Ginny drove and I sat in the front seat with her, because I missed her almost as much as Puck.
“What brings the two of you to the country?” I asked.
“I need to talk to Kai. We’ve got a mess on our hands and he needs to know about it,” said Puck.
“What is it?”
“You remember those pictures on your mom’s wall, of Guardian leaders?” Puck hesitated for a minute. I could smell clove. He wanted me to be calm for some reason. “Last week, five of them were murdered.”
“Five?” My stomach dropped. The clove didn’t help.
“Yes. I don’t know how or why, but the Destroyers are definitely behind it. Kai’s the only one who can stop it.” Kai was already having trouble managing the Destroyers. This would be even worse.
“You’re going to have to wait. He’s in Florida right now.”
“What’s he doing there?” Puck asked.
“Rooting out some rogue Destroyers. I know you wanted me to keep an eye on things, but he still keeps a lot of what he does secret. I don’t think he trusts me entirely.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Where’s Alejandro?” I asked.
“Laying low. If there is a hit list, he’s going to be at the top of it. He’s keeping the best security we can afford. It’d take an army to get to him,” said Puck.
“Isn’t he worried about you, Ginny?” I asked.
“He doesn’t know I came. I had to convince talk Puck to take me along. We have security, too. They’re following a few cars behind,” Ginny said.
Ginny grinned at me. She was acting like Alejandro being in danger was no big deal, but I could tell she was worried.
When we got home, we all went straight to bed. I was glad to have Puck to myself for the next few days. He followed me to bed, and I wondered whom I’d sleep with if both boys were here. I’d want to sleep with Puck, but Kai would expect me to stay with him. In the end, I’d probably be in the barn with the cows. It’d be easier than dealing with both of them. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Puck woke me with a kiss on the back of my head. He nuzzled next to my ear.
“Why don’t you skip school today?”
I rolled over and placed my hand on his cheek. He smiled and closed his eyes.
“Why don’t you come with me? You can use your powers to convince the teachers you’re supposed to be there.”
“I’d rather have you stay home. If we go to school, then I’d have to share you. Stay with me. Please.”
One day wouldn’t hurt, I supposed. “Okay. I’ll stay home.”
We turned the alarm off and drifted back into a sweet sleep.
Later that morning, we sat at the table eating a late breakfast. Ginny disappeared out into the clinic with my dad, in jeans and a t-shirt. I’d never seen her dressed so casually. I also had no idea she was an animal person.
Lincoln jumped into Puck’s lap. I think he liked him better than he liked me. He’d spent most of the night sleeping at his feet.
“I still can’t believe you are here,” I said. “I didn’t think I’d see you for another several months.”
He paused. “I never meant to leave you here the whole year. I knew spying on Kai and the Destroyers wouldn’t last long. Then after you left, I knew for sure I couldn’t leave you here. In fact, if you want to come home with me now, I won’t complain. I worry about leaving you here with all the Guardian murders.”
“What about Kai? Did you come up with another solution to bring him back once this is over?”
“No, but putting you in harms way was never on the agenda. I’d feel more comfortable with you in hiding with Alejandro.”
I could leave. Go back with Puck. But what about Kai? If I left, he would be unprotected and may lose himself in the Destroyer energy. I owed Kai the ability to come back to the Guardians after all he did for me. But I didn’t know how to explain that to Puck. Plus, if I went home, I still wouldn’t be able to see Puck. He planned on hiding me away with Alejandro. Besides, I felt much more useful here than I had at home. At least here, I had a purpose. I was helping Kai take out evil Destroyers.
“I can do something here. If you take me home and lock me up in a house with Alejandro, I’m going to go crazy. Right now, they all think I’m with the Destroyers. They aren’t going to come after me. I might be more at risk if I go home with you.”
“If Kai isn’t behind this, then he’s in danger too. You being at his side won’t help.”
“Let’s wait until he gets home before we make any decisions.”
Puck frowned. “Okay, but I’m not comfortable with this.”
“I know. You do know you are in the Destroyer headquarters, right? Are you worried about being sensed, or outing Kai?”
“I’m heavily shielded. We should be okay. I won’t stay long. Besides as far as any of the Destroyers are concerned, I’m no big deal. But hey, if you do stay here, we have to maintain status quo.”
“Meaning, I’m not allowed to call you or contact you.”
“Exactly. It risks everything. Especially now. You could put my life in danger.”
I sighed. “I know. I’ve been good so far, right? But I miss you.”
He smiled. “I miss you too. What have you been up to? Why is it you think that you are more useful here?”
I hesitated. Puck didn’t know about the Destroyer energy I held.
“Let me show you.”
On the way out to the garden, I explained to Puck how I used my powers to drain evil Destroyers and feed them to the rose. He didn’t seem all that surprised. At least I couldn’t tell for sure, because he had shielded himself.
He studied the Destroyer rose. “Can I take a cutting back for Alejandro? He’d be interested in studying it. Besides, it would give him something to do. He’s bored stiff in the compound they’ve got him secured up in. I asked Alejandro for information on your Grandmother so we would know what to expect out of you, but she didn’t ever extract power from others, as far as we know. She behaved like a normal Guardian. This is different. Especially this rose.”
“It is, isn’t it? The whole feel of the rose is sinister, but not evil. Does that make sense?”
“I know. How come you haven’t gotten rid of your mother?”
“I don’t know. She helps me draw the power out of others. I worry that if I try to get rid of her, I won’t be able to do it easily anymore. Besides, most of the time I can shield her so I don’t have to feel her. It’s not her anyway, just her power.”
I liked her power. I wouldn’t tell Puck that, but it resonated with me. Dwayne was unnatural and wrong, but Mother’s power felt powerful and strong. Part of me knew that it was wrong, that I shouldn’t enjoy her power. But I did. Especially when I kissed Kai.
We went down to the creek.
“How’s Ricki?” I asked, curious for news of home.
“Fine, she’s been spending a lot of time with Romeo. They seem good together. The only problem is, they leave that punk kid, Hayden, with me when they go out. Drives me insane.”
I picked up a few rocks and tossed them into the creek.
Puck skipped a rock across the creek.
“Show off.”
He smiled.
“Does Hayden still harass Ricki?” I asked.
He shrugged. “He doesn’t bother Ricki anymore, but he still doesn’t speak well of women. Romeo said he’s working on it, but we may lose that kid to the Destroyers.”
“What about Alejandro?”
“He’s going stir crazy. He’s worried about you. He asked that I convince you to come home, said it was too dangerous for you here.”
“But I’m doing good things here. I’ll be safe. Besides, how can I bring Kai back if I’m not here?”
He sighed. “I know. But that doesn’t mean I want you here.”
I picked up a wide flat stone. There were tons of them down here. I looked at Puck and smirked. Then I skipped my rock ten feet further than his.
“Game on,” he said, searching the ground for another rock.
He’d never beat me. I’d been skipping rocks since I was three.
There are around three hundred different roses named after various Queens. To me, queens signified power and control. I liked that, because in my little world I had no control and men held all the power. I planted a little section just for my Queens. Queen Mary 2, Queen Guinevere, Queen Esther, Ice Queen, and White Queen Elizabeth. I think I may need to create a Queen Naomi.
I WAS STARTLED OUT OF MY SLEEP at five a.m. by the sound of shattering glass. I sat up. Broken glass pieces scattered all over the floor. Long stem pink roses mixed with the shards.
Kai glared at me. My heart stopped for a minute.
“What are you doing in my bed?” He looked so beautiful, but scary. He stood over Puck, his fists clenched and rage burning in his eyes.
Puck sat up. “I’m here to talk to you. I can’t help it you weren’t here when I arrived.” He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. But he popped his knuckles. He always did that in sticky situations. I wanted to hide under the covers. Anything but face both of them at once.
“It looks like you are in bed with my girlfriend.”
“Relax, it’s not what it looks like.” That’s exactly what it was. I pulled the covers back up and thought about covering my head with a pillow.
“Really, then what is it?”
Puck shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Destroyers are killing Guardians. What the hell are you going to do about it?”
The rage fled from his eyes and was replaced with confusion.
“What are you talking about?” he asked and took a few steps back from Puck.
Puck rattled off a list of names. “All of them are dead and you aren’t doing anything about it. If anyone else were the Master Destroyer, we’d have killed him by now. It was all I could do to convince my council that you weren’t behind this. I know you’ve claimed the title, but do they all recognize you as the Master?”
Kai glared at Puck and stomped out of the room. Puck followed. I wasn’t about to be left out of that conversation even though I was still a little nervous they’d both turn on me. We entered the office and Puck started pointing at pictures.
“Dead, dead, dead, dead, and dead.”
“I heard you the first time.”
Kai sat down clumsily. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Puck.
“Puck, I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I’m totally in over my head. You’ve got Alejandro and others. I have no one. I don’t even know the identities of half of the Destroyer leaders. I think maybe I should come back to the Guardians and let the Destroyers figure it out themselves.”
Puck creased his eyebrows together.
“Look, I want you to come back. In fact, if you don’t, I’ll never forgive myself. But right now, you’re needed here. If you suddenly desert the Destroyers you’ll leave us wide open to attack. You know you can get things under control if you allow yourself to be a Destroyer. You have to give in to the energy or you won’t be able to control them.” Without warning, he slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a large hole. “My people are dying.”
Kai got up and paced around the room.
“You don’t understand what it’s like. This is not who I am, not who I want to be. I didn’t think this through. I avenged our father’s death, but I can’t be a Destroyer.”
He seemed so utterly defeated.
“You once told me that your father was a good man. Do you think it’s possible to be a Destroyer and still be a good man? Because if anyone can do it, it’s you,” I said.
He rounded on me. “You’re one to talk. You go on about giving me a chance and wanting to fall in love with me, only to jump straight back into Puck’s arms the moment he arrives. You should leave, let me focus on doing my job instead trying to help you love me. I can’t do both.”
He didn’t get it. I wanted to stay, to help him bring back the balance. Besides, I now understood that he wouldn’t be able to do this without me. Puck was right though; controlling the Destroyers was never going to happen with Kai playing Guardian too. We both had to give in to our dark side if this was going to work. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t want to become my mother, but then I understood the need for a strong Destroyer leader.
I put my hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Let’s try something.”
His eyes were red and tired. He stiffened under my touch. “What do you want?”
“I want to see if you can control me. Make me do something.”
“How can I do that? You are still a Shade.”
“Not when I give in to my mother’s power. It’s worth a shot.”
I looked at Puck. He shrugged.
Kai sighed and sat down. I closed my eyes and dropped the shield that held my mother back. Her energy rose to the surface. I could taste a strong wine and smell my Destroyer rose. I craved power.
Kai’s energy changed too. I looked at Puck. His eyes were wide and he took a few steps back from us.
“Come on, make me do something,” I said.
The thought appeared in my mind. Kiss me.
I smirked. Of course he would want me to do that in front of Puck. But I had no real inclination to do it. It was just a thought. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the desk. Kai had his eyes squeezed shut.
Come on, just kiss me.
This time I answered with a thought of my own.
No. If you want a kiss, you’ll have to come and get it.
I wasn’t prepared for him to actually listen to me. Kai lunged at me and pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around him and he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his torso. His response was urgent. There was no hesitation, no surprise; just passion and lips and tongue.
When I finally pulled back, he pressed his forehead against mine. He put me back down, but kept close. Puck pushed past us and the front door slammed.
What had just happened? Did I make Kai kiss me or did he just do what he already wanted to? Then it occurred to me that I’d done this before, had others obey my words or even my thoughts. The men at the poker game. Jason asking out Tiff. The boys at the restaurant. How was I doing this? How long had I been doing this? Whatever this was, I could use it to help Kai. If I, somehow, had a weird power that would make people do what I wanted then I could help him get the Destroyers under control.
“We’ll do this together. No more keeping me in the dark. I go where you go and I’ll be your secret weapon. The rumors are already starting, we’ll encourage them along. They will fear you once word gets out that you have a girl who can take their power.”
I took Kai’s hand in mine. “No more Guardians will die. We have to protect them.”
He nodded and looked out the window. Puck was storming across the front lawn to my greenhouse.
“I’m going to go see if he’s alright. Do you want to come with?” I asked.
“No, I expect he doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”
On the walk out to the greenhouse I shielded my mother once again. Her power wouldn’t be any help with him. He stood in front of my Turkish Halfeti. Three black buds had bloomed. He turned to face me.
“So that’s it then, you’ve made your choice?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I thought you loved me.”
I stalked toward him.
“I do. Did you not tell me to spy? Am I not doing my job? I’ll admit that it took me a while to figure out what I was doing, but I think I was pretty convincing back there.”
“So you don’t love him?”
I hated the yearning in his voice. The hope.
“Not in the same way I love you. Did you forget that you told me do whatever it takes? This is what it takes.”
He slammed his hands on the table and his face twisted. “No, you are doing this because you want to. There are other ways to do this.”<
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I laughed out loud. “Oh, yeah? Then tell me, oh wise one, how am I supposed to make sure that Kai returns to the Guardians without pretending to love him?”
He flung open the door and stood in the doorway. “I saw that kiss. There was no pretending there.”
I thought, stay. But he didn’t stay, he left. Why was it that I could influence some people, but not others? I thought again over the list of people who did what I wanted.
They were all Destroyers.
For me, roses have always been about the smell, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the beauty. Roses come in so many different colors, and I think they are all beautiful. Purple has always been a tricky color to grow, but if I want a dark purple I’ll grow a Midnight Blue. It holds its color better than any other purple rose.
THAT NIGHT DINNER WAS A TENSE AFFAIR. My father was the only one who seemed oblivious to the tension. He blathered on about his animals and asked Ginny a thousand questions about her business. She responded in kind. I could tell she was trying to lighten the mood. Everyone was mad at each other.
Puck was mad at me for choosing to remain with Kai. Kai was mad at Puck for loving me. And I was angry with the both of them for not growing up and getting over it. I turned to Ginny.
“I need to get away for a couple of days. Can I come to Vegas with you? Just for the weekend.”
Both Puck and Kai shot me dirty looks.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because the work I’m going to be doing here requires a certain image and there’s no way we are going to find that here. Besides, I don’t trust anyone but Rita with my hair.”
I didn’t mention that I needed to get far away from both boys to think. Puck had mentioned that he needed to go visit with some of the Guardians on the east coast. Ginny and I could fly back to Vegas together and spend a couple of days shopping and primping. It would give me time to figure out how to handle all of this.
I also needed someone to discuss why the Destroyers were responding to me. Puck and Kai were both out, but Alejandro knew more about the Guardians and Destroyers than anyone I knew.
The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies Page 34