Linked (The Guardian Series), page 33
I sighed and counted the knots in the pine ceiling for awhile before my eyes shuttered closed.
A door bursting open, trampling feet, voices…I opened my eyes and watched as my friends rushed into the cabin. Jessica, Laci, and Madison were supporting Max as they escorted him over to a chair. Behind them, Trevon walked in leaning heavily on Shelby, and she helped him sit down. Everyone was talking all at once, chairs were scraping and people were barking orders. The room was complete disarray for a couple minutes as everyone settled in.
I couldn’t help but stare at Max. Looking at him was painful, because he was bruised, scratched, and bleeding from head to toe. Laci gathered towels from the kitchen area and ran them under the faucet before returning to his side. Dabbing his wounds carefully with the damp towels, she worked gently and lovingly, cleaning him up.
Sitting up in my bed, I swung my legs around until they were dangling over the edge. Wiggling my toes, I saw that my feet were covered with big, black wooly socks. My legs felt heavy but seemed to be working just fine, and the skin on my legs appeared to be a normal shade of pink again. I felt stronger and warmer, which I should, because I was bundled in a winter coat as well as several blankets.
“Hey, wait a minute. Don’t even think about getting up. You need to stay put,” Jason said, rushing to my side at the bed.
Jessica hurried over and pulled me into a big, bear hug. “Thank goodness you’re all right!” she exclaimed. Grabbing my hands, she took one step back and sized me up. Your Essence feels strong, but you look horrible.”
Reaching up, I patted my hair. “Thanks a lot. It’s nice to see you too,” I mumbled but smiled. “Actually,” I said and gazed at all their familiar faces, “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see everybody – and to see that you’re all alive.” Releasing a deep breath, I relaxed my shoulders. My fingers and toes tingled with warmth.
“We’re here all right,” Madison huffed, “but it was a nasty fight with too many injuries and losses.” she glanced at Max and continued, “We lost a couple Guardians in the process.”
“Who?” I squeaked.
“Sam from our Circle and Avery from Phoenix. At least those are the two that I know about,” Madison said angrily.” Everyone was silent for a few minutes. Guilt washed over me as I remembered Sam’s ready smile. I’d only met him a couple times when we’d gathered at the Nelson’s home, but he’d always been friendly and welcoming.
“They will always be remembered and honored among the Guardians,” Laci said quietly.
“Yes,” Max said gravely. “Right now our friends are sweeping the area and then they are going to begin a clean-up, so we should have more information soon.” He paused and ran his hand along his face. “At least the losses weren’t greater, and we took care of business here.”
Jessica stood between Max and Trevon, a hand on each of their shoulders.
“For the most part anyways,” Jason added, and several pairs of eyes shot his direction.
“What do you mean?” Max said with a tense edge to his voice.
Jason studied me for a moment and turned back to Max. “While chasing Kieran, I came across Alex and Adrian standing out in the middle of a frozen lake. When the ice cracked open, Adrian and…Alex…slipped into the water and…and disappeared under the ice,” he stuttered, glancing at me anxiously.
“I’m okay,” I assured him.
“That’s when Kieran darted for the woods. I couldn’t risk losing Alex.” His lips trembled. “So I let him go. Ash and I barely managed to pull Alex out of the lake in time.”
Our eyes locked, and I reached over and put my arm around him. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“Thank God I didn’t lose you,” he whispered.
Groaning, Madison tapped her foot against the floor. Still wearing her orange coat, she placed her hands on her hips and said, “So, you think Adrian is at the bottom of the lake?”
“He is.” Jason’s head snapped up.
“Then we’ve managed to annihilate at least six Ray-pacs here today. Exactly how many were there?”
“Actually, counting Melanie we got rid of seven of them,” Ash announced loudly as he appeared from another room, probably the bathroom. “But there were at least a total of nine that I knew about. Kieran was linked with Alayne, whose specialty was invisibility, so they could have escaped together.” Walking swiftly in his black cargo pants, he tore off his bright yellow jacket and tossed it over my lap. Plopping himself down on the bed next to me, he patted my leg once and then looked up to meet Madison’s cold stare. She took two steps forward and glared at him, but he just flashed her that cocky, provocative smile.
“Jeez Ash, keep your thoughts to yourself. I don’t need to know all the little details going through your mind,” I scolded.
“Sorry Lexi. But you’ve been holding out on me. Why didn’t you tell me Madison was one hot babe with an attitude bigger than yours?”
“Probably because I knew she’d have you roasting over the fire and screaming in pain before you could figure out how she’d managed to skewer you.” I shot back.
“Sounds like fun,” he said wickedly. “Although, I’d still rather try that with you.”
“You’re unbelievable. Thank God Jason can’t hear you right now.”
“You!” Madison said fiercely, advancing on Ash. She jabbed her finger into his bright green shirt. “Who are you? Or rather, what exactly are you?”
“Calm down wildcat! Take a second and chill,” he said in a lazy voice, but his eyes held amusement.
Placing the palm of her hand flat against his chest, she shoved him hard. Hard enough that he fell backwards until he was laying flat on his back. “My name is Madison! And you still haven’t answered my question,” she said viciously.
He sat up with a huge grin and said, “Well, Madison, feel free to push me around anytime you want.” Crossing her arms, she huffed and pressed her lips together, but he ignored her and said, “And since you’re insisting we be on a first name basis, I’m Ash.” He extended his hand, but she swiped it away.
“Madison, calm down,” Jason broke in. “You know he’s Alex’s friend. What’s this all about?”
She gazed around the room and then back at Jason. “I’d like to know why I saw him racing around outside spewing energy blasts everywhere, but yet I can’t sense his link?”
That drew several gasps, and I gulped down my own anxiety. Admitting to all the lies I’d told was gonna be painful.
“Shelby and I have been wondering the same thing,” Trevon said suspiciously, holding his hand over the bloody wound on his stomach.
“Yes, I think it’s time for some explanations,” Max added, and Laci nodded in agreement.
“I am linked,” Ash said slowly.
“Lexi? What do you want me to do here?”
“I’ll tell them,” I said.
“Well why can’t we sense the link, and where is this person you’re linked with?” Laci asked in confusion.
“She’s here,” I said swiftly. “But we don’t know why you can’t sense the link.” I took a moment and studied the condensation forming in the window. Suddenly, I was very hot and wanted to open the window and let the cold air sweep over me. Looking around the room, I saw that I’d drawn several baffled looks.
All but one. Jason’s eyes narrowed but then slowly rounded, and the muscles in his cheeks began twitching; I could even hear his teeth grinding. Standing up and moving out of my grasp, he glanced rapidly back and forth between Ash and me. He groaned and a quiet rage started burning in his eyes. They stopped on me, and in a deliberately sharp voice he said, “You’re linked with Ash, aren’t you Alex?” Contempt oozed from every word.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jessica said with a nervous laugh.
As I nodded my head, I sunk a little bit lower into the bed but didn’t break eye contact with him. “Yes, I am,” I whispered, clasping my hands and holding them up to my face in a silent plea.
“You’re a Dentelle!” Laci cried out, and her chair scraped the floor as she stood up.
“What?” Jessica stammered.
“Of course,” Shelby muttered.
Suddenly, all my friends were on their feet and staring at me.
“If you’re linked with Ash and he’s still alive, and you appear to be just fine too, do you know what this means?” Laci asked excitedly.
They all started talking at once. Everyone except Madison and Jason. Jason just stared at me ruthlessly – betrayal written in every creased line on his grim face. “You lied to me.” His voice and body shook with anger. “He knew all about you,” he pointed at Ash but didn’t look away from me, “but you didn’t trust me enough to tell me,” he accused.
Scrambling to my feet, Ash’s coat fell to the floor and my blanket started to slip, but I managed to hold onto it. “I had to keep it a secret.” I secured the blanket around my waist. “I didn’t want everyone feeling sorry for me or treating me differently. According to you guys, Dentelle’s don’t live through linking, so I thought maybe I could link with a few Ray-pacs when it was time for me to link. Mostly though,” I paused and heaved a deep breath, “I didn’t want any of you to get hurt or get killed tomorrow, and I thought I had a good chance of taking some of the Ray-pacs down before they could hurt any more Guardians.” Desperate, I tried to explain myself and make them understand. I talked for several minutes, until my face turned blue and my voice was quivering. “I’m so sorry!”
A few moments of silence ensued.
“I can’t believe you kept this from me. You could have at least told me.” Jason shifted his feet and continued looking at me like I’d just ripped his heart out.
“When?” I snarled, now angry at his lack of understanding. “When would you have had me tell you? Right after you told me we could never be together. Or right after you told me you didn’t have feelings for me? I spent months loving you from afar, knowing all along you didn’t reciprocate those feelings.”
That shut him up, and he just stared at me while shaking his head.
“You,” I said sadly, “you of all people were the last person I could talk to. Whenever I felt like we were getting closer, then you’d shove me away again. But more importantly, I did what I had to do to protect you. I love you! And I knew Kieran had a vendetta against you.” Tears clouded my eyes, and I hastily brushed them away as they escaped down my cheeks.
“You should have trusted me. Especially after last night—”
“Jason, you blew me away last night! I was shocked and overwhelmed when you confessed your feelings for me, but I didn’t have time…”
“Alex, you wrote me a note that you were going to help your family,” he said angrily. “We had a whole Retreat full of Guardians. You should have told me.” Each word became louder until he was yelling. “We could have wiped the Ray-pacs out, but instead you placed yourself in danger and all of us as well.”
Ash stood up. “Look man, give her a break. She thought she was gonna die anyways, and everything she’s done has been to protect you. If you only knew what an emotional wreck she’s been for months – all because you’ve been dragging her along, sending mixed signals. You want to place blame; place some on yourself.”
Jason stiffened and the fire in his eyes grew a little brighter. Then he turned his glare on Ash, and his arm shot out and connected squarely with Ash’s jaw. Ash fell, sprawling onto the floor. He reached up and rubbed his chin but made no move to rise.
“What are you doing?” I yelled and dropped down to Ash’s side.
“Are you okay?”
“Lexi, I’m fine. Stand up before his temper really blows. I think he just needed to release some steam.
“But—”
“Lexi, just do it.”
Trevon and Max grabbed hold of Jason’s shoulders at the same time.
“Well, I for one think you had that coming,” Madison said lightly as she directed her gaze on Ash and wiped her hands together.
Jason drew one shaky breath. “That was for allowing Alex to go through with this crazy plan of meeting the Ray-pacs without us. But,” he said in a weary voice and extended his hand towards Ash, “I want to thank you for changing your mind and responding to my text on her cell phone. You kept her safe until we could get here. And you were right about the other things you said. For those I offer an apology.”
Not one to hold a grudge, Ash grabbed hold of Jason’s hand and accepted his help as well as his apology. Some sort of truce was drawn between them at that moment, and I sensed the tension between them easing up a bit.
“Now that that’s all resolved, why don’t we sit down and listen to Lexi and Ash tell their story from the beginning. Jason, can you handle that?” Max asked.
“Yes.” He nodded. As everyone moved back to their chairs, he said quietly, “Alex, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Shakily, I reached out and grabbed his arm.
Tilting his head sideways, he said quietly, “No more lies between us. Not now, not ever.”
“Agreed.” I traced his lips and blinked back more tears.
“You still look pale. Will you at least sit back down?”
“Sure.” I sat on the bed, and he settled down next to me. I talked for quite awhile, explaining how my premonitions had started when I was a kid and how the more recent and recurring snapshots of the burning cabin and icy lake had left me preparing for my own death.
“I really wish you had told me about your premonitions,” Jessica admitted and fiddled with her ponytail. “But I can also understand how scared you must have been. I remember that conversation on the yacht when we all talked about Dentelle’s and how they don’t live through linking.” Her emerald green eyes looked at me sympathetically. “I don’t know how you managed to hold it together when you realized you were a Dentelle.”
“It wasn’t easy,” I said truthfully. “But that’s when the plan first started to form in my head.” I explained how things developed from that point on, and then I let Ash take over and share his story.
After several minutes Madison burst out, “What? You were actually linked with a Ray-pac? How do we know you’re not still a Ray-pac?”
His shoulders stiffened, and his eyes roamed the room. “It’s hard to explain, but as soon as I linked with Lexi the instinct to hunt for Essence disappeared. Besides, Lexi said my Essence no longer felt tainted after that. Would you like to touch me again, a little longer this time, and judge for yourself?” he challenged.
“I don’t think so,” she said defiantly and raised her nose several inches in the air, but I thought I detected a twinkle in her eyes. Yes, she was intrigued. I felt a twinge of jealousy when I realized what a fiery match the two of them would make.
“This raises the possibility that Lexi could link with another Ray-pac and possibly turn them,” Max mused.
“I don’t think so,” Ash said. “In my premonitions, she was linked with Kieran, and it appeared he controlled her in some way.”
“Why did it work with you then?” Laci asked.
“Well, for one thing, I never once took or stole another person’s Essence. I made it back to Bellingham before I ever let it go that far, and Lexi has been supplying me with her Essence for several months now.”
Jason frowned but didn’t say a word.
“His Essence was never tainted in the same way as Melanie’s, Kieran’s, or Adrian’s,” I said and shuddered at the thought of Adrian.
Jessica walked over to the counter and started messing around with the coffee pot. “I’m gonna make some hot chocolate,” she announced.
“What about Kieran?” Shelby asked.
Jason pounded his fist against his leg. “He’ll be long gone by now. But maybe we’ll have a chance of finding him tomorrow when all the Guardians scour the area.”
“We do know that we destroyed a good chunk of his pack today,” Max said. “But we’ll know a lot more after tomorrow’s search and destroy party.”
“Ash,” Laci said and gazed at him with her blue eyes and soft smile. “I believe we need to welcome you to the Bellingham Circle of Guardians…that is, if you wish to join us and participate tomorrow.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he smiled as she came over and hugged him.
Jessica walked over. “You’ll have to accept a hug from me too, but be careful.” She smiled and put her arms around him. “I’m happy you’re joining us. Any friend of Lexi’s is a friend of mine.”
“Wow,” he exclaimed. “Your Essence is powerful.”
“I know,” she sighed and nodded her head. “That’s my one claim to fame.”
“Don’t you want to hug me?” Ash looked directly at Madison, but she just harrumphed and blew her hair out of her face.
“This is so surreal,” Shelby broke in. “Lexi, I can’t believe you are a real, live Dentelle. This is unheard of. You are going to make all the history books.”
“Yeah, and you know what,” Max said, glancing down at his watch, “if we head back to the Retreat right away, we’ll still be able to catch some of the Senior Guardians. They’re gonna want to know all about you and about all of this.”
“No!” Jason said so vehemently that everyone froze and stared at him. He jumped to his feet. “We are not taking Alex back to the Retreat right now. She’s barely survived drowning and hypothermia, and I will not have that opinionated and self-righteous group of council members poking and prodding her.”
“I agree with Jason,” Jessica broke in. “They’ll want to examine her and question her. Then they’ll try to tell us that she should be transferred to a different group of Guardians—”
“What?” I broke in. “I’m not moving anywhere. Besides, my family is still in Tacoma.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not letting you go anywhere you don’t want to go,” Jason said, and he puffed out his cheeks. “No, we wait for a couple days. As soon as everyone has left town, we sit down with my dad and your parents,” he motioned towards Max, “and tell them everything. They’ll help decide what the next step is.”
“Sounds good,” agreed Trevon, who usually kept his opinions to himself. “Once news leaks that Lexi’s a Dentelle, things are gonna get crazy around here.”
