Garda - Welcome to the Realm (12 page)

Joe’s gaze flipped to me and he smiled, “Hello there, Corey. Sorry they got to you before I did. We would have loved to have you with us. It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

David pulled me back to his side while Brock sneered at Joe, “You keep away from her, Joe.”

Joe examined our little group then directed his attention up to the porch where Mitch and Beth stood holding each other, oblivious to the drama taking place on their front lawn.

“Oh, I will, for now,” he smiled and started to turn away. “Nice to see you again, Corey. Hope to see you at your funeral,” he laughed, turned, and vanished.

“Where did he just go?” I was baffled at the instant appearance and disappearances.

“Doesn’t matter. David, let’s get her out of here.” Brock stepped forward, and David took my arm, gently pulling me forward. I turned at the last moment and saw Mitch and Beth pull apart.

We ended up on the balcony of my quarters, and within two seconds, Montgomery joined us.

“Why did you take her down there?” Montgomery stared at David.

David straightened his back, “What? I didn’t take her anywhere. We were talking on the beach and she just phased.”

Montgomery regarded him for a moment then turned to me. “How did you do that?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea!” I spat out, exasperated. “You are supposed to be explaining that to me! All I know is that I was standing there talking to David when I started hearing voices and I thought I was going to pass out. Next thing I know, I’m standing on the grass watching people talk.”

I didn’t mention to them that I knew who the people were. Obviously, my ability to phase was not normal, so would it be safe to say that my memory coming back wouldn’t be either?

Even as I explained myself, I felt pieces of my life filling up my mind. Memories of my years were clicking into place fast, too fast, and I felt dizzy. I swayed, and Brock started to reach for me but pulled away. David’s hand landed on me and he moved me to a chair.

I sat down heavily, staring at my knees.

“You aren’t hearing voices again are you?” Montgomery knelt down beside me.

“No, just felt dizzy for a moment. I’m fine now.” I forced a smile on my lips as I glanced at him and snuck a peek at Brock who had a tight expression on his face. Could he feel what was going on with me? I looked quickly away, guilty.

Montgomery patted my knee before he stood up, “Well, I guess we know who her charge is, don’t we?” He watched Brock closely, and I saw Brock shake his head and turn towards the railing.

“I’ve been assigned someone already? I thought I had to train first.” I leaned back in my seat, bending my head back to take in the men standing above me. The sky was dark now, how much time had passed since I had phased?

“Normally, you do have to train, but—” David stopped and turned to Montgomery. Brock turned around and glanced at them and then down at me.

No one spoke, so I finished the sentence, “But I’m special.” I nodded, not understanding anything. “Got it.” Yeah, not really, I thought to myself and examined my hands in my lap.

Montgomery blew out some air and shook his head, “I don’t understand it either, Coralenna, but for some reason, you are special.”

I laughed, “Gee, thanks!”

“That’s not what I meant, young lady, not what I meant at all. Generally, new guards have to train and it takes them awhile before they are ready to leave the Realm. Teaching someone to phase is hard, but you managed to do it on your own.”

“I didn’t manage to do anything on my own. I just got sucked out of here to there. I had no clue that I was doing it.”

“Well, that will just make it easier for you to learn to control it later. Let’s try something. Think about going somewhere, here, not in the living arena, and see if you can get there.”

“How do I do that?” I stood up and encompassed them all in a glance.

David stepped up to me and smiled, “Just think about someplace you have been here in the Realm, and then try to place yourself there.”

I turned slightly, uncomfortable with everyone watching me and tried to figure out where I wanted to go. I smiled to myself when I picked a place and then focused on it carefully. Picturing the room and the fixtures, my body tingled and my mind darkened just slightly before I felt a wave crash over me. I blinked twice and found myself in the locker room.

I giggled as I took in my new surroundings, but the laugh faded as the three men followed right behind me, appearing in the reflection of the full-length mirror.

David grinned from ear to ear, while Montgomery smiled softly and shook his head. Only Brock didn’t appear happy about my ability to phase, and I watched his lips tighten.

“Very good, Coralenna, very good,” Montgomery put his hand on my shoulder, and I felt the warmth of this friendship travel through me.

I glanced up at Brock, wondering what his touch would feel like. He stared me down. I wanted to step away, and I decided I didn’t really want to know what would pass between us.

“You know, it’s nice that you all followed me and all, but I kind of picked this place for a reason.” I raised an eyebrow at David.

All three of them glanced around and finally realized they were in the ladies’ locker room. David smirked at me, “Yeah, I see that now. Okay, I’m out of here.” Before I could smile in return he disappeared.

I turned to the other two, and Montgomery smiled, “Touché, I guess this means you would like a bit of time to yourself?”

I nodded to him and smiled. “Please.”

“Fine, young lady, I think you deserve some quiet time. We are connected, so if you need me, all you have to do is reach in and you will feel me. You can come to me anytime, but I would rather you not leave the Realm anytime soon. There is still much for you to learn.”

“I can’t promise you anything. I didn’t have much control over it the last time, but I will do my best to remain here.”

“Very good, I will see you later.” He phased away as soon as the last word left his mouth.

I turned to Brock, his full lips still tightly pressed together, his thick arms crossed over his chest. He was only a few inches taller than I, and we practically glowered at each other. I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting.

“Did your memory come back?” he finally asked me while taking a step closer.

I held my breath for a moment and hesitated, “No.”

He lowered his chin and stared at me through his thick brown eyelashes, “You do know that lying is a sin.”

I swallowed, “Yes.”

“Do not go back to the living arena, Coralenna. You are not ready to face what happens there.”

“Is Joe really an Os Malos?”

His chin jerked up, “You do remember!” He stepped closer and dropped his arms.

“What? No! You called that guy down there Joe.” I shook my head and stepped away from him.

He watched me and stepped closer, I saw his hand twitch at his side before I met his stare again. My breathing accelerated and I wanted to phase away from him but couldn’t concentrate enough to do so.

He focused on my lips and I felt them part on a fast heavy breath. Why was it that this guy scared me, or was it something else? Mitch’s face flashed into my mind, and I stepped back from him.

“Don’t phase down again.” Brock stood another two seconds before he vanished from my sight.

I released a huge gush of air from my lungs and sank to the bench.

~ Brock ~

I had phased down to the Earth level to watch over another one of my charges, trying hard to keep a tag on Coralenna as I did.

Unfortunately, this charge was walking a very tight line between good and bad and needed some direct attention for a few minutes.

I had just finished mentally convincing my charge that wearing the new clothes she was trying on under her own older clothes was not a good idea when David phased to my side, sheer panic on his face so great that I tensed.

“She phased!” he yelled at me.

“What do you mean she phased?” I asked quickly.

“We were talking, and she just disappeared! I tried to keep her there, but I couldn’t.” David was shaking his head, clearly worried.

“She’s in the Realm, right?”

The guilty expression that passed over his face told me the answer, and I grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward. “Where the hell did she phase to?”

“I don’t know! I couldn’t feel her in the Realm, that’s why I came to find you. She has to be on this level.”

Immediately, I tried to relax and listened for her inner voice. Hearing her, I phased and pulled David along with me.

Dammit! I took in the scene around me and the vulnerable concern on her face as she observed Mitch and Beth on the porch. I stepped in front of her before she could get closer. If she could phase so quickly, would she be able to reach out to them? I couldn’t take that chance, not yet.

I could feel the confusion racing through her and wondered if her memory was coming back. Jealousy spiked in her, and I needed to get control of the situation before she remembered everything. I couldn’t take the chance of touching her now and stepped away for David to take control and lead her back.

When Joe showed up, things only got worse. I wanted to punch him in the face when he spoke to her. I flicked a quick look at David when I realized he must have explained some other things to her about who else walked this level.

I phased to her balcony, and David followed with her. Montgomery felt us enter and came to us immediately, so closely connected to me that he knew what had happened.

All of us were amazed that she could phase out of the Realm, no one had ever been able to do that so quickly. Hell, it took me several weeks before I could phase within the Realm and I was one of the stronger ones.

Something was going on inside her mind, I could feel her heart racing, and she was trying to distance herself. I watched her carefully.

If I had been in the Realm earlier instead of keeping my other charge from stealing, I would have felt her phase out. I felt responsible and it pissed me off. Watching her sit down shakily only increased my agitation.

Montgomery stood beside her and turned to me, “Well, I guess we know who her charge is, don’t we?” I didn’t want to explain it to him yet, so I turned away.

“I’ve been assigned someone already? I thought I had to train first.” Her voice rose slightly as she spoke, was that fear in her words?

“Normally, you do have to train, but—” We all exchanged glances with each other when David stopped talking, we knew what he was going to say, and so did she.

“But I’m special. Got it.” She wouldn’t look at any of us.

Montgomery got her to test her phasing, and we were all stunned that she was able to do it her first time. While her location was quite humorous to us all, I didn’t care where we ended up. I needed to stay close to her. The thought that I could lose her crossed my mind.

Her dark blue gaze met mine. I felt the pull. Did she?

I waited till everyone left. Should I reach out to her? I wondered, but my fear held me back. What if the connection wasn’t what I had hoped for?

“Did your memory come back?” I asked her, sounding pushier than I had intended. The magnetism between us pulled me closer.

“No,” I knew she was lying, and I told her so in not so many words. She didn’t trust me; I had to earn her trust first.

“Do not go back to the Earth level, Coralenna. You are not ready to face what happens there,” I warned her sternly.

“Is Joe really an Os Malos?”

“You do remember!” I stepped closer without thinking, wanting to force the memories away, almost grabbing her shoulders as the words came out.

“What? No! You called that guy down there Joe.” She stepped away, but I followed her, wanting desperately to see exactly what would happen if I did touch her. Her lips were so full and they parted as I glanced down. As her breath rushed out of her erratically, I knew that I couldn’t do this to her here, not now, not like this.

She ultimately made the final decision when she stepped further away, hitting the back of her knees on the bench. I warned her again and phased away before I could test the connection for which my body yearned.

I ended up on the shore, staring up at the moon. Montgomery stood beside me a moment later.

“Your punishment?” he asked casually.

“Yep,” I answered.

I saw him nod from the corner of my eye. “Good one, I didn’t expect that. Did the Maker tell you why?”

I shook my head, “Said she had unfinished business with him. She has to finish it.”

“Unfinished business? What does he want to do, condemn her to hell through a mortal affair with Mitch?”

My head snapped toward him, “No! That can’t be it,” but even as I said the words, I knew that was it. This was a test. My head fell forward, and I groaned. I could still lose her to him.

“Brock, does she remember anything?” He turned in the sand to face me.

I lifted my head to him, “I think she does, but she doesn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

“You need to gain her trust. Stop trying to scare her.” He stopped for a moment, “You haven’t tried to physically connect with her yet, have you?”

“No.”

“What are you afraid of?” He leaned his head forward and studied me.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” I shot back and stepped away from him.

“It sure seems like you are, Brock, which I find odd, because you aren’t afraid of anything.” He moved beside me, and we started walking along the shore.

The gentle slap of the waves should have relaxed me, that was why I came here, but they did just the opposite. The tender lapping roared in my ears instead.

“Are you afraid that the connection will not be enough? That it won’t be what you want?”

“I’m not afraid, Montgomery. I just don’t want to scare her.”

He laughed deeply, “Scare her? Brock, every time she sees you, you frighten her.”

I stopped walking. “I know. That’s why I don’t want to test the connection. I want her to trust me, not be scared by what she will feel.”

We took another few steps forward.

“Alright, I agree that does make sense, but with this new situation, you might want to work harder to get her to trust you.”