Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (23 page)

Zander
looked lost, his hands out and fingers spread wide. "I'm sorry." He
gave me his attention, "I'm so sorry. Please, I'll do anything to fix
this."

Tarek
moved behind me and massaged my shoulders as if the contact helped to keep his
cool. "Listen up, boy. I'm going to give you two choices."

Tarek

T
arek kept his hands on Lena's
shoulders, trying to maintain the calm. Having her watch him lose it was not in
the plan.

"What
are my choices?" The boy tried to act cool, but his direct eye contact and
clenched jaw didn't hide how the couch shook under his ass.

Giving
Lena's shoulders one more squeeze, he said, "Well, I could kill you. Here.
This Warden might be nice and funnel you back into this population next cycle
if I put in a good word."

He let
that sit for a minute, enjoying how Zander's eyes bulged as the couch twitching
became stronger. His Adam's apple did a little jig before answering. "What's
my second option?"

"You
can leave your body with us and go find Mateusz. Tell me exactly where he is at
this moment. You do that, and I'll take you somewhere safe. You can start over."

That
probably wouldn't go down easy either, but it was all the boy would get.

"What…what
will you do if I take option two?"

Tarek
laughed; he couldn't help it. He bent to kiss Lena's neck, loving that he
could, before taking a seat beside the Guide. Resting his elbows on his knees,
he gave Zander his full attention. "You really want to know?" At the
kid's nod, he said, "Kill him."

The boy
sputtered, his mouth hanging open. "But, you–you're going to kill him? In
Exemplar?"

"Yes."

Zander's
eyes grew wide and his mouth formed an O. "That's suicide."

Lena
gasped. "Is he right? You're not doing it. No way. We'll figure something
else out."

He stood
to wrap his arms around her. "Trust me."

"Tarek–"

"He's
wrong," Tarek said.

She
pulled back, drilling him with those green eyes.

Yeah, he
definitely loved the green.

"Promise
me," she said.

Tarek
winked, taking the time to bend down and enjoy her full lips. He wasn't going
to admit he did it to rub it in the kid's face. "You think I'd do anything
that'd take me away from you?"

Her
smile made him feel invincible.

One more
kiss, and he gave his attention back to Zander. "You decide?"

The kid's
tears didn't do shit to him. He could cry all he wanted.

"I'm
about to make the decision for you."

"Okay,
fine, I'll do it." Zander wiped the tears off his face. "What's another
dead Protector? Not like I can ever go back to Exemplar again."

"Now,
that's the spirit." Tarek went to lock the door as Zander lay down on the
couch. "You have, oh, about fifteen minutes to get back here before I pull
out your throat." When Zander just stared, he added, "And kid? I don't
make idle threats."

Zander
didn't give an answer and Tarek didn't expect one.

As the
Guide closed his eyes and his breathing calmed, Tarek went to hold onto Lena. "Listen,
when his energy leaves, it'll have a pretty strong effect on you. Just–"

"It's
beautiful!"

Zander's
light was already on its way out of his slack mouth and heading toward the roof
before Tarek could get the warning out. The comet-like fire shined bright blue
with a tail of red following as though the orb were burning fuel. The energy
dazzled her–exactly what he knew would happen.

"Ignore
it, Lena. Come back to me. Remember what it is." He gave her a light shake
until her eyes finally found his. "Stay focused on me. Don't look at it."

"But–"

"Keep
your eyes on me. He'll be gone soon…keep it together."

Sweat
pooled at her hairline and goose bumps traveled up and down her arms. When
Zander's energy shot through the dry-walled ceiling, she stopped groping for
air, but her teeth chattered as if she were freezing. "Is it always like
this?"

He
wrapped his arms around her shoulders and massaged the back of her neck.
Probably should've prepared her a little better. Stupid. "Only with new
energies."

"But
I'm not new." She struggled to turn around as her gaze darted toward the
ceiling.

Tarek
held on tight. "Forgotten, remember?"

When the
afterglow from Zander's energy dimmed, she sagged against him, sweat drenching
her back and soaking her cap of hair. "What the hell?"

"I
told you. Your energies are attracted to each other."

"You
could have warned me about this...this...part of the attraction." She
shrugged out of his loosened grip and wiped the sweat off her forehead with an
unsteady hand.

Guilt
ate at him. The energy definitely messed with her head.

She went
to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Drained it, and filled the glass
again.

He just
stood in front of Zander's body while the kid's chest moved mechanically as
though it were on life support. "I find myself saying sorry to you a lot.
It's…hard adjusting to having to… ah…"

She came
back into the living room, her face pale. "Explain everything? Try listening
to it."

Right,
that'd be harder.

Trying
for his best smile, knowing she couldn't resist–even in this cycle–he tugged
her into his arms. "I'll do better next time."

A scowl
painted her lips as she grabbed his ears and yanked his mouth down to hers.

Yes,
ma'am
.

He
deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down her back.

With a
light smack to his cheek, she pulled away. "You better. What now?"

"Well,
now we're dealing with the worst case– Casimir wanting Wilma. Unfortunately for
him, he can't kill her because she'd whoop his ass." He hesitated for a
second, tried and failed to keep the concern out of his voice. "He'll keep
coming for you even after I kill Mateusz. You're the sure way to get Wilma to
come to him willingly."

If it
were possible, her face drained whiter. "So, we're screwed."

"No,
not necessarily. We have options." He led her to the windowsill, wide
enough for both of them to sit, though he had to slouch. "I know I said we
could wait until we were older to go to Empyrean, but if we go now, Casimir
wouldn't know where you were. It'd be almost impossible for him to find us. And
Teenesee would be able to keep Exemplar's authority away. I'm sure Wilma would
go for it."

She
stiffened, shaking her head. "What about my mom, Tarek? I can't leave her."
Words he could barely make out began to tumble out of her mouth. "Why can't
we, I mean, you or Wilma, that is, kill this Casimir guy. He can't hurt us if
he's dead."

If it
were only that easy. "There's a failsafe protecting Wardens."

"Is
he immortal?"

He
gathered her hands in his. "No, that's not what I'm saying. If I kill him,
then–"

Fuzz
shot through his skull before hearing the thumping in the back bedroom. He
sprung up and shoved Lena behind him. The door swung open, and Mateusz waltzed
into the living room looking as reserved as ever.

Two
other Protectors walked in behind him wearing their black contego suits and
aiming UV tasers at his chest. Surprise, and a little bit of betrayal, cut
through him. "Farren?"

The guy
looked pained, his face flushed, but he kept his weapon steady. "Sorry,
brother."

Lena's
fingers dug into Tarek's back, making him hyper-aware. Curling his lip, Tarek
focused on Mateusz. "Didn't work out the way you wanted, huh?"

Not one
to ever let the façade crack, Mateusz gave him a slight smile, folding his
hands in front of his contego. "Tarek Montague, you have been charged with
the cycle-interfering of the Tainted, Lena Montague."

"Tarek?"
Her voice was a whisper.

As much
as it killed him, he ignored her to concentrate on Mateusz. The bastard wasn't
the only one who could fake calm. "Is that right?"

"I'm
afraid so, old friend. Cassondra was right it seems. She said you were up to
something. Had to come see for myself."

The
sound of footsteps running up to the apartment had them all looking toward the
door.

"Lena!"

Jake.

Keys
rattled in the lock before the door swung open only to have it slam in the guy's
face as Mateusz threw his hand in that direction. "We need to hurry. You
two, take Mr. Montague back to Exemplar."

No, he wasn't
going to make it that easy for them to take her away again.

Tarek
shoved Lena toward the window and charged. Mateusz's energy was only strong
enough to slam a door and didn't have any effect on him as the older man waved
a frantic hand in his direction. With a forearm, the bastard met the wall, his
head bouncing off the jagged edge of a dime-store picture. Tarek then went for
the woman Protector, dropping her before she could get a shot off.

Unfortunately,
Farren was fast.

Pain
ripped through Tarek's back, and he sunk to his knees. Everything went blurry
as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"No!"
Lena ran to his side, tears streaming down her face. Her gaze left his to look
up at Farren. "Please."

Farren
reached down to help her up before Mateusz stumbled over, holding a hand to the
gash on the back of his head. All the while, Jake screamed at the door,
pounding so hard the hinges shook.

"Enough."
Mateusz yanked Lena to her feet and led her to the couch.

The
taser's sedatives began to paralyze Tarek's body. "If you hurt her, I'll–"

"You'll
what? Kill me?" He glanced toward Zander's still body before bending to
put a hand on the boy's head, closing his eyes for a moment. "Looks like
you were planning on that already." Pain laced his words, as fake as
saccharin. "The betrayal of one's own Guide. There's nothing so
devastating."

"I
will
kill you." Tarek's voice was groggy, drunk with sedatives.

The
threat had an effect. Mateusz's eye twitched as he held Lena's arm. She jerked
and fought, kicking at him. "Take the accused to holding. I'll be along
soon." He opened his hand to the ceiling, the tear blasting open as the
wind knocked over the stool and moved the couch. With one more smirk toward
Tarek, Mateusz snatched up Lena and Zander, whisking them away.

Seconds.
That's all he had to convince Farren. To the pounding at the door, he said, "You
need to listen." He felt himself slipping as he tried to speak around the
cotton forming in his mouth. "He's…he's using you. He's using all of us."

Farren
knelt down, his face almost the same shade of red as his hair. "What
happened, brother? What'd you come here for?"

A small
smile lifted his mouth. Ah, the irony. "He told me…Mateusz told me to
come." The black was taking him. "Go to my place. Wilma's there. Tell
her not to go to Arcus yet. She'll want to."

"Wait,
why would she go there? Lena's going to–"

Damn,
get it out
. "No,
she's not. Tell…
ah
…tell Wilma the symbol… is a K. Kendal."

Lena

Arcus…

T
he second trip.

No river
this time.

That
would've been better.

Mateusz
bent my body to keep an arm around my throat and pushed me toward an icy path
leading out from the thick, vivid forest.

In my
contorted position, I had a front-row view of the squids' alien-like, bearded
faces. Their eyes followed us until the very last symmetrical row of trees.
They squealed as we left the warmth of the woods, just like the last time I
paid them a visit.

No shoes
meant the ice, so pure it shined like blue diamonds, shot daggers through the
soles of my feet. I thought making my body lax would give my frozen soles some
relief for a few seconds if I could land on my knees, but going limp made the
hold around my neck tighter, cutting off oxygen.

Stupid.

Desperate.

Stupid…

Mateusz
dropped Zander on the hard ground, leaving his still body on the ice, to wrap
his other arm around my waist. "If you don't stop struggling, I'll kill
you now and make Wilma bargain for your energy."

The
threat worked. The bite of the ice clenched onto the soles of my feet. The climb
up the path took forever with my body bent and folded, not to mention all the
slipping. "Let go of my neck so I can walk, asshole."

"So
you can run, you mean? I know how fast you are."

I
struggled to keep going, concentrating on the smoky blue sky above the cold and
froth, mingling with the vibrant purple hovering over the forest. There was no
point in trying to fight him. His strength was nothing like Tarek's, but the
little shit was a lot stronger than me.

"I
won't run, damn it."

He
ignored me and pushed forward another thirty feet, bringing us closer to a
massive structure hiding behind the dense swirling fog.

My
breath caught on an inhale, the cold air carrying the subtle tinge of rotting
fish. "Oh, my God."

"Impressive,
isn't it?"

Impressive–a
small word considering the height and breadth of the sleek obsidian tower
jutting past the tendrils of mist suffocating the sky. Bright orange lights
dotted each black tower with as much symmetry as the trees. But the stark white
pudgy building butted against the shiny black tower made me stop in my tracks.
The thing looked like a ripe pimple on the face of the otherwise unblemished
tower.

He let
go of my neck to bend my arm behind my back. "Perhaps he'll give you a
corporeal form to live out a cycle or two. You've been acquainted with the
squid, no?"

"What
the hell are you talking about?"

My legs
almost gave out as he held me up. Strain tightened his voice with what he said
next, as if he were trying to convince himself. "Where do you think human
energy goes? Human bodies can't survive here. It's too harsh." His stale
breath mixed with the strong scent of the squid.

For some
stupid reason, I felt the need to poke at his control when he lifted the
knocker on the smaller building. "Yeah? Too bad Kendal didn't think like
you."

His
fingers pinched into my skin. "Don't you ever say her name! It's your
fault. All of it."

I had no
idea what he was talking about, except that I'm sure the person I was in my
last life had royally pissed him off. "I didn't do shit to anyone. Maybe
if–"

"Shut
up! Just shut up. They should've sent you here in the first place. The hole you
live in is too easy."

He had a
point. At that moment, I'd have given anything to be in the trailer, dealing
with my father and starving.

Panic
tickled the back of my throat when the sound of footsteps on the other side of
the door hit my ears. Adrenaline rushed through my arms and legs, and by some
miracle, I wrenched my arm free and shoulder-checked the bastard.

Shoes?
Might as well be a million dollars at the moment. Besides, don't think there
was a Footlocker in this place.

Coat?
Same.

The
surprise on the bastards face? Priceless.

He lost
his footing on the ice. Unfortunately, we both toppled to the ground, with me
landing on top of him.

I
scrambled to get up, pushing against his chest. He tried to grab my hands, but
I had already moved them to grip his hair. Every ounce of strength my body had
surged through my fingers as I slammed his head against the ice until the
frozen walkway cracked and groaned. He yelled, his hands fumbling to find my
arms again, and so I banged his head on the ice one more time. The last hit was
hard enough to crack both the ice and his head. Deep crimson blood oozed from
his skull, steaming in a puddle around him.

When he
stopped struggling, I ran for the trees, slipping as the cold scorched my feet.
I made it to the edge of the woods, exciting the squid.

"Lena!"
Mateusz's voice echoed behind me, but I kept running, willing to risk the squid
rather than anything crawling in that tower.

"It
would be prudent to stop." The melodious sound of an unfamiliar voice had
me stumbling to see whom it belonged to. I then tripped over Zander's still
body.

At the
door stood Mateusz, holding a white handkerchief to his head, with a man so
ordinary looking, so pale and thin, he could have blended with a snowstorm. "I
would think you'd want to stay. Maybe keep company with those you love?"

What
the–oh, no!

Mom.

A scream
tore from my throat as I went back up the path, slipping and falling. When I
scrambled to stand, I noticed frozen squid under the inches of ice. Mateusz's
voice pierced my brain:
Where do you think the human energy goes?

I dug in
and fought harder.

The
calm, grinning man spoke in that soft voice, interrupting my struggle to kick
his ass. "Come, girl. Let's not tarry out here too long." He gave an
exaggerated shiver. "It's a bit nippy, yes?"

"Let
her go." Even though the thin air made my voice a whisper, the man heard
me.

"Oh,
I don't think so." He smiled, deep and warm, while he strolled down the
icy path as if he were in Central Park on a Sunday afternoon.

I
slipped trying to get enough traction to charge him. In an almost lazy way, he
scooped me up and went to collect Zander, throwing both of us over his thin
shoulders. His slight body definitely hid some massive strength.

One last
burst of energy allowed me to punch him in the back of the neck. The only thing
that did was crack my knuckles when they connected with the smooth marble of
his skin. He tightened his hold until the bones in my thighs crunched. Good way
to get me to shut up and keep my hands to myself.

We
reached the platform and headed into the white building. Mateusz followed us.
Hate glowed in his light brown eyes as he held the cloth to a cut on the back
of his head. But satisfaction made my position less humiliating knowing the
gaping cuts on his skull came from me and Tarek.

The
plain man wasted no time throwing us on the stone floor. He pulled off his
black leather gloves, one bony finger at a time. "Welcome home, Guide."

∞ ∞ ∞

Up…

Down…

Up…

Down…

The
subtle rise and fall of Zander's chest relaxed me. I could've passed out, my
head resting on his chest, the motion hypnotizing.

Nope.
Can't…

Struggling
to sit, I shielded his body from the two men lurking by the door. He might have
been a dick for three months, but Zander was the closest thing to a friend I
had in this place.

"You
came through." The man scrutinized us with the same kind of satisfaction
an auctioneer gives a stud bull.

Mateusz
sagged against the wall, his fingers now covered with blood escaping from the
sodden handkerchief. "I told you."

The man
walked to the fireplace, holding his hands over the smoldering coals. "But
not really what I asked for." He flexed his fingers, keeping his voice
calm. "Where is she?"

"You
have her Guide, Casimir. She'll be here soon."

So this
man, this delicate-looking man whose plain appearance contradicted the vibrancy
of his world, was the being everyone was afraid of? All this time I pictured a
red creature with pointed ears and a pitchfork.

Casimir
turned to warm his backside, his hands folded behind him. "You're not
needed here, Protector. Unless, of course, you'd like to take Wilma's place?"

Mateusz
slumped in a high-backed chair in the small foyer. He dropped the bloody cloth
on the floor, not two feet from Zander's head. "Give me time, will you? I
don't have the strength to open a portal."

Silence crackled
with the fire. Casimir watched the wheezing man, his face contorted with
irritated humor. Like it was an afterthought, he went to open the door. "Why
don't you go outside until you do?"

"You
want me to wait out there? In the cold?"

Casimir
kept his face calm, though the corners of his mouth curved. "Yes."

"I'll
not do it. I've bent over backward for you–even went to get the girl when you
failed. Least you could do is let me sit in this damn chair."

"Try
not to forget whose energy failed me." He raised a brow. "You do want
to see her happy again, don't you?"

Color
splattered Mateusz's pale cheeks. He used the armrests to help push to his
feet. "Don't threaten me."

"Go,
Protector, before I decide to kill your Guide and force you to find another
dupe to transport her energy. And maybe I'll let the Tainted one go, too, so
she can live a pure life." He smiled. "Perhaps recycle back to
Exemplar, reveal all your secrets?"

Mateusz
walked past him, dignity draining off his small, battered body. Before the door
closed on his face, he said, "There will come a time when we all will have
to answer for our decisions. Even you, Warden."

"I
am counting on it." The door slammed shut.

The
noise and subsequent rattling of the stone walls caused me to lean in closer to
Zander.

Casimir
studied us, the calm still plastered on his smooth face. "What to do with
the two of you." He crossed his arms and tapped a finger to one of those
alabaster cheeks.

I said
nothing, too afraid to move, even with the cold of the stone floor seeping
through the thin barrier of my sweats. It sucked that I had to concentrate hard
to avoid pissing myself as he moved to stand right in front of me. If he'd just
take me to Mom…

"I
suppose I could put you in a room, let you get some rest." His eyes, the
blue of his irises so light they were almost white, shined. "Wait a
minute, I know."

He
grabbed the back of my shirt along with the front of Zander's, carrying us to
the stairs like suitcases. "You'll be pleased, dear. There is someone here
who will be ecstatic to see you."

Finally.