Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy

by Venessa Kimball

  Ezra disappears and is back with cold washcloths in seconds. He places one on the back of my neck and one on my face. “Keep this on your head and neck. Here sit down. Nate!”

  Just as Ezra speaks his name, Nate’s opening the door and jogging toward us. I don’t like all the fuss Ezra is bringing on me. “I’ll be fine. Really, I can handle this.”

  The dizziness isn’t stopping, but rather becoming worse as everything spins when I open my eyes. Nate’s hovering by my side and Ezra’s making me feel like a child as he commands, “Just let him help with the vertigo Jesca!”

  I push Ezra’s hands off my shoulder and start to walk away when the flashing shards of light start. “Not again.”

  I take one step and my legs give out from under me. Crumbled to the deck, my heart starts pounding so hard, I’m afraid it’s going to burst. I can feel the blood pumping through me rush to my head as my limbs begin stiffen and shake. I have no control of my body as I start to jerk on the ground.

  Nate hisses, “Shit, she’s crashing!”

  Everything goes black; I can’t see at all. I try to tell them I can’t see, but all that comes out of my mouth is moans and senseless mumble. I feel a cold hand on my forehead.

  “God, Jes. You’re burning up! Help her, Nate!”

  Suddenly, two strong hands are pulling off my top and I’m being lifted up and held to a warm body. Out of my senses, I flop against the person taking me into the pool helplessly.

  “Jes, it’s me Nate. I’m getting you into the pool. We’ve got to cool you down.”

  His whisper into my hair is both comforting and embarrassing knowing that I’m half-naked, chest-to-chest cradled in his arms Just then his thought comes to me breathlessly.

  “Just breathe. I’ve got you, Jes. Holy shit, let me save her.”

  Ezra asks, “Is she responding?”

  Nate doesn’t respond to him and I’m not of sound mind to do anything as I lay stiff in my healers arms. Suddenly, a soothing coolness slowly coursing through my chest, radiating to each of my limbs. My heart slows and my stiffened body begins to relax. Feeling some control again, I grip his naked arms where they’ve been resting. The first few blinks I’m able to bring back my sight, the blue water lapping around our bodies. I’ve enough control to pull my head up from his shoulder and look into his eyes—eyes that remind me of home for some reason. He holds the back of my head tenderly seemingly unsure of my stability. Chest to chest, I feel the rapid beating of his heart continue as mine calms, then quickly his comes down to match mine rhythmically.

  “She’s so damn beautiful.”

  His disclosed thought makes my breath come faster as I study his face.

  Nate’s the first to break our gaze as he looks beyond me to Ezra. “She’s okay. She’s responding.”

  The rise and fall of his chest and breathless rasping voice is seductive and addictive and I shouldn’t be thinking this right now, but he just thought how beautiful I was and damn, that’s really screwing with me.

  “Jes?”

  I hear Ezra’s call in the distance, but I don’t want to miss any other thought Nate may have. Ezra doesn’t give up as his barking command comes again. “Jes!”

  I glance over my shoulder at him to give him the confirmation he needs. “I—I’m better.”

  I loosen my arms around Nate and cup them over my bare chest modestly. As I move away from Nate, I feel his gaze linger on me as I walk in the shallow water toward Ezra at the edge of the pool. His eyes are downcast as I approach then climb out, quickly grabbing the towel he’s holding out for me.

  Ezra calls it a day and sends me to the showers. Nate and Ezra hover until I ask for some privacy. They both leave me, but Ezra asks me to meet in the hearth room after I’m done. As I step out of the shower and start to dress, I think about what just happened with Nate and me in the pool—him holding me, healing me. I haven’t felt that safe, that protected, that in sync with anyone. Ever.

  I hear Ezra and Nate talking as I approach the hearth room, so I quiet my approach not to interrupt. Nate’s voice outweighs Ezra’s all of a sudden. “When I was holding her, it was different than healing any of the others Ezra. I could feel her pulse inside my own body. I didn’t feel that when I was healing Angela’s broken arm after her combat with Siobhan. I didn’t feel that with Nick after healing his burns. With them, it was straightforward and a there was a distinct division between them and me. With Jes, it’s different. It was like we were connected. I know that sounds like bullshit, but I can’t describe it any other way.”

  Hearing the tension in Nate’s voice as he tries to explain what happened in the pool, I come out of the shadows. “I felt the same thing.”

  My presence has caught Ezra off guard, but Nate looks over at me like he expected me to come from around the corner. Ezra looks between Nate and me cautiously, and then releases a long breath before pinching his eyes closed releasing a short laugh. “You’re linked.”

  Nate and I glance at each other, before returning to Ezra. Nate beats me to the punch.

  “Linked? What the hell does that mean?”

  Ezra begins pacing in front of us as he stares wide eyed at the ground and explains. “It means that of all the guardians in the world, and there are a significant number, you two have linked your abilities, minds and souls. Just like Siobhan and Jake, you both are bound to each other. No matter where the other is, you’ll sense where they are, what they’re thinking and feeling. That’s why you came running when you did Nate. It wasn’t just my voice that drew you. You felt what was happening to Jes.”

  All of the emotions I felt when he took hold of me, healed me, his thoughts, come flooding back in as Ezra explains what’s happening between us.

  “Links can be broken.”

  Nate’s comment comes as a surprise and a jolt to my ego as I’m building this fantasy up in my head. Asshole. I clear my throat. “If this is even a link.”

  Nate looks at me, surprised by my response. It fuels me to continue. “I mean, let’s not get all touchy feely and shit. He healed me, so what.”

  Nate’s glare is intense as he listens to me brush off the idea of this link being anything more than his healing ability. His head snaps from me back to Ezra. “Yeah, I mean I don’t even know her. How can we be sure that it’s not just a fluke? Is there some kind of test?”

  I’m relentless as I look Nate up and down. “Test? Are you serious, right now?”

  Sensing the growing tension in the room, Ezra moves in between us, his eyes bouncing from Nate to me.“ You don’t get it. The test was out there in the water—the way that you both can read each other. For whatever reason your spirits know each other, even though you’re strangers. Your spirits, your souls, are linked forever.”

  The silence in the room is uncomfortable. I can’t stand it.

  “So this silence right now. My blocking my thoughts, you all blocking yours that’s the only way I’m going to keep Nate out of my head.”

  Ezra starts to speak, but Nate jumps in. “Me in your head? What about you in mine? I don’t want you stomping all around in my head either, sweetheart!”

  Nate turns from me to Ezra for answers. “Please tell me how to keep her out.”

  “Blocking your partner isn’t’t recommended ever. Doing so can weaken your ability to share energy, abilities, power. Like electric waves, when the current is interrupted, the conductivity is weakened and it takes more energy to link up again. The last thing you need to do is interrupt that energy flow. It could leave you vulnerable during a battle.”

  I look up at Nate just as he eyes me. “Are we going to agree to not block each other for our safety and the safety of everyone that we care about? I don’t want to end up dead because you’re keeping something from me.”

  Yeah, my last jab is cruel, but he deserves it. Nate looks away quickly and says, “I agree. Do you agree yo
u won’t get me killed by withholding information?”

  I answer him sharply. “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 13: ROCKY ROAD

  Jesca

  The rest of the week, we spar, infiltrate, share abilities and pump up each other’s egos, especially when we’re teamed against the mentors. Jake and Ezra are definitely a force to be reckoned with when they pair up. The energy force between them is so strong. Siobhan is a force all on her own. “A spitfire” is what Jake calls her. Her flexibility, speed and grace are unreal. No one can see her coming, except Angela. Nick is in complete control of his fire wielding by mid-week. And with a few minor incidents added to the explosion earlier in the week, he’s become more humble with what he refers to as his “bag of tricks.” Nick’s sense of humor isn’t affected by the humbling experiences, which we’re all thankful for. His comic relief gets us through many grueling afternoons.

  The final week is here and as I lie in bed, I think about the territory I’ll be assigned to. Will I go back home? Is that where I’m supposed to be? Even though the facility and training are physically demanding, it’s grown on me. Yeah, I miss the atmosphere the outside world above ground offers. But, I’ll miss certain things about this place, certain people—even the one that gets into my head. My link, Nate Sera. Even though I’ve made a point to avoid him the last few days, the bickering between us has reached new levels. Daily there are exchanges of crass thoughts back and forth and while it irritates the shit out of me, I know that in a few days, he’ll be in his territory and I’ll be in mine and that small part of me that still feels such a strong connection with him may fade because of distance. I know Ezra says it doesn’t work that way, but it isn’t something I can get my head around.

  Running on the trail, I get a wild hair to venture deeper into the caverns. The cutout I choose is very rocky and narrow. As I struggle to maintain my jog and footing with the low light of the sporadic floodlights, I get the image of the ants in the ant farm back home in Ezra’s office. That night seems so long ago, yet at the forefront of what’s about to happen after this week. I’m creating my uncharted destiny in more ways than just climbing this uncharted trail.

  My jog slows as a steep incline comes up, but it’s not enough to keep me from sliding down on my ass. I try to recover on my feet, but the rocks crumble under foot giving me no traction. As I continue to slide down, I try to grasp at the rocks around me with no avail. I make the mistake of looking down and catching a glimpse of my potential demise—a ledge then straight drop into nothing. I claw harder trying to find a sturdy grip as the rocks begin to fall above me faster, when a falling boulder strikes me. The cracking sound, the flash of light and the metallic taste in my mouth are the last sensations I experience before I lose consciousness.

  When you’re knocked out, there’s a spot in your life that’s void. Then, one event, sound, feeling or sensation brings you out of the void. It brings you back to reality. When I was young, I had a bad case of influenza. I woke in the middle of the night to pee and as I got out of bed, the void occurred. I passed out once at the edge of the bed. I woke long enough only to pass out once again at the top of the staircase, another void. I woke again to pass out yet a third time on the bathroom floor. It was hard to believe that I was alert enough to make it down the stairs without stumbling. As I laid there on the tile floor of the restroom, I remember the distinct sound that had awakened me. It was a click of something turning on—a heating mechanism. When I was able to sit up, I saw it was a simple space heater we kept in the restroom in the cold winter months. I don’t know why the memory comes to me now, but it’s there when I feel a warm hand lay across my forehead. It pulls me from the very void I’m in right now.

  A heartbeat pulses in my ear. It isn’t mine, because I hear it running separate from the other. It’s the person that rests their hand on me. I slowly move my head and blink my eyes open. Dust falls into them, making it hard to see.

  “Jes. Can you hear me?”

  “Nate. Yes, I can.”

  I try to lift my head, but a sharp pain shoots through my forehead and straight to the pit of my stomach, sending it back down. “Ahhh.”

  The hand on my forehead remains there while another wraps under my back, pulling me up to sit. “I need to heal you Jes.”

  The gravel shifts from under me as Nate tightens his arms around me and whispers, “Just lean against me. I’ve got you.”

  I rest my cheek on his chest as his strong arms hold me, keeping me from crumpling. He places his lips to my forehead where the throbbing pain is centered. Instantly, the pain begins to subside. He moves one of his hands to my abdomen and as he slides over my torso, I feel the pain shooting to the pit of my stomach subside replaced with a comforting warmth coursing through me.

  Nate’s breath brushes against my forehead now. “How are you feeling? Let me see you.”

  As he pulls back, the click of a flashlight and the bright light shining in my half open eyes have me blinking rapidly. Things are a little blurry for a moment, and then Nate’s face comes into focus. I try to rise from his lap, but his hand grips me tighter keeping me on him. The stronghold he has on me makes my words come out breathless. “How’d you find me?”

  His smile is delayed as he takes in the state of my forehead. “How do you think I found you?”

  I mumble. “The link thing.”

  He repeats it back, his smile still visible just before the flashlight clicks into darkness. “Yeah, the link thing.”

  “It’s more Jes. You know it too.”

  What did he just say, I mean think? It’s more. What’s more? I slowly push away from him, the gravel more settled to where I can get my footing. I tuck my knees up to me and remind myself that Nate is only doing his job. It can’t be anything more, even if we’re linked. We fucking get on each other’s last nerves. It wouldn’t work. “Thank you for healing me. It was—noble of you.”

  Nate clicks the flashlight back on and lays it on the rock near him as he studies me. His tender expression hardens. “I couldn’t very well ignore my conscience and leave you down here to rot. It’d be immoral, even if you’re a pain in the ass. Plus your body would stink up the place.”

  He hops up effortlessly and extends his hand to help me. As soon as my hand touches his, he pulls me up and I stumble into his arms like a clumsy idiot. His breath is on my face as he stares down at me. “Are you all right?”

  I notice my hands are gripping his shirt and I quickly release it. “I-I’m all right. Just a little light-headed.”

  I want to pull away, but Nate’s hands running along my back, keeping me close, the energy he’s giving off coursing through me is too much to resist. I have to touch him. The moment I rest my hands on his chest again, he releases a ragged sigh and says, “I am too.”

  He tightens his grip on me and as we move closer together, the unsettled ground beneath us loosens, snapping us out of our haze. As we both pull back, Nate reaches down for the flash light. “The link thing. It can drain me and make things a little loopy.”

  He starts to move up the fallen rock shining his flashlight where he steps.” We should head back.”

  Again, I’m left breathless and confused.

  Mid-week, Ezra bangs on my door. I pop up so fast, I almost fall out of bed. “What?”

  “Aw, Jes. Now is that a way to greet your favorite mentor when he comes bearing news that you’ve been anxiously waiting for?”

  I scramble hands first out of bed, then scurry to the door and yank it open. The first thing that catches my eye is the glass he’s holding with a little lavender umbrella sticking out of the top. I glance past the tropical drink and into the Ray Bans; he’s wearing, along with the obnoxious Hawaiian shirt he’s wearing.

  “Going somewhere tropical?” I ask snidely. I never get enough of giving Ezra a hard time.

  Ezra is mid-sip when he pauses to answer. “Just starting ear
ly, my dear. C’mon. Get up. Your future awaits.”

  Opening the cafeteria door, my eyes find Nate, Nick and Ang right away. I grab some coffee, a bagel, a peach, and head over to the table they occupy. “Have you heard anything yet?”

  Ang is peeling back a banana peel. “Nope. You?”

  “No.”

  I notice Nate shifts his eyes to the mentors’ table. “What’s up with Ezra’s outfit?”

  Nick looks over his shoulder. “I think it’s awesome. All Hawaiian and shit.”

  He nearly gives himself whiplash as he turns back to me. “What if you’re going to Hawaii? Oh, that would be badass!”

  Ang grins. “I hope I’m going somewhere fast-paced, like New York!”

  Nate comments, “I’m hoping West Coast—the beach, mountains, and the city. A little bit of everything.”

  I notice Siobhan approaching our table. “Okay, wee ones. Time to divvy up your sentences. I mean territories.”

  Smirking, she walks toward the cafeteria exit along with the other mentors.

  All four of us simultaneously push our chairs out, toss the rest of our food in the trash and rush after them.

  Ezra slurps his fruity, umbrella drink as we wait for him to read from the list he’s holding.

  My patience is thin. “C’mon, Ezra!”

  Ezra stops drinking and slowly sets his glass down on the tabletop of the conference desk. “All right, All right.”

  He looks over at Siobhan then extends his hand holding the paper. “My lady, will you do the honors?”

  Siobhan smiles and rises, “Well, thank you, kind sir.”

  As she walks toward him, Ezra smiles at her. “Oh. Well, you’re welcome, my lady. Thank you for thanking me.”

  Okay, they’re totally screwing with us!

  Siobhan takes the paper from his hand. “Of course, kind sir. Thank you for welcoming me. I so apprec—”

  Nick can’t stand it. “Ah, damn it! I need to know now! C’mon!”

  Siobhan laughs. “All right. All right. Angela. You’re going back home, girl. Dallas, Texas.”