Linked (42 page)

Halting,
Adrian doubled over in laughter, and when he finally stood up again it was with
that crazed, excited expression. “Lexi.” He clicked his tongue and took several
steps forward. “You are the fool if you think you can escape me. I am a patient
and experienced predator. You have no idea what I am capable of.”

Bunching
my hands into fists in my pockets, I looked at him with loathing. “Oh, I know
you’re sick all right; your Essence told me that much.” As he scowled, I curled
my lips and added, “You’re not special; you just think you are. So you have a
name – The Barbed Wire Killer. Who cares? You’re a dime a dozen.”

His
eyebrows came together quickly, and he glared at me. “You think you’re so
smart, don’t you? Although,” he cracked a smile, “you’re one step ahead of the
FBI.” In a harsher voice he continued, “But you have no idea how carefully I
plan my killings or how long I can prolong someone’s suffering. The terror and
the screaming, oh that’s just part of the fun. But the power I gain from their
pain.” A smile crossed his face. “Taking their Essence is just a bonus, but
it’s certainly not the most satisfying part. That starts with the screaming,
and –”

“I’m
not impressed,” I said through gritted teeth. I couldn’t stop my stomach from
roiling or my knees from knocking. Listening to him boast about his killings
was revolting, and hearing about his victims; that might do me in for sure.

“Oh,
you will be,” he leered at me. “And you should be worried, because I have
abilities that even Kieran doesn’t know about. But before I share, I have to
admit, there is
one
thing about you that has caught me completely off
guard.”

Refusing
to comment, I bunched up my face and glared at him. A tree branch snapped from
the weight of the snow and crashed onto the ice somewhere behind me. I
flinched.

“A bit
jumpy are we?” He laughed. “I find it very interesting that you are an
Amethyst, who appears to have the strength and ability of someone who is
linked.” He paused and came to a stop about 15 feet away.“But you’re not
linked, are you?”

What?
I tried not to look as startled as I felt. This was great news. He didn’t know
I was linked? Slowly shaking my head, I decided to play along.

Crossing
his arms and leaning back in a leisurely manner he said, “I know you’re not,
because I sense no link, nor can I sense that you have any special ability that
I can imitate. So, exactly what kind of Amethyst are you?”

Standing
where I was, I had no difficulty sensing Adrian’s link. This was just one more
weapon in my arsenal, and I wasn’t about to share my secrets with this psychopath.
“I guess you’ll never know,” I sneered, trying to sound confident. “Anyways, I
think we’re done here.”

He
laughed and shook his head. Sweeping his arm over the ice, he said, “You’re no
fun. You just want to get straight to the kill, don’t you? But Lexi, it’s only
fair that I tell you about my special ability. I want to see the fear in your
eyes when you realize just how vulnerable you really are. Fear inspires people
to fight for survival.” He rubbed his hands together and added in a low, guttural
voice, “It makes the kill that much more enjoyable.”

Breaking
my gaze with him, I surveyed the desolate surroundings of the lake. Under
normal circumstances I would have found this winter wonderland beautiful, but
right now the starkness and isolation left me feeling forlorn. And I was
questioning my sanity in facing Adrian all alone. Groaning, like they agreed
with my stupidity, the trees swayed in the breeze. I could only hope I wasn’t
doomed to fail.

Adrian
smiled mockingly. “Breaking you is going to be pleasurable.” He waved a hand
negligently. “It shouldn’t bother you in the least to learn that I can touch an
Amethyst while I’m linked, and I don’t feel a thing.” My eyes widened, and he
licked his lips. “That’s right; I’m immune. I can have my way with you, and you
cannot protect yourself.”

My
heart banged against my chest, and my fear rose sharply. The look of
astonishment spreading across my face was unstoppable. I’d never considered
someone might have that ability – the ability to touch me and not get burned.
Of course, I’d never considered a lot of possibilities. If I lived through
this, I’d have to think outside the box more often.

His
mouth curled into a hideous smile and his eyes roamed over my body. “I can see
I’ve dealt you the first blow. Are you ready for the next one?”

I
started to pull the envelope out of my pocket but jerked my head to the right
when I heard something pounding through the forest. As I fumbled with the
envelope, a reddish mountain lion came crashing through the trees, sending snow
and broken branches spewing across the ice with him. Spinning out only a few
yards behind Adrian, he growled. The ice around the big cat began snapping and
fracturing. Very, very slowly, he began backing up. I realized he was limping
and took a closer look. He stood on three legs; his left, front leg was raised
in the air and bent rather funny.

Adrian
and I both stared at the mountain lion in shock, which told me Adrian hadn’t
been expecting his brother to show up any more than I had. I glanced down. I’d
accidentally dropped the orchid packet when Kieran had slid onto the ice.
Kieran started hissing and spitting.

With a
nod at the big cat, Adrian spun around and rasped quietly, “Looks like you and
I will have to continue this later. My brother is hurt, and you need to heal
him right now.”

“Not a
chance,” I scowled and immediately started jumping up and down on the ice,
thinking maybe I could take them both out at the same time. If I could get them
both in the water they might drown. Maybe that’s what my premonitions had been
preparing me for.

Because
I’d already fractured the ice, it began snapping, shouting out in a frosty
voice of protest. Crackling, the ice began breaking apart. Everything happened
all at once – so fast and in a complete blur. Another cougar screamed and
emerged from the woods. Jason was here. For one instant we made eye contact,
his eyes piercing into mine, and then he hissed. Sensing the ice snapping below
my feet, I looked down and knew I wouldn’t be fast enough, so I prepared for
the inevitable.

My
insight told me that Adrian would charge but wouldn’t reach me before the ice
gave way. Knowingly, I glanced up and caught his unnatural, malevolent amber
eyes staring at me. The ice tore apart, and with his arms outstretched and his
mouth hanging open, he plunged into the cold lake. His loud cries became
strangled screams as he sank deeper into the water, and his voice cut out as
his head vanished from sight.

Just
before the lake opened up in front of me, I looked up, and the clouds parted,
momentarily flashing a brilliant patch of bright blue. For some odd reason, I
suddenly remembered opals didn’t fare well in extreme temperatures; they could
shatter. Grasping the chain around my neck, I yanked it off. Sadly, I kissed
the necklace Jason had given me and threw it behind me, hoping I’d be able to
find it again later. As I braced for the upcoming physical shock, I tried
clearing my mind. In preparation for this day, I’d read plenty of articles
about being in cold water. The first step was to close my mouth and avoid
breathing water into my lungs. My heart sank as I caught a glimpse of the
reddish mountain lion escaping into the forest.

The
ice ripped apart under my feet, and I slipped, fully clothed, into the frigid
lake. After all those months, I was living the last snapshot. It was almost a
relief to have it over with. But relief was quickly obliterated as the shock of
the cold water overtaking my body. My head went under, and I tried not to gasp.
The cold blast was debilitating and extremely painful. Needles poked into my
arms and legs, prickling me over and over like an acupuncture session gone
extremely bad.

The
goal was not to struggle; I needed to tread water carefully. I shot for the
surface and reached for the sides. Gently, I placed my arms flat against the
ice and tried to balance carefully without breaking off any more chunks. Water
droplets splashed all around as Adrian thrashed behind me. Inches away from my
hands, still dry and completely intact, sat the envelope of orchid pollen. With
a shaky hand, I grabbed onto it and managed to pour most of it into my
violently trembling right palm.

Turning,
I gazed at Adrian’s stark white face and bulging eyes; he looked at me with and
his features distorted in rage. He let out a vicious growl, which was quickly
drowned out as the water flooded into his wide open, mouth, His purple lips
curled, and his straight, white teeth emerged as a scornful grin spread across
his face.

“Time
for you to die,” he roared.

I knew
his next move before he did; unfortunately, I had nowhere to go and realized
he’d be taking me down with him. As he lunged through the water, I waited
patiently. When he grabbed onto my shoulders I blew the pollen directly into
his face, hoping the paralysis would take effect immediately. His eyes blinked
rapidly, and his face scrunched in surprise. Struggling with him, I knew I had
the upper hand. He’d lost his bonus strength when he’d hit the water earlier,
and I had more muscle power now. With a final gasp he sank out of sight.

Breathing
a momentary sigh of relief, I reached for the edge again. I braced myself so I
could pull my heavy, wet body out of the water and made some progress before
the insight hit me again. I tried grasping the edge of the ice, but my reaction
time was sluggish, and two hands clamped around my ankles and pulled me down.
Kicking wildly, I fought back, but knew I was sunk when the edge of the ice
broke off, and I had nothing left to hold onto. I managed to inhale a final
gulp of air before being completely submerged under the water for a second
time.

“Ash?
Ash?”
I called out to him.

“Lexi?”
His voice sounded faint.

“Ash,
I’ve gone under the water. I think I’m gonna need your help to get back out.
It’s freezing, and I’m exhausted.”
I waited, but he didn’t respond.
“Ash,
can you help?”

Nothing.
I could only hope he’d heard me. I flailed my arms and legs as Adrian, who felt
like a huge anchor, continued dragging me deeper and deeper. The freezing water
was more painful than his grip, which was desperate but lacked any real brawn.
All of a sudden, he let go, and I figured the paralysis must have overtaken
him. Finally, I had him just where I wanted him – incapacitated and sinking
fast. Good-bye and good riddance. I never thought I’d celebrate another person’s
death, but then I’d never encountered such pure evil before. Live long and
prosper – in hell, I thought.

As he
plunged to his death, I kicked and propelled myself towards the surface;
towards life. But my body was brutally cold now. Even with all my supposed
abilities, I was already having a hard time getting past the numbness in my
hands and legs. Feeling my blood vessels constricting, I managed to force my
way through the pain and focus, allowing my Essence to flow freely into those
areas. When my head bumped into a ceiling of ice, a new set of chills bombarded
my already numb body. Desperately, I searched for the opening, but time and
again I bounced off the hard surface. Trying not to panic, I continued to
search, feeling my way along the cold, smooth barrier.

My
Essence was strong; I could feel it working overtime to keep my vital organs
warm. I’d read that a body lost heat 25 times faster in cold water than it did
in cold air; I knew I was lucky hypothermia hadn’t set in. But even with
Essence as strong as mine, if I couldn’t breathe oxygen, I wouldn’t have any
body left to heal.

I felt
like my lungs were going to explode. I was half a heartbeat away from letting
go, from opening my mouth and gulping in water when I came upon an air pocket.
An old log had fallen into the lake and frozen in place, creating a compartment
of air; that would buy me some time. Gasping, I sucked in the stale but welcome
oxygen. I floated on my back and clung to the log. Distraught, I contemplated
my next move. My outer extremities were beyond feeling, and I wasn’t sure I’d
find the opening in the ice before running out of oxygen. I knew if I couldn’t
breathe, I was done for. I also didn’t want to deal with hypothermia, because
mental confusion was one of the first signs, and by then I’d be too far gone to
think rationally.

I
needed to stay calm. Pounding on the ice above me with one hand, I only hoped
Jason or Ash were searching for me and would find me in time. I needed someone
to break the ice and pull me out. Dazed, I focused my Essence on keeping my
core temperature from dropping further. Closing my eyes, I tried to preserve my
strength and my mind by pounding on the ice once every 30 seconds or so. But I
was getting tired. My oxygen pocket was almost depleted, and I couldn’t
determine how long I’d been in the water –10 minutes maybe?

I
wasn’t ready to die! Images of my life flashed before me: building sand castles
on the beach with my brothers, eating fresh watermelon on our yearly summer
trips to Yakima, rockin’ out with Ally at the Rascal Flatt’s concert, living in
Scotland as an exchange student, visiting book stores with my parents on road
trips, reading to Ava Rose, riding on Ash’s motorcycle, watching the orcas with
Jason.

Jason!
My maniac runner who’d insisted he didn’t care about me, who’d said we couldn’t
be together. No wait, that wasn’t right. Hadn’t he told me he loved me? Maybe,
that had been a dream?

With
my lips pressed together, I beat on the log above me. I started gasping and
struggling, and eventually was forced into taking one last cherished breath. I
would stretch it out for as long as I could. But moments later I knew it was
time to let go. My eyes opened wide to a cloudy, gray underwater world; my lips
parted and the crisp, cutting water flowed into my mouth.