The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies
Page 67
We rushed to pack. The girl and boy just sat on the couch, holding hands. Their faces were vacant, like they had no idea what to think. In less than two minutes we were all at the door, ready to go.
“My father can track my power. Can you do anything to cover it up?” the girl asked.
Puck nodded. “We have two cars. Let’s have you release a bunch of power into one car that Jordan will take and the rest of us will travel in the other one. If you and your boy shield, then Sunday and I will drop our shields. Your father won’t recognize our energies and therefore won’t track us.”
“Won’t that be dangerous for Jordan?” I asked.
Jordan shrugged. “I’ve been in worse situations.”
“We’re going to head south, down highway 101. Jordan, I want you to head towards Redding. I’ll text you the number of the Major Guardian over there. Let him know you might need some help. We’ll meet up in Sacramento. By then we should’ve lost the Destroyers completely.”
The girl and the boy got into Jordan’s car and left strong evidence of their power; then they shielded. I kissed Jordan silly and then got into the car with Puck. We both dropped a few of our shields and took off from the hotel.
“We don’t have your names yet,” I said, spinning around to face the couple. I needed to distract myself from the fact that Jordan was in danger.
“I’m Raven, and this is Julian. You guys sure are powerful for Guardians. Though I don’t think I’ve ever been around any who had their shields down,” said the girl.
“We still have a few shields up, but yeah, we’re powerful. So are you. Now that we’ve rescued you, I think it’s time for you to tell us your story.”
Raven closed her eyes and leaned back. “Julian, can you tell it? I’m tired.”
He shifted next to her and wouldn’t meet my eye. He hadn’t said a word since they woke up.
“R-r-raven, y-y-you kn-n-now I-I-I-I c-c-can’t.”
She smiled. “I forgot. I’m sorry.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“He stutters when he gets nervous. He’ll be fine as soon as he calms down.”
“Can he fight when he’s nervous?” I asked. This did not seem like the type of boy the princess of some Destroyer Empire would be into.
“Of course he can, otherwise we’d never have gotten together.”
“Wait. Didn’t he beat the crap out of you back at the restaurant?”
She snickered. “That was for show. He didn’t really hurt me. But as soon as I revealed my power, he had to, or someone would’ve been suspicious.”
“I’m not following,” I said.
“Maybe you ought to start at the beginning,” said Puck. “Why do your families fight like they do?”
Raven snorted. “Because we are Destroyers and they are Guardians.”
“You know as well as I do that your feud is a little different than most,” said Puck, checking his rear view mirror.
She sighed. “Yes, and it goes back thousands of years.”
“Thousands?” Puck asked.
“Yep. Our fathers are the original Guardian and Destroyer.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That would mean they are ancient.”
Raven shrugged. “Immortal, actually. They continue to procreate, but none of us have their longevity. I have half-sisters who are years older than my mother.”
I turned back to Puck. “You just sent the original Master Guardian and Destroyer after Jordan.” I couldn’t help the panic in my voice.
Puck cocked his head. “Yeah, I guess I did. But Raven and Julian aren’t with him so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
I grabbed his wrist. “Yeah, it does. What if he gets hurt?”
“He won’t. Trust me.” I could taste vanilla ice cream and I knew he was trying to influence me. It worked. I shoved down the thoughts of Jordan being ripped limb from limb and turned back to Raven.
“How come you aren’t associated with the main body of Guardians or Destroyers?” I asked.
“Because of the feud. We are so focused on each other that we don’t care about anything else. It’s ingrained into us from the time we’re little.”
I looked at Julian. “Why are they so worried about you two hooking up?”
Raven answered for him. “We don’t know. Children have left before and it’s no big deal. Sure, Dad stews for a while and makes a half-assed attempt to get them to come back, but then something will happen with Custos that will piss him off and he’ll forget about the kid. We are hoping that is what will happen in our situation. They might keep trying to bring us back home for the next few years, but then something will happen and they’ll focus on each other again, eventually leaving us alone.”
“For real? They hate each other that much?” I asked.
Raven nodded.
“How’d you two end up together?”
“We met in the woods as little kids and became friends. We knew from the beginning that our friendship was forbidden and that made it that much more exciting. Things got more complicated after I became a Destroyer and he became a Guardian, but we’ve made it work.”
I looked at Julian. “Do you ever worry that she’ll turn on you and take your power?”
Julian shook his head. “I trust her with my life.”
“He speaks!” I exclaimed.
Julian chuckled. “I’m sorry, it’s something I have very little control over. Puck, I can tell you’ve calmed me. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I have a question though, this feud between your families, does it affect anyone else?”
“Not really. Obviously, the people in town have been influenced by both sides, but probably not anymore than people outside of our community who interact with Guardians and Destroyers everyday.”
Puck nodded. “How do you know anything about Guardians outside of your family?”
“My father taught me about the main body of Guardians, in case I ever needed their help. We’ve traveled a little bit. I’ve actually seen you before. Last year, we traveled to Vegas so my father could show me the Master Guardian.”
“That’s supposed to be a secret.”
Julian shrugged. “Maybe. But my father knows everything there is to know about the Guardians. I’m guessing he can sense it.”
Puck grimaced. “And now you’ve just told Raven.”
“I told you, I trust her.”
“Maybe, but I don’t.”
“Why the hell not?” Raven yelled.
“Because you’re a Destroyer. I haven’t had much good experience with them. No one in my house is going to trust you either, but I’d like to keep you guys around for a while, if you don’t mind.”
Raven sat back. “It’s not like I’m a Destroyer by choice.”
“You should talk to Naomi,” I said. “She was once a Destroyer, even though she didn’t want to be.”
Raven perked up. “Really?”
“I don’t know all the logistics, but yeah.”
“So she’s not anymore? I didn’t think there was a way out.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know how she did it. I’m sure if there’s a way to get rid of it, she’ll help you.”
Raven sat back and looked at Julian. He took her hand and they grinned at each other. I turned around, not wanting to intrude on their quiet moment of affection.
The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I think everyone was contemplating their own issues. The drive took almost six hours. We met Jordan at a restaurant in Sacramento for dinner.
I jumped out of the car and wrapped my arms around him.
“Hey, you okay?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled into his shoulder. “I’m just glad you are okay. Raven and Julian are part of a really dangerous group and we sent them after you.”
“They followed me for a while but I lost them a couple hours back.”
I sighed in relief.
“I think we ought to drive for a few more hours and stay in Bakersfield tonight,” said Puck.
We stopped at Holiday Inn. It was nowhere near as nice as most of the places where we stayed. Puck checked us in as we waited in the lobby.
“I got us three rooms. Sunday, you and Raven will stay in one room, Jordan and Julian in another, and I’ll be by myself.”
I found myself disappointed. I wanted to get in some kissing time with Jordan. One look at Raven and I could tell she was seriously disappointed too. Hm. This could work to my advantage.
Raven didn’t say anything to me as she flung herself down on one of the beds.
“You want a change of clothes?” I asked. The poor girl had nothing.
“You think they’ll fit?”
“We’re almost the same size. Once we get to Vegas, Ginny will take you shopping and you can get a whole new wardrobe.”
“We don’t have any money though.” She looked wary.
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Ginny is loaded and she loves showering clothes on the rest of us. No worries, you guys will be taken care of. Chances are, Puck will want Julian somewhere in his leadership team, then he’ll draw a salary, and Naomi definitely will want to keep you. Even if you are a Destroyer.”
Raven sat up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I can’t tell you, but Naomi will. Trust me, you’ll like what she has to say.”
I dug out a clean t-shirt and a pair of shorts and handed them to her.
Raven spent a long time in the shower. When she finally came out, she looked better in my clothes than I did.
“They fit,” I said.
“The shorts are a little tight, but it’s nice to be in something clean.”
“So,” I said. “I’m not saying I don’t want to hang out with you, but I couldn’t help but notice that you weren’t happy we were rooming together.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Neither were you. You think we ought to pay a visit to the boys’ room?”
I giggled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Let me send Jordan a message.
Is Puck with you?
Nope.
Whatcha doin?
Watching tv
“Come on. They aren’t doing anything.”
We snuck down the hall, past Puck’s room, to the boys’ room. We knocked lightly on the door. Jordan answered, wearing just his boxer shorts. My breath caught and Raven whistled.
“You got good taste girl.”
I blushed. “Where are your clothes?”
“I was watching TV, about to go to bed. Why would I wear anything else?”
“Because you answered the door.”
He shrugged.
“Can we come in?”
“Sure.” He stepped away from the door, and Raven and I slid past him.
Julian sat on one of the beds, fully dressed. Apparently he didn’t share Jordan’s affinity for shedding clothes. Now that we were here, I didn’t know quite what to say. I thought the plan was that Jordan would come back to my room with me, and Raven would stay here with Julian. But I didn’t know how to say anything without sounding like a perv.
Raven didn’t have the same reservations. She crawled onto the bed with Julian and snuggled up next to him.
“I’d like to stay here with Julian. Why don’t you two go back to our room? We’ll switch back in the morning.”
Jordan looked at me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. He looked from me to Raven and Julian, who were already getting handsy with one another. Then he pulled on a pair of pants and followed me out.
“Puck’s not going to like this,” he said when we got back to my room.
“Then let’s hope Puck doesn’t find out. But what does he care, really?”
“He’s afraid they’re going to bail. That’s why he put us in separate rooms. But I’m not going to complain.”
He kissed me and I lost all track of time and space. At some point in the night, we must have fallen asleep.
The next morning we woke to a loud banging on the door.
Jordan jumped up and answered it. I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I sure enjoyed sleeping with that boy.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Puck asked loudly. He was definitely angry.
I jumped up and ran to the door. Puck shoved a note in my hand. “This was under my door this morning.”
It’s not safe for us to stay with you. My father probably knows who you are and where to find you. Thank you for rescuing us. We’ll find you again someday.
“This doesn’t make sense. Raven told me they don’t have any money.”
“Well, she lied. She is a Destroyer, after all. Dammit, I needed them. Seriously Jordan. I told you why we had to separate them.”
“The girls came to us. What was I supposed to say?”
Sunday
I thought I’d been cheated with the glued on flowers but no, they had to take it one step further. Cacti can only come in one color—green. Imagine my surprise when I found them in red, blue, yellow, and orange. Turns out they had been genetically altered and had the chlorophyll removed. They can only survive when grafted onto a real cactus. I think I’m going to stay out of flower shops from now on.
I SCREWED UP. Again. Guilt was not something I felt very often and I didn’t like it. If I’d just stayed with Raven, they’d still be here. How could I be so stupid? Then again, she probably could’ve sneaked out even if we were in the same room. It was pretty unfair of Puck to blame me for it. Raven on the other hand—I’d tell her off when we met again. I had a feeling this wasn’t over yet.
I met the boys at Puck’s car.
“Where’s your car?” I asked Jordan.
He frowned. “Stolen. Probably Raven and Julian. My keys weren’t in the room. You think they’ll bring it back?”
“Maybe. Good thing we have another car. Come on, let’s go home and sort out this mess,” said Puck.
I rode in the back, wondering where Raven and Julian had gone. Almost instinctively I began to sketch them. I hoped they’d be happy and that they’d manage to stay away from their fathers. I’d hate to be in the middle of a feud like that.
The boys were mostly quiet, but as we entered the outskirts of Nevada, Puck started to get antsy. He dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Jordan.
“Contact the council. I want a meeting tomorrow at noon. Tell them the meeting will take all day and that they may be with us for up to a week if we need their help and should plan for that possibility.
“Sunday, could you message Beth and find out if anyone has heard from Wyatt or Morgan?”
My stomach tightened at the thought of Wyatt. What was he doing? I hoped he wasn’t in trouble.
“Sure. We’ve got a lot of problems on our hands, don’t we?” I asked as I sent a quick text to Beth.
“That we do. But this isn’t actually that unusual. We’ll survive. I have a good council. We’ll be busy for the next few months, but things will get done. One thing to remember is that we’re the good guys. We almost always win.” Puck paused and tapped his finger on the steering wheel. “Also, Jordan, send Jason a message and ask him to meet me for dinner tomorrow. Tell him to bring his wife, to keep Naomi distracted.”
He looked in the review mirror at me. “Don’t tell Naomi I said that. I know you two are close, but I also know you are lying to her about your power. You keep my secrets and I’ll keep yours.”
I frowned. I hated keeping secrets from anyone. It also bothered me that Puck would hold something like this over my head. Maybe I should just tell her. She’d find out eventually.
My phone buzzed.
No word on the boys. Andrea having a fit. Starting to worry myself.
“Beth hasn’t heard anything from Wyatt or Morgan.”
Puck tensed and then let out a breath. “Okay. That will need to be taken care of too.”
We got home just after noon. Naomi met us at the door.
“I’m so glad you
guys are okay. I want to hear all about what happened. Come on, I made lunch.”
We stuffed ourselves on grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and told Naomi all about our adventures. She acted like she was just worried for us but I knew she was really fishing for information. She wanted to know everything. I wondered how many nights she’d spent in Puck’s closet, learning about all the Guardian leaders. Probably too many.
Puck caressed the side of her face.
“I’ve got a ton of work to do.”
Naomi put her hand over his. “Is there anything I can do?”
Puck scowled. “You ready to become a Guardian?”
Naomi withdrew her hand. “No, I’m not ready for that. You know this.”
“I could really use you right now. More than you could possibly imagine. There are countless lives on the line. Please, Naomi.”
She dropped her eyes and shook her head. Puck stood up.
“Then I just need you to stay out of my way. Jordan, let’s go take care of business.”
A tear rolled down her cheek as Puck and Jordan left. I’d never seen him treat her this way before.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I know he’s upset, but that’s the price I knew I’d have to pay. I suppose I should get used to it. Hopefully when all the pieces fall into place, he’ll forgive me.”
Naomi wiped at the tear and looked at me. “Let’s go for a drive.”
I groaned. “I just got out of the car.”
“I know, we aren’t going far.”
We drove down towards the strip. Naomi pulled up to an enormous hotel that looked like it was still under construction, but mostly done.
“What’s this?”
She parked in front of the main doors. “Let’s get inside and I’ll show you.”
In the lobby we found Elizabeth, Beth, and Andrea talking with a guy in a bright green suit. His hair was multiple shades of blue and he wore more make up than most Vegas call girls.
“Naomi, dear, it’s about time you showed up. This one has no sense of style.” He nodded toward Elizabeth.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying we need to think about the practicalities of the space as well as the aesthetic appeal.”