by Amber Garza
DAZZLE
Book One
Delaney’s Gift Series
Amber Garza
Cover Model: Brittany Norris
Cover photographer: Renae Lamb
Graphic Artist: Lisa Eneqvist
Author Photo: Megan Squires
Copyright © 2012 Amber Garza
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
For information: ambergarza.wordpress.com
Dedicated to:
My beta readers, editors, photographers, cover model and graphic artist. This book is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for all you did to make this book possible. You rock!
Prologue
Seventeen Years Ago
REBECCA’S KNEES TREMBLED as she forced herself to walk forward. It felt like she was walking through mud with the effort it took to keep her legs moving. Paul gripped her hand tighter. His palms were warm and clammy. She glanced over at his face, which lacked its usual glow, replaced by a gray pallor. Clearly, he was terrified too. That should have comforted her, but instead it made her insides churn. Since they were first married five years earlier, she had counted on Paul to be the brave one.
The doors before them opened and, for a moment, Rebecca hesitated. Paul nodded his head as if to tell her it would be okay. She bit her lip. Fear gripped her so hard she wasn’t sure she could continue. It seemed like a good idea that morning, but now it seemed foolish and reckless.
Paul leaned in and spoke gently. “He will help us. I’m sure of it.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Her lips quivered.
“He will. Trust me.” He tugged on her arm. “C’mon. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Rebecca wasn’t sure she believed that, but she allowed him to guide her forward. Once inside a large foyer, the door slammed shut behind them with a loud click. Both of them jumped, whipping their heads around. The foyer was dark and empty. Rebecca’s heart pounded in her chest. She took deep breaths.
A door at the end of a hallway stood open and bright light shone through. Paul rested his hand on the small of Rebecca’s back and pushed her forward. Their shoes clicked on the marble floors, and cool air circled them. Rebecca shivered, looking up at the high vaulted ceilings. It was too dark to make anything out, so she focused on the bright light in the doorway ahead.
The closer they got, the more piercing the light became. It was as bright as the sun and Rebecca squinted, not able to look directly into it.
“Come in,” A loud voice boomed from inside.
Rebecca’s whole body shook. She could hardly believe she’d made it this far. One more step and they were in the room. She couldn’t see him past the brightness. Of course, she didn’t know why she expected to. No one had ever seen him and lived to tell about it. Shielding her eyes with her forearm, Rebecca stood still beside Paul.
Paul spoke first. “H-h-hello, Z-z-Zerach. Thank you for seeing us.”
Rebecca winced upon hearing the tremor in her husband’s voice. She didn’t want Zerach to think they were weak.
“I know why you’re here,” Zerach announced, his voice rumbling through their bodies.
“Y-you do?” Paul asked.
“Of course. I know everything about the people of Edenly. And I fully intend to grant your request. I will give you the child you desire.”
Rebecca’s heart leapt in her chest. She peered from behind her arm at Paul. His face was beaming. It seemed too good to be true.
“There is just one catch,” Zerach added.
Isn’t there always?
Chapter 1
Delaney
I WATCH IN horror as the car veers off the bridge, plunging toward the lake. Cursing myself for arriving too late, I slam on my brakes and screech to a halt. A sickening splash below makes my blood run cold. With trembling fingers I pick up my cell, wondering why Micah isn’t returning my texts. His car is nowhere in sight. Where is he? There’s no time to wait. This time I’m on my own. At least until the police arrive. Unbuckling my seat belt, I tear out of the car, leaving my purse and cell behind.
I scale the embankment, stopping to steady myself several times as my feet slip on the dirt and rocks. At the bottom, I gulp in the warm night air and dive into the icy water. It’s so frigid that it nearly knocks the wind out of me. My throat burns, and my body numbs. The water is so dark that I can’t make out anything. Fear grips me. I’m not sure I can do this without Micah.
Breaking the surface, I gasp for air. I listen for sirens but don’t hear them yet. A splash nearby catches my attention. I turn to see Micah’s black dreadlocks skimming the top of the water. Relief washes over me. His head pops up. “Delaney. Where is she?”
I shake my head. “Not sure. I can’t find her.”
He throws me a concerned look before diving back down. I lose sight of him in the black water.
Squinting, I scan the area. I finally spot the car sinking just feet away, its tail end sticking out like a shark’s fin. Determined, I inhale one last time and dive back down. I swim hard, pushing and pulling with my arms, kicking with my legs. I’m grateful for my years of training.
A skinny teenage girl is the sole person in the vehicle. By the time I get to her, Micah is dragging the girl’s body out of the open window. She looks about our age, but I’ve never seen her before. Her jeans and black tank top are so tight that they look like they’ve been painted on. They cling to her body even in the water. My own shirt floats around me as if I’ve sprouted wings. I’m relieved when my eyes catch sight of the familiar markings covering her arms to prove that she is a follower of Zerach like us. Since she doesn’t go to our school, I’m assuming she lives on the other side of the river.
Micah circles his arms around the girl’s waist and swims toward the surface at lightning speed. As always, I’m completely impressed with Micah’s superhuman strength. My gift is pretty cool, but sometimes I wish Micah and I could trade gifts. But that will never happen. Even though we were born with the same calling — even the same weakness — our gifts vary. It’s the way it has to be.
The air leaves me and I feel dizzy, so I kick my way to the top.
When I get to the surface, I suck in the air with desperation. Micah drags the girl to the beach. He sprawls her in the dirt and starts administering CPR. My arms and legs tire, and I struggle to catch my breath. With lazy strokes I swim to shore where I hear coughing and sputtering.
It’s a beautiful sound. It means the girl is alive.
“Delaney.” Micah’s voice is stern. “C’mere, you’ve got to see this.” The seriousness of his tone worries me. I scuttle onto the sand, push myself up and race toward him. His dark body glistens and water drips from him. The pictures circling his muscular arms are even more vivid and colorful when slick with moisture. Drenched and freezing, I wrap my arms around my wet body. My clothes stick to my skin, and my jeans chafe my thighs. My shoes squeak as I walk, kicking up mud.
Micah bends over the girl, his dreadlocks hanging down to almost touch her. She is bent over, coughing into the sand. Wordlessly he points, and I see the familiar tattoo on the back of her neck. My gaze takes in the circular image. I know that under my long, wet hair is the same one.
“She’s one of us,” I whisper, nodding to Micah who is running his fingers along his neck, no doubt thinking of his own markings. Micah and I know there are others — ten of us, to be exact. However, this is the first one we’ve found. When I return my eyes to her, my breath hitches i
n my throat. “Why is her hair so short?” Reaching down, I finger the jagged edges of her platinum blonde hair cut crudely above her ears. She flinches and turns to face me. Her large, blue eyes are full of fear, causing terror to snake around my heart.
“Someone knows.” Micah’s eyes darken.
I lift my gaze to the bridge where just moments earlier the girl’s car went over. She was being chased, which means that someone found out about her.
It also means that it’s only a matter of a time before they find out about us.
“Who are you?” The girl moves away, her eyes wild. Her voice has a lyrical quality to it. I’m surprised with how unharmed she looks. Other than a few bruises that are just starting to bloom on her skin, I can hardly tell she was just in a major accident. I guess that’s to be expected since she’s an Ekloge Warrior. We may not all have Micah’s strength, but there is something different, more resilient about our bodies.
For the first time I notice how beautiful she is. Her face is angular with sharp features, her bright blue eyes are large with thick lashes and her lips are the perfect heart shape. Even with her hair short and purple bruises rising on her skin, she is breathtaking. Envy surfaces, but I force it down. It’s not like I’m ugly. I’ve been told my whole life that my green eyes, pale skin and scarlet hair are a striking combination. But it also sets me apart, and sometimes I just want to blend in.
Micah sweeps his hair up and cranes his neck, exposing his own tattoo. “Don’t be afraid. We’re just like you.”
The girl trembles. I know how she feels. Micah can be terrifying when you first meet him. His large, muscular body is intimidating, but at heart he’s the gentlest person I know.
“I’m Micah.” He juts out a hand to the strange girl.
She tentatively takes it in hers. “Ariel.”
“I’m Delaney.” Just as I offer her my hand, sirens sound in the distance, making my heart pound. “Finally the police are here.”
Micah blows out a breath. “Took them long enough.”
“No.” Ariel shakes her head, trying to get up. “I don’t want to see them.”
“They’re safe. They work for Zerach and they know about us,” Micah explains. “Besides, you need medical attention. The ambulance will take you to the hospital. My Aunt Tabitha works there, and she can treat you. She knows about us as well.”
“No.” Ariel stands up on wobbly legs, and starts climbing up the hill. “I just wanna go home.”
What is with her? I throw Micah an exasperated look.
Micah reaches for her. “C’mon, you’re in no condition to go anywhere. You almost drowned.”
Ariel moves away from him.
Why is she being so stubborn?
“Look, if she wants to run, let her,” I say. “It’s not like she’ll get far.”
Ariel takes a few steps forward before her feet slip. She teeters, fighting to keep her body upright. Micah grabs her hand in an effort to steady her. I shove down the irrational jealousy I feel as Micah’s dark hand engulfs Ariel’s pale one. Red and blue lights illuminate the sky, giving me comfort. Help will be down here any minute.
As Micah tries to convince Ariel to stay, I think about how my life wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time things were simple. Certainly, when I was younger I didn’t envision myself pulling people from the lake in the middle of the night. I wasn’t even one of those kids that dreamt of being a superhero. Not like Micah, who used to pin a bath towel around his neck and run around the house pretending to be Superman when we were toddlers. I remember thinking Micah was so strange, racing around pretending to save people while I rocked my baby dolls. All I wanted was to be normal and live a simple life.
And that’s what I did until the year I turned eight and one moment changed everything. It happened on a fall day. The air was cooling and the leaves were turning color. I sat in the front yard with my cat Whiskers curled in my lap. While petting the cat, I glanced over at Micah’s empty house, hoping to see his mom’s car pull into the driveway. His mom said they were just going to the store, but I’d been sitting outside waiting for them to come back for a long time. I stroked Whiskers’ black fur, and pieces of it stuck to my greasy palms. As I reached down for another pet, a shock ripped up and down my spine as if I’d been electrocuted. My vision went black.
White light crept in at the edges of my sight and ran into the black until a full image emerged. I knew what I was seeing wasn’t real, though, because it was fuzzy like our TV before we got cable and we had to adjust the bunny ears to get a good picture.
Whiskers stood up on all fours with her ears perked as she spotted a squirrel across the street. The cat sprinted toward it. Dread filled my gut when Whiskers raced into the street just as a big blue truck barreled down the road. Terrified, I watched as it smacked into Whiskers.
I screamed and closed my eyes. When I opened them my vision was crystal clear again. Feeling a warm heaviness in my lap, I glanced down to find Whiskers contentedly purring there. Before I could savor the sweet relief, I caught sight of a squirrel across the street. Just as in my vision, Whiskers stood on all fours with her ears perked. Even before I turned to look, I knew the blue truck was coming. I stuck out my arm hoping to stop the cat, but it was too late. Whiskers had already taken off. Knowing I couldn’t stand by and watch the premonition come true, I bolted into the street and held out my arms. The truck skidded to a stop just mere inches from me.
The driver, a middle-aged man, jumped out of his vehicle and ran toward me.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I released the breath I’d been holding and immediately burst into tears. “N-no-I-I- was trying to save Whiskers, my cat.”
Later that afternoon, I confessed everything to my parents. I needed to tell someone. It completely freaked me out. Surprisingly, my parents believed me. Not only that, but they didn’t act shocked.
It was as if they’d been waiting for it to happen.
A familiar voice breaks through my memory. “Fancy meeting you here.” It’s Officer Thomas. His dark eyes that pierce mine are filled with a teasing gleam. I give him a wry smile, and his expression grows serious. “You guys okay?”
I smirk. “Yeah, but it would’ve been great if you’d gotten here sooner.”
“Sorry, we were on another call.” Officer Thomas looks down at Ariel who is shivering in the sand. “Who’s this?”
“She’s one of us,” Micah explains.
Narrowing my eyes, I glance over at Ariel and wonder what her gift is.
Officer Thomas glares under bushy brows, and I can tell that he’s thinking the same thing we are. Something isn’t right about all this. He scans the bridge. In the distance I see flashlights and other officers scouring the area. Chatter fills the air around us.
Cold sets into my tired, wet body, and my teeth begin to chatter. My hair drips down my back, spilling into the sand at my feet.
“The rescue teams are on their way down. We’ll get her to the hospital. She’ll be fine,” Officer Thomas says. “And I’ll alert Zerach right away.”
As I watch the rescue crews making their way down the embankment, my stomach tightens. I have the distinct feeling that our lives will never be the same again.
Chapter 2
Sam
THE AIR INSIDE Joe’s Billiards is smoky, the lighting dim. It reeks of dust and sweat. Still it beats being at work, so I’m not complaining. I lean over the table, aiming my cue stick.
“Don’t miss,” Jake says abruptly.
Startled, I hit the ball at a funny angle and it veers off to the side. I throw my friend an annoyed look while I stand back up. Although the truth is I really don’t care about pool. I come here just to get away from my old man.
“Let me show you how it’s done.” Jake hooks his finger in his belt loop and yanks up his sagging pants. Often I wonder why he doesn’t wear a belt, but I guess it goes with the whole unkempt look of his shaggy, chin length brown hair and wrinkled t-s
hirts.
When Jake moves over to the table, I glance around the dark room. It’s not like I need to watch Jake to know he’s good at the game. Jake’s dad owns this place so he can practice all the time. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a dad who owns a pool hall. Instead, my dad owns Aaron’s Auto Mechanics.
When I was a kid Dad would take me to the shop and show me how to work on cars. The smell of car grease permeates my childhood memories. I hate that smell. I hate the way Dad’s fingers are all black and calloused. I hate how we barely make ends meet, always scraping by. Even though I swore I’d never be a mechanic like my dad, fate has a way of catching up to me. No matter how hard I try, I can never outrun it.
When Mom left the Town of Edenly two years ago, I was more than happy to go with her. I planned to start my life over, make new friends and get my grades up. Leaving my dad was just an added bonus. I even had hopes of becoming a police officer. Then everyone would look up to me, respect me. My six months away from this boring town was the best time of my life. I met new friends, did well in my classes, and as time went by the scars and bruises left from my childhood began to fade. I felt like a new person. It was like being purged of the darkness that had blanketed my existence for so long.
But fate lurked behind every corner, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The opportunity presented itself in a simple invitation to a party on Friday night. The fact that it came from Lauren, one of the hottest girls at school, made it impossible to turn down. I went to the party fully intending not to drink, and certainly not to do drugs. Night after night of watching my dad drink himself into a stupor had cured me of ever wanting to partake of alcohol.
The problem is that I always lack self-control, and the mistake I made that night cost me everything.
That cruel twist of fate is the reason I’m here now with calloused fingers, smelling of car grease. I rest my back against the wall and sigh just as two guys walk toward me. My heart quickens at the sight of them. They’re about my age, but they wear black pants, long sleeved shirts and black bandanas tied around their heads. It’s odd attire for such a warm day. Actually, dressing like that would be weird any time in Edenly. It’s always pretty warm here. Even in the winter it doesn’t get very cold. Just another reason this place annoys me. I mean, what kind of town doesn’t have changing seasons?
