Chosen (13 page)

Suddenly, Cayne couldn’t get to Edan’s room fast enough. He was on the edge of some insight, and he was sure Edan was involved. He made a hasty decision: He used his pseudo-camouflage ability to get past the entry desk and glide up the stairs. Room 202 was down the right hall, at the end. Cayne knocked hard once. Twice. Three times. No answer. Tentatively, he opened the link he’d created in Scotland, queasy at the thought of touching Edan’s strangeness—but it was necessary. And yeah, Eden was definitely behind the door.

“Edan.” Cayne knocked once more. “Let me inside.”

No answer.

“Edan.”

He heard a shuffling sound and struggled to squelch a wave of rage. He tried a softer approach. “I only want to talk…
buddy
. Let me in.”

When, after another minute, no one answered, Cayne followed the curved hallway back to the staircase. He walked out the front of the building, into fluffy white snow that came up almost to his knees.

He walked to the end of the building, called forth his wings, and jumped.

As soon as he snapped Edan’s window off its hinges, he heard a “Whoa!” and spotted the bastard sitting on the floor, wearing nothing but his skin, holding an oddly shaped remote, watching computerized people do something on the screen and eating croissants that smelled of cinnamon and butter.

The guy’s eyes danced, as if he knew he had been caught and it excited him. “Sup
buddy
?” He waved at the television. “I’m playing Mass Effect. This X-Box thing is amazing.”

Cayne sent his wings away and began hoisting himself through the window, speaking through gritted teeth. “I need to…talk to you, ya bastard.”

As he dropped onto the gray carpet, Edan’s gaze returned to the busy screen. “No can do, dude. Sovereign is attacking the Citadel.”

Cayne dropped onto a narrow bed and rubbed his face, which had started to go numb with cold. For once, he hesitated to speak. He glanced up at the clock above the desk beside the TV and thought of Julia. Then he shoved off the bed and stood over Edan, arms folded.

“I want some answers, starting with who you really are and where you came from. Don’t tell me you’re the son of a female fallen and a male human. I’m not stupid.”

Edan cocked a brow, as if to say touché. “That seems a little unfair, don’t you think? You haven’t told me your whole happy history. Who are you,
Somairhle Mochridhe?
Do you even know?” he smiled slyly, and Cayne’s blood boiled.

Two seconds later Edan was pinned to the floor. “If you were the girl in my cell and you are fucking with me, so help me,” he growled.

“What girl?” Edan swatted at his head, and Cayne tightened his grip a second before letting the guy go. Panting slightly, Edan rubbed his neck. “I’m not a chick, dude. Check it out.” He looked down at himself, and Cayne looked away. “Get dressed,” he snapped. “And you will answer my questions. I’m not leaving till you do.”

“Your wish is my command.” Edan whipped a hand back through his caramel waves and stepped into some gray sweats. He pulled on a red hoodie and held his arms out. “Now tell me what you want. I’ve got a girl coming over in a while and I’ve got a game to play.”

Cayne rubbed his eyes roughly. “Why did you ask me that? ‘Who are you’?”

Edan shrugged. “Just being existential, ya know?”

“What do you know about me?”

Edan shook his head. “Besides being whipped by a wee Chosen,” Edan said in a mocking Scottish accent, “I don’t know shit about you.”

He looked casual, but there was something in his voice that raised Cayne’s hairs. “I’ve been told I’m not a Nephilim.”

“You look like one to me.”

Cayne sighed. “Why did you separate from our group?”

“Girls, man. You know, I was kept away from them at the Compound.”

“Bullshit.”

“I thought so too.”

Cayne growled, then stopped himself. It was a habit he was trying to kick at Julia’s insistence. She said it scared people.

Then he realized he didn’t care whether Eden was scared.

“Why were you afraid of the guards we saw outside the resort?” He growled.

Eden puffed himself up. “I don’t know what guards you’re talking about, and I’m—”

“You think I bought your story about the café?”

Edan looked confused, then his eyes widened. “They did. They stole my money!”

“You’re lying.”

Edan shrugged. “You don’t believe what I say, I see no point in continuing our conversation. Maybe you should hit the bar, dude. Loosen up a little.”

Cayne tried another angle. “I’ve got a past of my own. If anyone’s going to listen with an open mind, it’s me.”

A look passed over Edan’s face—a rippling that eventually became a smile, but Cayne suspected could have come out uglier.

“Bro—can I call you Bro? Of course I can. So here’s the thing, Bro: there’s nothing to tell. Maybe my origin doesn’t make much sense to you; it hasn’t to me—but it’s the story I know. Think what you will, but I am who I am. And I can’t help Julia. I’m not sure who can lift a curse.” He rubbed his forearm, looking irritated. “I’ll catch you later.”

Edan walked to the door, but Cayne stayed put. “You need to come back with me. We have two suites—both nicer than this room.”

“No can do my man. Like I said, I’ve got a date later. I’ve gotta get ready.”

Cayne walked to him, intentionally intruding on his personal space. “I don’t know why you decided to come with us in the beginning—”

“You’re all such good company.”

“Shut up! I spoke for you then, and now you owe me.”

“I’d say that made us even.”

“Then how about this: If you don’t come back willingly, I’ll drag you back.”

Cayne hadn’t really expected the guy to comply, but he was surprised by the darkness in Edan’s eyes. No, they actually did darken, turning almost black as he stood straight. “That is not something you want to try,” he warned.

Cayne held himself in check. He couldn’t force Edan to do anything. So he gritted his teeth and he did it for Julia. He said, “Please.”

Edan looked torn. For about a second. And then he simply said, “I would if I could.”

Cayne flexed his hand. Balled into a fist. But instead of smashing into Edan’s face, the way he wanted to, the way he would have in the past… He walked out.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As she watched herself writhe against the binds that pinned her to the chair, Julia had an incredible sense of déjà vu. She’d been here before. The sting of the ropes rubbing her skin, the feeling of being trapped with no escape—it was familiar. But she didn’t know how.

Adrenaline raced through her, her mind bounced, her whole body twitched, and something must have happened, because the next second she was running—
fast
.

I have to get to Cayne!

He was swathed in fog—so much of it she almost couldn’t see him. The wisps wound around his body like tentacles, puffs of white against a dark landscape. Somewhere nearby, she heard the sloshing sound of water lapping rock.

She stepped closer, and the space cleared around his face. She gasped. It was blue. Lifeless.

She lunged toward him, but he and the fog vanished, and she tripped, fell onto her knees. Her head was pounding, and her hands were wet. She pulled them to her face. They were covered in gold. On the ground was what looked like splatter paint. She touched it and found her fingertips pressing into woven gold: the net. It shifted as she moved, sending heat through her body, and soon she was hot, too hot and getting hotter. She felt herself fraying from the inside, her pieces ripping—

Julia awoke in a cold sweat with her head pressed into Carlin’s side and one of her legs tangled with Meredith’s. The first thing she thought was: She’d had that exact same dream before—when she’d had her headache the first time, back in Scotland.

She looked left, and found Mer’s wide brown eyes fixed on her.

“Holy cow,” Meredith whispered, “I just saw you in my nightmare.”

Julia propped her head up on her arm, but she was shaking and she didn’t know for sure if she could speak. She widened her eyes in response.

“Julia, you were doing what
I
do. I was having this dream about…” She chewed her lip. “I was dreaming about Nathan. He had this really bad feeling. Confused and terrified.” Meredith’s voice cracked on the word. She rubbed her eyes and sat up a little, clutching the blanket to her chest. Carlin resituated behind Julia, and Mer dropped her voice to a softer whisper.

“Sorry—Nathan turns me into a big crybaby.” She rubbed her eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. “So anyways. He was walking on top of dark water where I see him walk sometimes, and he was really upset about his family. He was really alone…and sad. And then all of a sudden you were there. I saw your pink shoes first, and you were standing sort of behind him, in the fog. You looked right at me and you said, ‘Did you know that he’s been to see The Three? That’s what this water is. It means he’s in their grasp.’ Then I woke up, and you were waking up to!”

Julia shook her head. “I was dreaming something completely different.”

Carlin, lying on her stomach, pressed one palm over her ear, and Mer grabbed Julia’s arm. “Let’s go somewhere else,” she whispered.

Sitting up and scooting off the bed made Julia’s vision dapple, but she gritted her teeth and followed Meredith to the bathroom, where her friend gave her a kind, parental look. “I can tell your head is killing you. Wanna try a hot shower? I’ll stand on the other side of the curtain and we can talk about your freakish new dream walking abilities.”

Julia groaned. “I am so a freak. And I was right—dream me: I think the foggy that foggy stuff and the water must be where the Three hang out. Or hung out.” She shrugged, wincing as the motion sent a bolt of pain into her head.

Meredith had grabbed a paddle brush and jerked it through her long hair, prancing like an anxious horse. “You said he’s in their grasp. What does that mean? I never really thought about him seeing them—not that he ever admitted it. I just thought he was just this annoying, holier-than-thou kind of guy, but now I don’t, and now I’m worried. Julia, it’s terrible. I am
so
worried about him. He’s a good guy. I’m sorry if that’s hard for you to see.”

“It isn’t.” Julia grabbed the brush from Mer’s hands and pointed to the dark marble Jacuzzi. “Sit down.” As Meredith did, Julia sank down to the floor, facing her friend, leaning her back against the cabinets below the sink. “Honestly, I do think Nathan is a decent guy. I don’t know anything about The Three…not firsthand anyway, but I think it’s probably not good that he’s so… That he’s in such close contact.”

“He’s such a dumbass,” Mer groaned. She wrapped one arm around her gown-clad waist and used the other to wipe her eyes. “I
told
him to come with me. Why does he always have to follow the rules? Do you think they’re angry? That we got away? ’Cause if it’s part my fault, I don’t know how I could—”

“No. No way.” Julia didn’t want to shake her head, so she wagged a finger. “I think you should remember it was just a dream. When I saw you a long time ago in my vision, you were on an Amtrak. Cayne and I later took the Amtrak to D.C. but we never saw you on it—you or Nathan.”

“Sometimes the dreams get jumbled together. You don’t know for sure what it means. But I want to know.” Meredith was up again, and pacing. “Have you had visions? Ones like Drew?”

“No. I didn’t even know that I could…do the dream thing.”

“I call it dream walking,” Meredith said miserably.

Julia puffed out her breath. “So maybe I really am The One?”

“Um, Everett’s powers didn’t work on you and neither did Thierry’s, and now you can walk in people’s dreams? I’d say so, chicka.” Meredith flipped her smooth mane over her shoulder. “You can’t stay in denial, Jules. We need to pow-wow about this soon.”

“I know.”

Meredith stepped closer, her brown eyes shining with sympathy. “Want me to go and let you get a bath? I can bring you some medicine.”

Julia nodded. “I’ll try the bath.” She cracked a tiny smile. “But not until you leave. I am so not a group-bathroom-trip girl.”

“And yet…” Mer smiled.

“I know. At least it’s only us and not Carlin, too. And neither of has used the toilet, thank Jesus.”

Mer’s smile grew wider. “I can’t believe you dream walked. Before we know it you’ll be doing
everything
.”

“I’m a freak. A big, freaky freak.”

“You’re multi-talented.” Mer’s brows wiggled. 
      “This isn’t the circus, Meredith. They’re called abilities,” Julia said in a gruff voice, amused with her own Nathan impression.

Mer slumped against the counter, big-eyed and miserable, and Julia felt like an idiot. “Do you think he’s really okay?” the other girl asked softly.

Julia nodded, but before she spewed a bunch of insincere B.S., she reached into the tub and turned the faucet knob, wanting to think about her answer for a minute. Water gushed out, smacking the marble tub and making it difficult to think around her pounding headache. She turned back to Meredith.

“I think he can handle it. And, you know, the dream might have been about anything. Maybe they’re…”

Sending him on some mission, she was going to say, but she realized that if they were, the mission was to get her. Why else would she have been there, accusing him?

 “Julia, are you okay? You just kinda stopped talking.”

“Sorry.” She forced a tight smile. “I’m just tired and headachy.”

“And worried. You can’t fool this girl. What are you worried about?”

“Nothing the bubbles can’t handle.” Julia didn’t feel right about dumping her stuff on Meredith yet. “Go. Skedaddle?”

“…Skedaddle?”

“Scamper off.”

Meredith laughed as she stood to go.

Julia said, “Try not to worry too much about Nathan. Maybe Jacquie can ask…what’s his name, Stone? Maybe she can ask him how Nathan is.”

Standing in the half-opened doorway, Meredith nodded. “I’ll try not to worry. Do you want to talk about your dream? I didn’t even ask.”

“It was nothing. Just a regular nightmare.”