Redemption (The Chosen #4)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  “Go with him.”

  He leaned toward her, lowering his voice. “This is your call, Princess. If you don’t want to go with Marcus, we’ll go alone.”

  Her breath hiccupped in her chest. This was all happening so fast. Marcus had saved her from Alex, but did that mean she could trust him? Alex’s vacant eyes flashed through her head and panic rose from the pit of her chest, but she shoved it down. She didn’t have the time nor the mental stability to think it through. “You really think we need him? We can trust him?”

  Will hesitated. “I think siding with Marcus is our best shot at getting Jake.”

  “But what about later?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know about later. Let’s just concentrate on now.”

  She nodded, a lump burning her throat. Who knew if they even had a tomorrow? They’d get Jake, then go from there.

  Sirens wailed in the distance.

  Will looked over her shoulder at the street. “We need to go. Things are about to get ugly here soon, and we have a long drive ahead of us. You’re sure you’re okay with going with Marcus?”

  “Yeah.” No, but she didn’t have a choice.

  “If you change your mind at any point, just let me know, okay?”

  Her panic rose again. “But we won’t have a car. We’re leaving ours here.”

  “Then we’ll get another one. If we leave with Marcus now, we’re not stuck with him.”

  She wasn’t sure she believed that, but she trusted Will, especially now. “Okay.”

  Emma climbed in the back seat and Will slid in next to her.

  Marcus turned around. “You have two choices. We can drive straight through, or we can take my plane, which will be much more comfortable and faster.” His gaze turned to Emma. “The choice is yours.”

  “Fly.” She wasn’t a fan of flying, but it would get her to Jake faster.

  Marcus pulled the car into the street, passing several oncoming police cars. Their flashing lights filled the street with a red glow.

  Will took Emma’s hand and squeezed.

  What had she done?

  Every time she closed her eyes she saw Alex’s face. Alex carrying his suitcase and telling her he’d help her find Jake. Alex in the elevator when he realized she’d betrayed him. Alex with blood oozing from his chest, his pleading eyes. Right before she pulled the trigger.

  She couldn’t hide from what she’d done. She could close her eyes and see it all play out on an endless loop in her head or she could face the results. She trained her gaze on the circus outside Alex’s hotel. She deserved to watch. She deserved the pain. She deserved so much worse.

  What had she become?

  Jake. She did it all for Jake. The end justified the means.

  Marcus pulled into a small airport parking lot, and Will helped her out while Marcus grabbed their bags and headed toward a small jet waiting on the tarmac. Arm around her waist, Will led her to the plane, treating her as if she would fall to pieces at any moment.

  Didn’t he know she was already broken?

  The plane had three rows of seats and was so similar to Alex’s plane that she stopped in the doorway and took a step backward.

  Will stood behind her, blocking her exit. “Emma. Are you okay?”

  She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “I…”

  The memory of Alex picking her up from Raphael’s house and saving her from Raphael’s mistreatment rose up in her mind.

  “I can’t…I …” She spun around, pushing past Will, stumbling down the steps. She stood on the tarmac, frozen.

  Will raced down behind her. “Emma, what’s going on?”

  Chin trembling, she looked into Will’s worried face. “I see him everywhere.”

  “Alex?” His eyes narrowed. “You mean his ghost?”

  She shook her head. “No. Memories. He saved me from Raphael. He came to Tennessee and helped me escape and flew me to Kansas City so he could take me to you on a plane just like that.” She jabbed a finger toward the aircraft. “And how did I repay him? After I lied to him and betrayed him, I blew his brains out.”

  “Emma.” Pity filled his words.

  “Oh, God. What have I done?” Her breath caught in her chest and she forced herself to take a breath.

  He took her hands in his. “Just take slow deep breaths, okay? After you feel a little calmer, if you decide you want to drive to Shreveport, we will. Okay?”

  She gulped air and nodded.

  Marcus stood at the top of the steps, watching and making her even more anxious.

  She tugged her hands, but Will held tight. “Marcus is ready to go.”

  Will’s eyes hardened. “Fuck Marcus. He can wait.”

  She wondered, for what seemed like the millionth time, how she’d ever gotten lucky enough to be blessed with this man. Inhaling a deep breath, she leveled her chin. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “We can drive.”

  “No. I’d rather fly. I’m sorry. I promise I won’t freak out.”

  “Emma, you have nothing to apologize for.”

  Tell that to Alex.

  Will led her into the plane again, and she blocked out all memories of everything and everyone, concentrating on the here and now.

  Alex was everywhere. She couldn’t escape the image of his vacant face, his blood seeping into the water. She didn’t know she was hyperventilating until her face began to tingle.

  Will handed her a glass. “Drink this. It’ll help you calm down.”

  She took it with shaky fingers, bringing the glass to her mouth and gulping in two swallows. The alcohol burned her throat, and she fought to keep from choking.

  He pried the glass out of her hand, then pulled her head to his shoulder, stroking her hair.

  The alcohol worked its way into her bloodstream, relaxing her muscles but not her mind.

  “Not much longer, Princess. We’re almost there.”

  When the plane landed, she sat up, furious with herself. Will had killed countless numbers of men, some because of her. Will had stabbed Alex, and his hands had been covered in Alex’s blood. Will wasn’t freaking out and losing his mind. He’d sucked it up and moved on.

  That’s what she would do.

  No more expecting Will to pick up the pieces of her heart that she left in a trail behind her. She needed to stand on her own two feet.

  Will eyed her suspiciously but remained silent.

  She refused to take his offered hand when they descended the steps in the sticky, humid heat. A two-story glass structure glowed on the other side of the asphalt.

  Marcus moved down the steps. “We’re far enough from downtown that our plane will be safe.”

  So they could destroy the city, kill who knew how many people, and fly out safe and sound. Emma felt like she was going to throw up.

  A car waited for them outside the terminal and Emma had to admit that having money made traveling easier. She and Will had spent almost twenty hours driving from Utah to St. Louis. It would have taken only a few hours in Marcus’s plane. But she suspected that his perks came with a price. Was she willing to pay it?

  Hadn’t she just proved she was?

  Will sat beside her again, but she refused to hold his hand. She didn’t deserve his comfort. She had no idea how Will could be so strong and yet so vulnerable with her. When she met him, he’d been hard and jaded, but the more time he spent with her, the more he began to soften. Perhaps that was the secret. She had to harden her heart and then learn to let him in again. But was that fair to Will? Did they even have time?

  The hotel was less opulent than Emma expected, but then Marcus was going for low profile while Aiden was too arrogant to care. Emma was relieved to find that Marcus’s room was down the hall from theirs. Although Marcus had been well behaved, and had admittedly saved her life, she didn’t trust him. He might be helping them now and he might be Will’s father, but he was still an element. Elements might try to disguise themselves as normal people but they were monsters underneath.
>
  She was half element.

  She sank onto the edge of the bed.

  “Emma?” Will had been treating her as though she were a grenade ready to explode at any moment. “You don’t look well. It’s late. Why don’t you lie down and get some rest?”

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  He knelt in front of her and put his hands on her knees, looking up into her face. “Why not?”

  “It’s all I see. Blood. On his face. In the water. On my hands.” She held her hands out and rubbed the back of one of them. “It’s everywhere.”

  Will swept her off the bed and into his arms, cradling her to his chest.

  “I can’t… I can’t live with this. I can’t live with what I did.”

  “Oh, Emma.” His hand brushed her cheek. “You can. I promise.” Will leaned down and kissed her, his lips soft and gentle on hers while his thumb stroked her cheek. If he’d kissed her with possessiveness or lust, she could have handled it, but his gentleness was her undoing. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

  “I’ll help you through this. Trust me.”

  Trust me. He’d said that before, and look where she was now.

  No, she put herself here. Not Will.

  “Emma, I’m so sorry. I wish to God I never asked you to do it.”

  “Will.” Her body racked with sobs. “I’m a monster. I’ve become one of them.”

  Anger rose up in his eyes and he held her face. “You are not a monster. You are not one of them. You were forced to do something terrible, and I take full responsibility for that.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. Jake is my son. I can’t leave it all for you.”

  “Oh, Emma.” His voice broke. “This isn’t just about Jake. It’s about all of us.”

  “I’m one of them. You’re going to realize that and leave me.”

  “I will never leave you. Ever. Don’t ever think that I would. We are joined together by this bond, but our tie goes so much deeper than that. We were bound together with love before we joined. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life.” He wiped her tears with her thumbs. “You are the most important thing in the world to me. I would do anything for you. I would die for you and I most likely will. I would give anything to take this all away, but I can’t.” Possessiveness burned in his eyes. “But I swear to you that I will defend you to my death because life without you is not an option. Do you understand?” His grip on her cheeks tightened.

  Her guilt was suffocating, but somehow she knew he was the only person who could help her. Standing on tiptoes, Emma wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers in desperation.

  He kissed her with passion and possession. Don’t shut me out. Will reached under her shirt, running his hands up her back, pressing her body to his.

  It wasn’t enough. She needed more. Desperate, she grabbed his face and captured his mouth with her own. When she felt him try to slip into her thoughts, she put up a barrier.

  Open up to me, Emma.

  Will pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor, then reached for her bra hooks.

  I can’t.

  She tugged his shirt off and dug her fingers into his back, drawing him closer. How many times had she made love with him in desperation? How many times more?

  Emma. Let me in.

  Will tugged off her jeans.

  She wrapped her arms around his head, frustrated over the loss of contact. “Will.” She needed more than this, but she couldn’t name what she needed.

  He laid her on the bed, leaning over her. “Emma, I think I can help you, but you have to let me in your mind.”

  “I’m scared.”

  He stared into her eyes. That’s the best reason why.

  Will stood up and took off his jeans, watching her with love in his eyes. He lay down next to her and rolled her sideways, flush against his chest. “Emma, close your eyes.”

  Her vision blurred with tears. “I can’t. Every time I close my eyes I see his face.”

  He kissed her, soft and gentle, rubbing her shoulder with light caresses. “Do you trust me?”

  “I…”

  “It’s a yes or no question. Do you trust me to help you?”

  Did she? He’d asked her to trust him with Alex and that had ended badly. But she hadn’t done what he asked either. Will would give his life for her. How could she not trust him? Yes.

  He rolled Emma onto her back and kissed her so thoroughly she lost herself in him and the moment. Open your mind to me, Emma.

  She opened the barricade and he eased himself in. She gasped.

  Close your eyes.

  Pulling back, she looked into his face for reassurance.

  Trust me.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed, and the terrible images appeared but this time Will was there with her, pulling the pain away, easing her guilt.

  How?

  The same way I felt your pain in the elevator.

  They made love with a gentleness that took her breath away, while Will searched her mind for all her anxieties, siphoning off the pain.

  Emma cried with gratitude. She’d never felt more loved and cherished. When she fell asleep in his arms, she wished this moment would never end because from this minute forward, it could get nothing but worse.

  Chapter Twenty

  Will woke up the next morning, watching Emma sleep, amazed that she’d opened herself to him. Amazed that it actually worked.

  She stirred, looking up at him. “What time is it?”

  “Still early. How did you sleep?”

  “Better than I’ve slept in years. How did you know we could do that?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “Didn’t I hurt you?”

  “Not that much. I guess our bond means we can share the pain. It evens out between us. It could come in handy in a battle.”

  She pushed up on an elbow. “What else can we do with this?”

  “We know we can share our power. Maybe we can heal each other if one of us is hurt. Like you suspected.”

  Emma twisted the sheet between her fingers. “I hope we don’t need to use that today. Do you know what we’re going to do?”

  Will sat up and leaned against the headboard. “No. We have no idea what to expect. We have to be prepared for anything.” He paused and brushed her hair off her shoulder. He was sure she would be upset over his next subject. “After what happened last night, I don’t want you to be there when we confront Aiden and Raphael today.”

  Emma sat up next to him cross-legged. “Of course I have to be part of it. We’re doing this for Jake.”

  He took her hand and laced their fingers together. “Emma, part of what got us into the situation with Alex is that I asked you to do something you weren’t trained or prepared to do. I’ve spent my entire life learning how to fight. Let me and Marcus do this.”

  She tried to pull her hand away, but his grip tightened. “Is this about the baby?”

  “This has nothing to do with the baby. You can search my mind if you want to.”

  She gave him a small smile. “No. I believe you. It’s just that I should help. Jake is my son. I can’t let you be at risk while I sit back and do nothing.”

  “You’re telling me you want to fight?”

  Fear flashed in her eyes. “No. While I wish Aiden would give Jake back to me, the reality is that I’m going to have to use my power. But I’ve tried to fight Aiden before and I wasn’t strong enough. You saw that. And although I’m stronger now, I know I’m not strong enough.”

  “You don’t have to be strong enough. You have me. We’re joined now. We share power. We can do it together.”

  She tilted her head to one side. “You just admitted that you need me.”

  Leaning back, he closed his eyes and groaned. “That doesn’t mean you have to be there, Emma. It doesn’t mean you have to fight.”

  “We have no idea how close we have to be to make our powers work together, Will. I have to
be there and you know it.”

  He did, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. “Look, I’ll agree because if nothing else, it will be good practice. A test of what we can do and what we’re up against for the final battle.”

  “And we’ll get Jake.”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to get him back. And to stop Aiden from destroying any more cities. But if I think Jake is in danger, or if I think you are in danger, I will call a halt.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll never agree to that.”

  Heaving a sigh, Will sat up straighter. “Then I won’t do it.”

  Scrambling to her knees, she grabbed his shoulders, her nails digging in. “You can’t do that, Will!”

  “I told you that your safety comes first. Above all else, Emma.”

  “You promised me that you would save Jake.”

  “And I will. But if we run into any trouble here in Shreveport, we stop.”

  “No!” She dropped her hold and sat back.

  “Emma, if you or I die trying to save Jake now, what good will we be at the end? Jake is lost. You have to trust me on this. We try our best today, if it doesn’t work out, we regroup and concentrate on saving him at the final battle, but we’ve gained valuable insight into how they work and their plan of attack. We’ll be better prepared to face them the next time.”

  Indecision washed across her face before she looked away. “Fine.” Climbing over his legs, she headed for the bathroom.

  “Emma…”

  She stopped in the doorway and held onto the jamb, looking toward the wall. “Just because I agree with you doesn’t mean that I have to like it.” The door closed behind her and he heard the shower turn on.

  He felt like an ass. But he wouldn’t waver. He knew how much she wanted Jake back, but he wouldn’t risk getting any of the three of them killed to do it. Still, a confrontation was good. He and Marcus could assess the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. They were going to need every bit of information they could get for the end.

  Little Rock and Jackson both suffered four square blocks of destruction. Both happened west of Main Street in downtown. The first attack was at three p.m. and second was at five. Did that mean the next one would be at seven? What little information he’d gathered suggested that Aiden, Raphael, and Jake were positioned one block from the western edge of town in each of the previous incidents. The earthquake epicenter was in that position and all storm damage was to the east, with the brunt of the damage on the far eastern border.