The Secret Six

by Evie Del Mar

  He placed his hands on my waist. “I’m so sorry for how I’ve treated you these past couple of days. You did not deserve that. Just seeing Drake’s hands on you triggered something in me. I’m not normally a hostile person, except maybe with The Brotherhood. But, Melody, you mean everything to me and I’m not willing to share you with anyone.”

  My mouth fell open as electricity shot up and down my body, causing new feelings to arise inside. Hearing the possessiveness in his voice made me shiver. The confusion I felt over his feelings for me disappeared in that moment. Hearing him explain them was more beautiful than I ever thought it could be. I knew without a doubt that I was falling deeply in love with Cole, ‘mission first’ be damned.

  I smiled. “Cole, I —”

  Before I could finish the sentence, Cole crushed his lips to mine with an intense need. We put every word and feeling we had ever wanted to share with each other into this kiss. I apologized to him over and over again for how I hurt him, for him thinking I had any feelings for Drake.

  We broke apart, our foreheads touching while both of us caught our breaths. I could feel his heart beating, matching mine. The separation didn’t last long before our lips found each other again, our kiss deepening even more as we explored each other. Our mouths moved as one, our tongues dancing. My hands ran through his hair while his hands lowered onto my hips, grasping the exposed skin between my shorts and shirt.

  When our lips parted, my head was spinning. That kiss was amazing, sweet, and fierce, and everything I could ever ask for in a first kiss.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Cole and I walked back to the group, our fingers laced together. His hand fit so well in mine, like it was always meant to be there. All of the worry and fear I’d been feeling since we left the safety of the academy walls disappeared as he continued looking down at me, the corners of his mouth rising with his smile. Nothing in the world seemed to compare to the comfort and protection of having someone hold your hand. I never wanted him to let go.

  Hearing my accident from his point of view made the whole situation a lot better, easier to handle. I replayed his words over and over in my head, the thought that he had a dream about me, before even meeting me, still caused shivers up and down my spine, until I came across something Cole had said that didn’t made sense.

  I stopped walking. “Cole?”

  “Yes?”

  “What did you mean when you said that you flew me to the hospital? Don’t you mean you drove me?”

  He laughed. “Oh yeah, that. Remember how I lifted Drake out of the crater in Hawaii?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that was actually really cool!”

  “Well, I’m glad you think so because I can do that to myself, manipulate the air around me so that I’m somewhat flying.”

  My mouth fell open with a little pop. “You can fly? But I thought you hated flying?”

  “I only hate it when I’m not in control. When I’m flying, just me, I’m in total control so it doesn’t bother me. Don’t you remember me carrying you?”

  I thought back to that night and gasped. The memory and feeling of soaring through the black night, missing the falling rain that pelted the ground, exploded in my head, like a door that had been closed this whole time was finally opened. I remembered the feeling of being weightless as the wind blew through my hair but hadn’t understood why, until now.

  “I do remember,” I whispered, back to the present. I looked up into his eyes with a new sense of awe. “How many times are you going to save my life?”

  He looked back at me, intensely. “As many times as needed. You are my life now.” He pressed his lips back to mine, gently this time, but still holding the same passion and desire as before. I didn’t think I would ever get enough of him. Much too soon, he pulled away, and we continued walking back down the pier.

  We stopped in front of Drake. “Um, I’m sorry, man,” Cole said uncomfortably. “I wasn’t thinking straight and jumped to conclusions. Will you forgive me?” He held his hand out.

  Drake looked down at Cole’s outstretched hand and waved it away. He grasped him in a large bear hug instead, patting him on the back. “Don’t worry about it. I understand how that could’ve looked from the outside.” He leaned back, looking at me. “I hope she told you what happened and that it wasn’t anything serious?”

  “Yes,” I reassured him. “I told him everything.”

  “Excellent,” Drake said, apparently convinced. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and Cole is finally finished with his tantrum…” Cole gave him a sour look and Drake raised his hands up in surrender. “Kidding!”

  Blake looked around anxiously. Since Cole’s wind died down, people were beginning to crowd back onto the pier. “Try to concentrate on your crystal now, before we have a bigger audience.”

  Cole nodded and closed his eyes, his breathing becoming steadier. I could see his eyes frantically moving behind his closed lids. He gave a short gasp, slowly opened his eyes, and began walking, towing me along behind.

  Cole led us to a small park about a mile away from the pier. The park contained multiple fountains, with large, circular seating areas, giving anyone a clear view of the lake and the Chicago skyline. Walking paths surrounded the park along with small streetlights every few feet. The crowd here hadn’t filled back up yet, so we were relatively alone, aside from a few people on the opposite end of the park.

  Cole stopped in the center of the park, turning and looking around curiously. “It’s around here somewhere. I can feel it.”

  I scanned every corner of the park, wondering how a crystal for wind could be hiding. I understood that a fire crystal would be in a volcano, an earth crystal in a tree, and even a shadow crystal inside an actual shadow, but how would my mother hide a wind crystal? It wasn’t like she could’ve hidden it in plain sight.

  “Melody,” Cole started, “what was the last part of my verse?”

  I hummed the lullaby in my head until I got to Cole’s part. “‘Between land and sky, the breeze holds your reward’.”

  Cole smiled. “Bingo.”

  “Did you find it?” I asked, eagerly.

  Without answering, Cole motioned for us to follow him, heading to a nearby tree. Luckily it wasn’t as tall as the ones we saw in California, but looked more like a tree you would see in a neighborhood backyard. It was big enough that it provided shade underneath and branches for kids to climb on, but small enough where you could see the top.

  “Ok, what do you feel?” Cole challenged us.

  We all stared at each other.

  “Um, nothing?” Drake questioned.

  “Do you feel a breeze?” Cole tried again.

  “Are you doing that?” Blake asked

  Cole shook his head. “Ok, now move over here and tell me what you feel.” He pushed all of us over to the next tree.

  “I still feel the same breeze,” Blair exclaimed.

  Cole was literally bouncing on his toes in excitement. “Ah, no you don’t! It is not the same breeze. Come on, guys, focus.”

  I walked back to the first tree and tried to understand what Cole wanted us to know. What did he mean it wasn’t the same breeze? Weren’t all breezes the same? I felt for the first one, figuring out any small details. It wasn’t as harsh as what Cole had created in anger on the pier, but it wasn’t gentle, either. I could tell it was coming in from the right side as it blew my hair over my left shoulder. I wandered over to the following tree and stopped mid-step. Now that I was truly focusing, I could definitely feel a difference in the breezes. Not only was the second one a lot softer, like a feather caressing my left cheek, but my hair was now blowing over my right shoulder.

  I gasped, finally understanding. “They’re blowing in different directions!” Cole looked at me, his eyes filled with admiration that I was the first one to figure this out. My excitement quickly turned into confusion. “Wait…how is that possible?”

  Cole raised an eyebrow, giving me a sexy smirk. “It can, if t
here’s an air current, which the first tree has. The song said that the breeze holds our reward, so my crystal is in the air current surrounding the first tree.

  “Watch,” he whispered as he stood in front of the tree. He looked back and forth, checking to see if anyone was watching, and began moving his arms in a circular motion around his body. A swirling vortex of air surrounded him, hiding him from view. We all threw our arms over our faces to block the harsh wind as it grew. As quickly as it started, the wind died down and Cole came back into view. With a triumphant smile on his face, he walked closer to us and opened his hand. Nestled inside was the crystal piece.

  Blair jumped up and down. “We only have one more left! Let’s go celebrate!”

  “Oh! How about a boat tour?” Lily suggested.

  As both of the girls discussed different tours we could take, I stepped next to Cole and examined his crystal. There had been so much going on before that I never got a good look at the other ones, only seeing them from afar. It looked like a tiny triangle fragment, its crisp, sleek edges sitting against Cole’s large palm. The piece was so transparent that I could make out tiny reflections when the sun hit it just right.

  Thoughts of my mother began to plague my mind. Traveling to all these new places made me feel like I was close to her; walking the same paths, seeing the same sights.

  I tried picturing her in the Sequoia Park, placing the earth crystal on the General Sherman tree and watching its branches secure it safely. In Vegas, sneaking up to the light beam when it was turned on to throw the light crystal into the beacon. Traveling to the colder parts of Alaska, to a place of death, and sneaking the shadow crystal into an actual jawbone shadow, and then heading to tropical Hawaii to talk to a volcano Goddess in the hope that she would protect the fire crystal. Lastly, here in Chicago, right next to an air current, where I was currently standing.

  I wasn’t sure how she did it all by herself, knowing that we had to use our powers to even access the crystal pieces. My only guess was that the gods and goddess guided her, assisting her when she needed it.

  It brought a deep sense of longing for my mother to be right here, traveling and sightseeing along side me. She had this whole other side of her that I had no idea about. I knew she meant well by hiding all of this from me. She wanted to protect me, but wouldn’t it have been worth it to create memories and travel together with my father?

  A strange and overwhelming feeling began to creep in the pit of my stomach. I desperately wanted to go back to the academy, to the safety of the walls of my bedroom, the bedroom I shared with my mother. I wanted to sit in my window seat and just watch the waves crest onto the sand and fall back into the ocean, as if it carried my troubles away. I couldn’t quite explain this sudden sensation. All I knew was that I needed to get back to the academy, and soon.

  “Melody, are you ok?” Cole asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” I faked a smile. “Let’s go celebrate.”

  ◆◆◆

  After picking a boat cruise, we were sailing away from the pier. The sun’s rays beamed down on us to warm the cool mid-afternoon. Blair and Lily had decided on a live jazz cruise, so guitars, saxophones, and drumbeats filled the air. I didn’t pay much attention to what they were playing as Cole grabbed my hand and led me to the front of the boat. Everyone else stayed behind, dancing with the beat of the band. Lucky for us, no one else booked the boat, so we had it all to ourselves.

  We stepped up to the boat’s railing and sat ourselves down, our legs hanging over the edge. We sat side-by-side, staring out across the lake and listened to the boat as it crashed on top of the waves. It felt so good to be out on the water again. I lifted my arm out to feel it splash on me, and giggled. My body buzzed with pure, raw energy, as it wanted to submerge itself again beneath the waves.

  “Having fun?” Cole chuckled next to me.

  “Definitely. I feel so different when I’m out here on the water, almost like a ‘homey’ feeling. All of my worries seem to evaporate, and all I can think about is the feel of the water against my skin.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Cole replied. “When I found out that I could actually fly, it was such a surreal experience. I never wanted to come back down because then I would have to face reality again, and sometimes that can be a big pain in the ass.”

  “Exactly!” We continued staring out in silence, enjoying each other’s presence. I leaned into him, wanting to get as close as I could. He put his arm around me and I inhaled his intoxicating aroma.

  He pulled me closer, kissed the top of my head, and asked, “So, do you have any idea where your crystal piece is?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I mean everyone’s verse of the song had some type of meaning for some place, but mine doesn’t.”

  “How does it go again?”

  “’To finish this journey, just look to the song. Close to the heart, it’s been all along.’ What the hell does that even mean? It’s so cryptic, it’s making my head hurt,” I sighed, defeated.

  “Hey, don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. Today is all about celebrating that we found another piece. We’ll discuss with everyone else and worry about finding yours tomorrow.”

  I really wanted to relax and enjoy the afternoon. We had found five of the six pieces, and I was in Cole’s arms, finally together, despite me trying to wait until after the mission was over. But something kept pulling at me the longer I kept thinking about the song. “Close to the heart”. Was it a metaphor for something like the center of a certain place? My mother knew I’d never left my hometown, so could it be back in downtown Dallas? But there’s nothing comparing it to water. Would she have put it in a place that I had never heard of or been to? She did for everyone else, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she put it at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

  As if sensing my distress, Cole put his finger under my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his. “I can see those wheels turning in your head. We figured out the other locations, so I have no doubt that we’ll figure yours out, too.” He gave me his signature grin I loved so much, before leaning down to brush his lips against mine. I melted into him, savoring his kiss; from the way he tasted to the way he moved. His tongue flicked my lips and I opened them greedily.

  “Well, well, well, isn’t this cute. I’d hate to interrupt,” a voice said behind us. Cole and I jerked away from each other, startled.

  “Dude, you need to go away, and leave us alone,” Cole growled. I recognized the gentleman as the singer from the jazz band. He had short auburn hair, with dark, menacing brown eyes that almost looked black, like the twins’. He was very small next to Cole’s large, muscular build. His legs were what you would consider chicken legs and his shoulders held little muscle. What was a huge eyesore was the medallion he wore around his neck. It was a circle with a red ruby in the middle.

  “And miss the party? I don’t think so.” His raspy voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand as he gave a wicked sneer.

  Cole became tense as he stood up to get in the man’s face. I could see his jaw clench from where I sat, frozen with fear. He said between clenched teeth, “I won’t ask again. Leave.”

  The gentleman didn’t look the least bit intimidated by Cole’s threat. Instead, he looked to the left at something. I didn’t see that someone was next to me until they grabbed me by the arms, hauling me to my feet. I gave a small shriek.

  “Hey!” Cole quickly turned around, facing my captor.

  Whoever grabbed me had incredible strength because, no matter how much I fought to get out of his embrace, he held on tight. He grunted and then shoved something against the base of my neck that put an end to my resistance. I didn’t have to look down to feel the sharp edge of a knife. I didn’t dare swallow. My eyes became huge as they looked at Cole for help.

  “Get your filthy hands off her!” Cole became enraged and let out a huge gust of wind, hoping to knock the guy off of me or at least blow the knife away, but t
he guy holding me never moved an inch. In fact, the blast of wind suddenly moved upward, as if it hit some invisible wall. From the corner of my eye, I saw a bright red glow emanating from behind me.

  “What the hell?” Cole became stunned. He turned his attention to the first gentleman and tried the same thing, but like before, the wind never touched him. His medallion glowed bright red as the wind hit another invisible wall, moving upward.

  The gentleman merely stood in place, unaffected. He wiped his shoulders as if dusting them off and cleared his throat. “Now, unless you want your girlfriend killed, I suggest you follow me and let us join the rest of the party.”

  TWENTY

  “Who the hell are you?” Cole asked, his eyes going back and forth between the gentleman in front of him and the one holding me. I still couldn’t move from the firm grasp of the guy that held the knife against my throat. This was what I had been afraid of since that strange man in California bumped into me. I knew without a doubt that we finally were meeting members of The Brotherhood, and the fear that showed in Cole’s eyes made me feel even worse.

  “Oh, I’m sorry for not introducing myself,” the gentleman said. “My name is Jasper Jones, and that guy over there,” he gestured to the guy holding me, “is Ben.”

  I couldn’t see Ben’s face, but he must’ve done something to anger Cole even more because he snarled and took a step closer to me.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Jasper warned. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Ben pushed the knife harder against my throat, causing me to whimper in protest as I felt a trickle of blood ooze down my neck. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to your pretty little water droplet,” he sneered in my ear. I forced my eyes closed so I wouldn’t see his face. His hot and sticky breath smelled like old cigarettes, making my skin crawl in disgust.