Dakota! What was she doing here?
Only she wasn’t strapped to the bed like the guy in the other room. Instead, she was utilizing her Flair, flying around the room, kicking the ceiling and banging into walls like she’d gone berserk. When she flung herself at the door there was a brief instant when we made eye contact and shock registered across her face. That was in the split second right before she slammed into the door. Her face hit the window, squishing her nose and cheek against the glass, and then she slid down and out of sight. It was like a scene out of a cartoon.
Anxiously, I waited for her to stand up again. I couldn’t fathom how Dakota could have ended up in Kieran’s hands. But I figured he’d probably purchased her from Neo. By now I’d decided Neo was some kind of bounty hunter – for Amethysts and Guardians. He probably sold his wares to the highest bidder, too. Enter Kieran – undoubtedly, Neo’s number one customer. But how in the world did Neo end up with Dakota? Nothing made sense.
It wasn’t long before she was on her feet, staring at me through the glass with her lips moving a mile a minute. Only problem was I couldn’t hear a thing she was saying. “I can’t hear you,” I said, and my voice echoed loudly through the corridor. Surprised at the amplification of my words, I covered my mouth and looked over both shoulders in a panic. This was not the time to draw attention to myself. But I needed to see if I could communicate with Dakota and learn what was going on. Figure out a way to break her out.
Despite her long black hair being a tangled mess and her clothes in total disarray, she was still beautiful – in a wild way. Her naturally tanned Native American skin was even darker than the last time I’d seen her – it was a flawless bronze. Her big black eyes stared at me, and her mouth continued flapping, but I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. I’d never been any good at lip reading. If her body language was any indication though, I’d say she was trying to give me a warning. But it was possible she was swearing at me because she thought I was part of the Ray-pac clan. Either way, I couldn’t decipher her message.
I tried mouthing a few words of my own, but she just shook her head with agitation and pointed. It seemed like she was pointing to the end of the corridor rather than across at the other room with the guy in it. Sizing up the rest of the hallway, I noted nothing other than long stretches of wall with no doors or windows. Eventually, the hallway ended with two doors side by side. Disturbed at what I’d found so far, I wondered where they went and what other horrors I might find on the other side. Did Dakota want me to go down there? Was that what her wild antics were all about?
I looked at her, pointed at myself, and slowly mouthed the words, “Me? Go down there?”
She nodded frantically, and mouthed back, “Yes.” Talking with her hands, I could tell she was trying to tell me something else, but I was clueless.
Just as I was about to follow her directions, a thought hit me. I held up my index finger, indicating to Dakota I’d be right back. I darted back to the other room across from hers and stared hard at the guy on the bed. He hadn’t given up; he was still struggling against the chains. I studied him closer. He looked stocky and a little on the short side. With his dark hair, I concluded he must be young Kohana, Dakota’s linked partner. I looked back at her and mouthed his name. She nodded despairingly but pointed down the hallway again.
Obviously something else was tormenting her – something even more ominous than her and Kohana being locked in these cells. The fact that she wanted me to abandon her so I could go investigate this something else, was terrifying. What could possibly be worse? With my pulse pounding, I finally acquiesced. Even though she couldn’t hear me, I said quietly, “I’ll come back. I promise.”
She gave me a fretful smile, which I returned, and then I turned and hurried toward the double doors. The one on the left was locked, and as expected, my key card didn’t work. Before jamming my card in the slot for the other door, I took a chance and jiggled the door handle. Shocked beyond belief, I almost fell over when it turned. But this door was even heavier than the one at the front entrance. I pushed on it slowly because I had no idea who or what I’d find on the other side. Propping the door with my foot, I cautiously peered around it. When I saw no one, I carefully slipped inside. But I didn’t pull the door completely shut just in case I needed to make a quick escape.
Almost instantly, I heard loud laughter and voices. I also sensed several strong links. There were Ray-pacs close, and there were a lot of them. For the first time since cascading down the balconies, I considered turning around and running. By the sound of things, something big was definitely going down. Aside from the laughter and jeers, I thought I heard someone crying out for help, but I couldn’t be sure.
Dreading every step, I hugged the wall and scooted down the hallway – ready to react. If I felt threatened in any way, I’d attack. I was prepared to dish out the death blow I’d learned from Jason – a quick blow to the carotid artery in the side of the neck was all it took. I noticed a room up ahead on the left and could see there was an open door from which all the noise was escaping. Before the door though, was a row of good-sized windows. When I made it to the first window, I crouched with my back against the wall and covered my mouth. My heart pounded like a jackhammer and my breathing was fast and uneven. I didn’t want to look. But I did. The laughter and cheering continued, and the pleas for help were almost drowned out. But I could hear them. This was worse than any scary movie because everything I was about to see would be completely real.
Through a momentary lapse in laughter, a female voice sobbed, “Please, please stop. Let him go. Let me go, and I will give you my Essence. I promise.”
At that point I knew there was an Amethyst on the other side of the wall. Unable to prolong the inevitable a moment longer, I turned around and raised my head – just high enough so I could peek inside. The scene that greeted my eyes was so disturbing and so horrific; I couldn’t stop myself from crying out, “Izzy!”
CHAPTER 18 – NEW HORRORS
Instantly, I slapped my hands over my mouth, but they were shaking so badly it felt like I was hitting myself in the face. I couldn’t believe my friend Izzy was the Amethyst tied down to a table and surrounded by about ten Ray-pacs. Even more distressing, was how she was lying flat on her stomach with her arms outstretched. She was opposite another guy, who was bound, gagged, and also lying face down on a table. Both their arms were extended far above their heads, but then their hands met and were tied together. In fact, their fingers were interlocked, almost like they were trying to link. The Ray-pacs weren’t clustered around Izzy, but they were hovering around the guy. Each Ray-pac had two hands pressed against him, like…like they were extracting his Essence but doing it all at once. The guy, from what I could see of him, appeared to be unconscious and his skin was a strange shade of blue. If he wasn’t already, he’d be dead soon.
Izzy, who had stopped talking, looked weak and shattered as well. Bile rose in my throat, and I could taste the blood from biting my tongue. While I had no real explanation for what was happening, my imagination worked it out. The rumors must be true. The Ray-pacs had found a way to extract the Essence from an Amethyst. Well, at least Kieran’s group had, because here they were – this group of vile creatures doing just that. They couldn’t touch Izzy without getting burned, so they were using an Innocent as a go-between. From the looks of it, all the Ray-pacs needed to work together in order to steal Izzy’s Essence. They pulled it through the guy and straight out of Izzy; they were drinking it in with rapture.
“Keep it going,” Kieran’s voice boomed through the room. “Everyone keep pulling. This one’s Essence is strong and powerful, but we’re doing it.” His eyes were glowing, and while he looked euphoric, the tension in his forehead and the way his jaw was locked, indicated it was also a strenuous workout. Throughout it all he continued smiling, and I wanted to carve that smile off his hideous face.
How grisly and completely mortifying for Izzy, I thought. Her Essence was her
life-force – part of her being. And hers was exceptional – it defined who she was and allowed to her save people. I figured if they drained her of her Essence, she would die. That might explain what had happened to other Amethysts who’d been rumored to be kidnapped and had never returned.
Fate was cruel, wreaking havoc and playing games with people’s lives. People I knew, like sweet, innocent Izzy. Then again, maybe it wasn’t Fate. Maybe it was some evil life-force – one that empowered the Kierans and Neos of the world. After all, Neo had tracked Izzy twice and had even been successful the second time around. Had he followed her all the way to the Ranch? No way. Too many Guardians. Then I remembered I’d heard something about Dakota going back to Maine with Izzy. She was going to help Izzy pack her things and then help her get settled with the St. Louis Circle. That could explain why Dakota and Kohana had been captured along with Izzy and were now Kieran’s prisoners. As for the Innocent, well, he’d probably just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Watching the Ray-pacs suck the life right out of Izzy was too much. I didn’t know what I could do against a room full of Ray-pacs, but I knew I couldn’t just sit there and watch it happen. I was too late to stop the brutality that had already been inflicted upon her and the Innocent, but I could still intervene before they killed her. Without another thought or moment’s hesitation, I sprang to my feet and all but flew into the room.
But rather than rush in and attack the swarming Ray-pacs with physical force, I took a completely different approach. I had one weapon – my Essence. And I intended to use it. Once inside the room, I immediately latched onto Izzy’s ankles. And like a tornado that had been threatening to touch down and finally did, I sent the biggest burst of Essence into Izzy. Knowing they were sucking the Essence straight out of her, I figured my blast would travel right through her and into them. Breathing deep and centralizing my focus, I sent everything I had. By lambasting them with a dose so powerful and overwhelming, my hope was that it would knock them off their feet, and they would experience no immediate gratification. The blast would be momentarily debilitating and devastating. Of course, after a few seconds the Essence would sink in, saturate their bodies, and give them incredible energy. But that didn’t matter. What I needed was a short window of time, enough to get them away from Izzy and the Innocent.
I met Kieran’s eyes, which were wide with surprise, just before the high-velocity shockwave of my Essence reached him. Incredibly, the whole thing worked just like I’d envisioned. It was a total domino effect. The rush of Essence reached each one of the Ray-pacs, Kieran first since he was closest to Izzy. They were each blown off their feet. Fragmenting backwards with unbelievable force, they looked like they’d been at the center of a bomb explosion. One by one like projectiles, they smacked into the shiny iron walls and tumbled to the floor. Momentarily stunned, they remained in small heaps on the floor.
That gave me enough time to attend to Izzy. My Essence hadn’t damaged her in the least, in fact, the opposite was true. Even though she was still strapped down, she was completely awake and aware, suddenly full of energy and life again.
“Lexi, you’re here!” she exclaimed. “But how?”
“Hi,” I said, quickly untying the ropes at her wrists. “Are you okay?” I asked as she sat up.
She acted alert, but a haunted, far-away look clouded her eyes. “They were…they were…” she tried to say.
“I know. It’s okay now.” I hugged her and reached for the Innocent on the table. But his skin was stone cold. His Essence was gone, and he was dead. My heart ached. I hadn’t been in time to save him. There was no time to dwell on his loss, however; because at that moment, I caught sight of Kieran rising from the floor. Fury and murder flashed in his eyes but also in mine. My first instinct was to protect Izzy, so I shoved her under the table and told her to stay there. Before long, I’d be facing an all-out Ray-pac assault, and I didn’t want her in the crossfire.
Kieran launched himself at me. I knew he was coming, but since I was still ensuring Izzy’s safety, I didn’t have time to block his foot which smacked me right across the face. Before I had time to respond, his fist came around and hit my face from the other side. I heard and felt a bone crack, and I dropped to the floor. The pain was excruciating. My cheekbone felt broken. As I fought to control the woozy feeling passing over me, my eyes fluttered, and I saw black dots.
“Heal yourself and get up,” Kieran commanded in a booming voice.
And I did just that. Not because he told me to, but because I could and I needed to. The unbearable throbbing in my cheek disappeared completely when I doused the area with Essence. The healing was instantaneous, so fast I couldn’t even feel the restoration process taking place. Usually I could feel it; not this time. Anger and Essence raged within me, apparently making me stronger – or numb.
I jumped to my feet, noting out of the corner of my eye that the other Ray-pacs were starting to rise. I stared Kieran down as my hands shook ever so slightly. Probably from wrath. “I will never link with you,” I spit out. “You are a repulsive, evil being who enjoys killing people, and I hate you,” I screamed, rushing him. When I was close enough, I kicked him in the groin. He growled but it didn’t seem to faze him. He came back swinging and kicking. He was fast, but so was I. And my Flair was spot on, protecting me from a succession of powerful punches.
We stood at an impasse, both of us in defensive stances with fists up and knees bent. But he wasn’t the one who made the next move. Detecting something incoming, I glanced away from Kieran and spotted a fast-moving ball of orange and red flames. Dodging to my right, I dove and rolled across the floor, narrowly avoiding the string of fireballs Aria was launching. They pelted the window above me and then disappeared. I shook my head. Fireproof glass apparently. All of a sudden, Rafe was on the ceiling above me, crawling like he was Spiderman or something. Madness lurked in his smile. “You’re mine,” he shouted.
Noting an object in his hand and sensing that he was about to drop from the ceiling and stab me with it, I rolled over backward and slid out of the way. He plunged from the ceiling and hit the floor on all fours. Anger twisted his lips into a bitter frown. Before he could pounce again, I swept my legs out in a 180 degree circle as if performing some kind of break-dancing move. I made contact, scooping his hands and feet out from under him. He landed on his stomach with a thud and bellowed profanities, spit spewing from his mouth. Extremely enraged, he jumped back to his feet and waved his hands around. He rocked back and forward like he was going to pounce. Unfortunately for him, I sensed he had no intention of tackling me; instead, he intended on hurling the object in his hand. When he finally did, I was in rare form. Feeling confident, strong, and a little bit arrogant, I reached out and caught it – with both hands – just to be safe. He foamed at the mouth and his rapid eye-blinking tick tripled in speed. Under normal circumstances he was a total creeper. Now, he was ten times worse.
Not ready to give up, he yelled, “I’m going to shred you.”
“That’s enough,” Kieran shouted, his tone lethal. “And I mean everyone.” For a moment everyone froze and stared at Kieran.
Aria was first to break the silence. “What is she, Kieran?”
“Yeah,” said a woman I’d never seen before. She reminded me of a hardcore biker chick. “We all deserve to know what we’re dealing with here. I’ve never had trouble reading someone’s mind, and I can’t get into her head.”
“Storm’s right. I want to know who she is, too,” Aiden yelled. “I can’t absorb her Flair, and I want to know why.”
“That’s enough,” Kieran said between gritted teeth. “This is not the time or place for this discussion. No more questions right now. If anyone else says another word about it they’re out.”
That threat seemed to silence everyone. Personally, I wished they’d keep on talking. I found the whole conversation very informative. I was also very interested to learn why Kieran hadn’t told them I was a Dentelle. Maybe he considered th
em all disposable, and therefore, only kept them on a need-to-know basis.
I glanced at Storm, the apparent Mindreader; she was a hard-looking woman with bleached yellow hair, probably no older than 30 but with her poorly done make-up and elastic-looking skin it was hard to tell. Then there was Aria the Pyro, Rafe the Wallclimber, and Aiden the Spoiler. His ability, which allowed him to disable an opponent by absorbing their Flair, was very dangerous. The most fascinating bit of information, though, was that most of their powers didn’t seem to work on me. I mean, they could physically hurt me if I wasn’t fast enough when they attacked. But what an advantage that Storm couldn’t read my thoughts and Aiden couldn’t absorb my Flair. Being a Dentelle was proving to be quite exhilarating.
“We have other issues to address. Have I made myself clear?” Kieran clarified again. I noticed he made eye contact with each and every one of them, as if daring them to challenge. No one did. They just nodded in submission. I had a feeling his strength and powers were formidable, and they all knew it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could have taken on at least four of them and come out on top. His superiority was probably due to the fact that he absorbed much of the Essence for himself. Not to mention I’d been supplying him with extra Essence for days. And who knew how many other Amethysts he’d done this to before.
He walked up to me, and one side of his mouth curled upwards. In a low voice, so no one else could hear his words, he said, “I’m strong, Lexi. I am strong because of your Essence and hers.” He turned and pointed at Izzy, who was still crouching under the table, a terrified expression on her face. “Storm, take that Amethyst back to a cell. We’ll finish with her later.” He pointed and then, looking back at me, he continued quietly, “We are going to be so good together.”
Dentelle #3 Guardian series Page 31