Aporia (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria Series)

by Leyton, Bisi

  “You intended to kill Lara?” This explained why Wisteria had fought her feelings for him so strongly, for so long.

  “Only Yordi; Lluc thought it was enough to threaten to let you die. Yordi was not convinced that it was enough and believed the threat to her mother would guarantee her help in getting you back home.”

  “Her help? You threatened to kill her mother, but Lara did not kill my mother. Wait—that was why she came to tell you? Wisteria wanted to tell you, so Yordi would come after her and not Lara,” Bach felt like an idiot for not putting all of this together sooner.

  “I suppose. He thought it was for the best—”

  “If Yordi came after her, or her mother, he would be dead,” Bach seethed, grabbing Enric. “And when you see him, tell him he will suffer for what he has done.”

  “Bach—”

  “Why does The Family even believe Lara killed my mother?”

  “Because that is what I told Lord Rafel when he came for you.” Lara materialized a few feet away from them. “I assumed Lord Rafel told The Family.”

  “Another lie?”

  “What kind of mother would tell your people her eleven-year-old child sent Coia, the Lady of Jarthan, into The Deep? How do you think they would have reacted?”

  The shame and humiliation would have resulted in a response worse than Nero.

  Enric scowled as she spoke to them uninvited. “You need to learn to mind your own business.”

  She rolled her eyes at Enric. “I don’t scare easily, sentinel. Your people did worse things to me than you can ever imagine, so save you petty bravado for one of the men.”

  “How dare you?” Fuming, Enric stepped up to her.

  “You were there when they had us?” Bach stretched out his hand to stop Enric.

  “You were there when the humans tortured her?” Enric exclaimed.

  “Tortured Coia?” Her eyes thinned. “She came to RZC promising miracles and medical marvels. In exchange, she wanted her son to spend time with a person, so you could understand human nature.”

  “She wanted me to bond with Wisteria?”

  “Impossible--no Famila would ever want that,” Enric stated. “His mother could never plan for Bach and Wisteria to bond. It would be perverted.”

  “Enric, leave us now.” The notion of everything he had felt about Wisteria and everything he had almost died for simply being someone’s ploy—sickened him.

  “Bach . . . I need to hear—”

  “Go now!” Bach yelled.

  Sheepishly, Enric backed away.

  “You’re right. Coia didn’t want Wisteria to bond with you, but with Lluc. You may not know this, but for a Famila, your brother is gifted.”

  “Yes, he was a protégé.”

  Lluc did have the ability to mess with people’s memory, like he had done to make Bach forget Wisteria.

  “She brought her there for Lluc?” That news stung more than the idea his Mosroc was in some way manufactured.

  “Yeah, but somehow Wisteria and you bonded. Then, Coia tried to kill you to break the Mosroc you had with Wisteria.”

  “Now I know you are lying. My mother would never hurt me.”

  “It’s what I’d do if I was your mother. After all, Lluc is the true protégé.” Lara shook her head. “Your brother’s ability to make you forget is the tip of the iceberg of what your mother can make him do.”

  “No.”

  “Wisteria told me that in Jarthan, Alba had been blindly devoted to Felip and that was how he got her to murder her own father. How do you think he got her to act like she was renewed?”

  “Alba was treacherous. She probably enjoyed it.”

  “And Oleander? How do you think Felip got her to kill my daughter?”

  “I do not know, but I am certain you do.”

  “I don’t.” Lara bit her lip, like her daughter did when she was hiding something from him.

  “Or, you will not tell me?” Bach stated. After a long silence, Bach finally had to ask. “What will happen now?”

  “I don’t care about you, or your people’s war. Wisteria’s journey is over. She paid for my mistake for ever trusting Hemlock Zey.” She shut her eyes. “I’m curing her before the sun comes up.”

  “Let me take her with me?” he pleaded.

  “She can’t live like that.” The woman’s voice broke as it started to rain. “I’m telling you so you won’t stop me when I shoot her in the head. Say goodbye to her and let her go.”

  After Lara left, he searched the ocean for answers, or at least some calm, but there was no peace, only numbness. He did not know how long he had been waiting there when Enric joined him.

  “Bach.”

  Gradually, he turned to face Enric. “When we return to the home realm, do whatever you like, but do not contact me. As far as we are concerned, I am dead to you.” Bach walked away from him.

  “Sen-Son, I did not understand until Radala what it was like to have some I cared about,” Enric pleaded with him. “Even though Radala and I did not have the Mosroc bond, I am lost. I can only imagine how losing Wisteria must feel . . . again. I am sorry I ever—”

  “Go.”

  “I did not know.”

  Ignoring his friend’s attempt at an apology, Bach headed toward Wisteria’s room. When he neared Coles and Lara’s cabin, he overheard the couple arguing about Wisteria.

  “Lara, we’re going to talk about how, and why, you have a functioning phone later. Are you sure that’s what it says?” Coles asked Lara. “Everyone knows that there’s no way to actually treat Nero.”

  “This might work Coles, and if you will not go back for Oleander, I will.”

  “No, you won’t. Bensiah won’t go back to Franklin now that it’s overrun, and if by some onset of madness he agreed, I wouldn’t let you go.”

  “Elliot, when in your life have you been able to tell me what to do?”

  “I will go back.” Bach opened the door to their cabin.

  Jenny sat smoking a cigar while the pilot, who they had called Juan, stood in a corner with his arms crossed. Del lay on the bunk, asleep.

  “This doesn’t concern you.” Jenny attempted to shut the door in Bach’s face.

  Bach pushed the door open. “This meeting is about Wisteria and that makes it my business.”

  “We are not talking about her.”

  “You need to get Oleander. When I am regenerated, I will go back and get her.” Bach had not figured out when or how he would rescue his daughter, but first he needed to get regenerated. Then he would decide what he would do with Wisteria, once he took her back to the Nieves. He knew in his heart he wasn’t going to allow them to kill her now, or ever.

  Coles shook his head. “It will be for nothing.”

  “Sabine and Silas are saying there might be a way to help Wisteria,” Lara interjected, glaring at Coles

  “How? Even The Family has not found a way to stop the disease in humans,” Bach responded.

  “Sabine believes there’s a small chance that if we change all of her blood, before she becomes stage three infected, she will be cured,” Jenny explained.

  “You want to replace all of Wisteria’s blood? I am not a doctor, but all of her new blood would probably become infected too,” Bach noted.

  “Unless it’s Oleander’s blood, since she’s part human and part Famila. Jenny knows their blood types are as compatible as we’re going to get.”

  “Compatible? They aren’t even the same species!” Coles exclaimed. “I don’t even understand how it’s going to work.”

  “I don’t understand either, but Sabine is a doctor. Silas understands human and Famila blood, so if they say there’s a chance to help Wisteria, I believe them,” Lara defended.

  “How much of Oleander’s blood are we going to need?” Bach asked.

  “All of it,” Lara stated unemotionally.

  “It isn’t going to work.” Jenny shook her head. “There’s little chance we’ll be able to keep Wisteria alive once you boy
s are gone.”

  “Captain Bensiah has already done a massive favor for me by bringing us to Franklin, with little promise of anything, expect for a few extra cases of flu vaccine.”

  “Elliot, the flu vaccine is priceless to him. The survivor communities will give him everything and anything he wants, because he’s got it. Bensiah got a good deal from this trip. For more—”

  “I’m not giving that pirate anything else.” Coles held his ground. “Wisteria is my daughter and I’d do anything to bring her back, but we’re not going back to Franklin!”

  “Then I will take my boat. We will be there and back in less than a day,” Bach said.

  “You will be risking your life again for nothing, Lara. Either the biters have overrun Franklin, or Doc got everything back under control and you don’t want to meet him, that’s for sure.” Jenny shook her head.

  “I will still have to go back for Oleander. Wisteria made me promise that,” Bach noted. “And I will kill the rest of the draug.”

  “RZC’s killed those Famila mutants, so the draug won’t get out. Besides, Ollie doesn’t want to come with you,” Jenny argued. “Now that you only want to kill her and save Wisteria, I don’t see her willingly returning.”

  “I’ll go,” Lara declared.

  “This is not an argument. I am the only person strong enough to—” Bach attempted to explain.

  “Am I the only one here who doesn’t think it’s worth draining all of her blood?” Coles interjected.

  “It seems that way,” Jenny responded dryly.

  “Lara, she’s your granddaughter!” Coles shouted at her.

  “I don’t know what that little freak is and I don’t care. All I know is Ollie tried to murder my daughter. If the choice is between her and Wisteria, then there shouldn’t be a choice. She’s an abomination created by RZC; killing her will be the best thing that ever happened to her.”

  “I totally agree with you,” Jenny said.

  “Jenny, you don’t have a say in this,” Coles snapped.

  “What? Coles, I’m actually on your side. I don’t think she should go back because I don’t think she should expose herself out there. You have another child to think about,” Jenny reminded them.

  “If she were your child, you’d understand!” Lara shouted at them.

  Man, he was just getting used to the notion that she was never coming back. Now there was a chance, a small chance, she might not die. As the humans argued back and forth about returning to Franklin, Bach left. He needed time to think this through.

  “You people sure fight a lot.” Captain Bensiah emerged from the shadows as Bach headed back to the hold to be with Wisteria. “I think your girlfriend is ready to go, right?”

  “You want to shoot her?” Bach stared coldly at him.

  “I don’t want to, but she’s a danger to all of us.” He waved a rifle. “Either you people take care of it, or my men will.”

  Taking the weapon from the man, he tossed it away. “I do not scare easily.”

  Bensiah chuckled. “It wasn’t loaded. Understand this: I let a biter on my vessel as a big favor to Coles because she is his stepdaughter. But someone needs to kill her.”

  “That is what you call a favor?”

  “Yes, and another one is that my boys will use a gun and not a machete, so you’re twice as lucky. Bullets are expensive, but Coles and I are friends.”

  “We will handle it.”

  “Tell the Major to take care of it, or I will.” Bensiah left.

  Wordlessly, Bach headed up the stairs toward the hull. It took him a few minutes to get to the storage room where Wisteria was being kept.

  Two Ghanaian crewmen sat playing checkers as they kept guard, ready to shoot her the moment Bensiah gave the word.

  “Why don’t you put her down?” one man suggested. “You’re wasting your time and you’re torturing yourself.”

  Unlocking the storage room, Bach ignored the man.

  The guard shut and bolted the door behind him. It took him a split second to adjust to the darkness.

  Sitting a few feet away from her was Garfield, apparently on guard to make sure no one decided to cure her while Lara was gone. He seemed too scared to get very close to her. “You’re not going kill her daughter?” Garfield asked, not turning around.

  Bach knelt down beside his beloved. “I do not know. I suppose we should get her here first and then decide what needs to be done.” The concept of sacrificing anyone did not sit well with him.

  “Seriously? If you hurt that girl and it’s her child? Wisteria will kill you.” Garfield glanced over at him now; he had tears in his eyes.

  “She cannot kill me—” Bach’s voice broke, “—if she is already dead.”

  Garfield mumbled something to himself and then asked, “Have you ever killed a human being before? Wisteria said you’ve always kept clear of us.”

  “What is your point?” Bach had not. The closest he got was curing biters.

  “Are you prepared to be a killer? You do that and there’s no way you’ll come back from it.”

  “Why do you think you can tell me what to do?” He didn’t want to hear anything that might get in the way of saving Wisteria’s life. Honestly, he was a little surprised by her normally mousey friend’s boldness. He never considered Garfield a friend, but he did trust that the boy cared about Wisteria.

  “Because no sane person could consciously do what you’re considering doing to anyone, especially their own child.” Garfield finally looked over at him and tears streamed down his face.

  Bach studied him and realized that Garfield was mourning his friend and it was obvious he loved Wisteria. “I will bring her back, but I am not going to kill her. I know Lara wants to, but Lara has—problems.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. I think your people did something to her,” Garfield replied as he swiped at his tears. “Something devastating and she’s still trying to work through it.”

  “Well, that’s Coles’ job to sort out, not mine.” Then, he had an idea. “I will keep her in my den until her body dies. She will be apart from humans, so there will be no risk of her accidentally infecting others, or someone trying to put her down,”

  “And what about Enric and the other members of your Family? They’ll just track you to your den again and—”

  “There are other realms that The Family visits less often than Earth. I will take her to a den there,” Bach replied.

  “Other realms?”

  The door opened and the two guards were thrown in, unconscious.

  “Cousin, I have a suggestion.” Felip stepped in.

  “Felip? Bloody hell!” Snatching his crossbow, Garfield attempted to fire at him.

  Felip had the weapon out of his hands and broken in seconds. “What is it with you people? You always think the worst of me.” He tossed the pieces of the bow across the room. “I have come to help you.”

  “You are vadda if you think you will ever get to her . . . alive.” Bach grabbed Felip, smashing him against the floor. Since their last encounter, Bach had regenerated slightly.

  “We want to help you, Bach.” His mother emerged from behind them. “Let go of Felip.”

  Letting him go, he spun to see his mother, standing at the door.

  Dressed in white, her skin was more tanned and her lips were red. She looked a million times better than when he had seen her last.

  “Mother, what is going on?”

  “I am here to take you home to rejoin your brothers.” His mother smiled.

  “How will that help?” Bach motioned to Wisteria. “I cannot leave her like this.”

  “I have a way to cure Wisteria. Plus, we were able to rescue Oleander from Franklin,” his mother explained. “I will give them both to you.”

  “In exchange for what?” Bach wanted to know.

  “I told you--I want my family back together.” Holding out her hand, his mother’s eyes brightened and she beamed a smile that had comforted him a hundred times as a l
ittle boy.

  He wanted to believe everything was going to be all right, but he was not that naïve anymore. Wisteria’s warnings about his mother had changed that. “How do I know you will do what you have promised?”

  “We have this.” Felip crouched by Wisteria, seemingly distraught. He held out a black box. “Inside you will find all your witch doctors will need to revive Wisteria.”

  “What is in it?” Bach looked down at the black box.

  “Blood, the kind of blood you need to replace all of hers.” Felip looked down at Wisteria as he removed a container from the box.

  “I cannot promise it will work, but it will give her a fifty percent chance of surviving,” his mother added.

  Cautiously, Garfield took the container from Felip. “How do we know it will work? This is probably one of Felip’s games.”

  “She has never been a game to me!” Felip seethed. “If I had realized what Oleander was up to, I would have handled her differently.”

  “Where is my daughter?” Bach inquired.

  “Lara.” Jenny’s voice came over Garfield’s radio. “Oleander is here. Get up here now!”

  “Even if you do not come, you will get your daughter back,” his mother said. “But the medicine will be theirs to use, once you come home. You can always return to her later.”

  He wanted Wisteria healed and alive. This seemed to be the best option, for now.

  Gliding toward him, his mother took his hands in hers. “I swear to you on my father’s life, you will return to the Terrans . . . to whatever you want, but let us get home first.”

  “D'cara, Bach! Do not waste time. She needs the treatment,” Felip implored.

  Bach didn’t care about what Felip wanted; he knew he had selfish motives. He gazed over at Garfield, who truly was Wisteria’s friend.

  Garfield stared back at him with a desperate light in his tear-filled eyes.

  He wants her to have a chance and so do I. “You will give her the cure?”

  “Felip will do it. I only want one day with you, son,” his mother promised.

  Quietly, Garfield handed the container back to Felip.

  Felip began to attach something to Wisteria’s arm; his hands were shaking as though he was truly upset about her condition.