Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (27 page)

They
were all sensitive girls.

And they
were all wasting time.

He used
the bottom of his shirt to wipe the wet evidence off his face. "We need to
go. She's been there long enough."

Wilma
nodded, letting tears fall, as she kept her face pointed outside. She raised
her hand and opened her fist, a tiny tear forming.

Tarek
covered her raised fingers. "Wait. One more thing before we go."

She must've
seen the hate boiling in his eyes because she came to the right conclusion in
seconds. "Mateusz?"

"Yes."

Wilma
lowered her hand, and her puffy, tear-stained face brightened a fraction. "How
do you plan on doing that?"

He
thought of the guy's sanctuary. Thought of how he never allowed anyone there.
His place away, he called it. Well, not today. Today, he'd have a few visitors.
"We go get him."

∞ ∞ ∞

As soon
as they reached the threshold of Casimir's manse, Tarek set Mateusz on his
wobbling legs. It hadn't taken much effort to grab the guy off his toilet.
Wilma made sure he held still, pants around his ankles and all, when she opened
the portal right there in the bastard's bathroom.

Mateusz
fell on his ass, scrambling backward. In a groggy, slurred voice, he said, "Please,
Tarek, don't."

"You
took everything from me."

Mateusz,
even with his pants around his ankles and bare ass on the ground, didn't bother
to hide his hatred. "I gave you a reprieve. You were better off without
her."

He didn't
need to hear anymore. Not even blinking an eye, Tarek ripped out the traitor's
throat.

Watching
him die wasn't hard. Blood on the ice, causing steam to billow in the dense
air, actually had his breath coming out less ragged. Even the gurgling sounds
relaxed him. At least now the bastard would be useful.

Wilma
walked up from behind. "Don't think I don't know why you killed him here."

He'd
have to practice not clenching his jaw in the future; his back teeth started to
hurt. "Never said I was honorable."

She
sighed. "You don't have to say it."

Gurgling
interrupted them. Hell, the guy was rude when he died.

After a
few seconds, Wilma said, "We're starting a war, you know." She nodded
toward the door. "Cassondra's not going take the death of her brother
quietly."

They
were all so calm he almost forgot they watched a man die on the doorstep of
Casimir's place. Farren's face registered the same Zen, his eyes focused on the
mewling son of a bitch dying way too loudly.

They
were all crazy.

"I'll
be ready," he said.

Wilma
shrugged. "Always liked a good war, keeps the blood pumping."

He
smiled, even as his heart ached.

Lena.

Wilma
pushed open the front door with a wave of her hand when Mateusz took his last
noisy breath. "Let's get our girl."

Lena

W
e're coming, Lena.

Wilma's
voice snapped me out of a not-so-great attempt at sleeping.

For the past
three days, her voice echoed through my head, telling me to stay calm,
promising they'd be here soon. Her voice, so different and a lot more welcomed
than Mateusz's in my brain, kept me sane. Didn't know if I dreamed it, but…God,
I hoped it wasn't a dream.

The last
message gave me the drive to get off the bed.
We're coming
. So much
better than,
Hold on a while longer.

My stiff
body wished for another shot of Zander heat because my legs couldn't seem to
figure out how to work anymore. Unfortunately, the two times he tried to find
help caused him to get weaker as the days blended together. Now, he slept–had
been for hours.

After
three more tries, my legs slid to the edge of the bed. I flopped on the floor
and began to move my arms and legs as if making a snow angel in a vat of glue.
The motion managed to get the blood flowing enough to drag myself toward the
window.

Sweat
drenched my forehead as exhaustion took over way too soon. My mouth, so dry I
couldn't even swallow, refused to form words to call out for Zander in hopes he'd
wake up.

I gave
up halfway to the window, curling up on the cold, wet floor hoping to hear
Wilma one more time. In a desperate attempt to find my voice, I licked the
moisture from the floor, finding small pockets of stale water within the cracks–for
the fifth time since being here.

Like
before, my stomach wanted to reject the nasty, earthy tasting crap. But I
continued lapping the puddles until my tongue absorbed enough moisture to
return to a more normal size. I had to hold still a moment while the liquid traveled
to my empty stomach and concentrate on not bringing it back up. The stuff didn't
taste any worse than how bad my body reeked. Three days locked in the same room
with three people. I guess it was good none of us ate. The smell would've been
worse.

Finally,
a croak that sounded more like a sick animal than Zander's name slipped from my
lips. I waited for him to respond, knowing he wouldn't, and said his name again
with a little more force.

"Lena?"
Finally, Zander opened his eyes.

"You
okay?" What I really wanted to know was when he planned to help us out of
the situation.

Zander
crawled from the bed and grabbed my hand. "Think so, a little weak,
though." When he stood and glanced out the window, his hold tightened
around my fingers. "Oh, God. Look." He lifted me and pointed to a
scene right out of a slasher film. A pool of blood, rich and bright, contrasted
with the sleek ice, mimicking the same vivid colors of Arcus's forest.

"They're
here," I said after my stomach settled enough to get excited.

Zander
continued to stare out the window, his jaw tight. "Looks like the Calvary
made it after all."

It took
a minute to realize Zander didn't share my enthusiasm, his attention on the
dead Protector. "I'm sorry...about your Protector." I gave his arm an
awkward rub, my fingers too numb to work right. But I wasn't sorry. The bastard
deserved it.

"I'm
not sorry. Not for what you think, anyway." His attention left the window
and his eyes found mine. "Casimir has Mateusz's energy now, and coupled
with Kendal's, even if we do get out of here..."

His
words slammed into my brain. "He'll come after us again. Others, too."
I shook my head. "We'll have to kill him."

He
gripped my shoulders, giving the door wild looks. "We can't do that.
No
one
can do that."

The
urgency in his dark eyes created panic. "I...Why?"

"Because–"
He pressed a finger to my lips as the sound of footsteps clicked right outside
the door. Zander pulled me close, and I leaned into his side, praying my legs
would hold up. Both of us were too weak to do anything else.

The
heavy door pushed open as if it were weightless. "Did you catch the show?"
An actual spark of life flitted through Casimir's eyes.

My chin
lifted with courage that didn't exist.

"No?
Too bad. A brilliant display of subtle animalism..." He sucked in his
breath, "...so magnificent, feral."

Zander's
arm held me closer, his fingers digging into my side.

"Have
you enjoyed the reunion?" He gestured toward my father. "Not a kind
man, but tenacious when it comes to torture."

Never in
my life had I wanted to kill somebody. The urge to gut the Warden sent a
strange, pleasurable shock through my body.

Casimir
went to the lump on the floor. "Ah, look, he's still alive. I hope you
weren't worried." He brushed hair from Dad's forehead with the gentleness
a father would show his son. "Such a simple being, capable of so much
terror."

Ignoring
Zander's digging fingers, I kept my attention on the Warden's smiling profile. "You
can keep him."

He
chuckled and gave my dad's hair one last pat before standing. "Yes, I
think I will...useless, but an intriguing pet. I think I will keep all of you.
One happy family, yes?"

Fueled
with hate, I lunged, fists swinging, landing on the Warden's face. He didn't
move to protect himself. Not that he needed to. My hit had as much impact as a
newborn's fist.

An
inhale inflated the Warden's chest before he grabbed my wrists and bent them
behind me. He twisted my body so that my back slammed into him. "Let's
stop playing for a while." His voice remained calm and unattached. "We've
guests who demand our company."

I thrashed
around like a mindless idiot until he gave a slight jerk, jarring my brain.

The room
swirled.

My eyes
closed.

"Please!"
Zander's cry reached my ears through the haze of pain. My head lolled, and I
felt myself slipping. "Lena!"

"She's
fine, boy. No need for all the melodramatics."

Casimir
switched his hold from my wrists to wrap an arm around my shoulders. He then
reached down and heaved my father over his shoulder. Once he situated us, he
turned to the open door. "You can follow us, Guide, or you can stay here.
It matters little to me."

∞ ∞ ∞

When we
hit the landing, the décor changed. The wet, musty stone and decaying straw bed
had nothing on the cozy sitting room that looked more like a library.
Bookshelves even lined every wall. A worn leather chaise sat on a plush rug in
front of a deep fireplace, along with a matching sofa big enough for five
people.

The
warmth of the fire melted my body. Coupled with the throbbing in my head, I had
to fight against the need to close my eyes and give in to my body's demand to
shut down.

He threw
me on the couch, directing Zander to sit on the cushion next to me. "Chin
up. They'll be here soon." Casimir then dumped my father in front of the
fireplace. "Don't want him ruining the furniture."

The
Warden moved to stand by me with his hands folded in front of him and eyes
pointed to the door.

I slid
away from him and closer to Zander, who pulled me tight to his side. Waiting
there confused me. Casimir remained calm, like he had no fear confronting Tarek
and Wilma. Maybe he even anticipated it.

Minutes
ticked by, the grandfather clock sitting in the corner between the walls of
books clicked with every pass of the second hand. The ticking grated my nerves,
as each second seemed to take its time to pass on to the next.

A moan
broke my concentration on the door and the mocking sound of the clock. Dad was
awake and gagging, a noise way worse than the ticking. His scrawny body rocked
as yellow stomach acid leaked from his open mouth. I refused to feel sorry for
him, no matter how pathetic he looked. If he'd die, it'd make things easier on
all of us.

Zander
didn't have the same idea. He leaned me against the arm of the couch and went
to my father's side. He rubbed Dad's back until the heaving subsided and soft
crying replaced it.

I
guess Zander had an affection for monsters
.

Casimir
clicked his tongue, and Zander's hand began to shake. "Now, now, we can't
have the pets mussing up the carpet."

The
Warden unfolded his hands and sauntered over to the fireplace to fling Zander
across the room like a bag of trash. The bookshelf he crashed against had books
falling on him like rain. He only cried out once then clenched his jaw when he
struggled to stand, a fresh line of blood trickling down his temple. He managed
to crawl back to the couch, though he wheezed as if a truck was parked on his
chest.

While
Zander struggled to me, Casimir smeared my father's face in the small puddle on
the black rug. "This will not do, pet."

My
father whimpered; a sound my mom made when he'd humiliated her using similar
tactics.

I hated
that sound.

"You're
sick." The words came out before I could bite them back.

Casimir
centered his colorless eyes on mine, amusement making them bright, ghostly. "What
a peculiar dimension, this Earth. So primitive, the humans like savages. Yet,
the compassion one shows for her abuser–such an interesting dichotomy."

"I
don't have," I swallowed, my eyelids heavy, "compassion." At
least, I didn't think I did.

He
dropped Dad's head with a thump and went to stand behind the couch. "We
must continue discussing this remarkable twist, but at another time." He
folded his hands after straightening his shirt. "Our guests have arrived."

My eyes stayed
on the door, not hearing anything. But after a few minutes, a distinct sound of
boots pounding on stone drew closer. My heart skipped. I used the strength I
had left to sit up straight. The first thud against the door sent dust puffing
from the hinges. The second rattled the metal lock.

Silence
filled the room, causing my anxiety to reach maximum level. "Wilma! He's–"

Casimir
squeezed my shoulder hard enough to have the bone crunch under his hand.

Agony
ripped through my body, forcing a scream to escape, the pain more effective
than any beating my father had ever given. As soon as it tore from my lips, the
door whipped open. The hinges loosened, allowing the door to flop and fall.
Wilma dropped her hand and stepped inside, Tarek followed. And…Christ…the guy
who shot Tarek at my place came in right behind him.

"Tarek…"
My heart ached, especially when his eyes darted my way before settling behind
the couch.

"Well,
Warden, now what?" Wilma pegged him with the glare that usually made
people duck and cover.

"So
rude, Protector." Casimir tapped a finger on the back of the couch. "All
I ask for is an honest, rational conversation."

Wilma
snorted, but she didn't move farther into the room. "Pretty elaborate way
of setting up a meeting."

The aristocratic
chuckle coming from behind the couch set my teeth on edge. As though he sensed
my rising anger, Tarek shifted his eyes to me and gave a subtle shake of his
head.

"Yes,
well, please forgive me, but it's quite difficult to get a conference with you.
I had to resort to creativity. But honestly, there was no need to bring
friends."

"A
conference?" Wilma mocked his snooty tone. "We've talked more than I
care to remember over the centuries." She narrowed her eyes. "This
new...development is beneath you, Casimir."

No more
laughs or witty quips. Nope. He decided to rip me up by the back of my shirt
and yank me from the couch. I gasped, feet dangling. Tarek stepped forward as
Zander wrapped his arms around my legs and pulled.

Casimir
easily brushed Zander away, taking his free hand and flinging him again, but
the big, redheaded Protector lunged forward to break his fall. Casimir then
pointed me toward Tarek. "Call off your hound, Wilma, or I'll kill her."

For the
first time since coming through the door, Tarek's eyes betrayed him. "Okay,
okay, just...don't."