Guild of Truth 01 - Silent as the Grave (24 page)

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“Here we are — home sweet motel room — ” Joel slid the large, glass door aside for everyone to enter their tiny room. It was the best the motel had. Three queen-sized beds. Two of which were in the main room as soon as they entered. The third bed was in a small, separate room that only had enough space for the bed and one nightstand.

“Cozy,” Felix said dryly as he leaned through the doorway. “Who gets the semi-private room?”

Sydney took a seat on the bed closest to the bathroom and gave the mattress a few experimental bounces. “You guys take it. Joel and I will take this one, and Niella can have the one closest to the door. That way her wheelchair won’t block the small walkways.” She motioned to the three-foot-wide walking space that surrounded the beds.

Joel came out from his tour of the bathroom. “There’s nothing in there but two mini bars of soap and two equally mini shampoo and conditioner bottles. I think I’ll run to the closest drug store and pick up some things. This room’s got me claustrophobic. Syd, you coming?”

Sydney snuggled deeper into her pillow. “I think I’m going to rest,” she said sleepily.

“I’ll go.” Niella wheeled herself over to the sliding glass door. “I can’t stand being this cooped up.”

Once Joel and Niella left, Cali and Felix retired to their room, where Sydney’s soft snores could be heard even with the door closed.

Cali rolled onto her side, hyperaware of the fact Felix lay less than a foot away from her. “What are we going to do?” she whispered.

The heat at her back grew as Felix shifted closer. He trailed his fingers down the side of her arm. “We’re going to keep you safe, find a way to get proof of Kratos’ wrongdoings, help the others like us out there, and eventually dismantle Vander Donahughe’s company.”

The bed creaked as she turned to face him. “We’re going to do all that from inside a motel room with nothing but the clothes on our backs?”

He rubbed the hem of her T-shirt between his thumb and forefinger, his eyes dark with lust. “We don’t have to wear the clothing on our backs.”

Her heart kicked against her ribs.

“Sydney’s in the other room, you moron.”

His hand slid along the skin of her stomach, ratcheting her pulse up higher. “I can be quiet.” He kissed her.

Cali melted against him. His arms wound around her, his legs curling behind hers to drag her closer. She grasped his face in her hands, the stubble along his jaw prickling her palms. She parted her lips in welcome as his tongue thrust deep. Her entire body throbbed with want.

The hands at her back snuck beneath her shirt, drawing it up. His palms slid around to the front of her shorts, one hand dipping inside.

Her head fell back on a gasp.

“Shh.” Felix breathed heavily along her collarbone.

One of his fingers pushed inside her and Cali bit her tongue to keep from moaning. Her muscles clamped around him, the heel of his hand pressing against her with the perfect amount of pressure.

“Does that feel good?” he whispered in her ear. His voice was rough, heightening her arousal.

“Yes,” she panted as he started to thrust.

He growled in animalistic desire. “I want to be inside you.”

Her hands dropped to the front of his jeans. “Then what are you waiting for?”

Her fingers had wrapped tight around his cock when the sound of the sliding glass door opening reached their ears.

“We’re back,” Joel called merrily.

A low grumble signaled Niella’s presence.

Cali instantly released Felix. His eyes spelled murder for Joel. She jumped from the bed and made a dash to the bathroom through their own separate door. She locked both entrances, needing a minute to organize herself. Her skin was flushed bright red, her breathing heavy. If Joel had walked into their room, there would have been no doubt in his mind of what they’d been about to do.

She turned the faucet on and wet her face with cold water. The ache between her thighs pulsed with every beat of her heart. She cursed Joel’s timing. He couldn’t have waited just a little longer?

She shut the water off and gave herself a couple extra minutes before exiting the bathroom. She stepped out into the main room where Joel was dividing a pile full of toiletries on his bed.

Sydney hadn’t bothered sitting up. She watched with half-lidded eyes. Niella was on her bed. She had earphones on and her eyes closed.

No sign of Felix. The door to their room was still closed. Was he trying to collect himself as well? She licked her lips as a different image came to mind. One of Felix bringing himself to climax.

Cali swallowed thickly. Surely he wouldn’t do that … without her?

She flung the door wide open.

He lay on his back, one arm draped over his eyes, the bulge in his pants still obvious.

“What?” he asked irritably before looking to see who had entered. His expression didn’t lighten when he saw her. In fact, it darkened, as if he blamed her for the pain he was in.

You’re not the only one suffering from sexual frustration, pal.

After a few seconds of standing there she started to feel like an idiot. “Uh, Joel brought toiletries.”

He closed his eyes and dropped his head back on his pillow. “I’m so excited,” he deadpanned. “Is he going to be leaving again anytime soon?”

“You need something else, man?” Joel spoke up from behind Cali. He was still seated on the bed, blissfully unaware of Felix’s mood.

Felix sighed. “I’m fine, Joel. Thanks.”

Everyone went to bed pretty early after rock-paper-scissoring who got to use the bathroom and brush their teeth first.

Niella won. Felix came in last.

Cali took advantage of Felix’s time in the bathroom to strip off her shorts and bra and climb under the covers. They had to check out of the motel tomorrow before eleven. Whoever decided on that time should be shot, in Cali’s opinion.

They were supposed to be planning Vander’s downfall tomorrow, but Sydney had to go in and talk to the police. Niella would most likely go with her. Felix had to work, as did Joel. That left Cali alone the majority of the day. She didn’t mind, though not having a car kind of sucked. Felix was worried about leaving her alone and proposed she come to the bakery with him. She shot the proposal of waking up at three
A.M.
down flat. There was a small park close by that she decided to take advantage of while everyone else was off taking care of their lives. Joel mentioned the hotel’s main office carried notepads and pencils. She’d pick up some items after she checked out.

“You still awake?” Felix slipped into bed beside her.

Her body instantly became aware of him. And what they’d left unfinished a couple hours ago.

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against his body as if they did this every night. As if they were a couple.

Were they?

For the first time she didn’t find the idea frightening. Not even when she considered them to be Mirror Mates. There was a trust she had with Felix that, despite her best efforts to resist, went beyond anything she’d ever had with anyone else, but instead of scaring her, she found herself pressing forward, curious to see where it would take her.

Hopefully somewhere good.

She smiled to herself and relaxed back against him as sleepiness took root. With Felix she’d always be safe.

Cali woke up the next morning twenty minutes before checkout.

“Shit.” She rolled out of bed and rushed to the shower where there was barely enough shampoo and conditioner left for her. “Really?” She pounded at the conditioner. “Guys need to use conditioner?”

She dressed at lightning speed and made it to the check out desk with one minute to spare. Only to realize she didn’t have any cash on her to pay for the sketching supplies she wanted to use that day.

“Awesome,” she said to no one as she shielded her eyes against the burning summer sun. She made her way over to the park and found a tree to rest against. She patted her front pocket to double-check her phone. Felix had said he’d call when he got off work.

She didn’t know how long she sat under that large tree, but suddenly she got a strange, creeping sensation at the back of her neck.

She knew better than to discard her instincts and scanned the park for anything that could be a threat. Children screaming as they ran through the playground were suddenly suspicious to her. Were they Illusions? Was she sensing Collette?

She was sitting off far enough in the trees for Collette to attack without notice.

Not the brightest idea, Cali.

She inhaled deeply to calm herself and focused her power. The tingling at the back of her neck kicked up, and she willed any and all heart beats in close proximity to her to sound aloud.

Lub-dub, lub-dub.

Her head whirled to the left. Nothing was there. Nothing she could see, anyway.

The heartbeat grew louder as she focused on it.

Jente appeared out of nowhere. “Impressive. It’s not very often I’m detected.” He was wearing board shorts and a dark hoodie. The clothing allowed him to blend in with the crowds. It also made him look less threatening than Cali knew he really was.

“What do you want?”

He gave her a droll stare and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “It isn’t obvious by now?”

She kept her face expressionless, though her heart was going a mile a minute. “What does he want with me? Why am I so damn special?” If she was going to face down Jente, she might as well try to get some answers. Collette had already established Cali wasn’t wanted for the strength of her powers.

Jente shrugged carelessly and took a seat next to her as if he had all the time in the world. He was so young. Sunlight streamed through the tree branches, hitting his hair and lighting it with jets of red. His mismatched eyes watched her carefully.

“Not going to run screaming?”

“I want some answers.”

He made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. “The brave and stupid route. At least you keep it interesting.”

She clenched her jaw. “I’m going out on a limb here, but I think that the combination of your age and attitude means you’re the regular pain in the ass of your corporation. Following that assumption, I’m also guessing you don’t mind sliding by the rules or ignoring them.”

There was a gleam of amusement in his face that hadn’t been there a second ago. “You’d assume correctly.”

At least she was getting somewhere.

“Then what does Vander Donahughe want with me? I know for damn sure it’s not because of my artwork.”

Jente scoffed. “His loss. I’ve seen your work and it’s amazing.” He sounded like he meant that. Cali frowned as he leaned over and fished something out of his back pocket. His shoulder brushed hers, and she caught the scent of sand and orange blossoms. He held up a small notebook. She knew that notebook, kept one just like it next to her bed at her apartment so she could sketch when the urge came to her in the middle of the night.

“Is that — ?”

“Yours?” He held it open for her to see. “Yeah, I helped myself when I searched your apartment. Place looked as if a bomb had gone off. Not much of a cook?”

Cali felt a small prickle of satisfaction when faced with the option of ratting out Collette. “I got a little visit from a friend of yours.”

It didn’t take him very long to put two and two together. “Collette’s a stuck-up bitch. And she’s not my friend.”

“Don’t have many friends, do you?”

“Neither do you,” he said ruthlessly.

“How long have you been watching me?”

She could have sworn color spotted his cheeks. “Long enough to make sure.”

“To make sure of what?”

He gazed out at the children playing. “That you were the one we were looking for.”

This was it. “And why were you looking for me in the first place?”

Jente shrugged. “I’m not high enough on the food chain to know that. All I was told was that Vander had been left instructions by Collette’s soul mate, or whatever, about a woman with the power to control sound.”

“Collette’s Mirror Mate told Vander about me?” Wasn’t that guy — Keith? No. Kevin — in a coma?

“Mirror Mate?” Jente laughed. “Is that what you guys call them?”

Cali felt a burning need inside her to defend her guild.

Now wasn’t the time. “Well?” she pushed. “I thought Kevin was unconscious somewhere.”

“He is.” Jente shifted against the bark of the tree, as if trying to find a comfortable spot.
Good luck with that
. “Vander’s the one keeping him alive. He pays for his life support as long as Collette does everything he says and doesn’t fuck up.”

Cali refused to feel sympathy for that psycho bitch or her Mirror Mate.

Kevin shot Felix, remember?

“How did he know about me?” she asked suspiciously.

“He had a vision.” There was an unspoken “duh” tacked on to the end of that sentence. “Vander used him all the time to find people. He was the only one I knew of who could see whatever Vander wanted him to.”

A full-forced Dreamer.

And somehow he’d seen Cali all those months — years? — ago.

Her fingers itched to reach for her cell. “When did you guys learn about my powers?
How
did you learn about them?”

She hadn’t learned about them till over a week ago, when Felix had busted into her life. How could they have known about her when she hadn’t even known herself?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could only imagine what it must be like for Niella to have to deal with all that sort of information. Cali would have gone mad long ago.

Jente averted his eyes. “You have a bad habit of using your powers when you work on your art. I was watching you one evening when you were working on that piece for the dental office. Your roommate was blasting music and singing with that God-awful voice of hers.”

Cali couldn’t help but smile. It was good to know she wasn’t the only one who had thought Jessica had a horrible voice.

Jente continued, “You were so focused on your work that the sound of the music faded from your room. It was small at first. I barely noticed it, but eventually it faded to nothing. I kept closer tabs on you after that. It became more and more frequent as your deadline pressed down on you.”