Splintered Energy (The Colors Book 1) (21 page)

“Susan missed a stop sign and survived. July 8th, Friday, she didn’t return from a predawn stroll on the beach. Escaped from a mental facility, she hadn’t voluntarily eaten in days. They assumed she drowned herself.” Malcolm stroked Jade’s face. “I believe she did die when you were forced into her body. Not a natural demise, I conclude traces of personality including fear, suffocating despair, and her insecurity linger.”

For the first time, Jade’s panicked grip fastened on a broken, blue arm. “But what am I?” she asked.

Aaron sighed and headed to join David. He missed his circulation being cut off. It appeared this angel really was capable of throwing someone across the room. Like that other someone had done to Aaron. Maybe, they’d finally get an answer to what these someones were.

Chapter Twenty

Aaron swallowed hard, swung his arm around David, and brushed his hand on Evan’s shoulder. On the bed, Malcolm held Jade on his lap and bent toward her in intense conversation. How cuddling colors could exist had Aaron riveted, except for the cuddling that is. Blasted blue bully, goddess snatcher, alien pod-prick from Crayola…

Malcolm brushed strands of silky hair from Jade’s face. “What
are
we? Lost. Incomplete. Ultimately screwed unless you stand by me. We
were
monochromatic, one shade, pure. We’d nothing to fear in our enlightened nirvana, though I have no memory of any past, only that blissful present preceding our division. What we are now, I don’t know yet, besides the obvious—splintered energy. The important question—can we return—concerns the future. Control the distressed damsel act, and help me find the means.”

Return to where? Splintered, but how? Who or what killed this Susan? Nirvana consists of only one shade? Bigoted purists are enlightened? A freight train of confusion barreled through Aaron’s skull, and he felt derailed by the fact he’d fixated on how tender Malcolm’s voice had become.

“I-I want to help.” Jade shivered, both hands clasping Malcolm’s arm. “But how do I stop being afraid?”

Malcolm sighed. “I told you. Center yourself. What’s your difficulty?” He stood and placed Jade on her feet. “You were, are, always will be, our core.” He danced her to the middle of the room and spun her in soft circles. “Dominate and lift me. Don’t think, just do it.”

Jade stiffened—and raised Malcolm off his feet. Three human jaws dropped as she thrust Malcolm up and over her head.

“Throw me and I’ll keep manipulating you to heal me.” Malcolm flinched. “Upon second thought, I’d rather the broken bones. Oh my, but you enjoyed kissing. What’s wrong with you? I mean, besides your shade and your neuroses. You’re hurting me. Put me down, nicely. Jade,
now
, please.”

Jade smiled up at him, showing no fear for the first time since their arrival in Cleveland. She lowered the man, who was over a hundred pounds heavier than her, to his feet and flung her arms around Malcolm’s waist. “Hold me again.”

“No. My apologies, it’s not your fault, but your touch makes me want to curl up and die.”

“I insist.
Now
, please.”

“Have I created a sweet monster?” Malcolm groaned. He seized her upper arms, carted Jade to the bed, and swung her onto his knee. “You don’t have to indulge this selfish—”

Jade yanked Malcolm’s head down. He shuddered, jerked back, but it looked like he’d been given no choice as green lips pressed against blue.

Should Aaron attempt to interfere before it got x-rated? He twisted David into his chest, and the kid struggled. Fortunately, while father and son traded dirty looks, Malcolm tapped his fingers on Jade’s face, and she released him. His head snapped back, away from her. Malcolm licked his—healed—lips and scowled. Unblemished face, ungodly beautiful, Aaron exchanged bemused glances with the boys.

Jade grabbed hold of Malcolm’s bitten arm. “You know you aren’t pure yet?”

“That’s the stupidest question you’ve asked so far. Of course I know. Suicide is a viable solution. But you? Seriously, another brute like Jane Doe? Not only corrupted by the understanding you can force, you revel in it. My sweet Jade, I beg you. Please. You must get at least one thing crystal clear before I explain a minor discourtesy I’ve done to you.”

Jade raised her brows, puzzled as the rest of them.

“Never kiss me again,” Malcolm snapped. “I don’t like it. Well, that’s not accurate. I detest, revile, and hate your touch.” He shoved Jade off his lap and hopped to his feet. “After my confession, do
not
abuse me further.”

His hand rubbing against his thigh, Malcolm strode backward until his shoulders smacked the wall. “I’ve learned with my higher frequency, I can dominate interior passage. Healing is beyond my abilities, but I could have done this purging of yellow, myself.”

Malcolm glared at everyone. “Why the dimwitted looks? Any simpleton should understand and empathize. A manipulative bastard, I used Jade to remove droplets of 526 terahertz poisoning me, because I don’t want to breach my interior barricade to confront yellow. When I raged, off balance with power exploding within me, I knew you didn’t understand, Jade, and I took advantage. It’s horrible when you contaminate me, but she’s beyond hideous.”

Jade’s thin face twisted. “You left her in you, and then forced me into taking most of her out?”

“Yes. I am sorry. You’re much nicer than her. It’s not your fault that you make my skin crawl—inside and out. And I’m only a mere ninety-eight percent positive I can overpower yellow. I block her, within. I finally understood while she ripped my lip off, then I was stunned with her. I could be learning more, if you’d let it go.” Malcolm turned to Evan. “Please get Jade some water. The taste of 526 is nasty.”

“I will.” David escaped Aaron’s arm and ran to fill the glass in the bathroom. The boy’s hand shook as he handed the glass to Jade, and Aaron stepped in. One thrust, and his belligerent son sighed behind Aaron. The revolver remained in Malcolm’s control. Only a total idiot would continue exposing a child to an unstable spectrum.

“Let me get this straight.” Aaron held his voice steady, struggling with the sparkles in impossibly blue eyes. “Jade’s fear stems from residual emotion from this woman, Susan. Fine. But what controls you, Malcolm?”

“I’d think that obvious. Extreme intellect, aptitude, charisma.”

Damn it. Answer the question
.

As if he could read Aaron’s mind, a forced smile crossed the blue guy’s face. “Malcolm James died an introverted man,” Malcolm said. “Autistic, touch of obsessive-compulsive behavior patterns, he not only didn’t like physical contact, he abhorred it. Doesn’t matter. He’s dead, and I’m here struggling not to harm humanity and failing miserably. We must accept facts and move on.”

Malcolm pulled the revolver from his pocket and tossed it to Aaron. At least this savant felt no arrogant need to state another apparent truth. The weapon was useless in Aaron’s grip. Easily returned, easily taken. Yet, the weight in his hand comforted him. When dealing with unpredictable deities, he’d take all the false confidence he could get.

Malcolm’s gaze, filled with absolute confidence, drilled into Jade. “I repeat: no one, especially you, is to touch me again. It’s not like respecting my reasonable request is the same as indulging your neediness. Forget kissing me or anyone. No abuse of superior strength. Jade—are you listening?”

Aaron caught the apprehensive glance at her pathetic human guide as she closed in on Malcolm. His super-angel, with residual emotional problems, needed reassurance before she ignored the request of a weaker superior being, with “Rain Man” issues.

“What part about no contact didn’t you get?” The wall behind Malcolm’s back refused to dissolve. “You’re as stupid as Evan. Take your horrid hands off me.”

Malcolm’s groan and childish foot stomp while Jade yanked him to the bed could only be described as cute. It tugged a smile out of David, and a wide grin from Evan.

At the edge of the bed, Jade pushed him, and Malcolm’s knees hit the floor. She raised his arm to her lips—a spit of yellow landed beside Malcolm’s foot. He shuddered, clasped Jade’s waist one-handed, and lifted her onto his lap as he sat.

For a being that abhors contact, he sure seems to hold her a lot
.

“Oh my, so much better. Thank you—sweetheart. She’s completely out of me.” Air molecules danced, shimmered that seductive green, and Jade clasped Malcolm’s broken arm. “Not now,” Malcolm snapped, and Jade’s hands froze.

Sweetheart?
Nice and then back to nasty in a second, this mercurial deity lecturing Jade had Aaron’s stomach in knots.

“Draining yourself means you’ll lean on me even more, and we must control this mess of senseless color before there’s more violence. I need you to get over your fearful nonsense, despite what I tell you. You’re much stronger than me. You accept that, finally. But we have a serious handicap. Jane Doe, in sync or out, could crush you like an arthropod.”

Malcolm ran a finger, soothing the tremor from Jade’s lip. “No fear, sweetheart. Yellow only knows how easy I am to flatten. She should tolerate you, and Jade, remember, I’m considerably more intelligent. You have my word. I’ll protect you, always, at the cost of my life.”

Evan cleared his throat. “Why’s Jane such a problem? Can’t you leave her stunned?”

Malcolm stood, dropped Jade on her feet, and the blue glare settled on Evan. “The Jane Doe problem isn’t yours. The problem of Evan will be solved soon. Home sweet home.”

Malcolm paced away from the crestfallen teen and spoke to Aaron. “In a prolonged stunned state, odds dictate organic tissue will deteriorate. The solution is either electricity with the taser set correctly, or a minimum of five bullets to terminate.

“If a human were to take the permanent elimination path—heart shattered, head next, followed by a continuous deluge of bullets—that yields the highest survival probability for said human. And then a cleansing fire. Hesitate a fraction of a second and you’ll fail. Maintain a minimum distance of thirty feet to avoid being disarmed. Any future abusive behavior on my part, Aaron, please utilize this information. You caught your weapon well when I returned it. You’re healed?”

Aaron smiled. He flexed his perfect wrist. “I’m fine. We’ll come up with something for Jane. But let’s never let you get out of sync again.” He glanced down at David. “You okay?”

David nodded and dared to flee Aaron’s side. He picked up the taser and tossed it to Malcolm. “Stop calling me the child. I’m David. You gonna remember to fix that?”

“Thank you—David.” Malcolm’s cool voice flooded with gratitude. “It’d be quite foolish to use my higher frequency on her.” He adjusted the weapon, and placed it in his pocket.

Aaron had no doubt. A weapon setting wasn’t a mistake this introvert would make, but David’s fear had abated. Now if only there was a cure for generalized anxiety. Jade stood alone, trembling, and not unnoticed.

“Stop it. I need you.” Malcolm’s gentle tone disappeared. He shifted his attention from Jade to Evan. “Is there more ice here?”

Evan shook his head.

“Jade, take Evan with you,” Malcolm said. “Get at least eight bags. You drive, not him. Read the manual. Could you go now, please?”

Jade refused to look at either Malcolm or Evan. Her eyes, wide with apprehension, beseeched Aaron.

Evan flinched and mumbled, “I can get ice by myself.”

“At this hour, what’s open?” Malcolm scowled. “Jade can break any lock. Most important, she’ll drive you home.” He shrugged at Jade. “Of course, you could stay with Jane Doe. I might relish smashing a teenage skull.”

His cheeks crimson, Evan stared at his toes. He could ignore rejection from a blue deity, but apprehension from Jade carried a steep price. Aaron doubted a kid this naïve understood neurotic fear of anything unknown wasn’t personal. Geez, it’d taken hours for Jade to get over a red sweatshirt. Would she stop looking like Evan would pounce on her any second if Aaron threw, say a white sock at her? Maybe he should hold her again.

Then again, maybe not. Malcolm’s subtle head shake requested patience.

“I made you sad, Evan. I’m sorry,” Jade whispered. “I’ll go with you. It’d be nice to get away from finding such
controlling
blue everywhere.” She shivered and dragged her feet.

She looked to Aaron, reached for Evan’s hand, and the delight on Evan’s face faded into concern. It appeared sheer willpower kept Jade from running to burrow into Aaron’s arms. Malcolm’s cold stare had to be the deciding factor.

“Hurry back.” Aaron smiled at her. “Don’t be so afraid. We’ve learned that you’re not only the most beautiful woman on this planet, you can bench press that truck in the driveway.” He turned to Evan. “Get with it. You’re so distracted you’ll have an accident.”

Evan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He faced the color stepping close. “We’ll be right back. Just ice?”

Malcolm nodded. A flash of blue and he buttoned Evan’s shirt without actually touching the teen. “Try to be inconspicuous,” Malcolm told Evan. “The ‘we’ll be right back’ is inaccurate. Jade will. You won’t. Thanks. Bye.”

Evan watched, his heart on his face, Malcolm pacing away from him. Aaron knew the teen had no intention of obeying. “Um, I only have two dollars left,” Evan said. “My mom thinks I’m too impulsive for a credit card. I could steal the ice. What’s a thief compared to being a murderer?”

Aaron took his wallet out and glanced at David. “Why don’t you rest on the bed? I’ll show Malcolm where Jane is.”

“I know I said I’d listen, but Dad, I’m not tired at all.”

“Aaron, with your permission, we could use his help,” Malcolm said. “My apologies. Inexcusable, striking him like that. I’ll try, with pleasure, to avoid any future contact.”

Aaron appraised the powerful man and nodded. David’s relief lit the room and guilt twisted Aaron’s gut. Wouldn’t a child hating his parent be better than a life cut short? He might as well face the futile truth. Trust issues with a non-human aside, if Malcolm wanted them dead, they would be.