Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (209 page)

It definitely wasn’t one of my finer
moments. My cheeks blazed at the thought, and I shook my head for
the thousandth time, determined to drop it. In a few weeks, people
would find something else to gossip about. Until that time, I
screened every phone call and concentrated on finding the
Kember.

And getting out of tutoring
sessions.

My
teacher flinched. His mouth dropped in a look of pure idiocy as I
slammed the book onto the kitchen table. “I’m not gonna read
‘
To kill a fu
—’”

“
Taylee!” Aiden closed some
tattered hardback he was reading, jumped from the couch and walked
into the kitchen. One thing I’d learned about him: he wasn’t fond
of my vocabulary.

I slumped back in my chair and
redirected my scowl at the balding, old man. How did this help me
find that Kember? It didn’t. Therefore, not my problem.

“
Actually,” Mr. Whatever-his-name-was began, oblivious to the
insult. His brown eyes brightened. “It’s
To Kill a Mockingbird
. It’s an
outstanding novel. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Where the heck did Aiden dig this guy
up from? Some cult for the socially challenged? Unlike him, I
couldn’t bury myself in a book after the most important thing in my
life had been stripped from me. I folded my arms and scoffed.
“Yeah, since you know so much about me. I don’t read.
Ever.”

The grey
slab of hair above my tutor’s eyes, which I guessed were
once
two
eyebrows, furrowed as he shuffled through papers in his
binder. “Your report cards indicate you passed all your classes
with A’s and B’s. I find it hardly plausible you don’t read but
passed English with flying colors.”

Aiden’s eyes flickered toward me and
narrowed. He wondered the same thing, although he knew the answer:
Mind control.

“
I’m
incredibly
gifted
.” I smiled sweetly. Okay, enough of this. I glanced at
Aiden, who stood against the counter, feet crossed, attention back
in his book where it belonged. I placed both my palms on the table
and snickered inward.
Sayonara,
Teach.

I looked squarely at Mr. Unibrow and
focused until I felt the weight of his mind. Like pushing through
water, I moved forward past his resistance and enveloped his mind
in mine.

Embracing the wonderful, warm buzz, I
closed my eyes. I quickly opened them again, knowing I didn’t have
time to screw around.

The
tutor’s eyes glazed, and I gave him his first command.
Put the book away.

He did.

Now, tell me I’ve been
doing such a fantastic job the last few weeks that I don’t need to
worry about reading this book.

“
You know, Taylee,” he said
in his wise, blah voice. “You’ve been doing such a fantastic job
the last few weeks. Don’t worry about reading this
book.”

Now
leave
.

With a cheery smile, he stood from his
chair and began packing his things.

Aiden snapped his head toward the
clock. “You’re leaving? It’s only one.”

“
Yes, yes, well, time is in
the essence,” I made him say.

“
Of
the essence?”
Aiden studied him suspiciously.

“
Uh, yeah—yes,” his voice
wavered like my order, “exactly what I said.”

Pack faster, pack
faster!

He threw his crap in his
bag.

My head pounded from the pressure of
trying to keep his mind under control. I bit my lip and casually
smoothed my fingers from my jaw to my temple.

Aiden took a few steps closer,
glancing between Mr. Unibrow and me. I shrugged at Aiden, trying to
play it cool. The tutor still had that dumb smile plastered across
his face.

“
The conversation we had
yesterday, Mr. Sorenson,”—ahhh, Mr. Sorenson, that was his
name!—“can you tell me about it?” Aiden asked.

Busted. Asking questions I didn’t know
the answer to was a sure way to find out if he was under my
control. By now, thanks to the file Aiden received on me, he knew
the ins and outs of my ability. Like the very inconvenient fact I
can’t invade memories or get information from anyone. Well, not
without inflicting torture, but that didn’t have anything to do
with mind control.

“
Yeah—or, uh…Yes, of course.” I cringed. Man, I
really
needing to work
on my sophisticated geek talk. “That thing.”

“
Let him go,” Aiden said in
a low voice. His hard gaze set on me. “You’re done messing
around.”

I blinked. The room spun slowly, like
I just jumped off some puke-inducing ride. The pressure in my head
gradually turned into a headache, and my energy poured out in such
thick currents, I was surprised no one saw it flowing across the
floor.

“
What do you mean?” My
words slurred. Funny, I didn’t remember drinking vodka, but I sure
could’ve used some. The lightheaded feeling intensified; the verge
of passing out crept up on me. I had no choice but to let him go or
fall on my face.

I released him. As the pressure of his
mind left mine, I rested my cheek against the cool table and closed
my eyes. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth.
Mr. Sorenson still packed his things, but much slower.

“
Thank you, Mr. Sorenson. I
think it’s a good idea that Taylee still read the novel. I’ll make
sure she gets it done over the weekend.”

“
Whatever you deem best.
I’ll return Monday, Taylee. Have a pleasant weekend.”

Pleasant? Hah! “Yeah, yeah.” I waved
my hand dismissively, hearing two sets of footsteps walk to the
front door. I sat up in my chair as Aiden came back. He tossed the
book onto the table and settled in the chair across from me. “Read
it out loud.”

“
Um…okay. I’ll get right on
that.” I rolled my eyes. “After, I find the bastard who stole my
life.”

He set his elbows on the table and
leaned forward, lowering his voice. “It’s not your job to find the
Kember. Google isn’t going to get you anywhere.” He nudged the book
forward with his finger. “Do your homework.”

I shoved
the book as hard as I could off the table. With a loud slap, it hit
the stove and landed on the floor. “
You
read it.”

“
I already have.” Aiden’s
gaze lingered on the upside down paperback before he directed it at
me.

“
So what? You’re supposed
to be some badass bookworm?” Skyler definitely exaggerated about
this one.

He sat back and crossed his arms.
“Maybe you’d like to know that Ian requires me to send him an
e-mail every day. In case you’ve changed your mind about the
therapist.”

Blackmail in its finest form. I
gritted my teeth to keep my “screw you” comment at bay.

Aiden pushed away from the table and
walked across the wood floor. He picked up the book, set it in
front of me and held it down with his index finger. “Read the book
out loud.”

Knowing how loyal he was to Ian, he’d
no doubt make good on his threat. Spilling my guts to a therapist
meant less time looking for the Kember. I couldn’t afford
that.

Opening
the book to chapter one, it took every ounce of willpower I
possessed to not tear out every boring page.
I read, mumbling in a monotone voice.

He started interrogating me about the
chapter. Oh hell. Story time tortured me enough. Now this? I
scooted my chair back and stormed toward the front door.

“
Where’re you
going?”

I didn’t break my pace.
“Out.”

Ripping the front door open, I stomped
outside and inhaled the fresh air greedily. It whipped around me,
blowing dark strands of hair in my face. I placed my hands on the
deck railing and peered around the surrounding forest.

I wanted to go back to three weeks ago
when everything was okay. I missed Delmari, and even though I knew
he would’ve flipped about the stunt I just pulled, I didn’t care.
I’d give anything to hear him yell again. Maybe I’d even listen
this time.

Tall trees used to bring me peace.
Normally, standing in the midst of them calmed me. All I had to do
was breathe in the clean pine scent, listen to the silence and
before too long, I felt my anger recede. Not this time. If
anything, the woods made it worse. Now all I saw were flames and
despair. I didn’t want to relive that day. I didn’t even want to
think about it.

Seconds later, Aiden stepped out,
killing any possibility of peace. “You’re not supposed to be out
here without me. It could be dangerous.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, how unfortunate it’d
be for someone to take me off your hands.”

Before he could respond, I walked
through the waist-high sunflowers, pulling some out as I went. Ever
since I could remember, I’d hated that I had no known relatives.
Now I felt the actual impact. I wanted a place to go. Something
that felt familiar and safe. Nowhere would I find that. I didn’t
know where I belonged anymore. Aside from Skyler, Aiden was all I
had. That thought brought a tightening soreness to my
throat.

“
How far into these woods
are we going?”

My thoughts raced so angrily, I didn’t
care. I just kept putting one foot in front of the
other.

A blinding scarlet light veiled my
eyes. I stopped dead in my tracks, blinking rapidly. “What the—?” I
rubbed my lids and opened my eyes again: Nothing but a red haze. I
couldn’t see. My heart hammered.

“
Everything
okay?”

A warm sensation rushed over my entire
body, like I stood inches from a fire. I stumbled back, wiping at
my arms. The heat intensified throughout my body, becoming so hot
it started to singe my skin. My breath hitched and I dropped to my
knees. I squeezed my eyes closed and threw myself to the ground,
thrashing in the dirt.

“
What’s going on?” Aiden’s
concerned voice sounded far away. “What’re you doing?”

The dirt didn’t do jack. “I’m
b-burning!”

Rumbling, cracking sounds flooded my
ears. I opened my eyes; the crimson was gone. Now, vicious, orange
tendrils danced on the trees and swirled through the grass and
shrubs around me. Thick smoke whirled and funneled into the
air.

Oh no.

My skin blazed. I screamed then
coughed as the smoke invaded my lungs. I shifted my gaze around the
grove but couldn’t see Aiden anywhere. My heart accelerated. The
bastard left me here to burn.

Raindrops fell like marbles. They
splattered on my scorched face and body, gradually washing the
burning away. Delmari! He saved me. He was back. I knew no one
could kill him! Relief filled me. My rigid body collapsed into the
dirt. I closed my eyes, taking a long, deep breath.

After a few moments, I peered up
through the streaking rain. Placing both hands down in the mud, I
pushed myself into a seated position. I blinked a few times, trying
to make something out of the smoke and remaining flames. Where the
heck was Aiden? Some Kember.

Snapping twigs and labored breathing
made me turn my head. A dark-haired chick, about my age, with wide
eyes and tear-stained cheeks, sprinted toward me. I pushed my
matted hair away from my face and tried to stand. My legs wouldn’t
respond. I gasped and gripped them, trying to pry them from the
ground. My jaw dropped and my breathing hitched. From the waist
down, I was paralyzed.

The girl glanced over her shoulder.
She stumbled behind a huge boulder mere feet from where I sat.
Leaning back against the rock, she squeezed her eyes closed. Her
chest rose and fell rapidly.

Again, I looked through the trees.
Nothing was there. “H-hey, are you okay?” I choked on the words as
they left my throat.

She didn’t respond or even look my
way.

Low voices sounded from somewhere
around us. A being, with energy markings around his eyes, bounded
toward us.

Before the girl could take a step, he
lunged at her.

“
Son of a—!” My heart
pounded. I jerked my upper body, trying to get up. I couldn’t. I
peered frantically through the darkness for Delmari or
Aiden—anyone!

The Rygon grabbed the girl and pulled
her body flush against his. She screamed and twisted, trying to
escape. He held her effortlessly. The black veins around his eyes
spread like webs across his face as he drew out her energy. He
tilted his head to the sky. His crystal blue eyes grew brighter and
brighter, glowing eerily in the darkness.

I screamed to get his attention. I
reached out to grab a rock, but I couldn’t pick it up off the
ground. Like my legs, it wouldn’t budge. I watched helplessly as
the girl thrashed and yelled, but it was too late.

The struggling girl went limp in the
Rygon’s arms. I stared in horror. Someone else I couldn’t
save.

Low voices sounded from behind
me.