Madly & the Jackal (17 page)

“When I was possessed by the spirit of Wolfhardt, it sort of opened me up to the world of the Lore.  Like, I can sense things, see things, feel things,
know
things, things I shouldn’t sense or see or feel or know.  Things only Wolfhardt could sense and see and feel and know.  He was part of a plan, Madly.  He—”

“Who?  Who was part of a plan?”

“Wolfhardt.”

“What plan?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” she chastised gently.

I had the good grace to be contrite.  “Sorry.  I’m just a little on edge.”   That was putting it mildly.  Jersey eyed me dubiously.  She was thinking the same thing.

 “It’s okay.  I understand.  I really do.  There’s something going on, Madly.  Something big.  Far bigger than what you originally thought.”

“But what?”

“Wolfhardt was released for a specific purpose.  He agreed to do this…task as long as he got to take his revenge on me.”

“What task?”

“He was supposed to attack Aidan.  He was supposed to take your mate from you.  Forever.  A Mer with his condition could never lead Atlas.  And they knew that.”

“But Aidan’s not my mate.”

“No one knew that until…until…”

“He met you,” I supplied with a smile.

She smiled shyly at Aidan, who looked down into her face with all the love and adoration expected of a mate.  “Yeah.  Until he met me.”

“But why?  Why take my mate from me?  What purpose would that serve?  It’s not like I’ve ascended the throne yet.  And even if I had, Atlas is under lockdown.”

“I’m not sure what that creature’s master plan is, but—”

 “Creature?  You mean Rumpel, the one with me in the orchard?”

“Yes, he’s the one behind it all.”

“That makes sense, to a certain extent.  But he can’t control the bracelet.  Only a Mer of royal blood can do that.  So there is still a Mer working with him.”

“Well, I don’t know
that
much about it.  I’m just telling you what little I
do
know, Madly.  That this is all about you.  All this is
for you
.”

Silence fell over the four of us like a cold, wet blanket.  I was lost in thought when Jersey spoke, tearing me from my ruminations.

“Wait a minute.  What does you setting that kid on fire have to do with any of this?”

I turned toward Jersey. I was going to have to tell her at least that much.  “I don’t know about the fire, but I’m pretty sure I know why he was in the dream.  I think he is Hyde.”

“
What? 
Are you serious?  How did you know?  When did you know?  Why didn’t you say something?”

“I think he did something to my drink.  And Jackson’s.”

“How?  I mean, when would he have had the chance?”

“He was the delivery boy, Jersey.”

Her mouth dropped into a silent O of understanding.  “Then let’s go send his nerdy ass back to prison.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?  I think it is
exactly
that simple and you just make everything
exactly
this hard.”

“I got a note, Jersey.  I think he’s working with someone else.  I think the Jackal has its own body.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?  When did you get a note?  Where was I?  Am I having mini strokes or something?  Do I have a brain tumor?  Dude, I
live with you
and I don’t know half of what’s going on.”

“It’s been crazy lately.  And I didn’t want to say anything until I was pretty sure I had the right person.”

“Well, let’s at least take out Hyde.  Then we can focus on the Jackal.  Maybe that sore will be big and nasty by then.  Like a crater in the side of its fat head.”

“No!”

“No what?”

“No, we can’t take Hyde until we find out
for sure
who the Jackal is.”

“Why not?  That just gives us an edge.”

“Yes, but in the note, Hyde made threats.  If something happens to him, the Jackal might start hurting people.  And you know how susceptible we are to the Lore.”

I couldn’t help the shudder that racked my body at the thought of something happening to Jackson, even though he was acting like a jerk.  Deep inside, he was still my mate.  And I couldn’t get rid of the Jackal and Hyde until he was safe and until I did everything I could to get his love back.  I had to try.  It was worth…everything. 
He
was worth everything.

Before Jersey could argue more, there was one question I had to ask.

“Kellina, what do you think it meant, the way I looked?”

She shrugged one thin shoulder. “I don’t know. I wish I did. I wish I could help you more, but I just…I just don’t know.”

I looked around at the trio of faces, all turned toward me now.  Each of them looked…worried.  It wasn’t the predominant emotion, but I could see it there in each of them, hovering just beneath the surface.  Churning.  Swelling.

“You all know I would never hurt someone like that, right?  Even if I couldn’t find another way to capture the Lore, and even if I were actually
able
to set fire to someone, I could never do that.  Burn someone.  Never.  You know that, right?”

I looked from Jersey to Aidan to Kellina and back again.  Each of them nodded and smiled, but I could tell they weren’t quite convinced.  Did they really think I was capable of something like that?  

Tension stretched between us.  Nothing terribly tight, but it was palpable nonetheless.  I was waiting for Jersey to say something glib when it came upon me. 

Again.

As it had the first time I’d experienced it, the warning began as tingling fingers of unease that massaged my scalp.  It felt as though my hair actually shivered.  Then came the warmth at my wrist. 

My bracelet, the symbol of my royal blood as well as a physical tie to the water in which I thrived, heated against my skin.  Lightning shot up my arm and exploded behind my eyes in a blazing shower of pain.  My vision filled with flickering spots of black and white, causing tears to spill down my cheeks.  I squeezed my lids shut in anticipation of the anguish that was soon to come.

Fire licked along my nerve fibers.  My scalp, my lips, my fingers and toes—they were all overcome with invisible flame. 

Lastly was the cry.  I knew it would come when I could no longer hold it inside.  I knew it was inevitable.  I recognized in those moments that the siren call that would spring from my tongue was a warning to Atlas itself that something was terribly wrong. 

A Mer had been killed.  There were few more serious alarms.

Then, as quickly as it had come upon me, it was over.  Just like last time.  But
unlike
last time, I wasn’t confused.  I wasn’t shocked and slow to respond.  I knew exactly what to expect and I was readily awaiting the mental image of the victim, fully prepared to go to Transport and report the crime.

I gasped when the visage came fully and clearly to my mind.  I wondered for a split second if it could be wrong, if
I
could be wrong.  But, as more time elapsed, I felt the certainty of what I was seeing.  I felt it in my bones, in the marrow of them.  One of our leaders had been taken.  And it would rock my people to their very core.

“What is it?”

I could hear, but I couldn’t see.  My eyes were focused inward.

I could feel, but I couldn’t move.  My legs were paralyzed by the implications.

“Madly, what?” Jersey repeated urgently.

I managed to shake my head once, but I couldn’t speak. 

“Madly, you’re scaring me.  What’s the matter?”

Five, ten, twenty seconds passed before I was no longer held immobile in the tight grip of what I had seen, what I now knew.  I looked to Jersey then to Aidan.  They were absolutely still.  Waiting.

“Commander Jessup is dead.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Holy shit!” Aidan whispered, immediately grasping the implication of what I was saying.  We both knew it would be no exaggeration to say this was a disaster of epic proportions.

“I’ve got to get to Transport,” I breathed shakily.

“And tell who?” Aidan asked, putting a hand out to stop me.

Good point.  The leader of our entire dry land operation was dead.  Who would solve his murder?  Who would dispatch the troops?  Who would…take charge?

My brain whirled dizzily for only a moment before a name came to mind.  One name, followed by the face that matched.  It materialized and completely eclipsed the gruesome image of Commander Jessup. 

Jackson.  Despite my feelings for him, despite my personal bias, I knew there was no one more capable of leading, of running a tight, sharp, competent operation.  He was the most capable person I knew.  Period.

“We need to find Jackson then.  He’ll know what to do.”

And he would.  As much as I hated to see him again when my pride and my heart were both still so deeply wounded, I knew it had to be done.  I was my father’s daughter and I was beginning to realize that, when it came to matters of Mer safety, I could do what needed to be done.  Regardless of emotion.  Jackson was still teaching me that lesson.  The hard way.

“Let me get Kellina—” Aidan began, only to be interrupted by Kellina.

“I’m fine.  I can get back inside on my own.  You go.  This is more important.”

Even amid the urgency we were all feeling, Aidan took a moment for his love.  Reaching out he cupped her cheek.  “Nothing is more important than you.”

He gave her a quick kiss and when he leaned back, I could see that Kellina was smiling.  I envied their bold, open love for one another.  I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever be so lucky as to have that.  I’d thought my chances were good, but now…

Aidan straightened and we three made our way from the porch and off into the forest.  No one said much on our journey back into town.  The burden of what was happening weighed heavily upon each of us.

We had only just arrived back on the concrete sidewalks of downtown Slumber when three large men, all equally menacing in their solid black clothes, rounded the corner in front of us. 

I recognized the front man immediately.  A tiny tingle of alarm mixed with sexual awareness vibrated through me.  It was Jackson.  He was leading the group, walking a couple feet ahead of the other two.  I recognized them as well.  They were Clary and Gere, the two Sentinels assigned to protect me, the ones I’d ditched not so long ago.

We slowed, but they did not, Jackson marching furiously toward me. I could read anger in every taut line of his body.

“Where have you been,
Princess?
” he spat the instant he was within range.

I took the defiant approach.  I was the royal, after all. Not Jackson.  He couldn’t very well treat me that way.

“That’s none of your concern,
Sentinel Hamilton.
There has been a murder and your help is required.”

I knew Jackson wouldn’t let me get away with such a comment if it weren’t for the second sentence.  The violent death of a Mer was a big deal, as it was extremely rare.  That took precedence.  Over everything.  Always.

“Who?  Where?  How do you know?”

And we were back in business, just like that.  I explained to Jackson what had happened, what I’d seen.  Immediately, he started barking orders to Clary and Gere. 

“Escort these two back to the dormitories.  We’re officially under a Security Orange status.  Don’t talk to anyone and don’t leave your post until I get back.  Come on,
Princess,”
Jackson commanded, wrapping his long, strong fingers around my upper arm, “you’re coming with me to Transport.”  He was the only Mer in all of Atlas who would ever dare talk to me in such a way, much less handle me so.  It was one of the things I loved most about him.  To Jackson, I was just a girl.

After a few feet, he released my arm, almost as though touching me pained him in a physical way.  His reaction cut through me like a lance, one that I had to ignore for the time being.

“What were you thinking, leaving your security behind?  You are the most careless, inconsiderate—”

“All right,” I snapped, glaring up at him.  “You’ve made your point.  Can we just save the lecture on what a terrible person I am for later?  We’ve got more important things to worry about right now.”

Jackson didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken.  The only indication that he’d even heard me was his utter disregard of me as he turned his head to look straight ahead.  He was ignoring me, which to Jackson meant he was granting my request.  Apparently he had nothing else to say to me.  I could see by his tight lips he had no intention of talking.

My heart was breaking.  Even more. And into tinier pieces, pieces less likely to recover and ever be part of a bigger whole again.  I felt it like shrapnel lodged between my ribs.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. I wished that I could see his eyes, but he was wearing those stupid sunglasses again.  I used to love them, love seeing him in them.  But now, they were just annoying.

After the longest, tensest walk in the history of time, we arrived at Transport.  We walked right in and got on the elevator. I was a bit surprised by that. I’d expected to see harsher security on ground level and mass hysteria once the doors opened below.  But I didn’t.  I saw neither.

The elevator doors slid open and it seemed to be business as usual in Transport.  Not only was it
not
locked down and not only were people
not
scrambling about like lunatics, I actually heard someone laugh.

What is going on down here?  Something is terribly wrong with this picture.

I looked up at Jackson.  Above the nose piece of his glasses, I could see the deep groove of his frown. I didn’t need to see his eyes to know he was equally puzzled.

 I was getting ready to ask him what was going on when the answer called out to Jackson.  I turned my head to see none other than Commander Jessup strolling toward us.

My mouth fell open in astonishment.

“Sentinel Hamilton, is there a problem?”

Jackson’s mouth pulled into a thin straight line.  “No, sir.  Just a mistake.  I’m getting ready to take the princess back to her room.”

He narrowed his eyes and looked from Jackson to me and back again.  “I trust everything is well, Princess?”

I tried to smile and failed miserably.  “Yes, Commander Jessup.  All is well.”

It didn’t escape my notice that Jackson didn’t tell the commander of my mistaken information.  I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I didn’t even consider not following his lead for the time being.  He was one person I would obey first and ask questions of later.

Shaking my head, I smiled sheepishly and took the evasion further.  “I attempted a bit of an escape from custody today and Sentinel Hamilton here was simply making a point.  That’s all.  I apologize if we’ve interrupted.”

After a short pause, he seemed to swallow my line.  “I hope this will sufficiently curtail your impetuousness, Princess.  Our security protocols are in place for your protection.”

I nodded graciously.  “I understand that, Commander.  It will not happen again, I assure you.”

He nodded sharply at Jackson and then bowed deeply toward me, something he knew I didn’t care for.  “Princess,” he said pleasantly.  And then he was gone.  Back to work doing…whatever he was doing.

I heard Jackson sigh.  It wasn’t the tired or exasperated kind, though. It was a loud hiss of air that told me he was not happy.

“Come,
Princess. 
It’s time we get you back to your room.”

He punched the elevator button angrily and we waited in silence until the doors opened and we were alone inside the car. 

“What was this all about?  How could you mistake something as serious as the death of our commander?”

I could understand why he’d be upset, but he seemed inordinately angry.  Livid even.  What had gotten into him?

“I don’t know what happened.  I saw him, Jackson.  I
saw him! 
I know it was him.  I…I…there’s no way I could mistake that.  I just don’t understand.”

I watched the muscle in his jaw twitch as his silence stretched on.  Finally he spoke.  “Did you see anything else?  Did you see where the body was?  Anything that we might follow up on?”

I was encouraged.  I thought back. “No.  It was just like last time.  I just…knew a Mer was dead and then I saw his face.”

The wheels were turning. I didn’t have to see his eyes to know that either.  I found that I could read Jackson surprisingly well. Most of the time anyway.

  His sigh this time was less irritated and more resigned.  “I guess we’ll have to make a stop by the creek then.”

“F-for what?”  I was still very uncomfortable around him since so much had changed.  He was so…hostile.

“We need to find that body.”

“You still think there’s a body?”

His shrug was almost imperceptible.  “There’s only one way to be sure.”

 Despite his chill attitude toward me, I drew great comfort from knowing rational Jackson was in there.  The Jackson that believed me, believed
in
me.

The trip through the woods was strained, but not nearly as tense as the walk to Transport had been.  He was willing to give me the chance to prove myself.  That was a step in the right direction.

I could feel the moisture in the air long before I could hear the water running or smell its influence on the light breeze.  My pores opened up to drink it in like a flower accepting the rain.  When we reached the bank, I stopped and tilted my head back, reveling in the peace and wellbeing that proximity to so much water provided.  More than I did in happy times, I desperately missed the ocean in times of sadness and anxiety.

When I lowered my chin and opened my eyes, Jackson was watching me.  Again, I didn’t need to see his eyes to feel them on me.  I caught and held my breath, expecting an outburst of negative emotion.  But there was none.  His mood seemed to be more…puzzled.

Not wanting to push him back into anger, I cleared my throat and looked away, stepping toward the water.  “In I go.”

As I’d done a couple times before, I walked out toward the middle of the creek.  It was hardly a creek, but a full-fledged river instead.  I didn’t know why everyone called it that. 

I knew at its deepest point it would be high on my body, past my waist.  As it was, I waded in until it touched my thighs and stopped.  I let my hands trail in the current, enjoying the feel of the cool liquid coursing through my fingers.

Doing my best to block out my Status:Unknown mate on the grassy bank to my left, I focused with all my energy on the waters swirling around my legs and on the bracelet of my family wrapped around my wrist.

Within a fraction of a second, the image I sought was forming in front of my eyes.  It appeared so quickly it startled me and I gasped. 

“What is it?” Jackson asked gruffly.

“I see him,” I whispered.

Never had it happened so rapidly, with virtually no effort on my part.  My bracelet wasn’t even warm.  I’d barely gotten started and bam!  There it was.  Just what I was looking for.

The clear image of an alive-and-well Commander Jessup melted into the ravaged corpse of a Mer.  Saliva pooled in my mouth.  My stomach churned in revulsion.  I pushed the back of my hand against my lips.

Desperate to rid my mind of the picture, I took in details surrounding the body.  I was able to make out two landmarks I thought would help us locate the commander and then I let the image go.  I couldn’t bear it one more second.

When my mind returned to my surroundings, to the present, I bent and splashed cool river water onto my hot cheeks, willing my nausea to settle.  My head spun dizzily and I closed my eyes against the unsteady landscape. 

After a couple minutes, I felt well enough to make my way to the bank.  Jackson stood there, stone-faced and silent, arms crossed over his chest, waiting.  As I set my foot on the grass, it slipped and I nearly fell.  I saw Jackson twitch, as if he were about to reach for me, but thought better of it.  I wondered why he would resist even a polite gesture such as that.  Whatever had happened to him, the changes ran deep.

I don’t need your help anyway,
I thought angrily as I righted myself.  And I
didn’t
need Jackson’s help; I just needed Jackson. 

As if on cue, a cold chill blew through the aching emptiness inside my soul like tumbleweed through a ghost town.  A sob burned at the back of my throat, but I stubbornly refused to let it escape, clamping my lips shut tight.

“What did you see?”

The indelibly-etched image of Commander Jessup’s mutilated body flashed before my eyes.  I would never forget what I’d seen.  Thankfully, there was no reason for me to describe it.  Jackson would see for himself soon enough.  And so would I—in real life.  It was not something I looked forward to. 

“He’s at the beach,” I managed to force out from between my gritted teeth.  “In the reeds behind the sand dunes, near the pier.”