The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set

by Donnielle Tyner

  “Hmm. What about what I did to Link?”

  “He was killing innocents and if you hadn’t got to him first, I would have killed him. There is a big difference in the two scenarios.”

  “But Miles is the mind behind these murders. He is just as guilty.”

  “True, but it’s not your responsibility to bring him to justice. That burden does not rest on your shoulders even though I know you carry it around with you.”

  My shoulders sagged with the impact of what he said. I knew I’d been carrying the weight of my relative’s actions, but I also knew that I had to stop him.

  “I have to stop him and the HPC. Revolution is coming. Caelians and norms cannot just coexist in their own bubbles of reality, turning a blind eye from the violence on both sides. Miles Koenig and the HPC both want the same thing: the genocide of the other. That cannot happen. Norms and Caelians are from the same gene pool and who you will be is the luck of the draw at conception. It’s time for the fear to end. Norms and Caelians can live together without prejudice or hate. The Underground proves that.” My heart beat faster with each word and I felt the familiar tingle of rage simmering just under the surface of my skin. This wasn’t the raw unadulterated hatred I had been harboring. It felt noble. It felt righteous.

  “And we will spend every moment of our lives dedicated to the unification of humanity.”

  The wall screen chimed and displayed a reminder for my meeting with the Caelian Council followed by another that announced Dr. Sokoloff was waiting for me. Kian reached for my arm in order to help me into the wheelchair and even though I felt well enough to walk, I allowed Kian to coddle me. It felt nice to be taken care of and I could tell he needed to do this for me.

  “So, I’m meeting with the council tomorrow.” My voice was flat, completely hiding the massive waves of panic rolling over me.

  “So it seems,” Kian growled. “They couldn’t even give you two dammed days.”

  “At least it will be over with quick,” the confidence in my voice wavered. “Hopefully, they will take pity on me and not consider shipping me off to New Jersey to live with the Koenigs.”

  “They won’t. When we weren’t trying to find you, Mrs. LaMotte and I gathered as much evidence and testimony as possible. You’ve got a pretty solid case.”

  “Thank god for small miracles then.”

  “Thank god for your devoted mentor,” Kian added, both eyebrows raised as he gave me a pointed look. “Enough about tomorrow. Let’s worry about today.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I confessed with a sigh.

  Kian sniggered, but the sound was muffled. I turned to see what he was up to, but his broad back was facing away from me as he rummaged through my dresser.

  “Something funny?”

  Kian cocked his head to the side in an almost turn. The result allowed his voice to be less muffled when he spoke. “I was thinking about when I said those words to you and how you walked away from me sensually swaying your hips. It’s one of my favorite memories.”

  Heat rose in my cheeks as I relived my lame attempt at flirting. The scraping noises grew louder as Kian slid something against the wooden interior of my dresser.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Grabbing this.” He turned around and the silvery flash of my mother’s necklace cradled in his hands caught my eye. Both hands cupped my mouth in shock as I dragged my gaze from the pendant to Kian’s face.

  “Luca returned it while you were in a coma. He hoped we’d be able to put it on you and that you would feel its comfort, but Dr. Stone wouldn’t allow you to wear any jewelry.” Kian’s warm fingers wrapped around one of my hands and pulled it away from my mouth. He placed the necklace into my palm, the metal warmed from his own body heat.

  I clutched the necklace against my chest, holding back the tears threatening to escape and swallowing a shuddering hiccup before sliding it over my head.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I tucked the platinum treasure into my shirt.

  Before stepping into the hall, I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see any of the white walls, but I was still aware of the people milling about the Underground thanks to my secondary. Norm and Caelian energy signatures mingled throughout the compound. My spirit lifted at the sight, but there was also a burning need for the outside world to understand that we could truly live together in harmony.

  I just didn’t know how to accomplish that.

  The gentle swoosh of a door opening broke me from my thoughts. I had forgotten to ask Kian about this doctor when we were talking earlier. The thought of meeting a new person made my throat close with anxiety.

  “You can open your eyes now.” Kian’s hand rested on the nape of my neck and he gently massaged the tension held there.

  “I just… I don’t… I can’t…” Words were failing me as my head swam with unbridled fear. Gone was all the peace I had felt alone with Kian in the comfort of my room.

  A deep, melodic voice rumbled and the teal swirls of his Talent danced directly in front of me as he introduced himself without regard to my tightly shut eyes. “Sadie, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Adam Sokoloff. From your file, I know a little about you and the basics of why I am here today. In order to help you, I will need to at least have your cooperation. Can you give that?”

  As he spoke, the soft tendrils of his Talent glided over my skin, wrapping me in warmth. I cracked my eyes open and met the comforting eyes of Dr. Sokoloff. The teal and purple depths seemed to swirl as I stared at him. My gaze swept to the rest of his face. His round, angular eyes under thick eyebrows and prominent nose were obviously of Asian descent, but there was also some eastern European mixed in the features as well. He looked very young, not old enough to be called a doctor. His cerulean hair was closely cropped on the sides and the top combed into a stylish bouffant that would have looked silly on anyone else except him. His slight frame was filled out with corded muscles that suggested he was a regular at the gym.

  Everything about him was beautiful and comforting. I nodded yes to his question and in response he gave me a blindingly beautiful smile.

  “Good. First, I want to tell you a little about myself so as not to alarm you. My Talent is very similar to that of a healer, but instead of healing physical injuries, I am capable of healing emotional and sometimes mental wounds. During our talks, you may feel warmth as my Talent heals.”

  “Is that why I feel your Talent wrapped around me like a warm blanket?”

  He raised a thick pointed eyebrow. “I have read about your Talent, but it’s another thing to see it in action. You can feel others’ Talents?”

  “Yes, when they are used on me, and I see their energy signature in my mind.”

  “Beautiful.”

  “That is just my secondary. You wouldn’t think my main Talent is beautiful if you saw it in action.”

  He nodded. “Well, I refuse to make judgements based on hearsay.” Dr. Sokoloff coughed and crossed his legs. “We are not here to discuss the merits of your Talent, but to talk about what happened to you during your incarceration with the Human Purist Coalition. Do you feel comfortable with Kian here or would you rather him leave?”

  “Kian can stay. I will tell him everything anyway. I keep no secrets from him.” From the corner of my eye I saw Kian wince and a guilty look washed over his face. My forehead wrinkled in deep thought as I stowed away his reaction to discuss at another time.

  He nodded again. “Tell me how you have been feeling since you awoke in the infirmary.”

  “Mostly okay. I feel like myself wrapped in a layer of melancholy.”

  “That’s completely normal and something you will be able to overcome. What about anger, anxiety, nightmares?”

  “All of the above, but the nightmares have been happening since the night I watched Michael die.”

  “He was your norm friend, yes?” His large eyes widened with concern and the purple blue swirl of his eyes calmed my erratically beating heart.

  “Yes.” />
  “Anything else?”

  “I’ve been jumping at every sound or movement and my Talent, which I had under control before, is harder to keep under wraps when I’m worked up. I can’t handle being in a room with white walls. I freaked out when I woke up.”

  Kian kissed the top of my head before placing both hands on my shoulders and massaging the tight cords with his strong fingers. His presence helped calm my stretched thin nerves and with each stroke of his thumb against my aching muscles, I was able to deepen and even out my breaths.

  “Everything you listed are symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, but I want to know what happened to you beyond a list of injuries and where they found you with the HPC. You can begin when you are ready. Please go into as much detail as you can so the benefit of my healing Talent can work at its maximum capacity. We are working with facts today only and will go into deeper feelings at your next appointment.”

  “Will I be fixed today?”

  “No, you will not be completely healed at the end of our session. In fact, you will still struggle with your current symptoms and new ones may pop up at any time, but I am here to help you come to terms with what happened to you so that you can begin to move onward with your life. My Talent will eventually heal your emotional and mental wounds, but you will still have scars. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  “That your Talent will take the edge off after time, but I will still have issues for the rest of my life.”

  He nodded, uncrossing and switching his legs without removing his hypnotic gaze. He laced his fingers and stared at me, waiting for me to begin. My hand clutched at the necklace. With Kian behind me and the comforting warmth of Dr. Sokoloff’s Talent making me feel more at ease than I had in months, I opened my mouth and without reservation, told him everything. Both men listened intently. Dr. Sokoloff nodded and took notes. Kian behind me a pillar of strength, his hands kneading my shoulders, only stopping once when I confessed that they had wanted me to drain his mother. He continued to comfort me without interruption, only to stiffen during the particularly hard parts of my story.

  While I spoke, I felt Dr. Sokoloff’s Talent press against my mind. It was uncomfortable only because I knew it was intrusive and didn’t belong. Similar to when I had another’s Talent inside my body, except nowhere near as painful.

  At the end of my story, Dr. Sokoloff’s angled eyes were heavy-lidded from exhaustion and his caramel skin was a pale flaxen from Talent sickness. Guilt churned in my stomach as Dr. Sokoloff took a sip of the water Kian offered him. I was so selfish to sit here and let him use his Talent on me when I could heal the old fashioned way. He was suffering because of me.

  “Sadie,” Dr. Sokoloff interrupted my self-loathing. “Do you know why Kian had to call in quite a few favors to get me here?”

  I shook my head no. “He never mentioned it.”

  “Because I am well renowned in my field. So much that I am constantly sought out for what my Talent can do versus my degree in psychology. I usually reject all cases except those that I feel are worth it.” He paused, capturing my gaze with his eyes. “You are worth it.”

  His words warmed me to my core. I didn’t know what to say in response, so I just nodded instead.

  “How do you feel now?” The color was starting to come back to his skin, but he still looked utterly exhausted.

  “Now that you ask, I feel as if you took the edge off. Everything is still there, but it doesn’t seem as oppressive.”

  “I call that a success. How about you?” He groaned as he stood and walked over to my chair, hand extended. I took his hand and shook it.

  “Yes. Thank you. For everything.”

  “No need. I will see you this time next week.”

  We were dismissed, so after a round of goodbyes we turned to leave the office. Kian paused at the door to give me a moment to prepare. A part of me wanted to see if my reaction to the walls would be less, but the energy signatures scrambling outside gave me pause. I didn’t want to have an episode with an audience. I closed my eyes.

  When the door swished open, a pungent, acrid smell assaulted my senses.

  “What is that smell?” I demanded as both hands covered my nose.

  Kian chuckled. “Mrs. LaMotte made an announcement asking the people of the Underground, and I quote, ‘to repaint the walls in order to help with your healing from the abuse the HPC inflicted on you.’ Almost everyone volunteered. They refuse to let you live your life with eyes closed.”

  Tears pooled in the corner of my eyes and in that moment, I released the remaining resentment I had held against Mrs. LaMotte.

  “I’m ready to see everyone again.”

  “Good, because they’re waiting for you in your room.”

  Chapter 31

  Breaking News: Riots Prompt Curfew in Multiple States

  BREAKING NEWS: Rioters plunged multiple cities across America into chaos last night, torching structures, turning over cars, and throwing rocks into government buildings after two Caelian women were rescued from a warehouse designed for physical and psychological torture.

  The states of Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, and Washington have all declared a state of emergency and deployed their National Guard troops to restore order. New Jersey and Washington have issued a daily curfew beginning today from 10pm to 5am for all Caelians. The curfew will remain in effect until the cities affected are deemed safe.

  Almost two weeks ago, an anonymous tip was reported to the Caelian Council about two women being held captive. One of the women was none other than Caelian councilwoman Laura Lane and the other, Sadie, a young woman from the recently destroyed St. Vincent’s orphanage.

  It is unknown why either woman was held since there were no hostage demands or threats.

  The owners of the warehouse, Dale and Kaye Brown of Houston, are active members within their local chapter of the Human Purist Coalition. Although both Dale and Kaye have alibis for their locations during the length of which the women stayed on their property, they have both been arrested for unlawful confinement in the first degree. They were released on bond of $250,000.

  The women were rescued from their unlawful confinement by a collaboration between the Caelian Council and the Human Caelian Alliance. Since their release, many members of the Caelian council have outwardly spoken against the norm government.

  Representative Rodriguez of Texas has spoken against this outpouring of criticism, stating, “The leaders of the Caelian Council are inciting violence against the norm population of America. This cannot be tolerated. The actions of those responsible cannot be attributed to the general populace. Caelians like Miles Koenig are the reason the Talent Suppression Act and, hopefully, the Caelian Registration Act are necessary to have a functional society.”

  There has been no official quote from the Caelian Council at this time.

  Chapter 32

  When Kian let me know it was okay to open my eyes, I held them closed for a moment. I could hear shuffling of feet and knew that my friends were around me. How much do they know about what happened? Suddenly, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

  “Suck it up and open your eyes, Sadie.” At Madison’s sassy voice, my eyes wrenched open searching for her. She was standing next to my bed, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed on her chest. Other than the obvious weight loss and purple bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep, she looked almost normal.

  Sitting next to her on the bed was Rebecca. Her midnight blue skin had a healthy glow and she had grown out her hair a little on top, allowing her tightly wound curls to bounce freely. She had a metal prosthetic on, the same one she had been practicing on before I was captured. Holding her hand was Luca. His usual charming smirk was gone and replaced with a goofy grin as he watched Rebecca’s reaction to my presence.

  Across from them sat Emma and Joshua. I hadn’t seen them in such a long time that honestly I had forgotten that they had joined the Underground, but it looked as if they were doing
well. I felt my heart swell until my eyes landed on Lacy. Her arm was in a sling and a nasty bruise was on her left temple.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Broke my arm protecting my face from the swing of an empty rifle and this,” she brushed her temple. “was a parting gift from one of the guards outside your cell.”

  “You were there?”

  “We all were,” Rebecca answered. “Well, I was in the van coordinating because like hell were they going to leave me behind while my best friend was imprisoned.” Her eyes teared up.

  “Thank you.” The words came out as a whisper as I realized just how blessed I was to have such a tight knit group who cared deeply for each other.

  “We all know you would have done the same,” Lacy broke the silence, her voice cracking. Both of us were thinking about Michael.

  “Without question. You guys are my family.”

  Rebecca stood, heavily leaning on Luca, and took Madison’s hand. Madison reached out to Lacy and the three girls surrounded me in a tight hug. I could feel the girls’ Talents reaching out to me and Lacy’s unique norm energy buzzing, trying to connect with me on that primal level that made us sisters, but I didn’t trust my Talent enough to respond.

  Madison pulled back with her eyebrows raised.

  “I… um… a lot happened while I was… gone.” I felt myself stuttering as I struggled to explain what was happening to me.

  BANG.

  My entire body stiffened and a high-pitched scream ripped from my throat. Every cell in my body went into over-drive. Heart and lungs both were pumping at triple speed and I felt like a weight was pressing down on my chest. I am going to die.

  Kian pushed the girls out of the way and knelt in front of me. He cupped both cheeks between his palms and forced me to look directly at him. He was so close that his face took up my entire vision.

  “Sadie. It’s okay. Emma just knocked a book off your dresser. Look at me. Breathe. Breathe. Yes, that’s it.” I focused on him until my breath slowed and the pressure lifted from my chest. When he realized that I was okay, he kissed my nose and stood next to me, acting as if I hadn’t had the ultimate panic attack in front of our friends.