Cindy smoothed her blouse over her red pleather skirt, scowling. I had that effect on people. In fact, I felt the urge now to point out to the poor thing that plastic leather died with the ’80s. Glancing down, I bit my tongue. I didn’t have any room to talk in my mud-splattered jeans and torn green hoodie.
“I need you to tell me what happened after you got to the cabin.”
I stared around the office, remembering how stupid I thought it was when Delmari made me practice escaping. Who knew I’d ever be grateful for those middle of the night interruptions. “I grabbed the cash he hid, jumped into the car and followed the GPS he programmed for me, to here.”
“He prepared you well.”
“Duh, it’s Delmari. He plans for everything. He built the cabin not far from our house and left everything I’d need there in case of an emergency.”
“How lucky we are he did.” I didn’t miss her condescending tone as she brushed her hand over her black eye. She cleared her throat and scribbled notes in her binder.
I craned my neck to see what she wrote about me. Probably nothing good. She snapped the binder closed and narrowed her eyes. “Now—”
The door swung open. Thank goodness.
I put my feet down and reached for my bag. Finally. My hand stopped midair. I blinked. A man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, stepped inside the room and closed the door. Standing in front of it, he held his hands behind his back and stared at the wall across the room.
Black slacks and button-up shirt. All muscle: A Kember. A hot Kember. Maybe Ian sent him to make sure I hadn’t rendered Cindy unconscious. Whatever the reason, it was fine with me. My eyes wandered over his shirt, which he left untucked, concealing his weapons. His dark, shaggy hair held a slight wave and curled around his ears, almost covering them entirely.
I’m a Drea. I’m a Drea. I’m a Drea. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. Did I really need to remind myself how messed up being attracted to a Kember was? No. I didn’t. I risked another glance at the dark-haired hottie and cursed myself under my breath.
“Are you my relief?” Cindy asked.
“No.”
I think I sighed louder than she did.
Why was she here again? Norms didn’t know about us—not usually, anyway. She probably slept with one of the Authorities to get the job. What else explained it? After about ten minutes of listening to Cindy gripe and tap her pen against the folder, the door opened again. This time, Ian walked through.
“About freakin’ time,” I muttered.
He whispered something to the Kember and then proceeded over to where Cindy and I sat.
I looked at the door for Delmari, but the Kember closed it before I could see into the hall. This wasn’t the time for Delmari to go all social on me. Hadn’t I been here long enough? Putting my feet down, I stood, hands on my hips. “Where’s Del?”
Ian pointed at the couch.
Never a good sign. My stomach tightened. “I-I’d rather stand.”
He settled into the chair across from me. Leaning forward, he stared at me for several seconds without saying a word. “There’s no easy way for me to tell you this, Taylee…”
Immediately, my suspicions snapped into place. I’d punched his receptionist. What was with the gentle, rabid-animal approach? Shouldn’t I be getting reamed? The fact I wasn’t made my heart hammer. “What do you mean?”
“Our officials in your district discovered his...” He swallowed. “His body about forty minutes ago.” Ian’s gaze dropped to his hands, and he took a deep breath. “He’s gone. I’m sorry.”
Gone? Delmari?
I laughed. No one could kill a god.
“Look, I’m sorry for punching your Norm over there.” I motioned to Cindy. “I’ve learned my lesson. Fists away.” I shoved my hands into the pouch of my hoodie and took a step toward the door. “Catch you guys later.”
“Taylee. Sit.” Ian pointed to a chair. “This is no time for jokes. Delmari’s gone, and I need you to focus.”
I stared at Ian. My smirk gradually fell. The normally stern, authoritative glimmer in his eyes disappeared. Now there was only pain and…pity. I kept waiting for a wink or the long lesson on self-control he had down pat.
When none of them came, I collapsed onto the chair.
Chapter 3
I just stared. He couldn’t be…A heavy feeling hit my core, cutting off my ability to breathe. “Wh-What?”
“I’m sorry, Taylee,” Ian whispered. “Truly, I am. I know you two were close.”
A throbbing pain filled my chest. No—impossible. My head refused to process such a ludicrous concept. He couldn’t be gone. Not Delmari.
Images streamed through my mind—his smile, his laugh, the sound of his voice...My life couldn’t go on without them. If he was dead, I should be, too. I needed him. I didn’t have anyone else. Determined not to lose control in front of Ian and the redheaded bitch, I silently inhaled.
When I opened my mouth to ask another question, Ian interrupted. “We have a couple options. There are some wonderful Drea families who will take you…”
This had to be a dream. This couldn’t be happening—not to me. I shook my head, a sob building in my throat. “D-Drea families? Like a foster home?”
“It’ll only be a few months—until you’re eighteen.”
I got to my feet and jerked my bag off the floor, breathing hard. “No. I-I’m going home.” Delmari would be there. He had to be.
“All that’s left is ash and cement.” He reached for my bag and, with a fast, gentle tug, took it from me. “I won’t place you with a family against your will. Heaven knows you’d be halfway across the U.S. by nightfall, but I can’t let you wander alone, either.” He motioned to the Kember guarding the door. “Taylee Pierce, this is, Aiden Oltman. He’ll be your new Kember and legal guardian.”
Aiden stepped forward, towering over me. He folded his arms across his chest and gave me a curt nod.
No. No. No.
They weren’t going to replace Delmari. They couldn’t. No one could protect me like he could. The sting in my eyes and the pain in my chest swelled into rage. Maybe I overestimated Ian all these years. He was an idiot. “You think I’m gonna go with him? I-I don’t need a new Kember!”
“I know it’s fast.” Ian held my gaze, like it was supposed to reassure me. “You can’t go unprotected. Aiden’s best-suited for your situation.” He turned away, obviously thinking I’d go quietly and addressed Aiden. “Oakridge, Oregon will accommodate you both. I want you to steer clear of the Boise area—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I sat, crossing one of my legs over the other. “Not until Delmari comes.”
Ian ignored me. “No school and no contact with people in Meridian. Not until the culprit’s caught.”
I jumped from the couch and shoved a vase of flowers off the table. It hit the wall and shattered in a million pieces.
Cindy jumped, letting out a horrified gasp.
“Are you deaf? I’m not leaving.”
Ian spoke, his voice calm. “You’ll do what you’ve been instructed.”
“I don’t want—”
“At this point, what you want isn’t practical. Delmari’s not coming back.” He pointed a finger in my direction. “You will do exactly what Aiden tells you, and you’ll do it without causing problems. Do you understand?”
My whole body quivered as I fought back all the inappropriate names I wanted to hurl at him. “I should’ve let him take me, too.”
Aiden’s and Ian’s gazes never wavered from my direction. I kept a straight face, hopefully hiding how much they intimidated me. My comment was completely uncalled for. Even I knew it.
Cindy shook her head, her mouth hanging open. She jotted notes in her binder. Lucky for her, two Kembers were here to keep me from shoving the paper down her throat.
“Delmari died protecting you. That should tell you how important you are. Can you imagine if a Rygon depleted your energy and stole yo
ur gift?”
“I’d be dead. Not much to imagine.”
“Yes, and they’d be wreaking more havoc than they already are. Your gift is rare and powerful. They could do anything they wanted if they had it. I don’t need to remind you in the last few months they’ve been extremely interested in you.”
“Maybe before you start making assumptions, you should read what your little chick,”— I motioned to Cindy—“wrote about the attack.”
Ian leaned back in his chair, giving me his full attention.
“It wasn’t a Rygon. Whatever this guy was, he was pyrokinetic. That’s a physical ability.” My satisfaction rose as the color drained from their faces.
Aiden spoke, his voice hard. “Impossible. Rygons can’t have physical abilities, and a Kember wouldn’t do that.”
I gritted my teeth. “Well, guess what? This Kember did.”
They glanced at each other. Ian turned toward me. “You’re certain this man wasn’t a Rygon?”
“Unless Rygons are somehow getting spider-vein treatment, I’m pretty freakin’ positive.” The black energy marks webbed across their faces made them impossible to miss. Like food and water, Rygons needed energy to survive—hence their creepy marks. They collected it from everyone and everything, even by merely walking past them. To actually drain someone, they had to touch them.
“You’re sure this man controlled the fire?” Ian asked.
“Yes. The trees looked like giant tiki torches and fire exploded from his palms.” The way he disappeared and reappeared, flashed in my mind. I lowered my voice, becoming serious. “There’s something else. One minute the Kember was standing across the flames and the next, he appeared and slammed Delmari to the ground. He came out of nowhere.”
Ian shook his head. “I’m sure it was the fire. It can make you see things.” His attention shifted to Cindy and like that, he dropped the issue. “Inform Authority Collins and Authority Dansk immediately. Get them a list of every Kember who is pyrokinetic.” He paced the room, hands folded behind his back. “I want every one of them in here and interviewed personally.”
She nodded and rushed out of the room.
“You don’t understand.” I flung my arms. “No Kember could take Delmari. Hell, an army of Rygons couldn’t. There was something different about this guy, and I wasn’t seeing things.”
Ian stopped pacing. “You know Kembers don’t have both abilities. It’s impossible. Sometimes, when we lose the people closest to us, our mind generates events or occurrences to help us cope.”
“No, that’s not it.” I gripped my long thick hair at the scalp. “Quit acting like I’m crazy. I know what I saw, and only someone like that could—”
“Delmari was an excellent Kember, but by no means was he invincible.” He turned to Aiden. “Maybe this Kember held a grudge against him.”
“Possibly.” Aiden adjusted his footing and leaned against the wall. “There’s no other explanation.”
Another Kember—or whatever the hell he was—attacked Delmari and they were acting casual about it. The only thing worse than a Kember killing another Kember was one who took the life of a Drea. This was ridiculous. “That makes it better?” I spat.
Ian shook his head. “No. There’s no excuse for his actions. I promise we’ll find him, and he’ll be punished accordingly.”
“So you’ll choke him and light him on fire?”
“No.” Ian looked me evenly in the eyes. “He’ll be brought to justice.”
Justice? That wasn’t good enough for me. This so-called Kember deserved the worst.
“Can you think of any Kember Delmari didn’t get along with?”
Stupid question, but a good way to distract my anger. “No one hated him. You know that.”
“You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Aiden stepped away from the wall, raking his hand through his hair. “Obviously, someone had a problem with him.”
Ian sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “No matter. We’ll find out who did this.” He motioned to my new protector. “Aiden‘s perfect for your circumstances. I’m confident you’ll be safe.”
He directed his gaze at Aiden, who nodded in confirmation.
“Safe?” My voice sounded so cold I barely recognized it. “What makes you think this idiot,” I gestured my hand toward Aiden, “can do half as good a job as Delmari?”
“You’re out of line.” Ian stepped forward and crouched down until we stared face to face. Aside from his eyes, his features remained stoic. They burned into me.
Did he plan on kicking my ass or lecturing me?
“I understand you’re upset. None of us are happy about this.” He motioned between Aiden and himself. “That’s no reason to act disrespectful. Do you hear me?”
I stared back. “Delmari is the best part of my life, so don’t sit there and act like you ‘understand’ anything.” Images of me as a child curled up on Delmari’s lap flashed through my mind. When I woke up scared, he was the one sleeping across the hall. Every skill, everything I had was because of him.
Ian inhaled and stood, addressing Aiden. “I’ll be in touch. Cindy will have Taylee’s file ready for you.” He turned to me one last time with severe eyes. “Be good.”
I scoffed.
Aiden simply nodded, and Ian walked out after holding my gaze a second longer. We were left in the little office alone. I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping I’d wake up from this nightmare. Nope. Maybe Delmari would burst through the doors and prove everyone wrong if I sat here for a while longer. Please, Del.
Aiden glanced at my small bag. “Is that it?”
“Disappointed?” I looked at him without blinking, wishing he’d disappear. He didn’t. This was, by far, the most horrible moment in my life, and sharing it with him made it that much worse.
He grabbed my backpack off the couch and said, “Let’s go.”
Chapter 4
How could the world still function? Cars were moving. People interacted. At least the damned sun had the decency to keep its light behind the dark, menacing clouds. It seemed everything should be at a standstill—or maybe because that’s how I felt: frozen.
Against my will, life continued to move forward. For the first time ever, the situation couldn’t be altered by mind control or lies. I was falling. Fast. No amount of cussing or punching could fight against the rushing air. There was nothing to grab hold of to slow my descent. Was I really diving head first toward a life without Delmari?
I honestly didn’t know, or maybe I just didn’t want to.
I had nowhere else to go; I followed Aiden out of the Authority building and into the parking lot. I pulled my hood up, shoved my hands in the pouch of my hoodie and stomped through puddles of water, soaking the bottoms of my jeans.
Maybe they screwed up and found someone else’s body. Delmari could be on his way to get me right now. He’d show up at the Authority building, find out where I was and then get me the heck out of here. Everything would be fine. No need to panic.
Aiden stopped in front of a sleek Nissan Titan. The big black truck had about a three inch lift and tinted windows. Any other day, I would’ve been the first person to jump inside, saying how it was the sweetest truck known to mankind. Not today.
I jerked the door open and climbed in. I slumped down in the seat and crossed my arms, casting my glare out the passenger window. Once we pulled onto the highway, the truck gained speed until everything blurred and stretched by in a haze of color.
He’s not dead. Just delayed. He’s on his way. My eyes burned, and my head hurt from trying not to cry. I’d always been good at blocking out the unpleasant—sometimes too good. This time the nagging voice that whispered nothing will ever be okay again wouldn’t shut up.
I patted the pocket of my jeans, where I usually stashed my iPod, quickly remembering how I shoved it under my pillow. I swore and swallowed back the lump in my throat. Of all days to leave it. Desperate to distract myself, I opened the
jockey box looking for some sort of magazine—anything to divert my thoughts. Nothing. Unless I wanted to learn about the vehicle’s inner workings. I slammed the compartment closed. No thanks.
Aiden shot me a sidelong glance but said nothing.
Shocker. He hadn’t spoken a single word since we left. Not that I expected him to have an actual personality. Most Kembers didn’t. His rigid posture and deadpan expression were typical and worn by ninety percent of Kembers guarding across the world. For all I cared, he could keep staring straight ahead, tapping his freakin’ fingers on the wheel.
We continued our ride in silence, and every minute passed seemed like an eternity spent in purgatory.
Aiden cleared his throat and hesitated a moment. “Delmari was a highly regarded Kember…He’ll be missed.”
I snorted, wondering if he’d been thinking of that line the entire time or just wanted to start a conversation. Although, he didn’t seem verbose, by any means. I ignored him and continued to stare vacantly out the window.
“Did you really try to fight that Kember?”
Maybe I heard wrong. He sounded the teeniest bit impressed.
I cringed, feeling the hole in my stomach burrow deeper and deeper, but I didn’t have the control to ignore that question. “You expected me to stand by and watch?”
“No…I expected you to run like any other Drea.”
I turned and looked at him steadily. “That’s because ninety percent of Dreas are pathetic. At least if you die, you go with some dignity.”
Any Drea who willingly let a Rygon kill them, by taking their energy away, got labeled mental. Aside from murdering someone, it stood as the worst offense a Drea could commit. I had a feeling being slaughtered by a psycho Kember wouldn’t be much better. Most Dreas avoided confrontation. The cowards spent their time so freaked out they locked themselves in their houses. Not me. I had a life to live.
“I agree.” His gaze slid over me in all my haggardness. “Only you’re no match for a Kember. No Drea is. You could’ve been killed.”
Dreas could learn to fight if given the chance, but all that seemed stupid now. I didn’t even care anymore. Hell, I’d let Aiden off me if he volunteered. Maybe by the end of the day, he would.
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