Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) (41 page)

“
You…” I managed to choke out, my eyes snapping open. “What have you done?”

The smoke charged and plumed around me, scorching ribbons into my flesh for the rain to devour. I couldn’t move.

“I wouldn’t get too upset, pet. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening. As I stared at her, my arms began to tremble. The muscles contracted in spasms, giving way to violent tremors as I struggled to shield him with my body. “Leave us alone.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“I swear,” I ground out, hating the emotion straining my vocal chords. “If something happens to him…”

“You’ll what?” She smiled, taking a step forward. “This is the end of the line, my dear, in more ways than one.”

Burning rivulets of tears spilled down my cheeks, and I gritted my teeth. “No.”

“No?”

I glowered up at her. “You…you can’t…” That’s when I felt
it
snap. Something burst as if freed from a broken dam, flooding my system with energy. The rush turned my stomach, and I clung even tighter to Wallace. “No!”

His body glowed an iridescent blue, and somehow it spread to encompass me. The smoke retreated a few feet to arc around our joined form from a distance. Was it…afraid?

“Wallace,” I whispered in an urgent tone, leaning down to press my forehead against his. “What’s going on?”

My arms still shook, and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Whatever was pumping through my body had all of my nerves twitching on high alert. Blood pounded in my ears, and I pulled back to look at him.

His eyelids lifted and fluttered in a struggle to stay open even the slightest crack—revealing the same glowing blue.

Was this what happened at the end? Was his power leaving him? I suddenly felt hyperaware of the blood coating my shirt and skin.
He’s…dying.
I had to do something. Now.

I jerked my head back and scanned the lot, struggling to find a way out. There was no way I could carry him and escape. I couldn’t even call for help. Faye had us exactly where she wanted—isolated and vulnerable. At her mercy.

“Give it up,” Faye demanded, having finally shed her cool exterior. “Accept his death as sacrifice, and I’ll allow you to run.”

His death…

Without truly knowing what I was doing, I thrust my arm out and reached for her. Rage, along with the blue glow, hurled from my outstretched fingers and coursed through the night. Like glacial lightning, it bolted straight into her chest.

Her lips parted in a gasp as it took hold, igniting her left eye the same color.

A barrage of emotions tore through my soul at that moment—fear, bitterness, hurt, and, unequivocal hatred. I felt like I was hyperventilating, gasping for breath. My mind was losing focus. I couldn’t hold it.

As if invigorated by the atmosphere, the heinous wisps of smoke tore back in search of new prey. They showed no hesitation in turning on their master, lashing her face in red trails. “No!” Her screams echoed throughout the lot as she fell to her knees. “S-Stop…”

“You
stop this,” I demanded. “Let us go.”

“Not…yet.” She made a futile attempt to shield her face, but the smoke was already there—searing grooves into her flesh. “S-Still need…”

I flexed my hand and fought to control the flux of power. Something was going on here, something I needed to hold on for. Faye could have killed us at any time, but she didn’t. She chose to draw it out, to use her body as a gauge of power.

We were still being tested.

The knowledge both infuriated and empowered me. This was our only chance at escape. After everything I’d seen and heard tonight, I had no doubt Faye would eliminate us if we didn’t suit her purposes. Whatever I did, I had to make it count.

“Need, need…” Faye babbled against her arms, riding the line of pain and insanity. “Peace…control…”

I took a deep breath and gathered every last ounce of energy left charging the air between us. “Maybe you’ll find”—I clenched my teeth as the smoke starting rotating around her, faster and faster—“peace in the afterlife.”

Her head shot up in panic. “Wait, no!”

Wallace groaned, and three things happened at once.

The lot swayed, my vision blurred, and my hand fell limp over his chest. God, I was
exhausted
. The glow surrounding us faded and winked out, darkening the night. That was it. All I could do.

“A-An unexpected stalemate.” Faye coughed and lifted her hand, struggling to catch her breath. As if summoned, the smoke returned and dissipated in a vacuum. Her fingertips eased the scarred lid closed, and she studied us with pained calculation. “The Mark of Nexus far exceeds my expectations.”

“Like I give a shit about what exceeds your expectations.” The glow sparked anew, and then faded just as quickly as it appeared. “You turned on your own flesh and blood. You think I’ll just let you sit there and watch while he suffers?”

Whatever had happened, whatever I’d done, the lines of reality had blurred between us. She was weakened, and I held some kind of power now. I could negotiate with that, even if it meant bluffing.

“There’s a very limited window of time in these matters,” she muttered. “Though it’s true I possess the power to intervene, the reversal is contingent upon…”

The power to intervene?
My previous plans fell to the wayside.

“Do it,” I interrupted, not wanting to waste another moment. “Please.”

“And what would you give me in return?” She tilted her head. “You know, a favor unto your grafted family.”

“I don’t care.” I held on even tighter, trying to stay coherent. “If you have the power to save him, do it
now
.”

“Give me your binding word.”

My vision was going hazy. “My what?”

“Your word,” she snapped, breaking her calm façade. “Tell me you’ll come to me, when I summon you. Even if neither of you join our cause, your bond is mine to study.”

“Fine.” I heard the word spill from my lips with a sick detachment. “Just hurry!”

Her lips twisted back in sanctimonious pleasure. “Very well.” Wispy clouds, glittering with rain and moonlight, rose around us. “I look forward to your cooperation.”

“Wha—” Everything went black.

And I knew no more.

Chapter Fifty

“—
na.”

I reveled in the warmth that enveloped me, burrowing closer as a smile tugged my lips. “Mmm…” My pillow smelled
good
.

Someone chuckled, and I felt it rumble against my ear.
Wait.
That was…

“Wallace?” A thick blanket fell to my lap as I struggled to open my eyes, pulling back from his chest.

He grinned as light washed over his features, courtesy of the highway. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, running my fingers through the tangles in my hair. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Cole craned his neck back to glance over the driver’s seat. “Wallace was at the gates of hell, and you made a deal with the devil.”

“Nicholas,” Clara chided beside him.

Their voices fell into the background as all-too-familiar memories began to seep into mind. “Wallace,” I whispered, and felt at his damp, bloodied shirt. “You’re—”

“Fine,” he reassured me, covering my hand with his own. “Do you remember what happened?”

The SUV hummed soft vibrations through my body. “You were…” A lump formed in my throat. “Dying.”
Oh God.
Everything was going to catch up with me here, where I couldn’t escape.

“Yeah, but you didn’t let me.”

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. “I was scared.”

“I know,” he murmured, easing me into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t rushed out like that...”

“Stop.” He turned to me, his eyes glowing with suppressed intensity. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been in that position to begin with.”

I frowned at him. “There was nothing you could’ve done.”

“We get it,” Cole groaned. “You guys lived. You’re both sorry. It’s over. Let’s focus on what we’re going to do now.”

“Hold on.” I leaned forward. “First, I want to know what happened. How did she reverse it?”

“Faye’s gift is more emotive than she would have most believe.” Clara turned around, and the light from the display outlined her sagging features. “Just as her right eye conjures a dangerous manifestation of darker emotions—her left eye seeks positivity and light, using them to heal and restore. In this case, she drew upon your feelings for each other to heal your wounds.”

It was unnerving to think one person—one twisted, crazy person—was capable of such power. “Then the scars…”

“You know, the first time she invoked the darker part of her ability, we were just teenagers,” Clara explained. “She was upset over something or another and it lashed out, burning the skin around her eye. She swore then and there, she’d never use it again. It wasn’t worth trying to control. The risk was too high.” A moment slipped by, and she let out a heavy sigh. “It seems much has changed since then.”

“Are you okay, Clara?” I asked. Yesterday, she thought her sister was dead. Now she was not only alive, but hell-bent on forcing Clara to witness her revolution—a scheme I now had a part in. That had to be tough on her.

It was tough on me.

“Oh, I’ll be fine, dear.” She tried to smile. “What’s important is that you kids are all right.”

I felt Wallace’s heartbeat beneath my palm and nodded, taking a deep breath.
Thank God.
“How long was I out?”

“Like, half an hour,” Cole cut in, glancing over his shoulder as he switched lanes and slowed for the exit. “I got there just as the smoke started rolling over your bodies. Creepy as hell, I swear. Wallace just sat up like nothing was wrong and you…well, you passed out.”

My face flushed with embarrassment. That explained why my wrist didn’t hurt anymore. “Oh.”

“I heard most of the story after you guys caught up with us in the other lot,” he continued.

“All of us?” I asked, tilting my head.

Cole nodded. “Gail had been hiding in the brush nearby. I guess she was the one holding Wallace in mental-paralysis until you showed up. Chick looked like she was about to fall flat on her face. Must’ve really exhausted herself using that ability all night.”

He paused for a moment and gave a bark of laughter. “Actually, it was probably from those two trying to drag Wallace’s big ass up the hill. Can you picture that?”

I snickered and shook my head. “Okay, so what? We came back together, like nothing happened?”

“Wallace was still spaced out, carrying you over his shoulder so he wouldn’t break you.” Cole glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned. “Gail’s boyfriend, what’s-his-face, came running out of the forest when we guys got near the cars. He was all crazy, saying you’d kicked him in the nuts and ran off. It was awesome.”

My face kicked up another ten degrees. “I didn’t have time to deal with him.”

“Uh huh…”

Even Clara laughed as we drifted into some kind of business district, weaving through traffic. “It was quite a display.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face and stifled a groan. “Then what happened?”

“Faye and I had words.” The humor slipped from her aged features as she turned to look out the window. “I know you probably hate her, but I lost my sister once—I wasn’t ready to lose her again. She said she was sorry for the rift that had come between us and asked that I support her movement.”

“And what did you say?”

She leaned back. “I told her I wouldn’t know how I felt about it, until I saw the fruits of her labor. I know she’s overly zealous in her beliefs, but somewhere, beneath that hardened exterior…my sister’s in there. The one I’ve been missing all these years.”

“We don’t blame you.” Wallace finally spoke up, the low timbre of his voice reverberating against my hand. “Things are changing, and we’re all going to have to decide our involvement in this matter individually. You don’t have to justify anything to us.”

Slowly, she peered around her seat, studying him with dewy eyes. “Sometimes I swear you sound so much like your father.”

Sadness, left dormant for too many years, rippled inside my chest—
his again
. I looked up and he turned away, staring out the other window.

“What about me?” Cole piped up, slowing as he bumped his turn signal.

“You’re a special young man, Nicholas.”

His voice rose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

My heart nearly sighed with relief when Wallace chuckled under his breath.

“So, wait,” I said. “Is someone going to explain the freaky glow thing to me, or what?”

“Glow thing?” Clara leaned around the seat again. “What do you mean, dear?”

I opened and shut my mouth, pausing to look up at Wallace. “Well, I…”

He was careful to avoid my gaze. “I was going to wait and discuss that in private.”