Lost Energy (9 page)

FINALLY

The five months separating us
disappeared with one glimpse of his smile. My heart slammed against my ribcage.

Shit.

Wilma was right. Tarek caused
everything else that should've mattered to take a back seat. Using the small
reserve of willpower I had, I left his arms and concentrated on what had me opening
the door in the first place. "I have to get home. My family…"

His smile stayed in place. "She
didn't tell you? As soon as Farren heard the first portal open, he brought
everyone here. They're at the castle." He chuckled. "Your friend is a
little upset, but otherwise they're fine."

Relieved tears blinded my vision. "Thank
God! And, no, Wilma's pretty pissed right now. Guess she wanted to punish me a
little."

He gathered me into his arms again
and kissed the tip of my nose. "She can hold a grudge."

"Yeah, especially when she's
right."

"What happened?"

I gave him another kiss, wishing I
could block out everything wrong. "Let's say I missed you. A lot."

"And I you." Another kiss.
"As much as I'd like to show you, we need to get to the castle and figure
out what to do with everyone. This place isn't exactly set up for human guests."

"You live here," I glided
a hand down his muscular arm, "and don't seem to be suffering."

"All right, one, you have to
stop that, and two, it's a benefit of being Warden. I'm immune to…dying from
the elements."

No, I didn't stop touching him.
Couldn't, really. My hand traveled up to his neck and curled into his soft
hair. "I'm glad you're immune."

After one more kiss, I went to open
the door. The squid were still standing guard, but they didn't make a sound.
Tarek came up behind me and pressed a hand at the small of my back. Even that
innocent touch had my nerve endings sparking and tingling.

As we walked through the symmetrical
forest, every single squid climbed from the tops of their perches. If I didn't
know any better, I'd say they bowed as Tarek walked passed. "Now what the
hell are they doing?" I pointed to the nearest bowing cephalopod, half tempted
to pet its head.

"They know trouble is coming."

"Protectors?"

His face tightened, but those
dimples came out to reassure me. "They'd be stupid to try to get at me
again."

"Again? They've already tried."
Can't believe I forgot how calm my giant could be when death lingered at the
edges.

"A couple times. They lost."

I looked into his eyes, surprised
to see the coldness in his voice matched the icy set of his jaw.

If he weren't the man I loved, I
would've run as far away as possible. "How strong are you?"

He glanced down at me. "Wilma
isn't the toughest kid on the playground anymore."

∞
∞ ∞

Frigid temperatures hit me first. Memories
followed soon after. The last time I skidded across the icy path to the castle,
Mateusz had me by the neck.

Funny how time didn't help ease all
fears.

As soon as the pointed black towers
came into view, I faltered. Tarek didn't urge me forward; he stopped with me,
pulling me closer to him. Trying to control the terror threatening my rational
thought process wasn't easy. Almost impossible.

Tarek's soft voice brushed against
my ear. "It's okay, love, breathe."

When he spoke, I managed to suck in
air, the scent of rotting fish subtle, but aggravating the memories I didn't
care to relive. "Doesn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies."

His chest rumbled, vibrating against
my back and having the right effect on my nerves. "We'll make new
memories, erase the old. You'll be thinking fuzzy in no time."

I turned to wrap my arms around his
waist, nuzzling his chest. "I
did
miss you. So much."

His arms tightened. "If it's
even a quarter of how much I missed you, I'm a lucky man."

What sucked about loving someone
who was smack dab in the middle of a possible dimensional war were all the
interruptions.

"Lena!"

Mom screamed my name from the pudgy
white hut attached to the first sleek tower. As she slid toward us, Jake,
Belva, and Farren crowded the doorway. Everyone had different expressions. Jake's
strained face contrasted the awe in Belva's. Farren's face shined with
excitement. Damn, my Protectors liked a battle.

When Mom ran into me, Tarek had to
stand as a brace against my back to keep us from face planting the ground. Her
hysterical laughing/crying jag helped ease my fears. At least everyone was
safe.

"Let's go inside, Mom. Don't
want to make the wildlife anxious."

Her eyes grew wide and her gaze
moved around Tarek to find the squid watching the exchange from the tree line. "What
is this place?"

From all the conversations we'd had
about Arcus, I knew she understood exactly where we were. Seeing all the color
and oddities in person, though, was definitely not the same as a two hour, in-depth
conversation detailing everything. "Beautiful, isn't it? Ah…in a deadly
sort of way."

Her laugh got higher and her smile wider.

Sighing, I glanced at Tarek, who
had a smirk coloring his lips, and grabbed Mom's hand.

After I went through the gauntlet
of hugs, we all sat in the very room where Tarek became Warden. He got busy
building up the fire while I scavenged some trunks lining the walls where the
bookshelves used to be. Finding four thick blankets, I shooed everyone to the
couch so we could leech each other's body heat until the fire did its job.
Farren declined the offer, choosing to help Tarek. He was the only one wearing
pants. The rest of us were dressed for summer.

As the two men built the flames,
they spoke softly, but their loud voices carried to the couch.

"We managed to stick it in
deep this time, brother." Farren's whisper was as inconspicuous as a nose
wart.

Tarek snorted, poking the flames. "Yeah,
a few broken jaws aren't going to solve this one."

"Too bad. Always liked a good
fight, cleans the stress right off my shoulders. What's the next move?"

"We wait for Wilma. Until
then, we keep these guys alive until we can find a safer place for them."

Okay, I didn't like where their
conversation headed. "Um, excuse me? Fellas? I'm not going anywhere, ah,
safe. Got it?" When they both stared, I rolled my eyes. "Look, I get
it, we can't stay here, but with some food and water, we can stay a few weeks
at least." I pointed to Farren. "You can make a quick food run, jump
back before getting caught."

Tarek didn't say no, which was a
plus. He'd probably like the company. Farren, on the other hand, had a lot to
say. He stole a glimpse at Belva, who didn't seem as upset as Tarek made her
out to be. "No way, Lena. There are other places, safer dimensions to
stick you guys until this shit gets worked out."

With a pat on Mom's hand and an
encouraging look from Jake, I got in Farren's face. "From what Avery and
Teenesee said, I'm the one who can help get things straightened out."

When Farren glanced behind him,
obviously looking for some support from Tarek he didn't get, he waved his beefy
hands in the air. "Guaranteed the screens are programmed to watch our
every move here. All it'll take is me leaving one time for them to snatch me
up. And then what, huh?"

I tilted my head. "If what you
say is true, taking us somewhere else, somewhere they won't have a problem invading
like they did in Empyrean, would be stupid."

Tarek finally stood, brushing the
bark off his hands. "She's right. One bad guess and you all will be dead."
He sighed. "Look, Wilma keeps a stash here, but it'll only last a couple
days. The river's safe to drink from, and a few animals are eatable–disgusting,
but safe to eat."

"I don't know, brother. I–"

"Farren! Stop. Whatever's going
on, I'm not going anywhere else." We all turned in shock to see Belva
standing with her hands planted on her hips. "If this giant, ah, guy."
She gawked at Tarek. "You're a guy, right? Not some weird manlike monster?"
At Tarek's subtle nod, a smile curling his lips, she continued, "If he
says we're okay here, and if Lena thinks we're safe, I'm staying."

Farren's face reddened. "Belva,
being here…it's not ideal."

"And where is the ideal place?"

"Ah…it's…umm…" Stammering
Ginger was a new development.

"Exactly. Here, it is."
Belva held her chin high, even though trepidation danced in her pretty eyes. "Are
you familiar with the place, Lena?"

I looked to Tarek, who shrugged, that
smile still teasing his lips. "I guess a little."

"Good," she said. "Let's
find a place to crash." She gestured toward Mom and Jake. "You two coming?"

Jake shook his head as Mom covered
a smile. Who would've thought we'd all take this crap without being committed?
Had to admit, my bubble was pretty awesome.

"Suit yourselves." She
laced her arm through mine. "Let's go have some girl talk." She gave
frazzled Farren a wink and Tarek a soft smile.

"Looks like we both have a lot
to confess."

GIRL
TALK

"O
kay, if you leave any good stuff
out, I'll never talk to you again." Belva hopped onto the old, mildewing
bed with absolutely no concern for her health. I, on the other hand, stayed
away from the thing, worried about all the little exotic insects that might be
living there.

The room wasn't much nicer than the
one Casimir locked me in during the first trip to the castle. At least this
time, I could keep the door open. "And what good stuff are you referring
to?"

"Oh, come on! I see the way
that guy looks at you. Jesus, he looks like a Greek god." She paused, her
eyes shining. "Is he, you know, a god?"

Leave it to Belva to reduce the
danger we were in to a Q&A about men. "No, he's not a god, but…"

She flew to her knees, bouncing on
that disgusting bed, the smile on her pretty face stretched wide. "But
what? Come on, Tulman, spill it."

"Okay, okay, jeez." I sat
on the edge of the no doubt infested straw mattress. "Remember how you
said I'd understand if I ever found
the
guy?" At her nod, I
continued, "Well, I do understand because mine starred in my dreams since
I was eight."

Her hand went to her heart as her
smile softened and her eyes grew dreamy. "That's so romantic." The
dreaminess turned demanding. "Do not leave a single detail out."

We spent the next hour with me
rehashing everything that had happened over the spring. How I dreamed of Tarek,
how we met in the woods…how he took me to Empyrean…that night we came back. When
I got to the part where he sacrificed everything to keep me safe from Casimir
and now spoke in my head every night, my friend was a blubbering mess.

"That's so beautiful. He
is
a god, Lena, because you're his goddess."

I laughed, but when her face stayed
serious, the words sunk in. "Yeah, I guess. Too bad the entire universe
does just about anything to make sure we're always apart."

"Well you guys are together
now. It's up to you to keep it that way."

If it were that simple
. "Enough about me. What I'd
like to know is how are you taking all this so well? Doesn't this place scare
you?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Funny
thing, I was scared when Wilma took you, but when we got here… This place is
so…"

"Terrifying? Dangerous?
Smelly?"

"Perfect."

I grabbed her hand and tugged her
off the bed. "Nuh-uh, wrong answer."

She struggled to pull her hand from
mine as we flew down the stairs. I ignored her and everyone gaping at us when I
stormed through the room and through a myriad of doors until we made it
outside. As soon as the frigid air hit us, I released her hand and waved for
her to follow.

As we slipped down the ice, I said,
"Do you smell that? It's death." I pointed at the tree line, not
willing to get too close to the squid. "Those are real, Belva. And their
screams? I still have nightmares."

Her face didn't shine with fear,
but excitement. "They're beautiful. Look at their color, the color of this
whole place. It's paradise."

"
Paradise?
Jesus, I
think you've cracked."

Her laugh tinkled through the thin
air, causing the squid to perk up. The crazy part? They didn't squeal.

"I'm fine, Lena. Amazing,
actually." She laced her fingers with mine and ran for the pink monsters. "I
want to see the woods!"

She might be the pretty one, but
she definitely wasn't the smart one–or the strong one.

With a hard yank, I pulled her back
into the castle. "We're not going anywhere near there without Tarek. It
might look like a fairyland, but the place will kill you."

"So dramatic, but fine, you
win…for now."

∞
∞ ∞

When we joined everyone else, the
fire managed to make the room cozy–too cozy. Mom had all the blankets folded in
a stack on the trunks.

I'll bet Farren wished he'd put on
shorts now.

He and Tarek both had sweat soaking
their shirts.

"Sauna isn't what we should be
going for." I pulled my hair into a short ponytail with the band I always
had around my wrist. "I can barely breathe."

Tarek's dimples appeared, making me
forget to be irritated and uncomfortable. "Sorry. Not used to guests."

I went straight to his arms and
tried to avoid the bigger sweat marks on his shirt as I leaned my head against
his chest.

He pulled me close, rubbing my
lower back. "Jake? Open the door? We can at least get some air in that
way."

"Yeah, okay. And after we make
sure everyone is comfy, maybe we can all actually talk about what the hell we're
doing?" His eyes shined with what I'd classify as glossy, straightjacket
crazy, his smile wide, showing off his crooked eyetooth.

Maybe my bubble wasn't taking it so
well, after all.

Mom got up to open the door, and
then guided Jake back to the couch. She turned to us, not nearly as freaked out
as her man. "He's right. We need to know what to do. Sitting around isn't
accomplishing anything."

"Well, Teenesee said we need
to close the lines, and so that has to be the objective," I said.

"And how do we do that? Ask
the Synod nicely to stop being thieving assholes?"

"Funny, Ginger. If that's what
you wanna do, have at it. But I was thinking more along the lines of seeking
out True Wardens, trying to get them on our team."

Tarek's arms tightened around my
waist. "They had a connection with you in your last cycle. They may not
want to deal with you…now that you know next to nothing."

He was scared. I'd be lucky if he
let me do anything but stand right beside him. I tilted my face up for a kiss
and he obliged. After a pat on his cheek, I went to stand by the couch, needing
the space to think clearly. "I may not remember, but I
am
the
person they trusted. If I explain, tell all the facts, I don't think it'll be
hard to convince them that I want the same thing they want."

"These people, the Wardens,
they're strong, suspicious. They likely won't give you a chance to explain."
Tarek wasn't gonna give me an inch.

"Well, Teenesee didn't kill me
when we went to Empyrean the first time. Give them some credit."

"That was different. You and
she–"

"We have to take the chance,
Tarek."

"Not with you, we don't."

Mom got up, shrugging off Jake's
grip. She stood next to me, her chin raised as she looked at Tarek. "Do
you have a better plan? How do we stop this…this place from coming after Lena?"

I almost interrupted to let her
know there was a ton more at stake than me dying, but she shot me her I'm-talking
look. I shook my head, held up my hands, and took a step back.

Tarek's eyes hardened and he
adjusted his big body to stand straighter. "My plan
is
to keep her
alive. I don't much care about what happens outside of that."

Even Farren threw an incredulous
look his way. "You serious? Fucking Exemplians just attacked their
strongest ally, brother."

"This whole thing stems from
Cassondra being pissed. We take care of her, the threat is over," Tarek
said. "Isn't that what Avery warned? Cassondra seeking revenge? We'll deal
with that. Only that."

"There's more than a grudge
going on. They came to me, too, guns blazing. You know as well as anyone they're
usually more covert about that shit!"

"It's not Lena's job to save
the fucking universe."

I stood between Farren and Tarek
when Ginger's face got all blotchy and the stammering began again. "I get
it," I said. "We handle the imminent threat, but we've got a chance
to do something. Really
change
something."

Tarek's eyes lost the edge. He pulled
me close, and said so only I could hear, "I can't lose you. Not again."

I threaded my fingers through his
hair, bringing his ear to my lips. "Wilma's right. We have to think about
more than us this time."

"I can't protect you if you
leave here." His voice shook as his fingers kneaded the small of my back.

"We'll figure it out." I
turned to everyone else. "We'll wait for Wilma. Until then, let's get the
supplies and find out where we're all sleeping. I'm beat."

Mom pulled Jake off the couch, and Belva
went to stand next to Farren. He didn't waste any time slinging an arm across
her shoulders, fitting her to his side. "Ah, where'd Wilma go, anyway?"

"Back to Empyrean." The
scary, hard edge no longer deepened Tarek's voice. Always fascinating how fast
men could kiss and make up.

"Maybe I should go, too. Help
her out," Farren said.

"That'd piss her off. She'd
rather have you here to be able to take these guys away fast if things go bad."
Tarek poked the fire once more and went to the trunks. "Wilma's there in
case the bastards trickle in, trying for sneak attacks."

I followed him to the trunks,
helping with the food and water. "You think they'll…ah…trickle in?"

He handed me a box of granola. "Yes."