The Beckoning of Broken Things (The Beckoning Series) (7 page)

Good. Good. We’ll find a way to reward him. But who is this
new friend?

Oh, dear. I haven’t known Daniel that long
, but I sense he’s a bit jealous of any male. I wonder if this is what happens to one of his kind when he does all that soul binding business. Anyone who even glances at me is considered a threat.
He’s a friend, Daniel. You don’t get to tell me who I can make friends with, especially in a psych ward for God’s sake! You didn’t exactly consult with me when you hurled yourself into the darkness, now did you?

I had to
do it. You had been hauled away. The Numina wanted me to pay consequences for what they granted permission that I do. My father was after me. I figured it best to come here until I could devise a plan.

Can you get out?

I don’t know. That’s the thing. I roam the darkness, searching for a sliver, a crack…any breach. But I can’t seem to find one.

Your father…

My father what?

It’s your father’s doing.

What is?

You being trapped down there.

How does he know where I am? He can’t find me here.

He can’t. He can’t enter. But he can keep you from ever leaving.
I am struck by so much darkness, so much rage, I fall against the shower stall. A roar of hatred fills my head.

He can’t do that to me
! This is my world! Mine!

Apparently he did something to consume El Demonio’s powers.
I am embraced by silence.
Daniel? Did you hear what I said? Your father took El D’s powers.

No, dulzura, he didn’t.

Yes, he did. I was at the ether meeting last night, and they said there was some prophecy or something that someone would take El Demonio’s powers and that’s what your father did.

No, cariño, he didn’t.

Yes, he did Daniel. Even the Record Keeper said that.

He didn’t.

I freeze in place. My breathing stops. The water is trickling down my back and splashing noisily on the plastic floor.
Then who did?
I don’t think I want to know the answer. I hear nothing. No responsive thoughts in my head.
Daniel? Who consumed El Demonio’s powers? Daniel? Daniel?
Still nothing.
Daniel, talk to me. Who consumed El Demonio’s powers? Tell me!
I hear the faintest whisper. I can barely make out the response, but it rings in my head like someone has struck a gong.

It was me, cariño. It was me.
That’s why I threw myself into the darkness. I now possess more power than anyone has before.

I don’t have a second to process what Daniel tells me as I am whisked into my busy day by Alice. She bursts into my room, privacy being a non-necessity at this “place of healing,” raps on the bathroom door, and we are away. I am hustled to group therapy, more group therapy, Self-Expression through Music, Paint Your Way to Healing, and other dumb activities until dinnertime.

I wander into the dining area, clear
-headed for once, to mingle with all the zombies. No one ever seems to want to talk to me, though. They lower their gaze to their plates, get up abruptly, or shove the empty chair at their table over to another table. I get the message. Everyone here thinks I am a freak, especially since last night’s incident. I’ve heard the patients talking among themselves. Not a one thinks Rafe is responsible. They all suspect I am the culprit. And guess what? They’re right. I take my tray over to an empty table in the corner and plunk down in the chair, staring inconsolably out the window.

A hum of
excited chatter erupts and everyone’s head pops up. I pivot to see what the fuss is, and to everyone’s surprise, Rafe appears. He hastens to my table without returning a single greeting. He grabs a chair and sits across from me.

I study him for a moment. He’s got a big
gash in his lips, all stitched up. His lips are swollen and red. One of his eyes is black and blue. “What happened to you?”

“It comes with the territory.”

“And what territory is that?” I reach across the table to rest my hand on his, forgetting about the heat that erupts from my limbs when I’m not drugged. I only remember when he stiffens, grits his teeth, and tries hard not to pull away. I snatch my hand back. “Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m not used to being like this.”

“So it’s true. I thought as much.” He rubs his hand, now red and blistered.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Let me get you some ice.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was worth it to have the proof. May I?” he asks, gesturing to my ice water.

“Sure. Anything. I’ll get more.” I start to get up, but he tells me to sit.

“This is fine. I’ve got a high pain tolerance.” A half smile forms on his face.
He grabs a spoon, scoops some ice into my cloth napkin, and presses it to his blisters.

I wince.
“I’m really sorry. Really, really, really.”

“I know you are. I told you, it was worth it.”

“All Smiles knows now, too.”

“Who’s All Smiles?”

“Oh, right - Matthew. Matthew saw my body’s lightning storm last night while I was sleeping. He’s on my side.”

“He’s a good guy.”

“So how did you get out of wherever they put you? Matthew told me you’d be in isolation for a while.”

His eyes flick away from me. “Oh, I did a favor for someone.
Then, another opportunity presented itself to me.”

“You seem to find them like finding
coins on the ground.”

“Something like that.” He peels the napkin from his hand
and examines the oozing blisters. He leans in close, stretching across the table. “I saw you last night,” he whispers.

“Saw me how?”

“At the ether meeting.”

I jerk backward.
“I didn’t see you anywhere. Where were you?”

“I tend to hide in the back. I’m good at hiding.”

“How could you see me? No one else could - not until I got pissed at Armando Navid, that is.”

He taps his head. “Same frequency. Haloperidol.
”

I nod.
“Right.” My lips purse. “So, you’re a sorcerer? A warlock?”

“I’m a Stealth Numen.”

My face creases in confusion. “What’s a Stealth Numen?”

“I’m like a
high-octane spy. I can come and go pretty freely. It’s hard to do in here because they keep me heavily medicated. So…I have to…” He stops speaking and looks away again.

“You have to…” I prompt.

“I have to garner opportunities.”

“What kind of opportunities
?”

“Oh, you know.”

“No, I don’t.” I give him a pointed stare. “You know my secrets. Spill some of your own.”

“I already told you I’m a Stealth Numen. I thrive in shadows and
mystery. That’s a pretty big secret, don’t you think?”

I say nothing.

“How many people outside of the Numina do you think I’ve told this to?”

“Not many, I’d guess.”

“There are two. Matthew and you.”

My eyes flick up and lock onto his. He’s not kidding.
“I’m honored.”

It’s Rafe’s turn to respond with silence.

He gazes into my eyes with a penetrating, serious expression until I’m forced to turn away. It was either that or I was going to fall deeper into the blue abyss of him. I wrap my arms around my mid-section. “Do you know Daniel?”

“Everyone knows
of
him. Have I ever met him? No. Does he know me? Doubt it.” He squints one eye and looks at me. “I heard you two hooked up recently.”

“How did you hear that? You’
ve been in here longer than I’ve been with Daniel.”

He shrugs. “I manage to hear things. Ether meetings and all that…”

“You seem to know a lot about me. Why did you pretend that you didn’t at first?”

“I only suspected. I didn’t
truly know if you were the Light Rebel they’ve all been squawking about.” He lowers his head and looks up at me through his honey-colored lashes long and hard. “I wish I’d gotten to you first.”

A hot and spicy shiver rolls through me as if he’s touched my core. “Yeah, well, you didn’t. And if Daniel ever hears you say that, well, he…”

“He’s bound his soul to yours, I’m aware. I know to keep my distance. I just wanted you to know. And he’s not here to castrate me at this moment in time.”

I grimace. “That’s a strong statement.”

“And you don’t think it’s true, do you? Don’t be naïve.”

I rub both arms as if a sudden chill has come over me.

“Trust me. That’s what he’d do for starters.”

I take a stab at a topic change.
“So tell me about these opportunities.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Well, I’d rather not be in here. I’d rather that people weren’t scared of me. There’s a whole bunch of things I’d rather and rather not be right now. You and All Smiles are the only two people I feel I can trust in here.”

“I’d watch that trust muscle if I were you.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

He shrugs. “Only that I trust no one. I like you
, but that doesn’t mean I trust you.”

I wave a hand in his direction, batting away his protest. “Those are just walls you put up.”

“Since when did you become a psychotherapist?”

“I’m not. I just recognize a wall when I see one.”

He places both hands palm down on the table. “Okay,” he says, as if he’s made up his mind to share. A smile splits his face. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

“Oh, now
I
have to trust
you,
huh?”

“Just for a minute. I promise this won’t hurt you and the minute you say enough’s enough, I’ll stop. Deal?”

“I don’t know what I’m agreeing to.”

“You wondered about
how I come upon my opportunities. I’m going to show you.”

“I don’t know.”

He shrugs. “Suit yourself. Just don’t keep asking me how I get what I get.” He contemplates his blisters.

It looks like
they’re beginning to heal. The black and blue eye is a little less bruised. The gash in his lip is starting to scar over. I hope those are the dissolving kind of stitches. “Is one of your powers the ability to heal?”

“Not really. It’s sort of a side effect of
the favors.” He makes air quotes around the word “favors.” “The drugs dull it, though, so it doesn’t really work in here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t look like a train wreck.”

“Okay, okay, enough with the mysteries.” I blow out my breath impatiently. “What do you want me to do?”

“Place your hands on the table like so, palms flat.”

I comply.

“Feet flat on the floor, legs apart.” He glances around. “We’re in a public place. You’ll have to work hard to keep your cool once this starts.”

“What does that mean?”

He smiles. “Trust me. You’ll find out.”

“You’re suddenly big on trust.”

He shifts his body.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking off one of my shoes.” He reaches under the table.

“Now what are you doing?”

“Taking off
my sock.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.” He looks right and left. When he seems satisfied that no one’s paying attention to us, he looks back at me and shakes his head. “I shouldn’t worry about people noticing what we’re up to. It’s like this place presses control-alt-delete on our psyches and awareness when giving us these drugs.” He gives me a pointed stare. “Ready?”

“Should we do this somewhere else?” I ask.

“No,” he says a little too fast. “We definitely should not be doing this somewhere else. We’d both be in over our head. You’re safer in public.”

“Well, okay, then. Just do it.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“I’m sure.”

“You’re going to have to trust me.”

“We’ve already covered that ground.”

“Okay, I’m just making sure.”

“Just do it already.”

He studies me. Takes a deep breath. His foot lands on my ankle, just above the slender strap of my sandal. He strokes it up my bare leg, along the outside, then down, slowly, along the inside. He works it back up the tender skin of my calf and lets it rest, heat pulsing against my knee.

I’m struck with another wave of arousal, much like this morning when I contacted Daniel.
His energy is different than Daniel’s. Whereas Daniel’s is darkly intense, a bit overwhelming and possessive, Rafe’s feels like a summer day, full of innocence. I’m like a lamb frolicking in the field, sweet, succulent, and young. I’m an untouched virgin. I feel like I want to experience what sex is for the very first time ever. I want Rafe to climb over the table, rip off my clothes and do whatever he wants to do with me. I want to give myself to him, to yield to him in sweet surrender. I blink. Blink some more. Lick my lips. Blink again. Clench and unclench my hands. Erotic sensation is surging up my leg, rolling up me like a wave of hot, sweet cream, lapping at my core. I want that foot to work its way up between my legs. I want his mouth on mine. I want to see what Rafe looks like naked. I want to feel what he can do to me. I want to just lay back and yield to orgasm, in the dining room, with all onlookers doing what they need to do…look, don’t look, I don’t care. I whisper, “Okay, stop. Stop now.” But, in truth, I don’t want him to stop. The only thing that’s forcing my hand is the thought of Daniel castrating my new pal.

He slowly withdraws his foot,
sweeping it down my calf, letting it linger on my leg for one long, long second. His face is contorted in pleasured pain.

I shudder as his touch leaves my skin. Already I want it back. I want to beg him to touch me again and again and again.
I want to get down on my knees and cling to him, imploring him for more. I squeeze my eyes closed and ball my arousal into my fisted hands, crushing the surging sensations. My core tightens and releases.

“Are you okay?” Rafe asks.

My eyelids open slowly, as if weighted. “Define okay.”

“Intense, huh?”

“Yeah.” Even still the feeling of Rafe lingers inside of me.
If a single touch can affect me so greatly, I wonder what it would feel like to…
I decide to not pursue that line of thinking. “Wow. So that’s part of your repertoire of super abilities?”

“Yes.
Some of a Stealth Numen’s skills are to deceive and distract. I command innocence as well as deception. It’s a strange combo. Tell me what you felt.”

“I felt like I had never had sex, ever. That if I had sex with you, it would be the first time and it would be magnificent. I felt young and hopeful and full of promise.”

“Yeah, that’s how it feels to my, oh-so-willing recipients. Each and every time.” He drags a hand wearily through his ginger mop.

“You mean each time you engage, they feel like it’s the first time?”

He nods.

“That’s incredible.”

He shrugs again.

That shrug is
becoming familiar to me, eliciting a touch of affection for the guy. “So, these favors,” I begin. “You share with them, and they give you things? That’s what you mean by opportunities?”

“Yep. Bellows is the worst. He likes to be fucked in the ass. After I suck him off.”

My face pulls back in distaste. “So you’re gay? Not that I mind,” I add hurriedly. “The image was just a bit graphic, especially the thought of you doing Dr. Bellows. Ew.”