The Space Beyond (The Book of Phoenix) (15 page)

His eyes searched my face for a long moment before his face broke into that huge grin that made my knees weak. Who was I to deny it? Ty Daniels had had my heart for as long as I could remember.

He scooped me into his arms and ran as he carried me to his truck. Quietly, trying not to alert anyone else that we were there, he opened the door and placed me inside. I scooted backwards on the seat until I hit the passenger door as he climbed in over me, pulling the door shut behind him. One of his legs was on the truck floor, the other between me and the seat back. He braced himself with his hands on each side of me, holding himself above me as he waited for confirmation.

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” I asked, and I didn’t have to say it twice.

His mouth crashed down on mine, retaking what was once his, and I was instantly reminded of how much I loved kissing him. Our lips moved like long-lost lovers, slowly but passionately, immediately recalling the exact way the other liked to be stroked and nipped. Memories of kissing him in this very truck, out here in this field or under the big oak on the other side of the lake or even in the school parking lot, flooded through me, bringing tears. My only memories of true happiness were when I was with Ty. My only memories of feeling safe were when I was in his arms. And I felt it all now—happiness, security, and dare I say it, love.

I parted my lips and let his tongue claim me. He lowered himself gently against me, and the full weight of his body pressed against mine as the kiss deepened. I pushed his hat off and ran my hands over his short hair, then down his neck and to his muscular back, feeling the tightness of his shoulders under my fingertips.

“Fuck, Bethany, I’ve missed you so bad,” he murmured against my lips as we both took a breath before I pulled the tank over his head and we dove in again.

He kissed me until my whole body burned and ached for his touch. One of his arms held him up slightly, his hand cradling my head. The other hand hadn’t moved from my waist, his fingers digging into my hips as his thumb moved up along my skin to just under my halter, then down, to just below my waistband, making my belly quiver. I shifted underneath him, and without breaking contact because I couldn’t stand the thought of missing out on one more second of kissing him, I unbuttoned my halter and opened it enough to feel his skin against mine but not enough for anyone who tried to peek through the window to see anything. Ty pulled back and studied me.

“Are you sure, boo? About this?” he asked, his voice husky and heavy with the same need that pulsed through my veins, throughout my body.

No, I wasn’t sure. Not deep down inside. But every part of me ached for him so badly that I knew the only way to find out if I
was
sure was to do it.

“I need you, Ty,” I said breathlessly. “I need to feel you to know.”

I didn’t know if he understood because he hesitated for another moment until I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist and pulled him down so he crashed onto me. The weight of him, his hardness between us, pressed against the center seam of my jean shorts, rubbing the sweet spot that made me whimper. He apparently liked that because he smiled as he moved his hips, grinding against me again. I moaned louder. He did it once more, making my back arch, but then he held still, except to lean down and kiss me crazy. When he seemed too busy with my mouth and then my neck to do it again, I lifted my hips and stroked against him. Now he moaned. We rocked against each other several times, until he lifted himself again to look at me, as if to ask to go further.

I was about to beg for more, when more eyes slid across my vision. Not like in the woods when I peed, but when Leni had touched me. Beautiful eyes of different colors sliding in and out of focus. They once again settled on green, but not Leni’s green, and not Ty’s hazel that was more brown than green.

Mason
.

The light color had to be his. The sick feeling of guilt pitted in my stomach.

But before I could focus on any other thought, someone pounded on the window.

“Ty, you and Bex need to get out of here.” Was that Jeric’s voice? Why did he sound so … panicked?

For the first time, I noticed the commotion outside.

“Get out of here!” a male’s voice yelled. Not Jeric’s this time. Was it Brock’s?

“Hurry!” Jeric yelled from right outside the truck again.

Ty and I shared a look, and then I quickly buttoned up my halter as he pushed himself off of me. We couldn’t see anything through the steamed-up windows, but the sounds coming from outside made little sense. And also raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Screeching and snapping and the cracking of things breaking.

Ty finally threw the door open. “What the hell?”

I tried to look out but only saw streaks of dark shapes flying by.

“Get Bex home,” Jeric yelled. “We got this, Ty, but you two need to get out of here.”

“I ain’t—” Ty was shoved back into the pickup.

“GO!” Brock yelled. “She’s not safe here.”

Ty’s head snapped toward me, his eyes wide. I scurried over to the passenger side, about to open the door to see for myself, but he already had the engine turned over and was slamming the truck into gear. With one hand on the wheel, he grabbed his shirt with the other and wiped the windshield enough for him to see. It was already starting to clear, though, and I could see blurred shapes of trucks driving away, leaving only Jeric, Leni, Brock, and Asia, who fought some people in black pants and black hoodies. Like those guys who were always hanging out in the truck stop parking lot after Sullivan’s had closed.

“We can’t leave them to fight those guys!” I said.

“It’s their fight,” Ty said, “and you heard them. It’s not safe for you.”

“Like it’s safe for
them
?”

He glanced in his rearview mirror, and I looked over my shoulder. The window had cleared enough to see the field now far behind us.

“Jeric and Brock are fighters,” Ty said, “and those two girls are holding their own, too.”

“Who are they?” I asked, but I didn’t really expect an answer. Watching them now, they barely seemed human the way they moved. And I meant the people we knew as much as those we didn’t.

A dark shape streaked toward us. A heavy blackness slammed through me. A Darkness like I’d never felt before. As the figure crashed into the back window and exploded into nothing but a mist, the word “demon” came to mind right before I blacked out.

Chapter 14

“Leni, get Bex and Ty! They’re in the truck,” Asia yelled at me before swinging her fist at a Shadowman’s throat.

Jeric and Brock were closer to Ty’s black truck than I was, though, and Jeric banged on the window. I sprinted after the Shadowman about to attack him. My shoulder plowed into the Lakari’s side, and we rolled head over feet for about ten yards. I jumped up at the same time he did, and he lunged at me. I grabbed his forearm with both hands, gripped tightly, and swung him over my head, twisting my body around with the momentum. He grunted on impact when his back slammed into the ground, but didn’t burst into pieces or smoke. His hands clawed at mine, his long, sharp fingernails that belonged on a beast, not a human, digging into my skin. I kicked him in the head. His grip loosened. I stomped on his chest. He disintegrated.

Ty’s truck threw two fountains of mud and grass up as he took off out of the field. I watched the taillights for a moment, glad to see they escaped, hoping they weren’t followed. They were the last to leave besides us Guardians.

“Leni!” Jeric yelled.

I spun toward him, but it was too late. A Shadowman’s fist drove into my temple. Stars shot across my eyes. My vision went sideways as I stumbled and almost fell. I caught his next swing, my hand blocking the blow, but he lifted his knee at the same time, and it nailed me in the ribs. The air flew out of me. I didn’t have time to pause, though. Another fist headed for my face. I blocked it with my forearm and swung around to kick him in the kidneys—or whatever they had in their lower backs. It was a tender spot, I knew from past experience. The impact pushed him off-balance. He stumbled, tripped, slowly went down to his knees. I thrust the heel of my hand upwards into his nose. He exploded into dust that sprayed all over me before swirling together and rising to the sky.

There were still six more Shadowmen on the ground, and a cloud of Darkness churning overhead. My body lurched forward as I tried to run to help fight, but I couldn’t catch my breath. A sharp pain tore through my side every time I inhaled, like a stitch but much worse. I pressed a hand to the place right below my left boob—damn, did it hurt. I took a few more steps as the others still fought, but my vision wavered in and out of focus. If I could only breathe …

“Jeric, you guys project,” Brock yelled. “We’ll cover you!”

Jeric ran for me, his eyes filled with horror, his arms reaching out for me. He caught me just as my knees buckled. We both went to the ground.

“Come on, babe, let’s do this the fun way,” he said, and we both projected from our bodies.

The light from our souls lit up the field like a spotlight. We soared for the Shadowmen on the ground, making Brock and Asia’s job of protecting our bodies easier. Our Light burst holes through them, and their pieces scattered before rising to the others. Once the ones in human form were gone, we flew upwards toward the Dark cloud. We split into two tines, encircling the cloud until we met on the other side, then squeezed inward like a noose. The Dark souls screamed like sirens as we demolished them.

Once they were gone, Jeric’s soul filled every nook and cranny of mine, the feeling better than any pain meds human doctors could prescribe.

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?” His words swirled through us.

“I’ll be okay. Just give me a little more time like this.”

While Jeric’s soul removed the pain, the Bonding would help me heal faster than normal. We watched Brock and Asia carry our bodies to their Camaro. They must have known I was hurt, too, and knew what I needed. They placed me in the back and Asia crawled in with me, then Brock put Jeric in the front passenger seat. They drove us through town and toward the RV park. Jeric and I stayed in our soul forms, letting our bodies tug us along. As we floated through the night, we remained alert for any Lakari. None were nearby, but if they were really interested in someone in Lake Haven, more would be back very soon. We dropped into our bodies right before Brock parked next to my truck so they wouldn’t have to carry us again.

“Ow,” I gasped as soon as I tried to suck in a deep breath. The pain in my side was no longer like a pick lodged into my ribs as it had been before, but I had a feeling I had more than bad bruises. “I think my rib’s broken.”

“Let’s get you inside, and you two can spend the rest of the night Bonding,” Asia said. “You’ll feel tons better in the morning, I promise.”

Jeric helped me out of the car and wrapped his arm around me, trying to take most of my weight.

“That hurts more,” I said, pushing away from him. “I can walk.”

He didn’t leave my side, though, his arm out, ready to catch me if I fell.

“Come in, guys,” I said to Brock and Asia while Jeric unlocked the camper. “We need to talk.”

“We can talk about it in the morning,” Asia said. “You need to rest.”

“I won’t be able to until I know what the hell happened.” I stepped inside and fell to the futon. The jolt made me gasp again.

Jeric moved some pillows around to prop me up better, and then sat down next to me. Asia sat on the other side of the little dining table so she could see us, and Brock was barely inside, leaning against the cabinet that held the microwave and refrigerator, his arms crossed over his broad chest. The four of us in here at once made my little camper feel like a tin of anchovies.

“Did you guys feel any warning, because I sure didn’t,” I said.

Everyone shook their heads.

“Brock and I were sitting at a picnic table, watching and listening,” Asia said. “The last twenty or so people were all gathered around the bonfire. Except Bex and Ty.”

“He could have been a very happy man tonight,” Jeric muttered. “His truck windows were all steamed up.”

“And the Lakari came out of nowhere,” Brock said.

Asia tapped her finger against her lip. “I did hear a scream from the woods.”

“I did, too,” I confirmed. “It was Bex. She came running out of the woods with Ty. She sounded more surprised than scared, though, so I think he might have snuck up on her.”

Brock’s chin tilted down, and he looked up at us under a wrinkled forehead. “The Lakari came from the woods, too.”

I hadn’t seen when they arrived, although I’d felt the tingle on the back of my neck. By the time Jeric and I had turned around to see, a dozen of them in human form were sprinting for the party. Brock and Asia had already been yelling at everyone to run while they darted toward the danger.

“So they could have come for Bex and Ty?” I asked.

“They had to have been in his truck for a while by the time the Lakari showed, though,” Jeric said. “We can’t be sure based on that. Especially since we don’t know what shocked her.”

“But we know for sure they’re hunting someone young and someone at that party,” I said. “As far as I know, that’s the first time Bex and Ty have really been together for years, if they were steaming up windows. Maybe the Lakari were trying to stop it.”

“Why now, though?” Jeric asked. “They used to be together as a couple already. If they were Twin Flames, he wouldn’t have been able to leave her.”

“Unless … can something block a connection between Twin Flames, like if they’re too young or something?” Asia suggested. We all stared at her. “What? It’s an idea. A possibility, right? I mean, nobody remembers anything worth remembering, so that could be one of those things.”

“Enyxa could have figured something out,” Brock said, following the idea further. “And then figured out a way to send Ty off to be killed in Afghanistan before they ever Bonded.”

I stared off into space, running this possibility through my mind. Until and unless we were able to remember any reason this couldn’t happen, I supposed the idea had potential. It didn’t feel right to me, though, in my gut. Not like the theory that Bex was Rebethannah did. Because if she was and Ty was her other half, then wouldn’t we recognize his soul, too? And why would Nathayden have sent us a message to save Rebethannah if he was already here? Ty had shown up back in town the same day we had. Of course, I didn’t know for sure if Nathayden had sent that message, or if he had, when. We also had no idea where Nathayden was—on this world or another. The two words had appeared magically, without a date stamp or postmark giving a location. How inconvenient.

“Well, we all feel Darkness overhanging both of them,” I finally said. “But that would have gone away when he came back, right?”

“Or maybe not until they really got together,” Jeric said. “Bex has been pushing him away, keeping him in the friend zone until tonight.”

“We can watch for the signs over the next few days,” I said. “We should know pretty quickly.”

“Maybe,” Asia said, “but since everyone’s reBonding is different, we may not notice anything. Especially from the outside.”

“They’ll head for the Gate or get soul-sickness if they don’t, like Jacey and Micah,” I said.

“Only if they’re Guardians. Not if they’re regular old Twin Flames. And even if they are, it could take a day or a few weeks for soul-sickness to set in. Sometimes longer.”

I tilted my head. “Really? I thought it happened pretty fast.”

Asia shrugged. “I just know every dyad’s experience is different when they first meet.”

“Asia and I didn’t get sick at all,” Brock said. “And we’d been together, off and on, for a while. We just knew from the journal that we needed to go. Well, Asia knew.”

“I think I felt the sickness coming on,” she said.

“But there were the phoenix marks on your arms, the word dyad screaming in your head … all of that. Right?” I asked. “And what do you mean off and on? How could you even be away from each other? Jeric’s car exploded into flames when he tried to leave me.”

Asia shrugged. “None of that happened with us. We read about those things with Jacey and Micah, but it took us a while to catch on because we weren’t like that. But even when we weren’t on, we weren’t that far from each other …”

She trailed off, and Brock cleared his throat. “It just wasn’t like that for us, okay? We didn’t even have the phoenix marks until the day we decided to head for the Gate. That’s what made us realize we were like Jacey and Micah. But the point is, everyone’s different.”

My gaze slid from Asia to Brock. Both of their faces had closed off, putting an end to any more personal stories from them. Jeric picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze. I’d thought before that our relationship felt tighter than theirs. I knew for sure now that it was at least different. Sparks flew immediately for Jeric and me—and Jacey and Micah. We thought that was standard for Twin Flames, but now my perspective changed on everything, including whom the Lakari could be targeting.

“So, Bex and Ty are still possible options,” Jeric said, taking us back to the problem at hand. “Did you two find out anything else?”

I hadn’t realized how tense Brock had been from that last tangent we’d been on until I watched his shoulders drop a few inches now that we’d moved back to our mission.

“I heard one of the guys—the one who left early—say something about needing to get home to his girlfriend, because she was sick,” he said. “Mentioned something about getting test results next week.”

“So someone who could be really ill,” Jeric said. “Except she has a boyfriend, so probably not going Dark.”

Asia snorted. “That doesn’t mean anything. There are a gazillion unhappy relationships in this world. Millions of married people who are severely depressed. Millions more getting the shit beat out of them by people who say they love them.”

Jeric scowled at Asia’s point. He knew this truth too well.

“So she’s a possibility,” I said, pushing on. “We need to find out who she is.”

“There was also a lot of talk about the new people, and not us,” Asia said. “I guess a few of the old high school crowd were back in town with new partners. A couple of them seemed pretty tight, too. Could be Twin Flames meeting up … or soul mates.”

“More possibilities then.” I blew out a frustrated sigh—we still had no clear answers—and whimpered at the pain. The conversation had distracted me for a while, and I’d nearly forgotten about my injuries.

Jeric jumped to his feet. “That’s it. Bedtime for you, babe. You need some Bonding action.”

Brock chuckled and reached his hand out for Asia. “That’s our cue. You two have fun with that.”

“Feel better, Leni,” Asia said as her other half tugged her out of the camper.

“I’ll be fine.” I fought a grimace as I stood up.

Jeric locked up the camper as I headed back to the bedroom and crawled into bed. A few minutes later, he climbed in next to me, and we scooted and wiggled until we were comfortable and I could breathe without pain. Then we projected and Bonded throughout the night. A couple of Lakari had already shown up, staying in spirit form over the trailer park. They sure did have an interest in this side of town. Ty and Bex had to be their target. Right? But who were they to each other? And to us? Anything at all? Or … nothing?

I felt almost completely new the next day. At least, my body did, but my mind still reeled with all of the possibilities.

“You gave me a real scare last night,” Jeric said as he sat at our picnic table next to me with a cup of coffee in hand. He kissed my temple. “That’s exactly why I don’t like the idea of you fighting. Of us being here at all, doing this … thing that we do.”