Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (5 page)

"She
is now." His face tensed for a second. "I…ah…forgot my charger."
He massaged the back of my head, the fuzz gearing into overdrive. "All your
calls clogged up my voicemail."

"Well!
Don't do that again, okay?" The neediness in my voice made me cringe.

Holding
up two fingers, he said, "Scouts' honor." He put some space between
us and zipped his coat. "Let's go inside, out of the mud."

He never
wanted to come in before, and I never asked him to. "But my dad–"

"Then
let's go somewhere. I missed you."

"I
missed you, too." Well, the weak, needy, annoying part of me missed him. "How
'bout a walk in the woods instead?"

He
scrunched his nose, never a fan of the outdoors, but nodded. "As long as I
get to be with you, I don't care where we go."

"Just
let me grab a sweatshirt."

He
groaned.

Laughing,
I trudged up the cement blocks. "Two minutes."

When I
came back outside, I gave him a shy smile, bunching my hair in a messy bun.
Zander grinned and took my hand, heading toward the woods.

We
walked for about five minutes before my nerves wouldn't let me keep quiet. "You
going to work? Jake's pissed, but if you explain, I'm sure he'll..."

I glanced
up to find him staring, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. His dark eyes,
intense and serious, never left mine. Whatever the change, I felt more
self-aware because of it.

He
stopped in the middle of the path and grabbed my other hand. "Yeah, I'm goin'.
Jake'll understand…especially if you plead on my behalf."

"Consider
your behalf pleaded." I fidgeted with his fingers.

He
tugged me down the path as I all but forgot how strong I felt without him.

Once we reached
the edge of the stream, he did something I'd never thought he'd do. He bent
down, touching his lips to mine. At first, his mouth was gentle, tentative,
asking for my permission. Giving it to him, I let go of his hands and dug my
fingers through his hair, pulling him close.

I
felt…nothing. Just that damn fuzz clogging my better judgment.

Maybe
this was what everyone felt? Always thought my first kiss would have more effect
on the heart–have me tingling somewhere else, at least.

I mean,
really. He was cute, with smooth brown skin that never needed acne cream or a
razor, and he always smiled. But…nothing.

Nothing?

I broke
away. "Ah, wow. That was…"

"Amazin'.
Perfect."

Not
exactly…

He touched
his forehead to mine. "You think maybe we could at least try, you know, to
be more than friends?"

I
dragged myself away and sat on the bank. "I-I don't know. Maybe?"

He sat
beside me, flinging some rocks into the water. "I know I'm not
Him
,
but I'm real, and I'm right here. All you gotta do is say yes."

I'd
waited my whole life to meet the guy with gray eyes. Stupid, yes, but when his
face appeared in my dreams… yeah, maybe it was time to tuck the fairy tale
away. "Yeah, okay, let's do it."

"Huh."

I gave
his shoulder a bump. "What do you mean, 'huh'?"

A lazy
smile lit up his face. "When I pictured this moment, I always expected
somethin' like rainbows and fireworks. Not, '
yeah, okay
.'"

I gave
him a kiss on the cheek. Still nothing, damn it. "Oh, yes, Alexander
Klein! I'd love to go steady with you." I did my best southern accent and
fluttered my lashes. "Better?"

"Much."
He kicked at the dirt, staring at his shoes. "Was school really bad this
week without me?"

"No,
it was fine. Um…Belva crapped herself in Chemistry."

He
laughed so hard tears leaked from his eyes. Yeah, I missed him. Missed the
feelings I had when I was around him.

Kind of
hated them, too.

My
Zander heroin.

Tarek

Dimension of Exemplar…

D
id he say…? Yeah, he said it. Her
name. That one word caused the void in his chest to jump and twitch at the
promise of becoming full.

His
search was over.

Tarek's
hand tightened around the mug. "Where is she?" His flat tone
disappeared, and the hard edge he barely remembered made his voice louder,
deeper.

"I
shouldn't tell you, but...there have been some happenings."

"And?"

"Please,
let me take her research. I could–"

He threw
his mug, just missing the top of Mateusz's head. Ceramic shattered against the
fireplace and amber liquid drizzled along the cracks. Pain seared his stomach,
his throat, burning stronger than the whiskey. Mateusz wasn't going to tell
him.

Like
hell, he wouldn't.

"You
know the penalty if you go to her." Mateusz folded his hands on the table,
his back stiff.

Tarek
sat across from him, his patience snapping. "Tell. Me. Where."

Mateusz stayed
silent.

"Where?"
If the guy wanted it beaten out of him, he'd do it. No problem.

Resignation
had Mateusz's shoulders slumping under his loose jacket when he finally nodded.

Tarek
leaned his elbows on the table, daring Mateusz to change his mind. He could
already smell her scent, taste her lips...feel her arms…

"It's
not only you in jeopardy if the Synod catches wind of this conversation. I'm
the only one who stands between us and their ridiculous punishments."

Tarek
felt the beat of his heart for the first time in years. "You have my word."

A moment
of hesitation skipped through the room as Mateusz studied his hands. "She's
in purgatory." He stood, adjusting his glasses.

"No
shit. Which one?" Purgatory could mean so many places–all of them bad.

"You
must be careful not to interrupt her cycle."

"Which
one, Mateusz?"

Mateusz
walked to the screens and inserted his USB into the control panel. In seconds,
every screen gave Tarek heaven. There she was on each flat surface, sweeping
between rows of chairs. She appeared the same except with long hair piled on
top of her head, and her eyes…Were they green?

Too soon
the video stopped, freezing on her face.

Lena.

"What
is this place?" He stumbled to the screens and absorbed the image he could
only find in memories and old holograms since the day they took her.

Mateusz
stood beside him. "I need to erase this from your screen's memory. Can't
leave any trails."

Tarek
ground his teeth. "Fine, just tell me where to find her."

The
older Protector pulled the cover off the screens' control panel, working his
tech magic until Lena disappeared. He then procured a UV pen from his jacket
pocket and touched the tip to the USB. The chip disintegrated in seconds.

When the
monitors went black, Tarek fought the urge to yank them off the wall. Not
enough. An image would never be enough.

"She's
in a dimension called Earth." Mateusz moved to the bookcase and pulled out
a large text. Flipping to a map, he touched the tiny button on the spine of the
book. A detailed hologram appeared above the desk. He signaled Tarek over
before touching an area on the map that ballooned to three times its original
size. "Start looking here."

∞ ∞ ∞

"What
if you don't understand her language?"

"Details,
Mateusz. Not important."

"I
would think it extremely impo–"

"My
chip's been updated. It's a non-issue." Every Exemplian had a microscopic
device implanted in their brains, allowing them to understand and communicate
with people from other worlds. He never failed to update his, just in case he
found Lena.

Tarek
studied the dimensional map for hours with Mateusz right behind him, pacing,
wiping his glasses…asking stupid questions. But Tarek's attention never left
the hologram.

The map
narrowed things down, bringing her closer, but the dimension was huge. Every
tree, every house, down to the cracks and holes in the roads could be seen when
highlighted and enlarged. The graphics didn't help find her. Only the
coordinates would. "You need to get her exact position," Tarek said.

"Really?
That easy, is it? No plan? No strategy? Shouldn't you at least study the
dimension first?"

"No
need. Got my suit." No point finding out what things trolled a place when
you had a contego suit that protected skin and major body organs from any
serious attack.

"Yes,
but–"

"Not.
Important." His eyes stayed on the hologram. "Get the location, and I'll
take care of the rest."

The
fridge opened and ice tinkled in a glass followed by the uncorking of the
whiskey bottle. Mateusz could have all he wanted of his stash. Tarek hadn't touched
the stuff since the older man gave him his life back.

"I
need to tell you…Cassondra's suspicious." Mateusz's words made Tarek's
spine tingle and his shoulders tense.

Cassondra
was head of dimension research and development and as irritating as a heat
rash. She also controlled the satellites and monitored the incoming feed from
all the dimensional screens. Why the Synod appointed such an important job to
her was beyond his comprehension, especially considering who her brother was.

Tarek
waved a hand through the hologram, marring the image for a second, and turned
to his friend. "Why?"

"She's
been getting messages–someone's telling her a rogue is harassing Lena." He
hesitated. "Cassondra thinks it's you."

If
Mateusz reached out and punched him in the face, he wouldn't have been any less
shocked "
What?
"

"That's
not all." Mateusz took a drink, set his mug down, and wiped his mouth with
a shaky hand. "She's meeting me here, tonight."

Tarek stepped
forward, his fists automatically curling. "What the hell for?"

"Because
I invited her."

Of
course there'd be a caveat. Luck didn't usually play on his side. Tarek spent
the last ten years begging Mateusz to use his authority clearance to figure out
which dimension the Synod sent Lena, only to have the guy refuse. Mateusz
showing her image on the screens after a few seconds of desperate insisting on
his part probably should have clued him in. "You better start talking."

Mateusz
swiped drops of perspiration from his forehead before grabbing his drink off
the table and downing it with one gulp. "I don't know the damn details!
All I know is she's suspicious. I wanted her to see how you haven't left this
hut, much less traipsed across dimensional lines to hinder the development of
lesser worlds."

Tarek
slumped on the couch, his head resting in his hands. "Shit."

"Exactly."
Mateusz poured himself another drink. "Try to control your temper, prove
you haven't broken any laws. I don't wish to end my cycle today, and I'm sure
you feel the same."

"It'd
definitely complicate things." Tarek scrubbed his matted hair before going
back to the map.

An hour
passed without talking. There wasn't much more to say after Mateusz's
revelation. If a curious Exemplian was messing with Lena, Cassondra would take
care of the problem. It wouldn't just be the rogue dying. She'd get rid of Lena,
too, permanently. A complete energy annihilation. The bitch wouldn't let anyone
disturb the status quo. She took her job as overseer of dimension development
seriously.

"Close
the book." Mateusz stalked to the window, pushing aside the thick curtain.
"She's here."

Tarek slammed
the book shut, the map disappearing. He tripped over the chair on his way to
the shelf and shoved the book home. Mateusz could feel Cassondra's energy well
before him, but as soon as the knock came, the dull fuzz that always
accompanied a Protector's arrival entered his brain.

Pissed.
That's what he needed to be, seeing as how it was the mask he'd worn for the
last seventeen years. Any different and she'd call in the troops. When Mateusz
walked to the door, Tarek waited in front of the fire, hands behind his back,
expression impassive.

Before
Mateusz opened it, he turned toward Tarek, his voice a terse whisper. "There
are two new energies being Paired. One's a Guide–she wants it. I'm sure I can
convince the Synod Guides to give it to her. I'll find Lena's exact location
if,
and
only if
, Cassondra is awarded the energy. Which means you'll
have one month to find the rogue before she is released from the Pairing."

Pairing
was the ritual performed to bind a Protector with a Guide. A time when a piece
of oneself was taken and refilled with the presence of another...he used to
relish it, crave the responsibility of protecting a Guide. Now, the thought of
taking on the duty only created exhaustion. All he wanted was Lena.

Tarek
nodded and Mateusz opened the door, a smile slipping into place. Had to give
the man credit, he was a superb actor. "Cassondra, you're as punctual as
always."

The
woman never smiled–never frowned either. A face neither attractive nor ugly,
she just was. Her eyes, colorless as water, had Tarek lacing his fingers
together to keep them from fidgeting. Wouldn't want her to see how nervous she
made him.

"Tarek,"
she said, her voice neutral, "it has been far too long."

Not long
enough. "Cassondra. What do I owe the honor?"

Cassondra
sauntered over to the bookshelf, scanning its contents. She stopped her
investigation when her eyes landed on the desk. "You've been out of
commission for so long, I worried you might be in need of intervention."

Tarek
left his spot, nerves forgotten, when she attempted to turn a page of the Arcus
text, a cloud of dust puffing in the air. He put a palm on the book, preventing
her. "Don't."

She
cocked her head in an objective way and gave Mateusz a look before returning
her gaze to his hand. "Are you curious about Arcus, Protector?"

"No."
His hand stayed put.

"Then
I'm afraid I do not understand your reaction." She folded her hands in
front of her blue smock, face serene when it lifted to meet his.

Mateusz
answered for him. "These are Lena's books." He guided Cassondra
toward the door. "I'm afraid my friend has not yet changed a thing since
her departure."

The
woman held up a hand when Mateusz went to open the door and returned her attention
to Tarek. "It's peculiar, her interest in Arcus and her crimes." Real
emotion flitted through her eyes. "But…the responsibility Wardens of
underdeveloped dimensions must endure is taxing. That good energy she gave,
though illegal, helped ease his burden."

Tarek
never left the desk. He didn't give a shit about Arcus or its Warden. Cassondra
didn't care in the least about Lena, either. It took everything he had not to
demand why she didn't vouch for Lena if what she supposedly did was so great
for the Warden, who also happened to be Cassondra's brother. "I'm sure it's
dispiriting. Don't envy any Warden, really."

She gave
one last look around the cottage and nodded. "You live so primitively. Do
you not enjoy the amenities Exemplar offers?"

"I
enjoy simplicity."

"Interesting."
She opened the door, signaling Mateusz to follow, but stopped. "And how
long has it been…since you've left this simplicity?"

Tarek
caught the warning glance from Mateusz before he answered. "Seventeen
years–since the day you took her away from me."

Another
rare glimpse of emotion flashed across Cassondra's face. "I wish I would
have been able to sway the verdict, but the law is law, Protector."

That
simple. That black and white. Never any gray when it came to preserving the
balance between dimensions, even at the expense of her brother. Even at the
expense of Lena.