Reckoning (The Variant Series, #4)

by Jena Leigh

Alex laughed. “I think I can manage that.”

  “Excellent,” he said. “In that case, he’s all yours.”

  The first thing Declan realized as Alex closed the distance between them was that, despite her smiling facade, she was a walking bundle of nerves.

  The second thing Declan realized was that Alex was nervous—and that he could actually sense it.

  Alex’s rigid control over her jumping ability had relaxed just enough that the link between them was once again restored. Declan found himself torn between an inexplicable urge to smile at the unexpected development… and to frown in response to the agitation radiating through the currents in the air around her.

  She took hold of his elbow and they jumped, reappearing in the now-empty training field behind the compound. Clumps of rock and scattered branches littered the ground; the aftermath of Nate and Alex’s earlier sparring match.

  “What’s wrong?” Declan asked.

  “That obvious, huh?” Alex smiled shyly.

  “Did something happen?”

  “Yes,” she said. “And no. Just… Kind of?”

  She turned her back to him and walked a few feet in the other direction.

  “Okay.” Declan stared at the back of her head. “You lost me.”

  Alex shot him a look over her shoulder, clearly unsettled by his choice of words.

  “And you found me.” She looked away again. “The real me… Which is kind of the problem.”

  Alex sighed, folding her arms protectively over her chest as she turned back around.

  Declan didn’t bother to hide his confusion.

  “I’m assuming you were able to see those nightmares, right?” Alex asked. “You were there watching? During each of them?”

  Declan nodded, slowly beginning to understand.

  He’d seen every single one.

  Every painful memory. Every guilt-laden moment. Every terrifying experience.

  Declan had witnessed it all.

  “Yeah,” she said. “That’s what I was afraid of. That stuff you saw… Those nightmares…”

  Alex shook her head, struggling to put her emotions into words. In the end, it all came out in a rush.

  “They’re the part of me that I don’t show people, Decks. And you didn’t just see some of it, you saw all of it at once, so if you’re maybe having second thoughts about, you know, me—about us—I totally understand. I really wouldn’t blame you at all if you wanted to—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Declan shook his head.

  Walking swiftly toward her, he took Alex by the hand and drew her in close. With his other hand he tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eye.

  “How many times will I have to tell you that I’m not going anywhere before you finally believe me? What I saw last night didn’t change anything,” he said softly. “And honestly? Seeing everything that you’ve been through? Knowing, now, what you’ve been struggling with every day, realizing just how strong and how unbelievably compassionate you really are—it just confirmed everything I already knew. What I’ve always known. Ever since that first night when you tackled me beside the campfire and tried to drop us both in the lake.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes and Declan’s expression softened into a smile.

  “I love you, Alex Parker,” he said. “Every part of you. Inside and out. And that’s never going to change.”

  Alex smiled. A tear broke free and trickled slowly down her cheek.

  “You’re pretty much stuck with me,” he added. “So I hope you—”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Alex’s mouth met his in a kiss that set the connection between them ablaze.

  Finally.

  Declan drew her instinctively closer, every nerve ending driven into overload. Their formerly severed link now felt like a live wire, the currents so strong that it charged the very air around them. He could sense the dancing arcs that traveled rhythmically around their joined bodies, blocking out the rest of the world.

  Alex stood lightly on her tiptoes, her arms encircling his neck. He held her against his chest, supporting her weight as she leaned into him, and rested his forehead against hers.

  “Damn, I’ve missed that,” he said—though what he meant was, “Damn, I’ve missed you.”

  He stared into her eyes, finding them brilliant with the violet glow of her jumping ability. She smiled shyly up at him.

  “So have I,” she said, though her smile had already begun to fade. “I’m sorry for pushing you away, Decks.”

  He shrugged. “You needed space to work things through. I see that now.”

  Alex kissed him again, slow and sweet. He felt her lips curl into a smile before she pulled away.

  “You’re kind of amazing, you know that?” she said.

  “Hey, can I quote you on that?” Declan grinned. “Maybe get it in writing? Cause there are a lot of people out there who still refuse to believe it. Your testimony would really go a—”

  Alex silenced him a second time and Declan happily stopped talking, his focus shifting to the intoxicating nature of their connection, the way her body fit perfectly against his, and the warmth that rushed through him in response to her nearness.

  Music reached them from the courtyard and Alex finally broke off their embrace. Lowering herself off of her tiptoes, she turned her head toward the sound.

  “Dinner will probably be ready soon,” she said, taking a slow step back. “I should go grab a shower before it’s time to eat.”

  Alex.

  Shower.

  Declan clenched his jaw and tried to derail his current train of thought by attempting to identify the song Trent was strumming on his acoustic guitar. Otherwise he was liable to give in to his sudden urge to teleport himself and Alex somewhere a little more private and pick up where they’d left off moments before.

  She started walking backward, in the direction of the main house. “See you at dinner?”

  He nodded.

  Eventually Declan followed, making his way back to the courtyard. Nate and Kenzie were by the grill, laughing about something as they prepared the night’s meal. Jian Liu, Linus, Aiden, and Cassie were all sitting around the roaring fire, listening to Jezza sing the old Beatles song “Blackbird” while Trent accompanied her on the guitar.

  He sat down on an open patch of grass beside Cassie and Aiden just as the song came to an end.

  After the applause faded, Trent asked, “Where’s Alex? Thought the deal was for her to bring both of you back.”

  “She’ll be here in a little bit.” Declan cast a glance toward the grilling area. “Dinner almost ready?”

  “Nate said another forty-five minutes,” Aiden replied. Judging from the scowl, he was just as hungry as Declan. “He only started up the grill a few minutes ago.”

  Trent began strumming another tune—Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”—and Declan stared into the fire, allowing himself to be hypnotized by the uneven dance of the flames.

  Fifteen minutes and four songs later, Declan looked away from the blaze, his attention drawn by something far more interesting. Alex exited the main house in a pair of cut off shorts, a black tank top, and a lightweight jacket, her wavy hair still dripping from her shower.

  Catching his eye, she started to head toward him, projecting, What did I miss?

  Nothing at all, babe, he replied, smiling. Feel better?

  Much.

  Declan reached up and took her hand, tugging it gently until Alex settled into the grass beside him. She cozied up next to him, settling in against his side as Trent launched into another song.

  It took him a moment to recognize it as the Incubus song, “Drive.”

  Not too surprising. Trent’s old playlist at the bar was mostly comprised of classic punk, 90s rock, and early 2000s alternative music, after all.

  “Oh, I love this one. Aunt Cil used to play it all the time when I was younger,” Alex murmured… and then she began to sing along.

  Her voice was soft at
first, a quiet support to Trent’s louder baritone.

  Trent must have heard her anyway because he smiled and, at the next break, said, “Sing it, Trouble.”

  Declan half expected Alex to blush and shake her head no. Instead, she surprised them all by belting out the ensuing chorus with so much heart, so much passion, that had she hit a wrong note—which, amazingly enough, she didn’t—it still wouldn’t have mattered.

  Her alluring alto vocals were a far cry from the strangled sounds she produced only a few months earlier while singing along to “Hair of the Dog,” as Declan observed her from the tree outside her window. Then again, Brandon Boyd was probably far easier for her to harmonize with than the lead singer of Nazareth. For that matter, so was almost anyone.

  As Trent joined back in and the song became a duet, Declan listened to Alex sing about choosing to face the new day, and anything it might bring, with open arms and open eyes… and in that moment he realized that the emotion in her voice was entirely genuine.

  Last night Alex chose to start living again.

  And tonight, apparently, she sang to remind herself of exactly that.

  When the song ended, everyone clapped and the blush Declan had expected to see earlier finally crept into Alex’s cheeks.

  “Your song was very beautiful,” Jian Liu said in his heavily accented English. He smiled at Alex and then turned to Trent. “Another?”

  “You got it, my man.” He grinned and strummed a few chords, fine-tuning his guitar.

  The others began naming songs, asking Trent if he knew how to play different things. Even Jian Liu and Linus made suggestions.

  Aiden’s submission eventually won out and Trent started in on an old Tenacious D song that he performed with all the ridiculous, over-the-top zeal that the fantastical ballad required.

  From over by the grill, Nate and Kenzie half sang and half shouted, “That’s telekinesis, Kyle!” at the appropriate moment, earning a laugh from everyone seated around the fire.

  Declan held Alex closer as the song went on. She relaxed into him with a smile and a contented sigh.

  There were only a handful of moments in his entire life that Declan would give anything to go back and relive, over and over again—but even as it was still unfolding, he knew that this night spent around the campfire with Alex and the others would soon join the ranks.

  He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring and right now he didn’t care.

  All that mattered was this moment.

  And he was determined to make the most of it.

  Sixteen

  At just shy of four forty-five the next morning, Alex awoke feeling pretty fantastic… and entirely certain that she wouldn’t be logging any more hours of sleep, no matter how long she remained there in bed, staring blankly at the red glow of the digital clock.

  Also motivating her to creep silently toward the dresser, retrieve a pair of workout clothes, grab her sneakers, and change, was a gnawing hunger that eventually sent her tiptoeing into the kitchen in search of breakfast.

  Or at least, in search of something that sort of resembled breakfast.

  They really needed to make that grocery run. For coffee, if nothing else. She didn’t envy the headache Kenzie was currently sporting. Alex had slept through most of her own caffeine withdrawal period—something she was rather grateful for, after watching the redhead’s spiral the day before.

  After a quick rummage through the cabinets, she eventually settled on some kind of berry-speckled granola bar and a bottle of water.

  As she was taking the last bite of her pitiful meal, Alex recognized the subtle creak of the front door opening. A quick telepathic scan let her know who was about to join her.

  “Ah, good,” he said from the kitchen’s doorway. “You’ve even finished your breakfast. Shall we?”

  Alex nodded, accepting Brandt’s outstretched hand. She teleported them to the same field they’d first used as a practice site days earlier, the night air cool and dry. He waited a short time before letting go, ensuring that her ability was returned to full strength, then took a few strides in the other direction to create an area of empty space between them.

  A full moon lit the night and the valley well enough, but half a dozen orbs of fire soon added to the pool of light. Brandt sent each one spiraling in a different direction until the small collection of lights formed a glowing circle around the field.

  “Challenge one,” said Brandt. “Maintain your focus. Keep those orbs in place and illuminated at all times.”

  Challenges two through seven, as it turned out, were a series of nerve-rattling assaults that left Alex breathless and shaking by the time her hour long session with Brandt drew to a close.

  When all was said and done, the orbs lining the outskirts of the circle were still in place and glowing brightly.

  Alex’s plans to remain standing fell to the wayside when her knees unexpectedly buckled. She dropped down cross-legged into the grass, still struggling to reclaim her breath.

  Brandt eyed her with an expression she interpreted as amusement.

  “You have your mother’s tenacity, Miss Parker. And it would seem you’ve inherited your father’s talent for quickly picking up new skills,” he said. “A rather lucky combination of traits to possess, considering the uncertain position you’ve found yourself in.”

  She tilted her head to one side. The way he spoke of them suggested more than just a passing familiarity. But Brandt hadn’t been a member of Grayson’s original team… had he?

  “Did you know them well? My parents?”

  Brandt scoffed, his smile disbelieving. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised your dear aunt would have edited me out of her version of our history.”

  Alex looked away, struggling with a sudden need to defend her aunt and the familiar wave of bitterness that crept over her any time she thought about all the lies she’d been fed about her parents over the years.

  “She hasn’t edited anything,” said Alex. “She just hasn’t told me about them yet. The real them, I mean. All I know about my parents is the fairy tale Aunt Cil made up in order to hide the truth about who and what they really were.”

  “Well the cat’s pretty well out of the bag now, Miss Parker,” he said, moving to take a seat in front of her. “Have you tried asking her about them since you learned the truth?”

  Alex hesitated before shaking her head.

  He raised his eyebrows in silent question.

  “I’ve thought about it. Plenty of times.” Alex shrugged. “But everything she ever told me about them in the past… It was all lies. How could I trust anything she tries to tell me now?”

  Brandt sighed, frowning as though he were waging some internal debate.

  “Your father, James, was a regular Boy Scout. Sharp as a tack and ready to take on the entire world if it meant he could rescue even one soul. Quick with a smile and quicker with a rejoinder.” He smiled, his gaze growing distant. “Your mother, Nora, was a veritable force of nature. Studious, driven, kind—and stubborn as all hell, if we’re being honest. At times she could be every bit as bullheaded as your father was fool-headed. I’ve never seen a pair of individuals complement each other so well as Nora and James. Individually, their strengths set them above their peers. Together, they were…” Brandt sighed. “Together they were very nearly unstoppable. I’m proud to have had the honor of knowing them. And even prouder to have called them friends.”

  Shaking his head as though it would help to dispel the memories, Brandt cleared his throat and stood.

  “Excellent work this morning, Miss Parker,” he said, slowly extinguishing the orbs that illuminated the field. “Keep progressing this steadily and we’ll make a proper fire-wielder out of you yet.”

  Alex got to her feet. He held out a hand and she accepted it, teleporting them to the courtyard in a flash of light that momentarily drove back the darkness.

  Turning on his heel, Brandt began walking away, saying, “Until tomorrow.”

  �
��Brandt?” she called.

  He paused, glancing back at her from over his shoulder. “Yes?”

  “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”

  Brandt smiled.

  “Any time, Miss Parker.” He started walking again. “Any time.”

  You awake, babe?

  Declan’s projection was surprisingly soft in her thoughts, his voice faint as a whisper.

  Just finished up a round of training with Brandt, she replied. What’s up?

  Dawn was still over an hour away. She was surprised Declan was even awake this early in the morning, much less in the mood for conversation. If there was one thing the O’Connell siblings held in common, it was their mutual inability to person before their morning caffeine fix.

  Sleep okay? Declan asked.

  Dead to the world for six straight hours, she replied.

  Only six, huh? Guess I was hoping you’d finally manage a full night of sleep... Feeling alright? Any more nightmares?

  Alex smiled, a warmth spreading through her at his concern. She turned to head back into the main house.

  No nightmares, she projected. I’m finally caught up on some of the rest I’ve missed. Honestly, I feel better than I have in weeks.

  Good, he replied. As for me… I think I might sneak in another hour or two.

  Why are you even awake in the first place?

  He sent her the telepathic equivalent of an embarrassed shrug. I was half awake when I sensed someone teleport a minute ago. When I realized it was you, I wanted to make sure you were alright.

  Her smile widened. Thanks to you, I’m pretty much perfect. Now go back to sleep.

  Over the course of the next two hours, Alex managed to get in an early morning run—happily trading the obnoxious headlamp she usually wore for a fiery orb that proved much more useful—a quick session of hand-to-hand training with Kenzie, and then she returned to the main house for a much needed shower.

  Treading carefully around Cassie’s makeshift bed, Alex pulled open her drawer in their shared dresser and dug around for something to wear that day. As her hand found the rough fabric of the jeans, the back of her fingers brushed against something soft—and unexpectedly solid.