by Sara Mack
Madeline notices me stir and helps steady the tea while I sit. I take a sip as she wraps an arm around me. I wish my friends would focus on their grief. If anything, they should be mad I allowed Garrett’s capture in the first place.
“No one blames you,” Mad says quietly.
“That’s a lie.” I stare at her. “Jack does.”
“We’ll find him,” she assures me. “Don’t worry.”
James hears us talking and crouches in front of us. “Are you all right?”
I nod and he sighs. “Em. Don’t lie.”
I clutch my mug. “What happened hurts, but I’m not ready to jump. A friend just died. Give me some time, okay?”
He searches my face and his pinched brow smoothes. “Okay.” He gently tucks some hair behind my ear then stands to rejoin Ash and Meg.
As they talk I stare into my tea. “Mad?”
“Yes?”
“Did you know Garrett had feelings for me?”
She squeezes my shoulder. “I did.”
“Since when?”
“Since we met in Hope Mills.”
I close my eyes and swallow. How did I not see this? It’s frustrating to know I have memories of him I can’t find. I pray I never led him on in any way.
“He asked us to protect you should anything happen with The Allegiant,” Madeline explains. “Of course we questioned his request. We don’t run around Gifting humans for fun.”
I open my eyes. I remember her saying something similar when we discussed my being Gifted before, something about him wanting me safe. “So he told you?”
“Not in so many words.” She removes her arm from my shoulders and taps her temple. “We read his thoughts. They revealed how much he cared about you. He was sorry for the hurt he caused when he assigned James; he didn’t want to bring you anymore pain. Your friendship was special to him because you never treated him like a Guardian.”
“But why didn’t he tell me?”
She gives me a knowing look. “Did he really stand a chance? What good would it have done to make things awkward? He settled for what he could be. A friend.”
Frowning, I look away from Madeline. She’s right; he wouldn’t have stood a chance with all the James and Dane drama. I still feel bad, though, for not recognizing his feelings. His asking for my protection is the main reason I’m alive, and I allowed him to be captured resulting in his death. Some great friend I am.
“You’ve had a rough night.” Madeline rubs my arm. “Why don’t you take a bath? It’ll make you feel better.”
That does sound like a good idea. Not to mention I was wrapped around a dead person.
“Then I’ll make something to eat. Are you hungry?”
I say yes to appease her, but I doubt I’ll be able to taste anything. I hand her my tea and stiffly walk upstairs.
After I get some fresh clothes, I make my way to the bathroom and fill the tub with the hottest water I can bear. I find some bath soap under the sink and pour a few capfuls. It smells like vanilla and cinnamon, and the scent consumes the tiny room. It relaxes me enough to stay afloat in the water, but not enough to keep my morose thoughts at bay. I can’t stop thinking about death.
When my skin wrinkles and my thoughts are sufficiently somber, I get out of the tub and get dressed. I braid my hair again and find my way back to the bedroom to deposit my dirty laundry. When I’m headed out the door, my phone chimes alerting me to a text message.
Excited about tonight. Can’t wait.
It’s Dane. I forgot all about his coming over and our little wager. How am I going to make anything seem special now? I stare at the phone feeling drained and numb. All I want is the warm comfort of his arms and for him to tell me everything will be okay.
“Important call?”
My head snaps up to find Garrett standing a few feet away. I gasp and drop the phone.
“Surprise.” He smiles warmly at me.
Oh my God. Is this really happening? My eyes double in size.
He looks anxious. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I…” I stutter. How is this possible? He’s wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes just like any other day. His eyes are a soft caramel brown, his hair looks neatly cut, and his skin looks like it’s glowing. Adrenaline soars through my veins. “Are you an angel?”
He laughs, the sound echoing the one from my memory. “Far from it.”
“How…? Did Ash…?”
“Turn me Larvatus?” he guesses. “No.” He extends his hand toward me. “See for yourself.”
I take his hand, and he gently pulls me toward him. I can’t believe it. He’s human. He feels human. “Is this some sort of miracle?” I ask in awe.
He shrugs. “Depends on how you look at it.”
I turn his hand over in mine and glide my fingers over his palm. I stop at his wrist and feel his pulse there, steady and strong. My breath catches as tears prick my eyes. He’s alive.
“Hey,” he says softly. “Don’t cry yet.”
I blink my tears away. He’s right. This is a cause for celebration. Excited, I meet his eyes. “We have to tell everyone!” I pull him toward the door. “They’re going to be so happy to see you!”
He chuckles as we head into the hallway.
“Let me guess,” I ask excitedly. “Amelia made this happen?”
His eyes dance. “Do you believe in karma?”
“Firmly.”
“So you believe actions determine fate? That a person is rewarded or punished depending on their deeds?”
“Absolutely.”
We make it to the bottom of the stairs, and he abruptly steps in front of me. “Well, I’m here to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” I smile.
He grabs my shoulder suddenly, painfully, and sneers. “Karma is a real bitch.”
Shocked, I wrench his hand away and step back. What the hell? I’ve never seen him so full of hate. I try to read his thoughts, to figure out what just happened.
And I can’t.
“I’m so glad you could join us,” a silky voice says from across the room. “Thank you, Jack.”
My stomach falls through the floor as Jack’s, not Garrett’s, eyes lock on mine.
“What goes around comes around,” he snarls and turns to reveal four Allegiant I don’t recognize. James, Meg, Mad, and Ash are all restrained and panic threatens to overcome me. I can barely breathe as I realize Jack is Allegiant, too.
“How could you?” I whisper.
“Easy,” he snaps. “My brother is dead.”
I stare at him in disbelief. I know he despises me, but why would he ruin everyone else? “Why would you do this?”
He quickly grabs my arm and twists it, his face hovering inches from mine. “Because there’s no other way to kill you.”
My heart goes into overdrive and my adrenaline spikes. I’m not scared. I’m furious. How dare he endanger everyone just to get to me! My eyes narrow and I pull myself out of Jack’s grasp with such force it surprises us both. Silently, I make a vow. No one in this room I care about will get hurt today. No one.
I back up defensively and search for a distraction to buy time. Ash must read my mind because he tries to offer one.
“Jack!” he shouts from across the room. “What has she done? Think about it! Your grief is clouding your mind!”
Jack scowls and turns on Ash. “My brother is dead because of her! He chose to spend his last breath with her! No one knew; not one of us was allowed to say goodbye except the precious Emma,” he twists my name and faces me. “What makes you so goddamned special?”
I start to protest, but the words get tangled. I want to tell him I’m not special, that I asked Garrett to tell the others. But Jack doesn’t want to hear excuses. He unleashes a beam of light from his palm, and I fall to the floor. It misses me, ricochets off the wall, and bounces off the ceiling. He’s so new he can barely control his powers.
Meg lets out a strangled cry and my assailant’s
head snaps around to find her.
“What are doing?” she pleads with sorrow-filled eyes.
Jack stares at Meg, and his features momentarily soften. She tilts her head, as if sending him a silent message, and I read her thoughts to understand her sadness. “I care about you; I loved you. Please don’t do this.”
Her thoughts reveal that she and Jack were passionately in love once; that they had parted ways but remained friends. She asks him why he would do this to her, to any of them, when they are all fighting for the same thing.
Jack’s expression hardens once more. “Because we’re not fighting for the same thing.” His eyes jump to James and back to Meg. “I wanted humanity for us,” he spits the word. “And you want him.”
Meg’s face crumbles as he raises his hand to send a beam of light in James’ direction. I take the opportunity to launch myself at Jack, connecting with his midsection and landing a quick one-two punch. I then spring back to kick him squarely in the chest. He flies backward into Meg and the Allegiant that holds her, all three of them tumbling to the ground.
“Emma!” Ash yells. I connect with his eyes and read his thoughts.
“Where’s your anlace?”
“Upstairs!”
“You need it!”
No shit.
“Tell Meg!” he silently shouts.
My eyes search for Meg, and I find her separated from her captor due to the fall. “Meg! Upstairs! My anlace!” I yell.
She instantly vanishes.
Jack scrambles to his feet as the Allegiant he hit gives him a hard stare. “Stay here,” he growls at Jack then advances toward me. He’s tall and muscular with blue eyes and sandy brown hair. I quickly retreat and take a defensive stance, putting the couch and coffee table between us. The objects won’t stop him, but at least something is in the way.
“I killed you once,” he sneers. “Let’s make sure it takes this time.”
This must be Kellan.
He comes at me, leaping over the couch and landing on the table so hard that the wood splinters and shatters. Is this supposed to intimidate me? It doesn’t. It just pisses me off that he ruined Mad’s furniture.
He glares at me, and I decide out-maneuvering him is my best option until my weapon arrives. Despite my strength, I doubt I’m a good match against his height and weight. If I can work us around toward The Larvatus maybe I can free them like Meg. In a flash, his palm radiates light at my head and I duck, rolling and tucking my body behind a chair. The furniture explodes, the cushions blasting into a cloud of white fluff. The intense heat attached to his attack singes my skin through my clothing, and I inwardly cringe. Is he trying to incinerate me? I guess that’s one way to go.
My eyes search for something to throw, and I spy an armrest no longer attached to the chair. I grab it and whirl around on my knees, throwing it at Kellan with all my strength. It misses him by inches, but manages to hit James in shoulder. Shit! I said I’d have his back, not break it! I quickly look for something else and find a decorative serving tray that used to sit on the coffee table. I heave it at Kellan like I’m throwing a Frisbee and it connects with his neck. I take advantage of his two-second distraction to sprint behind the couch.
“Ugh!”
Unexpected arms catch me from behind, and they pull me back against my will. I thrash against them, managing to free one arm. I elbow my assailant in the ribs and hear him grunt as he loses his breath. He adjusts his hold to wrap both arms around my chest, to pin mine to my sides, and fully expose my body to Kellan. I can tell from his shirtsleeves that it’s Jack, and I struggle against him as Meg materializes in front of us. Kellan unleashes a blast of light in our direction, but Meg blocks it, unaffected. She thrusts my anlace into my right hand.
An eerie confidence surges through me, and I almost laugh. I wrench my body away from Jack, raise my weapon, and spit, “I thought your boss told you not to move!”
He looks at me with wide eyes causing me to pause. Damn it if he doesn’t look just like his brother! I have to remind myself that this is not Garrett; it’s Jack. And he wants me dead. He wants us all dead.
“Do it,” he sneers when he senses my hesitation. “Kill me just like you killed Garrett.”
His words sting and the pain unleashes an anger inside me I didn’t know I could carry. I would never intentionally hurt Garrett, but Jack will never understand that. My heart will ache from his loss for a long, long, time, but I will choose to honor his memory. I would never soil it like Jack has; I would never endanger innocent lives with wrongful vengeance. I may need therapy after this, but I glare into his eyes and utter one word. “Gladly.”
Jack bursts into a cloud of dust under my weapon, and I turn to face the remaining Allegiant. Meg is acting like my human shield as Kellan tries to reach me around her. Why is she not hurt by his attempts? It must be a Guardian thing; she’s the only one here. Across the room, I see James and his captor are engaged in a full fight, and he seems to be holding his own. There’s only one direction for me to go.
“Meg! This way!”
I want to sprint toward Madeline and Ash, but I need Meg’s blockade. As we get closer to The Larvatus I see fear in the eyes of the Allegiant who holds Mad. I scoff. “First day on the job?”
He stares at me with large brown eyes, and I swear he trembles. Do I scare him? The thought that I might actually be a badass flits through my mind. I like it.
“Let her go,” I demand and to my amazement he releases her. He shoves her toward me and evaporates into oblivion. I hope he’s truly a coward and not playing a trick.
Madeline meets my eyes, and I scream my thoughts.
“Your anlace! Go!”
She disappears, and I zero in on my next target – Ash’s Allegiant. He tries to use my friend’s body as a shield, even though Ash is doing his best to pull away and give me a clear shot. As Kellan’s attacks continue behind me, I realize we’re getting nowhere fast and I place my weapon in my mouth, grasping it with my teeth to free my hands. I drop to my knees, grab Ash’s legs around his calves, and pull him forward with all my might. Briefly, he’s a rope in a tug-of-war before the Allegiant’s grip slips, and he’s holding Ash by his armpits. Instantly, I release his legs and crawl beneath him, between his body and the enemy’s. Still on my knees I thrust my anlace into the Allegiant’s thigh, and he barely has time to glance down before exploding into vapor. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to get cocky about it because his demise causes Ash’s body to crash into mine, his weight no longer supported. His upper body hits my neck and shoulders, the back of his head cracks against my skull. Holy hell.
I see stars and fall forward, catching myself with my hands against the floor. The impact sends painful jolts through both my shoulders, and I can’t keep my arms from collapsing. Crumpling to the ground, I smash my chin in the process. Oh. My. God. Pain sears through my jaw.
“Emma!” Ash shouts as his body slides off mine. He peers over me to make sure I’m conscious, and I send him my thoughts.
“You have a hard head.”
He nods and jumps away, appeased by my coherent observation. His action reveals Madeline’s feet in my peripheral, and relief trickles into my veins. We can end this. Three Allegiant down, two to go.
The Larvatus must relieve Meg because she throws her body over mine, protecting me until I can see straight. Grateful, I whisper, “Thank you.”
Her blue eyes send me a serious gaze. “No. Thank you.”
It takes only minutes for the throbbing in my body to subside, but it feels like longer since I’m stuck motionless on the floor. When I’m ready to rejoin the game, I lift my head to calculate where I can fit in to this supernatural dance. Madeline and Ash have their hands full with Kellan. James looks less taxed; he clearly has the upper hand with his foe. It looks like I get to help take out the big guy. Lucky me.
I begin to sit up and Madeline notices. I focus on her face.
“Stay down!” she silently hollers.
“
Why?”
“Let us turn him around!”
I get it. If I act wounded, he’ll ignore me, and I can surprise him from behind.
I lie back down, watching their intense exchange, all the while tensing my muscles for the right moment. Kellan’s beams of death are on hyper drive as he releases one after another after another. Holes are blasted in the walls, the ceiling, and the floor; a piece of the staircase goes flying. It seems he’s learned a thing or two from their last altercation; The Larvatus are forced to spend their time avoiding his attacks rather than working their way in toward him. The longer I watch the more I get a feel for the cadence of their fight; believe it or not it almost falls into a rhythm. It’s then I realize I know when to strike.
Just as The Larvatus unleash another pattern of moves – duck, roll, leap, dodge, retreat, try again – I count to three.
One.
Two.
Three.
My coiled muscles launch my body into the air. I want to crash into Kellan’s side to avoid a direct hit while allowing The Larvatus a chance to advance. It’s a stroke of bad luck when he turns in my direction as I’m mid-leap. I end up flying at him head on. Time stops as my eyes lock on his. He registers my hurtling body, and I know this can’t end well. My mind does the only thing it can to protect me – an image of Dane appears.
My heart burns as I think of him. The Allegiant could truly be incinerating me for all I know, but the only thing I can see is Dane. I imagine him opening his arms, as if he’s going to catch me, and to my surprise my delusion allows me to land safely in them. Is this what death feels like? A safe place?
My mind clears, and I’m shocked to find myself in a real pair of arms – Kellan’s. He actually caught me. What the hell? He looks stunned, just as I’m sure I do, and I have to force my body to move. I quickly bring my arms over my head, grip my anlace in both hands, and bring it down right between his shell-shocked eyes.
Since I lack the ability to float in mid-air, I come crashing down hard on my tailbone which sends a wave of excruciating pain up my spine. Words can’t adequately express the sensation, and I end up spewing a string of obscenities that make me sound like a seasoned sailor. I roll on my side and pant for a moment. Please stop hurting please stop hurting please stop hurting.
