Redemption (The Chosen #4)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  Aiden began to chuckle.

  “Don’t laugh at me.” Jake growled through gritted teeth, the pressure in his chest continuing to build in spite of his release.

  The chuckling stopped and Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “So stop me.”

  Thrusting his hands forward, Jake forced his energy toward Aiden. Lightning shot from his hands, the bolts striking Aiden’s chest and arcing off in all directions, sparks flying.

  Aiden smiled and Jake grunted his frustration, reaching one hand into the sky. Fat raindrops pelted the balcony, stinging Jake’s skin with their force.

  “Is that all you’ve got, little boy?”

  Fury burned white-hot, dotting Jake’s vision as he rushed Aiden. His shoulder slammed into Aiden’s thighs. Aiden’s mouth gaped in surprise and he tripped backward, the balcony railing stopping his momentum.

  But Jake pushed harder. Aiden’s weight shifted backward, over the railing.

  Jake released more power. The wind pushed Aiden with greater force.

  “Enough!” Aiden’s voice filled the air and echoed through Jake’s head.

  An electrical jolt shot through Jake and he flew backward six feet, crashing into the concrete spindles. A sharp pain stabbed Jake’s back and his breath released in a whoosh.

  Aiden loomed over him, moving faster than Jake thought possible. Rain continued to pour from the sky, dripping into Jake’s eyes as he looked up.

  The eerie red glow surrounded Aiden and shone from his eyes. “You haven’t seen my full power, Jake. Would you like to now?”

  Fear swamped Jake’s head and he sucked in his breath and glared. He hated Aiden.

  The glow faded and the anger on Aiden’s face softened. “Turns out you’re more like your mother than I anticipated.”

  Jake wasn’t sure what that meant, but he’d rather be like his mother than Aiden.

  “Don’t be so sure about that,” Aiden said.

  In the struggle, Jake had let down his wall, allowing Aiden back into his head.

  “Do you know what’s coming, Jake?”

  The rain puddled around him, soaking through his jeans as he cowered on the balcony floor.

  “I’ll tell you what’s coming. A storm, far larger than anything you or Alex could ever create. Disease and pestilence. Fire and wind and mass destruction. For something to be reborn, it first has to die. The world is about to see its rebirth, Jake, and you are going to be instrumental.” Aiden took a step back. “You’ve had your fun. You’ve shown me your true potential, but don’t ever try that again or you will wish you hadn’t. Is that understood?”

  A lump filled Jake’s throat as he nodded. Resentment brewed deep inside him.

  “Good. Go dry off, then get ready for bed. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and we need to get an early start tomorrow.” Aiden spun around and left Jake in the rain.

  He clung to the concrete spindles, staring at the smoldering bushes, rain drops sizzling as they landed. He had created that. He’d made fires, and a storm and stinging raindrops. He’d finally done it. But after a short moment of pride, the full weight of Aiden’s words sunk in. Aiden planned to destroy the world and he expected Jake to play a part in it. Jake’s temper tantrum had only proved that he was capable of helping with the destruction.

  He’d given Aiden exactly what he wanted.

  The enormity of his fear and guilt rooted him to the floor. His eyes sunk closed and he called to his mother, no longer worried that Aiden would find her. What did it matter now? Mommy, I need you. I’m scared.

  Jake only encountered silence. A void.

  It was as though she didn’t exist.

  Desolation swept in and mixed with his fear. Jake was truly alone.

  Chapter Three

  In Santa Fe, Will pulled into a motel parking lot and Emma roused from her nap as he turned the car off.

  She blinked, trying to focus. “I’m sorry. I tried to stay awake.”

  He leaned over and kissed her head. “No, you needed the sleep. I’m going to get us a room. I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded, looking around, surprised by all the nice cars. “Where are we?”

  “Santa Fe.”

  “No, I mean the motel. We usually stay in dives. This place looks nice.”

  He smiled. “It’s our wedding night. I think we deserve better than sleeping in a bed that we’re worried hasn’t had a change of sheets.”

  She smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. Now let me get checked in so you can get some sleep in a decent bed for a change.”

  He got out and disappeared into the office.

  Leave it to Will to surprise her by thinking about the accommodations of their first night joined. He called it their wedding night, which wasn’t so far off. While there hadn’t been a ceremony, the joining words were vows, stronger than any human wedding ceremony.

  Human. Funny how a couple of months ago she thought of herself as human and how quickly she had accepted that she was not. But she wasn’t full element either, so what did that make her? Would she even survive long enough to worry about it?

  Will returned several minutes later and climbed into the car. “We’ll park and go inside. We don’t have anything to carry in except the backpack. We lost everything when that car fell down the mountain.”

  “There wasn’t much in the car. I had to get out of our last motel room with what I could carry. Aiden put someone who resembled you in our car, and it scared the hell out of me.”

  “What do you mean put him there?”

  “He was dead.”

  Will’s eyes widened.

  “I thought it was you and I lost it. Someone called the police and I only had time to grab one bag and the backpack. Now all we have is the backpack, the laptop, and a couple of guns.”

  “And the book.”

  “And the book.” Her words came out wearier than she intended.

  “Come on, Princess. Let’s get inside.”

  They found their room on the third floor, and once the door was closed Will pulled Emma into a hug. “What do you want to do? Take a shower? Go to bed?”

  She looked up at him. “Actually, I’m hungry.”

  He smiled. “Good thing I ordered a pizza while I was checking in. They’ll deliver it in about fifteen minutes. Plenty of time for you to take a shower if you want.”

  Emma looked around the nice room. “Can we afford this place? And aren’t you worried they’ll track us down through our credit card?”

  Will tensed. “I used my persuasiveness to get the room.”

  “What does that mean?”

  His eyes hardened. “Remember how you got Kramer to talk? I used my power to convince the night clerk to let us stay here without a credit card.”

  “Without paying? That’s stealing.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll pay in the morning when we leave. But we can’t risk getting found out tonight.”

  She nodded. In the scheme of things, it was a minor point. Still, to not pay to stay here made her more like Aiden, Raphael and Alex. She wanted to stay on the side of good, not take advantage of her powers like the other elementals did. But how long could she stay here? Albuquerque had forced her to straddle the line.

  “Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll check out a couple of things on the internet.”

  “Okay…” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You don’t want to take one with me?”

  The corners of his mouth lifted in a lazy grin. “What about the pizza?”

  “You said we had fifteen minutes.”

  He shook his head. “As tempted as I am, I suspect if I get in the shower with you, fifteen minutes won’t be enough.”

  Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him. “Suit yourself.” Her lips lingered over his.

  His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. “You fight dirty.”

  “I learned from the master.”

  He kissed her, then pushed her away. “You go show
er and I’ll figure out where we’re going tomorrow. Then after you get out and the pizza comes, we won’t have any distractions.”

  “Okay,” she said reluctantly, backing toward the bathroom.

  She meant to take a quick shower, eager to get back to Will, but the warm water unknotted her tense back and shoulders, and she let it wash over her, taking some of her anxiety with it. When she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, Will sat at a desk with the laptop, an unopened pizza box next to him.

  “The pizza came? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He looked up with a soft smile. “I wanted to let you enjoy the shower.” He stood and walked toward her. “I’ve already had some. Why don’t you eat and I’ll take a shower.”

  “Okay.”

  She was hungrier than she thought, eating several slices before Will came out of the bathroom naked. They’d been together for weeks now, and she’d seen him unclothed many times, but the sight of him now set butterflies loose in her stomach.

  He walked toward her without saying a word and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. His other hand loosened her towel and it dropped to the floor.

  His eyes were more serious and intent than she was used to seeing when he stared at her naked body. But he wasn’t looking at her body. He was searching her face.

  His free hand reached for her cheek, pulling her mouth to his, kissing her with more gentleness than she expected.

  “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he whispered, trailing kisses from her mouth to her ear, then her neck.

  She closed her eyes and pressed against him.

  His mouth returned to hers, more insistent, and her hand looped around his neck. “I feel like I’ve waited for you my entire life,” he murmured. “And now you’re really mine.”

  She kissed him back, needing to be closer to him, but it wasn’t enough.

  He led her to the bed and lay next to her, staring into her eyes.

  “I love you, Will.”

  Those were the words he seemed to be waiting for, and he resumed his trail of kisses over her body.

  They made love with a gentleness that contrasted their usual frenzy and need, and when they were done, Emma lay in Will’s arms, her cheek resting on his chest.

  ***

  Will’s fingers stroked Emma’s arm, as he closed his eyes, committing the moment into memory.

  “Will, that was…” She looked up at him and smiled. “Beautiful.”

  He gave her a cocky grin. “Just making sure you don’t regret our shotgun marriage.” While he joked, part of him worried that she did regret the decision. Everything about their joining had happened so fast. She’d been pinned by a car to the side of the cliff and the car was falling, taking her with it. He’d joined with her in an attempt to save her using their combined powers. But their joining was eternal, and in hindsight, he wondered if he could have found another way. He was sure the ramifications of their joining had further-reaching implications than either of them realized.

  Her smile fell and her worried eyes searched his. “Do you regret it?”

  “No, Emma. Never.”

  “But you just got your memories back. Maybe you needed more time…” Her gaze lowered.

  He lifted her chin and stared into her face. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.” He paused and his voice lowered. “Do you regret it?”

  She shook her head slightly. “No. Other than Jake, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’d do it again. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” His arm around her back tightened and his mouth lowered to hers.

  Emma wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

  “I bet it wasn’t the type of wedding you had hoped for. I suspect you wouldn’t want a big one, but at least something more romantic than what we had.”

  She laughed. “How I got married was never important, and what could be more romantic than you risking your life to save me? It’s definitely more memorable. A story to share with our grandkids.”

  He kissed her again, partly in desperation. Would they live long enough to have children, let alone grandchildren? They were pawns in a deadly game. A game of elemental immortals that had begun millenniums ago, and soon, the final confrontation would begin.

  Four shall fight, two shall remain.

  Will didn’t know how the math of that played out, now that there were seven participants. But Aiden had claimed that he didn’t intend to fight. He’d created a loophole to be exempt.

  And any world with Aiden still in it was unacceptable.

  Will clung to Emma, desperate to protect her and spare her the pain her father intended to inflict. Aiden held Jake as a hostage to force Emma’s participation. He’d orchestrated her entire life, from her neglectful, emotionally abusive mother, to sending a then-unenlightened Alex to search her out in college nearly six years ago and rape her to determine if Alex was The Chosen One. She’d lived like a hunted animal when Aiden sent men after Jake, forcing Emma and Jake to hide in one town to the next, always trying to stay one step ahead.

  Emma had lived through more pain than a person ought to, and she would face more. Will could do nothing to stop it, and that knowledge tormented him as he tried to fall asleep.

  ***

  Will stood outside. He heard water splashing behind him, but he couldn’t see anything. He had no idea where he was, but smoke surrounded him, and fear swamped his senses.

  This was a familiar dream.

  The smoke parted and the back of a woman’s head appeared, her long dark hair hanging down her back. When he was a kid having this dream, Will always thought she was his mother. Now he wondered why. While his mother had had dark hair, it had never been that long.

  Fire raged around him and iciness coursed through his veins. Water drenched his body, the fire heating the liquid so that it burned his skin. A little boy’s voice screamed, “Mommy!”

  Columns of fire appeared, surrounding the woman and the water rushed toward her. But the smoke filled his lungs, choking off his air, and then everything was black.

  Will woke with a start. Emma’s naked body was draped over his. He pulled her closer and buried his face into her hair. The last thirty-six hours had been a roller coaster, but then again, his whole life had been in upheaval since the moment he climbed into her car. Last night had topped everything so far, and now the dream confirmed his biggest fear.

  Will slid his hand down Emma’s back. Her hair covered the side of her face, falling across her chest. She looked so peaceful when she slept. He wished she could always look this way, soft and content.

  She stirred next to him, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth even though her eyes remained closed. “Good morning.”

  “Sleep well?”

  “No bad dreams. Only good ones.”

  Will wished he could say the same. Instead, he lowered his voice. “Any include me?”

  She opened her eyes and gave him a wicked smile. “I said they were good, didn’t I?”

  He pulled her against him. “How about showing me?”

  She laughed, a low throaty sound. “Is that all you ever think about?”

  He lifted her chin and stared into her deep brown eyes, and gave her his cocky grin. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t, Mrs. Davenport?”

  She scoffed and narrowed her eyes. “Mrs. Davenport?”

  “You can’t get much more permanent than what we have, Emma. We can make if official if you like.”

  “I think we have a lot bigger things to worry about than a piece of paper that changes my last name.”

  “Are you saying you’ll bind your soul to me for eternity, but you don’t want to marry me?”

  She propped on an elbow. “Is this seriously that important to you? We’re together, Will. Isn’t that what really matters?”

  He had to admit, he hadn’t realize how much he wanted to marry her until he’d brought it up. But she was right. Marriage paled in comparison
to their joining.

  She leaned over him, her hair draping around the side of his face as her lips lowered to his. “Tell you what. When this whole thing is over, I’ll marry you. I promise.”

  Will knew the significance of her promise. She didn’t make them lightly. “And then I can call you Mrs. Davenport.”

  “Or maybe we’ll call you Mr. Emma Thompson.” She nipped his lower lip and laughed. “Let’s work on surviving, then we can pick out your white dress.”

  “Very funny.”

  She started to rise, but he pulled her back down, kissing her with a possessiveness incited by his lingering fear.

  Her fingers fanned his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, Will.”

  “I know.” He knew she didn’t have any intention of leaving him, but no matter how much they prepared, they might not survive. The worry was a constant hum in his head. If only one of them survived, he had to figure out how to ensure it was Emma.

  Will rolled her onto her back and Emma wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him with an urgency of her own.

  “So what’s our plan?”

  He laughed. “I’m trying to seduce you and you want to know what our plan is?”

  “Women are multitaskers.”

  Rolling to his side, he grinned. “Our plan is to read the book from cover to cover, then test out my new powers and see if we have an advantage together. But I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Just in case anyone’s looking for us.”

  “Good idea.”

  He trailed his finger over her shoulder and down to her breast. “But we have to take care of more important things first.”

  An hour and a half later they were on the road after stopping at Walmart for clothes, toiletries and food.

  Emma pulled the book out of the backpack. “I’ve already read part of this, but I’ll read it again to see if I can find anything different.”

  “Good idea.”

  Will ate a sandwich as she opened the leather book and began reading.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  She shook her head, keeping her eyes on the pages. “My stomach’s a mess. I can’t eat anything. Add reading in a moving car, and you’re asking for a disaster.”