Ian grunts. “He deserved it, but you’re still a hellcat.” I stick my tongue out at him. He laughs.
Seth brushes his fingers against my cheek. I don’t even want to know what kind of mess I am right now. His jaw clenches. “Was it Brock?”
I shrug. “I suppose it could have been. Why?”
His forearms tighten when his fists curl. “I’ve already got reason to teach the boy a lesson. This would give me a reason to put him in the grave.”
I laugh. “You can’t leave the Dreamscape for centuries. He’ll be dead by then.”
“Perhaps not,” says Ian.
A permafrown covers my face. “What, is he immortal, too?”
All hints of joking vanish from him. “Not quite. How old was your father before you thought he died?”
“Twenty-nine, I think.”
“So, he should be in his late thirties, maybe forty?”
Sweat covers my palms. I wipe them on my pants and look at him. “Yeah.”
“The man I saw showed no signs of aging. This could be a mere deception within the dream world he occupies; however, I fail to see the reason he would expend the energy when he has clear control of the realm.”
Seth cuts in before I can ask anything. “It has to be a façade, Ian. No humans can extend their years.”
Ian nods, making eye contact with Seth. “Unless a person is no longer completely human.”
The air fills with agitation that makes my teeth clamp together. “If he’s not entirely human, what is he?”
Ian snaps his neck toward me. “He may be Erobos.”
I stand up, knocking Seth’s arm from my lap. “That’s not possible! He could never have been Oneiroi. How would he have been tainted? How could there be Eros on Earth? I thought you said we still had time to keep them out.”
“Keep calm,” says Ian, as if he’s been reading those weird British ads.
Crossing my arms, I glare at him. “Stop telling me lies, and I will!”
Seth, it seems, has taken Ian’s advice. His voice is steady and his body relaxed. “What makes you think the man is contaminated?”
“First of all, the wielder in the volcanic world — I have reason to believe he worked for Amelia’s father.”
Fire ignites inside me. “Don’t call him that! You’ve said yourself he wasn’t my biological dad. He sure as hell wasn’t any kind of father to me.”
Ian takes a low bow. “Forgive me, your orneriness. What would you like me to call him?”
I cock my head. “Douchebag sounds nice.”
He laughs and Seth smiles, shaking his head at me. “Remind me to never anger you.”
A smirk falls into place. “You’ve already been warned.”
Despite the friendly atmosphere and ethereal surroundings, a cold chill consumes me. If my father is Erobos, and he raised me, what does that make me?
Amelia’s expression withers until her discomfort cannot be ignored. “You are not the man’s child. He may be Orphic, but you are not!”
I’m unsure what I expected from her, but it wasn’t tears. She dips her chin to her chest before pressing her forehead against me. I wrap my arms around her, hoping to free her from the thoughts wracking her mind. Making shushing sounds, I rub her back while the sobbing slows to whimpers.
Her voice is muffled but discernible. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”
I step away to tip her chin so she will look at me. “Nothing has changed, especially not you. The man who raised you taught you to mistrust, to hide your emotions, to close yourself off from the world. He was no kind of father. You owe him no allegiance.”
She frowns. “Is that what you think? I’m not upset because I care about him; I’m upset because my whole life feels like a big, fat lie. Brock wants me to think the man was training me. Whatever he is, it’s vile. I want no part of him. Not being his kid is a blessing I never expected, but there’s part of me I don’t understand, might never understand, because I don’t have any people, you know? Going it alone is what I’m used to, but I don’t want to have to live that way.”
Even though her eyes are puffy from tears, she’s still so vibrant — so beautiful. All the prettiness leaves her when she turns her gaze on Ian. “You’d better be sure you’re right.”
Ian’s dark gaze doesn’t waver from hers. “I am nearly certain. If there were any other explanation, I wouldn’t be here to get you two.”
“Get us?” asks Amelia. “What are we supposed to do? You said he’s Erobos. I thought we didn’t go looking for a fight when it comes to them.”
Normally, she’d be right. I have to wonder at her motives, though. If Amelia has a soft heart for her imposter father, she may be a detraction instead of an asset in the field. Assessing her state of mind has never been easy, but right now, it’s imperative. I ease away from her to maintain more than a mental distance. “We aren’t necessarily wishing for a fight now,” I tell her. “Our main objective is to gather information. To do the deed, we need to have an advantage. We need to know you’re going to be able to handle the contact.”
She stiffens, wiping away her tears. “I can do it, but I’m not going to like it.”
Ian joins the conversation again. “Should anything go wrong, Seth and I will be there to protect you, but we have no real leads to your true paternal line. For all we know, the man could be dead, but if we can trace your origins, we will likely be able to handle your training and your . . . assimilation into our group.”
Amelia turns to me, scrunching up her nose. “Why did that just sound so creepy?”
I laugh. “Ian’s right. I wouldn’t be so concerned about making you my mate if we knew your lineage.”
From the glower covering her features, I’d say I picked the wrong response. She crosses her arms. “Maybe I don’t want to be your mate anymore. Maybe the decision is no longer yours. For all I know, you could become Erobos tomorrow. I’m not exactly thrilled to be the next bride of Satan.”
Since she’s made no pretense in her answer, I do the same. Even though I try not to be offended, her words sting. My voice deepens despite my attempts to keep it level. “I am not the devil, Amelia.”
She shrugs, giving me no real hint to her emotional state. “Yeah, but you could be.”
She’s seen my curse; I cannot argue. “As I said before, if you don’t want to go, we shall find another way to deal with the situation.”
Ian snaps his neck toward me. “She has to go. The situation cannot be resolved without her.”
I shake my head at his stupidity. Tell the girl she has no choice, she will most definitely rebel. Ian needs a recruit of his own to occupy his time.
Amelia answers before I can. Her stiff posture belies her casual response. “It’s okay. I said I’d do this.”
Ian needs to leave. I will not be able to gain the truth from her with him here. When he glances at me, I give a pointed nod toward the door. He shakes his head. I nod again. Amelia glances from man to man, a slight smile playing at her lips.
We continue in a silent battle until I push Ian to the exit, open it, and usher him through. He makes no real attempt to fight me, but he takes one last look at Amelia before I can close the door in his face.
“That was weird,” she says as she gazes out the window.
“That was Ian,” I say to lighten the mood.
She laughs, but there is no real joy in the sound. I step up beside her to peer across the rooftops and buildings. “If there were any other way at all, I — ”
“I know, Seth. It’s okay.” Her words are laced with resignation. Even her rigid stance reduces to show her resolve. “I’m not thrilled, but I’m in.”
What could I possibly say to ease her discomfort? “Thank you.”
She nods, her stare still distant. Her voice seems as far away. “Since Ian told me my dad is a fake, I’ve been trying to remember my mom. Justine used to have a picture of her, but I couldn’t find it anywhere when I was packing to leave. Why can’t I remember wha
t she looked like? She was my mom. I should remember something about her.”
Her pain tenses my heart. “It’s been a long time since you saw her, and you were quite young when she passed.”
She nods, folding her arms over her stomach. “I said goodbye to him years ago, Seth. It’ll be like seeing a ghost. I want to, but I can’t hate him.” She faces me, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Why can’t I hate him?”
I cup her face, keeping her focus only on me. “It is not in your nature to hate.” I press a gentle kiss to her temple. “You are the most amazing person I have ever known. Don’t ever change.” As if on its own, my thumb brushes away a wet spot by her lip. “Promise me you will never change.”
She clasps my wrists, a hint of a smirk glinting in her eyes. “You first.”
I smile, her mischief igniting my own. “I promise you will never change.”
She shoves me away, chuckling. “You ready?”
How can I ask so much of her over and over again? I nod. “Are you?”
She takes a sharp breath and rearranges her shirt over her pants. “Let’s go get ‘em.” With a pump to her eyebrows, she takes off but hesitates at the door. “This time, I want a gun. One of Greg’s.”
I take a ball from my pocket and bounce it to her. “Only use it as a last resort. We don’t need any more Erobos being born tonight.”
Erobos are the bane of my existence. A rather large part of me would like to exterminate them, but then I’d be just as bad as they are. The thought of an Erobos actually being born makes me gag.
Seth’s acting as if he’s joking, but I know better. The man tells the truth even when it’s hard to hear and harder to accept. I’d like to say I’m excited in some small way to see what my dad and Brock are up to, yet every time my mind turns to them, my insides shrivel up until nothing is left but fear. No one should have to fear a father.
As if he didn’t say a word about Erobos, Seth takes my hand. “We’ve got to return to headquarters. Ian will gather our team, but we need to store the rest of the weapons. I’d like to think we could leave them here, but I don’t want to risk it.”
I can’t blame him. Nabeel’s world is cool and all, but it was infested before. It could be again without notice. Seth’s waiting for me to respond. Words seem meaningless right now, especially when so much emotion wants to crawl up my throat. Instead of giving him a worthless reply, I walk out the door, knowing he’ll follow — knowing Ian will be right behind him.
Our journey back to headquarters is uneventful. Ian takes his backpack and a different route, while Seth and I stay to the safe worlds. Ian already has the weapons stored before Seth and I arrive. He’s waiting for us in the lobby.
I jump when Maybell appears behind me. She offers me a withering smile. I still don’t know what’s up with her, or why she seems to have changed so much since our run-in with the Eros. If you ask me, it’s not a great idea to have her tagging along, but what do I know?
“Hi, Amelia,” she says, a bit sheepish. “Are you well?”
I eye her from head to toe and nod. My arms are stiff when I wrap them around my waist. “You?”
She cringes. “Hey, I’m sorry for being so weird the last little while, but I was worried about Peter. Seth was relying on me to get rid of the Eros, and when I couldn’t, it bothered me.”
I want to trust her. I want to think the woman in front of me is the same woman who greeted me when Seth brought me to headquarters, so why is it every time she looks at me, I have to turn away? I have nothing to hide.
Brian comes to greet us. His smile is genuine, but the only one in the room. “Off again, Seth?”
Seth gives a trite smile. “Afraid so, Brian. Keep the team safe while we’re gone.”
Brian’s face goes stoic. “Of course.”
Seth claps him on the arm. “That’s my lad.” We all start out, but Seth glances over his shoulder at Brian. “Has Peter returned?”
“‘Fraid not, sir.”
They let Peter out so soon? Kel’s been locked up for weeks, and he didn’t have near as many Eros inside him. I guess when you’re desperate, you have to make things work. Still, I don’t think it’s a great idea to have Peter loose, just yet.
Ian hangs back, while Maybell stays right beside me. Since we have a ways to go to the portal, I decide now’s just as good a time as any to see what her problem is. When we round the corner, and I’m pretty sure Seth’s out of earshot, I ask, “Have you seen Kelsby?”
Her hands stiffen, just slightly, but it’s there. “I paid him a visit this morning. He seems to be recovering nicely.”
If recovering means housing a few Eros, then I guess so. “About that—”
An arm slides around my shoulders. “What are you two whispering about?” Ian pumps his eyebrows at me. “How best to give our supreme leader a wedgy?”
I bust up, considering it. Ian smiles.
Maybell tries not to smile, but her lips crack into a grin just the same.
For a moment, I’m carried away to a place where friends conspire just for fun. I think I’d like this kind of world. Too bad we’re off to see my messed up dad and his even more messed up flunky.
When Seth finally catches up to us, Ian drops his arm and skirts over to Maybell’s side. Seth gives the obligatory frown, but he doesn’t even ask what we were doing. Tiny crinkles surround his eyes, and his mouth is pressed into a line of worry. I clasp his hand and ask, “What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head. “Perhaps we should wait to investigate.”
My heart beat picks up. I take deep breaths to calm myself. I’m all for stowing this mission, but he was gung-ho. “What gives? Truth this time.”
He slows our pace until Maybell and Ian are twenty feet ahead. His voice lowers so I can barely make out what he’s saying. “Something is amiss. Peter still hasn’t returned. He only had peripheral worlds to deal with.”
I lean closer, trying to hold it together because he seems so upset. “He might have stopped by other worlds he was worried about, just to check. You know?”
Seth takes a deep breath and nods. “You’re probably right.” He nudges my elbow. “I thought you didn’t want to go?”
I glance at Ian and Maybell, who are having their own scintillating conversation, if their laughter is any indication. I stare at the pavement, taking in the gravel at the edges where deep cracks have formed along the curb. Deposits of forgotten litter lay clumped here and there. Have the streets always been this dingy? Seth seems totally oblivious.
I stop to pick up the trash then walk to a garbage can and put it in. Seth stares at me the entire time, but he might as well be a million miles away.
We begin again without comment. He has other things to worry about, and I’m still not too clear how headquarters is even managed, but his apathy makes it hard to breathe.
I should refuse to go, but what’s to say tomorrow will be any better? For all I know Peter has already turned. I hate to think it, especially when he was tainted because of me, but something isn’t right. I care about all of them, but I have to protect Seth. He’s my responsibility, and right now, he needs me to suck it up and find out what the hell my father wants.
When we reach the edge of the city, Ian and Maybell stop to wait for us. An ominous oppression lingers in the air, making my veins constrict. “What’s the plan?” I ask because no one speaks up.
Ian and Seth share a conspiratorial glance, which edges up my anxiety. Finally, Ian stands in front of me. He holds out his arm as if we’re about to take an afternoon stroll. I frown. He laughs. “You’re with me, kid.”
Kid? In three seconds I consider ten ways I could hurt him right now. “I think I should go with Seth.” I’m not letting the man out of my sight. “Why aren’t we going together?”
Seth gives a sad frown. “If Erobos are watching us, which we know they are, they’ll expect you to be with me.” I glance to where Maybell’s head should be, but she’s gone. I lower my gaze until I jump back, star
ing straight at myself.
My breath whooshes out and my lungs tighten, making breathing more than a little difficult. I point at her, shaking my head with as much strength as I own. “No. She’s not going as me.”
The reflection of my hand reaches for me, and I back away. I’m so weirded out right now I want to run screaming back to headquarters.
Her green eyes soften. “Amelia, it’s the best way to protect you. Ian will instruct you how to morph into one of his usual consorts.”
I fold my arms across my chest, giving gloating Ian the bird along the way. “Hell. No.”
I knew Amelia wouldn’t like Ian’s plan, but I didn’t expect her to glare at me. It’s as though I have betrayed her, when all I want to do is protect her. “Now, Amelia,” I hedge. Seeing Maybell in Amelia’s form makes my stomach lurch. Amelia’s right. This is dangerous, and Maybell will be targeted. The only thing I can do is speed the process between worlds. Trusting Ian isn’t my first choice, but since Zed is busy with his own worlds, Ian’s my only option. I turn to my sweet companion, aware of her concern, unable to remedy it. “Maybell has been doing this for hundreds of years. She’s not only willing; she insisted.”
Amelia’s lips part as a forlorn haze glazes her eyes. The betrayal in her tone cuts deep. “You set this whole thing up without even asking me what I thought.”
Tainted (Netherworld Book II) Page 23
