Dark Matter (37 page)

Easy usually isn’t the best route to
take and I knew it. What would I do if he distanced himself from me
like Heath had?

Heath and Roger moved away from us,
staking out the perimeter of the cottage before they went inside.
When they came out mere moments later, Roger shook his
head.

I didn’t hesitate. I started down the
road toward the compound then stopped when realization struck me. I
was still thinking in human terms.

With Ainessa gone, we should be able to
use our powers. I faced the group. “Isn’t there a faster way to
locate them? Can’t you all feel them or something?”

Zach frowned and Luke laughed as if I
had just uttered the most absurd thing he had ever
heard.

Heath inched closer to me.

He studied me for a moment with an
inscrutable look on his face. His eyes were unusually dark with an
emotion I couldn’t define. “Are you willing to lose some of your
suitors then? Which of us would you send away?”

He wasn’t making any sense. His tone
and inflection held a finality I didn’t like. “What are you talking
about?”

He took a deep breath then let it out
slowly, looking at me as if I was clueless. “In order to seek out
another Elemental we would have to relinquish our claim to
you.”

Oh.

This was a perfect opportunity for me
to dump some of my burden onto another girl. The question was: did
I really want to?

I had to give them credit. The lords
waited patiently for me to make up my mind, but in the end, I
couldn’t. Not with a decision that was this important.

Good thing I had a different idea.
“Tell me how to do it.”

Heath laughed. “Avoiding as usual, I
see.”

Luke joined Zach in frowning. I turned
toward them, hoping for help but finding contempt.

“
Come on,” I said. “It’s a
good option and you know it. Unless one of you wants to
volunteer…”

I wasn’t aware that men could look at
me that way. They all shot me the same offended expression. It
reminded me of how Jenny reacted when Aunt Grace refused to get her
the latest fashion magazine at the grocery store.

Finn spoke up, “She has a point. She
should be capable.”

“
I don’t think it a good
idea,” said Zach.

Heath stepped forward donning a smug
expression. “Don’t tell me the legendary Zach is afraid of losing
her,” he said in clear mockery.

“
What would you know about
loss, Heath? You haven’t ever given yourself over to the bond
fully. You would be stronger than any lord if you had.”

Heath turned a glare on Zach that
should have melted his face off. When he glanced at me I recognized
uncertainty before he covered it with a laugh. “Stronger isn’t
everything,” he said to no one in particular.

I couldn’t believe he said that. Light
bulbs flashed in my brain as a series of events suddenly made
sense.

Could it be possible that Heath was
actually afraid of something? Maybe the connection he felt to me.
Had he become attached to me back in Ignis? Was Zach right and he
was worried he would lose me?

Chapter
Twenty-Five

It all added up. Heath’s reaction in my
room when I tried to leave him after Ainessa had attacked us and
then his stony façade afterward. His pained expression when I did
escape him with Gibbit.

The only thing I was curious about now
was what had made him change his mind again. He had claimed he
would never bond with me, but we just about did. There was only one
explanation I could come up with that made any sense: he was in
love with me. He would probably never admit it to me, but somehow I
knew I was right.

Even though the bond hadn’t been
completed, I still felt a connection to him that I didn’t have with
Zach or Luke. It was feasible that it would fade in time, but what
if it didn’t? What if we were partially bonded? Was that
possible?

Had I made a rash decision back there?
If I had only known that Zach and Luke were coming for me, I would
have waited, but which one of them would I have chosen? I was
getting tired of asking myself that question. Would I ever be able
to decide?

Heath didn’t even respond to Zach.
Instead, he walked over to me and turned me around, cocooning me in
his arms. When I looked over my shoulder to question him, he said,
“This is the easiest way for me to show you.”

I tried to relax, but between his scent
and his body pressed against mine like that I was feeling a bit
tipsy. He was in my mind and it almost felt natural to have him
there.

But not quite.

He swept my hair over my shoulder and
leaned nearer. When his lips brushed my earlobe, I shivered. He
spoke out loud, but it was so soft I wasn’t sure that anyone other
than me could hear him. “Imagine you are drifting toward the
compound, but don’t allow your soul to leave your body. Just use
your third eye.”

I chuckled, twisting toward him. Bad
idea. Our lips were a breath apart. I had to say something now.
“You’re starting to sound a little bit like a hippy,
Heath.”

He didn’t respond, but the rest of the
group laughed. His eyes searched mine intently. What did he see
there?

Enough with jokes, I had to be serious.
I closed my eyes and envisioned the compound. The scene focused. I
could see us all huddled together near the cottage. My awareness
rippled outward like a sound wave. Just like in the courtyard I
could feel the Elementals on the island, yet this time was
stronger. I recognized their power because of my own. There was no
barrier blocking our connection. Each signal was slightly
different. Would I be able to differentiate between the women
though?

I strained to see more clearly and
Heath squeezed my forearm. “You’re trying too hard. Relax into it.
When we get some time, I’ll show you how to harness your emotions
to your advantage, but for now, just think about the person you
want to see. Block out all else.”

Lacey’s image wavered in front of me
before solidifying into a horrifying scene. Someone was pushing her
up into a helicopter. She was gagged and handcuffed. The background
lit up with an explosion that rocked the air. I could feel it even
from where I was standing. May shoved her forward and ordered the
pilot to hurry.

There was no way they were going to
make it out of there alive. The air was electric with power as if
the elements were ready to explode. Before Heath could stop me, I
drifted to Lacey’s side. He’d just have to follow me.

I shoved May out of the way. She
stumbled unsteadily forward but whirled around quickly. When she
saw who I was, her eyes flew wide. “You!” she growled.

I smiled at her, but it wasn’t nice.
“Get out of my way,” I demanded.

“
Make me,” she said in a low
voice.

I didn’t have anything against the
girl, but I wasn’t about to let her hurt Lacey. I planted my feet
and pictured a gigantic hand plucking her out of my way. Her mouth
formed a near perfect O before her body flew backward and slammed
into the tank behind her.

With her gone, I focused on loosening
Lacey’s binds. She held still, trying to make it easier for me then
suddenly she pulled away, moaning loudly.

I turned to glance over my shoulder,
but something hard connected with my head, sending me sprawling. I
shook off the blow and jumped to my feet.

Just like the Terminator, May was back.
Her eyes were full of hate and her skin was so tight I thought any
second now she would spontaneously combust.

No such luck.

I felt a trickle of blood sliding down
my face, filling my senses with its metallic aroma, but I refused
to think about it. What was this girl’s problem anyway? I had never
done anything to her.

She had a long stretch of pipe
balanced. Before I could say a word, she took aim at my head
again.

I focused on the pipe and it
disintegrated in her hands as if it were made of sand. She gasped
in a breath, her face hard in concentration. Her palm glowed green.
I imagined an invisible shield bubble around me and
Lacey.

Just then the air grew thick with
something ominous. I looked around but couldn’t see anything out of
the ordinary.

But something caught my eye, a slight
movement that normally wouldn’t have stood out. Suddenly, Ainessa
stood in front of May. She gave the girl a once over before she
flicked her finger against May’s shoulder. A horrible expression of
terror slid into May’s eyes just before her body exploded into a
million shimmery specs of light.

Okay, I was pretty sure that the fae
were not allowed to kill humans. By the time she started toward me,
I had finished untying Lacey.

Ainessa narrowed her pretty green eyes
at Lacey and raised her hand. I stepped in front of my friend
strengthening our shield. At least I hoped I had.

“
Leave her alone,” I said,
looking around for backup that hadn’t arrived yet. I couldn’t
believe that Heath and the rest of my group hadn’t followed
me.

“
What will you give me if I
agree?” she asked with the weight of the world in her
tone.

I shook my head in confusion. “What do
you want?”

She relaxed her stance and stared at me
for a minute. “I should think it would be quite clear by now. I
need your power, Rayla.” Her compulsion blasted into me, shattering
my new formed barrier as if it was made of glass. I stumbled from
the impact.

My feet shuffled toward her. I fought
to stay in control, but I wasn’t good enough at this stuff
yet.

Before I knew it I was running into her
embrace as if we were long lost friends.

Lacey screamed at me to fight
her.

I stiffened under her touch, but I
couldn’t bring myself to lift a finger against her. She moved her
hand, and I caught a glimpse of an amazing ring. Something inside
it swirled like a hypnotic whirlpool. I couldn’t pry my eyes away
from it even though I tried.

I heard a man’s voice behind me. “Nice
work, My Queen.”

Mr. Lambert’s face came into view. “If
you want your friends to live, you will come with us.”

I managed to nod but it was as if I was
moving through setting concrete. “What is that?” I asked pointing
to Ainessa’s ring. I had never seen it before, but I never wanted
to look away. I reached toward the stone; it glowed under my touch.
My body began to tremble as if my life was slowly flowing out of me
and the thing pulsated like a heartbeat.

“
This just might work,” said
Mr. Lambert.

“
Come,” Ainessa
urged.

I found myself following her toward one
of the buildings. I turned around when Lacey started screaming at
me again. Frick clamped one hand over her mouth the other hooked
her waist, pulling her back against him.

Seeing her in danger snapped me out of
it momentarily. “Let her go,” I pushed out. The words felt like
acid against my throat.

Ainessa looked stunned, but when she
glanced at Frick, he released Lacey. I was trying to call my power,
but the barrier was back. My thoughts came in a jumbled mess. Where
were the lords that had all vowed to protect me? Wasn’t the fae
army supposed to be on the way? I thought Ainessa had gone. What
was I going to do now?

I knew I had to fight. I couldn’t let
her have me no matter what happened. I stopped moving and she gave
me a command again. This time she put the force of a hurricane
behind her words. I staggered but was able to stop again. It took
all my will to keep me where I was. If something didn’t happen
soon, I would collapse. Ainessa whirled on me, glaring ferociously,
and grabbed my hair, yanking me toward the building
again.

A strange buzzing blared in my ears. No
one else seemed to notice it. It faded away but was soon back
again, louder this time. There was something barely discernible in
the static. Was that a voice?

I looked up and saw a black spot in the
sky. Styx? Could it be?

Spread out behind him was a thick
blanket of movement. They were coming. My heart leapt at the
thought.

The spec materialized into a vision I
would never forget. Zach was perched on Styx’s back brandishing a
blazing sword like an ancient hero. Behind him stretched a sea of
fae. I glanced around wondering when Ainessa was going to react.
Was I hallucinating? The fae didn’t use weapons, did
they?

Ainessa lifted her head and cursed when
she saw Zach. He pointed the tip of his sword at her heart and
tightened his jaw.

Her fingers clamped around my upper
arms, and I was pulled taut against her. Something cold and sharp
pressed against my neck.

“
Make another move and this
girl dies,” she hissed.

“
You would never let that
happen,” said Jett.

How was it that I was just noticing
him? He was astride a magnificent animal. She was so beautiful it
was hard to look at her, yet, at the same time, impossible not to.
I wasn’t sure how I knew she was female, but it was unmistakable.
Styx snorted and I glanced at him. Our gazes connected. Without so
much as a word spoken, I simply knew. She was his mate and Jett had
her captive somehow. No wonder he hated Jett.