Stunned (The Lucidites Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Strong fingers grip my hand. I want to open my eyes, but each attempt is met with defeat. Still I hear his breathing, know his head is slumped next to me. Footsteps patter by. That person’s wearing soft-soled shoes. On my other side someone rustles, not as close though. Antiseptics lace the air. I can sense all this, but I can’t force my eyes open. Why?

  Another set of footsteps, these firm and approaching. They stop a few feet away.

  “Has she awoken yet?” Trey’s voice sounds tired.

  Joseph stirs at my side. “No, not yet.”

  “She will, give her time,” Trey says, a strange consoling tone to his voice. “I spoke with Dr. Dunham and Mae. They’re both hopeful she’ll make a full recovery.”

  Joseph doesn’t respond verbally, but I sense he nods. His grip tightens on my hand.

  “Why don’t you go get some rest,” Trey says. “You haven’t left her.”

  “I have been resting. Haven’t ya noticed I’m sittin’ next to a bed,” Joseph says, humor in his tone. “And they bring me meals when they feed these guys. So actually I’m stayin’ fairly comfortable. But I could use some entertainment. Staring at Stark is excruciatingly boring.”

  “I’ll have someone round you up some books and magazines,” Trey says, his familiar unemotional tone returning. “And how are you feeling?” he says, his voice directed not at Joseph.

  “You should have George answer that for me,” Aiden says with a shaky laugh. “I can barely tell you what my last name is, let alone describe how I feel.”

  “The drugs they gave you will be out of your system soon enough according to Dr. Dunham. Once they are then your body can start repairing the damage. Try to let yourself rest for now.”

  “Thanks, I will. I look forward to having a clear thought again,” Aiden says, his voice foggy.

  “And George, how about you? Are you feeling better?”

  Sheets rustle in the bed on the other side of me. “Yes, sir,” he says. “Thanks for asking.”

  “Well, if any of you need anything please let me know,” Trey says, and then his footsteps retreat.

  Joseph squeezes my hand and lays his head down again beside me. “Come on, Stark, wake up already,” he whispers. “There’s so much I haven’t told you. And I really need to. If you wake up I’ll tell you everything. I should have before anyway. Please open your eyes.”

  I want to, Joseph. I want to. Sleep crashes down on me, sucking my consciousness away.

  ♦

  “You’re finally awake.” The voice is smooth, deliberate. Cold fingers grip my arm. I open my eyes to a mass of blurry shapes. Gradually lines begin to define the figure beside me. Chase’s stunning face stares back, a content coolness in his eyes. Dark cave walls lurk behind him.

  I gasp, shooting into a painful sitting position. “What am I doing here?!”

  “What do you mean? You’re finally home. Safe. With me. And I’m never going to let you go. Ever.” He traces his pointer finger down my cheek, neck, shoulder, and arm, his attention locked on the skin under his finger.

  “No, I’m supposed to be at the Institute. That’s where I was. How did I get here? Where’s Joseph?”

  “Shhhh.” A cold finger presses against my lips. I’m stone under his touch. A statue which can never move, only be molded into a different position. And Chase holds the chisel.

  “Now it’s time we sealed our engagement.”

  Engagement? What happened while I slept?

  Chase leans into me, tilting my chin with a firm grip. His lips an inch away. I shudder.

  “Stop!” I scream. My eyes burst open. Breath trembles in my chest. Sweat drips down my brow. From across the infirmary Mae rushes, an urgent concern on her face.

  “You’re awake,” she says, arriving at my bed, breathless.

  Pain shoots through my abdomen. It throws me into an instant state of paralysis. My breath pants but the rest of me clenches, waiting for the searing agony to subside.

  “Seriously, I go to take a leak and that’s when ya decide to wake up?” Joseph says, striding up beside Mae.

  “She had a nightmare. That’s what awoke her,” Mae says, giving Joseph a strange look.

  “What was it about?” Joseph asks.

  The dream. Chase’s eyes swim into my head, so clear and real. Like a pond freezing over in winter, I harden suddenly—frozen.

  “She can answer that in a minute. Right now I need to check her injury.”

  Joseph stares at me, an odd sentiment in his eyes.

  “I need to check Roya’s injury,” Mae repeats.

  “Go ahead,” he says, not taking his eyes off me.

  Mae pulls a curtain from beside the wall, pushing Joseph back out of its path. “Unless you want to see your sister topless then I’m going to ask you to leave.”

  “It’s not like she has anything to see.”

  My face flushes, knowing both Aiden and George are listening. “I’m sure the same is true of you down there,” I say, pointing at his pants.

  He smirks. “Fine. I’ll go harass Livingston.”

  Mae pulls the curtain on its track around my bed, creating a private space. She unfastens the hospital gown and begins unraveling my bandages.

  “Mae,” I say in a hush.

  “Yes, honey,” she says, preoccupied by my wound.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She pauses, bringing her eyes to meet mine. “About Pearl,” I say. Grief contorts her face, a dozen wrinkles materializing. I hadn’t noticed until now how red and puffy her usually creamy skin is.

  “Thank you,” she says, busying herself tending to my wound. I have zero desire to see what lies beneath the white gauze so I keep my chin up, eyes on the ceiling.

  “As I suspected when you jerked awake, you reopened the wound,” Mae says. Her hand presses against my skin and warmth exudes from her fingertips, soaking deep within me. A tingling sensation spreads along with the warmth. “You were lucky,” Mae says wrapping new bandages around me.

  “When is getting shot considered lucky?”

  “When the bullet goes through your side. More central and it could have been fatal.”

  “I’ll remember that the next time I get shot.”

  She gives me a tired look. “All right, I don’t want you out of this bed. You call me if you need anything,” she says, dragging the sheet back to reveal George lying in the bed on my right. Before I’d been too groggy to properly notice him sitting there. He’s tucked under his blankets, which are neatly folded over his lap. The expression on his face is poetic, like the look of a warrior after he’s returned home from a near defeat. It’s heartening. Encompassing.

  “Roya,” he says, “how are—”

  “I don’t think so, Anders,” Joseph says as soon as Mae clears the curtain on the other side. He springs off Aiden’s bed and takes a seat at the edge of mine. “I’m the first one to get an audience with Stark, so there.” He pokes his tongue out at George.

  “Joseph, do you always have to be such a child?” I say squeezing the hand he’s placed in mine.

  “Of course I do,” he says with a wink.

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “Thirty. Six. Hours.”

  “I can’t believe you haven’t left my side.”

  “How do you know that?”

  I shrug. “I could hear things.”

  A book slips from Aiden’s bed. It snaps my attention in his direction. Our eyes meet. Tears instantly constrict my throat, hot and tight. Aiden looks different somehow, although nothing obvious has changed about him. His eyes smile brightly when we connect, but the rest of him remains neutral. “Welcome back,” he says, pulling a knife out of my heart.

  “You too,” I say, trying to disguise the gasping rawness with exhaustion.

  Joseph claps in front of my face. “Back over here, Stark. I want your undivided attention.”

  Rolling my eyes I say, “It’s all yours.”

  “Good. So you
got shot?” Joseph says, irritation flaring in his voice.

  “It would appear so,” I say.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have left you.” Regret streaks Joseph’s face, making him look older.

  “There’s no changing what happened.”

  “What did happen?” Aiden says, standing up, taking the seat next to my bed. He’s so much skinnier. I see it mostly in his face, but also his arms and shoulders.

  On the other side of me George leans forward, curious. I flick my eyes to his. “I’d be over there too if I could get out of bed,” he says. “Mae won’t allow it though.” I gulp, nodding.

  Returning my attention to Joseph I say, “It must have been Amber who shot me. I thought she was dead, but I guess not.”

  “Did you kill her?” Joseph asks.

  “Yes, but not directly. Right after you left Amber showed up and pointed a gun at me. I thought I was going to die, but then I had a vision of the future. It was of Allouette sending a knife through the Grotte and into the room where they held Aiden. I guess she knew I was still in there. Or maybe the knife was meant for Aiden. Anyway, I ducked at precisely the right moment and Amber took the knife in the chest.”

  “Trey probably wants to hear this,” Joseph says, starting to stand.

  I throw my hand over his. “No, don’t go. I’ll recount it to him later.”

  “What happened next?” Aiden asks.

  “Well, I closed the door and dream traveled back here. Apparently Amber wasn’t dead. Hopefully the bitch is dead now. I actually hope her chest wound wasn’t fatal. I hope she could have been saved, but the energy she used to retrieve the gun and shoot me killed her.”

  Joseph snorts with laughter. “Damn, Stark, you’re dark.”

  “Well, would you send well wishes to someone who shot you?”

  He pretends to think about it, scratching his stubbled chin. “Yeah, probably, but I’m a better person than you.”

  “Don’t make me laugh,” I say, gripping my side.

  “Could it have been Allouette who shot you?” George asks.

  “No,” Aiden says abruptly, leaning more on my bed. “Voyageurs—real ones, not wannabes like Amber—wouldn’t use an automatic weapon.”

  “Doesn’t really matter who shot me. It’s already been done,” I say.

  “I thought I was gonna have a heart attack when you arrived profusely bleeding,” Joseph says. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry this has been so traumatic on you. I didn’t even know I was shot until after I arrived and saw your face. That’s a hell of a way to find out such a thing, don’t you think?”

  “She’s been awake for all of ten minutes and you boys are already pestering her?” Mae says, bustling into the room. “Joseph, now that Roya has awoken you don’t need to keep watch. I order you to go take a shower and get some proper rest. And as for you two”—she motions to Aiden and George—“let Roya have a chance to relax before you begin with too many questions. And Dr. Livingston, if you don’t get back in your bed then I’ll move you six beds down. Is that clear?”

  Aiden cracks a smile at me before retreating back to his bed, which is crumpled with blankets.

  “All right, I’ll do as I’m told,” Joseph says. “But I’ll be back after a bit.” He kisses my forehead and gives me a sweet smile. “See you later.”

  “Later,” I say, sinking down in my bed, feeling a wave of exhaustion.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Although I’d been expecting them, I’m still startled when the Head Officials and my team walk into the infirmary. A mind-numbing stab rips through my side when I try to sit up.

  “Dude, Stark, you’re really milking that scratch for everything it’s worth.” Joseph laughs, taking the seat next to my bed.

  “Well, without it, I’m just not sure how to get attention,” I say.

  Trey rolls his eyes at me, a grin on his face. It’s almost a playful gesture, which throws me off. When has Trey ever been playful? He clears his throat. “I think what Joseph means to say is that we’re all glad to see you’re feeling better. We were shocked when you returned shot.”

  “I prefer to always enter the Institute half dead and in need of saving,” I say. From my peripheral I spy Aiden flash a smile.

  Trent pulls up a seat between George and me. Ren leans against the opposite wall. And Shuman is stationed beside a timid Samara. Stringy hair lies around her pale face. Her clothes hang loosely off her frame. To my relief it looks like Mae isn’t around.

  “Now that Roya is strong enough,” Trey begins, “I want to be debriefed on what happened in the Grotte. However, Dr. Dunham has urged us to keep this meeting short since all three of you”—he inclines his head at Aiden, George, and me—“need as much rest as possible.”

  “They’re already lying in bed,” Joseph complains. “Wish I could attend a meeting in my pj’s.”

  “Get shot,” I say.

  “Ah, the bullet barely nicked you,” Joseph says.

  “I’ll nick you,” I say, holding up a fist.

  “If you two are quite done, I’d like to resume this meeting,” Trey says.

  Joseph dramatically waves his arm, gesturing he’s turned the stage over to Trey.

  A few quiet seconds pass and Trey’s appearance shifts. He’s suddenly uncomfortable. “This mission was a success. For that I’m grateful. However, it’s never easy to celebrate a victory when a life has been lost. Let’s all take this time to honor Pearl.”

  Everyone instinctively bows their heads. Silence follows, interrupted only by Samara’s quiet whimpering.

  Trey clears his throat again bringing all our attention up. “Before we begin I want to express my gratitude to the rescue team. Thank you for fighting so bravely and for bringing Aiden back safely. I knew I was risking your lives by sending you to the Grotte, but I also knew if Aiden wasn’t rescued, along with the dream blocker, all our lives would be endangered. With the dream blocker the Voyageurs could have abducted any of us. It was not an easy decision to ask you to risk your lives for this mission, but it was one I knew was right. Thank you again for serving the Institute.” He looks at me sharply, his turquoise eyes draped with new wrinkles. “And Roya, thank you for leading this mission. Again you’ve demonstrated great honor and sacrificed yourself for others.” He drops his head at me in a show of respect.

  “Now at this point I’d like a full report of what happened in the Grotte. It’s important that we have a thorough understanding of what the Voyageurs are doing, thinking, and feeling so that we can prepare ourselves if necessary.” Trey looks at each us in turn. Finally he extends his arm at Aiden and says, “I’d like you to start by telling us specifically why you were abducted.”

  Even though his bed is right next to mine, I’ve still tried to avoid looking directly at Aiden. It’s difficult, especially when I’ve sensed him attempting to capture my attention. Maybe it’s the painkillers or the need to process the events from the Grotte, but everything is raw between us right now. A surreal tenderness surges through my heart when I look up at him now.

  “All right, I’ll do my best to string coherent words together, but I apologize if certain things I say don’t make sense. I’m still trying to regain my faculties.” For a guy who’s been starved, tortured, and drugged he sounds amazingly lucid. Even his energy, though still less than usual, flits around each of his words. “I wouldn’t be here right now, I wouldn’t even still be alive, if it wasn’t for everyone in this room. Thank you,” he says, scanning faces, avoiding mine. “As you already know, Amber was sent here to spy on the Lucidites. When Chase learned about a recent project of mine, he ordered her to steal the device once it was completed.”

  “Chase?” Trey interrupts. “Why Chase?”

  “Pierre is no longer first in command. It’s Chase.”

  “Oh,” Trey says, astonishment written on his face.

  “Anyway, Amber’s plans were foiled when I fired her before the proje
ct was complete. So taking orders from Allouette, she abducted me instead.”

  “How did you find out about all of these events that preceded your abduction?” Trey asks.

  “Amber is—should I say was—an easy person to incite. During interrogations I used my own strategies to draw information out of her. I needed to understand how I’d been fooled into hiring her. And even more critical was if there was a play I could make to turn Voyageurs against each other.”

  “And besides what you’ve told us, did you learn anything else?” Trey asks, tipping forward with interest.

  “Oh yeah, a ton. And once I found Amber’s buttons I was able to create all sorts of mischief. Thanks to me, she and Allouette had more than one altercation.”

  “Is that the position Amber was after, second in command?” I ask, the heated conversation from the Grotte rushing back to me. “She told me that she’d been deceived into believing she’d be rewarded, but it was a lie.”

  “No,” Aiden says, not looking at me. “Allouette and Amber were after the same thing: Chase. From what I figured out they were both competing for his affection and I also gather he was more than willing to lead both of them on to get what he really wanted.”

  “And did you determine what he was after?” Trey asks.

  “Yep,” Aiden says, popping his lips together. “Since it hadn’t been built yet, he wanted the blueprints to the emotional modifier I’d been working on.”

  I flash on George. His bottom lip is firmly pressed between his teeth. He sucks in a long breath, a slight shake of his head.

  “What? Why would he want that?” Trey asks, a crease indenting the space between his eyes.

  Sighing, Aiden says, “Unfortunately, I failed to discover that reason. It was the most guarded of any information I came close to.”