The Darkness Within

by Jaime Rush

  She shook his shoulders. “Where is she?” Hysteria crept into her voice. She could barely move him, her fingers curled into his shirt as she continued to try to shake him. His head lolled to the side.

  Tucker’s hand closed over her arm while the other hand checked his pulse. “He’s dead.”

  “No.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “You saved us, Del.”

  “Son of a bitch!” That from Darius, who was trying to pull himself up to a sitting position. “I still can’t Become. What the hell did he do to us?”

  Anger tightened Tucker’s voice as she felt him turn toward Darius. “You and I will talk later.”

  “The trunk!” She tore away from Tucker’s embrace and raced out to the car still parked in the road. “She might be in the trunk.”

  She heard his footsteps behind her as she pounded across the dirt and jerked the driver’s door open. It was too dark to see the dashboard, so she groped and pulled on every lever and button until she heard the trunk pop open.

  He was already back there, lifting the lid when she ran up next to him.

  Empty. She nearly collapsed with disappointment. “I’ll never find her. I’ll never . . .”

  He braced his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. His words were low and calm. “He took this car to where she is. You can find her.”

  “I can’t . . . “ Hope washed through her, and she nodded so hard it made her dizzy. “Yes. Yes, I can find her.” She started touching the felt interior of the trunk.

  Fear. Her mother’s fear and discomfort and concern for Del. It blasted her nearly as strongly as Elgin’s weapon. She ran to the driver’s seat, dropping down in it and gripping the steering wheel.

  Home. Where’s home?

  She saw a house, a yard, and felt the sense of the place. She turned the key in the ignition. “Get in. I think I can get to his house.”

  “Hey!”

  They both turned to Darius, who’d dragged himself to the middle of the front yard.

  “We can’t leave him here,” she said.

  “Yes, we can,” he said beneath his breath. “We’ll be back for you,” he called to Darius. Then he got in and pulled the door shut. “Go.”

  She didn’t hesitate, putting the car into gear and driving out of the subdivision. “What happened?”

  “He went off the rails, no regard to the plan we had in place. Got all Alpha on me, thinking he should be in charge. I don’t trust him enough to take him with us.”

  “No. We don’t know what we’re going to find. Or who lives with Elgin.”

  When she reached the Foothills entrance, she closed her eyes again, concentrating. She followed the sense of home several miles down the road and then onto another road. Signs announced CAL ENERGY RESEARCH CO. and another right behind it warned trespassers away.

  She drove in through the open gate, spotting a large gray building up ahead. “It’s an industrial building.”

  “Over there, see the smaller buildings? Maybe the employees live there.”

  “These are the people from the other dimension. The ones who would kill us if they knew we were here.”

  He surveyed the area. “Then we make damned sure they don’t.”

  The sky behind the mountains was beginning to lighten. A few of the homes had lights on inside, signs of activity.

  “He wouldn’t have brought her here, would he?” She didn’t want to think about what he might have done to her.

  “She said she was going back to her people.”

  “But she’d broken the rules. They’re not going to just let her come back and live here like normal. They would . . .”

  “We’ve got to start with Elgin’s house. We’ll find something there.” He put his hand on her arm, his fingers closing gently around her. “You can find it, Del, if you concentrate.”

  And not freak out. “Okay.” She took a deep breath, curling her fingers over the steering wheel, connecting to the thoughts and feelings it held. “Elgin was . . . he was angry at my mom. I can feel his anger, and the way he felt she was his. She betrayed him by leaving, and he couldn’t handle that.”

  She focused on the house she’d seen. “They all look alike: neatly trimmed yards, arches over the front doors. How am I going to find his?”

  Tucker pointed at the garage door opener on the visor. “I try every door until one opens.”

  She released a breath. “Good idea.” Her relief was short-lived.

  A man walked out of the house they were passing, his gaze on their car. His expression revealed his curiosity: why was Elgin coming home at six in the morning? The car’s windows were dark, but were they dark enough?

  “Hey, Elgin,” the man called out. “Everything okay?” He paused, obviously expecting Elgin to lower the window and respond.

  The garage door of the house next-door opened. She waved, hoping he could see that acknowledgment and nothing more. Tucker closed the door as soon as the car pulled inside.

  “We don’t have much time,” he whispered, getting out. “If that guy thinks something’s up, he’ll be investigating. And if Elgin doesn’t come to the door when he knocks, he’ll definitely suspect something.”

  “Thanks for that reassuring thought.” She passed him and reached for the door leading into the house.

  He pushed her back, his hand on her collarbone. “Let me go first. I can tell if someone else is in there.”

  She nodded, and he went in, his chin tilted up as though he were sniffing the air. They passed through the kitchen, and she grabbed a knife from the butcher block on the counter. Not that it would be any defense against people who could use sonic weapons. Or Become. But she had her own weapon: Tucker. Could he Become, though?

  The house looked like any normal, suburban ranch-style home, devoid of personal touches. She had to remember that these people were human, at least at their core. They’d been passing as regular humans for a long time now. Carrie had told her that they had willed their bodies to take on a conventional human look when they’d first come here.

  Tucker stopped in front of the hallway and gave her an affirmative look. Someone else was in the house, probably in one of the bedrooms. He held out his hand, and she saw Darkness at the edges. His ability was coming back. He continued, taking slow, deliberate steps until he reached the first door, which was open. She peered around the doorway, her body pressed near his.

  It was an office, dark and unoccupied. They moved on to the next room, which was nearly empty. The last door was closed.

  Tucker gave her a somber nod. Whoever was in the house . . . that’s where they were. Elgin’s wife? Roommate? Or her mother.

  Her insides were wound so tightly she could hardly breathe. Tucker shimmered in Darkness, ready for anything. He reached for the knob, turned it, and pushed it open.

  “Mom!” The sight of her, tied to the bedposts, weakened Del’s knees.

  Tucker checked the room and the closet as Del raced to Carrie’s side. She took inventory, her mom alive—tired but alive—her shoulders bare above the sheets . . . naked? No, she didn’t want to think about what that meant.

  “Del! What . . . how . . .”

  While Carrie had been gawking at Del, Tucker had cut her free on that side of the bed with his claws.

  “We have to get you out of here, Mom.” Del used the knife to cut the ropes on her side. “I’ll tell you everything later.”

  “Elgin. He was going to . . .” She looked at Tucker, and Del saw gratitude and relief. “I didn’t mean to tell him about you, Tucker. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Or Elgin. He’s dead. But right now we’re in the middle of an enclave of your people.”

  Carrie grabbed the sheets as she got up. Tucker took note. “I’ll be in the hallway.”

  Del helped her to her feet, searching for her clothes. They were piled in the corner. “Here, hold onto the dresser.” She planted Carrie’s hands on the corner and grabbed the clothes, then helped her put th
em on.

  “I’m so weak. My legs feel rubbery,” Carrie said.

  “It’s okay. We’ll help you out.”

  Her mom leaned on her as they stepped into the hallway. Tucker took them in, and without hesitating, scooped her up in his arms. “Let’s get to the car.”

  Carrie held onto Tucker’s shoulder, though her body was stiff with her discomfort. If Tucker noticed, he didn’t let on, intent on getting to the garage. Del got into the back seat with her mother, and Tucker got into the driver’s side. He waited until they were settled in before opening the garage door. The neighbor was heading up the walkway to the front door.

  Tucker backed out, then calmly pulled away, sending the garage door closing as he left. He opened the window a few inches and waved back at the man who was standing there watching.

  More people were out and starting their day. Of course, everybody here would know everybody else—worse than a small town. Hopefully it wouldn’t look strange to see Elgin’s car out and about so early.

  Carrie was sitting up now, gripping Del’s hand as she watched, clearly expecting to be stopped. Her eyes were wide, bloodshot. What she’d gone through . . . Del pulled her close and pressed her head against her shoulder, hoping to block the view of their surroundings.

  When they pulled through the entrance, Carrie let out a small sob, then gripped Del. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  Del should be asking that question, but she merely shook her head. “I’m fine. Tucker took good care of me, kept me safe.” She met his gaze in the rearview mirror, but he shifted it away, focusing on the road ahead.

  “I have to go back to the Foothills for Darius.”

  If Tucker had regained his Darkness, Darius should have, too. When they drove back, Darius was pulling himself along the road, his face slick with sweat, biceps bulging with the strain. He glared as Tucker pulled up beside him.

  Tucker lowered the window. “Try Becoming.”

  Darius’s glare softened, and he turned first to a black mist and then to the human shape she’d seen earlier. Interesting that he’d chosen that form. He was tall, strong . . . whole again. Carrie’s grip tightened, and she screamed.

  “It’s okay, Mom. Darius is with us. He’s one of the offspring.”

  Darius leaned into the open driver’s window and jabbed his finger at Tucker. “I will kick your ass for leaving me like that.”

  “Later,” Tucker said through gritted teeth. “I need you to take care of Elgin and Bengle. Put them in here; run them out to the desert. The longer they go without being found, the better.”

  “Still giving orders,” Darius growled.

  “I’m asking you. I’ve got to get them home.” Tucker looked at Del. “How did you get here?”

  “I stole your car. It’s parked a couple of streets up.”

  He turned back to Darius. “Get in. Please.” The word was soaked in a patronizing tone. “We’ll drive to my car, then you can take this one.”

  Darius waited long enough that she thought he might refuse. Finally, he stalked around the front and got in.

  Carrie whimpered, burying her head against Del’s shoulder, her whole body stiffening. Darius looked frightening, his body and face a dark mass of that quicksilver smoke.

  Darius looked back at them but turned to Tucker as he pulled down the street. “Dammit, Tucker, you left me there in a heap.”

  “I couldn’t afford to bring you along. You were acting recklessly.”

  She directed Tucker to his car, and he stopped beside it. “I’ll see you back at the house,” he told Darius in a voice that said they would definitely have a talk. She wanted to know exactly what had happened, but now wasn’t the time to ask. They got out, and Darius slid over to the driver’s seat.

  Del wanted to sit up front with Tucker, to hold his hand, to feel him. But she needed to be with her mom, who was still trembling, so she crammed into the small back seat with her.

  Del met Tucker’s gaze again, and he said, “I’m going to take you to your car, Del. You need to get her home.”

  She nodded, then held her mom as she listened to Tucker call Greer and give him a rundown of what had happened, thus enlightening her and her mom as well. Thankfully, he left out the details. Carrie didn’t need to know any of that, only that she was safe from Elgin. That they all were.

  “You put Greer in a tight spot, Del,” Tucker said. “Once he figured out you were gone, he started heading our way. But I made him promise to stay put.”

  “Tell him I’m sorry. No, I’ll tell him. But dammit, Tuck, this was my problem. It wasn’t right leaving you to deal with it while I sat around waiting for you to not get killed.”

  It took awhile for Carrie to calm down again. Del was glad she’d never seen Tucker Become, but it wouldn’t matter. Carrie would only see him as a man with Darkness, a beast, and something to fear.

  Tucker knew that. She could see it in the shadows of his eyes when she caught him watching her. He always looked away before she could hold that silver gaze.

  It felt like forever had passed since they’d last been in that parking garage. So much had changed since then. As Tucker helped her out of the car, and her mother shied away from his hand, she saw that nothing had changed. His eyes were as shuttered as they had been the day before.

  “Wait,” she told him, and helped her mom into her car. He was leaning against his car, staring at the concrete floor. She returned to him. “Tuck, I want to talk to you. Later, when my mom is settled in.”

  Soft agony drenched his eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about. Go back to your life, Del.”

  Without him. That’s what he was saying.

  She grabbed onto his hand. “I’m sorry I turned away from you all those years ago. I needed time to assimilate everything, and by then you were gone. I’m not going to turn away from you again.”

  He shook his head. “Then I’m turning away from you. Your mother is never going to feel comfortable around me, and I don’t blame her. Especially now. She’ll always look at me like she did Darius. Like you did back in my bedroom,” he said in a lower voice.

  “You were testing me, and I failed. But only in that moment, because I wasn’t prepared. Admit it; you wanted me to flinch, to show fear.”

  “Yeah, I did. Then I could finally put you in my past and move on.”

  “Did it work?”

  His mouth twisted in a chagrined smile. “No. You’ll be just as hard to walk away from now as you were then. Harder.”

  She took his face in her hands. “You hold Darkness, but you are not Darkness. What I see when I look at you is what you are: a man. A man who deserves love. My love, as a matter of fact, and I don’t give that to just anybody. In fact, Tuck, I haven’t given my heart to anyone but you. Mom accused me of comparing any guy who was interested in me to you. She was right. Not because you’re gorgeous or haunted or a bad boy.” She slid her hand down over his heart, splaying her fingers wide. “You’re a good man. No matter what you hold, that’s what I know. And here’s what else I know: I’m not going anywhere, because I think you love me, too.”

  He held on for a second, and she could see his turmoil: give in or keep his distance and protect her from his dark nature.

  “Kiss her, Tucker.”

  They both looked up to see her mom inside the car, the window now open.

  “She’s been sad and lonely ever since you left. That was my fault, because I saw my husband in you. But you’re not Elgin. And my heart ached, too, because I loved you like a son. So kiss her, love her, and make her happy. She deserves that, too.” She rolled up the window and sat back in the passenger seat, turning away to give them privacy. Del had mistaken the expression on her face. Not fear but grief for the decisions she’d made.

  She and Tucker looked at each other in surprise.

  “Now it’s only your own wall to overcome,” she said, moving close to him, her hand cupping his cheek.

  He leaned down and kissed her, softly, slowly. “Clearl
y I’m not good at putting up a wall between us. You broke it down the moment you said you needed me. When you looked into my eyes, and I could see everything you felt for me . . . damn, Del, I was lost.”

  She leaned up and kissed his chin. “You don’t ever have to be lost again. I’ll always be here.”

  Read on for a sneak peek

  at the next exciting installment of Jaime Rush’s Offspring series,

  Darkness Becomes Her,

  Coming in June 2012

  from Avon Books

  Prologue

  Fifteen years earlier

  “WAKE UP, ALLY!”

  Her daddy’s voice, hands shaking her. Not a dream. Her eyes snapped open, finding his face, scared and desperate, hovering in front of her.

  “You’ve got to hide now.”

  She tumbled out of bed, heart squeezing her chest. “What’s happening, Daddy?”

  “The man I told you might hurt me, he’s here, Allybean.”

  She swiped up her penguin, the one with the special coin sewn inside it. She couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. “Where’s Mommy?”

  “She’s all right. He won’t hurt her.”

  “But he’ll hurt me?” The words squeaked out of her mouth.

  “I don’t know what he’ll do. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

  He tugged her down the hall to the closet and shoved aside the coats.

  “How will I know when it’s safe to come out?” Fear made her voice a whisper.

  “Either your mother or I will come get you. You’ll be okay.”

  He didn’t look as though he felt that way, and that made her even more scared.

  “I love you, Allybean.” And he closed the door, shutting her in the dark.

  Daddy had always seemed overprotective and kind of worried. When she turned nine a year ago, he told her there was a man who wanted to hurt him: his own brother, Russell. Daddy had shown her a picture, trained her to be on the lookout for him. He had something called the Darkness inside him. Daddy had promised to tell her more when she was old enough to understand.