The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (13 page)

“They can sense peoples’ emotions. He is the only living chimera with this ability, though he was raised a Morosian, and has only known his status for not even three years.”

Neat, but I didn’t know why that mattered. I’d love to believe that I was a chimera but I was just another Nevada asshole, I wasn’t anyone special.

Elish continued, two armed thiens opened the black framed doors for us, bowing as the chimera walked by. “Jade can sense peoples’ auras, each person is a colour to him, a feeling. For example, mine is white and silver, his is purple, silver, and black... yours is red and black.”

Was that a good aura to have? Chimeras could be so cryptic at times.

“You and Garrett are quite the match.” Elish raised a hand and nodded at a man dressed in a black suit, I realized the man was standing in front of a car. My heart jumped with excitement. I had only been out in Skyland once with Luca to pick up my medication. Apparently I had a stomach ulcer, I blamed that on Reaver.

“Match? He’s like a match maker?”

That notion seemed to amuse Ice Man, we both got into the car and Elish immediately raised the divider. I pushed down my inner excitement of being in a car and getting to see more of this massive, populated city and tried to hang on his words. Everything that guy said meant something, Elish was not one to say meaningless things.

“Jade called himself the same, and I agreed with him. He’s already joined my brother Joaquin with a stray just over a year ago. He can see two souls that can blend, Jade handpicked you when we were in Aras to be Garrett’s pet. He saw no greater pairing. Garrett, my brother, is a docile, kind man, but he can be shy and though he is the president of Skytech he can have rather low self-esteem. He is hard on himself. I think your...
charisma
... will help him come out of his shell. Once that happens, request to accompany him to his office. When you get time alone, and you know for certain you will not be discovered, find the key card and the folder I need.”

I furrowed my brow as my mind processed what he had said. Then something occurred to me. I stared at him for a moment. “When you took that photo of me last winter, was that for Garrett?”

Apparently I was the most amusing guy on the planet. He kept that sardonic little smile, enjoying every moment of my confusion. “Yes, it was. I made certain to have Lycos know I would be needing you in the future. He made sure to keep you out of harm’s way after it was obvious you and Reaver would never be partners.”

There was a quiver in my gut that I couldn’t shake. A feeling that had come and go whenever I thought about Leo really being Lycos Dekker. It was such a bewildering realization, especially since I would’ve never expected it. Now I thought back at every interaction we’ve had with different glasses on. Leo threatening Killian with a gun suddenly made a lot of sense.

“You’ve been planning this for a long time, haven’t you?” I asked, watching the shops and green trees pass by in a blur. All these people in one place, and colours too; I had never seen this many in once area except on TV and doing acid. I hoped I could go and explore a bit more under my new master. Elish had me tight under his thumb. I was too valuable for him to let me go out alone.

“Yes, down to the very last detail,” Elish murmured, “for a very long time.”

When I saw what was obviously Garrett’s skyscraper I started to feel nervous, which was out of character for me. I felt my hands tense around my sides. I scraped my fingers over the leather and let out a breath.

“The remote phone is in your bag,” Elish said. The car pulled to the front of the skyscraper and stopped. “Call me or if I am out of range, as the greyrifts are testy, call Luca. I will be going back and forth between the greyrifts and Skyfall.”

“Okay,” I said breathlessly. My heart was starting to become a nervous hammer.

My eyes widened as I actually heard Elish let out a chuckle.

I looked over in shock and saw Elish’s face moving in a muffled laugh. “You’re a man who grew up with the most vicious of all of us, and your heart shakes for our most docile? I am looking forward to your thanks. If things happened differently I could have given you to Nero just to amuse myself.”

I smirked at him and raised an eyebrow, feeling a brave need to challenge his laugh. “I bedded your master, don’t forget that. I got him to like me.”

With a casual smile and a flicker of Elish’s purple eyes he looked up at me. His cold visage mixing in with the amusement he had had on his face the whole trip.

“Another reason why you are suited for this task.”

We both got out of the car and in a dizziness of excitement and nerves I didn’t even remember going through the lobby or the elevator ride up to Garrett’s top floor apartment.

But the moment I saw Garrett Dekker... that I remember.

I heard the rattling of chains as Elish led me with the leash attached to my collar. I walked down a maroon-coloured hallway to a large double door guarded by two thiens. As soon as they saw Elish they opened the doors and stood back with a single bow.

Garrett was standing by the door, his hands to his sides and his eyes staring forward with curious fascination.

I had never seen anyone like him.

Garrett Dekker looked like he had walked out of the 50’s down to a black suit and a red tie. And even though he was an immortal of over ninety years he looked to be in his early thirties. He had short wavy hair that was combed to the side in a gelled flip, and a pencil moustache. His face was classically handsome and expressive, his eyes most of all. They were light green and large, deep set, and brimming with inquisitive emotion.

I noticed right away his face brightened when he saw us. I might’ve passed the first test.

Elish stopped in front of him and they inclined their heads to each other. Before Elish introduced us in a casual but bemused tone. “Garrett, this is Reno Nevada from Aras. Reno, this is your new master, Garrett Dekker, President of Skytech and Councilman of Skyfall.”

I watched as he handed my chain over to my new master. As his soft and rather well-manicured hands took my leash he gave me a beaming smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Reno.” Garrett’s voice was cheerful but I saw a flicker of anxiety in his eyes. I could tell he was nervous. It was practically painted on his face – it made him rather endearing. “Thank you, Elish. Is he vicious?”

I burst out laughing, to the probable chagrin of Elish. I turned to Ice Man and grinned at him. “You should’ve gotten me a muzzle, or a spiked collar or something. We could’ve planned a hilarious entrance for me. Maybe put some foam on the edges of my lips? You missed a golden opportunity, Ice Man.”

Elish, as usual, paid no attention to my jokes; his eyes turned to Garrett. “I have a shock collar you may borrow, but it will be needed for his humor rather than ferocity. The vicious nature of the greywasters has been exaggerated, at least with this one. He seems to believe he is quite funny.”

Garrett smiled and I saw a row of pearly white teeth. My bottom teeth were all fucked up and I was missing a back molar. I envied chimera teeth. I always had wondered why Reaver had lucked out so bad in the gene pool.

“I like him already, I always knew I would,” Garrett said happily. “I know you’re in a rush, Elish, I won’t keep you. It’s just wonderful to finally have him after so long of a wait. Thank you, brother, and do give Jade my best. Pity he’s injured and ill again, those winters just ravage that poor boy’s lungs.”

“Yes, well, what do you expect from a boy raised in Moros?” Elish nodded with a look on his face that almost hinted a wish to be a fly on the wall once he left. “I will bring by his papers once you choose a name. Enjoy.”

The door closed behind him, and for a moment we both stared at it. I think we both didn’t know what to do next.

Because I still hated awkward silences I turned to him and smiled.

“Well then, show me where my food dish is.” I leaned back until my leash chain got tight. “And I also hope you bought me some squeaky toys.”

Garrett looked at me, a bewildered expression crossing his previously shy face.

Then he started to laugh. Immediately I felt the tense mood break away like a hammer through a glass window. My chest felt lighter and a smile rose to my lips.

Deep down I knew I was in. Garrett put his hand over his face to cover the outward expression of emotion and started to walk away from me shaking his head.

Unfortunately both of us forgot I was leashed. As Garrett walked away from me the leash pulled and constricted my throat. I gagged and stumbled forward.

“Oh god... I’m sorry... let’s get that stupid thing off of you.” Garrett spun around. I was pleasantly surprised to see he felt bad. Empathy on a chimera? This was an interesting development even the empath chimera seemed like a bit of a dick.

Garrett unhooked the leash with a transfixing smile and he motioned me towards the living room. “This is your apartment now, I don’t have a sengil like Elish I am quite independent. I borrow Luca a few times a week for cleaning and I usually eat out or with my bodyguard Saul.”

I started to follow Garrett into the large open living room. It had a similar layout to Elish’s and the same elegant and antique furniture, even down to the marble top coffee table and brown rug underneath. Everything was neat and tidy but not pandemic like Elish’s. There were magazines on the tables, pictures in frames, carved wooden and rock sculptures, and a lot of things I didn’t recognise.

His theme was mostly brown and grey, which baffled me. If I was a chimera with a trillion dollars I would’ve decked this place out in like bright blues and purples, you know cool colours we didn’t see in the greywastes. Maybe some glow in the dark things and lots of black lights. My place would be awesome.

“I go to work at around nine, I come back sometime between five and well, eight I suppose. But I’ll come back earlier rather than later from now on, since I actually have someone to come home to. I was debating taking some time off until you get comfortable too.” Garrett turned and gave me a smile; his eyes were bright. “I have all the channels here on the TV, and I purchased you a GameCube, Jade just loves his. I also have liquor you can help yourself to that. Do you drink?”

I picked up a Popular Science magazine and put it back down on the shiny table surface. I chuckled.

“We’re all alcoholic drug addicts in the greywastes,” I said the corner of my mouth rising in a smirk. “This shit is all way too good for me, you could put a blanket on the patio for me and I’d be happy. I’m less maintenance than a goldfish.”

I walked up to the windows that stretched across the city and looked out with a shake of my head. The view was breathtaking and I never got bored looking at it.

“I’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep you happy and comfortable.”

I folded my arms over my chest, one of the windows was open and it was making the room a bit chilly. Elish’s apartment was always kept nice and warm, since Jade was so skinny a gentle breeze probably made him shiver.

It got cold being so high up in the air. We were the twenty-something floor up in Skyland, skyscrapers breaking and restored all around us, rising up like trees. The roads separating the buildings like rivers through a canyon. I wish I hadn’t been so dazed during my plane trip, that would’ve been awesome to see.

I sighed, hearing a clinking of glasses behind me though I didn’t turn my gaze. The city stretched out far past my own vision, until the grey buildings were nothing but haze; some with lights that twinkled at night but a lot swallowed by the darkness. This city was like nothing I had ever seen, even in movies.

I couldn’t believe I was here.

“I’ll turn up the heat, it is rather cold tonight.” I felt Garrett beside me. He reached over and pulled the window closed, before handing me a glass of brown liquor. “It’ll be weird for the first few days, I know that... but liquor cures everything, right?”

This was my kind of guy. I took the tumbler from him and followed him to the couch. We both sat down beside each other, the TV on in the background. The brown couch was comfortable, a soft fabric that felt amazing against my bare skin.

“Did you have a nice trip then?” Garrett was staring at his glass; I could feel his nerves and anxieties biting away at him. I liked it though; it made me see him differently. The other chimeras had really given their family a bad name.

“I don’t know.” I couldn’t contain the chuckle; I hid it with a drink of the liquor. It was rum and it burned my throat like I had swallowed fire. I liked it. “I was dazed out. I got shot in the gut, three times actually but only one hit and another one just half-hit, kinda grazed my stomach.”

With amusement I watched as Garrett closed his eyes for a second, I could almost hear him calling himself an idiot. “Right, right, my apologies.”

I shifted close to him. I realized I already didn’t like seeing him sad, was Jade’s empath abilities really this accurate? I was a pretty easy sell though, I kind of fell for guys who were nice to me pretty easily.

I reached my arm over and chinked my glass with his. “Why don’t you take a couple days off? You can show me around town a bit. I literally have never been past Anvil; this place is mind fucking me right now. You would be the perfect guide for me. Just you know... bring a Frisbee for me or something, and a tennis ball.”