Linked (The Guardian Series), page 23
When I was all alone, I curled up in the corner of my bed and snuggled in between the pillows. I stared at the yellow daisies I’d placed with care on my nightstand. My shutters were closed and Martina McBride was singing her heart out through my iPod earbuds. I wasn’t sure if Ally’s news was uplifting or upsetting.
Finding no card, I slowly unwrapped the teal colored paper on the larger of the two gifts. The shade of the paper was exactly the same as Jason’s eyes. Inside I found a beautiful book about the orcas of the Pacific Northwest. Included with the book was an orca sound CD. I smiled to myself. Despite everything, he hadn’t forgotten how much I’d loved our trip to see the orcas in Haro Strait, or how I’d teased him about not having the proper equipment on board to hear their chattering sounds.
The second gift was much smaller. After taking off the paper, I opened the lid of a small, black box and gasped. Inside was a beautiful flat, round Opal pendant encircled with a thin loop of white gold. I held up the delicate, gold chain and studied the play of colors within the white opal. The iridescent flashes of green and reddish-orange changed depending on which angle I viewed them from; the intensity and distribution of color flashes were stunning.
Unexpectedly, a thought hit me; the perfectly flat and round opal looked exactly like a full moon. With all the fiery colors it reminded me of those rare nights in which the setting sun actually lit up the moon in a show of colors. I wondered if he’d seen the same thing when he picked it out.
Why, if he was just a friend, was he buying me such an expensively personal gift? He wouldn’t commit to any feelings but was always playing with my emotions. Clasping the chain around my neck, I tucked the opal securely behind the blue sweater I’d thrown on. As I held my hand over the necklace, the cold stone rested against my skin, immediately soothing me. Even though I’d skipped my first class of the day, I decided I’d better get moving so I could make it to the others. After all, finals were only a week away, and I wanted to do something right for a change.
The rest of my day went smoothly, and I worked hard to keep my emotions in check. In the evening Jessica met me at the front door of her house and scolded me severely for trying to keep my birthday a secret from her. After a severe tongue-lashing she smiled, laughed, and hugged me excitedly before dragging me in for a surprise birthday party with her family. They had decorations, cake, and gifts. I wasn’t surprised Jason didn’t join us at the Nelson’s house that evening. While everyone was speculating over Jason’s hasty decision to stay on the boat, I remained quiet. He had no desire to see me, or I him. Madison had of course insisted that he shouldn’t be alone, so she had not joined us either. For once, I was relieved at his absence. After the birthday song, I opened a couple presents – some piano sheet music and a beautiful pair of Amethyst earrings.
Jessica pointed to her ears, indicating she had an identical pair and said, “Now that you have the bona fide earrings, you’re officially an Amethyst. Welcome to a small but distinct group of individuals with awesome healing abilities.” She laughed and grabbed my hands, forcing me to dance around the room with her.
If I lived to tell about it, I wondered what would happen when everyone found out I was really a Dentelle? I sure hoped the name Dentelle wasn’t chosen after a reptile or something. The amethysts were fitting, but I had no desire for a pet snake.
Despite my aching heart, I supposed I should be thankful that at least my humor was still intact. I was gonna need it.
CHAPTER 14 – A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
“I can’t believe we’re sitting here already,” Ash said sharply, drumming his fingers on the dashboard of my 350z. “How did Christmas come and go so fast? I should take you to Tacoma right now and deposit you safely back with your family.”
“Too late for that,” I said, turning the music down a little bit. The last couple weeks had been tense. But finals were over, Ash and I were back on stable ground, and I hadn’t seen or talked with Jason; although, I was bound to see him at the New Year’s Eve party tonight.
With a puzzled look he said, “What is it with you and that Nickelback CD? You listen to it every single day.”
“It relieves my tension.”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me? Nickelback calming?”
“And it energizes me at the same time.”
“You are a strange one.” He frowned and scratched his head. “I can’t believe I agreed to go along with this asinine plan of yours. You, me, and at least nine Ray-pacs,” he complained.
“It will work,” I said with unyielding confidence but turned the heater up a notch as a cold chill swept down my spine. “I just need a few seconds alone with each one of them, so I can spring the surprise links. All you have to do is keep the others occupied while I’m busy at work.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Rubbing my forehead, I said, “You’ll figure something out.”
Opening the glove compartment, he fiddled around and then pulled out several small envelopes. “These might help.”
“What is that?” I asked, surprised he’d hidden something in there without me knowing.
“These,” he said, tapping the envelopes against his hand, “are gifts from Helen Zimmerman.” I looked at him quizzically. “But before you go ballistic on me, I want you to know that I never broached the subject of Guardians or Ray-pacs with her. In fact, we’ve still never had a discussion about who I really am, or who you are, for that matter.”
“What are you saying? That she knows about us? But how?” I asked in total confusion.
“Honestly, I don’t know. What I can tell you is that the last time I saw her, she slipped me these envelopes and asked me to give them to you when the time was right. When I asked her what they were she told me each envelope contained about a tablespoon of orchid pollen, but I was to be very careful not to open them or breathe any in.”
“What?” I screeched. “How the heck…”
“She said she wasn’t ready to explain how she got it or why she had it, but she said it was something you might need for protection. For some reason, she asked me not to discuss it with you until then. I asked her when she wanted me to give them to you, and she said I’d know when the time was right.”
I was floored. Reaching for the envelopes, I said, “Holy crap! Helen Zimmerman and I have a lot to talk about if we somehow make it through this alive. I can’t fathom how she could possibly know anything…Who is she? I mean, I never noticed anything unusual or different about her Essence…”
“We’ll have time to worry about that later. Right now we need to stay focused,” Ash broke through my rantings.
Looking at the envelopes, I kept a couple and gave the others back to him. “If nothing else, this orchid pollen might be the key to you keeping them occupied.” My face lit up. “Once you blow it in their faces it only takes a few seconds for paralysis to set in, and that might be the answer we’ve been looking for,” I said excitedly. “If they’re unable to move, then I could link with them, one right after the other. Just be careful not to inhale any yourself.”
“You either.” He placed the envelopes into his jeans pocket. “And your Guardian friends said that the paralysis lasts around 20 minutes or so, right?”
“Well, it’s different for everybody, but supposedly that’s the norm. Besides,” I said excitedly tapping the envelopes against the steering wheel, “they wouldn’t even know what hit them until it was too late. Thank you Helen Zimmerman.”
“Amen to that.”
I glanced out the front window at Squalicum Harbor. ‘They certainly won’t be suspecting I’m a Dentelle, either. Assuming they even know what a Dentelle is,” I murmured.
We were parked in an open stall at the back of the Harbor’s parking lot – a short walk to the dock, but far enough away for Ash’s safety. One of my Guardian friends, I didn’t know who, would be arriving and whisking me off to Towhead Island, where no doubt the New Year’s Eve party at the Retreat was already in full swing.
“I hope you’re right and this pollen stuff works. If something happens to you, I don’t know what I’ll do?” He pulled off his black sweater, which left him wearing only a white t-shirt and his jeans.
Pushing him playfully in the shoulder, I teased, “You won’t have to worry about what you’ll do. If I disappear, my brothers will assume foul play on your part, and they’ll tear you apart anyways.” I laughed wickedly.
“Very funny,” he said sarcastically. He rolled the window down a couple inches. “It was obvious enough during Christmas dinner with your family what they thought of me. Apparently, a long-haired singer in a rock-n-roll band is not good enough for you.”
“No,” I laughed. “That’s not it. They’ve just always been overly protective of their baby sister. Under normal circumstances they would have loved you.”
“Why didn’t you tell them you’d shut me down already” he said cynically.
“Ash…”
“No, don’t respond to that – my bad, I shouldn’t have said anything,” he grumbled.
Silent, I stared out the front window again. Dusk was falling, but the entire afternoon had been gray and gloomy because of the overcast skies. Now the shadows were descending quickly, and I knew my boat trip out to the Retreat would be in the darkness of night.
“I’m just thankful I stayed at Ben’s house during the break.” He wiped his brow. The street lamp shining through the window illuminated his distinctive jaw line. “If I’d been at your parent’s house, your brothers might have plotted against me and strangled me in the middle of the night. They’d have disposed of my body before morning, and you’d have been any wiser.”
“Ash,” I badgered, “your imagination is working overtime. They did like you.”
“Not as much as they would have if I was Jason.”
I whipped sideways and gave him a downcast stare. “That’s not fair.” I paused. I hadn’t seen Jason since the day he’d found me in Ash’s arms. Absently, I played with the keys dangling from the ignition and said, “Besides, they’ve never met him, so they’d have no reason to compare you two.”
“Well your dad obviously does,” he retorted. Leaning against the arm rest between our two seats, he said indignantly, “Your dad never fails to mention Jason’s name when I’m around.”
I placed my hands on his muscular arm and said, “I’m sorry Ash. I don’t know why he does that.”
“I do.” Swiftly, he leaned over and tilted my face his direction. “Just listen to me.” He looked hard into my eyes. “You’ve been cranky and melancholy for the last few weeks. I’m surprised you managed to pass your finals. But the fact of the matter is that your feelings towards Jason are still strong, and you need to determine once and for all where you two stand.”
“But—”
“Shh!” He shook his head furiously. “You need some sort of resolution, because tomorrow,” he said firmly, gripping my chin tighter, “tomorrow we face the Ray-pacs. And you,” he jabbed his finger into my chest, “need to be focused and alert. And, if it’s definitely over between you two, and you and I somehow make it through this, I’m not holding back anymore.”
I shrugged. “Well…”
“Well, can you at least try?”
I held my own hands up and looked at him blankly.
“Just do it. I know you want to.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked suspiciously and stuck out my tongue.
With a laugh, he swept one hand through the air in front of me and said snidely, “I haven’t seen you this dressed up since…I don’t know when. Maybe the night we went out for dinner on your birthday.”
“I’m not all dressed up,” I grumbled and looked down at my high-heeled, black ankle boots and Hudson Signature jeans. Although, underneath my black leather jacket I was wearing a sheer, drop shoulder, red blouse with frilly sleeves. Ally had coordinated my outfit for me.
Clicking his tongue and making an exasperated noise, he said, “I wasn’t even talking about your clothes. I was talking about the extra care you took with straightening your hair and putting on make-up. You look fantastic, and I think we both know why you went to all the extra effort,” he remarked with sarcasm.
“I’m going to a New Year’s Eve party. Don’t you think that calls for a little something extra?”
“Not that much,” he objected, “unless you’re trying to impress someone. Besides, the car smells all cashmere-vanilla with an oriental-floral twist. It’s hard to concentrate. How much perfume did you spray on anyways?” he mumbled.
Huffing loudly, I said, “What’s with the inquisition?”
He turned off the heat and rolled his window down to the halfway point. “Just calling it like it is.” But after a couple minutes of silence he said quietly, “I’m just jealous, Lexi. Can’t you understand that?”
My jaw dropped. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Please, don’t say anything.” He changed the subject and gave me a pleading look. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? There’s still time to change your mind and bring your Guardian friends into this, let that huge group of them take out the Ray-pacs as planned. We’d stand a much better chance, and at this point who cares if they find out you’re a Dentelle?”
“I do,” I said angrily. “I don’t want them to know. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and I…” my voice faded. I gazed at his iridescent green eyes, which lately had been completely green with only occasional hints of amber. “We can do this. We need to do this alone,” I said adamantly. “Are you with me or not?”
He sighed. “How is it that you always win?”
“Let’s hope we win,” I said and glanced at the dashboard clock. “Okay, we’ve got about ten minutes to finalize plans.” We hacked through the details, and I ran through the names and descriptions of all the Ray-pacs. He’d insisted I memorize as much about them as possible, because any extra knowledge could mean the difference between success and failure.
“So in the early morning you’ll pretend like you’ve received word from your parents that one of your brothers is in the hospital, and you’ll ask to be taken back to the mainland immediately. I’ll pick you up here somewhere between six and eight in the morning, if all goes well,” Ash clarified.
“Yes. I just wish Kieran had trusted you with our final destination before late last night. Then we could have scouted out the area first.” I traced the steering wheel with agitation.
Headlights shined brightly through the window as a car drove through the parking lot. Shading his eyes, he said, “I know. That info came a little too late to be helpful. Melanie waited until the last possible minute to give me the address, and the only reason she finally did was because she knew our link would break.” He tapped his chin. “The one advantage we have is that the Ray-pacs are planning on arriving in Bellingham late tomorrow evening. Even though my instructions were to abduct you in the afternoon and take you to the cabins by nightfall, we’ll get a head start and take off in the morning. Hopefully then, we’ll have ample opportunity to explore the cabins and surrounding area before they arrive.”
“Melanie said the cabins were in Glacier, right? Way out in the woods?”
“Yep. Apparently, there’s a lot of snow on the ground right now too. Glacier is probably only about a 25 minute drive from the Mt. Baker ski area, so that gives you a rough idea of how far out we’ll be.”
Turning in my seat, I studied his face as a loud truck rumbled by out on the main street. “We can’t let on that we know each other.” I smiled uneasily. “No matter what’s happening to me. You need to follow my lead.” My eyes narrowed. “Do you understand me?”
“I’ll follow your lead, but only to a certain point,” he growled.
I grabbed his arm and stared him down. “If this is going to work,” I said slowly, each word growing sharper, “you need to keep your distance from me. I can’t have you betraying our relationship, because I need the opportunity to try and link with them, without them suspecting anything. Just so we’re clear, I plan on starting with Kieran,” I added.
He swore loudly, and his voice took on a tense edge. “I can only hold back for so long. What if Melanie is beating you to a pulp or something? I can’t sit there and watch that.”
Shoving him hard, I said, “You’ll have to. Remember, I can heal myself. Even though I might look bloody and bruised on the outside, my Essence will kick in. Jessica taught me how to cut through the pain and repair my injuries. I can do that with no problem.”
“I don’t know,” he said warily. “Lately, you’ve had a hard time just getting your headaches under control.”
“I’ll be fine.” I didn’t tell him that I’d had a dull headache for two days and hadn’t been able to make it go away. “I have a feeling this is gonna be more painful for you than it is for me,” I said emphatically.
“This whole thing is insanely stupid, ya know. And what if plan A doesn’t work?”
“We go to plan B.”
“Which is?”
“We’ll figure it out if the time comes.” I pointed to the dashboard clock. “I’ve gotta get down to the docks.” Grabbing my overnight bag, I opened the door and stepped into the cold December night. He met me halfway around the car and hugged me tightly. “Ash, thank you. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Let’s just get through this alive.”
As we drew apart I kissed him on the cheek. “See ya in the morning.”
“More like…I’ll see ya next year.” As I walked away he whistled and made some brash comment.
I glanced back. “Hey, watch it.”
“Couldn’t resist,” he said, a cocky grin spreading across his face. “Maybe you shouldn’t wear those tight jeans around me.”
I rolled my eyes and waved before turning and walking towards the pier. When Shelby and Trevon met me on the docks, I wasn’t surprised they were to be my only escorts. As Shelby’s coat gaped open, I caught sight of a vintage, turquoise butterfly necklace around her neck. In a mid-length, brown and royal blue dress with an exaggerated v-neck she looked contemporary but still her usual beatnik self.
