Locked Out of Love (15 page)

Joel peeked out of the bathroom. Melanie was still sleeping. She'd already invaded his territory on the bed, lying smack in the middle, arms splayed wide. His chest swelled with emotion. “I appreciate it, Felix, but there's no need. I'll be by Syd's after closing to debrief you guys.”

“Debrief?”

Joel's free hand fisted. “Yeah, it appears our men in black are getting bolder when it comes to approaching us.”

Felix swore. “They're the ones that hit you?” He cursed some more.

Joel hesitated. Did he tell Felix the rest?

He was still debating if he would tell the guild about him and Melanie. Their bonding still felt so new, he didn't want to share it with anyone. Hell, he'd been denying it all to Felix. Felix would probably gloat until the end of time.  But after he left Felix in the dark about being in the ER, Joel owed it to him.

“That's not the only thing.” He interrupted Felix's colorful language tirade.

Felix's voice cut off instantly.

After a tense moment, he said, “What else happened?”

“Melanie was with me when they attacked. That's how I know they're behind it; the guy we saw loitering outside Syd's clinic pulled me from my car when we went over the bridge.”

“Fuck, you went over a bridge? What bridge?”

Joel waved his comment away even though he couldn't see over the phone. “Newport Boulevard. We landed in the bay. Melanie's seat belt wouldn't release … ”

Joel drifted off as his rested mind started to put the puzzle pieces together. The man outside his car. Melanie's seat belt. Getting hit into the bay.

They'd planned everything. But down to pulling him from his truck? Effectively leaving Melanie?

It didn't make sense. Why would they want Joel but leave Melanie to die? Why orchestrate that whole fiasco?

“Joel? You there, dude?”

“Yeah,” he said, distracted. “I'm here.” He told Felix the whole story, ending with how he and Melanie had bonded. Then he waited.

It didn't take Felix long.

He let out a low whistle. “And who was the one who thought Melanie wasn't his Mirror Mate?”

Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. If he didn't answer, Felix would only continue to bug the shit out of him. “I was,” he conceded.

“I'm sorry, I think my phone broke up there for a second. What was that?”

Joel could hear the shit-eating grin in Felix's voice.

“I said go to hell.”

Felix laughed. “Fine, fine. I'll take what I can get. Congrats, man, not on the accident, of course, but on bonding. How do you feel?”

Joel rubbed his chest. “I feel fine.”

“Fine? Just fine?”

Joel leaned against his doorway, double-checking on Melanie again. “You don't understand,” he said in a hushed tone. “Our time was rushed. Melanie didn't reach out for me—or whatever you want to call it—because she wanted me, she did it because she was scared. It was almost like it was forced upon us, and that's not exactly how I'd envisioned bonding with my Mirror Mate.”

Felix made a sympathetic sound on the other side. “I hear you, but you have to remember that no one can force you to bond, so something had to be there in the first place. It might have been a bit rushed, like you said, but think of it as a shotgun wedding. You got the major part over with faster than most of us and now you only have to smooth out all the bumps and grooves. And, you know, hope Melanie's not some secret psycho that you're accidently bonded to for life.”

Joel grinned despite himself. “Thanks, man.”

He hung up but stayed where he was in the doorway of his bathroom, watching Melanie. His mind whirled, trying to piece together everything that had happened. He somehow felt he was missing something, something big, and he hated every second of it.

What if it was right in front of his face?

He stared at Melanie, unseeing, as he tried to force his tired mind to work everything out, to go over every detail.

What was he missing?

He sighed and rubbed his face. All he could do was wait for this mysterious new group to make their next move.

“What do you mean I've changed?” Melanie stuffed another forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. She'd awakened nearly an hour ago only to find that it was almost time for her shift at work. She'd showered and changed back into her aunt's horrible sweats before finding Joel in the kitchen, making her food. She expected idle chit-chat, maybe some awkward morning-after sex silence that sometimes happened, but nope. Joel had launched right into business. Starting with a topic she rather not think about: soul mates.

According to Joel, when they'd called out for each other, that was a major sign they were Mirror Mates and had completed some kind of bond.

Melanie was still wrapping her head around the whole bonding process. She'd concede there was something there between them, but that didn't mean they were some perfect match to go riding out into the sunset. This just meant they were stuck with each other a little more than she would have liked.

Right?

“When we bonded, your powers … they amplified. I don't know what that means for you, I'm not an expert, and the encyclopedia Felix and I are creating doesn't have every power known to man, yet. So we have no idea what this means for you, but we can figure it out together.”

She shoved another forkful of egg into her mouth, her mind tumbling over the idea of her powers changing. She didn't know how to feel about that. She did know she was more relaxed than she'd been in a while, her powers the furthest thing from her mind. In fact, she'd been hoping for a mid-afternoon romp. She eyed the broken picture on the floor near the trashcan. The glass looked to have been swept up already. Melanie felt a pang of guilt for breaking one of Joel's possessions during their lovemaking. She'd pay him back. She would be happy to pay him back with sex.

“You should practice on me,” he was saying, his hand held out to her, palm up on his table, urging her to take it and thus his powers.

She eyed it warily as she chewed her food. The thought of using her powers still made her stomach churn. “Can't we do this another time?” she asked once she'd swallowed.

Joel shook his head firmly. “I don't want to scare you, but the people who caused our accident yesterday might strike again. It's good to know your abilities and limits.”

The way his face softened pulled at her heartstrings. No man had ever looked at her like that. Add in the fact that his face was even more swollen from the hit he took yesterday, and how could she say no?

She let out a puff of air. “Fine, but I want to know something first.” She took his hand and felt that electric shock that always happened when she touched Joel. It traveled up her arm and all down her body, heating her blood. “Who would be after you and why?”

He hesitated.

Melanie tightened the grip she had on his hand. “You avoided the question yesterday and I let it slide. Not today.”

His gaze dropped to the table. “His name is Vander Donahughe. He's kind of the archenemy to the Guild of Truth.”

Melanie sat back and listened as Joel described the power-hungry CEO, his horrendous powers, and the horrible things he'd done to Joel and his friends.

“Why didn't you tell me before?”

“Because I didn't want to scare you off. I didn't know if anything would become of us. It's risky to know me.”

“Risky to my social standing, maybe.” She tried to lighten the mood.

His lips twitched. “I won't tell anyone you're a closet nerd who likes Call of Duty. Your secret is safe with me.”

Or at least until he learned what her real secret was.

Should she bring this information to Juliet? Juliet's company already had the Kratos Corporation in their sights, so maybe it was possible for them to join forces with Joel's guild and put a stop to them permanently.

One thing at a time.
She wasn't a superhero, not yet anyway. She didn't go looking for trouble. She needed to dig herself out of the hole she was already in, or in this case get Nathan the help he needed and get out from under Juliet's thumb as quick as possible.

She squeezed Joel's fingers. “So, what am I supposed to be doing now?” She motioned to their conjoined hands.

Joel snapped into mentor mode.

“Try to activate your powers.”

She nudged her empty plate and closed her eyes. She concentrated on what he asked of her and pushed away as much of her fear as possible. Activating her powers was usually the hardest part—she didn't know if it was because she was in Joel's presence or because she was touching him, but her neck instantly began to tingle.

She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her heart calm. If Joel was right, she had no idea what she was capable of anymore, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

Why had she agreed to do this with him?

She would never forgive herself if she hurt him or anyone for that matter.

“I think they're, uh, active.” She opened her eyes. She was stiff as a rod, afraid the slightest movement would do something horrible.

As if sensing her unease, he smiled warmly and squeezed her hand. “That's good. Now imagine slowly pulling my powers into you. Slowly,” he stressed.

She licked her dry lips and did as he said.

She concentrated on pulling from his fingertips, letting his powers trickle into her hand, like water dripping from a faucet. Her hand started to grow warm, but she couldn't tell if it was from her powers or the heat from Joel's body.

“You're doing great,” he encouraged her. “I can feel the pins and needles in my fingers and palm but it's gradual, so keep it up.”

The heat was traveling up her arm now and she wanted to let go. She wanted to stop. How long did she have to do this? Wasn't the first display of control enough?

From the living room her phone
dinged
in her purse.

Melanie pounced on the distraction and broke contact. “That's my phone. What if it's work?”

His level stare spoke volumes. “You can get it in a second. Try and use my powers now. Remember, your ability is kind of a two-parter. Take the powers; use them yourself.”

She nodded, knowing it was no use trying to get away from him now. “Right.” She might not have liked the part where she took from someone else, but she had to admit there was a small thrill when using Joel's powers. She often forgot that he could freeze someone to the ground, literally, with nothing but a touch.

She eyed the tabletop—she'd start small. She grasped the napkin holder and relaxed her shoulders, letting the tingle in the back of her neck flare up again before it completely disappeared.

After a few seconds she released the napkin holder. “Well?” She gestured nervously for Joel to lift it.

He tried to shift it. It didn't move. He tried to lift it. It didn't budge.

Melanie felt herself mirroring his smile. She'd done it.

“See how easy that was?” Joel said. “You don't have to be afraid of your powers.”

Her smile wavered.

The idea of not fearing her powers seemed an impossible dream. She'd always have to be mindful of them; she'd never know the life she had before. Already the time she'd spent with Joel was proof enough that there were risks to having supernatural abilities.

“I should check my phone.”

The text was from Juliet. No apology about leaving Melanie in the dark for so many days or for not answering her phone calls. It was a simple command.

Melanie wanted to ignore it out of spite but she couldn't. She had to help Nathan.

She glanced over her shoulder. Joel piled a few dishes into the sink, and her heart gave a little flutter in her chest.

What if she could find Nathan's soul mate?

She had no idea what Juliet had in store for her brother. She hadn't mentioned anything about soul mates, and Melanie seriously doubted that was her organization's mission. Juliet's company wasn't a matchmaking business. Melanie had to trust that Juliet had another method that would at least give Nathan a temporary reprieve. And if it wasn't a permanent fix, Melanie vowed right here and now that she'd help him find his—what had Joel called them?—Mirror Mate.

“Was it work?” Joel asked.

Melanie fumbled her phone. “No, my parents,” she lied and instantly felt horrible about it.

Joel made a noncommittal noise. No doubt her answer didn't need further questioning, given her family's reaction last night at the ER.

Once finished in the kitchen he came over to her, keys in hand. “I can drive you home to grab some clothes and take you to work. That way you won't be late.”

He glanced meaningfully at the clock and she followed his lead. Dammit, she'd done it again—she had just over a half hour to get to work.

There was no time to feel timid or embarrassed about where she lived. Melanie simply gave Joel directions and rushed from the car to get changed once they arrived.

The house was empty, which was just as well since Melanie didn't want to run into anyone at the moment and she didn't want anyone running into Joel. He might figure out she lied about the text message.

She left the front door open for him as she sprinted for her room. Nathan lay on the bed, drugged to sleep if the empty Nyquil bottle was any indication.

Her chest constricted and she hastily threw her aunt's clothes into the hamper and dug around for black slacks and a white top. She was pulling her top on when she heard Joel come in.

“I didn't miss you changing yet, did I?” He was pretending to shield his eyes, a huge gap between his middle and ring finger. He wore a playful smile that instantly dropped off at the sight of her brother.

She knew how horrible everything must look to him. The cramped living spaces, furniture and belongings scattered everywhere. Clothing and sleeping bags in the TV room, a kitchen overflowing with boxes of mac and cheese, instant noodles, and  dirty dishes in the sink. And the cherry on top: her brother drugged out on his bed.