Aporia (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria Series)

by Leyton, Bisi

  “That person--Jason--is not my brother and his agenda is as twisted as Felip’s. You cannot trust him and what he has just done proves that.” Reaching back to her, he was going to make her understand.

  Her eyes darted over his shoulder. Her expression changed to fear and then she nodded.

  Looking back at the open front door, he noticed Enric waiting in the darkness, watching them. “Do not worry about Enric. He may not understand, but he is loyal to me. I promise—” Convincing Enric the kiss he just shared with Wisteria was innocent was a pointless conversation. Enric was just going to have to deal with it, until they found Lluc, and then what? Bach did not know yet.

  “I came here to tell Enric about me killing your mother.”

  Enric’s relationship with Wisteria was tenuous at best; if his friend believed she had killed Coia, he would become impossible and distracted from locating his brother. Enric had always believed Wisteria was bad news, but it was their friendship that stopped Enric from doing anything to her.

  “And why would you do something like that?”

  “It’s between us,” she replied as tears fell along her cheeks.

  “And since when has there ever been anything between you and Enric?” Pausing, he turned to look over at his friend and then back at her. “Enric made you break up with me?”

  “No,” she said, but her eyes lied. Exactly like they did every single time she had said she loved Steven Hindle. “I had my reasons and I still have them.”

  “Okay, let me get him for you.” Turning on his heel, he headed into the house. Yesterday, he had punched Enric because he insulted Wisteria; now Bach was going to choke him.

  “What are you going to do?” She grabbed his arm.

  “Nothing.” Removing her hands, he smiled calmly at her. “I will let him know you are here.”

  “I know you too well. You aren’t going to get him.” She stood between Bach and his house. “Answer me.”

  “You are right. I am going to beat the truth out of him.”

  “Bach, that won’t make any difference. You cannot change anything, so just tell Enric I killed her.”

  “If The Family even suspects you were involved, my father would burn your entire town to the ground. And if Yordi heard this, he would want to kill you with his bare hands. He worshipped our mother. They would not care if it was all a lie.”

  “Bach, you aren’t listening—”

  “I hear you, but you think you are the only person who can be stubborn?”

  “Perhaps you two should take it inside?” Radala appeared. “I do not think we want everyone to know you are having a lovers’ quarrel.”

  Surveying the street, he saw lights were now on in several houses.

  *****

  Okay, this wasn’t how I expected things to turn out. Wisteria had come to Marble House to tell Enric she’d murdered Coia. This way, her life would be on the line and her mother would be out of the equation.

  She’d hoped Enric would at least leave her mother alone now, but she hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him, because she’d seen Bach. It hadn’t been her plan to tell Bach, but when she saw him, she felt she had to be honest. Informing Bach of her heinous act was supposed to make him actually hate her. She couldn’t imagine why he outright refused to believe it.

  Complicating matters, Enric had seen her kiss Bach and knew she’d broken their deal. Now she had to convince Enric that it would never happen again.

  “Sen-Son Bach, we have come full circle,” Enric remarked as Bach led Wisteria into the hallway of the Marble House.

  “Full circle? How long have you two been together?” Radala appeared confused.

  Enric scowled at Bach. “This is never going to end with you two!”

  “Enric, it is over.” Wisteria’s protest sounded feeble.

  Not that it mattered; Enric completely ignored her now.

  Bach strode up to Enric. “I want to know everything.”

  “I will not discuss this in front of the Terran.”

  Bach grabbed Enric’s neck and slammed him against the wall. “Call her Terran one more time and it will be the last thing you ever say!”

  “This is unexpected.” Radala chuckled as she watched, sitting on the banister. “Okay, Bach, let him go.”

  “Do you understand?” Bach’s eyes darkened as he squeezed Enric’s neck.

  “Bach,” Wisteria said softly.

  Enric broke Bach’s grip and shoved him backward, sending Bach sliding toward the door.

  Bach stopped himself from flying through the front wall by digging one hand into the floor, breaking the floor boards.

  “I couldn’t let you die because of her,” Enric rasped, rubbing his neck.

  “What did you do, Enric?” Bach fumed as he charged back toward him.

  This time Wisteria blocked his path. “We need to find Lluc, remember?”

  “Her mother murdered yours, did you know that?” This time Enric’s eyes turned dark and nasty as he walked over to Wisteria. “The Lady of Jarthan, slaughtered by one of them. We had to do something to make you come back from their virus. The only way you would leave was if she made you go. Yordi promised to spare Lara’s life, if Wisteria agreed to do what she did.”

  “So Steven was just to make me leave?” He turned to her. “And how does my mother fit into this?”

  “Lara Kuti murdered her,” Enric announced.

  “My mother didn’t kill Coia. I—” Wisteria started.

  “I am sure your mother had good reason. After all, Coia had—problems,” Radala interrupted.

  Wisteria, Bach, and Enric all turned to gape at Radala.

  “Do not tell me that those of you in the Third Pillar have not heard the stories about Crazy Coia? Your mother had been convinced, for all her life, that Dy’obeths were real.”

  “What are Dy’obeths?” Wisteria asked.

  “Radala, please, we do not have time for fairy tales and children’s stories,” Enric muttered.

  “Famila parents were always telling their children about bloodthirsty Dy’obeths who will drag disobedient children out of their beds and into Ajana. Supposedly, they are fifty-feet tall, grotesque and vicious.” Radala made her way down the stairs. “Many people, like your mother, believed those stories were true. My grandmother thinks they were Famila.”

  Bach backed away from her. “Radala, why is this important now? Why do you think I want to hear about these stories now? My mother told me those stories, but she did not believe them. If anyone thought that, then they were the ones who were disturbed. And if you think I will ever let you interfere in my life again, Enric, you are even more disturbed.” Taking Wisteria’s hand, he left the Marble House.

  In silence, the pair wandered through Franklin, until they got to the park where she’d been with Jason a few hours before.

  Sitting on a picnic table, Bach studied his fists, still not speaking.

  “Are you okay?” She stood watching him. Coming with him had been the final stupid act on a night of bad decisions. The smart thing to do was to walk away, but she was worried about him.

  Like Yordi, Bach idolized his late mother and she knew Radala’s comments had cut him deep. Being with him was strengthening the effects of the Mosroc and now she literally felt his ache over Radala’s words.

  Reaching around her waist, he pulled her between his thighs.

  Move away Wisteria, she begged herself. You’ve done enough damage tonight. Her body wasn’t listening. It wanted to be as close to him as humanly possible. Kneeling on the bench, she scooted forward until her chest and stomach were pressed against him.

  His fingers slowly trailed through her scalp as his green eyes drilled into her. Moving his hands down her face and neck, he studied every part of her.

  She’d never get use to his ability to seem enthralled by her, like she was a work of art. Her skin started feeling hot and she wanted so badly to kiss him. “Bach.”

  As if he could read her mind, he slid one hand behind h
er neck and edged her closer. With his other hand, he pressed their already close bodies tightly together.

  Her arms found their way around him. Digging her fingers into his back, she tried to get as close to him as she could. There was something about the scent of him, the strange spice and sweat that was Bach, that made her want to melt into a pool in front of him.

  Leaning in to kiss her, he stopped and rested his forehead on hers. “Tell me you love me.”

  She opened her eyes in shock, not even realizing she’d closed them. “I—” Stuttering, she reached up to kiss him.

  “Wisteria.” He lifted his head back. “I want to hear it. I need to hear it from you.” He pulled her lower lip from of her teeth. Her tongue brushed against his thumb, causing his eyes to darken and his grip to tighten around her neck.

  This sent her heart racing.

  “Wisteria?” he breathed heavily, as he continued to caress her lips, his gaze locked on hers. “Tell me you want me as badly I want you.”

  “What do we know about love?” Sinking back to sit on her heels, she tried to get a grip. She did love him but she’d already made a big mess of things. “I only wanted to see if you were okay.”

  “My closest friend hates humans, which compared to most of my people, he is very open-minded. My father almost had me killed. My brother threatened to kill your mother unless you left me. My other brother, the qwaynide, ran off with his Thayn after practically making me watch you die. The other Pillars considered my mother to be insane—I wonder when we find this child, what kind of a life will he have? What kind of a family?”

  “He’ll have two parents who love him. That’s something.” She remembered her mother rattling off that same garbage when Doc kicked them out.

  “And when the empirics come to Smythe for him, like they did Jason, how will our love help?”

  “Not much, but there’s a piron net around Smythe. They cannot find us there, but if you think there’s a way around the net, then we’d better leave Smythe and find another community and set up the piron net there.”

  “I thought you never wanted to leave your family.” Bach frowned in bewilderment.

  Shortly after they’d met, he’d tried to convince her to leave Smythe and live with him in one of his dens. She’d refused then, because she knew he was only thinking about making himself happy. She’d also failed to understand how difficult his Family would make their lives.

  “You’d leave with me?”

  “No, I meant the child and me,” Wisteria confessed.

  “Not me?” His bewilderment faded to sadness. “Wisteria, do not start this rubbish about Steven.”

  “You’ve seen how far Enric, an opened-minded Famila guy, would go to keep us apart. The others are worse. Didan stabbed you and your father was prepared to watch you die.” Wisteria sighed as she realized the truth. “They are never going to stop. I mean Lluc tried to fake his own death to be with Frieda, and you still came after him. How are we ever going to be together?”

  “Do you want us to be together?”

  “Why ask that question? It’ll never work.”

  “There is a way.” Bach sighed while clenching his fists.

  From his tone, she wasn’t going to like it.

  “Become a Thayn,” he said.

  “No one will believe it. They will guess that I’m pretending to be a sleepwalker, especially your brother Yordi, after what Lluc and Nular did. I’m sure Enric would kill me, just for good measure.”

  “Not pretend. I will have to renew you. Then, as a Thayn we can . . .” His voice trailed off before could finish. “I would rather die than do that to you—I do not know what else to do!”

  “You don’t have to do anything, because I love Steven.”

  “Do not even start that again.” He sounded more irritated than upset.

  “What I said before about not loving him, I was confused because I found out I killed your mother.”

  “I do not want to hear it anymore.”

  “What, that I love Steven or I killed . . .” She rubbed her face and a familiar pain shot through her chest as images from the video flashed through her mind.

  He tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her shorter frame toward him. Brushing her braids from her face, he placed his lips softly on hers.

  Not moving at first, she simply waited. She could almost taste him and imagined what it would be like. It seemed like a million years ago when they kissed for the first time, when their bonding consumed her. She loved him so much. As she came back to herself, she realized she had pressed him down on the table as she aggressively devoured his lips with hers. “No.” she cried, as if she had any right or reason to protest. “We’re done, Bach.” She scampered off the picnic table.

  Wiping his sweaty forehead, he climbed off the table. “Even after you practically forced yourself on me, you do not want this?”

  As he went by her, she spotted that his shana were light brown. Normally, the spots were black and the darker the spots were, the healthier Bach was. “Do you feel okay?” she asked.

  “Do not ask me how I feel.”

  “I meant—” She ran her fingers over the faded-looking spots.

  He seized her hand and removed it from his body. “Yes, but my fight with Enric has weakened me a bit. I will be better once I regenerate.” He turned away.

  “Is there bean vine on the island?” she asked.

  “We have not found any in this town. Enric and Radala checked,” Bach continued. “But something is making me ill. I will be fine once I have regenerated.”

  “You’re lying to me.” She could see he was hiding something. “You should’ve regenerated already.”

  “Wisteria, I think we have established that I am no longer your concern. I told you I am fine, trust me.”

  He didn’t look well. This made her weary about telling him the final thing she’d figured out. “We are still friends, right?”

  He seemed to sense her indecision.

  “In this world, could we ever be friends?” He glared at her with bloodshot eyes.

  “I—”

  “I do not want to be your friend and you do not want that either.” Bach ran his hands through his hair with an apparent frustration.

  “What do you want me to say? Yes, I want our child to be hunted by the empirics and tortured?”

  “We do not even know if there is a child.”

  “There is.” Wisteria nodded. “I just know it.”

  “What? How could you—?”

  “Wisteria!” Jenny got out of a car on the far side of the park. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Is everything all right?”

  Nodding, she backed away from him. “Yeah, Bach and I were just talking.”

  “But it appears we are done now,” he said to Jenny, and strode angrily back in the direction of Marble House.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Jenny drove Wisteria back to her house in silence. She had many things to sort out. At the top of her list was getting her emotions under control. Then, focus on the child--that was why she’d come here in the first place. At least she figured out that there was no hope of a future for them, and whether or not he believed she killed his mother, his people would stay away from hers.

  As for her father, she didn’t know how to proceed.

  Jenny interrupted her troubled thoughts as they went into the house. “You know, it does help to talk about your problems. I know I’m not your mom, but if she was here she’d say the same thing.”

  “My mother is a control freak. All she wants is for me to do what she wants, and most of the time, I don’t understand why. She’ll never explain it.”

  “She’s got to have her reasons.”

  “Please, Jenny, can we talk about something else?” Wisteria sat at the kitchen counter, not wanting to be alone with her impossible thoughts.

  “Okay, well, how do you like the town?” Jenny asked, watching a small plate spin in the microwave oven.

  “It’s strange
, but remarkable. I mean, compared to where I come from, you all live like royalty,” Wisteria admitted. Even though they were powered by The Family’s artifacts, it was still impressive.

  “We were lucky, Wisteria.” Opening the microwave door, she brought out the plate and placed it on the table in front of Wisteria. “What’s it like where you’re from? I forgot what it was called.”

  “London.” Wisteria felt that this was the best answer, since she hadn’t told Jenny, or anyone, about Smythe.

  “You’re from a survivor colony in London?” Jenny frowned. “I didn’t know there was anyone left.”

  “Who knows anything about anything nowadays?” She started eating to avoid the subject of where she was from.

  “You’re right. It’s easy to forget there’s an outside world, once you’ve lived here awhile. You’ll see what I mean after a few months.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be here that long.”

  “You can’t possibly expect to leave,” Jenny gasped. “You’re very lucky you made it back here in one piece.”

  “What do you mean back here? I’ve never been here before.”

  “I meant to say, it’s not safe for you out there. Think of Franklin as your new home for the rest of your life.”

  Losing her appetite, Wisteria dropped her fork. “This isn’t my home.”

  “I know sweetie,” Jenny cooed. “I never thought this place would ever be my home for the rest of my life, either.”

  “The rest of my life?” she exclaimed.

  “Were you actually planning on leaving? Listen, relax and for once get used to being safe and looked after.”

  “That’ll be hard. Where I came from, I helped protect my town. I patrolled and held my own many times against biters. I didn’t sit around hoping—”

  “You’re in Franklin now and you’re safe. Besides, Doc doesn’t believe in sending women, especially girls, out to do what we weren’t designed to do.”

  “I’ve more than managed to take care of myself.”

  “True, and that’s a testament to how Doc raised you, but sweetie, you’re a girl on your own. What do think would happen if a bunch of biters attacked?”