The Travelers: Book Two (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Izzy awoke to the sound of Aaron’s snoring next to her. His body radiated an enveloping warmth that pulled her in closer. She couldn’t resist him. He groaned and his hand slid over the swell of her hip, around her waist to pull her tight against him. There was no doubting how much he wanted her and Izzy smiled with a satisfied feminine purr as she snuggled into him.

“Izzy! Aaron!”

She realized that maybe it wasn’t his snoring that had woken her.

“Aaron,” she whispered, trying to wake him.

He groaned and tightened his grip around her waist. Izzy was tempted to slip back into her mercifully dreamless sleep, but a frantic knock on the door kept her from relaxing.

“Please,” Gemma pleaded from the other side.

Izzy didn’t hesitate another moment; she popped out of bed and slipped into Aaron’s discarded t-shirt before opening the door a crack.

“What’s up Gem?” she asked with a yawn, wondering how long they’d been asleep.

“He’s gone,” Gemma said, hysteria creeping into her voice.

<<<>>>

A few hours earlier…

Carson watched the life drain from Reddy’s eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. There was nothing here. Nothing that could give him any more information about what Preston was doing or how he was holding these women. As much as Carson wanted to save them all, if he didn’t know Preston’s end game they were just going to keep running around in circles.

The wolf inside him protested against being stationary. It was his obligation to save these women; he was the one with the powers and the knowledge.

He restarted the video.

Immediately the wolf bristled at the sight of Preston Waters. The more intense his anger grew the harder it was to control the ferocious beast inside of him. It didn’t help that he was itching for a rematch with the enormous lion. No part of Carson was accustomed to coming in second.

He knew when to admit defeat, though. By himself, he couldn’t find anything in the video that was helpful. All he had was a taunt — Preston Waters was worried about him, that was at least something in his favor. He knew it was time to throw in the towel.

The shadows wrapped around Reddy’s pale bruised flesh and drained her little by little. He saw the teeming mass just behind Preston and it seemed to be growing.

That’s when he saw it — it was tiny, no doubt, but it was there — fear. Preston wasn’t in complete control of those shadows; it was only for a split second, the maniacal gleam in his eyes faded, gave way to something new and frightened. If he’d blinked, Carson would have missed it, for in the next instant, Preston’s facade was back in place as if it had never left.

The thought of Preston Waters controlling the terrible shadow creatures was horrific enough, but to know that they were getting stronger — too strong for him to handle — that only made the situation more dire.

There was no time to waste. If the shadows over-powered Preston or broke free of whatever hold he had on them, the women he held captive wouldn’t stand a chance.

<<<>>>

“What? Who’s gone?” asked Aaron, sitting up in bed, his chiseled chest exposed and silvery scars clearly visible in the dim light.

“Carson,” Gemma sobbed, “He’s gone… left… I told him… gone…” she muttered over and over incoherently.

Izzy tossed a questioning look back to Aaron who was already dressing himself.

“Slow down. Just tell us what happened,” she said.

By then, others started to hear the commotion. For the time being, they were all staying in the clubhouse; they all agreed that sticking together was the best idea both for general safety and for quick response times if something happened.

Trick stumbled into the hallway, rubbing at his bleary eyes.

“What’s all the blubbering for?” he mumbled.

Ty peered around the corner of his make-shift bedroom door. He squinted before sliding his glasses on.

“Is everything all right?” He asked.

Izzy could see that Gemma was already getting overwhelmed with the attention and magnitude of the situation. She rested a hand on Gemma’s back and led her to the main living area of the upper floor.

“Okay, so tell us what’s going on with Carson.”

“What’s going on with Carson?” Trick asked, suddenly more awake.

Aaron glared at him, “That’s what we’re trying to find out, genius.”

“Oh, shove it, G.I. Joe,” Trick snapped.

“Both of you shut up and let Gemma talk,” Izzy barked.

Gemma sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to shake of the desperate shaking sobs that silently wracked her body.

“He was… obsessed with that video,” she sniffled, “I went to bed… when I woke up he wasn’t there. Well…” she paused, flicking her eyes to Izzy’s before finding the floor again, “he’s there. He’s just not
there.
”

<<<>>>

As much as Carson knew he would catch hell for it later, he also knew that he couldn’t leave the fates of those women up to chance.

He leaned over the blissfully unaware sleeping beauty that he called his girlfriend and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

“Please don’t be too angry at me for this,” he whispered.

The transition came easily now — the connection between Carson, Gemma and the wolf was strong and resilient. He trusted her; this could work, he just knew it.

Without much of a plan, Carson set off for the warehouse headquarters of Preston Waters.

The hair on the back of his neck bristled as he made his way through the abandoned industrial section of the city. He could
feel
the pulsating energy coming from the frenzied and Waters’ minions.

The stench of vinegar was almost a pleasant distraction from the fetid odor that met his keen nose now — decay and fear.

A high-pitched scream made his ears twitch.

Carson padded his way closer to the warehouse, but he felt himself growing weaker.

The connection to his body seemed to be slipping.

He looked down and saw that his feet were nearly transparent.

Another scream.

He had to save her.

<<<>>>

“What do you mean he’s not there?” Ty asked.

Gemma swiped the tears away from her cheeks and led everyone into the bedroom she and Carson had been sharing.

Carson lay on the bed with his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling rhythmically. If they didn’t know better, it would be easy for a person to think him simply asleep.

Upon further inspection, one could tell that he didn’t react to anything in the room around him. Sounds, light, smells, even temperatures didn’t faze his prone body.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Aaron asked.

Gemma nibbled her bottom lip and sat on the edge of the bed next to Carson, one hand covering his.

“Well… There’s one thing…” she muttered.

“What?” Izzy asked, unable to look at her comatose brother. “Whatever it is, you have to do it. He can’t be out there alone, Gem.”

“I know! It’s just…” her hands trembled as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Aaron’s heavy hand rested on Gemma’s slumped shoulder, “Tell us.”

“I…” she started, her voice catching in her throat, “I used to be able to pull him back. But now…”

“Now the bond is too strong,” Alina finished.

Gemma’s eyes flew to the redhead; she didn’t even hear her come in, but she was thankful that Alina was there. Everyone believed in Alina’s expertise.

“Well… yeah,” Gemma answered, “To pull him back I had to sever our connection. I’m just afraid…”

“If you sever it, it may not be repairable,” Alina finished her thought again.

Tears filled Gemma’s eyes again, but she was determined to keep them at bay. Carson needed her to be strong.

“But what if something happens to him?” Izzy asked.

“She can’t risk losing the connection. If she severs it now, Carson may lose his ability to Travel forever. Without Carson, there’s no one to keep Preston in check,” Alina said with a pointed look at Aaron. She managed to speak Preston’s name without stuttering, but the thought of him was still enough to make her light-headed.

Gemma held Carson’s hand in hers. She could save him, but would that mean she would lose him? Without their connection, would Carson even be interested in her anymore?

She searched for their connection, struggling to find it. It was weak — barely there. It would be like ripping a paper chain at this point. She took a deep breath. She could do this.

<<<>>>

He realized too late that it was the trap his friends had warned him about.

The screams were real this time; the women Preston Waters held captive were chained and slowly drained of their life by the shadows.

A low growl came from Carson’s throat as he watched the shadows strike out and mark the flesh of the captives.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist,” a familiar voice crooned from behind.

Carson turned and saw Preston with five burly henchmen surrounding him — they weren’t human any more. The shadows that controlled the men had morphed their body to grotesque, almost cartoonish proportions.

The wolf’s ears laid flat and his tail pointed straight out as he snarled and growled at the people eying him with malice.

“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Preston laughed.

Carson lunged at him, teeth bared.

An invisible force stopped him and he struggled to breathe.

No, it wasn’t an invisible force — it was a chain.

The chain tightened around his neck.

“Funny, you wouldn’t think that something so simple would be able to stop you, eh?” Preston laughed.

Carson caught a glimpse of the black metal choking him. It seeped the energy from him, sapping him of his strength as his silvery glow faded.

His vision tunneled and the last thing he saw was Preston’s crazed smile.

“Don’t worry, buddy,” he said with a pat on Carson’s head, “I have great plans for you.”

The wolf whined before he lost consciousness.

<<<>>>

“Well?” Aaron asked after a few moments of silence.

Everyone seemed to be at a loss. This was new territory for all of them. Gemma didn’t want to risk losing her connection with Carson, but if the choice was between losing the connection and losing him, she knew what her decision would be.

Carson’s face grew ashen and pale.

Gemma lost her grip on the connection.

“What is it?” Alina asked, sensing that something wasn’t right.

“The connection,” Gemma said, “it’s so weak. I don’t know why.”

“Perhaps he’s already tried to sever it to come back?” she suggested.

Gemma pondered the possibility. Did Carson know the consequences? He’d made her promise long ago to never pull him back. But that promise was made before all of this. Before they really knew what was going on.

She felt for his heartbeat and found it thready and irregular. He was holding on, but just barely.

“You have to do something!” Izzy cried, noticing the bluish color creeping into his lips.

Gemma held Carson’s hand in her lap and placed a kiss on his palm.

“Please forgive me,” she muttered.

In her mind, she saw the chain that connected them; she latched onto it with both hands and started to pull it apart.

As the connection frayed and stretched, sharp pain shot through Gemma. She felt like she was having a heart attack. Her body trembled with the effort.

She couldn’t lose focus now though. She had to bring Carson back. Even if that meant losing him in the process.

“Wait!” Izzy cried, pulling Gemma out of her focus.

Gemma’s eyes opened and the room swam before her. Her hand went to her temple in an attempt to steady herself.

“What is it?” she asked.

Izzy looked suddenly reticent to have all the eyes on her. When she was arguing or cracking jokes it never seemed to bother her. But with this new-found ability, she was insecure.

“I… I don’t think you should break your connection,” Izzy said.

All the eyes still rested on her, waiting for elaboration.

“Izzy… is this one of your feelings?” Gemma asked.

Isabel nodded, looking to Aaron for reassurance. His hand snaked down to the small of her back and gave her the strength needed to speak her fears aloud.

“I saw… well, I’m not sure what I saw, to be honest. But you can’t break the connection. That’s the only thing keeping him alive.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ty asked, “For all we know, the connection is keeping him prisoner.”

Izzy’s glare said everything that her mouth couldn’t. Ty cowed back into himself, but Trick picked up where he left off.

“Ty’s right, though. This is new to all of us,” Dez cleared his throat and gave Alina a side glance, “okay, new to
most
of us,” Trick amended. “Are we really going to trust Carson’s fate to a
feeling
?”

“Normally, I would be skeptical right along with you,” Aaron said, “but we’re better off playing it safe with so many unknowns.”

Gemma searched Izzy’s face for any sign of hope.

“Please Izzy, I know you can see more. Help us find him. Where do they have him?”

Isabel nibbled on her lip, regretting ever opening her big mouth.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture her brother. She tried to imagine where he was, the people that held him captive.

“I… can’t,” she muttered, her mind failing to come up with anything.

Alina frowned, “Try to concentrate. Your premonitions have been exceptionally accurate,” she encouraged.

Izzy closed her eyes again, trying to access the part of her brain that held onto these weird images.

She felt weak — dizzy and incoherent. The images in her mind were hazy and unfocused. She tried to muddle through them, but it was like wading through pudding. She just couldn’t get anywhere.

When she opened her eyes again, they shone with the sparkle of unshed tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wish I could help, but I can’t.”

Her eyes fell on Carson’s gray face and her heart suddenly felt like it was being squeezed. Her breaths came fast and shallow; she’d never had a panic attack before, but sitting there hyperventilating with little to no control of her body, Izzy wondered if this is what it felt like.

A firm grip on her shoulders brought her back to the present. Aaron’s golden eyes gazed straight into hers and bored through all of her insecurities straight to the heart of the problem.

“Isabel Sanchez, for as long as I’ve known you you’ve been fearless. You pick fights with men three times your size — and win,” he grinned and Izzy laughed in spite of herself.

“No one is going to blame you if this doesn’t work. But it’s going to work. You are amazing and I know you’re not going to let your brother down.”

“But, I can’t…”

She never had a chance to finish voicing her protest.

His lips descended on hers; their union was white-hot and electric. His gentle persistence whittled away at her resolve until she granted his tongue entrance.

With no consideration for all of the eyes watching them, Izzy wrapped her hands around Aaron’s neck and pulled him in deeper.

His expert tongue stroked hers and brought focus back to her mind. While Aaron made the world around them spin, he steadied the world within her.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders and he supported her with a strong hand on her back as her mind ventured to Carson’s captors.

Aaron’s relentless assault on her senses made it easier for Izzy to detach herself, to give in to the visions. She saw Carson bound in dark chains, barely able to lift his head. She saw the other women, similarly trapped. The shadows danced around and teased them at Preston’s command.

She tried to look around to get her bearings. They couldn’t afford another foul-up like with Alina’s rescue.

Preston said something. She turned her attention back to him and his eyes met with hers. But that wasn’t possible. She wasn’t really there. Still, his soulless eyes stared right at her and the corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards in a knowing smile.

Izzy broke the kiss with a gasp, fighting to catch her breath. Her heart raced in her chest and she couldn’t get the image of Preston’s eyes out of her mind.

He saw her.

She didn’t know how it was possible, but Preston knew she was there.

She glanced around at everyone else in the room, suddenly ashamed for their display. Aaron didn't seem to share her embarrassment.

"Well?" Gemma asked, as hopeful as ever that Izzy would have some useful information.

Isabel sighed, wondering how much she should really share with her friends.

"I saw him -- Carson. He's in chains. They're keeping him captive with the other women."

"Is he okay?" Gemma asked.

"I think so. He looks weak, but I don't think they've done anything to hurt him... yet."

"So, were you able to see what part of the warehouse he was in?" Ty asked.

Izzy nodded.

They all left Carson alone in the bedroom; Ty wanted Izzy to point out on the blueprints where she'd seen him. They needed to devise a plan for his escape.

Trick still seemed skeptical, "So, we're all just accepting that Izzy can see the future? No one else thinks that's weird at all?"

"You're the one that likes all that science fiction stuff," Dez grumbled.

"Well... yeah," Trick admitted, "but still. It doesn't fit the pattern of what we've seen."

"I don't think we have enough evidence to say that there even
is
a pattern," Ty said.

"Well, that's not entirely true," Alina said, surprising everyone again with her cool demeanor. She normally seemed as fragile as a hummingbird, but something was changing with the newest member of their group. She was no longer the same frightened timid broken bird that they'd found.

No, something in Alina seemed to have clicked. She was no longer terrified of Preston Waters; she knew she was safe. She was much more concerned for the fates of the women he held now. She knew what a nightmare it was to be kept his prisoner. She hated knowing that others were being subjected to the same horrors she was. It only made matters worse that some of them had lost their lives for it.

"What do you mean?" Ty asked.

Alina looked at Aaron and lifted her eyebrows.

He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. How could she know? He never told anyone.

He kept his mouth shut.

Alina sighed.

"I think that there might be other Travelers than Carson. Preston hinted at it in his video and I believe he's trying to lure them out by holding Carson hostage," she said.

"Other Travelers?" Gemma asked, her heart pounding. Every moment she was away from Carson sent her a little closer to her breaking point. How could she be certain that he was okay if she wasn't standing vigilant watch over his body?

Izzy turned to look at Aaron, her eyes starting to show a hint of understanding.

"I didn't tell you, because I thought I was going crazy..." she said before turning to everyone else, "the shadows attacked me the other night... and something saved me. Or... maybe someone. It was a giant owl. I only caught a glimpse of it, but I know he saved my life."

Alina pursed her lips and nodded.

"Okay, so that confirms my suspicions, there's definitely another Traveler out there," she said.

"But how are we supposed to go about tracking down this rogue Traveler? And how are we going to convince him to help Carson?"

"You won't have to," Aaron said with a sigh.

Izzy turned to him with wide eyes, "What? Of course we do..."

"No, you don't. I think it's me. Well... I know it is. I was the owl, Izzy. I just didn't want to tell you and have you freak out. I didn't want you to feel like you were obligated to be with me because of something like this."

"You mean...?" her eyes shimmered with emotion.

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I just wanted to protect you. I couldn't keep him in. He was clawing to get out to you. Nothing could stop us from protecting you," Aaron said.

A satisfied smile crept onto Alina's lips.

"How long did you know?" he asked her.

"Oh, I think I've suspected since you were able to rid her of the frenzy. That's no easy task," she answered.

Izzy's cheeks turned bright pink; all along -- they'd known more about this than they let on. They let her muddle her way through visions and nightmares without ever telling her that it could be linked to Aaron and his powers.

She should be angry, she thought. But Aaron was right; if he'd told her about the owl she would have panicked. She would have run away as fast as possible. No matter how many years she'd been in love with Aaron Washburn, she wasn't going to let some mystical power force them together. She wanted to have the choice or at least the illusion of free will.

“So, you’ve known you had these powers for how long? And you let Carson deal with this on his own?” Gemma accused, her voice trembling.

Aaron flinched at the high-pitched shriek that Gemma’s voice became. She had every right to be upset with him. His denial could have cost his friend his life. Hadn’t he dealt with that enough over the years? He couldn’t lose Carson.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what we were up against. I don’t know how to control it or anything. It was all just an accident,” he admitted.

“You weren’t exactly forthcoming with everything when you learned about your super-powers,” Trick reminded her.

Gemma cast an angry glance in his direction, but it soon softened. He was right. Now wasn’t the time for placing blame. They had to figure out a plan.

“It took a lot of practice for Carson and I to figure everything out,” Gemma said.

“But you were doing it without guidance,” Alina reminded.

“They have us to help them,” she said, taking Gemma’s hand in her own.

“Alina’s right,” Izzy said, taking Gemma’s other hand, “we’re all going to have to work through this together.”

Trick scoffed, pouting again that he’d missed out on the super-power train.

“Yeah right, us non-magics are useless,” he muttered.

“Hey, speak for yourself,” said Ty defensively, “I spent all night hacking into Amoreforme’s app. For the time being it’s offline.”

“That stops Preston’s supply of fresh hostages,” Aaron said, “good work, Poindexter.”

Ty seemed to take pride in the nickname rather than his usual umbrage.

“So,” Aaron said, clapping his hands together, “let’s get down to business. Teach me to Travel.”