The man slowly emerged clearer into view. He couldn’t have been more than twenty. He looked like a surfer with shaggy blond locks hanging over one eye. He stepped through the portal and greeted us with a brilliant white smile that could have been on a Crest toothpaste ad.
The portal closed quickly once he stepped through, snapping shut into nothing, but I could feel the energy rolling through the room. Then it hit me like a punch in the gut. Sweat was streaming down my face and it was an effort to remain upright.
“Did you feel the close?” Cormac asked Dodd.
“No,” he replied a bit ominously, and they both turned and looked at me.
“Get him out of here,” Cormac said stiffly, and Dodd escorted surfer dude out while I struggled to stand.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“No you aren’t. I think you got the full blast.”
“Huh?” The feeling of running my intestines through a meat grinder made it hard to concentrate.
“I need to get you upstairs.”
“I’m fine.” Even as I said it, I knew what I must have looked like. I could feel the cold sweat on my face. With the way I was feeling, I knew my skin had probably gone from golden tan, to ashen white. The feeling of vulnerability was suffocating me.
“I know you don’t trust me, but I’m telling you now, you can.”
He put an arm around my waist and tried to help support my weight. I used the last of my strength to pull away. I managed to walk a couple of steps to lean against the nearby wall, feeling too sick to stay upright without some help. I watched him take off his dress shirt and then the white undershirt, and then he shrugged back into his dress shirt. He grabbed his discarded white undershirt and approached me.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything else. It’s clean. I just put it on right before we came down here,” he said before he used it to wipe the sweat from my face. “Let me help you. I promise, no matter what, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He looked into my eyes then, “You don’t have to believe me. Time will tell.”
“No, it won’t. I’m not going to be here long enough.”
He didn’t respond, just patted my face with the soft white cotton. It smelled of him, and I liked it. I pushed his hand away.
“You ready? I need to get you out of here now, the longer we wait the worse it will be.”
“Why?” I asked, the pain seemed to subside slightly, and before he could answer, another round struck me that doubled me over and made me gasp for air.
“That’s why.”
He leaned down and slung my arm around his shoulder, taking practically all my weight. This time I didn’t have it in me to fight. The hallway outside the room was empty, so was the elevator that would take us up several floors, but I’d have to make it out of that one and through the casino hall and into the penthouse elevator, all while appearing normal though my insides now felt like someone had shot napalm into them.
“The doors are going to open in ten seconds. Are you ready? Can you do this?”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and stood up straight.
The walk took forever, or in real time, about three minutes. I just concentrated on not crumbling to the ground, one foot in front of the other. Cormac had his hand on my back, slightly steering me and it was a godsend. Even though my eyes were open, my entire attention was on not passing out from the pain.
We stepped into the elevator, and I felt Cormac’s arm go around my waist again and I slumped against him.
“You did good,” he said, and I thought he kissed my head but I wasn’t sure, in my current state.
“What’s wrong with me?” I asked into his shoulder.
“You got too much radiation.”
“I thought radiation was no big deal?”
“Too much of anything can be bad. All three of us were pulling at it, but you absorbed it all. You’ve got an unusually strong pull. I’m so sorry, I had no idea that could happen.”
“Is this going to kill me?”
“No.”
“You don’t know do you?”
“I won’t let it.”
“How long will this pain last?”
“A day or so, I think. You’re a lot smaller than the guys it has happened to. I don’t know if body weight plays into it.”
When the elevator doors slid open, he reached down to pull me into his arms.
“No, I can walk.”
He didn’t argue with me, just scooped me up into his arms anyway. I didn’t pay attention as we walked into the penthouse, just leaned against him with my eyes closed, as I tried to ride out another wave of pain.
I felt the bed against my legs as he laid me down and then curled onto my side. I felt Cormac’s hands as he pulled off my shoes, and I pulled my knees inward and tucked them up against my body. Curled into a ball in the center of the bed, I opened my eyes when I heard him talking in hushed tones. That’s when I realized I wasn’t in my room, but his.
I tried to sit up, I needed to get to my own room, but hands pressed me back into the mattress before I made any real progress.
“Jo, I’ve got someone coming to check on you. Just lie back and relax.”
I didn’t want to lie back, but the pain gripped me with an iron fist so tightly that I didn’t have a choice.
An undistinguishable amount of time later, I heard a soft female voice whisper near me. I opened my eyes to see a beautiful brunette with a kind smile hover over me before I shut them again. I felt her soft touch upon my head as she felt for the pulse in my wrist. The hallmark cold metal on my chest told me she was listening to my lungs.
“She’ll be fine. It’s just going to be an unpleasant night for her,” the feminine voice said.
“Isn’t there something you can give her?” Cormac’s voice asked.
“No. It’s not safe with the overload of radiation. Try heating pads or a warm bath. That might help with the muscle spasms.”
“Thanks for coming so quickly, Sabrina.”
“No problem. Call me if anything changes.”
Opening my eyes again in the dim room, I saw Cormac shut the door. It was just the two of us, now.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’m on my deathbed?”
“You’re not dying.”
“I know, but right now, I almost wish I was.”
I closed my eyes and tried to ride out the pain with as much dignity as I could muster. I felt the mattress near me sink down, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me into Cormac’s side.
“Just try to relax,” he said.
Even with the pain, my brain was still aware of his hard muscular body lying next to me. His hand was slowly rubbing my back and the pain lessoned its hold slightly.
“Are you doing something?”
“I’m trying to. I can’t take it all from you, but I might be able to take the edge off.”
The last thing I remembered was my cheek resting against an impossibly hard chest. I’m not sure how long I passed out, but I woke as excruciating pain radiated through the length of me.
I felt Cormac’s heat pressed against me, and I realized he must have stayed with me the whole time, however long that was. My body tensed with the next wave of pain, and I felt Cormac move out from under me. My fingers gripped his shirt without meaning to.
“I’ll be right back.”
For the first time in a long while, I was truly scared to be alone, and I really started to wonder if I was, indeed, dying. I heard the water running in the adjoining bathroom, and I couldn’t help but resent that I while I lay in pain caused by helping him, he was showering.
My resentment was short lived, as he walked back in the room shirtless, with just a pair of gym shorts on. He looked like a dark angel come to collect me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, as he picked me up in his arms.
“Heat, the doctor said the heat would help.”
The bright l
ights of the bathroom hit my eyes before he dimmed them quickly. I heard the humming of what sounded like a hot tub. He lowered us both, and I felt the hot water soak through my clothes as he sat down with me still in his arms. The water felt like it was almost boiling, and it was fantastic, reducing the intensity of the spasms within minutes.
As the cramping started to subside, I became acutely aware that much of Cormac’s naked skin pressed against me; the way the material of my shirt clung to my breasts detailed every curve. I turned to look into Cormac’s face, just mere inches away, and I could see I wasn’t the only one who was becoming very aware.
I grabbed the edge of the tub, splashing water everywhere with my sudden movement and pulled myself out. I barely stopped long enough to grab a towel in my rush from the room, leaving a watery trail behind me as I ran into my room and collapsed on my bed.
“Jo?” Cormac said as he stood just inside my door. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I’m fine. The pain is subsiding.” I rolled on my side and looked away from him. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, but I couldn’t trust him. I’d been getting sloppy. I’d relaxed my guard. I couldn’t afford to do that. I still had no idea who my parents were, what had happened to my mother that night long ago. Cormac had his own priorities. It didn’t matter what he said, he’d had me hurt once, he’d do it again. Actions were what were important.
“No, you aren’t.” I felt the bed dip as he climbed in next to me. His arm pulled my body close to his, and I didn’t fight it, but just lay there nestled alongside him.
Chapter Seventeen
I woke alone the next afternoon to a beautiful Monet painting leaning against the wall, opposite the bed. It was beautiful, with red lily clusters. I wasn’t sure why it was sitting there but I wasn’t going to complain.
The need for a strong cup of coffee propelled me toward the living room in hopes that Cormac might have a pot of hazelnut floating around.
“So, what are we going to do?” I heard Dodd ask as I neared the room.
“I don’t know, but she’s not doing it anymore. Not like last time. Not until I know it won’t happen again. It could have killed her,” Cormac replied.
“But we’ve got the Festiva. What are we going to tell them when we can’t get them over?”
“I’ll figure something else out.” He spoke in a tone that made it clear he was done discussing it.
As I walked in, I saw Cormac standing by the windows while Dodd and Buzz sat on the couch.
“Hey, how are you feeling? Heard you had a rough night?” Dodd asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Dodd asked.
Cormac didn’t say a word, but walked over to me. He looked me over a little too intensely for comfort. Even though it wasn’t a sexual perusal, I was glad I’d opted for jeans and an oversized sweatshirt.
“How are you going to run the portal?” I asked him.
“It’s not your problem.”
“If what you said is true, then isn’t it everyone’s problem?”
“I’ll handle it.” He turned back to Dodd and Buzz. “I’m going to go see if I can track down Hammond.”
“Is he even alive anymore?” Buzz asked.
“Yes, and I’m going to find him,” Cormac replied. He turned back to me. “I don’t want you going out today. You need to rest.”
I tilted my head toward the foyer and motioned for him to follow me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, once we stopped in the foyer and out of earshot.
“I know this isn’t the best time to talk, but I have to get this off my chest. I think I’ve been throwing you some mixed signals, but I just want to make it clear, we are just business. I’ll help you through this mess and you’ll get me the answers I need, then we go our own way. I’m not looking for any other kind of relationship.”
“Sure.”
“That’s not a problem for you?” I guess he hadn’t been that interested then.
“Believe it or not, I’ve got other options.”
“I mean, obviously you do. I just think that this is the way it should be.”
“Like I said, no problem.”
Completely nonchalant, like it didn’t mean a damn thing that I was rejecting him. He did know I was rejecting him, right?
“So, strictly business.”
“Yes, and I’ve got some of that to attend to. Was this all you needed?”
“Yep, that was it.”
“Great, see you later!” he said as he walked toward the door, but then paused. “I almost forgot, did you like the painting?”
“It’s beautiful. Were you going to hang it on the wall there?”
“Is that where you want it?”
“It’s your painting. Hang it wherever you want it.”
He smiled. “It’s for you.”
“I couldn’t! It’s a Monet! Isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. No strings. I knew you had a rough night so I thought you would like it. It’s called Red Lilies. I’ve got to go. See you later.”
I stood, still staring at the door as words from the page sprang to mind. Eternal Lilies bloom after a hard night, the giver of gifts will stand for the right. Nope, it was just a coincidence. I wasn’t going to start reading into things thinking there were cryptic meanings. There was some strange stuff going on, but I refused to buy into fortune telling, too. A girl had to draw the line somewhere.
I walked back into the living room where Dodd and Buzz still sat.
“Who’s Hammond?” I asked, as I refused to let my mind get swept up into crazy thoughts.
“He’s an old timer. Crazy strong. He trained Cormac. He was his mentor.” Dodd answered.
“And you really think he’ll have some answers on how to fix what’s happening?”
“He’s our best bet.”
“Why aren’t there anymore older alchemists? Someone with answers? I mean really, you can’t die? What happened to them all?”
“We can die. It’s just hard to kill us.”
“You put five bullets in my head, and I didn’t die.”
“Okay, so it’s really hard, but it can be done. We had something akin to a civil war about twenty years ago.”
“And that’s when Cormac took control? He must have been barely a kid.” It wasn’t a question. He was a leader born. Some people lead, but in him it was instinctual. “What were you fighting about?”
“Some of us wanted to use the portal for power over the other races. They felt that we should rule everyone who came over. And then some of the people who did manage to circumvent the system, well, that got ugly.”
“Ugly? What was uglier than a civil war?”
“The Fae cursed some of them. They died slowly and painfully. Nobody could do anything because they voided the contract first. That’s why nobody messes with the contracts.”
“When do all these people for Festiva have to come over by?”
“The next couple of days or it’s gonna start getting awkward.”
“I still don’t understand what exactly is going wrong? Do you guys know?”
“When a portal is opened, it produces a large mass of radiation. One of the things we do is pull that radiation towards us. For some reason, it’s not pulling forward like normal and we don’t know why. It’s lingering within the portal and frying anyone who goes into it.”
“What about if someone were to go into the portal while another person operates it. Instead of just pulling from the outside? Would that give you more control?”
“It might, but it’s hard when you’re in the portal. It screws with your abilities. The person would have to be awfully strong, otherwise they’d fry up.”
“Do you think I could do it?”
“Oh, no! Don’t even think about it.”
“Dodd, just answer me. Do you think I could?”
He made a loud aggravated sigh. “You might be able to. I’ve seen the power you put out. But Cormac said you couldn
’t do anything else.”
“If we don’t fix this, from what I’m being told, all hell will break loose. Is that correct?”
Dodd and Buzz looked at each other hesitantly, then both looked back at me and nodded.
“And then it’s not going to be just your world but mine, too, that is in danger.”
“You’ve been kicking and screaming this entire time. Now you want to step up and save the day?”
“Do I want to? Absolutely not. But I’m starting to think I have to. I’ve met Tracker. Him ruling the world holds no appeal to me.”
“Who said it’s Tracker? Cormac thinks it’s probably Vitor.
“I don’t. I want to try and run the portal while I’m inside. Will you help me?”
“You’re asking us to go against Cormac. He just said he didn’t want you going anywhere near it,” Dodd replied.
“Yes, I am, but if Cormac doesn’t find Hammond or some other solution soon, we need to try it.”
“I don’t know,” Buzz said looking completely panicked at the idea of going against Cormac.
“You both need to man up,” I said. “Cormac will go down with the sinking ship. What good are you doing him? You need to think for yourselves and stop being babies. You aren’t hurting him, you’re possibly saving his ass.”
“She’s right. It’s not disloyal. There’ll be more defectors if we don’t get this worked out, and you know Cormac will go down dying before he steps aside,” Dodd said.
“Okay, but we give him the week?” Buzz asked.
“And it’s got to be the last resort,” Dodd added.
“Yes. We give him the week.”
Chapter Eighteen
It had been five days and no sign of Hammond. Cormac had only been at the penthouse to sleep. I wondered if he was trying to avoid me, but he hadn’t been at the casino either. Dodd and Buzz, my new coconspirators had told me he’d been on the hunt for Hammond every minute of the day.
The Keepers (The Alchemy Series) Page 12
