“All of them.” Chason snapped.
Abel ground his teeth and faced his boss, again. “Well, we’ll try, sir, but in this kind of mission…”
“If you kill Cross, the world ends.” Chason interrupted as if Abel’s IQ was hovering in the low single digits. “If the world ends we all die. And I’m not dying until I rip Parald’s heart out of his chest, the way my heart was ripped out of mine. So, don’t fucking kill any Phases!” It came out as a roar, echoing endlessly off the stone and metal of the fortress. Chason’s purple eyes glowed with the force of his power. “Do you understand?”
Lansing actually saluted. “Yes, sir.”
Abel’s teeth ground together. When he was God, Chason would pay for the way he spoke to him, but for now... “Yes, sir.” He ground out.
And waited.
And hated.
Chapter Fifteen
But there is another element, more important than all….
That element lies in the heart of humanity.
Calvin Coolidge “Inaugural Address”
“You should be nicer to Job.”
Cross actually jolted at the sound of Nia’s voice. They were almost to the police station, according to the payphone map, and those were the first words that she’d spoken since the memory exchange.
It seemed like one or the other of them had been silently thinking since they’d met.
Cross had been waiting for her disgust or anger or even pity. He wasn’t sure which of his memories she’d seen, but honestly most of them were the same: One big interchangeable ball of shit. He’d done nothing heroic, like rescue a queen from an angry mob. Or gentle, like read a child poems. Or selfless, like refuse to leave a dying man behind even in the face of imminent death. In short, his memories failed to live up to Nia’s righteous and pure life in every conceivable way.
“Job?” He repeated warily, not sure what else to say. It might have helped if he could see Nia’s expression, but he wasn’t looking at her. No way in hell. He didn’t want to see whatever was reflected in those turquoise eyes.
“Yes. Job, of the Earth House. Your uncle. He’s a wonderful man. He tries to reach out to you, but you always shut him down.”
Cross almost scoffed outright at that one. Job was perfect. So, perfect that his sense of duty wouldn’t let him just ignore Cross completely. But, the guy sure didn’t want to take him to ballgames or whatever uncles did. Job stared at Cross with those X-ray green eyes and saw nothing but the disappointing sludge at the bottom of his gene pool. “Job doesn’t like me.”
“You’re wrong. He loves you, desperately. How can you miss it?”
“Easy. It’s not there.”
“Well, can you think of a reason why Job didn’t mention me as a candidate for your Match?” Nia didn’t seem willing to drop it. “He knew that the Phase you felt after the world ended had to be strong. He even started mentioning the names of potential Elementals. Then, he stopped and talked about me for a long time. But, he never said, ‘Hey, I betcha Nia’s the girl you’re looking for!’”
“I’ve never heard Job say the word ‘betcha’ about anything.” Cross muttered. But, he still found himself frowning. Nia had a point. Job had discussed her endlessly and he knew Cross was desperate for his Match. In retrospect, it was like Job knew exactly who his nephew was looking for and he’d just never updated Cross.
“I’ve known Job for two hundred and fifty-four years.” Nia continued. “You’re the only one I’ve ever seen him be like that with. He’s so…open.”
“That’s Job being open?” Cross scoffed. “He never sits down. He stands there with his hands behind his back like a palace guard who can’t wait to get off duty and…”
“Did you ever ask him to sit down?” Nia interrupted.
“Ask him? And give him the satisfaction of knowing that it pisses me off? There’s a chair right there and he ignores it. He doesn’t want to get his clothes dirty with my furniture.”
Nia let out a long sigh. “Job will never sit unless he’s invited. It would be impolite. It would show disrespect.”
Cross did make a skeptical grunting sound that time. “Yeah, that’s why he does it. ‘Cause I’m a guy who he just knows gives a shit about etiquette.” Cross shook his head. “Let’s talk about something else. What did you see in my memories?”
“I told you. I saw you being very cold to Job.” She insisted. “Do you want to hear my theory on why he never told you that I was your Match?”
“He was probably trying to save you.” Cross muttered. “He likes you more than me. He probably wasn’t overjoyed that I’d be putting my hands on you.” Cross glanced down at his palms and swore he could still see the blood.
“Job knew that you’d refuse to listen.” Nia continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “That you might be stubborn enough to refuse to ever see me, just to spite him. So, he tried to soften you towards me with the stories about how super I am, instead. Subtly manipulating things. That’s Job.”
Cross was quiet for a long moment, digesting that theory. His mind went to all the times that Job had worked Nia into a conversation. “Fucking hell.”
Nia was right.
She had to be.
“You and Job are clearly incapable of running your family, so, I’m taking over as translator.” She snorted. “Honestly, Job doesn’t like you, my ass. He made sure that you found me, didn’t he?” Her voice turned teasing. “That’s love. I mean, have you met me?”
Cross shook his head in amazement. “Job knew how much I wanted you. Both yous. Nia and my Match. Maybe, he was trying… to give you to me.” Something inside Cross relaxed. Something that he hadn’t even known was tense. “Job always says that you’d be a gift to any man. Do you think that he was trying to give someone who he treasures so much… to me? Why would he do that?”
“If it were up to Job, he’d personally oversee everything, everybody does, everywhere in the universe. And when he cares about someone, he’s twice as obsessive. So yeah, he was setting you up, ‘cause he loves you.”
Cross blinked.
In his heart, he’d always wanted Job’s approval.
Vice and Ross had both sucked as fathers, and Senti’s mothering skills weren’t exactly going to inspire any cute family sitcoms. Job was the closest Cross had ever come to having a parent. A role model. Aside from Nia, Job was the only person whose opinion even registered with Cross.
The revelation that Job saw him as more than just an obligation or an embarrassment made Cross feel… good.
“Ever since the Fall, Job has been hovering over me.” Nia informed him as if she didn’t notice that Cross was staring up at the flat clouds in the sky and swallowing hard. “Even more so than before. Telling me not to do anything dangerous, not look for the Quintessence, not to go anywhere without Uriel… Now, I know why. It’s not because I’m supporting so much of the Water House and he’s afraid I’ll doom the universe if I die. He was being more overprotective than usual, because he knew that I was yours. Your Match.”
Cross scowled. “Wait, he told you to stick close to Uriel?” His growing, warm and fuzzy feelings towards Job took a nose dive. Cross didn’t want Uriel near Nia. He didn’t want any unattached man near Nia. In fact, some tiny part of him now knew why Vice had executed his father. He still hated the bastard, but Cross understood the violent possessiveness that must have consumed him. If Nia found another Match, Cross would go insane. Or insane-er, anyway. The man would die. End of story.
“Job told Uriel to keep the Water House safe. Uriel is incredibly devoted to his duty, so Job knew he wouldn’t let anyone get within five feet of me, Thar or Ty. Do you know how many men have come near me since the Fall?” Nia was on a roll now, full of indignation on Job’s behalf. She didn’t wait for Cross’ guess. “Zero. Not to sound conceited, but I’m a real good catch, too. I mean, sure a lot of people hate the Water House, but not one single person suggested that we try to Phaze. Why, you ask?” Again, no pause for Cross to answer. “I�
�ll tell you why. Because, your uncle, who you are always so mean to, was keeping me just for you and...”
Cross cut her off. “I’ll tell Job to sit down anywhere he wants, the next time I see him.” He agreed. Anyone who kept other Phases away from Nia could have every chair in the house if he felt like dragging them away.
“Thank you.” Nia had her elbow hooked around his arm and she leaned in to give him a squeeze. “See, how easily we can work things out if you just communicate?”
“You mean how easily I’ll cave in when you start lecturing me, right? Job warned me that you were bossy.” Cross’ mouth twitched upward as she wacked his shoulder with her free hand.
Nia chuckled and then was quiet for a moment. “Seriously, Cross. About the memories… Do you really want me to tell you everything I saw and then tell me everything you saw? Or do you want to just accept that we know basically everything there is to know about our pasts and we still want to be with each other anyway?”
Cross finally met Nia’s gaze. He stared at her for a long time, seeing nothing but endless blue perfection in her eyes. She wasn’t going to leave him. She wasn’t going to renounce him for his past.
She was a miracle.
“Every rotten thing that’s ever happened to me… I wouldn’t change any of it, Nia. I wouldn’t change anything, because I ended up here you. So, it was all worth it.” He glanced away, again, feeling awkward. “And yeah, that’s all I wanna say about it, right now.”
“Thank you.” Nia blinked rapidly and then she cleared her throat. “Well, I would change some things about my past.” She decided, obviously going for a lighter tone. “For instance, my ninety-third birthday dress was a nightmare. What was I thinking? And I always wanted to go skydiving, but I’ve never actually done it, which is disappointing.”
Cross shuddered at the very idea. “I wouldn’t change that.” He decided, firmly. “Please don’t ever change that.”
They reached the police station and Cross opened the door so Nia could enter first. The interior was institutional chic, beige-on-beige, accessorized with empty coffee cups and stacks of files. Cross looked around, suspiciously. It felt like someone used a lot of power here, recently. He looked down at Nia and saw she was frowning, too.
“Job?” He guessed, quietly. That amount of energy limited the suspects.
“Or Gion.” Nia ran a hand through her hair. “Damn it. How does he always track Ty so fast?” She headed across the room towards the lone person in the police station. The guy was big for a human, with a vicious scar on his face that looked like four, concentric semi-circles. In fact, it reminded Cross of the burner of a stove. The guy’s deep brown eyes came up as they entered the station and latched on Nia.
Cross felt a snarl rising up inside of him as the human’s gaze slid over her curves body. It was so fast that Nia didn’t even noticed, but Cross sure as hell did. Nia was still glowing from their almost Phazing against the building. Her hair and skin just begged to be touched. And if the cop even thought too hard about doing it, Cross would lop off his arms at the shoulder.
Cross moved so he was right behind Nia, placing a proprietary hand on her waist and pulling her closer to his side. He watched the cop, silently.
The cop got the message, because he gave his head a small shake and when he looked at Nia again, none of his momentary desire was visible. “Can I help you?” He asked as if he really wasn’t looking forward to trying.
“Yes, we’re here to ransom my cousin, my brother and our friend.” Nia smiled a brilliantly fake smile. “Can you please get them, if they haven’t escaped?”
“Ransom?” The human turned his head slightly, so his wounded cheek wasn’t as noticeable. Cross was actually relieved that he did that, because he didn’t want Nia to get interested in the scar. Elemental woman always liked warrior marks. “You mean bail?”
“Yes, bail. I’m sorry. I don’t usually mix-up words like that.” Nia was nervous, her eyes shifting around looking for Air Phases. “Um, did you happen to see a very tall man with a yellow stripe in his hair around here? His name is Gion. He’d probably be wearing black clothes and be really insolent to everyone.”
“Yeah, I sent Johnny Cash packing a little while ago. He’s gone.”
“Really?” Nia sagged in relief. “Thank Gaia. Um, I’d like collect my family before he returns, then. Their names are Ty and Tharsis Waterhouse and…”
“Yeah, I know who you want. They’re in the back.” The cop looked straight at Nia’s turquoise blue highlight.
Cross had never really thought of it as intimate before. The streak was right there on every Phase. But, knowing how it was just a little more sensitive than the rest of her hair, and how Nia made that seductive whimpering sound when he curled his fingers around it, made it special. Cross didn’t like the human staring at the highlight like he’d love to see how it felt against his own skin.
Cross moved his hand so his thumb just brushed her turquoise temple. The territorial display was probably insulting to Nia. She wouldn’t be with the human. Cross knew how much she wanted their Phase-Match. He’d seen her loyalty and determination in her memories. She wanted to Phaze with him for some reason that even Cross didn’t understand. But, this wasn’t about how much he trusted Nia. Because, he did trust her. With his life. It was about Cross wanting the cop to understand that she was his Match. That Cross had the right to stroke Nia and that the human did not, so he’d better not fucking try.
The human cleared his throat, tearing his eyes from Nia’s hair. “Right, well, the thing is, Miss Waterhouse… I mean,” He glanced at Cross. “Are you her husband?”
“Yes.” Cross intoned.
“No.” Nia, said at exactly the same time.
The cop’s eyebrows soared at the different voting outcomes.
“What the hell do you mean ‘no’?!” Cross glowered down at Nia, furious that she’d try to deny his claim in front of the human. “What is a Match if not their equivalent of husband?! Huh?”
“You won’t Phaze with me.” She reminded him, pointedly. “Without Phazing, we can’t consummate anything. That means we aren’t really married in their culture. Correct, officer?”
“Absolutely. If you’re talking about…Uh… Well, I mean, there’s annulments and everything for that.” The cop nodded, seemingly fascinated with this conversational tangent. “And you can call me Sullivan.”
Cross all but bared his teeth at the man. He grabbed Nia by the arm and tugged her away from Sullivan’s desk. “Nia.” He lowered his voice and switched to Elemental. “We can’t Phaze, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t married. We’re more than married. Humans don’t even come close to Phazing. Why are you saying this?”
“I’m trying to get your attention! You won’t even consider that I could be right about Matches always being capable of supporting each other’s energy. Instead…”
The door to the police station opened again and Uriel strolled in, interrupting Nia. Standing next to him was the blonde cop from the hospital and it would’ve taken the stupidest Phase in the universe to miss the fact that he’d Phazed with her.
The woman beamed like she’d single handedly discovered the cure for the Fall and gazed up at Uriel like he was it. There was a flowing energy around them, as their powers sustained each other and grew into something new. It was always like that with Matches who Phazed. Their separate energies created a bigger, more stable whole. To this day, Cross had no idea how his parents had hidden their connection from Vice. It should have been obvious to everyone, in fact. It just went to show what a weak connection they’d had. For the first time, he almost felt sorry for them. They’d never found what he had with Nia.
Even if he was screwing it up.
Cross glanced down at Nia, taking in her surprise and longing as she stared at Uriel and the woman. He was disappointing his Match. Depriving her of something that every Phase should experience. Cross wanted Nia more than he’d thought it possible to want anything. All the times h
e’d been hungry and thirsty and cold, meant nothing compared to his desire for her. But he couldn’t be as selfish as his mother had been. Couldn’t think only of himself instead of his Match. The Shadows could hurt Nia, no matter how strong she was and how much she wanted to fight.
Unfortunately, by denying her the full Phazing, Cross was hurting her, anyway.
Shit.
“Mel, what the hell are you doing holding hands with your prisoner?” Sullivan demanded, and it occurred to Cross that something strange was going on here. He’d been thinking of Nia and he’d missed the very obvious “wait a minute” part of Uriel’s Phazing.
His woman was human.
At least she seemed human. It was impossible. Phases didn’t Match with humans.
“Is she human?” Cross demanded before he thought better of it.
“Mostly.” Uriel squeezed his Match’s hand and grinned. “She is Melanie.” He apparently thought that said it all. “Melanie, this is Nia and Cross. Don’t get too close to Cross. He’s a little bit wrong.”
“He is not!” Nia yelped with a gratifying amount of irritation.
“Hey, guys.” Melanie held up her free palm in an absent wave as she focused on her cousin. “Sully, now I can explain this.” She nodded, earnestly. “Uriel isn’t really a drug addict or a crook. He’s a solider.”
Sullivan didn’t look impressed with the distinction. His eyes flicked to the sword that Uriel had strapped to his back. “A solider who was -what? Protecting the hospital from dragons? Damn it, Mel, you gave him back that blade? Who is this World of Warcraft guy? Do you even know?”
“I am her Match.” Uriel announced. “And custom dictates that you and I speak, Sullivan. As a fellow warrior, I know that you are concerned about your cousin. And, perhaps, you are feeling like I will take her away from you, somehow. But, Melanie and I have Phazed now…”
“Oh, God!” Sullivan groaned. He looked over at Nia. “Tell me I was wrong about what that Phazing thing meant. Please?”
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