The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (27 page)

Garrett continued. “You are made from strong stuff, stronger than I am,” he said with a half-sigh and a tightening of his grip on my arm. “Business I can do, King Silas... he doesn’t do this to me often, not very often at all. I think it’s been ten years since he summoned me last in that way. Ten years since my last one died.” A dry chuckle escaped his lips but his eyes were sorrowful. “I swore... I would never subject another man to my king but look at me now?”

But Reaver will kill Silas... and you’ll be free to be with whoever you want. Not now, but soon... and maybe soon enough that we wouldn’t have to be apart for long.
My chest burned for me to say those words to him, but I held strong even though it was painful. I wanted to give the poor guy some hope. That he wasn’t just being a masochist, that there was hope for us.

I forced a smile and he loosened his grip. “If I can befriend and semi-socially adjust Chimera X, I can certainly handle a tantrum from his original here or there. Give me some credit, alright?”

My heart stopped in my chest as he rose; a sparkle in eyes that had been drowning in despair for a day now. He put his hand behind my neck and I thought he was drawing me in for a kiss but instead I felt the buckle of my collar loosen.

There were no words for the sadness I felt when he removed it. My soul felt as cold as my neck did without its leather band. I had gotten used to it in the past month. I was his, I was alright with that.

Was it over now? As quickly as it had started? I thought I had meant something to him, but maybe... maybe he fell out of love as quickly as he fell in. Maybe that’s what it was like for immortals.

Garrett looked down at it and I did as well, I saw his fingers gently stroke the inner leather, probably still warm from my neck. It slipped from his fingers, and fell to the carpeted floor with a soft thunk.

“Marry me.”

My breath caught in my throat; I looked at his now free hands and then found his eyes.

Light green saucers, specked with yellow, very prominent over his pencil moustache and lips hiding a shy smile. He had such a handsome face, like he had walked out of a 50’s sitcom, classically handsome and sophisticated.

He wanted to marry
me
?

I felt my knees start to wobble and he helped me sit down, my body still sore and tender from the previous night. I brought a shaking hand to my mouth and tried to breathe. I felt a supportive arm on my shoulder. He rubbed it.

What do I do... think Reno...

I was supposed to go and be with Reaver and Killian once Elish collected me. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him, had I fallen for him? As I gave myself in to his soft touch I knew in my gut I had. I had really done it this time. What was with these chimeras? I fell for the first one only to find out he had never felt the same way towards me. The second one I fell for... one of the most important people in Skyfall, was far from my home, my greywaste home, in a different world, bowing to my enemy.

I didn’t know the future, so how could I make a decision? My two worlds were mixing in ways I didn’t know how to handle. What if Reaver won and we went back to Aras? Garrett would have to stay here and continue to run Skytech even more so if Silas was dead. I could never be where Reaver wasn’t; he was like... my friend soul mate. I had to be where he was.

But I wanted to be where Garrett was too. Why the heck should I have to sacrifice Garrett for Reaver? He had Killian. I had... I didn’t have anyone.

“This...” I swallowed the burning in my throat and tried to take in some normal breaths. “This has all happened very very fast.” And yet with Garrett beside me, trying to soothe whatever inner turmoil I had, I felt my heart pull towards him. “You want this after only a month?”

“Time doesn’t have the same meaning to me and I’ve been waiting for you for three years, lutra.” Garrett’s hand moved up and he stroked my silver hair. “I’m old enough to know what I am feeling... and what I said to Silas was no admission made from duress... I love you, Reno.”

Shit... shit... shit...
my heart started to hammer. I think the only thing keeping it from bursting through my chest was my ribs. I was really feeling dizzy and a bit nauseas. The emotions were coursing through me like a hot knife through butter.

“I love you too,” I whispered, barely even hearing my own words. My own logic and reasoning dripped off of those words like water on wax. They had no place in my heart at that moment, I was a fool but I was unable to shut down the fire in me.

“I love you, Garrett.”

I felt his forehead lean into my neck and a small relieved breath. I looked down with him as he slipped off a ring on his left hand, the same one I had noticed before.

Though as I watched the silver band with the same gemstones that matched my earrings I realized he had two. He had gotten another one, I hadn’t even noticed. This had been planned; this wasn’t some whimsy with him lost in the moment.

Garrett really wanted to marry me.

He slipped the ring on my ring finger, it fit perfectly, which made a smile come to my lips. The image of him measuring my finger while I slept briefly crossed my mind.

But a darker thought came, like a cloud of shade and shadows it descended on my mind and threatened the fires of joy that grew in me. I knew I could only do this if I made sure of one thing. The only deal breaker that would make me leave my chimera, no matter how much it hurt him and me.

“If I say yes, you have to promise me-” I turned my hand in the lamp light and watched the gems sparkle. “-and mean it. That you’ll respect that I will always be aligned with Reaver. I will never betray him.” I watched as every word that left my mouth made his smile fade. “If I ever have to ask you... to help him, even if it means going against Silas. You will.”

Garrett looked sober, his lips thin and his eyes deep. It was several minutes of both of us sitting next to each other. His hand still on mine, our matching rings sparkling together in the dim light. Though the silence was a deafening weight on us, it wasn’t awkward or at all forced. I wanted him to take all the time he needed because I had to have a real answer. Not an answer to make me happy or to get me to make a commitment to him. This was my life and the life of my friends, and I couldn’t be with him if his loyalties would always be to his master.

Finally he spoke; in a low and serious tone he held my hand. “I meant what I said before, lutra. You could be hiding him in this apartment and I wouldn’t care. I... I don’t and have never gotten involved.”

“But you
are
involved, because he’s my friend and I love him, Garrett,” I whispered, “and Killian too. I’m... Garrett, I think I’m asking you to choose sides.” I stammered the last part, I had tried to word it so it didn’t sound like that but there was no denying it. “If it comes to it, if Reaver comes for him, or if Silas does catch him. Will you be loyal to Reaver? Would you help me do whatever it took...”

Now it was his time to look like he would throw up; Garrett looked positively ill. The chimera stared at me, I could feel the hurricane ripping through his heart and mind. Probably eating each other alive just like my own emotions had done to me.

Then he nodded at me, and a sad but full smile came to his lips. “My allegiance is with you,
amor
; always with you. Not Reaver, not Silas... with you and whoever you care about. If that’s Reaver... I... I’m at your command.”

My heart dropped and in that moment the covers got pulled off of my mind, leaving my brain cold and exposed. As the gears starting turning freely, a new flood of realizations coursed through me with fierce fervor. I took off the rose-coloured glasses, and almost laughed at this situation.

Because I realized in that moment my goal had never been only to find the key card for Kreig, no, that was too easy. I had a greater task; one I had never realized I had been given until it hit me like a splash of cold water.

It was so obvious, you fool.

Here is your newest ally, Elish, enjoy. I have the president of Skytech and one Skyfall’s most powerful figures in my palm, and as such... in yours.

“I will marry you.”

Well-played, Elish. Well-played.

.

Chapter 9

Reaver

The week since Elish returned was well, interesting. I thought it was amusing how everyone suddenly started walking on egg shells as soon as he emerged from the lower levels to mingle with the common folk. Jade especially, that kid did a complete metamorphosis as soon as that blond chimera opened the keypad door. Jumping up from whatever he was doing (usually wincing, Elish was a relentless machine on that kid’s body apparently) and greeted his master with a head incline and squared shoulders.

I spent a lot of time in my room smoking, and out on the surface smoking some more. I had never smoked so much in my life but it helped me cut down on the drug use. Jade’s cartons of fancy cigarettes never ran out, and once I found out which crate they had stashed them into in the garage I had helped myself to several cartons of each. I fit as many as I could in my drug suitcase and stuffed Killian’s canvas bag and my duffle bag of clothes full of them.

When it boiled down to it, Elish and I seemed to have a mutual respect for each other. We didn’t speak unless we had something to say, and I respected his rules of the house. I stayed on the sidelines and let the three amigos have their fun. Killian, Jade, and Perish had formed a shaky friendship based on drugs and video games. I mainly stayed in my room, I didn’t want to be social, I had too many dark thoughts in my mind and I preferred to be alone with them.

I lit another cigarette, listening to the three boys outside in the living room playing an updated Mario Kart, from a game system we had never seen in Aras. Killian kept running in every half an hour to make sure I didn’t feel neglected, and I didn’t. There were too many people in this house for my liking and I wanted to be alone.

I had a lot to think about, and none of those things were good.

As the days went on, I just found myself getting more and more reserved. I was glad Killian seemed to be slowly healing and though he still did heroin (and so did I) his mind was coming back. He was the boy I had remembered him being.

Me? I was still dealing with being not only the clone of a whackjob, but the fact that I had been engineered to be his partner. I had no clue how to handle that so I just tried to ignore it. I was already seeing myself change as a person and I really didn’t need another reason to become more dark and isolated. In all actuality I think the old me got left in Aras, or perhaps it was the new me who had gotten left there, because after I had fallen for Killian I had started to open up a bit and come out of this thick shell.

Before my dumbfuck dads ended up getting themselves killed. Before they decided to hide my origins and immortality from me, and give me this task I had never asked for in the first place.

Fuck you two.

“Reaver, a word?”

I looked towards the door and saw Elish darkening the view I had had of Killian playing his games; he was standing with a folder in his hand. I gave him a nod and rose from my bed, extinguishing the cigarette and following him towards the keypad door to his private quarters.

We walked down the stairs and we both walked into his office

As usual I pulled up a chair and sat on the other end of the desk. In a flowing motion like he was dignity encompassed he quietly sat down on his chair and tented his hands.

“I have the key card, or Luca does anyways, I will be retrieving it soon,” Elish began. He pulled open a shelf on his desk and withdrew a small black box. “Your friend is good at what he does. It seems my pet was wise to match those two.”

I nodded; I had never stopped feeling apprehensive over Reno being in the chimeras’ home base, but he was a greywaster... he knew how to take care of himself and watch his back.

“I have also heard back from General Zhou, who is currently regulating Aras. He has stationed guards outside of your street and Killian’s house. Your houses will go untouched until you decide to take Aras back.”

Legion in Aras? I didn’t know how I felt about that. A part of me hated the idea but that part was the part of my heart that still considered Aras my home. In truth the moment Redmond and Hollis betrayed me, the moment they went and captured Killian and Reno, they all became my enemies.

So fuck them.

“I will when this is done, you get Skyfall I fucking get Aras. That’s all I want.”

A thin smile appeared on his lips. How could a smile look so cold? “And what will you do with Aras?”

“I’m going to fucking burn them all,” I growled. My emotions starting to play games with my tongue. I bit the corner of my mouth and forced myself into a more resolved posture. I looked up and straightened myself out. I wondered if he had the same moral dilemmas of seeing me turn into a maniac that Greyson and Leo did.

“Oh, you will get Aras back. You can have the entire greywastes for all I care. My interests lie in Skyfall.”

I nodded. “I suppose it’s a good thing we’re getting along so far. I guess we will be spending an eternity running the world.”