Kissed (The Thorn Chronicles) (27 page)

The entire building was gone in less than an hour. At least I wasn’t dead. I wondered how long he’d let me live, now that all the protection was gone. Except the roses in my room. They still had power to protect me. My father may have thought that he won, but there was no way I was staying under his tyranny. If Kai didn’t come tonight, tomorrow I would run.

I went back into the house exhausted in every possible way. Tears seemed appropriate, but I couldn’t even summon the energy to cry. I tore off my ugly shoes and climbed into bed, falling asleep in seconds, knowing that tonight at least I’d be protected from my father because the vase of roses guarded my room.

My roses are all stuff of dreams now. Pipe Dreams. Forgotten Dreams. Even Sweet Dreams.

My dreams were unsettling. Large biker tattoo artists attempted to tattoo my stomach with green hair. Then it switched to a whole forest of rose trees going up in flames. I tossed and turned trying to fight away the fear and the anxiety when a wave of peace rushed into my stomach. I awoke at once, knowing what was about to happen, but I did not open my eyes. I tried to control both my rapid breath and my racing heart.

I felt my bed sink as he sat down on the edge of it. He traced a calloused finger along the edge of my jaw.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”

I felt his breath as he placed his lips on mine. I found the honey and cinnamon taste once again. My fingers tingled and I reached up to touch his face, but he abruptly pulled away.

“Open your eyes. I know you’re awake.”

I sat up, blinking. He looked exactly as I remembered him, with tousled hair and stubble on his jaw. I smiled, but he looked angry.

“Who have you been kissing?” he asked, glowering.

I rolled my eyes and avoided the question. I had questions too, and mine were going to get answered before his. Plus, he was going to freak when he found out that it’d been Puck. I couldn’t believe he was sitting in front of me. He was gorgeous and I’d missed him too. Even if I did have Puck to distract me.

“I know what you are and what you’re doing here,” I said my own anger building. I waited for the taste of blood, but it didn’t come. I suppose if I didn’t really want to hurt him it would have tasted like sour milk instead.

He sat back down on the bed. “Oh, really? And exactly what am I doing here?”

“Trying to take out the Master Destroyer.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Hmm…and what else do you know?” He held up his hand. “Wait, don’t answer that. What I really want to know is who you’ve been kissing. You were in Vegas, right?”

I nodded.

“Then it was probably one of Alejandro’s clan. It doesn’t surprise me, someone like you finding them.”

His words surprised me. “What do you mean someone like me?”

“They told you all about me, but didn’t bother to tell you what you were?”

“That I’m a Shade? Well yeah, they figured it out eventually. But everyone seemed shocked by it, with me being a girl and all.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, that took me by surprise too, but once I figured out what it meant, well, it changes things doesn’t it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He leaned forward and smirked. “Really? I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“Tell you what?” I hedged. I knew what he meant, but he would be so mad at Puck.

“Who have you been kissing?” he asked.

“How can you tell someone else has been kissing me?”

“If it had just been a normal person, I wouldn’t. But Guardians leave behind an energy. It prevents us from encroaching on each other’s territory. Someone else has definitely been kissing you. A lot.”

I grinned. He frowned.

“And he had to have known that you belonged to someone else. Who was it?”

He really didn’t know. He didn’t have to know.

“Jason,” I lied quietly, hoping he wouldn’t recognize the name.

Fury burned behind his eyes.

“And did you tell
Jason
,” he spat the name, “that you belonged to me.”

I shook my head. “I don’t belong to you. I can kiss who I like.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Of course you can, but I can’t believe Jason would do that.”

“Do you know Jason?”

He shook his head. “Yes, I mean, no, I mean he shouldn’t have kissed you when he found out you belonged to someone else.”

His answer confused me. “Do you know him or not?”

Kai took a couple of deep breaths. “No, you just confused me is all. You are back now and that is all that matters. You won’t need to see Jason again.”

I gathered the bedspread in my hands. “But what if I want to? What if I decided I like Jason better?”

He smirked, leaned forward and kissed me quickly on the lips. “You don’t. I can tell.”

Time to change the subject or I might just get caught in my lie. “Alejandro told me a lot about you. How come you’re a Council Guardian? You’re so young.”

“Leadership among the Guardians has nothing to do with age. It has to do with strength of power. I probably have more power than practically any Guardian I know. With the exception of the Master. Well, and you, but you are an anomaly. I think.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. It took me a little while to figure out what you were because I was flipping back and forth between Guardian and Destroyer. But one kiss from you and I had enough energy to last a month. With what I was doing, I had a large harem. Nearly sixty women. I had to replenish my energy daily. With a normal Guardian’s duties a single kiss should last a week. But then I found you.”

He took my hand in his and kissed my palm. I shivered.

“But you did visit me every night.”

“Not because I needed to. Because I love you.”

Then he leaned forward and kissed me and all memory and thought disappeared.

I’m not sure how long we kissed for, but it seemed short. Too short, when the first ray of the sun came into my window.

“We need to go,” I mumbled.

He stood. “No,
I
need to go. I can’t take you with me right now.”

I stood up next to him. “Then why did we stay here kissing all night? I can’t stay here. They’ll murder me.”

“No, they won’t. I know their plans and killing you isn’t on the list. Give me one week. You’ll survive, then we’ll run away together. We can go wherever you want.”

My eyes widened. “So I was right. The Master Destroyer is my—”

“Yes. Listen, I don’t know how to make you understand how important all this is. When I was little I watched my dad get murdered. Did you know that in order for a Master Destroyer to be removed from power the one who wants to take over needs to murder them?

“I hid in a corner and watched as a bullet went right in his skull. He never stood a chance. I vowed that day that I would avenge my father. I bet Alejandro didn’t tell you that. Yeah, my father was the Master Destroyer. But he was a good man. I loved him. Plus, he knew how to keep the Destroyers under control. This one doesn’t. I need to make sure that the job is finished before we can go anywhere. I need one more week. Then we can go. You can wait for me.”

He pushed away from me, but I grabbed his arm.

“You need to take me now, drop me off at the bus station and send me back to Vegas. Then you can come to me when you’re done.”

“So you can go back to your precious Jason,” he spat.

If he only knew. He’s gonna kill Puck
. “I can’t believe you would leave me here.”

He held up a finger. “One week.”

Then he disappeared out the window.

I fell back on my pillow, frustrated. The things he said hadn’t made much sense. Did that mean that my father killed his? Plus Puck said that his father was cruel. Kai spoke of him in almost a reverence. Would he kill my father? Could I still love him after that?

I shook my head. Those thoughts needed to wait. Because I couldn’t wait a week. Kai had found me before, he could find me again. Tonight I would run.

Mother Freedom. Mother’s Day. Mother of Pearl. Mother Marie. Mother’s Love. Queen Mother.

I sang softly to myself as I got ready that morning. I brushed my hair without looking in the mirror. In spite of Kai’s insistence that it didn’t look that bad, I knew it looked horrid. As soon as I got back to Vegas, Ginny would have someone fix it for me. I planned on staying in my room for most of the day with the last of my roses and catching up on the sleep that I’d missed the night before, but I had to make an appearance at some point and make sure that Mother didn’t have any chores for me. Which of course, she would, but they would keep me busy while I waited for the evening.

Mother sent me out to the vegetable garden to weed. I worked slowly, methodically, picking large tomatoes and cucumbers. I looked around for the lettuce, hoping that it would be ready and found that it had wilted.

The garden took up most of the morning and by the time I made my way back into the house it was past noon. Father was nowhere to be found, a fact I found reassuring. Mother sat at the table flipping through a folder of pictures.

She hastily put them away when I walked into the room. I put the basket down on the counter.

“What are those?”

“Nothing,” she said and moved to put the folder away. She looked almost normal sitting there. I wondered how much of her life had changed because she had married my father. He had to have influenced who she had become. I wondered who she’d have been if she had married a normal person. At least Alejandro influenced Ginny in a good way. I couldn’t imagine being married to that monster. I hoped when all this was over she’d become a better person. Someone I could be proud to call Mother. It would take time, sure, but maybe someday.

“Where’s Father?” I asked.

“He had to go to a few meetings. We’ll see him again tonight.”

“So he won’t be home for awhile?”

She shook her head. I reached my hand out to take hers. She moved quickly, grabbed the folder and stood up. Physical contact would’ve been best, but I could do it without it. I debated what I wanted her to feel. Love, love would be best. I focused my energy on love, the kind of love that Ginny had for me and sent it to her. It tasted of cinnamon like Kai and smelled of wisteria. It felt like a warm blanket and sounded like a kitten purring. I let all the sensations build within me and then released them toward her with a force I didn’t know I was capable of.

She visibly stiffened when she felt it. I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t expect to feel the sting of hate return to me. It tasted of burnt toast and smelled of melting plastic. It felt like a thousand bee stings and sounded of nails on the chalkboard.

“Naomi, I have nothing else I need you to do. Go hide in your room. I’ll call you for dinner. Your father should be home by then.”

Later, I sat in my room smelling the brilliant aroma of my last few roses and staring at the brilliant pink and orange sky.
Sunset
. Only a few more hours till Kai came back, and then I would convince him to take me to the bus station. My stomach growled. I needed dinner. I turned my door handle. It didn’t budge. I tried turning it again thinking it was stuck.

Panic set in. I went to my window and found that it was locked shut from the outside as well. I sat on my bed and debated. Kai would find a way in.

A few hours later the door handle jiggled. Hopefully it was Kai, but it could just as easily be Mother or Father. I wondered why they locked me in my room.

But when I went to the door and opened it, it was not Kai or even Father.

“Dwayne, what are you doing here?” This could not be happening. Dwayne yanked me out of my room because my roses sat on my dresser. If only I’d retreated into my room, he wouldn’t have been able to get at me.

“Came to get my wife,” he sneered. “But I think we’ll have some fun first. Yer not getting away this time without things being done properly.” He threw me down on the couch and loomed over me. I rolled out from underneath him and sprang toward my bedroom door. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, his breath still reeking of rotting pork chops. That annoying fly buzzing sounded in my ears and I could taste bile in my mouth. He laughed.

“You can’t get away from me now.” He slid his grimy hand down my back and grabbed my butt. “Nice ass. I bet it’s even prettier naked.”

I shoved against him and listened to the sound of gunshots in my head, the taste of blood on my tongue, and the feeling of a knife slicing through the flesh. I sent it to him with all my might. He squealed and relaxed his grip. I twisted and ran.

“Come back here you little bitch.” He followed me into the kitchen and grabbed me by my waist. He used his other hand to encircle both of my wrists so I couldn’t get to him. Then he pushed me up against the kitchen sink, breathing heavily.

“Why do you always hurt me when I touch you? Guess I’ll have to return the favor.” He put his lips to my cheek and I recoiled, not wanting his lips anywhere near me. Then he licked me.

I gagged and bile rose in my throat. I willed it to come out to spray him with the foul vomit, but my stomach did not listen. He bit my check, hard. Tears leaked out.

“I betcha like that.” Then he bit me again. This time I felt the warm blood ooze down my cheek. He licked it. I wanted nothing more than to be away from him. Perhaps his touch would be enough to enforce pain upon him. I threw every ounce of energy I had toward the thought destroy. I wanted him left in agony of the worst kind. I didn’t want him dead, I wanted him to live in his misery, but I would destroy him. I decided to try something different. Instead of sending him pain and misery I tried to suck it out of him. I wanted to pull every happy memory from him body, every smile, every laugh, every joyful emotion he could possibly have so he would become forever lost in his misery. Something strange happened then. Instead of Dwayne yelping in pain or loosening his grip, he stiffened.

A strange sort of electric pull happened. It was as if part of Dwayne was coming into me. The sheer power was exhilarating. I shook my head to clear it, but I didn’t want Dwayne inside of me. I wanted no part of him. I forced myself to sever the connection.