Crais (20 page)

“Sarah yanked Abby’s shorts down to her knees
,” she spluttered out around her laughter.

I hung my head. “And it happened to be a no
-clean-underwear day.”

“Yep, she was bare
-assed for the entire world to see.”

I could remember the mortification like it was yesterday.

A swift grin crossed Lucas’s face. I held up a hand, halting him before he made his comment.

“
Moving on from that lovely memory ...” I said, my words trailing off as two strangers entered the room.

A man and woma
n, more gorgeous than any two people had the right to be, stood framed in the massive doorway. They looked similar. The man had shoulder-length platinum-blond hair which was pulled back in a clasp held at the nape of his neck. The woman had the same unnatural-colored hair. It fell to her waist in a thick straight sheet. They were tall, both well over six feet, and as they stared around the room, I noticed the unusual color of their eyes. They were such a light icy blue it was almost white.

Only one breed of life-form was this perfect.
Walkers.

Brace shifted forward, moving across the room faster than I could track. I held my breath
waiting for the explosion of power. Brace was always protective but it had reached epic levels since his return. But instead of the battle I’d expected the three of them met in a fierce hug, Brace scooping the other two up and spinning them around.

My
jaw fell open. It was probably inches from dragging on the floor. Clearly, they knew each other. Talina placed her hand on my face, closing my jaw.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I was worried you were going to get carpet
-burn if your chin dropped any lower.” Her eyes twinkled.

“Wow, it looks like
your hot-as-hell mate has his own set of hot friends.” Lucy turned to me, her blue eyes registering her interest in the newcomers. “Who are the blondie twins?”

I shrugged. I had no idea
. But she was right: they very much looked like twins.

The three of them
conducted a rapid discussion, before both sets of icy blue eyes shifted to lock on me. I felt a warm acceptance from the man, but there was something hesitant in the woman’s gaze. I clashed eyes with her, and I swear she immediately judged me and found something lacking. She dismissed me by turning away. Brace faced the room, the pair falling in on either side of him.

“I want to introduce my oldest friends
, the wolf twins, Magenta and Colton. They’re Abernaths and have defected from Que to join our battle.” He pulled them further into the room to introduce everyone.

Wolf twins?
That was a strange introduction.

Josian stepped forward and did that Walker
-handshake greeting. I realized this was the first time I had seen a full Walker female. Magenta had a hardness about her, her beauty tempered by a diamond strength. One difference with us half-Walkers is we’re much more human than a full Walker, every flaw and emotion out there for the world to see.

I noticed a definite interest from Lucy when Colton took her hand and kissed it gently. I nudged her
. She did not need to fall for a damn Walker. That could only end in tears.

I was
the last one to be greeted. Brace pulled me into his arms. My heart jumped as his strength encircled me. Our melding bond sprang to life, the golden aura surrounding us.

“This is Abigail. My life
,” he said.

Colton nudged Brace aside and wrapped
me up in a Walker hug. I refer to it like that because they all hug the same way: full-bodied bear hugs. I chuckled, patting his back a few times. He was warm, the way Brace always felt. Walkers definitely ran hot. He leaned his head in close and took a deep breath. Did he just sniff me?

“Okay
, that’s enough. Hands off.” Brace snatched me back, although his glare didn’t faze Colton at all.

He just laughed out loud, a deep masculine sound which filled the room and had Lucy
and Talina not so discreetly fanning themselves.

“Abigail and I are going to be great friends
,” he said, his confidence obvious. “So you’re just going to have to deal.” He flashed me a set of brilliant white teeth, another Walker trait.

“Don’t forget who got their ass kicked last time we battled, Colt. I will bury you.” Brace sounded serious but his grin implied otherwise.

Magenta cleared her throat then, distracting the men. I faced her, attempting to mould my expression into a friendly welcome. Her features remained impassive and unreadable. Examining her, I wondered why her parents had named her after a deep red color. She was the palest person I’d ever seen.

“Don’t mind my sister
,” Colton started. “She doesn’t like competition, especially in the form of a stunning red-haired mystical half-Walker.”

Magenta
growled at her brother but didn’t bother to respond. Meanwhile I was going nuts trying to figure out what Colton meant. In what way could I be competition to her, except if it came to Brace? I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t care how gorgeous and powerful she was. If she came near Brace I was going to take her apart and put her back together inside out. She wouldn’t be very pretty then.

I like
this side of you, Red. Your tendency toward violence is quite the turn-on.
Brace picked up my thoughts as he crowded closer to me.
But you have nothing to worry about. Magenta and Colt are my oldest friends ... the only real family I had growing up.

Oh
, you and I are definitely going to be having a little chat later, Brace.
He had some explaining to do, especially about Magenta.

Looking forward to it.
His words sent bursts of heat through my body. He’d layered them with so many more meanings then the words suggested.

T
he twins moved, distracting us.

“I’
d like an update on everything that has happened since you left, Brace.” Warmth entered Magenta’s dulcet tones as she faced him. “And we have a list of Abernaths who want to attend the gathering.”

How did they already know about the event?

Her manner of speaking had the immediate effect of dismissing everyone in the room besides Brace. Clearly she was not interested in what the rest of us had been doing. Colton, on the other hand, seemed very approachable, flashing around his blinding white smile as he answered my unspoken question.

“
Yeah, word got around to us that there was a Walker gathering being organized. Mags and I decided to take it on our own initiative and find the loyal Abernaths. We did our best to verify everyone on the list, but something tells me one or two of Que’s spies made it through.”

Josian acknowledged this with a swift nod. “It was inevitable.
A gathering on this scale could never be kept a secret.”

“I don’t know how you think this is not going to be a massive disaster
,” Magenta said, tossing back her perfect hair. “The last time we met, on Earth, we destroyed that city.”

“
You met on Earth?” I blurted. “But your powers are limited there.”

She spoke slowly
, as if I were a moron. “Even with limited powers Walker fighting created what you now refer to as the Grand Canyon. Imagine the damage they could do on First World.”

I exchanged a glance with Lucy. She looked both amused and horrified.

“What’s so funny?” I had to ask.

“Just the w
ay she speaks to you, like you’re a child.” She was laughing as she said this loud enough for the room to hear.

Magenta shifted her hard gaze to Lucy, her eyes wi
dening slightly at the lack of respect she saw there.

I shook my head. “Don’t
antagonize the angry Walker. If she decides to wrestle you’re going to end up with more than a black eye.”

Colton laughed out loud
. “These two are fantastic,” he said to Brace.

“Do they always say whatever they are thinking?” Magenta’s pouty lips were pursed.
“Because that will get annoying fast.”

“Oh no,” Lucy held one hand over her heart, “however will I live with the shame of being annoying to a
pretentious Walker.”

Colton laughed again, doubling over a little. His sister slapped his arm hard.
Everyone in the room was distracted then by Jen announcing that lunch was ready in the dining room.

“I might take
these Walkers into my study. I want to go over their list and work out some of the logistics of this gathering,” Josian said.

Lallielle nodded. “I’ll have them send the food in
to you.”

“Do you want us girls in there
too?” I was annoyed at being excluded again, especially when the half-Walkers were apparently so vital to the success of this venture.

Josian winked at me. “Don’t worry
. We aren’t discussing anything important, just figuring out the fine details. Like what to do about Tatiana of Laos and Nos of Whar.” The Walkers all groaned. “They have this lifelong feud. Their clans are always fighting. We’ll put them on opposite sides of the field.”

“And after
Jedi of Gai slept with Nos’s sister, they’re also on the outs,” Magenta gossiped.

“This is going to get very messy
,” Brace said. “And that’s if Que doesn’t decide to just show up.”

Magenta and Josian
continued to discuss the Walker clans as they left the room. But Brace stayed by my side.

“Why aren’t you going with the others?” I asked him.

He smiled. “They don’t need me right now. Mags and Colt will fill Josian in, and I’d rather have lunch with you.”

He hadn’t let me
far from his sight since the mountains.

“I just need to use the bathroom first
,” I said as I ducked into the small room off the side.

Lucy and I had finally figured out the
First-World toilets. It had freaked me out initially, but now I was used to the water and waiting for the blast of air to dry my butt.

I washed my hands,
catching sight of myself in the mirror. I’d noticed recently that my marks seemed to be changing: they were brighter, bolder, although it was hard to tell with the constant pulsing of the red.

I walked out, my heart skipping a few beats as I eyed my mate
. He was waiting for me, one leg propped up against the wall. Gods help us all from that lean.

His eyes lazily followed me
. There was no urgency in his face, so I was unprepared for him to take two steps and scoop me off my feet. His lips crashed into mine. He stood there, in the middle of the room, supporting my weight with ease. I groaned as he deepened the kiss. I would never have enough of this. I couldn’t believe he was back with me, freed from the Seventine. Which only reminded me of what I’d done, and the guilt at my actions roared to mind, momentarily distracting me. Brace pulled away, his eyes roaming across my face.

“What’s wrong, Red? I lost you there for a minute.”

I laughed. “You had at least fifty-five percent of my attention.”

He leaned forward and kissed my neck. “Well
, I better work a little harder,” he said as his lips trailed across the sensitive skin under my chin. “How am I doing now?”

I
groaned again; I couldn’t help myself. “Maybe sixty.”

He grazed the corner of my mouth, teasing me.

“Okay, seventy.”

More teasing followed
. He was driving me crazy. I arched against him.

“Eighty, ninety, one hundred
,” I said breathlessly. “Definitely one hundred.”

And right then
I was pretty sure we were going to be late for lunch.

After lunch it was training time for the half-Walkers and even Lucy was included this time.
Although it was going to be difficult to train her, her gift was rare and few knew of its secrets. Lallielle, having grown up with Francesca, was her best bet for information, and she was happy to impart everything she knew. They were currently sitting cross-legged in the grassy area close to the house. Every time I glanced across they looked to be meditating. Brace drew my attention back to the half-Walkers. It was strange having him teach us again, although Fury didn’t seem happy with his hard-ass attitude.

“You have an elemental power
, Fury. You need to understand the mechanisms of fire,” Brace said after she’d thrown her book down for the second time.

He’
d had Fury and Talina researching the properties of fire and water for the last hour.

“We’
re Walkers. Surely the science of humans is obsolete for us?” She pushed her white hair back from her face.

“Once you understand the basic structure and properties of an element you have a much better chance of controlling and developing it. Grantham will be here soon
. He spent many years researching minerals to assist his Earth abilities,” Brace said. “He’ll be able to tell you if it’s beneficial or not.”

Fury’s eyes narrowed
. I recognized her angry-face but before I could stop her she burst into flames.

“Does it look as if I need any help? How could research improve on my power?”

Her voice lowered into a growl, which fazed none of the Walkers. The blondie twins actually looked fascinated, stepping dangerously close to the heat.

Fury stalked
right up to Brace, an intense dislike on her face. “You speak to me like I’m nothing, but I’m powerful. I can burn cities to the ground and reduce you to ash.” The glow of power reflected across her features, distorting them.

She made a move to
dive at Brace, who was standing stoically observing her emotional display. I reacted instinctively, leaping between them. But in my haste I misjudged the distance, slamming full-bodied into her intense heat and blue flames.

“Abby!
” Voices screamed my name from all directions.

I closed my eyes
, preparing to be burnt alive. But there was no pain. As we connected, a golden cord of power leapt from my centre and tethered itself to Fury. The moment this happened, her flames sprang higher and a gold sheen flowed through the blue. We were completely surrounded, the flames even flickering off my skin, but there was no pain, just a pleasant warmth.

We stood there like that for an eternity of
moments; I could feel her power reacting to my energy, almost like I could control her. After a while I registered that we were surrounded by a circle of concerned faces. Mouths were moving, but I could hear none of the words.

Oh
, my god, what’s happening? I can’t move; I can’t stop the fire.

I picked up the
panicked dialogue, realizing it came from Fury. I sent thoughts in her direction.

Firstly, you
’re lucky you didn’t touch Brace. If you ever threaten him again, I will end you.
I started with the most important point.
And I’m guessing we connected. I’m not sure why I’m not a small pile of ash, but we need to turn it off now.

More p
anic threaded her mind.
I can’t pull the flames back; they’re outside my control.

Was I
the one in command?

I sent energy along the cord tethered to Fury
. Her flames responded immediately, surging to surround us in a radius of five feet. Everyone around us jumped back, except Brace, who stood worryingly close to the flames. I jabbed my arms at him to indicate he needed to back up. Thankfully Colton gripped his shoulders and, with some help from Josian, wrestled Brace out of the danger zone. I could tell by the set of his jaw that my mate wouldn’t be patient for much longer. I needed to stop this.

Instead of feeding power
into the cord, I started to draw it back along the tether. Huge influxes of energy rocked through me, trying to find somewhere to rest. I guided it toward the well at my centre, which had always scared me with its depth and intensity. It sucked the energy down, as if it had been dying of thirst and this was a huge glass of water. This continued until the rope tethering us together started to fray. It eventually disconnected, snapping back inside me, and Fury and I fell apart.

Brace had me before I even hit the ground. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to quell the shiver
s that were shaking me from the inside. I was coming off an energy high or something. I looked over Brace’s shoulder to Fury. She was cradled in Dune’s arms and seemed to barely have the strength to lift her head.

“What happened? What did you do to her?” Dune barked at me, his normal good nature disappearing under the stress of Fury’s
limp body in his arms.

“It wasn’t Abby’s fault.” Fury’s voice was
just audible. “I got overconfident with my power and paid the price.” She dropped her head down onto his shoulder, closing her eyes.

I struggled to get down,
needing to go and verify she was okay. Brace set me gently on my feet. I dashed closer, but Dune held her away so I couldn’t touch her.

“I don’t know what happened
,” I said, the stress raising my voice to a high pitch. “When I crashed into her some sort of golden cord shot from me and tethered itself to Fury. She couldn’t control her power and both of us were frozen in this little bubble.” I gulped. “I was in control of the flow of energy. I could increase her flames or end them. I sucked the power into myself. I didn’t know what else to do to separate us.”

Dune’s
broad features softened. “Is she going to be okay?”

I turned to Josian, then to
Brace, waiting for one of them to speak. They generally had answers to these weird Walker things. But all of them, even the blondie twins, looked like they were in shock. They just stared at me, their expressions full of ... fear and maybe a slight incredulity.

“Hello, Earth to Walkers.” Lucy grinned at me. “Or should it be First W
orld to Walkers?”

“What are you all doing?” I demanded. “Someone answer Dune.”

“I’m fine,” Fury said. It was pretty unconvincing, considering she could barely lift her head. “My energy is drained, but I can already feel it starting to regenerate.”

Relief flooded me.

“So can someone tell us what Abby just did, because I’m picking up nothing?” Lucy had her hands on her hips, looking a little put out.

I laughed. “You’ve
only had this ability for a few months, Luce, and for most of that you didn’t even know you had it. Someone’s getting a little too used to having foresight.”

She shrugged. “What can I
say; it’s nice not to feel useless in a world full of gods and those with gifts.”

I was distracted then as four massive Walkers surro
unded me. They stared down.

“What?” I blurted out, feeling a little self-conscious.

“Well, Abby, you’ve just given Mags another reason to hate you.” Colton’s tone was light-hearted, although his face remained impassive.

“How can a half be trusted with the gift of a
conduit?” Magenta spat out. “How can she be the one?”

Josian’s bronze eyes twinkled as he reached out and engulfed me in a hug.

“Francesca did keep assuring me you were the key to defeating the Seventine, and I could never figure out how your power fit into everything.” His voice was soothing.

I
concentrated on breathing through the strands of blood-red hair surrounding me.

“But you’
re a conduit, baby girl. You are quite literally the key.” Josian set me down.

Lallielle grasped his arm, capturing his attention.

“What is a conduit?” she asked, her features frozen and body stiff.

I wondered what was bothering her.

“Don’t panic, my love.” Josian could read his wife better than anyone. “Aribella has a strong power. She can channel the gifts of other Walkers. As we just saw, she connected to Fury, and had the ability to increase or decrease her powers.”

My heart felt like it literally skipped a few beats. “So when we have all of the half-Walker gi
rls, I’m going to be able to connect to them and increase their powers?”

Brace and Colton laughed together. I faced them
, nailing each one with a glare. Brace’s eyes softened, his lips turning up as he chuckled.

“
This is so much bigger than that. You’re going to be able to connect to all of them at the same time, Red, and create one super power.”

“Told you she was super Abby, but no one wanted to listen to me.” Fury’s voice was a
little stronger. She was still cradled in Dune’s arms about ten feet away.

“Can I connect to anyone and suck their powers out?” Maybe I could
neutralize the Seventine by myself.

“Don’t even think about it, Abigail.” Brace’s eyes were drilling a hole in my head. “The Seventine are from the origin
. You cannot drain their power. Remember that they can never be undone, only contained.”

There went that brilliant plan.

“Try it with me.” Talina stepped forward, her brown eyes determined.

I shook my head hard. No way. Hell no. I’d almost broken Fury.

“I don’t know how I connected with her, and I sure as anything don’t want to be draining you to separate us.”

Talina shrugged.
“You have to practice and I want to understand what just happened.”

And just like that she drew water from the nearby ocean,
funneling it toward us. It formed a whirlpool around her, even though she was on dry land. I’d never seen her do that before. She now stood surrounded by hundreds of liters of ocean water.

Colton took a step forward. “These half-Walkers are kick-ass
,” he said, reaching out a curious hand.

He was opening his mouth to say something else when he touched the swirling water. Without pause he was swept up in the whirlpool, sucked through it and flung far out into the ocean.

I gasped, before remembering he was a Walker. I shrugged, knowing he’d be fine. Talina waved her hand at me, telling me to move closer.

“Did she just see what happened to Colton?” I said, my feet
not moving. “I think I’ll stay right here where it’s dry.”

I shrieked as Colton literally appeared out of thin air in front of me. Water dripped off his white
-blond hair and he had a huge grin on his face.

“That was a whole lot of fun and my friends call me Colt.” He winked at me.

“Colt can use a form of instant transmission within the same world, so don’t be alarmed if he disappears and reappears in front of you.”
Brace threw his friend a dirty look.

Colton smirked.
“Just one of my many awesome powers. I just wish I could use it between the star systems. Unfortunately it’s limited within a world.”

“
Definitely an awesome power.” I returned his earlier wink.

“Don’t let him suck you in with his charm.” Brace held out a hand for me
but before I could take it I felt a hard shove from behind.

I flew
past everyone toward Talina, smashing into her. The golden cord sprang to life, connecting to her the same way it had done with Fury. I was now inside the water, standing next to Talina. From my position I could see Brace and Colton. They looked to be yelling at Magenta. She stood there, arms crossed, unworried by the men. She must have been the one who had pushed me; no wonder I’d flown.

Interesting.
Talina captured my attention.
I can no longer draw from my energy. I can feel it there but it’s outside my control.

I could
sense her energy flowing along the cord. I hadn’t realized when I was connected with Fury, but their power felt different. Talina’s was light and cool. Almost like a mist, it glided effortlessly. Fury’s was ... well, angry. It rushed in burning waves, pushing and forcing itself into me. Maybe their energy was indicative of their personalities or the other way around. The power created the personality.

Let’s experiment
,
I said to Talina.
I’ll try to control the water.

I sent energy back along the cord,
undirected pure energy. The whirling vortex of water surrounding us increased in both size and intensity. I sent a sharp pulse along and jets shot off in all directions. Talina’s laughter echoed in my head.

What?

Her chuckles continued.
Have a look at Magenta.

I flicked my head around to clash with a pair of angry
white-blue eyes. She was soaked head to foot, rivulets still running along her body. She’d been directly hit by an off-shooting geyser. Brace and Colton were standing close. Both had the slightest grins on their faces as they tried not to laugh their asses off. I could only imagine how Magenta would retaliate if they let loose their mirth. I gave her an apologetic shrug, but hey, she was the one who had thrown me into this, so she may have gotten what she deserved.