by S. L. Gray
She jerked hard when Garamendi pressed his hand against her back and girded the other arm around her waist. She crushed her eyes closed and clenched her jaw, but swallowed the scream Kade expected, muffling it behind her teeth. Sweat raced down her face from the temple, hugged the curve of her jaw and fell. She drew in a long breath through her nose, and Kade inhaled the scent of burning flesh with her.
Then just as quickly, she relaxed, her eyes fluttering open. Garamendi let her go. Kade stepped forward to see the mark the supervisor inspected before tugging her shirt down again. It had healed in an instant, leaving no chance it would infect or cause Melanie more pain. The shape was crisp and dark against her skin, yet somehow more delicate than his own, as if it had been specifically designed to suit the woman. The meaning was the same. Marked forever. One of them.
His.
Garamendi retreated behind his desk again as Melanie turned around. The brand, once more cold iron, went back into its drawer and he reclaimed his seat. "Welcome, officially, to the family, Melanie." He looked to Kade then, studying him and liking what he saw, or so it seemed. With the barest hint of a smile, he asked, "Now, what was that about directions to the sage?"
Chapter Eighteen
No distractions from here on out. No getting sidelined. They had a mission to complete and Kade intended to make damned sure it got done. Echoes or not.
"I know we're in a hurry, but do you think you could slow down? Some of us weren't graced with mile-long legs."
Melanie caught up when he stopped and turned to look back. Color high in her cheeks, she doubled over and rested her hands on her knees. It was the first time he'd seen her this out of breath since the attacks. "Why are we suddenly in fast forward, anyway? Did I miss something back there?"
Kade forced down worry. She'd been fine when they left Garamendi's office. She'd recover soon enough, if he let her. If he took it a little easier. Yes, he wanted to get this over with, but that wasn't her fault. Matter of fact, she had more right to want this ended than he did. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a slow breath in through the nose and let it out quietly. Centering, refocusing, calming himself. He'd had to learn that trick in the first weeks after losing his family. He waited until the hot pressure in his temples eased away. Then and only then did he open his eyes.
"The longer we take, the more chances we give Penumbra to stop us. To try. They've already had too many, gotten too close. The sooner this part's over, the quicker you get back to your life."
She laughed. Not a subtle giggle or a delicate titter. She guffawed. She went on until a tear rolled down her cheek, but that didn't stop her. She wiped it away and stepped forward, lifting his arm as she tucked against his side and draping it over her shoulders, still snickering. "My life. The life that you've taken over? The one full of shadows and monsters and mysteries?"
Kade frowned as he looked down at her. "You can list all of that and still smile about it?"
She shrugged beneath his arm. "What other choice do I have? It's laugh or cry, and I don't like crying. It doesn't solve anything and it gives me headaches. Besides, no matter what else, you haven't changed. Weird comes and goes, but you're still here. I like you. I need you. You help." She smiled and shrugged again. "So there's no going back. Guess you're going to have to get used to it."
"This isn't a game." He pulled away and backed up a step. He wanted her to look him in the eye. "You understand that, right? The choice you made, taking on the mark, that can't be undone. Maybe you should have thought about it a little more."
"When do I not think about what's going on? When have I had the chance? I know it's dangerous, I promise. I've seen that firsthand. I could have hedged and asked for time to think it over, but if this is really who I am now, then I want in, Kade. I want to know everything."
"You want to fight? You'll have to if you stay with me. I've already proved I can't keep you safe."
She shook her head and stepped forward, taking up the distance he'd put between them. "Without you, I'd be dead already. They're not going to stop coming, are they? Like I told Garamendi, they won't suddenly give up now that the tablet's safe. I need you," she said again. "I want you, Kade. I thought you wanted me."
He wanted to grab her and hide her someplace, buried behind a hundred layers of defense. He wanted to watch her grow into whatever her powers might be. He didn't want her out of his sight for a second and he wanted her as far away from the heart of trouble as she could possibly go. He groaned in frustration and shoved a hand through his hair, tugging hard, as though he could yank a solution up by the roots.
"I want you." He made himself unlock his jaws and get the words out. He felt as though he'd swallowed gravel. He could hear it rattle in his voice. "But I don't understand. Why not run when I gave you the chance? Why do you trust me?"
He expected a verbal answer, some long explanation of the things he'd done that he could argue point by point. Melanie gave him a lopsided smile instead and reached into her pocket.
A chain threaded through her fingers when she tugged it free again. She opened her hand and let the pendant she held against her palm drop free. It spun, flashing silver as it twisted and swung, a bright blur that caught the eye until it slowed enough to recognize.
The mark on his chest pulsed as it had in the office, a reminder of its presence when confronted with a copy. As if he could forget. The shape looked different in silver, more delicate, more suiting the woman meant to wear it, but the sweep of the wings was undoubtedly the same.
He cleared his throat to find his voice. "Where did you get that?"
Color flared along her cheekbones again. "Sylvie gave it to me. She told me you'd asked to have it made. Before the whole..." She waved her hand, no doubt a reference to the impromptu ceremony. "It's a warding talisman," she said, as if he could somehow not know. "Meant to keep me safe at all times. Anyone who sees it will know I have a protector."
Kade struggled to gather his thoughts. He'd asked to have the pendant made when Melanie revealed her talent at manipulating shadow. In addition to lending her a little more protection in the case of another fight, it would act as a beacon if she got lost or they managed to take her. It was one more layer of connection between them. Until she 1earned to take care of herself in his world, he figured she could use all the help she could get. "She said you'd hate it. That you'd see it like a dog tag. A mark of ownership."
Melanie smiled and tilted her head. "It is a little possessive," she allowed, "but I call it a mark of partnership." She took another half-step, as close as she could get without colliding with him, and lifted the necklace again. "Will you put it on for me?"
His fingers felt thick and clumsy as he took the chain from her hand. Their fingers brushed and she laughed, then turned around and pulled her hair out of the way, exposing the length of her neck.
It was another gesture of the trust she had in him. It was temptation, too. He'd been this close before, but hadn't dared to take his time exploring all that perfect skin. He'd never seen the trio of small dark freckles that made a triangle at her nape before.
She turned her head, smiling over her shoulder. "It's a tiny little fiddly clasp, I know. Can you get it?"
"Yeah. Got it." Act, don't stare, Kade. He was a grown man. He'd seen a neck before. He pinched the clasp open, letting the pendant dangle over her head for a moment before lowering it into place and latching it there. When he'd finished, he slid his arms around her from behind and rested his forehead against her hair, closing his eyes. He'd act. In a minute.
She curled her fingers over his arms, holding them in place, and turned her head again, enough that she could murmur over her shoulder. "It's not about trust anymore, Eric." When he lifted his head and she turned in his arms, she smiled up at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you." Her smile warmed and she laughed softly. "So, where are we going?"
This time his heart lurched in earnest. It wasn't his imagination. What he felt was real. It pounded through his veins and
rattled him to the bone and his complaints disappeared. Falling was an excellent description. He just hoped the landing didn't break them at the end of the ride.
"Sideways," he murmured. "Stay close to me." He gave her very little choice, tightening his hold as he stepped out of the physical world and tugged her into the place between the shadows where time and distance didn't mean anything.
She tensed in his arms, then he felt her exhale, relaxing as he loosened his grip and took her hand instead. She squeezed his hand and threaded her fingers through his, falling into step when he moved, leading her along paths he knew and she would learn.
In the outside world, it would take days to reach the mountain house. There were miles of winding back roads to navigate. The wards surrounding the protected hideaway made the seals guarding his apartment seem as useless as wet tissue. No one got in or out by accident.
The house looked ghostly in blacks, grays and a few shades of blue. Haunted, like something out of a horror movie. He'd been to others like it before and it still sent chills down his spine. A glance at Melanie showed it affected her too. Her eyes were shadows in a wide sea of white, and her skin looked nearly porcelain. She tried for a smile while he watched. He squeezed her hand then nodded toward the house.
He didn't need to give her more instruction. She'd already grasped the basics of making the transition. She lingered a moment, then slipped her hand out of his and stepped onto the porch. He could feel her gather power. The tug as she slipped away was subtle, but unmistakable. Good. He'd let her clear the doorway, then follow her in.
That was the plan, at least, but as he reached through shadow to pull himself back into the world, pain started at the base of his spine and spread upward like long fingers. It licked like fire following his nerves and wrapped his ribs, making each breath torture. He couldn't call out to warn Melanie. He couldn't focus on joining her inside. He concentrated on staying conscious instead and ground his teeth together against a cry of agony.
It ended as abruptly as it had begun. Kade found himself on his knees, one hand bracing him up. His sides heaved and nausea roiled in his stomach, an answer to the sudden lack of pain. The shivers set in a moment later, threatening what little of his balance remained. His breath shuddered like his body and it took every bit of strength he had to climb to his feet.
"Now who'd have guessed we'd see one another so soon?" Noura spoke from behind him. When he wheeled around to face her, she wiggled her fingers playfully. "Small world, isn't it, Kade? Oh yeah, one more thing." She drew herself up to her full, unimpressive height. "Surprise! Again."
Passing in and out of shadow took Melanie's breath away. The sensation of passing through a doorway just a little too narrow for her shoulders lifted and color seeped back into the world around her. She took the first deep breath she'd managed in too long and stepped forward, out of Kade's way.
The room that greeted her didn't seem out of place. Wide and open, it served as a common room for the cabin she'd seen from the outside. A building with no front door. If no one ever entered via normal means, there was no reason to cut a doorway. Any curious traveler who managed to find the place would wander off again eventually, and no doubt tell the tale to disbelieving friends but never be able to retrace his steps and prove he hadn't been seeing things.
She rubbed her arms, brushing away the chill as her hands moved, wrinkling fabric. A fire burned in the hearth at one end of the room, but no one waited to take advantage. Maybe they'd wandered off. There had to be a bedroom, a kitchen or something. She'd go exploring when Kade stepped through.
Any second now. He'd been right behind her and he was better at crossing over than Melanie by a long shot. She waited, counting silent seconds in her mind. Ten, then twenty. Thirty edged past. If he hadn't come to join her, maybe something had happened. Maybe another attack had come. Heart pounding, she stepped toward the featureless wall she'd passed through. If he was in trouble, he'd need her. They worked better together. She crushed her eyes closed and reached—
"Don't bother."
The voice came from the doorway just behind her and to the left. She recognized the voice before she turned to face the man. Two short words and her insides had already tied themselves in painful knots. She mashed a hand against her abdomen as if, somehow, the pressure could keep the pain at bay.
"Dr. Moore."
"Please." He wore the smile that had been charming just a few days ago. Now it oozed with forced kindness and an icy sort of malice. "Call me Sandoval. We're going to be very good friends."
"I don't think so." Melanie backed away. She clenched her fist against her stomach and grabbed hold of the seam of her jeans with the other hand. The urge to reach for the talisman she now wore nearly overpowered her. Somehow, the little voice in her mind promised, if she could just touch it for a second, Kade would come thundering into sight.
But the larger part of her mind warned against such a move. Revealing the talisman would give Dr. Moore something to use against her and until she knew exactly what he wanted, she was better off keeping even the slightest advantage hidden.
"What do you want?" She fought the urge to back another step. "I'll have a hard time getting the tablet for you, now that you've killed Dr. Andruss. No one in their right mind would let me near the museum again." Was she making assumptions? Yes, but she was less surprised by his involvement than her best friend's. Thinking the worst about this man might just save her life.
"You wound me, Ms. Kendrick," he said as he moved past her, unconcerned and apparently comfortable. He settled on the nearest chair and leaned back, letting the edges of the wingback hug his shoulders. "I didn't intend to ask you to visit the museum again. I certainly don't have your employer's blood on my hands. As a matter of fact, I offer you my condolences. From our brief acquaintance, I'd call him a very compassionate man."
"He was a good man," Melanie countered, "and the only reason you can shirk the blame is because you had your puppets kill him. That's still guilty in my book."
"Accusations of crime lose some of their weight when spoken by another criminal, my dear."
Indignation swept through her. "What crime have I—" Heat followed hard on its heels, centering in her cheeks. She didn't lower her chin. "Theft isn't the same as murder."
"And yet still a punishable offense." He sounded so smug, so pleased with himself that a sour taste burned at the back of Melanie's throat. "We're more alike than I imagined."
"We're nothing alike," she practically snarled. "Don't flatter yourself and don't insult me."
Dr. Moore continued to smile. "I like your spirit," he said as if she hadn't protested. "And a streak of self-preservation never goes amiss."
Melanie set her jaw, clenching her teeth as Kade had done a dozen times. She hoped it would help to keep her voice steady as she asked again, "What do you want, Dr. Moore?"
He made an airy, throwaway gesture and she embarrassed herself by flinching, as if he could strike her down with a flick of his fingers. Maybe he could, but it wouldn't help her to let on that her heart hammered like a rabbit's beneath her ribs.
"Your estimation of me may have changed, Ms. Kendrick, but my goals remain the same. Give me the tablet, and your troubles go away."
She snorted. "More like, give you the tablet and my troubles are just beginning. Why not ask for my firstborn instead?"
His attention dipped to her abdomen sharply and Melanie felt a chill sweep through her again. The familiar, sickening sensation radiated out from the knot and made her lightheaded at the same time it frightened her. When he met her gaze again, his slow smile earned a gasp.
"If your firstborn is what it takes..."
Melanie clapped a hand against her stomach and pressed, as if she could shield herself from him somehow. There was nothing there to protect, she knew, but it hardly mattered. The threat was enough. He'd found a valid target.
"There's really no need for this drama," he went on, rolling words as though he might purr with the next
breath. "It's a simple choice. The tablet or the man. Which is more important to you?"
Kade! She hitched forward without thinking, hands balled into fists and the wicked chill chased away by a blaze of fierce heat. "If you hurt him—"
"It will be on your head."
He hadn't raised his voice. He didn't stand, he didn't step inside her personal space and yet he might have loomed over her and held her by the throat. She swallowed hard against an invisible grip and struggled for breath.
"I want the tablet," he said, words taking on an edge now. "I will have it, no matter what it takes. No matter who I have to go through. Bring me the tablet, or I'll start with Kade."
"He'd want you to," Melanie managed. It only made Dr. Moore grin wider.
"Oh yes, I agree. He'd see it as his duty to die, nobly defending values that you're not certain you believe. I'm more than willing to grant his wish, but have they told you what happens to an echo when one half fades away?" He didn't give her a chance to answer before he tsked and shook his head. "When you go back to get my tablet, that's a conversation you ought to have. I think you'll find it enlightening."
Melanie's fingernails bit deep into her palms. "I didn't say I'd bring it to you."
"No, of course not," Dr. Moore answered smoothly. "The choice is yours. The offer has been made. And now," he made a show of throwing out his arm so his sleeve jerked back and he could study his watch, "I'm late for another appointment. It's been a pleasure, Melanie." He stood smoothly, tugged his sleeve down and buttoned his suit jacket.
He moved back toward the doorway he'd come through. He'd nearly disappeared again before she remembered why Kade had dragged her into the middle of shadow. "The sage. Where is she?"
Dr. Moore stopped, shoulders back and tense. He turned back and smiled again, this one thinner and not nearly as satisfied. "Charming child. Give her my regards." He hesitated briefly, then tilted his head. "I'm sure you can find your own way out."