Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (16 page)

The
emotion of the moment was disappointment. I'm pretty sure that came from
crumbling into a blubbering moron as soon as my baby-faced, anger-prone
boyfriend came through the school doors.

I tried
to start a conversation about anything other than what I'm sure Tarek stewed
over. Every time I cleared my throat and peeked in his direction, his grip on
the wheel tightened. His knuckles so void of color, they'd glow in the dark. The
muscles in his jaw were just as tense, contracting at five second intervals.

As soon
as we pulled into Jake's narrow driveway, Tarek jumped from the car, not even
bothering to shut the door behind him. In his brown leather pants and Wilma's
black shirt, with his messy blond hair, he looked like a medieval blacksmith–or
an extra from
The Pirates of the Caribbean
. The heat coming from every
step had a group of teenagers on the sidewalk crossing the street instead of
having to veer around him.

He didn't
blend.

Not even
a little.

I
hesitated before opening my door, willing to take my chances with the squid
rather than face the confrontation waiting in the house. After shutting his
door, I climbed the porch stairs, gearing up for the inevitable inquisition by
my jealous giant. The bathroom door slammed shut as I closed the front door.

At least
I had time while he took a piss–or ripped the sink from the wall. Whatever.

I shuffled
into the kitchen, spotting a note on the table:

Lena,

Went
to work with Jake. He insisted...

The
condition of her face would require some fast-talking to customers. Maybe she'd
hang out in the office or sit in the back of a theater room watching movies all
night. I wasn't too worried. Jake had been itching for a chance at being near
my mom for years. I'd let him have a turn this evening. Besides, her antagonist
was already dead. I'm the one who still had a few enemies to worry about.

I yanked
the refrigerator door open, grabbing a box of leftover pizza. Putting a few
pieces in the microwave and one in my mouth, I pulled a couple of cups from the
drain rack and poured soda in each.

When the
bathroom door opened and Tarek's footsteps stopped at the kitchen's doorframe,
I didn't turn to face him. My eyes stayed glued to the rotating pizza in the
microwave. "Pizza will be ready in a minute."

"It
looked like you thought about him a lot." His voice held no malice or
accusation, but I would've taken that over the pain coming from every soft word
he spoke any day.

"I
don't ever remember telling you I didn't care about him." No way would I
turn around. Hearing the pain was enough. I took another bite of cold pizza,
trying for normal, but had a hard time getting the thick dough and pepperoni
down my dry throat.

"No,
you didn't. Matter of fact, you didn't tell me anything until I brought him up
this morning."

The
microwave dinged.

The
pizza stayed put.

"What
do you want me to say?"

"Look
at me." His plea bounced off the walls and punctured my heart.

I turned
to see him clinging to the doorframe, one hand on either side. His face sagged,
but his eyes shined bright. "I've spent the past seventeen years searching
for you."

"And
now that you found me, you're disappointed?"

Silence
answered.

"I
don't know what you expected. Me, sitting around, pining for you?" I threw
the half-eaten pizza in the sink. "I didn't even know you existed until
five days ago." Except that was kind of a lie, but I wasn't in the mood to
share.

He
dropped his head for a second before bringing his steel glare back up to mine. "Maybe
I wanted you to be as lost as I've been. Maybe I
did
want you to
be...you."

That one
little sentence ripped my heart out. Everything we'd been inching toward was
now in shatters on the kitchen floor.

"Well,
sorry to let you down, but this is all you get." I waved a hand over my
face, pissed off. "Whoever you were looking for doesn't exist anymore.
This is
my
life now, so excuse me if I want to keep living it."

He
stalked over, gripped me by the shoulders, and with a fluid motion, his lips crashed
down on mine. Fireworks burst in my brain. Tingling soaked into my skin,
turning to lightning when he pushed his tongue past my teeth, scouring my mouth
with an urgency I automatically matched. If I could have melted into his skin,
I would've done it gladly.

So,
this
is what it was supposed to feel like.

Too
soon, he pulled away, still holding me by the shoulders, giving them a light
shake. His voice ragged and heavy, he said, "You're still in there. My
Lena is still there."

He
turned toward the living room, his steps eating up the trembling floor. I
picked up a cup of soda and threw it at his head. It missed by a fraction,
landing right beside the couch. Soda flew up and smacked the ceiling, slapping
the walls, and neither one of us gave it a second glance.

"You
think you can just...just...mark me like I'm some sort of prize?" Oh, how
I wished the electricity would stop zinging through my body. "She's
gone
,
damn it!"

It was
his turn to keep his back to me as he stared out the window. "Do you love
him?"

"I
don't know." I put a hand to my heart, trying to calm the beating. "But
I think there's more to worry about now than that."

His
shoulders sagged.

"Tarek?"

"I
need to go to Wilma, see if she's found anything."

I wanted
to tell him how my brain went fuzzy and dull when Zander was around. Scream
that I owed him nothing. Confess how my whole body still burned from his kiss. Tell
him to quit being a damn child. Beg him to stay and not leave me alone. "Yeah,
okay. Whatever. I'll hang out here, wait until you're done being a baby." Anger
poured from every word.

He went
to the door, not bothering to look back. "I won't be long. Don't do
anything stupid."

Frustration
heated my cheeks. "I guess that whole I'll-never-leave-you crap only
lasted as long as I didn't hurt your feelings, huh?"

He
grabbed his bag without saying another word. The ache his leaving left in my
chest was so acute it felt like a heart attack.

I had no
doubt he took a part of me with him.

Tarek

T
he open portal spit him out like a
sour grape five feet from his front door. He lay where it dropped him, watching
the tear in the atmosphere close, not bothering to go in the house.

Lena was
in that body somewhere. His Lena. Her energy flowed through the same form it
had always created. Granted, her eyes were a different color, vivid green. They
shined with as much intelligence, and now they gleamed like jewels. And she was
so strong. Way more open…more alive.

Damn.

Watching
her kiss that boy, and being powerless to do anything but sit in the car and
let it happen, killed him.

He
stared into the bright, cloudless blue sky, watching a fleet of hydro-blimps
shower the adjacent field. If he'd have been thirty seconds later, Lena's
father would've killed her. Or worse, she would've died in Arcus. Yet, all he
could think about was her kissing some stupid kid.

Shit.

Who was
the asshole now?

He
pushed to his feet and shoved through the door to find Wilma at Lena's desk. "Anything?"

Her
chubby face drooped and circles surrounded her eyes. "Why're you here? I
told you I'd come to you, didn't I?"

The
whiskey bottle called his name, and yes, he answered it. "No, you didn't,
and I'm here because it's my house."

"So,
you left her? Alone? You haven't met her father yet? His abuse weakens her–"

"He's
dead."

Wilma
stood and poured a drink, too. "This isn't gonna be good, is it?"

"Did
you block me yesterday?" He took a sip of whiskey, needing the burn to
avoid going at her again. Having his ego hurt twice in one day didn't sound
appealing.

Wilma
set her cup on the counter, whiskey untouched. "No, which means..."

"The
rogue must know I'm there and didn't want me following her to Arcus when
Casimir tried pulling her through again. Probably the same person who got at
her parents, too–persuasion, it looks like. Not to mention she admitted hearing
a male voice inside her head a few times."

"This
just gets better and better." She took a swig of whiskey after all and
waved for him to keep going.

Tarek
downed his drink and poured another, telling Wilma everything as she cursed,
making a comment here and there. He didn't mention the boy. His pride wouldn't
let him. She went back to the desk when he finished, shaking her head and
muttering under her breath.

His
chest felt heavy, even after spilling everything out to Wilma. The alcohol wasn't
working fast enough. "She's not the same."

"I
told you that already."

"I
thought she'd at least act the same."

Wilma
folded her hands on top of the book, giving him a sympathetic smile. "She's
two months younger than her eighteenth year." She stretched her muscles,
reaching over her head. "You have to remember this cycle is different. Her
maturity level coincides with her actual age."

Tarek
swallowed. "I kissed her."

"What
the hell did you do that for?" She hopped up and slapped him on the back
of the head.

"Ouch!"
He rubbed his skull, grimacing. "Stop it."

"The
girl's been through so much, and now she has to worry about you...accosting
her?"

"It
was a mistake, I know. She let me know it, too." Didn't really like how
his voice cracked. A few more confessions and he'd be blubbering like a girl.

"You
need to realize her energy isn't going to react to you the way you want it to."
She headed toward the desk. "There's no room for you in this cycle."

He let
silence fill the gaps, hating that she was right. When it looked like the topic
was closed, he went to the fridge and pulled a slice of meat off the boar
carcass. Standing behind her shoulder, he said again, "Find anything?"

"Not
much. I recognized a couple names and went to check it out. Looks like they
retired shortly after Lena's Tainted." She didn't look up from her books–Lena's
books–but her voice tightened a little.

"How
many names are on the list?"

"Three-hundred
and twelve."

"That
many?"

"Yeah,
that many." She pulled her hair back and tied it with the band around her
wrist. "It could take years to find these people."

"Well,
at least we can cut it down to the men. What's that give us?"

She
scanned the paper. "Over half." With a sideways glance, she asked, "You
think Casimir's the mastermind?"

"Don't
think so. It sounds to me like there's a Protector with a grudge." He
poured one more whiskey, finishing it in a swallow. Casimir being the brain
behind the operation created a whole new set of unwanted complications he didn't
even want to think about. "But whoever it is, they don't want to get their
hands dirty, have their energy Tainted. Persuasion won't cause a blip during a
reading."

Wilma
rubbed her temples. "Makes sense. And Casimir has no problem stirring the
pot, needing a project to occupy himself in that place. If he came across some
Protector energy, he'd be itching to try it out." She sighed. "Let's
hope Cassondra can convince him to knock it off, give the energy back."

"Guess
we'll see." He yawned, the liquor finally doing its job, and lay on the
couch. "Wake me up if she gets into trouble."

He had
to smile as his eyes drifted closed. The first time he kissed her, the real
first time, she punched him in the face. At least this was an improvement.

∞ ∞ ∞

Tarek
bolted up to the sound of bees. A blanket decided to wage war with his feet
when he tried to get up to shut the window.

The
blanket won.

He fell
to the floor, cursing. The darkening room told him he'd slept the whole day
away. Grunting, just because it made him feel better, he looked over at the
table where Wilma still sat. Her head rested on her folded arms.

He
ripped the blanket off his legs and went to shut the window. Building up the
nerve to go back to Lena, see if she was still pissed, was a lot harder than
traipsing through an underdeveloped dimension without his contego suit. At
least she was okay–Wilma would know if she wasn't.

After a
backhand swipe at the sleep clouding his eyes, he shuffled over to the desk. On
a notepad under Wilma's arms were sketches of a symbol that covered every blank
space. Trying for delicacy, his big hands tugged on the paper. Unfortunately,
his fingers weren't all that delicate.

Wilma
sputtered awake, wiping a line of drool from the side of her mouth. "What
time is it?"

"Close
to dusk." He held the paper up to the window, letting the fading sun
highlight her doodles.

"That
look familiar?"

"No.
Where'd you find it?"

She stood,
moving her arms in small circles. "It was drawn on the inside cover of the
book, under Casimir's name." She gestured to the list. "She also drew
it on the bottom of each page of those notes, and a big version of it in the
beginning of Arcus's evolution chapter. You sure you don't recognize it?"

He
studied it, along with the names on the notes. "No, no I don't."

"Well,
I guess we're no further along than before."

Tarek set
the paper back on the table and went to open the fridge. He pulled more meat
off the carcass, the pungent scent letting him know there were still a few days
left before it rotted.

Wilma
came to stand next to him, pouring a glass of water.

He
gnawed at the stringy meat over the sink while she added ice to her glass.
Swallowing, he said, "Is she–"

"She's
right where she's supposed to be."

The
knots in his shoulders relaxed. Thinking was never as good as knowing.

Chomping
on ice, she added, "Ah, since you didn't mention it, you probably don't
know yet." She took a sip. "She has a...friend."

He didn't
want his heart to constrict, and he definitely didn't want to snort and cross
his arms like a child. But sometimes...

"Huh,
so you've met the boy."

"Not
exactly."

"It's
young love, nothing to get all bent out of shape over."

If Wilma
didn't stop smirking, he'd hit her. She'd knock him on his ass, but it'd be
worth it. "Don't want to hear it, Wilma."

"So,
that's why you came back." She
tsked
, pointing a finger at him. "You've
got to set your feelings aside. She depends on it."

"I
get it, trust me." He made an effort to loosen his jaw. "It's...hard."

The
woman stayed quiet, driving him crazy.

"She
kissed him, like she loved him."

Yeah, he
didn't miss her cackling. The obnoxious noises she was making right now
reminded him of just
how much
he didn't miss it. "Well, I believe
she thinks she does."

They
continued to stand at the sink, his mind working.

"She
said she hadn't thought about him. That doesn't sound like she loves him to me.
But the way she kissed him. It was intense."

"Gah,
you sound like a jealous child."

"No,
listen to me for a minute." He began to pace the floor. "All the time
we spent together...even right before we went to the school so she could tell
him it was over, she never mentioned him." He dragged a hand through his
hair. "The only time she said anything was when I brought him up."

"So?"

"When
she saw him, she changed. She was in a trance, under a spell."

Her eyes
followed as he stalked the kitchen. "What are you getting at?"

"She's
attracted to him."

Wilma
rolled her eyes and threw her arms in the air. "Yeah?"

"No,
you're not listening." He stopped wearing paths in the floorboards. "She's
attracted–her energy is attracted to his when he's close to her."

Understanding
brightened her eyes. "Holy shit."

He
smiled, relief making him light enough to fly. "He's a Guide."

∞ ∞ ∞

Tarek
had to wait until morning before taking action. Only one person could tell him
if he was on to something, and Mateusz had a retreat too–with a big, unwritten
NOT INVITED sign.

Guess
the guy deserved it after eight cycles guarding Guides and fighting for
Protector rights. Thankfully, he never failed to show up for work, an everyday
gig when you're head of the Synod's authority.

As soon
as the sun brightened the sky, he left the house. Probably should've thought
about how people would react to him after being MIA for so many years. He only
managed to think about it when he walked into the authority's headquarters and
spotted one of his oldest friends.

"Hey,
brother! Been a while." Farren stood behind the front desk, grinning.

Tarek smiled.
The guy was one of the only people he knew who still managed to have a
personality after living in this place for so long. "What the hell are you
doing here, man?" He clapped Farren's back, genuinely happy to see the
guy.

"Thought
I'd do a stint with the authority, take a break from babysitting."

Tarek
shot him a wider smile. "Know the feeling." He scanned the lower
level. "Think you can buzz me up to Mateusz?"

"Yeah,
no problem. You active, then?"

"Not
yet."

"Well,
when you decide, there's room for you here. Beats the watchdog gig."

Mateusz's
office took up the entire second floor. Fortunately, it didn't take much to
convince upper security to give him clearance, especially with Farren's
approval.

When
Mateusz's assistant spotted him, she pointed toward the large glass doors
leading into the main office. As soon as they closed behind Tarek, the glass
tinted to black.