He smiled, tightly, almost threateningly. You look like her, you know.
Who? That girl?
Your mother. I didn’t miss the subject change. Only you act nothing like her. She was kind and loving—
You didn’t know her, I growled.
He pursed his lips. I guess you’ll never know. He stepped back toward me, and I stiffened.
Placing both hands on my shoulders, he closed his eyes. A small, chilling sneer formed on his lips.
My bare skin stung from the warmth of his palms. A pins and needles sensation shot through my body. Coldness spread like fire to my arms, fingers then torso. Instantly, he released me, eyes bright, but the numbing chill continued to travel until it consumed me.
My eyes stung; my lips were frozen.
Shouldn’t be long now.
Who are you? My voice shook.
The door crashed open, and everything happened at once. I flew into Aiden, who staggered back against the wall. The fire extinguished, the man disappeared and the lights flickered on.
I buried my face in Aiden’s collar, trying to regain the wind that’d been knocked out of me. My arms slung around his neck and my knuckles ached from the death grip they held on his shirt.
Breathing hard, Aiden pulled me back, but still kept my legs secured around his midsection. With two long, careful fingers, he tilted my chin up and assessed me. “Are you all right?”
I’d been paralyzed and practically felt up by some murdering psycho. I shook my head and rested back on his shoulder, my entire body shaking. “Golden.”
Aiden leaned his back against the wall. His heart, in rhythm with mine, hammered against my chest.
Inhaling deeply, the soothing scents of laundry detergent and cologne wafting through my nose, I attempted to slow my breathing. I closed my eyes and gradually relaxed my clenching fingers. Everything was okay.
“Was that him?” he whispered. It felt like his mouth was in my hair.
“You saw him? H-he—”
“Shh. Not here.” Guardedly, Aiden rubbed my back. The other arm that’d been securing me to him earlier had dropped and lightly pushed against my hip, signaling me to get down. “We should…leave.”
Jerking back, I realized not only that my legs were around his waist in the women’s bathroom, but I was clinging to him. Even worse—no, totally and completely disturbing—there was some kind of unhealthy, messed up part of me that actually felt warm and safe and…Oh man!
I released him and jumped down faster than humanly possible. My head swam, as I straightened my shirt and pushed my hair from my face.
He cleared his throat and scratched the stubble on his chin.
“I, um…Skyler he likes—he doesn’t…I forgot you weren’t…” I stopped before I made a bigger fool of myself and left the bathroom, like a bat escaping hell.
Or entering hell. I stopped abruptly outside the door, sucking in a jagged breath. Staggering back, I bumped into Aiden.
Two men: glowing blue eyes with black energy veins surrounding them. Rygons.
Each had an arm slung around a girl. Normal, human girls. Both Rygons, as though I yelled, “Hey over here,” turned and met my gaze. In sync, they pulled their arms away from their energy suppliers and straightened their stance against the railing. They acted like they just set eyes on the most beautiful girl they’d ever seen.
Or a walking energy bong.
Aiden pushed me forward, but I pressed back against him, whispering, “Um, excuse me, Captain, there are Rygons blocking our exit.”
“They’ve been here all night.” He spoke in my ear.
“B-but—”
“Trust me.” He pushed me forward again. “Walk.”
I hesitated a moment but decided I’d better find out now if he’d offer me to Rygons.
Both monsters eyed me up and down as I walked past the black tents and toward the stairs they blocked. The drunk girls looked pale and slightly sick. As they should. Rygon or not, no amount of alcohol or drugs could make me loopy enough to lay a hand on one of them.
The Rygons’ eerie eyes seemed to brighten the closer I got.
Aiden stiffened beside me. Silently, I hoped his fighting technique was as good as his tolerance. Hands shaking, heart jumping, I took another step forward, partially hiding behind him.
Aiden seemed to stand even taller, as he confronted the bald Rygon blocking the stairs. “Move.” He didn’t threaten to rip off the Rygon’s head, but the message came across loud and clear in his tone.
The Rygon, black energy veins covering his entire face, dipped his head down. A devious smile played across his lips as he stepped to the left. “Yes, sir.”
The other Rygon, off to the side, measured Aiden. His tattoo-like marks barely extended toward his ears. He wasn’t near as strong as his crony, but the two-against-one odds must’ve brought on his cocky grin.
Aiden reached back and pulled me in front of him. I descended the stairs, legs shaking. I concentrated on one step at a time, struggling to keep my eyes forward. Aiden would know if they came after us…right?
Again, music blared, blocking out everything else. The sea of people seemed oblivious to the threat around them. I pitied them and envied them all at the same time.
I walked as fast as I could through the crowd, hoping Aiden still followed. Adrenaline pumped through me with every breath. I fought my legs to keep them from sprinting and knocking over everyone in my path. My gaze swept the dance floor, like a paranoid freak, but I was too short to see over the majority of people.
Finally, through a break in the crowd, the club exit came into view.
Shoving through the doors, practically gasping, someone called, “Watch it!”
Cold, salty air whipped around me. Rounding the corner of the building, I leaned against it, my chest rising and falling almost as fast as my heart rate. Passersby gave me dirty looks and purposely stepped off the sidewalk, keeping their distance.
“If you can, we need to keep going.” Aiden’s gaze flitted around the throng of people; his body pivoted to block me from anyone who might pose a threat.
I nodded, peering off in the distance toward our truck. Pitch black. “Can you see in the dark?”
“Yes, but so can Rygons.”
“Comforting.” I pushed off the bricks and crossed the street. “They’re following us, aren’t they?”
“I’m not sure.” His fingers brushed mine as we walked.
My mind raced back to earlier, remembering how warm his skin was. Those were some gentle, strong hands.
I shook my head and swore under my breath.
The crowd thinned as we reached the last of the streaming lights. The farther we got, the more the lights dimmed and the music faded. Damn Aiden for parking so far.
Beside me, he tensed, peering into the night ahead. The glint in his eyes made him look aware, maybe even slightly dangerous. Rygons were a force not even the badasses messed with unless they had to. He nodded his head toward the shadows and quickened his pace to a jog. “Can you…?”
I sprinted. Hell, if we were going to pick up the pace, we might as well run.
Chapter 14
Standing beside the motel-room window, Aiden gingerly pulled at a corner of the seashell-decorated curtain and peeked outside.
No Rygons followed us. Or so it appeared. My body relaxed a bit, thinking the Guard members Aiden saw at the club might’ve stopped them. Could’ve been Aiden, as well. Maybe he intimidated them. I grabbed my bag off the desk and headed toward the bathroom.
“Taylee, wait…”
I bit the inside of my cheek, stopped and reluctantly turned. Aiden didn’t forget about the restroom incident like I hoped. His serious, deep eyes were evident of that.
He stepped away from the window. With two fingers, he motioned me toward him and settled in the blue chair across from the bed.
I fiddled with the zipper on my bag. “Look, I really…” Don’t want to talk about it. It’s not like I found out anything.
No, the Kember held me against my will and said cryptic things. Nothing important. I sighed and dropped onto the end of the mattress. Might as well get it over with.
He leaned forward; a chunk of dark hair fell in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have let you go in there alone…I’m sorry.”
I blinked in surprise. “You didn’t know the creepster was in there.”
Aiden ran a hand through the wavy strands on his head and pursed his lips.
There went my public bathroom privileges. “It’s no big deal.” I spread my arms, trying to make him feel better. “I’m still alive and kickin’.”
His eyes swept me, but it didn’t lighten the gravity of his expression.
“You said you saw him.” I tried to divert his thoughts. “Do you know him?” Hope rose in my chest. Members of the Guard were defined and recognized by their mad skills. They knew everyone worth knowing.
He exhaled slowly and dropped back in his seat. “I’ve never seen him before tonight.”
My shoulders sank. “I—I tried to ask who he was but…” You barged in.
“He wouldn’t have told you.”
“Probably not.” I pulled at a string attached to the comforter. “I may’ve found out something.”
Straightening in his chair, Aiden’s gaze never left mine.
“He has, like, a thousand abilities.” I shook my head, hoping I didn’t look as scared as I felt. “He had me levitating. He communicated with me telepathically and screwed with my vocal cords so I couldn’t talk; I could barely breathe.”
Aiden’s brow furrowed. “Telepathy’s a Drea’s gift. No one—Drea, Kember or Rygon—can have both physical and mental abilities. The mixture’s…”
“Impossible, right? Either there’s something we’re missing or the Devil’s on vacation from hell.”
“Everything you told Ian: the fire, the disappearing…it’s all true.” He still seemed unable to wrap his mind around the concept of both abilities.
“See. I’m not crazy.”
He nodded, slowly. “I know.”
Everything we were both taught had been challenged and proved wrong by this discovery. He’d need a moment to process it, I knew that.
“You’re sure it’s the same guy?”
“Positive. I even asked about the girl—the one in the forest. He knew who I meant, but he wouldn’t answer.”
He stared across the room. “I’ll call Ian in the morning. See what he knows. This is way beyond my knowledge.” He got up and paced the room a couple times. “Anything else happen?”
I hesitated, not wanting to bring up the man’s words regarding me or my parents—it wasn’t true. So, why waste his time? The weird sensation I got when he touched me had to have been one of his abilities. No big deal, either. “Not really. I only had a few minutes.”
“It seemed a lot longer than that.” He frowned.
Yeah, tell me about it. I unzipped my bag and grabbed my tank top and shorts. “What about you? Hear anything worthwhile?”
He nodded and leaned back against the door. “Sable Gage has quite the reputation in Portland. A few of the Rygons talked about him, but…the way they referred to him. The things they said…he has to be a Rygon.”
“Well, keep in mind the Kember has a bazillion abilities, too.”
“That’s the thing…They didn’t mention anything about him being a Kember or having any physical gifts. It was all mental abilities and seeking energy.”
“Guess we’ll wait and see what info Mountain Man dug up, huh?” I tried to smile.
“I don’t know how much more Herman could tell us.”
“Yeah me either, but hey, people can surprise you.” I stood and walked to the bathroom.
“Taylee.”
I stopped in the doorway and leaned back, smirking. “Captain?”
“Leave the door partially open.” He paused. “Please.”
“Don’t be paranoid.” I rolled my eyes, wishing I felt as confident as I acted, and closed it, making it shut extra loud.
Once inside, I leaned against the door and covered my face with both hands. . An unsettling feeling danced in my mind, something that wouldn’t let me feel peace. Which seemed stupid. I was safe and Aiden acted as eerie as ever.
Twisting my hair in a loose knot at the back of my neck, I brushed my teeth. Once finished, I untied my halter top strings and let the shirt drop to the floor. One hand reached for the tank top on the counter, while the other adjusted my black strapless bra.
My hand stopped midair as I glanced in the mirror. I blinked. A long, slightly curvy black line ran along the inside of my left hip bone, like I’d gotten carried away with a marker or something. Except, I didn’t sit around sketching in my underwear, despite what guys liked to think. I hadn’t even used a marker on a drawing since I was, like, two.
I unbuttoned my jeans. The straw sized line began right above the thin strap on my underwear and continued up until my hip bone began to arc. I licked my finger and rubbed it. Nothing washed away.
My heart accelerated, and I wiped harder. Didn’t even smudge. “What the—?” I said under my breath.
I stared in disbelief for a few moments then put both palms on the countertop and looked down into the sink. My chest heaved. A sick feeling stirred in my body. I squeezed my eyes closed and felt around for a washrag.
“Everything okay?” Aiden asked from outside the door.
When my fingers brushed the soft material, I turned the faucet on and submersed the rag in cold water. “Yup.” My voice wavered.
The washrag dripped all over, drenching my pants, as my shaky hands scrubbed the discolored skin vigorously. Come on. Come on. It wasn’t coming off—not even fading.
The door creaked, and Aiden poked his head cautiously around the corner. His jaw dropped, and he shoved it the rest of the way open, handle hitting the wall. Snatching the blood-tinted washrag from my hand, he tossed it into the sink.
“What’re you doing?” He stared down at the mangled, bloody skin, cocked his head and dropped to his knees. “Your file didn’t say anything about a tattoo.”
Hysteria built in my chest. “H-He did this to me!”
Aiden glanced up, eyes wide. “What? What do you mean?”
“When the Kember touched me, I-I felt all funny—weird. What did he do? Why the hell isn’t it coming off?”
“Calm down.” The uncharacteristic concern in his expression didn’t invite serenity. He grabbed both my arms and helped me sit on the toilet. “Does it,” his intent eyes fell to the strap on my underwear, “go lower?”
My hands shook as I pushed the strap down a little, double checking.
He looked away.
“No. I—it ends there.”
“It’s nowhere else? Just there?”
“Not that I’ve seen.”
Aiden stood and leaned over me. His fingers brushed against my back as he swept my hair over my shoulder.
Goose bumps surfaced on my skin and I swallowed hard, trying to breathe.
“There’s nothing on your back.” Without meeting my gaze, he walked to the sink and turned on the water. He wrung the washcloth out a few times and handed it to me. “Here, hold this on it. Don’t rub.” Then he walked to the door.
The small kernel of composure I’d felt vanished when he did. “Wh- Where’re you going?”
“To call Ian.”
I jumped up and hurried after him. “Ian? What? Why?”
He grabbed his phone off the nightstand. “To ask him a question.”
“You’re not gonna tell him, are you? About this—me?” I motioned to myself.
He seemed to make a conscious effort to keep his gaze locked on the wall. “I don’t know what that is, Taylee. It could be—”
Your potential. The man’s words echoed in my mind, sending a surge of panic through me. “Dangerous? You think I’m dangerous?”
“No.” He sounded a little shocked by my blunt question. “It could be dangerous for you. We need help—we need to
tell someone.”
“No we don’t. We can figure this out.”
He shook his head and scrolled through his phone. “This is serious. Way beyond us both.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I yelled. “That doesn’t mean we have to go running to Ian!”
“Nothing bad can come from telling Ian. Worse things can happen if we don’t.”
I threw my hands up. “Are you serious? Ian controls my life. At the snap of his fingers, I’ll be locked up.” I shook my head, voice like ice. “Not that you care, though. You’ll get rid of me, and all your problems are solved.”
Finally, he looked at me. Anger flashed in his narrowed eyes. “I don’t care? I’ve done nothing but try to help you.”
“Help me or help you? For all I know, you brought me down here, hoping to pawn me off to Rygons.” It was an irrational accusation, but they kept coming. “Or maybe, you knew that man was in the bathroom with me, but you were biding your time, hoping he’d take me off your hands.”
He stepped forward, our bodies inches apart, and stared at me, eyes dark and tone tight with control. “That’s what you think? That’s how you perceive me?”
I tried to shove him away, but he caught my wrist and held it firmly in his strong grasp. “I can’t trust you—I won’t.” I tried to pull free. “Not if you’re gonna run like a little girl to Ian every time something goes wrong.”
“I haven’t told Ian a negative thing since the funeral.” Aiden spoke through clenched teeth. “The things that happened in the forest, I could handle. I knew nothing bad would come of any of it. I knew you were safe. But something’s going on, and I don’t know how to help you this time.”
Fury rushed through my body. I thrashed against him, voice falling short of a scream. “I don’t need help. I don’t need you.” Aiden grabbed my other wrist like he suspected my urge to punch him. Tears welled, blurring my vision. My anger hit an all-time high—bad for even me.
A stabbing pain ripped through my hip. Heat, like boiling water, seared my veins, burning me from the inside out.
Aiden released me and took a huge step back, hands stretched out toward me. “Taylee, calm down. Take a deep breath.”
Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) Page 147