Lightning Kissed (9 page)

Of course, I walked home that night, afraid
to try it again.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me
and I tried somewhere a little further away—and a little further
from that.

The first time I landed in Israel, I nearly
shit my pants right there in the Holy Land.

That was the day before my birthday, three
days before Colby had made me wonder if it had really been a gift
after all.

I hadn’t expected her until Friday morning,
but Thursday night, as I studied as much computer research as I
could from the digital records the Synod would let me see, I felt
the atmosphere shift around me. A bubble popped somewhere nearby in
the time it took for lightning to strike. Lightning had struck. I
knew for sure when Colby knocked on my door, my conscience and my
gift alerting me to her identity.

Agitated nerves flared to life, knowing this
was the beginning of the end. Many things could happen with Colby
and me, with me and the Synod, and with us and the Resin. Things
that didn’t even take into account the government or everyday
worries.

Hell, I didn’t even know if the place in
Tibet would allow me access to Sevella’s journals without
permission from the Synod.

I tried like hell to open the door without a
beaming smile on my face. My senses were already on overload with
her on the other side of it. What would happen when we were
constantly in such close proximity?

The door creaked as it opened. It was a
small cottage of a place. I’d never meant for it to house more than
just me. But it was only for one more day until we headed to
Tibet.

“Hey.” She shielded her eyes against the
light pouring from the tiny abode.

“Come in,” I bid her. She carried only a
small bag, but somehow I knew that small, almost weightless bag
carried a mall’s worth of clothes, even though we could flash into
any store, anytime of the night, and get whatever she needed. I
knew for a fact that she went into H&M, her favorite store, and
got what she wanted in the night, grabbed the surveillance videos,
and then left a wad of cash on the counter as she left.

Colby shivered as she stepped into the
cottage and looked around.

“It’s so cute—like a Hobbit house.”

I chuckled and took the bag from her. I was
right. Her bag was light as could be. She flounced onto the
loveseat and picked up my notebook where I’d been taking notes.
Without a second thought, she plucked her sandals off one by one,
bent her legs under herself, and settled into the couch as she
read.

Who did she think she was kidding? Nothing
had changed between us but a shallow relationship status. Colby was
just as comfortable around me as she always had been—as she always
would be.

“Can I make you some tea?” I offered. She
thought about it for a second, and then opened her mouth to say
something, but must have decided, last minute, to squelch whatever
it was.

“Just say it,” I said.

“I was going to ask you to get me something
else, but I don’t know what we are anymore. I don’t know what you
are to me. I don’t have the right to ask.”

“I’m a man the last time I checked,” I
provided, patting my clothes in the obvious region proving my male
status.

She snickered. “Shut up. You know what I
mean.”

“I think I know what you want.”

I flashed to the back of a gas station in
Southern Mississippi where I knew they had exactly what she craved.
Going inside, I spotted the machine and chuckled at my love’s love
of such a kiddie thing.

I paid for two, since I knew one would never
suffice and flashed back to the cottage, holding on tight to the
priceless treasure.

She looked up at me, desperate not to smile.
“What flavor?”

“I got one cotton candy and one strawberry.
I knew you couldn’t just have one.” I bent down to give it to her
unable to resist jabbing her one more time. Hovering just over her
shoulder, I whispered into her ear, “I know all the things you are
insatiable for.”

She shivered again, the second in such a
short period of time, and looked up at me with those almost golden
light brown eyes. I backed off and offered her both of the
drinks.

“What did you do, memorize all the gas
stations that sell Slush Puppies?”

I shrugged. I never had been good at
pretending not to hang on every breath she took.

“Yeah, so?”

She answered my shrug with one of her own
and went back to reading my notes. By the time the night was over,
she’d given herself half a dozen brain freezes. It never failed. No
matter how many she got, as soon as they receded, she’d down enough
to give her another one.

She had a seriously unhealthy relationship
with brain freezes.

The digital records glowing on the computer
screen grabbed my attention and kept me reading until I could see
the sun rising outside of the windows. I hadn’t even realized it
was so late or early. Colby was long gone, asleep on the couch,
still clutching one of the empty Slush Puppies in one hand and my
notebook in the other. Her lips were tinted red like a child who’d
been keeping a cherry Popsicle company. They were slightly open
while she slept. Her eyes flittered behind closed eyelids. Knowing
Colby, she probably flashed in her dreams and in consciousness. I
stretched, making the blood return to my legs. They’d gone to sleep
sometime in the night. Colby had to be put to bed or her neck would
be killing her later. Putting her empty treat in the trash, I
closed the notebook and picked up her feather-light form. I wanted
more than anything to close the distance between her mouth and
mine, but thought better of it. Tucking her into my tiny bed seemed
like a shame without me next to her, but I wouldn’t sleep with her
unless I had her explicit permission, preferably with her
prompting.

Instead, I would make do with the
loveseat.

The next morning, I woke with the crick in
my neck that I’d saved Colby from.

I pulled my body this way and that trying to
relieve its stiffness. I heard the shower start to run and saw the
steam billowing from the gap between the door and the hardwood
flooring. From this vantage point, her voice could be heard belting
out the chords of Nirvana and the smell of her white, ‘Please for
the love of all that’s holy don’t ever buy her another color other
than white’ Dove soap wafted in with the steam. A myriad of
memories were brought to life by just that one scent. She was a
fickle princess when she wanted to be.

In order to give her the privacy she would
want, I took a frigid shower outside in the makeshift stall that
looked like it was built more for after beach outings than regular
cleanliness. Its walls were nothing more than nailed and patched
driftwood from the sea. There was certainly no steam coming from my
shower since it was colder than a snowman’s ass.

I dressed as quickly as I could and went
back into the cottage, hoping she was ready. I was more than eager
to introduce her to Collin and get her take on the things I’d found
thus far. When I entered, she was cleaning up the place, picking up
after herself and packing her bag.

“Have a good shower?” I asked her.

“Yeah, thank you. You didn’t have to go
outside. Just knock on the door and tell me to hurry up next
time.”

“I will. Are you ready now?”

“Yes. Got anything to eat?”

“There are apples and pears in the
fridge.”

I knew she ate like a bird, always had.

She grabbed a few, one for now and two for
later. Collin would surely put a damper on her eating plans later
on. I wanted to get just a little satisfaction over watching her
get into all the trouble I had with Collin over eating and touching
things—mostly, general breathing in the direction of the books.

I’d texted her pictures of the castle where
the records were kept, so it was easy for us, in a matter of
seconds, to get to the castle. I wanted the first experience at
this place to be completely real for her—so a few things had to
happen. First, she had to discover that knocking on the door did
absolutely no good. She propped her fists on her hips after the
second knock.

“What the hell?”

I pointed to the rope with the
larger-than-life tassel hanging from it.

“You’ve got to be kidding, Theo. What is
this, the Addams Family?”

“Try it.”

Colby was such a lightweight that I had to
help her pull on the rope. A reverberating gong could be heard
echoing through the place. She made a satisfied ‘huh’ and crossed
her arms over her chest.

She observed the surroundings for the first
time in person. She allowed the purple flowers to float along her
fingertips while we waited. She’d always been infatuated with all
things delicate in nature. She didn’t want to be involved with
them, but she respected their beauty. Like babies—Colby loved to
look at babies, but when propositioned to hold one, she would back
away slowly and shake her head with a resounding ‘no’. The
monstrous door began to creak open and I stepped back, wanting
Colby to get the full effect of Collin’s size and stature. Collin
looked haggard this time though, and I regained my previous step to
get a closer look.

“Collin, what’s wrong?”

He looked around and waved us in wordlessly.
After we were inside, he stuck his head out of the door and looked
around again. He hadn’t acted this way the other times I’d come
around. Something was definitely up.

“I’ve been replaced,” he lamented, dragging
his right hand over his closely shaven head.

I was less shocked than I thought I’d be. I
was digging into topics and records that were hardly ever dug from
their graves—that was the way the Synod liked it. Their word on
subjects like Eivan and Eidolon were the end of the story.

Though the Synod, on the surface, encouraged
the Lucents to research their histories, researching and
questioning were two heads of a coin teetering on the edge of
defiance.

“Did they say why?” Colby got his
attention.

“They don’t have to. I already know why. You
must be Colby. It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally.”

Colby shot me a knowing look.

“Because of me,” I provided the answer he
refused to.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve spent the better
part of the last week scanning and getting most of the information
on Eivan and Sevella to digital form. Whoever comes in after me
tomorrow will certainly be—discouraging—to anyone who wants to look
at them in the future.”

This was my fault. This was the reason I
wanted as few people involved as possible. This man, who had been a
Guardian for decades, was now homeless and jobless because of his
desire to help me. And all he did was show me some books.

What repercussions would Colby have to
face?

I’d allowed myself to get so caught up in
having her with me that I let it cloud the fact that it might ruin
her life. Maybe this whole issue with Collin would change her
mind.

“Those sons of bitches. What will you do
now? How can we help you?”

In juxtaposition to his general outward
appearance of strength, Collin held onto the back of the chair
beside him and looked truly perplexed.

“Help me? No one helps me.”

That sparked a dangerous rebellion in
Colby’s eyes. Her personal disdain for the Synod was mostly about
herself and because of the way Rebekah was now treated in their
shadow. But then again, Colby was defiant to anything and anyone
who tried to rule her—she had a real deep-rooted issue with
authority.

“Yes, we will.”

He met her stare with an equally resilient
one. “I can help myself, young lady. I was going to offer my
services to who I believe is the Eidolon.” He turned to address me,
“It would be my honor to help you on your quest for more answers
and information, Theodore.”

THE SYNOD IS THE
GOVERNING BODY OVER THE LUCENTS.

Already, I hated the behemoth—mostly because
he wasn’t letting me have my way. He offered to help Theo with his
quest like Theo was Link from Zelda.

I should’ve taken pictures of Collin’s face
while he talked to Theo. He was in the presence of greatness, or so
his expression revealed.

It was just Theo, for crying out loud.

A miniscule bolt of fear meandered through
my veins as Theo agreed to let Collin go with him.

Because he said me, not us.

‘Sure you can come with me.’

Who in the hell does this skunk ape think he
is?

“Don’t even think about cutting me out,” I
whispered, ashamed of the emotion it carried.

“Hey,” Theo sidled up next to me, using a
soothing tone. “Have I ever cut
you
out?”

He probably meant no harm by that statement.
He would never purposefully hurt me.

But I read between the lines anyway.