to cover the same spot on my own. Shit! What does he see?
“We plan to look for a place of our own near Emma,” I hear Ash tell Jack, “in order to continue training. Can you visit us tomorrow to learn the location?”
“Actually, some time among the living has become necessary. Turns out I’m a wanted man.”
We all shoot Jack questioning looks and he grimaces. “Kellan read Garrett’s mind; he knows I’ve visited. The good people of the Intermediate have been asked to keep an eye out for me.”
James shifts his weight. “Then we can guarantee he’s read Lucas’ mind as well.”
Jack nods. “I went to check on Garrett first. He stopped me before I said anything; he told me not to speak and simply said his thoughts weren’t safe.”
“And Lucas?”
“I avoided him entirely.”
All eyes dart to Ash for guidance.
“It’s too bad we won’t be able to get more information from them,” he says. “I’d hoped we would have a little more time. What did you learn otherwise?”
“They’ve created another Allegiant,” Jack says. “Their number sits at four.”
Concern flashes across James’ face. “That evens us. We should act.”
The thought of the big showdown happening so soon causes my breath to hitch. Am I ready for this?
“No.” Ash purses his lips in thought. “We have three Larvatus, an Allegiant, and a Guardian on our side, not to mention countless other friends if I ask them.” He gives James a reassuring glance. “We have time. I’m not going in unless I’m one hundred percent sure we’re all coming out. You and Emma need as much practice as possible.” He turns to Jack. “You’ll continue to visit the Intermediate sporadically, yes?”
Jack looks offended. “Of course.”
I let out a slow breath. I’m glad to hear Ash has our best interests at heart even though I never assumed any different.
“Then we will continue as planned.” Ash takes a step back. “Now, I have a kitchen to pack. Care to help?”
Jack makes a face, but follows Ash just the same.
