“He speaks of our bond. Although he doesn’t know it, he has given the truest definition of what the Syntrophos means. Kassandre was my beloved. Not in the same way as Naeemah, of course. It is a very different kind of love, but it is still love. The only love you will ever know that supersedes what you two have now will be with your Complements.”
“So … um … what does that mean for our dating lives?” Darius asked.
“You can probably expect that Allie will passionately believe no woman will ever be good enough for you.” Gregg gave him a sympathetic look. “Kassie rarely interfered in my love life, but she was never very friendly with my lady friends. She adored Naeemah, however. But at the same time she was insanely jealous of her.”
Allie sighed. “This is going to get difficult.”
“Yep.” Darius ran his hands through his hair.
“You let me tell Aidan,” Allie said. “He needs to hear this from me.”
“He’s not good en—”
“Nope,” Allie raised her hand to stop him. “I’m shutting this down right now. Repeat after me.” She glared at him. “I, Darius McBrien, will keep my nose out of Allie’s relationship with Aidan.”
“Fine, I’ll stay out of it, Red. He just better—”
“Don’t finish that sentence, son. It’s going to be very difficult for you to keep your instincts under control. So you’d better start trying now.”
“Do you know any Syntrophos we can, like … take lessons from?” Allie asked.
“The bond is feared by so many, Allie. You’ll likely not find any willing to help. Those who have it keep it hidden and don’t speak of it. It is thought to be a rare occurrence, but there are more of us out there than Senate would like to believe. A fully bonded Syntrophos would be a fearful thing. Multiple Syntrophos, banding together ... the Senate wouldn't allow it. They never knew your mother was an anchor. They never knew of her heritage either. The Senate fears what they cannot control, so very few ever knew of the bond I shared with your parents. We only spoke of it with those we trusted.”
“But how could you hide it?” Darius asked. “We didn’t even have to tell you or Liam. You could practically smell it on us.”
“Aye, and you'll have to learn to hide it, son. And quickly. You are safe here at home, but before either of you goes back to school or work, you must learn to mask the bond you share. You are both so young, it will be difficult, but I will teach you.”
“So how did it happen for you, Da? Was it just out of nowhere?”
“It was years after we met when our bond first began to form. When they became Complements, Ashar and I struggled to come to terms with our boundaries. It was difficult at first. She felt torn between us—like there wasn’t enough of her for both of us. Ashar was jealous of our connection and how well we knew each other, but in time, he realized there was no longer a romantic love between us. There was a time when there was, but it paled in comparison to what they had. The relationship can take years to fully understand. We always categorize the people in our lives. Family, friend, lover, enemy. A Syntrophos doesn’t fit in any of those boxes so it takes time to define what the relationship means to those involved. It can be intimate and touchy-feely, but without the complications of romance and chemistry. It’s actually a very innocent kind of love that is often misunderstood by those on the outside of it.”
Allie sat back with a weary sigh, trying to absorb everything. “When it happened … it felt so … intense. It scared me to death,” she finally said.
“I’ll second that,” Darius agreed.
“It's more like a family bond in the way it comes upon us so suddenly,” Gregg said. “This is not something either of you had any control over. So it’s best to accept it and work together to learn what it means for you as individuals and as a couple, because that is what you are now.”
“So what do we do?” Darius asked. “This is insignificant compared to everything else we’ve got going on.”
“Right now, you rest. It’s been a long couple of days for all of us. We’ve made it through a difficult time, not without some profound losses.”
Allie dropped her head, as the tears finally came. She was overwhelmed with shame and guilt for the death of Ming Lao.
“Sweetheart, she died saving her husband and her grandson. She died knowing her daughter will always have her father—knowing Quinn would return to us. Ming Lao died in battle, the way she would have wanted. And she would never want you to blame yourself for any of it. You did well, Alexis Carmichael. You did this family proud. It won’t be easy moving forward, but we’ll do so as a family, as we always have.”
“What does this mean for Jin? For his … mortality.”
“This is unprecedented. But he is still Immortal. We can only guess what his future will hold without his Complement at his side. It is highly probable that a severe wound could kill him, but otherwise, he will remain unchanged by this event—at least physically. Emotionally … I can’t imagine.”
~~~
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Allie made her way down the long corridor to the common room. Gregg and Darius returned to the crypt to speak with Quinn, and Liam was still with Livia—probably interrogating her, which Allie didn’t even want to think about. She was so weary. She just wanted to check on everyone, grab something to eat, and go to bed for a week—preferably for a nice, long, dreamless sleep, and for that she needed Aidan. But the only one lingering in the common room was Sasha. She paced the length of the room, still dressed in her gear and obviously still reeling.
“Sasha?” Allie whispered.
“I heard you coming. What do you know? I just got back.” Her curly hair stood on end and she had a crazed look in her eye.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Have you seen him?”
“Quinn? Yes. He’s fine.”
“Where is he?”
“He asked them to lock him up in the crypt. He’s still not himself. Livia had some kind of hold on him. She was using his gifts.”
“She took them?” Sasha looked horrified.
“No. It seems she can take control of a gift without actually stealing it. He was in bad shape, but you broke him out of it, Sash. You did it. You brought him home. I don’t think we could have gotten through to him any other way.”
“Then what is this?” She threw her hands up in frustration, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Sasha didn’t cry so Allie knew she was on the verge of a total freak-out.
“Calm down. Let’s sit.” Allie gestured to one of the many sofas that filled the common room. “What are you talking about?”
“I can feel him, Allie. Like I can feel his heart beating in my chest. Something happened out there when we saw each other.”
Allie did a double take. She was so exhausted and overwhelmed, she’d missed it. She’d missed the shroud wrapped around her friend like a cloud. The subtle aura around Sasha was new and it vibrated with Quinn’s energy. She could sense the bond that linked them, but Sasha didn’t understand.
“Have you talked to Naeemah?”
“No, I haven’t seen anyone since I got back.”
“Who did you ride home with?” Allie wondered why no one had talked to her about this yet.
“I drove home alone. I followed Mom.”
“Where is everyone? Where’s Aidan?”
“I think Aidan's with Emma trying to treat Daniel’s severed hand. He’s in so much pain, but he heals so slowly—and with Ming gone, he’s just a mess. I can’t believe she is gone gone. Jin and Chloe are with Mom and Graham in her garden. They needed a quiet place to mourn. The others aren’t back yet. They’re keeping watch.” Sasha had barely taken a breath as she babbled.
Allie grabbed her trembling hands. “Deep breaths, Sash. You’ve been alone, for hours, not knowing what this is?” Allie pulled her in for a hug. She could feel Sasha was on the brink of losing control. She was so upset, she wasn’t aware of Allie’s new bo
nd yet. Allie held her and whispered comforting words as Sasha cried. “Just breathe; it’s all going to be okay. But I need you to calm down. Focus on me. Let everything else go.” As Sasha finally relaxed, Allie waited patiently for her to make the connection.
Sasha suddenly pulled away, staring at her in disbelief. “What is this bullshit? You too? With Darius?”
Allie nodded. “Let’s go find your dad. You need to see Quinn, and Gregg needs to explain this to you both.” Allie pulled her up from the couch where she sat, completely bewildered.
“I always wondered if Quinn might be my Complement,” Sasha whispered as they headed back down to the crypt. “But it never felt right. I love him. I’d be proud if he were. It's just never worked; but this feels very … Complementy.”
“Quinn is a huge part of who you are.” Allie pushed on the door leading to Quinn’s cell, but it was locked. She knocked and waited. The longer they stood there, the more agitated Sasha became.
“I’m going to break it down.” Sasha moved to kick the door.
“Darius, please open the door,” Allie said. She knew he would hear her. She could sense him standing just on the other side.
“Well, this is about to get messy,” Darius said as he opened the door, but Sasha rushed past him.
“Open the cell,” she demanded.
“Sasha?” Quinn leapt to his feet. “I missed you.” He reached through the bars.
“Get him out of there!” Sasha’s eyes blazed with fury.
“It’s not safe, Sash,” Quinn said. “I need a few days in here—”
“You will not hurt me. You don’t have it in you. Now get him out of there.” Sasha glared at Darius.
“Will do.” Darius stepped to the door and unlocked the cell.
Before Quinn could take a step out, Sasha ran in and threw her arms around him, locking her legs around his waist.
“Can you believe this?” Darius whispered. “I picked up on their bond when I came back in here to talk with him. He’s been like a caged lion ever since I explained what little I could. He wanted to see her but he’s still afraid he’s going to snap at any moment until he gets control of his power back from Livia.”
“They’ll be fine now.” Allie smiled. For such a strange bond to occur twice in the same night was incredible, but she couldn’t deny it—Sasha and Quinn were also Syntrophos. I’m gathering my equals. She could see their hazy future and wondered what her friends’ lives might have been like if they’d never met her.
“Who is she?” Sasha finally asked.
Quinn turned toward the girl sitting on his bed, Sasha still clinging to him.
“This is my … girlfriend, Santi,” Quinn said carefully.
“Hi,” Santi said softly. “He forgot to tell me you were beyond gorgeous.”
Sasha slowly slipped out of Quinn’s arms and stared up at him, her eyes practically sparking.
“This would be the messy part I mentioned earlier.” Darius crossed his arms with a smile, like he was settling in for the entertainment.
“You have a girlfriend?” Sasha said coldly. “You’ve been off in some kind of prison camp, have obviously been through hell, and you come back with a girlfriend? While I’ve spent the last eight months dying inside, you’ve been hooking up?” She gave him a shove.
“Sasha, it’s not going to change whatever this bond is we have now,” Quinn said.
“Wow, she’s pretty feisty. I like her,” Santi said.
Allie thought she was very brave for daring to interrupt Sasha’s tirade.
“I—”
“Can we argue later, Sash?” Quinn asked. “Right now, I’m just really happy to see you.” He reached to cup her face.
Santi clearly didn’t like it, but she was smart enough to keep it to herself.
“This is not going to be easy for them,” Darius said. “At least you and I are single.”
“About that.” Allie sighed. She didn’t know exactly what she and Aidan were, but they were far more than friends now. She could no longer resist putting a label on their relationship. “Aidan and I are kind of together.”
“When the hell did that happen?” Darius scowled.
“It’s been on a slow boil for months, and it kind of boiled over right before all of this.”
“You can yell at me if you want, but he’s not good enough for you, Allie.”
“He’s your brother. Be nice.”
“I am. He’s a putz.”
“I’m pretty sure you’d say that about anyone I wanted to date.” She elbowed him playfully.
“Probably.” Darius yawned.
“Let’s get these two off to Gregg for Syntrophos lessons, and then I’m going to go find Aidan and go to bed,” Allie said.
“Do you have to do that?”
“I’d like to have a dream-free night, so you’re going to have to deal.”
“Come on, you two,” Darius said. “Santi … uh, you should probably stay here.”
“Fine by me; I’m exhausted. It’s been a really long … year.” She stretched out on the bed with a yawn.
Quinn had trouble maintaining his emotions as they walked through the hallways of the underground where he grew up. Sasha whispered to him the whole way to Gregg’s office, but it was obvious he was in for a long struggle to put the past eight months behind him.
“Sorry, Da,” Darius said after Gregg let them in. He was busy making phone calls and taking intel from everyone still out there taking stock of their situation.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gregg said in shock when he realized why they were there. “You too?” He asked Sasha.
“I sense lots of group Syntrophos classes in our near future,” Darius said.
“We’re going to go.” Allie pulled Darius toward the door. “We’ll talk tomorrow, Sash.”
“I’m going to go crash in Daniel’s office,” Darius said after they left. “But if you need me, just call. I’m always here for you, Allie.”
“Thanks, Dare. This is all … so confusing and overwhelming. But I’m glad it’s you.”
“If you have to have a Syntrophos, at least you got a fun one.” He winked. “Night, Allie.”
“Night.”
Now she just needed to go find Aidan.
~~~
He was in his office. Sitting in the dark, drinking.
Not a good sign.
I’m just exhausted … and glad to see you found your way to me. I was afraid—
That I would stay with Darius? This bond doesn't work that way, Aidan.
“So what is this thing you have with my brother?” He pulled her down onto his lap and offered her the bottle he was drinking from. Gregg’s extra-potent moonshine.
“It’s called a Syntrophos. It means we are connected in a special, non-romantic way.”
“Non-roman-tic.” He laughed—but if he were anyone else, she would have called it a giggle.
“How much have you had to drink?” she asked. It took some skill and hard work to get sloshed liked this.
“A lot.” He took a long gulp straight from the bottle. “Say more things like non-roman-tic.” He gave her a goofy grin.
“Drunk Aidan is super cute.” She smiled back. “I don’t know much about it yet, but your father was bonded to my mother this way. She and Ashar and Gregg found a way to make it work, and so will we.”
“Yeah? I’m pretty sure my dad did your mom for a few centuries before she met Ashar.”
“Aidan, gross!”
“Just sayin’ there’s something there I don’t like.”
“Hey. Look at me.” She turned his head to meet her gaze. “This isn’t going to change anything between us. But I’m too tired to figure it out tonight. I just want to take a hot shower and go to bed and feel you beside me. I want to forget about the awful things that happened. Every horrific thing I've seen and the awful things I’ve done. I just want to sleep and not dream.”
“I can at least do that for you, Lex. Come on.”
> She followed him to the bedroom behind his studio, feeling a sense of dread about their future. She was suddenly unsure of Aidan’s ability to cope with her new relationship with Darius. To choose between them would be impossible.
Aidan didn’t speak as they changed out of their gear. He didn’t speak as he led her to the bathroom. His eyes were broody and sad as they stepped into the hot shower together. His kiss was slow and sweet, but he didn’t push further. His hands on her body were methodical as he helped her wash the blood and grime away.
When he wrapped a towel around her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. For once, she couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. He had her blocked; whatever he was feeling, he hid it from her in a way he never had before. He had his own box now and suddenly the tables were turned and she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
Aidan? She stared up at him uncertainly.
I’m fine, baby. Just tired and trying not to think about … anything. “Let’s just go to bed. I’m happy to keep your dreams away.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him back. “You know that’s not the only reason I’m here, right?”
The look he gave her said he wasn’t so sure. It cut her to the quick. She backed away from him, taking a moment to change into shorts and a t-shirt from the drawer she’d stocked weeks ago. She threw some clothes at Aidan, not trusting herself to speak.
You know that’s not what I meant.
“Aidan … I’m here because I love you. I’m here because there is no one else I want to be with after the night we’ve had. What happened before … back in my bedroom. That wasn’t something I took lightly.”
“I know, Allie. That’s not what I meant. I don’t know what I meant. I’m drunk. I’m still feeling Daniel’s pain. I just … I don’t like this. I don’t like feeling like a jealous fool. I need time—to get used to this thing you have with my brother. I’m not sure how to act and I’m messing this up, which is the last thing I want right now.”
Emerge: The Judgment: (Book 2) Page 28
