We walked down into the casino, the smoky air immediately making my eyes water.
“Casinos are always full of Destroyers. Most are minor and can’t even sense Guardians around. We are going to find a table and sit down. I will point out a Destroyer to you, although, I expect you’ll sense him before I will. I want you to force him to bet and fold his hand every turn.”
“Isn’t there an easier way to do this?”
He grinned. “Of course, but where is the fun in that?”
“I’m a little young to be here, won’t they kick me out?”
Alejandro grinned. “Not with my influence.”
We sat down at a Texas Hold ’Em table. The game was played a lot like the poker at the Destroyer meetings. The Destroyer sat three seats away from Alejandro. I knew immediately who he was. The first hand was dealt. I’d never tried to force a specific action before, it was always an accident. I’d have to experiment a little. I simply thought the word, Fold. I said it with force in my head and sent it to the Destroyer.
A look of confusion fell over his face, but he laid his cards down on the table. The dealer swept the cards up and continued the play with the rest of the players. Alejandro won his hand. Play continued for several more rounds. Each time I thought, fold, and each time the Destroyer laid down his cards. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow and each time he bet, he slammed the money down.
After eight hands, Alejandro got up from the table and I followed him. We walked back up to the hotel room in silence. When we got there, a Guardian I’d never met was waiting outside the room.
“Report,” Alejandro commanded.
“Twelve Destroyers were playing cards at various tables. During the play, eight hands in a row were folded by every Destroyer.” The man paused and hesitated. Then he forged on. “This is unusual, Alejandro. Should we be worried? That seems like a lot of influence for someone. Do you know who’s doing it?” The man didn’t even look at me. Not that he would ever suspect me anyway. I was a girl.
Alejandro smiled. “No, this is the best news I’ve received in a long time.” He clapped the man on the shoulder and entered the hotel room. We sat down and he took both of my hands in his and spoke softly.
“You know, don’t you, what this means?”
“Yes. I think it means I’m the Master Destroyer.” I must’ve taken more than just my mother’s power when I drained her.
“I hope you aren’t angry with me for this, but I’m glad you are the Master and not Kai.” He didn’t seem surprised by this information. Alejandro was always good at hiding surprise though.
“Why?”
“Because I know you’ll do the right thing.”
“So would Kai.”
Alejandro shrugged. “Maybe. You forget that I raised him and Puck. He was driven by revenge and his idea of what’s okay was tempered by the early years with his dad. But you’ve always been good. If you hadn’t been, your mother would’ve turned you into a Destroyer long ago.”
“I don’t want this. I loathe the Destroyers. How am I supposed to be one?” I paced the room.
“You’ll still be you. In spite of what you think, not all Destroyers are evil.”
I frowned and stopped pacing for a minute. “Most of them are.”
“Yes, most of them are, but not all. You’ll be the exception.”
“What if I don’t want this?” I threw my hands up and collapsed on the couch.
“You are our only hope to stop the senseless killing of Guardian leaders. Do you really want to hand that over to someone else?”
I shook my head. At least with me in charge I could have control over what happened.
“How do I stop it? Cards were easy and they were all in the same room, but how do I influence people I don’t even know exist?”
“That I don’t know. Guardians work differently than Destroyers. We don’t force our people to do anything. Most of the time, we don’t even have to tell them what to do. We just watch carefully and make sure they are still on our side. Only the Master Destroyer would know how that works.”
It dawned on me then. The safety of all the Guardian leaders lay in my hands. They were being killed off because I wasn’t doing my job. The only person in the world that could force the Destroyers to stop was me. Until I figured out how to control the lot of them, I’d never be able to stop them from killing Guardians. I had to figure it out. Fast.
“Master Destroyers don’t train people in their secrets. They kill each other to take over, so how do they learn how to control others?” I asked.
“Trial and error, I guess. You had no training and look what you were able to do in the casino.”
“That was easy. I don’t think I can influence anyone that’s not in close proximity to me. I don’t know how to do this.”
“You’ll need to find someone to practice with.”
“I don’t really want to tell Kai. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to be a target.”
“You’re a target already, but I agree with your decision. It’s better this way.”
“Then who can I practice with? I only trust the Guardians.”
“I think you should tell Jason.” My mouth went dry and I crossed my arms.
“Jason? No way. He’ll just betray me again.”
“I don’t think so. Jason is constantly seeking power. He’s not a true Destroyer at heart. He’s the kind that we, as Guardians, get along with because he has limits. He loves chaos; he’s scheming and manipulative, but isn’t inherently evil. He’s power hungry and I think you can give him what he wants. He could actually be your biggest ally in all of this.”
“He turned me over to Dwayne.” Jason. How could Alejandro suggest such a preposterous idea?
Alejandro sighed. “I know, he did. But he was attempting to win over your mother at that point. He liked playing both sides. That gave him tremendous power. What he did to you wasn’t personal.”
I glared at him. “What makes you think he won’t do something like that again?”
Alejandro laughed. “Because you and Puck are the two most powerful people on this planet. No one else will be able to give him what you two can. He’d be stupid to betray you to anyone else. Though, you will risk him telling Puck. You might want to head that one off before he does.”
Alejandro had a point.
“Plus, you can offer him the one thing he wants that he doesn’t have the courage to take.”
“What’s that?”
“Have you thought about an exit strategy yet? I know you don’t intend to stay the Master Destroyer.”
“You think that role would be good for Jason?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I don’t know about that. Why don’t I just get rid of the power by putting it into a plant or the ground? What would happen to the Destroyers if they had no leader? Would the power just go away?
Alejandro smiled a little. “Do you understand what’s happening right now? The chaos and the murders? It’s because they don’t have a leader. Not really. Not until you learn how to control them. They need to be controlled.”
“But why do we even let them exist? Why not just get rid of them all together?”
“Are you suggesting we kill them all?”
“No! That’s not what I mean at all. But there are ways. I could take the power from them.”
Alejandro tapped his chin. “Interesting prospect. But let me ask you something. Do you like chocolate?”
“Yes, of course.”
“What if that was all there was to eat?”
“I suppose I’d get sick of it.”
“Okay, what about love. What if you knew your love would never break your heart, how would you treat that person?” He wasn’t making sense.
“I don’t know.”
“I do. You’d take advantage. When there is no risk of being hurt or losing someone, you have no reason to work to keep that person. Having both Guardians and Destroyers maintains balance. It allows for us to have bo
th bad and good things in our lives. If we eradicate all the bad, we’ll never appreciate the good.”
“I just don’t want to be a Destroyer.”
“I know, but right now that is your burden to carry. Do you think you’ll be able to transfer the Master Destroyer power to whoever you pick when the time comes?”
“I hope so. If I can’t, I’m stuck in this position for the rest of my life.”
Alejandro gathered me in a hug and whispered, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
I’ve always been good at keeping Secrets. They grow well just about anywhere. They are pale yellow and pink, and smell wickedly divine. Most rose gardens will contain at least one or two plants.
I WAITED FOR MY PLANE BACK to Arkansas in the Vegas airport. But it wasn’t crowded like I thought it would be. I expected people to be rushing to get on planes, and pilots hanging out and flirting with flight attendants. But so far, my experience proved otherwise. This airport was a mall with a casino, with the occasional airplane departing. And there was a lot of waiting. No rushing.
I didn’t want to think about the future, so I found a book on the newsstand and sat at a table near the windows.
I was just starting chapter two when the chair across from me moved and someone sat down. I looked up.
“Puck!”
He grinned that crooked grin of his. My heart fluttered.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” I put my book down and stared at him.
“I just arrived back from the east coast. I called Alejandro and he said you’d still be here. Though I did have a hard time recognizing you. When does your plane leave?”
I looked up at the clock on the wall.
“In an hour and a half.”
“Do you mind if I keep you company?”
I shook my head. He could stay forever, as far as I was concerned. If he could be nice to me.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I was, but I got over it. I can’t stand seeing you with Kai. I know that’s what you are supposed to be doing, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Let’s go someplace quieter.”
He offered his hand, and I took it. I stood up, and he whistled at my mini skirt, loose black top that fell off my right shoulder, and rockin’ purple combat boots.
“Showing a little skin there, huh?”
I blushed. “It’s an image I have to portray. It still makes me a little self-conscious.”
“Well, I think you look gorgeous. I don’t want to send you back to Kai looking like that.”
He interlaced his fingers with mine, and we wound our way through people until we found an empty gate.
We sat next to each other on the awful airport couches. The conversation was light; we were both avoiding the topics we knew we should talk about but didn’t want to. On the tip of my tongue I had the news that I was the Master Destroyer. News that I knew he needed, but news I couldn’t give him. I would tell Jason, and risk Jason telling him, but I didn’t want see the horror in Puck’s eyes myself.
Being with Puck was so wonderful. I didn’t have to think about anything else. Not Kai, not Destroyers, not dying Guardians. It was just Puck, and goofy stories about Ricki and Romeo.
Until I remembered.
“Did you ever meet Ruth?”
He cocked his head. “Your friend that was murdered? No, I didn’t. Why would you think that?” Seriously.
“Kai rescued her. She was never killed. He told me he turned her over to you.”
“Never saw her. Anyone who is seeking protection from Destroyers would go through me. Kai never said a word about her. Are you saying she’s not dead?”
“Yes. Except no one seems to know where she is. Kai was so stinking cryptic about it.” Someone was lying. Either Kai or Puck, or both of them.
Puck fiddled with the zipper of my backpack. “He’s probably hiding something, but I don’t know what.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You mean he’s lying to me about something.”
Puck shrugged. “Probably.” He was probably right. Either that, or he was trying to deflect the attention from himself.
I looked at my phone. “I only have fifteen minutes left before I have to get on the plane.”
Puck scooted closer to me. “Then we’ll have to make the best of those fifteen minutes. No more talking about Kai.”
I sighed. “What do you want to talk about?”
He brought his face close to mine. “How about we not talk at all?”
He brought his lips to mine and I forgot all about being a Destroyer, finding Ruth, or saving the world. In that moment, I was blissful and happy. It’d be a long time before I felt that way again.
What would I use to create a Queen Naomi? It’d have to be purple, for sure. Maybe I’d combine a Midnight Blue with a Turkish Halfeti. That would give me a dark purple tinged with black. But I’d also need to blend a little Intrigue in there, for the smell.
KAI WAITED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ESCALATORS in the lobby of the airport. I waved to him and his eyes went wide. I spun around in a circle for him.
“What do you think?” I asked.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “I think you look entirely indecent.” He nuzzled my ear and dropped his voice low. “But in a good way. Hot.”
This happiness was a new state for him. Kai seemed so distracted and withdrawn lately, it was fun to have him back. Though it didn’t last long. He kissed me and quickly pulled back.
“I thought Puck was on the east coast.” Damn. He could tell I had been kissing Puck. Stupid boys.
“He got back a couple hours before I left.”
Kai shoved his hands in his pockets. “And you spent that whole two hours lip locked with him.”
I scowled. “It’s not like that.”
“Whatever,” he muttered and walked toward the luggage carousel. He didn’t say another word until we got in the car.
“I’m sorry. I get jealous. I hate not knowing the outcome. Will you choose me or him?”
I didn’t look at him when I answered. “I don’t know. There’s too much on the line right now, with Guardians dying and you playing Destroyer. I can’t make any decisions. When I’m with Puck, I want Puck. When I’m with you, I want you.”
A small part of me thought that maybe I should feel guilty for kissing both boys, but I didn’t. Kind of a nice side effect of the Destroyer energy. It drove away guilt.
“What about when neither one of us is around?”
“I think about you both,” I lied.
He pulled the car onto the freeway and frowned. “How was Vegas? I see you got new hair. And clothes.” He put his hand on my knee.
“You like?”
“Very much.”
I watched all the cars go by on the freeway. A brilliant blue convertible drove past us. The driver was a woman with bright red hair flying in the wind. She looked just like Ruth.
“You lied to me.” I crossed my arms.
“Excuse me?”
“You lied to me. Neither Alejandro nor Puck know where Ruth is. What did you do with her?”
He sighed. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t remember everything. I was flipping back and forth so much between Guardian and Destroyer at that point that I have trouble remembering details. Your friend Ruth was just one fire among many that I put out before your mother lost her power.”
“So where is she?”
“I don’t know. But I can probably find out. Let me make some phone calls, maybe I can track down the Guardians I sent her to.”
“I’m not buying that. You told me she was with Puck. Why would you say that?”
His knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “Lay off, okay. You have no idea what it was like. I’ll find her.” His mouth formed a thin line and he wouldn’t look at me. I stared out the window and dropped it. For now.
School the next day was interesting. I wore a short bl
ack dress that flared out at the thighs, deep blue leggings and, of course, black boots. Tiff was beside herself when she sat next to me at breakfast.
“You’ve got to take me to Vegas sometime. You look great. I bet Kai had kittens when he saw you.”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
The morning was uneventful, though I was nervous because I had to talk to Jason. If I could’ve, I would’ve put it off, but not with Guardians dying. I had to take care of this as soon as possible.
I waited until a minute before class started, hoping there was still a seat next to him. Tiff sat down on the one side of Jason, and I sat on the other.
“I need your help.”
He frowned. “Why are you talking to me?”
“I told you. I need your help.”
“What makes you think I’ll help you?”
“Because you want information that I have.”
He rolled his eyes. “Listen, little girl, you made it very clear that you have nothing to offer me. In fact, last I checked, I hold all the cards. Or pictures, if you will.”
I needed a little demonstration. Something that he would notice, but that wouldn’t draw too much attention. Clap your hands. I concentrated very hard on that thought.
He clapped his hands and, to my surprise, so did another boy who sat in the back of the room.
Jason looked confused.
Do it again.
Two more claps.
“Now will you listen to me?”
Jason’s face pinched. “How the hell did you do that?”
“Really, with that attitude, you just expect me to tell you? What do you have last period?”
“English.”
That was good. I had botany, which meant I’d be all the way out in the greenhouses with Kai.
“Okay, something is going to happen to you, and after school I want you to tell me what it is. Meet me right outside the office. If it works, then I’ll tell you everything.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but the teacher walked in at that moment. “Pull out your homework, we’ve got math to do.”
He scowled at me. At the end of class, I managed to escape without talking to him again.
The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies Page 36