Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (19 page)

"Tell
me where I can find him."

"Tell
me why you think he's involved."

He
groaned, rubbing the stubble on his cheeks. "I need more than fifteen
seconds."

"Well,
come back in a couple hours, and you can tell me on the way to his house."

"What
do you suggest I do until then?" His words dripped with condescension.

"You
know what? I'm gonna ignore your tone because I've got manners." I shut
the door behind us on the porch. Even with her in the bathroom, I didn't want
to take any chances of Mom hearing anything new. "And for starters, you
can see if there's any trace of Arcus left in the woods in front of the trailer
park."

If it
were possible, his stare would've turned the porch into an ice rink. "Care
to explain?"

I told
him about the storm, using my hands to show how the rain arched across
everything to hit us in the field. He stayed silent, even five minutes after I
stopped talking. I squirmed as I searched the splintered floorboards for an
escape hatch.

When he
finally spoke, I jumped. "The next time something like this happens, it'd
be a good idea to bring it up earlier in the conversation."

I didn't
want to admit that the story about our first meeting trumped my better judgment.
"Sure, whatever, but what does it mean?"

He
tilted my chin until our eyes met. The gray ice melted, replaced with something
more intimidating. Worry. "It means Casimir has managed to bleed the
lines."

Tarek

T
arek raised his arm where the air
still crackled with foreign energy and opened his fist. He searched the fresh
tear, the electric current weaving through his fingers, and gauged its depth. A
one, maybe two hundred-foot laceration. A scratch, really, but one Casimir could
easily infect if he dug at it long enough. Not good.

Not. Good.

Damn.
He clenched his hand, closing the
hole. No need to help the bastard by keeping the line open. No sense leaving
any evidence behind, either.

He crouched, knees cracking on the
way down, and scavenged the ground below the tear. Signs of Arcus were subtle,
the dirt a little darker and the budding leaves a tad brighter. Admittedly, the
color attracted him. It also attracted other inhabitants. Squirrels and
white-tailed deer examined the greener foliage, no doubt the smells more potent
with the added pigment. His presence didn't scare them away as they continued
their investigation. They even hung out when he opened the portal to search the
lines.

Arcus had that effect, like a
carnivorous plant. The vibrancy sucked you into the illusion before ripping off
your head and pulling out your heart.

Soft wheezing caught his attention.
He stood still, waiting for the sound again. After a minute, it echoed through
the trees, this time a bit louder. Tension rode his shoulders while he dug
through the wet, molding compost, the animals still too curious to care about
him.

Nothing.

With a quick swipe on the front of
his jeans to clean the crud off his hands, he swallowed.

Then he looked up.

In a dead tree, its gray decayed
trunk brighter, a squid loosely clung to the highest branches. The thing wasn't
as big as most of the animals wrapped in Arcus trees, maybe the size of one of
the doe nosing the low-hanging buds. Its pink color faded to almost white.

"Shit."

After a trip to Wilma's, now with a
shovel in hand, he dug through the sodden forest floor until he reached the
rich, black soil four feet down. Sweat mingled with the rain, running into his
eyes. He wiped his face with the lip of his sweater then climbed to the now
quiet animal, the bark scratching his fingers.

Once he made it close enough to the
bulbous head, he sighed, relieved. At least he wouldn't have to kill it. Nature
did the job for him.

Glancing toward the trailer park,
thankfully the crap weather keeping everyone in, Tarek gripped the nearest cold
tentacle and yanked. Tangled limbs made it hard to pull the squid free without
ripping off any body parts, the bacteria in this place already working to rot
the flesh.

He climbed higher, some of the dead
branches snapping off under his weight. Grabbing at the top of the bloated
head, his hand sinking too far into the soft, gelatinous skin, he gave it a
hard jerk.

The carcass finally lost its hold
on the tree. Tarek shifted before it took him down, too. It fell in a flailing,
flapping mess and landed exactly where he wanted it–in the shallow trench right
below the tree.

∞ ∞ ∞

By the
time he showered and did what he could to get the black blood off his clothes,
it was close to eleven when he made it back to Lena. Wouldn't you know it, as
soon as he was about to knock on the door, Jake's whistling caught his
attention. Tarek stepped aside, giving the guy room to unlock the door, but
Jake just stood at the edge of the porch and twirled his keys.

"You
going to open the door?"

"In
a minute," Jake said, palming his keychain. "I think we should have a
talk first."

His jaw
flexed a few times before answering. "So talk."

"Had
a chat with Lena today. She told me some things." Jake smiled, making his
crooked nose more pronounced.

"And
what...things...did she tell you?"

"Oh,
crazy stuff, the kinds of things only young kids would believe–vulnerable young
kids who just escaped an abusive father."

His
fists curled against his thighs. Not hitting the guy made his knuckles ache. "What're
you getting at?"

Jake
rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I've had a
few hours to think things over, and guess what I came up with?"

Just one
hit, right to the chin… Damn, his knuckles hurt. "Enlighten me."

"You
need to stay away from her. Find someone else to spin your bullshit on."

"Is
that what you think? Her mother told you what happened to her husband, right?
Did I...spin that, too?"

The guy
couldn't hold still. His shoulder roll turned into an entire body shuffle. "Stay
the hell away from her. I'll take it from here."

"Not
a good idea."

Jake
laughed, shoving Tarek away from the door as he fit the key in the lock. "Time
for you to leave, tough guy."

Hmm,
don't think so.

"You
need proof,
tough guy?
"
Tarek grabbed the front of Jake's
jacket, lifting him off the ground. A twinge of respect inched its way through
his anger. Even as Jake dangled four inches off the porch, the guy still tried
to take a swipe at him.

"Put
me down, asshole!" Jake flailed around, almost slipping out of his grip–almost.

The
funny part: both managed to keep their voices at a whisper, neither obviously
wanting the two inside to hear.

Tarek
smiled and raised his other hand in the foggy air, repeating what the guy said
to him earlier. "In a minute."

He
opened his fist and a small sliver in the atmosphere ripped open, whipping his
hair around and causing Jake's eyes to bulge.

"With
one thought, I can take us places you can't begin to comprehend, and I'm not
the only one who can." Tarek opened the portal wider when Jake let out a
small moan. "This is why Lena needs me."

A few
seconds more to make sure the guy really got it and Tarek closed his hand into
a fist, shutting the portal. He set Jake on his feet, making sure he didn't
fall on his ass. "Do you get it now?"

Jake's
face turned white. "Is she going to die?"

His
stomach knotted. "Not as long as I'm breathing." He nodded toward the
door. "Open it."

As soon
as they walked through, Lena's drowsy grin turned to a frown. Giving her mom's
hand a pat, she slid off the couch. "What's wrong?"

Jake
glanced at Tarek. "Nothing, kiddo. Just a little tired. Ah, hey, Jacie,
wanna get something to eat?"

The
woman didn't budge. "I'm not hungry."

Jake
tried to guide her into the kitchen. "Well, can you sit with me while I
get something?"

"What's
going on?" Jacie's thin face paled. She yanked her elbow out of Jake's
grip, backing up.

Tarek
caught Lena's attention and started another one of their silent conversations,
pleading with her to help. She shook her head and copied Jake's smile. "It's
fine, Mom, really. Tarek and I need to talk about some things."

Jacie
directed her anger toward Lena, setting Tarek's teeth on edge. "I'm not a
child, and I won't break, damn it! I know something's going on and everybody's
in on it but me."

Lena's
shoulders sagged and her smile vanished. All he wanted to do was take her in
his arms and leave this place.

"You're
right, but please, when I can, I'll tell you everything, okay?"

"I
can help." Her childlike voice grated his nerves further.

"Not
this time, Mom."

Jacie's
eyes filled as she grabbed her cigarettes and headed for the door. "I'm
going for a walk."

Jake
went to follow her.

"Alone."

Lena
pulled the curtains over to watch her mother leave then turned to Jake, worry
written all over her face.

"Right.
I'm gonna follow her, make sure she's okay."

Tarek
didn't miss the scowl she threw his way.

Before
Jake left, she repeated, "What's wrong?"

"Ask
your friend."

When the
door shut behind the guy, Lena turned to him, shoving at his chest. "What
did you do?"

"I
showed him the truth."

"
Showed
him?
"

He
stayed silent as Lena ranted for another few minutes, calling him names, doing
her best to push him. She flopped on the couch after she finished, and he stood
in the same spot, watching traffic out the front window, using everything he
had to stay calm.

"Are
you gonna talk, or do I have to guess?" Her voice was flat, empty.

"We
need to worry about bigger things than hurting your mother's feelings." He
stayed by the door, his arms hanging at his sides, pain eating his chest.

"Aren't
you
supposed to worry about that so I can live my life?"

He
dragged his gaze to hers. "Sorry," he said, eyes narrowing, "I
have trouble separating you from the Lena I knew." He regretted the lie as
soon as it left his mouth.

She
jumped off the couch, standing right in his face. "Is that supposed to be
an insult?" She began to laugh, her eyes becoming large and round. "Because,
trust me, I'm glad I'm not her."

Tarek
looked down, the urge to apologize as strong as the urge to shake some sense
into her. "You," he jabbed a finger at her chest, "are acting
like a child."

"Exactly!
One who only wants to go to school, run track." A sob escaped her throat. "Be
as ignorant as everyone else here."

It would've
hurt less if she stabbed him in the throat.

"I
just want to be normal, forget about all this."

"We
can't all have what we want."
Damn it
. If his voice cracked
anymore, he'd have to ask for a box of tissues.

She fell
back on the couch, her body curling into a ball. "I'm done with this."

Her soft
crying made him forget his own hurt as he sat on the edge of the couch. He
pulled her hands away from her face. "Whether I leave or stay, they're
coming for you."

Tears
fell harder as she folded her body into his arms. It didn't take long for him
to bring her in close. He might not be what she wanted, but he'd take this…he'd
take anything she wanted to give. He placed his palm on her heart. "You're
the bravest person I know. Don't forget that.
You
."

They
stayed there, not watching the television, as he stroked her hair, rubbed her
arm, her cheek, savoring the feeling of her body against his. She wanted
normal, the normal she knew here. If she wanted that, he'd give it to her. But
first... "Lena?" An idea had his heart drumming.

"Yeah?"
Her voice sounded groggy, thick, as though she'd been on the verge of sleep.

"There's
something I want to show you."

She
snuggled closer. "Can it wait until tomorrow?"

He
smiled, running a finger up and down her arm. "I don't think so." He guided
her off the couch with him.

Her
droopy eyes shined, and a smile shadowed her lips. At least she didn't seem to
want to rip his face off anymore. Not that it would've been the first time she'd
wanted to take a chunk out of him.

Flashes
of memory hit his frontal lobe, tightening his chest. If she only knew how much
he loved her...loved her exactly as she was, at this moment. Guess he had to
show her.

"Are
we going somewhere?" She sounded so fragile, and the way she dressed,
always in baggy sweats that swam on her, was…different. The severe style she'd
taken to wearing in her prior three cycles now seemed ridiculous, not her at
all. At least, not who she was now. She was less reserved in this life,
vulnerable and strong at the same time and easier to get close to.

With the
restraint of a saint, or eunuch, he pulled her up to his chest and tried to
concentrate. "It's time I give you a piece of us."