“Jemma—”
“You have no right to eavesdrop on my private thoughts!” I shouted, fumbling to come up with a plausible diversion. “You’re...you’re misconstruing everything I’m thinking!”
“I’m not misconstruing anything,” he asserted. “I heard you, Jemma. You said you had the Amulet. What Amulet? The one my sister was looking for? The Immortal Amulet?”
Double shit. I had no idea what to do or how to answer him. Tessa didn’t prepare me for this. She didn’t tell me what to do if I accidentally blew my cover telepathically announcing my possession of the Amulet to someone who could read minds. She just didn’t prepare me for any of this!
God, it was all her fault!
“Answer me!”
“Look,” I said, deciding to do the only thing I knew how to do—lie. “I don’t know anything about a moral Amulet, so whatever you think you heard, you’re wrong.”
“You’re lying.” His eyes burned holes into my soul. “You’re lying to me and you’re not even doing a good job of it.”
“You’re the liar! You’re the one who lied about everything, about who you were, about—”
“Don’t try to turn this around on me.” He tipped forward, his stance both authoritative and intimidating all at once. “Linley died for that Amulet. Do you have any idea what she went through trying to get it?” His eyes glistened with a blinding rage. “What I went through trying to find it for her?”
“I...” I dropped my eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at him like this, to face him and lie to him again. I felt as though my heart were splintering into a million little pieces.
“Look at me, Jemma.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to lie to you, Trace.”
“Then don’t.”
I pressed my lips together, forcing the silence.
“Alright.” He leaned back, the body armor that had begun to dissolve seemed as though it were shifting back into place, closing him off from the rest of the world again—from me. “Just tell me one thing then,” he said, defeated. “Was it the Council? Were they the ones who gave you the Amulet?”
I didn’t know what to do. If I answered his question, I would be admitting to him that I did in fact have the Amulet. Then again, he pretty much already knew that.
“Please, Jemma.” A tired breath escaped, jagged and slow. “I need to know if they gave you the Amulet.”
“Why does that matter?” I wondered, buying myself time.
“Because it does,” he said, heated. “It matters if they knew where it was and lied to me about it...if they knew all along and let my sister die anyway. It matters to me.”
Suddenly it made sense why he left the Order. Why he had such animosity towards them. He blamed them. He thought they knew how to save Linley and refused to do it. That they fed her to the Revs without so much as a second thought.
I shook my head in response.
“No it didn’t come from them or no you won’t answer me?” The muscles in his jaw popped as he watched me squirm under his penetrating stare.
He looked so angry with me, so disappointed. It was damn near intolerable. After everything we’d gone through, after all the times he came to my rescue, I couldn’t bear to sit here and lie to him. Not about this. Not about something this important to him.
“The Council doesn’t know anything about it,” I said, meeting his disparaged eyes. “They weren't the ones who gave it to me. Tessa was.”
33. ATONEMENT
Silence wrapped itself around us like the familiar embrace of an old friend. Neither one of us spoke, though in the dim light of the cabin, I thought I saw something telling flicker through his eyes. Something vulnerable—grateful—and I found myself wanting to reach forward to touch him. To swipe away the ebony strand of hair from his eyes. But I didn’t dare move.
He broke the ice first. “Do you think you can finish this for me?” He motioned to his partial stitches.
I nodded and scooted in closer.
“Are you wearing it now?” he asked when I started up again, his baritone voice barely above a whisper. “Is that why you don’t have a scratch on you?”
“Tessa said it has some sort of protective power.”
“How long?”
I wasn’t sure if he wanted to know how long I’ve been wearing it or how long my sister’s had it—
“Both,” he answered before I could ask the question aloud.
“Less than a day for me. Three months for Tessa.”
I went on to tell him about Engel and his men; about how Tessa’s been on the run from them for the last few months and wanted out of whatever mess she was in. He listened intently as I relayed what little information I had and filled him in on Tessa and Gabriel’s plan.
“And what about you?” he asked casually. “Where are you going to be when this ambush goes down?”
“As far away as possible,” I said, finishing up the last stitch.
“Good,” he answered absentmindedly.
“Good?”
“You have no business being there. You’re not even almost ready for that.”
“How would you know?” I fired back. He was right, but that was beside the point. “When was the last time you saw me train? That’s right, never. And wasn’t I holding my own today? Didn’t I knock out Blondie all by myself?”
“Yeah you did.” He smirked as though he were enjoying the memory. “But they were Runners, Jemma. There’s a difference.”
“Whatever. Fine.” I couldn’t argue the point. “It’s not like I want to run off and battle a bunch of vampires anyway. Home is exactly where I want to be when all of this goes down.” I only wished Tessa and Gabriel could be there, too. That we all could be safe from the darkness that haunted us like a plague.
“No desire to battle vampires?” His tone was marred in disbelief. “That’s a joke, right? Because you won’t have much of a choice once they break the spell.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not the only one that can’t sense them. They can’t sense you either. It’s a two way street. Once you remove the Cloak, they’ll be drawn to you again. You’ll be fighting them whether you want to or not.” He stared at me intensely before his expression softened with what looked like pity. “They didn’t tell you that part, did they?”
There was that feeling of dread again. “No, they didn’t.” I definitely would have remembered hearing something like that.
“Why am I not surprised,” muttered Trace.
I couldn’t help but wonder what this all meant for me. Would they be able to sense me the same way I was going to sense them? And what did he mean when he said they’d be drawn to me? Would there be a pull? A connection? Would they seek me out in a crowd of people?
“It’s not too late you know.”
“To do what?” I asked rhetorically. “Keep the only defense I have against them suppressed? I’m not even sure that’s a possibility anymore,” I sighed, frustrated by my lack of information and control over the situation. “And besides, where would that leave me? If I break the spell, at least I’ll see them coming, right? I’ll have a fighting chance.”
And more importantly, I’ll know who to stay away from and which direction to run. It was the lesser of two evils and we both knew it, but then why was he looking at me that way? Like it mattered to him. Like I mattered to him.
“What’s it to you anyway?” I challenged. “If I didn’t know any better, I might actually think you cared about me.” It was only when I said the words aloud that I realized I wanted them to be true. I wanted him to care about me that way.
The muscles in his jaw started working again. “It’s a good thing you know better then,” he said without meeting my eyes.
Yeah, good thing, I sighed. At least he stopped acting like I was the Black Plague. It was a step in the right direction.
I opened the first aid kit and pulled out some antibiotic ointment and non-stick bandages to dress the stitches with.
“So? How do they look?”
He tilted his head to the side and examined my work. “Not bad actually,” he remarked, genuine surprise in his tone. “Looks like the scar won’t be that bad either.”
“It’s kind of cool if you think about it.”
“What is?”
“You know, that you’ll always have something to remember me by every time you look down at it.”
Something in his expression changed—darkened.
“You know, in case you forget me when I’m gone,” I added, kicking the joke like a dead horse.
“I wouldn’t forget you,” he said under his breath.
“Because of all the grief I’ve caused you.” No doubt.
“No.” His jaw set in a hard line. “Because you’re not really the kind of girl a guy can forget, Jemma.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but it did strange fuzzy things to my insides.
After finishing up his bandages, Trace put his shirt back on and headed outside to check the area and make sure nothing was out of the ordinary, though he seemed fairly certain we’d be safe here. At least for now. While he was gone, I pulled out my cell phone and checked for service again in the hopes that I could reach Henry and find out exactly what happened to him today. Unfortunately, my bars kept flicking in and out every twenty seconds making the task a lot harder than need be.
“Who are you calling now?” asked Trace when he returned a few minutes later. He looked annoyed as he locked the door behind him and began closing all the curtains.
The room darkened with each swoosh.
“I’m trying to reach Henry,” I said, my eyes following him around the room. “He was supposed to pick me up after detention but he never showed up. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
“That’s my fault,” he said and then flopped down on the sofa beside me, draping his arm around the back. “I saw him waiting for you after school and told him I’d give you a lift.”
I stared at him, surprised that he volunteered himself.
“I was going that way anyway,” he muttered with a tinge of defensiveness.
“Thanks, I guess. What about work? Aren’t they going to be worried that we didn't show up?”
“I took care of it already.” His hard eyes moved to me, softening as he looked me over. “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat or drink?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I could handle any food right now. My stomach’s still in knots,” I said, hugging my arms for warmth. I swear it felt as though I’d developed a permanent case of the chills ever since I moved to this godforsaken town.
He pulled the throw blanket from the armrest and tossed it over to me.
I thanked him and spread the blanket around myself. “You want to share?” I asked, offering him a corner.
He shook his head and sunk deeper into the couch. His eyes quickly slid shut as though he were trying to shut out the world around him. As though they were the gatekeepers to a place he didn’t want me entering.
Seconds turned to minutes.
I really didn’t want to watch him sleep and yet I couldn’t look away. He looked so peaceful like this. Vulnerable. Not at all like the powerful, guarded being I knew him to be. The kind of being who could make dreams come true and open up doors to worlds I never even knew existed. Like this, he was just another boy. Just a beautiful sleeping boy.
“What?” He quirked an eye open, catching me.
“Nothing,” I shook my head nervously, hoping he didn’t suspect I’d been watching him this whole time. I pulled my knees up to my chest. “I was just thinking.”
“About?” Both his eyes were open now, studying me like a treasure map.
“About tomorrow.” I shrugged because it wasn’t a complete lie. “You’re still taking me to see my dad, right? You didn’t change your mind or anything?”
“Why would I change my mind?”
“I don’t know…with everything that’s happened today, I was worried you’d think it wasn’t the right time.”
“Actually, we’ll probably be safer in the past.”
His strange words resonated as reality set in.
The past was going to come alive tomorrow. It would no longer be just a string of fleeting thoughts and movie reels buried in my gallows of my subconscious. It was a place I could go to. A place I could sink my feet into. A physical reality he was going to make happen for me. I was excited and petrified all at the same time.
“How will it feel seeing him again?” I wondered, knowing he’d been in my shoes before and could provide insight.
“Bittersweet.” His eyes met mine in the dark.
“Bittersweet,” I repeated, trying to accost myself to it, to wrap my mind around the sentiment.
He must have noticed the strange expression on my face because he reached over and took my hand into his.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered, lacing our fingers together. “It’ll be okay.”
And in that moment, I really believed him.
34. UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT
I awoke sometime later in Trace’s arms. Warm, humming arms that wrapped around my shoulders like a lullaby. I was amazed at how good they felt there. Like they belonged there. Like we were always meant to be this way—or had been this way before—me and him, two hearts beating as one.
“Sleep well?” he asked, voice strained.
How did he know I was up? Oh, gawd, had he heard my rambling thoughts again? Panicked, I immediately tried to pull myself away from him.
He tightened his hold on me, keeping me pressed against him. “Careful,” he warned. “I’m injured, remember?” I could hear the smile in his words.
“Sorry,” I frowned, peering up at him under my lashes. “I don’t know how I got over here.”
“I guess you just liked it better on this side.” The deep whisper of his voice sent a molten shiver down my back.
This was bad. Must. Detach. Now.
“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable,” I said, stumbling to find a safe spot to place my hand for liftoff support. “I’m pretty much delirious from the moment I wake up until I have a shot of caffeine or something so, you know, anything I say or think until that point should really just be ignored.” I settled for his thigh and gently pushed myself off of his taut (though surprisingly comfortable) body.
His cheek hitched up on one side, revealing his dimple.
“Did Gabriel call?” I asked, discreetly smoothing out my disheveled hair as I tried to change the subject. This was beyond embarrassing.
He pursed his lips, rocking his head side to side.
“What time is it anyway?” I’d noted the sun had already set and figured Gabriel was probably on his way, but I wanted to be sure. The truth was, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take being alone with Trace like this. Apparently I couldn’t keep myself off of him. Even in my sleep.
“Almost ten,” he said, spreading his arm against the back of the couch as he kicked out his legs in front of him. There was something wildly enticing about the way his body untwined.
“Great,” I croaked, hugging myself as I glanced around the room looking for something to distract my eyes with. Coming up empty, I turned back to Trace and found his eyes were still on me, watching me thoughtfully. The butterflies ignited again. “So how about that math test?” I asked out of nowhere.
He cracked a smile but didn’t bother entertaining my idiotic attempt at a conversation. Thank God because I really didn’t want to talk about math, or tests, or anything school-related for that matter. What I really wanted to do was—
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A series of hard knocks erupted at the front door causing me to catapult myself off the couch as if I’d been caught doing something naughty. Trace, obviously amused by this, made no attempt to stifle his laughter, even as I speared him with contempt all the way to the front entrance.
He peeked through the window before unlocking the door. “It’s our friendly neig
hborhood vampire,” he informed and then swung the front door open in a gust.
Gabriel stood on the other side of the threshold wearing his black leather jacket and a worried expression. He looked as though he was working hard to hold it all together.
“Are you alright?” he asked, tipping his head as if to scan my face for injuries or signs of distress.
I stepped outside and gave him a quick hug. “I’m fine. Thank you for coming.” I pulled back and motioned for him to come in.
“I can’t,” he said, shaking his head as he glanced over my shoulder to Trace. “He needs to invite me in.”
I turned to Trace expectantly, but he just stood there, stone-faced with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Trace!”
It felt like an eternity before he spoke.
“Come in,” he finally said, though it sounded a lot more like a dare than a welcome.
Two wax candles burned leisurely on the coffee table as the three of us convened in the living room. Gabriel sat firm on the armchair while Trace and I took our previous spots on the sofa with a bundled blanket sandwiched between us, courtesy of me. There was a stretch of awkward silence before Gabriel took the lead and began compiling information about what had gone down today. Unfortunately, we were nowhere closer to figuring out who was behind the attack though Engel and his men were definitely at the top of everyone’s suspect list.
“So if he’s behind this, what’s the plan now that they’ve made Jemma?” asked Trace.
“Tessa reached out to them already,” answered Gabriel. “She let them know she’s interested in dealing. That should put them back on track for now. The next step is to track her tails and see how many men are on her.”
“So they still think Tessa has the Amulet?” verified Trace.
“They have no reason not to,” answered Gabriel. “The focus is back on her, which is what we want. As long as they believe Tessa’s interested in making a deal with them, it should give them enough incentive to back off of Jemma.”
“Should?” Trace and I repeated at the same time.
Inception (The Marked Book 1) Page 28
