Linked (The Guardian Series), page 4
After raiding the fridge, I made ham and havarti sandwiches for two and was snooping around for salsa when I heard Jason slide into a barstool.
“Hey, is one of these for me?” he asked in an easy-going tone, as if our little incident earlier had never occurred.
“Sure,” I said just as neutrally and turned around with salsa in one hand and chips in the other. “Success. Now, I just need to find some fruit to counter balance the bad.” I slid the salsa and chips across the never ending countertop, and he caught them.
“Try the other refrigerator.” There was a loud pop as he ripped open the bag of tortilla chips.
I found some red grapes and rinsed them in the sink. “So, I’m still wondering about a lot of things; things I didn’t get a chance to ask when we were all on the boat yesterday. I’m thinking its interrogation time. Can you handle it?”
“Go for it,” he said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“You said the link between Guardians breaks on the day of a full moon. Is that also true for the Ray-pacs?”
He nodded. “Works the same, and they need to re-link within a few days like us.” He swallowed. “The way our lives run in cycles is rather convenient I suppose. When a Seer is finally ready to link it always correlates with a full moon as well.” He dumped some salsa on his plate and scooped some chips through it before shoving them into his mouth.
“Is there any other way to break a link? Like if you wanted to, could you?” I asked.
His face became grim. “No. The only way I know of is if the Guardian you’re linked with dies. Apparently, it’s supposed to be very painful when the link snaps.”
“Sounds awful.” I shuddered. After taking a small bunch of grapes for myself, I passed the bowl over to him, which he greedily accepted. “Another thing,” I said, “even if you have several days to link, why would you wait at all? I mean, as I understand it, you don’t gain your special abilities until you link. Plus, if you wait that would make you vulnerable…make you like an ordinary person. Seems to me like you’d want to re-link immediately.”
He stopped chewing and looked at me. In all seriousness, he said, “We usually do re-link right away. But sometimes…it feels good to be…to be free and normal for awhile. A day or two without Madison screaming in my mind is peaceful.” He swirled a chip around in the salsa. “Then there’s Jessica.”
“What about her?”
“If it’s at all possible, Jessica likes to have a dinner before we all link again. It’s the one time she can be with us and not feel different.”
“I don’t understand,” I said in confusion, pulling all my grapes off the vine.
“Well, it’s simple really.” He set down his sandwich and studied me. “When Guardians or Ray-pacs are unlinked, they can touch an Amethyst and feel no pain. That is the one time we can sit by Jessica, bump into her, or hug her and it doesn’t hurt. She likes it that no one has to be on guard, but really, I think that’s the one time she feels like she’s really part of the group.”
“Seriously?” My thoughts were going haywire, and something jogged in the back of my memory. I remembered Laci saying something similar, but I’d been to lost in my own turmoil to stop and consider what she was saying. This was incredible news.
“But Alex,” he said sternly and gazed at me with intensity, “those are the times you are defenseless against the Ray-pacs as well. You will need to be very careful, and you will always need to be aware from this day forward as to when the full moon falls each month. Do you understand?”
Oh yeah, I understood just fine. “Uh-huh,” I muttered. I realized exactly when I would need to infiltrate the Ray-pacs or let myself be captured by them. That’s when I could try and link with them. According to history, the few Dentelle’s who’d existed before me had never been able to successfully link. When they had, it killed the person they’d been trying to link with, and the Dentelle had died soon after as well. My plan was coming together, piece by piece.
“When’s the next full moon,” I asked excitedly, because I also understood that when the moon was full Jason could touch me, and I wouldn’t cause him any pain. Now that was something else to plan for.
Misinterpreting my excitement, he said, “Alex don’t worry, we won’t leave you alone or exposed to danger. We will protect you.”
“I know, and I’m very grateful.” I smiled demurely. Guys could be so dense. “So, when is it?”
The lines on his forehead creased, and I could tell he was trying to figure out what he was missing. “We just had one last week, but the next one is Friday, September 4th.”
“Good to know,” I said quickly, taking a bit of my sandwich to suppress a smile.
“We’ll probably all gather at the Nelson house for Jessica’s big dinner, and of course, you’ll be there too,” he mused aloud. I wondered what he was thinking as he stared at his plate.
Once again feeling upbeat, I got up and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and held up an extra one. He nodded, so I tossed it to him. “What about Seers?” I began. “Laci said Western’s campus is a great place to search for potential Seers. How can you spot one?”
“You can’t literally spot one,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It’s all in the Essence. A Seer’s Essence feels weak, like it has holes in it. Once you’ve felt it, you never forget it. And a Seer’s eyes will have numerous gold specks reflecting their lack of Essence. Golden Eyes we sometimes call them.”
“Weird,” I said. “I can just imagine Laci walking around campus bumping into people intentionally, peering into their eyes, or introducing herself with a handshake – always on a quest to find a Seer.”
“Actually, that’s pretty much what she does. Mr. Nelson also has ample opportunities to meet potential Guardians since he’s the director of human resources for the grocery chain. He meets a lot of people and shakes a lot of hands as well.”
My brain lead my thoughts off on another tangent, and I asked, “How did you guys get me out of the woods yesterday when I was unconscious if you couldn’t carry me?”
His smile trickled away. “You never should have been unconscious in the first place. I told you not to come after me. Alex, you have to understand that your life is more important. Amethysts are rare and can save lives. That makes you valuable…indispensable.”
I slammed my water bottle on the counter. “Just because you think that doesn’t make it so,” I said angrily. “Your life is just as valuable. I couldn’t leave you out there with that monster who wanted to suck your Essence dry. You needed me, and I couldn’t stand the thought of…of…”
“Of what?” he asked, his eyes dark.
“Of losing you,” I shouted at him, tears welling in my eyes. I dropped my plate in the sink with a “clang,” turned around and stared out the window at the front grounds. Inside my chest, my heart was having trouble beating steadily. “I care about you,” I whispered. “But,” I said a little louder, “if it makes you feel any better, I would have done the same for anyone.”
In an instant, he was standing directly behind me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m not upset with you; I’m mad at myself. I thought Kieran had me for sure, and I was going to die, and when you jumped down, all I could think about was him hurting you. The thought of them capturing you while I lay there helpless…that thought made me crazy. I was scared.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
I wanted him to wrap his arms around me – to reach out and comfort me, but I knew he couldn’t. Even if he could, I didn’t know if he would. Closing my eyes, I nodded slowly to indicate I’d heard him and had accepted his explanation. But I didn’t trust myself to turn around, because I was either gonna start crying or start screaming. Frustrated, I stood perfectly still and gripped the cold, granite countertops until my knuckles turned white.
Next to my ear he said, “Madison used telekinesis to transport you while Jessica guided you through the woods.” He walked away, and I heard him grab his plate off the counter. Still rigid, I turned and watched as he rinsed both our dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “I’ll make dinner tonight. Only seems fair since you made lunch,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Give me a chance to grill you that steak.” He turned around and I nodded. “Want me to show you around the island?”
I took a deep breath. “Sure.”
For the next couple hours he gave me a tour of the island. We walked the gravel trail, and I found out that he liked to get up early and run several miles. We kept our conversation neutral and talked mostly about the islands, the Retreat, and his family. Actually, I learned more about his brother who was attending college in Maine. When we found our way to the big outdoor mats, I sat and watched as he demonstrated some of his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu moves. After some arm twisting, he persuaded me to come out to the mats and learn a few self-defense techniques. He said it was more important than ever that I learn how to defend myself against an attack.
Ally and I had taken a few years of gymnastics, so I surprised him, and myself, when I demonstrated some fast flying front flips. Back flips? Well, that wasn’t happening any more. When I fell flat on my face, we found ourselves lying next to each other on the mats, laughing uncontrollably.
“Hey,” I cried out and pointed upwards. “A bald eagle.”
“No matter how many times I see one, they never cease to amaze me,” he said.
“Their wingspan in incredible.”
“Six to eight feet,” he replied. “They soar over the islands with grace and an authority. There’s an abundance of food, and the tall trees offer a safe place to nest and roost. Bald Eagles in the San Juan Islands have one of the highest breeding densities in the lower 48.”
Lying on my back, I turned my head sideways and said, “Looks like I’m not the only one who reads. Is it true they mate for life?”
He tilted his face sideways, his eyes piercing mine. “From what I’ve read, they remain faithful to their mate until death.”
I studied his face. “Don’t suppose you wanna tell me how you got that scar on your eyebrow,” I prodded.
Gazing upwards, he considered my request. The tree tops lining the surrounding blue sky quivered in the breeze, and the scent of fresh evergreens cleansed my senses. Just when I was sure he wasn’t going to answer, he did.
“Really, it’s Max’s story not mine.” His jaw locked. “But it’s not something he or anyone else ever talks about.” I waited patiently until he began again. “About four years ago we found a Seer up at Western. Max was supposed to link with her, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to re-link with Maggie, who was his girlfriend at the time. You probably won’t meet her, because she belongs to a different Circle down in Florida now. Anyways, Max was pretty upset. He was a lot younger and very hot-headed; it didn’t help that he thought he was in love with Maggie.”
“I didn’t know you were told who to link with,” I said with surprise. “Who decides?”
He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, as If I should know the answer to that. “Oh,” I said quietly, “your dad.”
“You got it,” he said trying to sound indifferent. He rolled his head from side to side, like he was trying to undo kinks. “The Senior Guardian makes a lot of difficult decisions.”
Spontaneously, I reached over and rested my hand on his arm, more for moral support I guess. He didn’t look at me cross-eyed or jerk away, so I relaxed and left it there.
“To be fair, for the most part we do choose who we link with, but occasionally the Senior Guardian will override our decisions, especially when a new Seer is found and that Seer needs a strong partner for their first link. Anyways, this time my dad told Max he had to link with the new Seer; her name was Shannon. Max flat out refused and said he was going to re-link with Maggie.”
“Yikes,” I said.
“Yeah well, things went from bad to worse real fast. Before my dad could talk some sense into Max, he’d already re-linked with Maggie, who was supposed to be on her way down to join the Florida Circle.” He gave me a knowing look.
“A Senior Council decision?”
He nodded. “But not everyone submits to their decisions – Max and Maggie being a perfect example. Only now, time was running short and a replacement Guardian needed to be found for Shannon. So, my sister Hannah had to get on the Network and find someone—”
“Get on the Network?”
“All Guardian Circles keep a record of the Seers, Guardians, and Amethysts in their area, so that if someone from another Circle needs immediate help for whatever reason, they can search the database and know where to go. Anyways, Hannah found someone in Alaska who also needed a linking partner, but before that Guardian arrived in town, something terrible happened.”
“What?” I barely breathed.
I felt his arm muscles tense as he said, “Max and I took Shannon out to the Bellingham airport to wait for the guy’s arrival. For some reason, Shannon had developed a fever really early, so we wanted to get her linked as soon as the plane landed. But by some freak chance of events, we ran into Ray-pacs out in the parking lot. There were three of them.”
It was my turn to shudder. “What? You can’t be serious.”
“Oh yes. That was my first encounter with them. I was still a Seer myself and didn’t have any abilities yet. All we had was Max, whose Flair at the time was Self-Replicator.”
“What’s that?” I interrupted.
“That’s when you can create several images of yourself, but only the true self is capable of attacking and fighting. Telepathically, Max let Maggie know we needed help, but before she could arrive with reinforcements we had to fight. To make a long story short, Max was unable to defend all three of us. As the Ray-pacs advanced from different angles, he had to make a decision between Shannon and me.” There was a long silence. “He chose me. While we fought back to back, a flying brick smacked me across the forehead.” He reached up and ran a finger along his scar. “I went down, and Max stayed with me. In turn, the Ray-pacs captured Shannon.” The bald eagle flew overhead again, emitting a loud, squawking noise and interrupting Jason’s story.
“How awful,” I said gently and pressed his arm a little harder.
“Yes, it was. But you know what was even worse?” He gazed at me with a haunted expression, and I shook my head. “One of the Ray-pacs wasn’t linked, and this big, greasy-looking dude linked with Shannon right there before us.” He cringed and closed his eyes. “At that point she was lost to us. Once a Ray-pac links with a Seer, their Essence mingles and the Seer becomes a Ray-pac – wild and feral. There aren’t any second chances as far as we know.”
“So, there is no way to convert a Ray-pac back into a Guardian?” My voiced sounded shaky.
He looked at me dejectedly, “No. Not that I’ve ever heard of.”
“What happened next?”
“The Ray-pacs had captured Shannon; she must have been what they needed – a person to for that guy to link with. Then they bailed immediately before everyone from our circle arrived.” He bit his lip. “Things were tense for a long time between Max and my dad. On one side, my dad was furious Max had linked with Maggie when he’d been told not to; on the other, he was grateful Max had protected me. Personally, I think my dad harbored a lot of guilt for sending us out there unprotected. But really, in his defense, how could he have guessed something like that was going to happen? Ray-pac sightings in Bellingham were rare.” He paused for a breath. “At least they have a good relationship today.”
“And you seem very close to Max, as well.”
He nodded and with his mouth set tight, he said grimly, “The choices we make define us, but they also directly affect the people around us. That’s why logic rather than emotion should be used when making a decision; the consequences must be considered.”
“Whether you use emotion or logic, it doesn’t matter, the consequences can still hurt the ones you love,” I said in disagreement. He started to open his mouth but I changed the subject. “Do you ever wonder about Shannon?” I asked.
“More than you’d think,” he said softly. His brows furrowed and he rolled onto his side and faced me. My hand dropped to the mat, and I left it there. “Even though I knew there was no danger of Kieran linking with you yesterday Alex, I was still terrified. When you two disappeared into the forest, I felt like I was reliving that awful day four years ago when the Ray-pacs robbed Shannon of her life. I couldn’t handle that again, especially not with you.”
My heart reeled. “That’s exactly how I feel about you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Later, we walked back to the house where he grilled a couple mean steaks and some veggies while I put together a salad. We ate outside and stuck to a light-hearted discussion as we watched the sunset. After we cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes he said, “So, hot tub or a movie?”
As much as I would have enjoyed seeing him in nothing but swim trunks, I didn’t think my heart could take an evening in the Jacuzzi where thoughts of romance bubbled around me in the hot water. “Movie,” I said with resolve.
He frowned slightly, seemingly surprised by my choice. “Okay, I’ll meet you in the movie room. There’s cabinets full of blu-rays, all alphabetical by title. Pick one out, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
The home theatre room was a good size, probably about 25 feet deep with a large movie screen about eight feet across. There were four rows of theatre style seating, each with five cocoa-colored plush chairs in a row. The recessed lights let off a dim glow, offering a subtle ambiance to the room, and the carpets and walls were done in neutral tones of beige, ivory, and burgundy. I’d just chosen a movie when Jason appeared and looked down at my choice.
He stopped short, raised his eyebrows, and grinned. “I never took you for an action-flick sort of girl.”
