by Belle Malory
The lines in Oz’s face hardened. “What the hell. We’ll do this your way.”
Kennedy bit her bottom lip, looking around the house for possible exit routes.
“Your father invented something for my father, Nikki. A technology he didn’t want getting out.” Oz leaned forward in his seat. “That’s why the bastard murdered your family. That’s what all of this has been about. A stupid invention.”
If it wasn’t for the long sigh that followed that statement, Kennedy would wonder why Oz spoke of her family’s murder so casually. Now she realized he was only trying to get out what he wanted to say while he had the chance. Nika wasn’t exactly being patient with him.
“What kind of invention?”
“Some type of communicator that expands over unbelievable distances. It can reach other galaxies, Nikki. And actually, it’s not stupid. It’s pretty fucking incredible…and your father built it. You should know that about your papa. He was an incredible man.”
Nika blinked, looking away. She was trying to keep from falling apart, and doing a pretty good job too, considering everything she just found out.
Nika leaned back into her chair, looking contemplative. “The only reason he would want to keep a communicator private is if he wanted to keep his communications private. Who…or what is he talking to, Oz?”
“I don’t know.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
Oz winced, a troubled frown lining his brow. Kennedy could almost feel his desire to give Nika what she wanted. He wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know.
“I’m sorry, but I never found out. My father was furious I knew about the communicator. He should’ve known I would dig it up. I am his son, after all.”
“So where do I go from here?” Nika asked, holding her hands up. “I could try to kill him, of course. But if I succeeded, I would never find out about Project 27. I would never find out about this communicator either.”
“I wonder if they’re related.”
Everyone’s eyes steered towards Kennedy. Only then did she realize she had voiced her thoughts out loud.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they were,” Nika said.
“I can help you break into his office if you want,” Oz offered. “It’s the best way to find out.”
She looked at him like he was crazy for suggesting that. “Ryder Industries is a vault. We’d never make it past security.”
“I’m not talking about his office at Ryder Industries,” Oz said. “I meant his home office. That’s where he keeps anything that matters to him. He’s too paranoid to put it anywhere else.”
Nika narrowed her gaze on Oz, tapping her fingers against the table. It seemed like she was evaluating him, trying to figure out if he could be trusted. “Why would you do that? Why would you help me expose him?”
“Nikki, I would put the knife in the man’s back for you if I thought it would give you peace.”
Kennedy parted her lips and laid a hand over her heart. There was something inherently wrong with her for feeling moved by Oz’s declaration. Come on, he basically offered to help Nika kill his own father. That was wrong on so many levels. She didn’t believe he could go through with it, but it was easy to see he wanted to, and that was enough. He truly cared about Nika. It was nice to see someone showing her that, even if it was coming from the son of the devil.
“Fine. Can we go to his house tonight?”
Oz shook his head. “Nah, he’ll be home. We could go tomorrow though. I read that he’s going to some charity event in Paris, which means he’ll be gone the rest of the weekend.”
“How do we get in?”
“As long as he hasn’t changed the locks in the last few years, we’re okay. I have an old key.”
“If he’s as paranoid as you say, he probably has changed them.”
Oz rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll break past his access codes. We might set off an alarm, but we’ll just have to work fast. Or I’ll do it on my own. It’s not like the old man would put his own son in jail.”
Nika stood up, taking her bowl to the sink. When she came back to the table, she seemed unsure. She looked at Kennedy. “What do you think?”
This new unsure and uncomfortable Nika wasn’t someone she was used to.
Kennedy didn’t want to give any input; Nika needed to make this decision on her own. Then again, this wasn’t only about what Ryder had done to Nika’s family. They had responsibilities to the rest of the world, and those needed to come first. “We don’t have a warrant or clearance from DOE,” she pointed out. “That being said, I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Nika nodded. It was the approval she needed. “Okay then. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Twenty-Four
Kennedy looked around and blinked several times.
Where am I?
She sat on the edge of a pool, trying to focus in on her surroundings. Ripples expanded within clear blue water beneath her feet. A drenched white dress clung tight to her body.
Oh yeah. This was the Rec Center on Level 5. The same place she dreamt of Phoenix right before the building came crashing down and woke her up.
She looked up at the high ceiling. It was intact. Cracks weren’t splitting the walls either, which helped her breathe a little better. Not that it could actually come tumbling down in space. On the other hand, if this were a dream…
A pair of arms came around her waist from behind. She recognized the feel of those strong arms immediately. Phoenix.
She turned, meeting his shadowy gaze. A lock of blonde hair fell across his forehead. He looked so…lost. What was wrong with him? When she’d left the other day, he was in a good mood, even to the point of cockiness. It aggravated her, sure, but she would rather see him like that than like this.
He took her face in his hands. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to see this face again.” His voice was different, raspy, and laced with something dark.
“Phoenix, are you okay? Are we dreaming?”
His eyes scanned their surroundings before he nodded. “Yes, I suppose we are.”
Water lapped out of the pool, skimming over their bare feet. It caught Phoenix’s attention for a second before he turned back to her. “We don’t have long now that we’re aware of it.”
Kennedy felt an inexplicable panic fill her core. “Last time you said you were lost. You told me to find you—”
Phoenix’s fingers worked their way into her hair. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “Let’s not talk about that. These are precious moments. No use wasting them.”
She rested her head against his chest, wondering what that meant. He wasn’t lost in real life. It didn’t make sense.
“What’s going on where you are, my love?” Phoenix asked.
She pulled back slightly so she could look at him. “Um, you and I aren’t actually on the best of terms…” Water hit her ankles, causing her to look down. “Phoenix, the water—it’s flooding the floor.”
He tilted her chin up. “Don’t look at that, okay?” He pointed to his eyes. “Stay right here. With me. Nothing else matters.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, figuring out what he didn’t want to say. Her subconscious was pulling her out of the dream. Paying attention to it wouldn’t help. It would only bring her out faster.
“Why aren’t we on good terms?” he asked, drawing her mind away from the water.
“Well…”
She bit her lip. It may not be a good idea to bring up their issues to Dream Phoenix. For all intents and purposes, he was innocent. Sort of.
“I can guess,” he said, a smile pulling at his lips. “You’ve only ever been seriously mad at me once that I remember. It was when Fang tried to break us up.”
She stared at him, wondering how her Dream Phoenix knew everything already. She supposed he could be a projection of her subconscious. Although for a dream, this felt incredibly lifelike. He was too tangible and too believ
able. It was hard to think of him as something she made up on her own.
Water hit her knees. Feeling the cold water splash her legs, she tried her best not to tremble. They didn’t have long.
Phoenix ran his fingers down the side of her neck, sending a wave of goose bumps over her skin. “Don’t pay attention to it,” he whispered, reminding her.
She nodded, but gripped his arms tighter, afraid to feel him disappear again.
“Can I make a request?” he asked.
“Okay.” She waited for him to speak.
“Ease up on him, the old me,” he said softly. “He’s already in love with you. I was already in love with you.”
Kennedy swallowed, feeling a lump grow inside her throat. That wasn’t possible. Phoenix couldn’t love her. Love was beautiful. It was what her parents had while her father had been alive. It was filled with trust and joy. She didn’t feel either of those things. No. It was too hard to imagine.
“He hurt me,” she said in a small voice.
Phoenix flinched. “I know he did,” he sighed. “But I can promise you he’s sorry, and whatever pain you may feel, he’s being sufficiently tortured by it.”
Tortured?
She wondered if that were true, if this Dream Phoenix had special insight on the inner workings of the real Phoenix’s mind and heart. It bothered her to hear that, to even think he was hurting as much as she was.
“I miss you,” she said, meaning it. With every fiber of her body, she meant it. “I miss you, and I miss the way things used to be.”
While awake, it was something she would never admit. But here inside her dream, she felt safe saying it out loud.
Phoenix stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head. “Kennedy, you have no idea how much I miss you.”
“Where are you?” she asked. “Tell me so I can understand. I want to help you, even if you’re not real.”
He stared at her strangely for a moment. “You don’t think I’m real?”
“I’m not sure.” She looked around. “This is a dream. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”
“I’m not part of your imagination,” he insisted. “There will be a day when you’ll understand. When that day comes, I want you to remember this moment. I love you, Kennedy. If you remember nothing else, remember that.”
Water drifted to their waists, tugging at them and breaking their balance. Kennedy clutched Phoenix, steadying herself.
I love you.
Her breath caught in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was the water or Phoenix’s words that knocked her off balance, but either way she knew one thing for sure. Feeling indifferent was never going to happen, not in her dreams or real life. She couldn’t pretend not to care when this version of Phoenix made her see how much she really did. “You’ve never told me that before.”
“I feel it.” The lines in his face softened. “Even where you are, I feel it.”
“I love you, too.”
Oh wow. As soon as she said it, she knew it was true. She may not want to love Phoenix, she may not even acknowledge it, but in her heart she knew it was the truth.
Phoenix leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. She tasted the salt of his tears, surprised to know he was crying. He never cried. It was unsettling.
“This is the last time I’ll visit, Kennedy.”
“What does that mean?” Hot tears filled her eyes and her nose and throat began to burn. “Why won’t you tell me where you are?”
“Because I don’t know,” he whispered against her lips. “I wish to God I did, but I don’t. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, to see you one last time and to kiss you one last time. I wanted to make sure you knew how much I love you. It’s the forever kind of love, Kennedy. Even worlds apart, you’re burned into my soul for all of eternity.”
She couldn’t breathe. The finality in his words choked her, making her gasp for air. If this was real, if this really was a future Phoenix, then Fate was a sick, twisted designer of their lives.
The water was higher now, circling around her chest. It lifted her from the ground, but Phoenix grabbed onto her. She reached around his neck, holding onto him for dear life, terrified the water would rip them apart.
“Listen to me, my love.” The muscles in his arms tensed. “You’re going to have to save Earth without me.”
She stared at him like he was nuts. “What are you talking about? No. Absolutely not. I’m not saving anything without you. You were meant to protect this planet, Phoenix. Tell me what to do to bring you back. If you love me as much as you say, then find a way home, dammit!”
Sorrow filled his eyes. “You don’t think I’ve tried? It’s been over a year. This planet is primitive, Kennedy. There is no way home.” He let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’ve already gone half mad thinking of you, and now dreaming of you. It kills me. You have no idea how much it kills me. That’s why this has to be the last time.”
The water propelled them closer and closer to the ceiling. It had reached their necks. These were the last few moments they would have together, and the last Phoenix believed he would ever have with her.
She tried pleading with him. “Phoenix, please. Don’t give up on me. I don’t know where I am in your time, but I’ll never give up on you. Wherever I am, I’m looking for you.”
He cupped her face, pulling her close until they were cheek to cheek. Water was up to their chins now. “I was afraid you would say that. Don’t waste your time.”
“Why?”
“Because Earth needs you. Mankind needs every keeper who is still alive. Let me live out my life knowing you and Earth are safe. Say you won’t look. Promise me.”
“I don’t want to do that—”
“Promise me, Kennedy!” His voice came out strangled. Kennedy winced from how tightly he gripped her sides, his fingers digging into her waist. “I’m sorry,” he said, noticing what he was doing. He loosened his grip. “Please…just give me peace.”
She turned her face up, sucking in the last few breaths of air she would get before the water drowned them. “I…promise.”
Water flooded over their heads. In the depths, they stared at each other. Kennedy nodded, letting him know she would give him what he asked. His peace.
She reached out, drawing his head towards hers. If this was going to be his last memory of her, she wanted to make it a good one. She touched her lips to his, the lack of oxygen the least of her worries. He gripped her tighter, pulling her against him. A fierceness worked its way into his mouth as he savored her lips and tongue. He kissed her with everything he had left.
Water began to choke the back of her throat, but she didn’t care. She kept kissing Phoenix, kept roaming her hands over his face and neck, refusing to waste one single second of this dream.
Twenty-Five
Kennedy woke up clutching the sheets, tears streaming down her face, and gasping for breath. Fear coiled inside her chest for a few seconds before her eyes recognized the shapes and colors of her surroundings. She was in Eva’s guest bedroom. Safe. Alive. Not drowning inside the Rec Center on Olympus.
But oh buddy, that dream.
She sat up, wiping her eyes. All of the emotions she had felt were still there, close to the surface. It had seemed so real.
Who knows, maybe it was…she needed some air. Quick.
Muted pink and yellow rays of sunlight streamed in through the window, streaking the wooden floor. It must be early. Too early for most people to be up, but then again, she was still on Olympian time.
She threw the covers back, shivering when her feet touched the chilled floor. She had to push the window several times before it lifted. The first wintry wind that came through felt amazing, giving her back the ability to breathe.
A few snowflakes drifted inside, melting as soon as they touched the floor. Kennedy rested her head against the frame.
She wondered if there was a chance the dream could be real. Did she actually meet a future version of Phoenix inside her
subconscious?
It felt real. Ironically, it had woken her up in more ways than one.
She couldn’t avoid Phoenix any longer. She didn’t want to either. After she helped Nika with Ryder, she would figure out a way to forgive him. She had to.
Because she had fallen in love with him.
Kennedy took another deep breath, needing one after acknowledging something that huge. Holy freaking cow, that was some dream.
Another thought occurred to her. If she loved Phoenix, it must mean she also trusted him. Deep down, she knew he meant it when he said kissing Fang meant nothing. She also knew he would never do anything to compromise what they had again.
That realization made her feel stupid. Really, really stupid. Whatever it took, she would make this right. Because if the Phoenix from her dream was real, it meant they didn’t have forever.
She rubbed her arms, dreading the idea of it. No matter how much it terrified her, she had to consider that he might not always be around. They were keepers. The title alone took away the chance for a simple, worry-free life. They were born to protect. To defend. Even now, humankind faced annihilation, which meant when the time came, they would be on the frontlines. It didn’t exactly make for long life expectancies.
However long Phoenix would be here, whether it was one day or fifty years, she would cherish every moment of it.
The room was getting too cold. She shut the window and eyed the bed, wondering if she should go back to sleep. No. That wasn’t going to happen no matter how hard she tried. Focusing on the task at hand was the best thing she could do right now.
There was a bathroom at the end of the hall with clean towels in the cabinet under the sink. She quickly showered, trying to be quiet so she wouldn’t wake anyone. Once she was dressed and her hair was towel-dried, she headed downstairs.
Oz was down there, already up and dressed and wearing headphones. He sat at the dining room table, watching the news on a holographic screen. When he saw her, he switched it off. “Morning,” he said by way of greeting.