Power (Soul Savers) (31 page)

“You didn’t ask me!”

“You were a little busy with more important problems.”

“More important problems? Nothing is more important than my
son! How dare you!”

“Calm down, Alexis. Everything’s okay. Why are you so worked
up?”

I half-expected the top of my head to literally blow off and
steam to pour out of my ears, just like in Dorian’s cartoons.

“Oh, I don’t know, Owen, maybe because I came home to spend
some time with my son only to find that he’s gone.
Gone
. The son who may permanently be gone at any time. Or maybe
because I couldn’t get a hold of any of you, and no one bothered to tell me a
thing. You didn’t think I might freak out a little? And Universal Studios?
Really
, Owen? In what dimension would
you think that was safe, because definitely not this one. Not with Daemoni
everywhere, any of them looking for a chance to snatch him up.”

He cleared his throat and dropped his head. He stared at the
floor, scuffing his toe against the tile floor. “Sorry. The shield blocked the cell
signals. I thought—”

“What shield?”

“I shielded the park, of course. No one was there but us.”

“Except the workers, any of which could have been
Dae—”

“Nope, no workers either. The park was closed, Alexis.
Closed. We were completely alone, with a shield. You had nothing to worry
about.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then how exactly did the
rides run? With mag— Oh.”

He wiggled his fingers in the air. “Between Blossom and me,
yeah, with magic. And Dorian had a great time.”

I glowered at him for a long moment. At least he’d taken
every precaution possible, and my son was home, safe and sound. But still …

I took a step toward him, trying to get in his face, but
like most people, he towered over me. “Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again. Got it?”

He lifted his chin in a nod.

“That’s an order, Owen!”

He held his hands up in surrender. “Understood. Just trying
to do everyone a favor.”

He disappeared with that.

After a few cleansing breaths, I headed for Dorian’s room.

“Are you really mad?” His voice was small and quiet as he
sat on his bed, knees to chin, and backed up as far as he could go against the
headboard.

I pushed a hand through my hair. “I’m not happy, that’s for
sure. Did you have fun?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I wish you and Dad could have
taken me, though.”

“Me, too, little man. Me, too.” I tilted my head. “What
about the roller coasters? Were they as great as Heather said?”

His mouth pulled up in a crooked grin. “They were all right.
But nothing like flying! And I can do that anytime.”

I gave “the mom” look. “Not anytime.”

“Right. But you know what I mean.”

No, I wasn’t sure what he meant. Had he been flying whenever
he wanted, not just under careful supervision? Did he somehow find a way to
sneak that in? Sheesh. Who was I kidding? He found a way to go to Universal
Studios without my knowledge, so he could have done all kinds of things and I’d
never know. Some mother I was.

But … wasn’t that what even normal teens did? And wasn’t
that how their parents were—clueless of half the things their children
did?
Ugh
.
There we go again.
Dorian wasn’t a teen yet, but he was definitely
growing up way too fast. I’d have to become one of those meddling parents, only
I didn’t have to dig around his room—I could mind-snoop, and I had no
qualms about invading
his
privacy.

“You’re grounded,” I said. Dorian’s head snapped up, and he
looked at me with a face full of shock. I rarely disciplined him. I rarely
needed
to discipline him. “No matter who
it is taking you, no matter where they’re taking you, you always,
always
clear it with Dad or me.
Understood?”

He nodded.

“Say it. Say you understand.”

“I understand,” he mumbled.

“Just to make sure you don’t forget, you’ll have lots of
time to think about it. No video games. No TV. No Heather.” I waved my hand at
his room. “You have all these toys and books and Sasha to keep you company for
the next week.”

He stuck his lip out in a pout as he stared at his
comforter, obviously fighting tears. The temptation to forgive and forget
nearly got the best of me. I hated this. Hated that we’d disappointed him by
not fulfilling his one request sooner. Hated that someone else was able to
spend the time and enjoy the thrill of taking him to an amusement park for the
first time. Hated that I had to discipline him over it. But he had to
understand that he could never do this to me again. The potential consequences
were far too great.

Now, if I could only ground Owen, who’d obviously been the
instigator of this little field trip.

When I found him the next day, he was serving Sonya
breakfast in bed. I watched from the doorway as he poured blood into a cup and
sat on the side of her bed, her eyes never leaving his face. She licked her
lips, and her fingers brushed against his as they lingered on the cup he gave
her. I couldn’t help the snort.
Please.

Owen looked over his shoulder at me with raised eyebrows.

“When you have a moment …” I said. He stood and followed me
down the hall, across the foyer, to my office. He shut the door, and I spun on
him. “What about Vanessa? Did you even think about her this morning? Or, wait.
Yesterday was Sheree and Blossom. Today’s Sonya. I guess Vanessa has to wait
until tomorrow?”

He pulled back. “Vanessa has already eaten and Sheree’s
working with her right now.”

“Oh, wow, Owen,” I scoffed. “That’s brave of you. What are
you going to do when they start talking?”

He cocked his head. “What’s your problem, Alexis?”

I blew out a huff and then groaned. His girl problems were
really none of my business. “Nothing. Nothing’s my problem, except your little
escapade with my son yesterday.”

He nodded. “I owe you a real apology for that. I’m sorry. I
wanted to do something for Dorian and something for Sheree. She’s been cooped
up in this mansion all the time—”

I lifted my hand up. “Don’t. Just stop with the guilt trip.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. Only pointing out
facts.”

I pushed past him, opened the door and headed for Tristan’s
room. I knew what Owen said about Sheree being practically imprisoned here was
right. But how could I have done anything differently? The Amadis was short on
qualified personnel, which left Sheree and me to run the safe house by
ourselves.

“Whatever,” I muttered. “Just don’t ever take my son
anywhere without my permission again.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Save your apologies. You’ll need them for your
girlfriends.”

This time Owen snorted. “My
girlfriends
?”

I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “What do you call them?
Your girls? Your toys? Your playthings? Because that’s all you’re doing is
playing with their feelings.”

Owen sputtered behind me as we reached Tristan’s room. My
heart broke once more, seeing him chained against the wall. Bree sat in the
winged back chair to keep him company—and to guard him—although it
didn’t appear they’d been in conversation. Tristan’s head hung, his chin
against his chest, as though he slept.

“You have no idea about my feelings,” Owen muttered from
behind me. I spun on him.

“You’re right. I don’t. And it’s none of my business. Except
someone will have to pick up the pieces of whoever’s heart you break. Pick one,
Owen. One. Whichever one you want, but don’t keep stringing the others along.”

He narrowed his eyes. “No, it’s not any of your business,
but I’d think you would have figured it out by now, Alexis. The one I
want—”

A growl ripped through the air from behind me, and Owen cut
himself off. I looked over my shoulder at Tristan, who was fully awake, staring
at his best friend with flame-filled, murderous eyes. Bree jumped out of her
chair and went to Tristan. For some reason, she could touch him and he wouldn’t
snap at her. Maybe because she wasn’t exactly Amadis. I didn’t know but was
grateful she could calm him.

I looked back at Owen. He’d clamped his mouth shut. I
searched his face for the ending of that sentence, feeling as though I should
already know it, but Tristan had distracted me. Owen’s eyes looked sad as they
flitted away to Vanessa’s door.

“She’s the one I want,” he murmured. “The others are only
friends, and they know it. Just like you and me.”

“We’re more than just friends, Owen,” I said.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t been much of a protector, and you’re
not really much of a damsel in distress.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” What had happened
to us? Where was the Owen who called me his “little sis from a different miss”?

“Whatever, Alexis.” He strode over to Vanessa’s door and
disappeared inside her room.

I stared after him in bewilderment, with an undertone of
sadness.
Well. I’d asked for it.
I had
told him to pick one, and he had, apparently before he’d even arrived here. I
just really hadn’t thought it so serious between them. Had really
hoped
it hadn’t been so serious. I
wasn’t exactly jealous—I had no right to be—but the vamp wasn’t
quite who I’d expect Owen to fall for. Owen, who didn’t exactly love nor trust
vampires had become a vamp tramp, to use his own words. And love and trust were
pretty vital ingredients to any relationship. Then there were the others. Did
they really know they were only friends? Especially Sheree?

I shook my head. Not my problem. Not yet, anyway, and I had
many other issues to contend with. Such as my poor husband. I turned to enter
his room, and once again, my heart stuttered at the sight. I couldn’t get used
to it, no matter how many times I saw him like this, which was way too many.
This couldn’t carry on.

“Bree, I think we need to do it,” I said quietly as I sat on
the bed next to her. My heart broke as if each word were a slice right through
it. “We need to sever the connection.”

Bree’s eyes snapped up to mine and pleaded with me to take
my words back. “Alexis—”

As if in response to my decision, as if the Daemoni had
actually heard me—
could
they?!—Tristan’s body bucked to life once more. But they must not have
heard me, because a wild grin spread across his face and a wicked gleam filled
his eyes, which wouldn’t be the expected response to losing their connection.
Tristan broke out in what I assumed to be laughter, but the eerie sound would
haunt me the rest of my days. The glee lasted for only a few moments as he
fought the mage’s control, his muscles bulging and straining with the internal
battle.

“Kali … has the pendant,” he croaked. Bree and I exchanged a
glance.

“You’re sure?” I asked stupidly.

Several heartbeats passed before his eyes rolled up to me,
dark and full of flames. “I could practically hear her saying
my precious
.”

Before Bree or I could respond, commotion broke out in the
hallway as the sound of Vanessa’s door banging against the wall was followed by
her voice, not so musical at the moment.

“Owen, no! Don’t go. It’s too dangerous,” she yelled as
Owen’s figure strode past Tristan’s open door on some kind of mission.

I ran into the hall and called after him. “Where are you
going?”

“Business to take care of,” he grunted, and then he was
gone.

“This is all your fault, you stupid bitch!” Vanessa yelled
from her room, and I had no doubt she spoke to me.

I crossed the couple of steps to her door. “Excuse me? What
did
I
do?”

“You had to screw with him and make him think too hard about
what he’s doing here and what he
wants
to do, which is to find his father. And that means he’s gone off to face that
bitch Kali. He’s going to get himself
killed
!”

I pulled back. “What do
you
know about it?”

“Because I found him last time. If it weren’t for me, he’d
already be dead.”

I stared at her for a long moment, even peeked into her
mind. She told the truth, though she cut me off as soon as she realized I was
in her head.

Damn it, Owen! Why?!
I screamed and punched the wall, and my fist plunged through the sheetrock.
Tears of anger and regret burned my eyes. Had I pushed him too far? Obviously,
I had. And having no idea where Kali was, I couldn’t follow him, couldn’t
apologize.
 

I swallowed down the emotional outburst that threatened to
do more than leave a hole in the wall, and recited like an automaton what
everyone had told me the first time he left. “Owen’s a big boy. We have to let
him go and hope he chooses right.”

Vanessa huffed behind me as I strode back to Tristan’s room.
Bree stood with Tristan, trying to calm him, but one look at my husband’s
contorted face reminded me to focus.

“We definitely have to do it now,” I said as I sat on the
end of the bed, closest to Tristan. I leaned my elbows on my knees and dropped
my head into my hands. “Now that Kali has the stone … she’ll figure out its
power sooner or later. And we can’t …” A sob caught in my throat.

“We can’t let her control him,” Bree quietly finished for
me, confirming my decision.

I lifted my head and looked up at Tristan, wanting
desperately to reach out and touch him. His stony expression warned me not to
come any closer.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as a tear overflowed and slid down
my cheek.

“I’ll call your mom,” Bree murmured as she stepped toward the
door.

“Don’t do it,” Vanessa said, her voice closer than it should
be. I turned to find her behind us. She blanched at the sight of Tristan. Her
voice came out quieter. “You’ll lose him if you do.”