Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) (28 page)

“And in the meantime, they’ll kill her!”

I blinked at the outburst, knitting my brows together. “So, you’ll kill them first?”

He looked away. “No.”

My stomach twisted into knots. There was no way I could let him give away his last shred of humanity. Not over something like this. “Listen...”

I had what was left of his attention.

“Why would someone be after your Grandma?” I asked, trying to walk through the situation. “Do you think it’s one of those thugs Cole went after? Someone looking for ransom? Maybe we should call the police. I mean, if he’s getting harassed—”

“It’s one of us.”

“What?”

“A Dynari—someone of my lineage. We’re not dealing with an ordinary human here, Rena. It’s dangerous.”

I flinched despite my best efforts to appear unaffected by his words.
Because ordinary humans are such insignificant gnats that they couldn’t possib—

He must’ve sensed my turmoil, because he shook his head. “You,” he muttered, tucking one finger beneath my chin, “are anything but ordinary.”

I felt a rush in my cheeks as he held my gaze. “You’re touching me.”

“Baby steps,” he reminded me, his lips tugging into an almost-grin.

Damn it. Don’t melt me now...

“Okay, how about this?” I asked in an effort to distract myself. “If you’re worried about Clara, why don’t you just stay the rest of the weekend? Cole can scope out the meeting alone.”

“It’s not that simple.”

I wrinkled my forehead, waiting to hear the rest.

“Grandma refuses to have either one of us ‘underfoot’ Sunday night,” he explained. “She said if these people really wanted to kill her, they wouldn’t have announced it as a threat. They need something from us and, if we don’t show up, we’ll never know how desperate they are to obtain it.”

Who knew Clara was such a tough old broad?

His shoulders slumped. “I understand we need to learn what we’re up against, but Cole is on this paranoid kick that we’re going to get ambushed or something. And we have to leave Grandma behind. I just hate feeling...helpless.”

I touched his arm, hesitant at first, and then let my fingertips trail up his sleeve. “Then maybe you should let someone help you.”

His eyes sparked in the low light, and I felt smaller somehow, more vulnerable. “Is this the part where you push me away again?”

“No,” I whispered. “I’m done pushing you away.”

He leaned forward. “Good, because you’re the only person alive who could.”

I smiled at his attempt at a joke. “How about this? I won’t push, if you don’t.”

“It’s not the same thi—”

“Come on,” I urged. “Isn’t that fair?”

He thought about it, shook his head, and placed a chaste kiss on top of my head. “Goodnight, Rena.”

I swallowed hard. “You didn’t answer me.”

“You got me,” he said in a tired voice, moving aside. “I won’t push, if you don’t.”

Was he serious?

“Then I guess this is goodnight.” I stumbled over to my bed in a daze, unsure if I’d imagined the kiss or not. My heart was racing in my chest, like some stupid teenager with a crush. Of course, in my case, being crushed was a distinct possibility.

I shook my head and crawled beneath the covers. I needed sleep. Lots of it, if we were going to figure this thing out by Sunday night.

The next few hours, including a couple conscious ones, were nothing more than an exhaustion-ridden blur. Before I knew it, I was out on the sidewalk, filling my lungs with bitter, morning air. The sun had managed to escape the eastern horizon’s oppressive hold, only to surface beneath a screen of dull, puttied clouds. Man, I knew what that felt like.

“Promise me you’ll come back and visit sometime.” Clara pulled me into a quick hug, the scent of syrup clinging to her apron. “Under better circumstances next time, okay?”

“Oh, uh”—I glanced over at Wallace before pulling away—“sure.” It was a little strange hugging someone’s grandmother, wearing clothes I’d been abducted in the day before. Talk about bad first impressions.

“And you,” Clara turned her attention to Wallace, throwing her arms around his waist. “Come home more often.”

He stood motionless while she expressed her doting affection. “I will.”

The scene made my chest hurt. How long had she been waiting to feel her grandson’s embrace? Would he ever be able to express his love for her? Hell, would he ever be able to express his love for anyone? He looked miserable.

Before I could speculate any further, something cracked me on the behind, and I gave a little yelp.
What the hell?
A low whistle turned my head, and I saw Cole leaning against my car, dangling my keys with a smirk. “Gotta jet,” he announced, tossing them in my direction. “I need to make it over to my apartment, before I head to the office.”

I caught the lanyard with an awkward stretch, nearly missing the throw altogether. “Thanks.”
Jerk.

“My pleasure.” He crossed the sidewalk and winked at me. “Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

My mouth twisted into a grimace, but I didn’t say anything. He was provoking me, and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a response. I’d just grin. I’d grin like an idiot.

He didn’t notice, brushing past me to wrap an arm around Clara. “And I’ll see you Wednesday night for pot roast,” he said, pulling her in for a hug. “Need me to bring anything?”

“Just your appetite, honey.” She patted his face, eyes creasing with grandmotherly pride.

Wallace looked uncomfortable, shoving his hands down into his coat pockets. “Well, we better hit the road. Long drive ahead.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer?” she asked. “I could bake something for the road.”

Wallace shook his head. “Thanks anyway, Grandma, but I’m sure Rena needs a little time to recover from everything. And I…well, you know.”

My hopes for pie died on the sidewalk. There went my grin.

“Well, you two be careful,” she said.

“We will.” He met her gaze with an apologetic smile, backing toward the street. “Bye.”

I took his cue and trotted to my car. “Thanks for having us!” I waved across the top, fiddling with my keys. To be honest, it hadn’t been a totally unpleasant experience. Sure, it was a little unnerving at times, but Clara had been hospitable. I couldn’t fault her for things out of her control.

“Here.” Wallace flanked my side and took the keys from my grasp. He found the slot and gave them a slight twist, opening the door. “Do you want me in front or behind?”

My face turned a thousand shades of red as he handed the keys over, and I climbed inside.
Dirty mind, deactivate.
“Y-You better lead. I don’t know how to get to the interstate from here.”

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll make sure you can follow me.”

“Better get a new phone this weekend.” Cole’s voice made me jump as he leaned over from the passenger seat, looking up at his brother. “I need you on call tomorrow.”

“Get out,” I yelled, shoving him toward the door’s opening. “How did you even get in here?”

He didn’t bother dodging in such close proximity, bracing himself with one leg out the door. “Relax, Rena,” he chuckled. “If you’re going to be my sister, you’re going to have to learn to deal with these things.”

“Are you insane?” I asked him before turning back to Wallace. “Is he insane?”

Wallace rubbed at his temples. “Probably. Cole, get out of the car.”

“You guys are so uptight today.” Cole held his hands up in mock defense, angling out of the car. “All right, well, I’ll be in touch one way or another. We have to—ow!”

Clara pulled Cole out by the ear, making him bend to stumble after her. “You do not just get into a young lady’s car without asking.”

“Sorry,” he hissed, scrunching his face up.

“Not to me. To her.” She used her strict voice as she pointed toward me.

I was afraid to laugh.

“Sorry,” he ground out, jerking away as she released him. “Man…”

She shook her head. “I raised gentlemen, didn’t I?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He heaved a sigh, rubbing at his reddened ear.

“Good. Now you better hurry along.” The warmth returned to her voice as she smiled, rubbing his back. “You don’t want to be late, do you?”

Apparently, real estate didn’t sleep in on Saturdays.

“Good point.” Cole straightened, his typical smirk back in place. “Later!” His image blurred and stretched down the sidewalk. Of course, I was the only one gaping. The other two were used to the supernatural; hell, they were a part of it.

Satisfied with her part in the matter, Clara shut the door, wiped her hands on her apron, and waved. “Be safe, kids!”

I waved back and patted my jeans to make sure everything was good to go. I had a long drive ahead.

“Are you ready?”

“Huh?” I turned around and blinked up at Wallace. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I pulled my legs in tight as he shut the door.

He raised a hand in acknowledgment and jogged back toward his truck.

I let out a deep breath. It felt good to be back in my own car, under my own power, having the freedom to do as I pleased. Everything seemed brighter, more colorful. Maybe I’d taken too many things for granted before.

A couple of hours later, we pulled in behind our dorm. It wasn’t even noon yet, so the lot was sparse. Just like any other Saturday, most of our fellow Reid residents had yet to return from their Friday night exploits. We snagged two spots near the front.

As I got out and locked up, I couldn’t help but notice an overwhelming sense of rightness in the air. The breeze felt cool as it whipped between buildings, mussing my hair. It was good to be home. This home, at least.

Wallace slowed his stride to match mine as we met on the sidewalk. “So, uh…” He had his hands shoved in his pockets again, probably to eliminate the possibility of interaction. Nothing like a little standoffish body language to protect the innocents. “Have you thought about what you’re going to tell your friends?” he asked.

I groaned, hunching forward as we approached the side of the dorm. “I spent most of the trip trying to come up with a decent scenario. They’re vultures, so it’s got to be believable. Of course this”—I pointed to the bandage on my neck—“doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Or that,” he said in a flat voice, nodding toward my hand.

I was quick to dismiss the slight discoloration from our breakthrough session. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s everything,” he muttered, looking away.

There would be no mention of the bruise from the warehouse. He didn’t need to dwell on things like that. Not after we’d made so much progress. No, if anything, I needed to keep reinforcing the hurdles we’d already passed.

Swallowing my nerve, I reached over and tugged on his arm until I’d freed his hand.

He shot me a questioning look.

“Baby steps,” I teased, lacing our fingers together.

His hand went rigid as we walked hand-in-hand to the door. “Rena…”

I swiped my card and he opened the door, perfectly in sync as we breezed through the lobby. Neither of us said anything until we were in the hallway, waiting for the elevator. It wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation to be had around random bystanders.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, leaning against the wall.

“I’m fine.” I squeezed his hand, struggling to downplay the lightheaded rush of ecstasy that followed. It was the truth. He wasn’t hurting me in the slightest.

The numbers over the elevators glowed as the cars raced to the ground level. A second later, the middle doors chimed open, and we stepped aside so people could file out. Wallace caught the door and I slipped inside, avoiding the straggler in the corner.

“Oh my gosh, you guys!”

My head snapped up at the familiar tone. “Gabby?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Gabby’s eyes bulged out, fixated on our intertwined hands. “What’s this?” She gestured in disbelief, shaking her head from side to side. “Wait. Were you…did you guys spend the night together?”

Our hands darted apart like opposing magnets and I blinked, scrambling to reformat my story. “Hey,” I said, plastering on a grin. “What’s up?”

She reached over and jabbed the button for seven, disregarding whatever her previous plans had been. “This oughta be good. Let’s get Aiden.”

A bead of sweat dampened my brow and I scoffed, looking at her like she was crazy. “What do you mean? This?” I nodded toward Wallace with a quirked eyebrow. “What’s wrong with us holding hands?”
Please, please act nonchalant.

He moved closer as the doors closed, probably waiting to follow my lead. Too bad I didn’t have one.

“Are you guys…together?” she asked, still gaping.

“Are we together?” I snickered and glanced up at Wallace. “Did you hear that?”

“I heard it.”

I rested my arm on the wall, trying to laugh it off like it was nothing. “Geez.”