Lost Energy (26 page)

My face heated. "It's a good
movie."

He kissed one cheek and then the
other. "So good you made her play it over and over when you were little,
every time you'd go to her house for peanut butter and fluff, your favorite
sandwich."

His warm fingers and roaming lips
made it hard to concentrate, but with every detail he gave, another fear
evaporated. "What I wouldn't give for a peanut butter fluff right now."

Full lips skimmed my face to hover
above my mouth. "I also know you sleep with my shirt wrapped around a
pillow."

My face went from hot to burning. "It
smells like you."

"Like sweat? Dirt?" He
grinned, his lips touching mine as he spoke.

My breath came out in sharp intervals,
his touch never failing to stoke the flames. "No…apples."

"Apples?" His warm
chuckle vibrated off my mouth, melting my knees.

"Yes…" Big hands trailed
down my back, forcing everything but his touch from my mind. "Please."

"Please, what?"

"Shut up."

His smile turned a little
dangerous, his warm breath turning my blood to fire. He kissed me, deep and
long, until my knees gave and he had to hold me up.

I wanted more. More than his lips.
I wanted everything. This could be the last time I ever saw him. After I left…I
might not come back from Empyrean. Not alive.

I wouldn't ask him.

I'd show him.

I stepped back and lifted my shirt
over my head.

His breath hitched as he stared at
me, his trembling hand wiping his mouth. "What are you doing?"

He didn't move.

So, I went to him.

Keeping my eyes locked on his, I
slowly pulled his shirt up, revealing his tight stomach. He closed his eyes and
stilled my hand. "Lena…"

I wouldn't take no for an answer,
not this time. No reasons to stop separated us. He was mine and I was his. As
crazy and bizarre as our relationship had been, I loved him. Who cared about
all the reasons people might throw at me, claiming it wasn't possible?
Five
months? Not enough time…

To hell with them.

Why?

As Tarek always whispered in my ear
during those five months:
Your energy was the reason why mine was made
,
and with everything in me, I'd love him forever. At that moment, I knew it,
maybe for the first time.

Standing on my toes, I touched my
lips to his until his hold on my hand went lax. Our lips drifted apart long
enough for him to yank his shirt off, his shaking hands finding my cheeks after.
I guided us backward, toward the bed, willing the spell to remain unbroken, needing
him. Like he needed me.

As he pressed me against the
mattress, his body fitting perfectly to mine, he searched my eyes. "Are
you sure?"

My hand, strong and steady, touched
his face, my heart bursting. "Yes."

He smiled and glided a hand across
my collarbone. Lower. Nerve endings that must have remained dormant ignited in
a thousand little sparks as if they waited for his hands. Waited for this
moment. "You're beautiful."

After that, there were no more
words.

∞
∞ ∞

In the darkness, we lay on that
narrow bunk, bones and skin preventing me from getting as close as I wanted. I settled
for resting my chin on his bare chest to watch him sleep.

After a minute, his dimples flared.
"It's not polite to stare."

I ran my fingers over his chest,
memorizing every muscle, cementing it in my mind. I always thought I'd be
nervous my first time. No. This…this was heaven. "Admiring my man is all."

Keeping his eyes closed, he drew me
closer, his smile soft. "Carry on, then."

I kissed his heart. "Tarek?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your favorite color?"

He opened his eyes, his smile deepening
as he pulled me up until we were nose to nose. After brushing knotted hair
behind my ear, he cupped my chin. "Green."

Perfect…
He was perfect. "I love you."

"You'd better."

Fear picked that moment to
interrupt. If the worst thing happened…I had to ask for his word. "You
have to promise me something."

He played with my hair. "Anything."

I captured his fingers in my hand
and squeezed. "If I die, do whatever needs done to make sure my energy is
sent here to you. Keep it safe until…until we can figure out…I don't know…what
to do next?"

His eyes hardened, along with the
rest of his face. "Nothing will happen to you."

"Come on, you know that's not
realistic…please."

His eyes slammed shut, his jaw
tightening as he worked to control his emotions. The wind picked up outside,
though no storms erupted. When he spoke, his voice was soft, deceptively soft. "You
have Wilma."

"Great. Wonderful, but there's
always what-if." He shook his head, and I grasped the sides of his face,
forcing him to look at me. "Maybe there's only a slight chance, but there's
a chance. Just make sure I end up here."

He inhaled, blowing it out in slow
intervals. Then he kissed me until I almost forgot what I asked.

Almost.

But yeah, he definitely had moves.

We broke apart, both of us working
on catching our breath. But I wouldn't let it go. Not until he promised. "Promise
me."

He slid a finger down my cheek, sadness
dulling his eyes.

"Tarek?"

A pause, the silence I loved and
hated, stretched between us. He finally leaned up to speak right against my
lips. "Wherever you are is where I'll be. Always."

WAR
ROOMS

A
s soon as the portal opened, the
drawbridge came down far enough for us to leap onto it. We ran full-bore to the
big double steel doors as the bridge moved to close up again. The right door
flung open when we were feet from it, Wilma there waving a frantic hand to
hurry.

The door slammed behind us while
Farren and I gasped for breath, mostly from the rush of adrenaline, both of us
used to a little exercise.

Wilma glared while we heaved and
coughed, her hands planted on hips. When I caught my breath, I managed to find
every cobweb woven in the hallway ceiling. I counted twenty before glancing at
Wilma again, who still tagged us with her famous sneer.

Speak, dumbass!

It wasn't clear if Wilma or I
blared the command in my head, but we were probably thinking along the same
lines.

Farren braved her wrath first. "Umm…Wilma?
This was my idea. Don't–"

"Save it." She raised a
hand to him, keeping her blue glare on me. "There's not a damn thing you
can say to convince me you didn't let a kid talk you into being stupid."

"Hey! I'm not…" My face
burned when her eyes narrowed. "…a kid."

I so wanted to sound more mature
than that.

She didn't acknowledge me, not with
words, anyway. I still got the stare that'd turn Hell into an ice rink. She
pointed to Farren. "Go get some sleep. You got two hours before we figure
shit out."

Under normal circumstance, he would've
told the person talking to him like that to fuck off. Wilma wasn't
any
person–and she never would be. "Yeah, okay. Ah…sorry, Wilma." He
nudged my shoulder before taking off down the hall past Wilma, doing a run/walk
trot before disappearing around the corner.

Wilma tortured me with her
condemnation a few minutes longer. I wouldn't say sorry, though. No matter how
much my knees shook, I kept my chin lifted, staring right into her shark eyes.
Finally, she let me have it.

"Do you realize how dangerous
that was?" Her voice grew quieter with every word, way different than her
usual yelling. That flat tone made me wish I'd went to the bathroom before
coming back.

"I-I had to go. The plan
wouldn't have worked, if not."

The calm she exuded wasn't fooling
anybody. "Is that right?"

I swallowed, fighting the urge to
cross my legs. If I pissed myself, well, that'd suck. "Y-yes. Tarek…he was
so upset…the weather." Spitting out this excuse before Farren opened the
returning portal sounded so much more convincing. I dropped my gaze, shaking my
head. The energy it took to talk my way out of the mess became exhausting. I
went with good old-fashioned honesty. "I had to see him, one more time, in
case I didn't make it back."

"Oh, you'll make it back. I'll
make sure nothing–ah, damn it." Her raspy voice hardened, but there was no
denying how it quaked.

I glanced up to find her anger
gone, replaced with unshed tears. "Wilma?"

She yanked me down into a fierce
hug, taking me by complete surprise. "Don't ever leave without telling me
again. Ever. I promise never to stop you, but… I can't protect you if I don't
know where you are."

I squeezed her hard, my own tears
soaking her neck. "Deal. Sorry." Okay, fine. I said it. But this
Wilma had a stronger impact than angry Wilma.

"Me too, honey. For
everything. Your life,
this life
, wasn't supposed to work out this way.
I wanted you to be happy for once."

I buried my face deeper in her
warmth, wanting to absorb all the stress I caused her. "I
am
happy–if
you don't count the 'dimension wanting to kill us' problem."

She laughed. "That's a pretty
big problem."

"Yeah, but there's no place I'd
rather be than right here with you."

Snorting, she patted my back. "Well,
you're a dumbass."

Awe, there she was, and man, I loved
her.

∞
∞ ∞

Sleep never came. Granted, two
hours wasn't exactly enough time to take a sponge bath, remove the crud from my
hair and pull a brush through it, eat, and nap. Something had to give, not that
my nerves would let me sleep, anyway.

Did these people really think I
could lead a goddamn recon mission? Wilma said they were looking at me as a
leader. Hopefully, she meant that in the most metaphorical way possible. The
only thing I'd ever led was a track team. We won states last year, but still.
Never had to kill anybody to do it.

After the last knot came loose, I
pulled my hair in a bun. When the knock on the door rang through the hollow
room, I was more than ready to get everything in motion–so it could end.

Expecting Farren or Wilma, I yelled
to come in, busy figuring out how to tighten the waist on the way too fancy
Empyrean pants. Having trembling hands didn't help matters. Frustrated, I
yanked a little too hard, breaking the leather ties.

"Damn it! How can I pretend
like I know what I'm doing in front of those people if I can't even figure out
how to work my pants?"

Then the fuzz registered.

I looked up to find a sad smile
painting Zander's face. "Oh. Oh, um, hi."

"Hey." He moved to the
dresser and pulled out another pair of pants made from fabric I didn't recognize.

Recognize it or not, all the
clothes here were made from the same stuff, and when on, they felt like being
wrapped in a cloud. If it weren't for the damn ties…

He handed them to me, grinning. "Here,
try again."

I hugged them to my chest, my face
burning. Crazy I let him kiss me.

Can't believe I felt something.

"Ah, thanks." I sprinted
behind the dressing screen by the shuttered window. The ties on the second pair
weren't any easier. "Aren't there any with an elastic waist?"

"Afraid not."

"Shit."

His footsteps echoed on the marble
floor, coming closer. "Let me help."

First instinct was to tell him to back
off, but I swallowed that in favor of not having my pants end up around my
ankles. I stepped from behind the curtain, holding them up to avoid a scene.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any cloudy-soft underwear. "Just…watch
where you put your fingers."

"Damn, Lena. I'm not a perv."
His deft fingers had no trouble lacing the blue fabric together. "There.
You ready?" He headed toward the door.

"Zander?"

He stopped, not turning around. "Yeah?"

I concentrated on my fingers,
cataloging every new scratch. "About last night, I–"

"No, don't. Don't say it."
His shoulders sagged. "I'll never have a chance with you, and I'll never
be able to make up for what I've done, but…let me have last night, okay?"

Nothing I could have said would've
made it easier, and so I did the next best thing. I moved to circle his waist,
resting my cheek on his back.

He folded my hands in his. "When
this is over, if you don't mind, I want to go to Arcus with you. You'll need my
help for when…for when they attack again."

There was no
if
, only
when
.

I turned into his shirt and smiled.
"I'd like that."

"Come on." He squeezed my
hands. "There are a few more people you have to meet."

Great
. We might as well add to the tally
of others who potentially hated me.

Zander took us through hall after
hall until the whole place felt like a rat maze. The more halls we trekked, the
deeper we went into the manse. When I finally had enough marble and empty
space, Zander opened a door–to stairs.

"You've got to be kidding me,"
I said.

He grinned, yanking a torch from
the hand of one of many statues decorating the halls. "A little farther."
He grabbed my hand. "Stay to the right."

I snorted. "Or what? We fall
into the dragon's lair?"

"Nothing so dramatic." He
flashed the torch on the stairs, the stone crumbled and chipped. "The
right side's in better shape. Lights went out a few days ago."

"What's down here?" I
held his hand so tight, my nails dug into his skin.

"Ah! Ease up, will ya? It's
kinda like a bomb shelter, I guess. We've been using it as a military room
lately."

"Military room?"

We reached a platform, and Zander
guided us to the left. "You think Empyrean wouldn't have an army?"

"By the looks of things
outside…"

He nodded. "They haven't been
winning any battles. Their numbers are low, maybe a hundred. Most are residing
here in case Teenesee can't keep the shield up. If they take her–"

"We're screwed."

"Pretty much, yeah."

We stopped at a set of iron doors
that put doors in gothic insane asylums to shame. Zander handed me the torch
and pulled out a key hanging from a chain around his neck. After a few tries,
the lock clicked. Zander shouldered the heavy door open. Wouldn't you know it,
another long-ass corridor. "Really, Zander?"

He took the torch back, the flames
flashing on his grin. "Almost there."

Thankfully, we only walked another
few minutes before the fuzz in my brain magnified. Avery and Grace were down
here, or we wouldn't have to look that far for the nest. Since Zander didn't
panic, I assumed the former.

We turned one last corner, and the
hall bled into one single, enormous room. Large groups of people, including
Winston, the Protectors he brought with him, and Wilma and Farren crowded
around the biggest table with map holograms glowing above it. The sole person
to glance our way was Wilma, who motioned us over.

Zander hooked the torch on an iron
holder cemented in the wall, its flame no longer necessary. A cache of those
ultra-green orbs encased in a cell-like room took up the entire left wall, putting
out enough energy to light up New York City. "Holy shit."

He tugged me over to the table,
smiling. "Cool, huh?"

Cool. Sure, we'd go with cool.

I moved to stand beside Winston and
Farren as some really tall, really dark, and really handsome man explained the
dimension's terrain, pointing at certain spots marked with a bright green
N
.
When he looked down and noticed me, he smiled and extended his hand through the
hologram. "It has been a while, Lena." His soft voice carried.

I reached for his hand, his grip
firm. "Um, I take it we knew each other? Before?"

He nodded once. "Pit,
Commander of Teenesee's guard."

"Nice to meet you, again."
Our odds were getting better and better.

He gestured to the map. "As we
were discussing, we will begin the hunt tonight in order to avoid Guides in
their purest form." He brought the two marked spots closer by touching
them. "These two areas have the highest Exemplian activity. The nests are
more than likely in the vicinity."

I squinted, taking a closer look at
the terrain. "How can you be sure?"

"Because I trust my scouts.
The wooded site has less traffic, but there is still activity." He
straightened, a small grin lighting his face. "They have become overly
confident, not leaving many Protectors there to guard that nest." Pit's
calm washed through my brain, infecting me. "We will be rid of this plague
by morning."

His confidence, quieter than
Winston's but as strong, made everyone in the room lift their chins a bit
higher.

The thought of being anywhere near
a cluster of Guides in energy form caused my skin to prickle, though. Last
time, their attack made me useless. But I wouldn't share that. No, I had to act
as if I knew what to do next.

I pointed to the two marked spots. "Okay,
so we split up, Winston with one group, Wilma with the other. Better to
communicate through minds. Who knows what devices they have, bad enough they
got the screens."