Speeding past the web of interweaving threads, I dug deeper and I saw the bullet, lodged a millimeter from his heart. I locked onto it with my mind and slowly, carefully pulled. Each second, each millimeter, each breath was agony, tearing through me.
Tears spilled from my eyes as Illarion’s breaths grew weaker.
Crying through the pain, I held onto him, letting his soft skin under my fingertips ground me.
Static filled the van, the familiar rush sending forth a dark and tumultuous wave of power until it had nowhere else to go. It erupted outward with me at its center and then there was nothing.
Chapter Four
Ace
Doctors and nurses came and went but I was glued to Illarion’s side. Sometime between getting into the van and being taken to the hospital I’d woken up when the nurses tried to undress me and admit me.
I’d promptly refused, rushing away as quickly as I could work my compulsion and made my way to Illarion’s room where I’d spent the last eight hours.
He’d opened his eyes a couple of times, but he was out of it, he didn’t manage to speak but he did recognize me. Maybe he thought he was dreaming, the Serum did that. I was so mad; anger ran through my veins at the thought that he was hurting the same way I had been.
The Serum was evil.
I dropped my head in my hand, shaking it. Illarion was suffering but he was fighting, so damn hard.
A small tap at the door, drew my attention up.
‘Can I come in?’
Matt popped his head around the corner.
‘Yeah, sure.’ I smoothed my hair down and realized now, looking down at my clothes that I was still covered in Illarion’s blood.
‘How is he?’ He asked, coming to stand beside me.
‘Doctors say the wound will heal fine.’
‘But you’re worried?’
‘The Serum is bad, Matt. I know what he’s going through.’
‘About before—’
‘I know I said I’d explain, but not now.’
‘That’s fine. I just wanted you to know that I’m here…if you need me.’
Not knowing how to respond or what to say, I forced a smile and looked away for a moment before returning my eyes to his.
Guess the bloodshot irises looking back at him, told him I wasn’t in the mood for chatting.
‘Have you had any rest?’
‘Yeah.’ I lied. ‘A bit.’
‘Okay.’ He dropped his gaze and then smiled. ‘I’ll see you later. Try to eat something too.’
‘Will do.’
He stopped at the door and looked over at me. ‘Ace, I really am sorry about what I said. It was out of line.’
‘It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.’
Without another word, he nodded, leaving me and Illarion alone.
The rest of the evening went by with Aurel coming to check on us and then Riley, in the end, when visitation hours were over, it was just me and Illarion.
A few hours into the night, his eyes opened, and a very tired, almost vacant expression found me.
‘Hey.’ I whispered, straightening in my seat and smoothing my hand over his. ‘Can I get you anything?’
‘Water.’ He croaked.
Reaching over for the plastic cup on the side table, I poured some and gently helped him take a sip.
When he laid back down, his eyes found mine and a broken, almost scared expression looked back at me.
My heart shattered. Illarion was always so strong, so brave but the look in his eyes right now said he was questioning everything he’d ever known and fought for.
‘You’re hurt…’
‘What?’
His eyes traveled over my arms and blood-stained shirt. I quickly wrapped my arms around myself.
‘It’s not my blood.’ I whispered.
Like he’d forgotten what he said, he looked around and then back at me, silently reaching up and cupping my cheek.
‘It’s awful.’ He whispered, his voice cracking.
Tears brimmed in my eyes, but I couldn’t look away.
‘The pain?’
‘The Serum.’
My mouth dried up and it took a few moments to get my tongue to work again. ‘You’re okay now.’
‘No. Ace, what you went through. All those months…’
‘Don’t worry about that now.’
‘You’re so much stronger than you know.’
The walls I’d been holding just crumbled before my eyes and as he reached up for my cheek again, I shot up to my feet turning from him.
‘I’m glad you’re okay.’ I whispered. ‘I’ll see you when you get out.’
‘Stay…Please.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Why?’
Because I’m a coward…because I can’t stand to see the pain in your eyes because I know I’m responsible.
‘Why, Ace?’ He repeated.
‘Because I have to go.’ I murmured, like a coward. ‘I have to write a report.’
Giving him absolutely no chance to catch me out on my bullshit, I rushed out of the room.
With a destination in mind, I booked an Uber and put myself together as much as my mind would allow.
As the car pulled over onto the side of the familiar building, I wrapped my blazer over the bloodied shirt and got out.
While my mind raced, backtracking over all the ways we’d gone wrong, all the ways in which we should have been prepared, I slowly made my way up the stairs. This had to be another set up, I was already on the disbelieving side of coincidences, so this just set that in stone.
When I reached Matt’s apartment, I knocked and stood back.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and Matt stepped aside and for a moment he looked hesitant.
‘I want to tell you everything.’
He let out a long breath and nodded, letting me in.
‘Drink?’
‘No.’ I averted my gaze, folding my arms over my chest.
‘Okay.’ He said softly. ‘Have a seat.’
My body was numb, everything inside me had unraveled. I dropped into the soft, brown couch and kept my eyes down.
‘Two years ago, I was taken by Simon Dalca. He kept me hostage in his house for five months. He asked me to kill people, Sensitives, mostly for their gifts, sometimes for the information they had. But I was always sedated, dosed, twice sometimes three times a day.’
Matt remained silent and deathly still, standing a few feet away from me with his arms folded across his chest.
‘In the beginning he just wanted me to sit with him and his son for dinner. Pretend we were some sort of family. It was revolting. Soon after he got over the charade, he started to come for me when he was bored and when he tired of that, he brought friends.’
‘Jesus.’ He dropped into the couch opposite me and paled several shades.
I wet my lips and continued.
‘I’m sure you heard what Reicher said,’ I muttered. ‘Illarion and I were engaged. We were planning on getting married on his yacht. He was my rock, my reason for surviving every night in that damned house. But when I escaped, things were different. I was different. For a while, I’d pretend that I was okay, even getting better, but it was a lie. Illarion saw through it, I knew he did, but we were both so afraid to admit it and let go.’
Taking a second to compose myself, I looked down at my hands and then back up at Matt. His wide eyes were filled with shock, and sadness, but not pity like I’d always seen.
‘Illarion promised me that we’d always work through it, whatever it was, and you know, I believed him. I prayed so hard that something good would happen, all I wanted was to be happy again.’
Matt dropped his gaze.
‘But Dalca had other plans, he kept coming for me, he wanted the codes, he kept saying I was the key and that this big mission was looming, the fate of the whole world was resting on me. I didn’t believe him of course, he was mad. So, Illarion and I ran, he did whatever he could to keep
me safe but when he found us, I had no choice. It was me or them and, Matt, I couldn’t let him hurt them.’
‘Jesus Christ, Ace. You’ve had all this on your shoulders. For this long?’
‘What could I have done?’
‘You could have come to me. You didn’t need to do this alone.’
‘Alone is safest.’ I said quietly. ‘Dalca made sure of that.’
When Matt remained silent, I continued.
‘I made my choice; I went with him. When I woke up, I was in some sort of underground bunker, locked in a cage. There were experiments, I think, I was out of it.’
‘What the hell was he doing?’ He breathed, shaking through the rage.
‘He was trying to get me to harness the Darkness and give in to him.’
‘This is insane.’
‘He tortured me for days, weeks, I don’t even know…in the end, when I refused to give him what he wanted. He showed me my alternate reality, a possible future if I continued along the same path.’
‘Wait, what?’ He scrubbed his jaw, ‘You’re talking about alternate realities?’
‘This is the part where you have a long hard drink because I’m about to give you a crash course in tangent timelines and alternate realities.’
He didn’t look amused.
‘The Divine Sensitive, me, can travel between realms, times, other dimensions. Two years ago, when I first met Illarion we were tasked to a job we both knew was doomed to fail. One thing led to another and we ended up facing a very grim reality—run and fight if they came and probably die or, go to the source and take them out before they took us out. Illarion took it upon himself to ditch me and go solo. That caused a tangent to tear off my timeline.’
His eyes widened.
‘That tangent is what we’re living now. In the other, everyone dies because of my choices. Basically, it’s like judgement day there, fire, smoke, death, the whole thing. Dalca took me there, to show me what would happen I didn’t tap into the Darkness and fight.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I invited the Darkness in. I changed; I became the right hand of the devil. And I began searching for those codes.’
‘Holy shit.’
‘I’d already worked out that Illarion had the last one and I was going to kill him for them.’
‘What were those codes protecting?’
‘No idea, some sort of weapon, maybe designs for one, probably whatever these guys are after now.’
‘Oh man.’
‘I was so ready to do whatever it took, to stay alive and I believed everything Dalca told me. Had it not been for Troy, I would have killed Illarion.’
‘Christ, Ace.’
‘I killed Troy.’ I looked down at my hands. ‘He was my best friend and he did the only thing he could. He stopped me, and I killed him.’
‘You could have spoken to me.’
‘No, Matt, Troy was a non-Sensitive too, and I do not want to put you at risk like that.’
‘I’m here, and it’s my risk to take and you know I would.’
‘I know, that’s what scares me.’
He shook his head and got up, running his hand through his hair.
‘That’s my story. That’s the truth.’
‘That’s why you don’t use your power anymore.’
‘Yep.’
‘Jesus.’ He looked at me for the longest moment before he squeezed my hand.
‘I’m sorry I lied to you.’ I whispered.
‘No.’ He knelt before me. ‘You don’t have anything to apologize for, least of all that.’
Averting my gaze, I kept my fists tightly balled in my lap.
‘Does anyone else know?’ He cupped his hand over mine.
‘Riley and Belfort. There’s an agreement between the Agency and the FBI. They would help keep my past hidden, so I could start fresh. It’s why I didn’t tell anyone.’
‘And you and Illarion?’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone as much as I loved him. But I broke off the engagement and I left. This is the first time I’ve seen him in almost a year.’
‘Oh Ace.’ He sat beside me and pulled me against him.
Tears I swore I’d never shed again, fell without conviction.
‘You’re going to get through this.’ He whispered, running his hands through my hair. ‘You’re fierce as hell, and you’re stronger than most people I’ve ever met.’
Through a tearful sob, I forced a half smile and nodded.
He left me for a moment and when he came back, he helped me out of the blazer and handed me a soft sweater—his old UCLA one.
‘Have a shower, I’ll make you a hot chocolate and you just relax and get some rest.’
‘Thank you.’
Chapter Five
Ace
Light touches on my arm woke me.
‘Hey you.’ Matt murmured, gently brushing his fingers over my skin. ‘Get enough beauty sleep?’
Groaning into my hand, I smiled up at him. ‘God this couch is heaven.’
‘If only you’d give me as much love as you give the couch.’
‘The couch doesn’t talk back.’
‘Ouch.’
He chuckled when I gently nudged him in the rib.
‘Thank you, Matt. I mean it.’ I said, snuggling into the sweater.
‘For what?’
‘For being you. For listening.’
‘No need to thank me. I’m a good listener.’ He said. ‘Besides, it’s the only way I’d get you in my sweater.’
‘Been trying that hard, have you?’
‘You think I enjoy sleeping on your couch, watching you paint your nails.’
‘I’m so offended.
‘You should be.’ He smiled, squeezing my hand.
When I frowned, he tipped my chin up.
‘Hey, you’re going to be okay.’
‘I told you some ugly things.’
‘It’s your past, Ace. It’s a part of you, but it doesn’t make you.’
No, I guess it didn’t. I smiled up at him.
‘You look way better when you’re smiling. Some girls pull off the resting bitch face, but not you.’
‘You’re an ass.’ I laughed.
‘And you look even better when you laugh. Come on, I made coffee.’
‘Already?’ I looked around.
‘Aint my first rodeo.’
‘Too much to hope for breakfast?’
‘Now you’re pushing it.’
He pulled me to my feet and led me to the kitchen where he pretty much force fed me an espresso and half a banana muffin—apparently that’s all he had left after I ate all of his food a few days ago.
‘It’s not much, but it’ll do. Better?’
‘Much, thank you.’
‘Now.’ He said resting both hands on the surface of his black marble benchtop. ‘What’s the next move?’
‘What?’
‘You and Illarion still love each other, and before you open your mouth to argue, don’t bother. I can see it. So, what’s the next move?’
‘I don’t know. It’s complicated.’
‘No doubt.’ He nodded. ‘But complicated is like a footnote to you.’
When I remained silent. He reached over and squeezed my hand.
‘I mean it, Hart, you’re the best partner I’ve had. You make the job crazy; you make me feel like I’m working for something worthwhile. Don’t question yourself now.’
‘You really do know all the right things to say.’
‘I’ve read some good books.’
‘Oh, I bet.’ I laughed.
‘Go and talk to him.’
‘I can’t.’
‘You can.’ He nodded. ‘You will. Go.’
Before I could reply, he got up, dragging me to my feet.
‘What, now?’
‘Yes, now.’ He laughed. ‘Actually, you should probably have a shower, put your own clothes on because I don’t think wearing some other guy’s sweater
will win you points.’
‘I hate you.’
‘I know.’ He laughed again and shoved me out the door. ‘I’ll drive, let’s go.’
***
Matt dropped me off, made sure I was safely inside my apartment before he left, leaving me to wrangle my emotions and work out exactly what I was going to do.
Could I really talk to Illarion? I wanted to, I didn’t think that’s what was stopping me, but something was, wasn’t it? Fear? Maybe. I didn’t know.
Whatever it was, was consuming every logical thought and my heart was quickly overthrowing my mind. It was time I listened.
I sat on the edge of the tub, staring at my reflection with the intention to talk myself into actually seeing him.
As my mind spat up all the reasons why this was a bad idea, I groaned in frustration and decided then and there—it was a bad idea and I couldn’t do this. Matt was going to be so disappointed.
Instead of going to speak with Illarion, I ran a bath and fetched a tall glass of wine treating myself to the box of chocolates Matt bought me for my birthday.
As I settled into the hot water, my mind wandered to Troy, he and Matt were so alike, they would have been good friends and I was so ready to do whatever it took to make sure nothing like what I did to Troy, ever happened again.
I took a sip of wine and let the hot water cover me.
This was a great way to spend a Thursday. Belfort had left two emails pretty much forcing me to stay home and get myself together, for at least the next two days. Apparently passing out after healing someone, wasn’t a normal thing for them to see.
Another thing to try and hide, though I had no doubt Belfort and Riley were already covering it.
I popped a piece of chocolate in my mouth. God that was good. Why did I stop eating this stuff? Right, to get into better shape and clear up my skin.
Whatever, it didn’t matter, at least not for today. Today I wanted chocolate, wine and bubbles and a nice—the phone rang, breaking my peaceful bath time.
Casting my eyes to the screen, I groaned when Aurel’s number popped up. I answered and put the call on speaker.
‘What’s up?’
‘Called to see how you are.’
‘I’m alright.’
‘You weren’t at home, last night.’
‘You were checking up on me?’ I furrowed my brows.
‘Of course I was.’
I sighed and took a sip of wine.
Jack of Hart- Wild Card Page 6