Splintered Energy (The Colors Book 1) (20 page)

Malcolm’s eyes flew open. Radiant beams of sapphire pulsated greenish, then yellowish. He arched up on the bed. Adam’s apple bobbing—was Malcolm choking?

Malcolm pushed off the bed in a powerful lunge.

Jesus—no!
David fell, thrust aside by a shoulder smack. Malcolm lifted and crushed Jade against his chest, her scream stifled by his hand. He strode backward with her in his arms.

“Malcolm.” Evan gasped. “What’re you doing?”

Aaron dropped the taser and yanked the revolver from his pocket. Fury steadied his aim. David scrambled to his feet and obeyed Aaron’s frantic gesture to get further away.

“What have you done?” Malcolm snapped at Evan. “And, oh my, my, my, what sweetness have you found me.” Malcolm released Jade’s mouth and wrapped his fingers in her hair. He wrenched her head back, his mouth swallowed her scream.

He
struck
my son
. Aaron could, he should, but he couldn’t yet squeeze the trigger. Didn’t mean he was helpless. He ran to grab a blue arm. “Let her go.”

Malcolm yanked free like Aaron was a schoolgirl. The sharp blow to Aaron’s gut barely registered, drowned out by the awareness he’d dropped his revolver as he slammed across the room.

David screamed, “Dad!”

Aaron felt his shoulders collide with the closet door, and he crumpled. It wasn’t his life flashing in front of his eyes as he searched for the weapon, but the brief life of his son.

Malcolm jerked his lips off Jade and pivoted toward David running for Aaron.

“No! He’s just a kid.” Evan jumped, too late to catch David.

His feet finally under him, bitter regret Aaron hadn’t blown Malcolm’s head off became heart pounding relief. The brutal man halted.

Caught in Malcolm’s glare, Evan froze his reach for Malcolm while Aaron clasped familiar flesh and thrust David behind him. Where was the damn revolver—there.

Malcolm jerked Jade by her hair, away from his chest. She gagged, sobbed, and spat yellow droplets onto the floor.

Aaron stopped the tremble in his arm. His aim would be perfect, except Jade blocked a mark that wasn’t a killing headshot. Malcolm could take bullets elsewhere and then break her neck.

“Back off.” Malcolm snarled at Evan. “What’d you do to me?” That blue-green-yellow light pulsated over Evan’s chest. “Oh my. Look what that bitch did to you. Your injuries are worse. Why didn’t this one help you?”

Before Evan could answer, Malcolm’s scowl locked on Aaron. A vicious kick struck his hand. Aaron’s revolver went flying—again—and the jolt that spasmed up his arm meant his wrist wasn’t sprained but broken.
God, why oh why didn’t I leave David at home?

He still had one good fist, and he hurried to use it. Malcolm dropped Jade to the floor. Aaron’s arm went numb, caught in a powerful vice. The scent of sweet, pure frost hit his face.

“Stop,” Malcolm snapped. “Before I kill you. This isn’t right, and I’m sorry. Don’t touch me again. Please. That clear? Never. Touch. Me.”

The freezing grip on Aaron disappeared, leaving his arm anesthetized past his broken wrist to his fingertips. He’d never felt as helpless in his life as he fell, thrust toward David.

Jade shivered on the floor. “Aaron, make him stop.”

God help him, did she think he wasn’t trying?

Malcolm scooped her up, and shook his head at Aaron as he struggled to his feet. “If you do as she whines, I repeat, I may kill you.” He strode backward with Jade to collapse on the bed. He sat, Jade on his lap. A harsh sob blew from his lips. “I’m not right. I ask again. What’d you do?”

Evan gaped at Malcolm. “I don’t—”

“Aaron, last warning. You’ll go down before you gain the weapon. And this time you’ll stay down. Retreat by the child.” Malcolm’s rough voice sent chills through Aaron, and he halted his third attempt for his revolver.

Finally, Evan moved. The teen, experienced in killing psycho super-beings, grabbed the taser from the floor. “I’ll zap you, Malcolm. How do I know what I fuckin’ did? I’m sorry.”

“Tsk-tsk. Inappropriate language. What’s wrong with you?”

“Er…sorry. Tell me what’s wrong with you. Please!”

Malcolm’s glare deepened. “Idiot. Can’t you see I’m off balance? Power surges out of control.”

Evan inched closer. “Don’t hold her so tight. You’re hurting her.”

“I-I don’t mean to.” Malcolm loosened his grip to cradle Jade. Her eyes closed, a yellow droplet hung on her lip. Malcolm wiped her mouth and kissed her again.

Screw it. Gun retrieval time. Aaron bent, his good hand seized the revolver, and the solid weight felt wonderful. David huddled, petrified, behind Aaron. Evan hovered, crying, next to the brutal bastard Aaron would shoot to kill, if the teen didn’t do something immediately.

Malcolm tore his lips away and snapped at Evan, “Give me that weapon. Before I do kill someone. How could you have done this to me?”

“Evan, should I shoot him? What’s happening?” Rushes of anger pounded through Aaron. Malcolm wanted the taser? What about a bullet, or two, or a full chamber, instead? He’d disarmed Aaron and threatened him. That left Aaron to conclude Malcolm didn’t want his brains blown out thanks to steel cylinders. It’d be a different result than electricity.
Do it. Kill him
. A swearing teen gets chastised, but knocking a child to the floor was acceptable? A frightened woman mauled? Could Aaron murder a non-human ignoring him?

His internal debate ended in a blue flash. Jade tumbled onto the bed, and Malcolm confiscated the taser from Evan. Malcolm adjusted the weapon, his flickering gaze on Evan. “Restun me. Don’t change the setting. My sweet servant, I am truly sorry for my behavior. This existence cannot get more miserable. I’d love to end it. Change the frequency again, and I will.”

Malcolm zapped himself on the broken arm.

Chapter Nineteen

The taser fell. Dead white, Malcolm followed it to the floor. His eyes had closed, face frozen in a peaceful expression, lovelier than any marble statue.

Unbelievable
. Aaron stepped closer. The facial lacerations were gone. Bite wounds remained on one arm, and the other still looked broken, but Malcolm’s chest only had traces of bruising, and his ribs appeared healed. Evan dropped by Malcolm’s side, and gathered up the taser.

“Don’t you dare,” Aaron snapped. “Give me that.”

Evan’s expression flooded with fear. “No. And you can’t shoot him.”

A kid was no match—Evan touched the homemade gun to Malcolm’s arm, and the body convulsed.

Fine. One false blink, Aaron wouldn’t leave 455-492 dead by electricity. Brains would decorate the wall. There’d be no faltering this time.

Malcolm’s skin flickered pastel blue. Laser eyes opened—steady, solid sapphire and inhumanly beautiful. He jerked back from Aaron and Evan, and transferred his gaze to Jade. Face hidden by her hair, she huddled on the edge of the bed, sobbing.

The weapon cocked, trigger moving back…

In one fluid motion, Malcolm stood and stepped backward. Brilliant, cold eyes faced the revolver pointed at him. “Aaron Kinston. Jade said she trusted you.” Malcolm spoke in a compelling voice, no longer ragged, apparently no longer confused. “I’d hold her, comfort her, but I’ll further frighten her. Would you? Please? Thank you.”

The first reasonable thing the man said. Aaron could hold, shelter, and keep a weapon aimed. He scooped up Jade and sat. She buried her face in his chest. He jerked his chin at David, and his son scrambled beside him.

Malcolm cringed at the sight of the apprehensive boy clutching Aaron’s shoulder and turned to Evan. The teen stared, tears on his face. Malcolm sank down, and lowered those brilliant eyes. He clasped his head in his hands and began retching.

“Oh no, don’t start that now.” Evan’s voice broke as he inched closer to Malcolm. “I’m really, really sorry. If I’d gone home like you told me—and Malcolm? She knew I didn’t have the taser, because I was so stupid, and I said you had it before I left for ice. It’s my fault she attacked me, and you died.” Evan patted Malcolm’s shoulder. “Jade’s not like the yellow one. You scared her. Aaron almost shot you. He still might. Jesus, Malcolm, you were—what happened?”

Malcolm groaned. He stood, knocking Evan’s hand from him. “If you’d cease touching me, I’d postpone retaking that revolver and eating it. What happened? You allowed Aaron to use the taser set for Jane Doe. Do I even remotely look like her?” He shuddered. “I just acted like her. I apologize. Neither you nor Aaron understood or thought. Off-frequency with so much power, I couldn’t control myself.”

Malcolm took in Jade trying to merge with Aaron’s chest. Grief flashed across his face, and then he lost all expression. “I knew I could take from you, Jade, so I did. I made you pull most of the poison that’s 526 terahertz from me.” He paced, careful to keep his distance. “How could I force such intimacy? And my sweet Jade, for what possible perversion, did you allow me?”

Allow him?
Aaron’s frustration blew from his lips, and those icy eyes centered on him.

“Welcome to Cleveland,” Malcolm said. “Sorry. It seems I can be dreadful when I’m out of sync and stepping in power.”

Even in sync, whatever the hell that meant, Malcolm astounded. An aura of calm, controlled authority radiated from him. It seemed the goddess clasped in Aaron’s arms had a god counterpart. A thirsty god, hopefully stable now, but Aaron had erred too many times. He shifted the revolver to his good hand.

“Thank you.” Malcolm took the glass of water Evan held out to him and glared at the teen. “It surpassed my logic, that you’d stun me. I…almost don’t blame you. I assume you hoped to disable her, and hadn’t noticed she mutilated my lips at the time.” Malcolm gulped the water, and then grumbled, “Enough, right? The past isn’t a priority, and the present requires damage control. Go comfort the child. One interfering word from you, and I’ll no longer merely threaten to end this. I’ll not harm anyone but myself. I can’t, won’t, tolerate much more.”

Malcolm started to hand the empty glass toward Evan and flinched. He strode away from the group on the bed and set the glass on the dresser. His face blank, Malcolm beckoned Evan to him. The kid didn’t hesitate, and Aaron’s gut churned. What good was a steady aim when hands capable of throwing an adult male across the room, pushed open Evan’s unbuttoned shirt?

“Why, oh why, did I ever ask you into this house?” Malcolm caressed Evan’s chest with one hand, and soothed his fingers over the teen’s face with his other. Evan eagerly volunteered broken fingers, and Aaron relaxed. It appeared Jade wasn’t the only one with abilities. Aaron had no feeling in his right wrist and his arm still felt numb.

Pain and tension dissolved from Evan, and Malcolm released him. He flicked his fingers across the room, gesturing Evan away, and his attention turned to Aaron. “Please. Allow the child to join Evan and accept my approach. I won’t hurt anyone again. I must explain to her, try for forgiveness.”

Under a blue spell, Aaron shrugged. He nodded at David, and his obedient son ran for the teen leaning against the closet. Pretty solid door, considering it had withstood Aaron bashing into it. Jade shivered and exchanged her death grip on his arm for his injured hand. He’d best forget the green angel. A blue devil fell to his knees, in front of him.

“I have yet to earn it, but I ask your trust,” Malcolm told Aaron. “I require an uninterrupted moment with Jade.”

Aaron answered with silence. Trust, huh? He wasn’t born yesterday—like these unstable colors may have been.

“Talk with me, Jade,” Malcolm said. “I need you to forgive me.”

No reply, except a tremulous gulp. As far as Aaron was concerned, Malcolm’s window for one on one dialogue just ended. A zillion questions spun in his mind, and this interrogation of a frightened woman should shift to the blue man with the answers.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Aaron hugged Jade tighter. “I’ll take you back to San Diego. Or an unnamed safe place. What do you think?” Soon as the boys and Jade were anywhere but here, he’d return with a machine gun and a thousand white towels to wipe up blue splatter.

Finally, Jade turned from his shirt. Green eyes cringed at arctic, blue ones. She shuddered, pressed back into Aaron, and shook her hair to hide her face.

Malcolm drew back. He glanced at Aaron. “I insist—stay out of this. Time is crucial. My dear Jade, with hope you’d summon but a miniscule amount of courage, I’ll be specific and simplistic. Pardon the abruptness. I’m still reeling from those power surges and worry over what’s happened while I was down, so let’s get to it. I’ve apologized. Now, answer to me. Detail your journey. Did you let this man pilot for hours? Drive or guide them? Bring a laptop? Understand anything, yet?”

My dear Jade?
Simmering dots of sapphire clouded Aaron’s vision and chilled his heart. Unpredictable, brutally fast, yet that headshot should slow him if Malcolm grabbed
his
Jade again.

Malcolm arched his brows, his voice thickened with sarcasm. “I suspect you hid under a blanket or coat. You’ve allowed this man helping you to stew in anger. If Aaron kills me, I’ll accept my demise with gratitude. I can’t exist in balance without you by my side. I won’t abuse you again. I’ll try not to, but I expect I’ll frighten you, numerous times assuming we have a future.”

A two second pause, and then Malcolm snapped, “Grant the courtesy of a reply. I’ll not allow you to leave this house, leave me, without one. I frightened you. Get over it. Speak of one effort you made to help.”

“The light’s awful,” Jade whispered into Aaron’s shirt. “So are you. I want Aaron to take me away.”

Malcolm scowled and closed his mouth as Aaron opened his. “You don’t care if you die? I’ve reasoned this revolver will do more than a taser. Explain yourself without violence, or I’ll give you that bullet.”

“Aaron, patience.” A soft sigh and the blue man went on. “Yes, that mixed frequency daylight is quite intolerable. I drove to New York in it. No guide, no arms to shelter me. And our Jane Doe—unbearable. Truly, a sociopath. But I digress. This waste of time is about your self-centered insecurities, Jade.

“Not saying I’m not a ruthless bastard, but I nearly gave my wretched existence to prevent our cohort from killing Evan. How can you, the color of healer, disregard him? Be as selfish as the bitch that rearranged those ribs? My miserable touch only numbs. Pain will return. Evan’s fear never left.”

Rational and calm, this mesmerizing guy could spell the most paranoid of men, but the hard edge to Malcolm’s voice sparked frost along Aaron’s spine. He tightened his grip on the revolver.

His fingers restless at his sides, Malcolm narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t made any effort to help an innocent who must have begged you to come here. I assume Evan spent this long night crying for me. You want the child you recklessly included, looking like him? Or dead? I struck that child, yes. But
you
allowed the atrocity.”

“It’s my fault you hit him?” Jade dug her nails into Aaron’s arm. “I-I don’t understand.”

“Malcolm,” Aaron snapped. “What
is
your problem?”

“My exact dilemma? You and your offspring. She’s not your responsibility. Continue to humor her neuroses and you’ll die. Jade, let’s try another way to get through. You watched me break the bones of this interfering man anxious to communicate for you. Did you also hope I’d get rid of Aaron? We’d continue our intimacies undisturbed by his sad eyes? I know my kisses gave you pleasure. You made no effort to stop me.”

“Stop you? Pleasure? I hate you.”

Malcolm mouthed to Aaron “
trust me
” and stood.

“Shoot him,” Jade sobbed up at Aaron.

Do something
, Aaron yelled at himself.

Too late. Icicles zinged from Aaron’s arm into his chest, and Malcolm scooped Jade from his lap.
I’m useless. The worst bodyguard ever
. His hand was frozen and empty, his weapon and angel back in the control of the powerful guy shoving Aaron’s revolver into his pocket. Aaron stomped to his feet, and gestured David to stay with Evan.

Malcolm cradled Jade and paced backward. “Futile center that you are, you’re allowing emotions to dominate. I could kill these humans before you even whimper. Seize control. Forget sexual gratification. Don’t let me take from you.”

Yeah? Aaron had emotional issues too. Rage hammered through him as Malcolm kissed Jade again. He had to get David and Jade out of here. Evan also, before—

Jade arched back, pulled her arm free, and struck Malcolm in the chest. She fell from his arms as he flew across the bedroom to land in a heap by the doorway.

Malcolm bounded to his feet. “Oh my, how sad. You barely touched me. Shall I drain you until I’m healed? Swallow your fear and overpower me.”

Evan gripped David by the closet. Aaron clutched air while Jade matched Malcolm’s strides. She whacked one hand into Malcolm’s chest, and her closed fist smacked him in the face. The blows lifted him off his feet. He hit the wall, plaster crumbled down with him, and he didn’t leap back up.

“Goddamn it, Malcolm. What brutal game are you playing?” Should Aaron attempt to reclaim the revolver? Grab the boys and run while green went medieval on blue?

Against the smashed wallboard, Malcolm wiped liquid from his reopened lip. He cradled his broken arm, and pulled himself up. He ignored Aaron, his attention on Jade. “Finally, it sinks in. I appreciate you not crushing my ribs like a certain other monster. Thank you for healing them. I wish you’d have understood without…pummeling…”

With a disgusted snort, Malcolm crossed his arms at Evan’s approach. “Go bother Jade. Little wimp now realizes she can either heal or strangle you. I’d beg her to do the latter, but I’m afraid she hates me.” Malcolm turned for the doorway, paused, and his intense gaze locked back on Evan. “Speaking of hating me, Jane Doe must be stunned, or she’d have killed us all by now. She’s here, right? Not out randomly slaughtering?”

Before Evan could answer, Jade cried, “Did you let me hit you?”

“Ridiculous. Are you really this disbelieving?” Malcolm shuddered. In a blink, he grasped Jade and lifted her to his irritated eye level.

Jesus, damn it
.

Malcolm dropped Jade and stepped back and Aaron gulped his relief.

“Feel it, understand, and accept,” Malcolm said. “There’s few stronger than you on this planet. Obviously, I’m not one of them. Don’t be so pathetic.”

Huge emerald eyes overflowed. Brilliant blue ones rolled to the ceiling as Malcolm scooped Jade up. He strode to the bed, perched, and settled her on his lap.

More forced kissing? Laser eyes shifted to him, and Aaron couldn’t help but tumble into blue.

“I should have handled this better,” Malcolm said. “I’m terrified, less than three days old, and prone to error. It’s no excuse, but please don’t fear me.”

Malcolm bent to Jade and softened his tones. “Rude of me to say you’re pathetic, when you’re also sweet. My problem? Every second I waste on this coddling could prove fatal. More chaos surely occurred while I lay stunned. Accept this brief clip of your situation. I’m ninety-two percent positive I found the prior you before our sociopath interrupted me. Susan Lathrop. Anorexic, generalized anxiety disorder, extreme depression. January 15th, her daughter and husband died, along with another family.