Thrall (16 page)

“Lucas, wait for me!” I ran out of the house after him. The pain in my stomach kept me doubled over, slowed me down. Lucas raced across the lawn up to my front porch and slammed into my front door, but it wouldn’t budge for him either.

“The Guard is coming,” I said breathlessly, reaching our portico and leaning heavily on a wooden column. “We just have to keep her from attacking him until they get here. I know where the spare key is for the backdoor. We can get in that way.”

Lucas’ eyes fell on a large terracotta pot housing a spray of flowers. He picked it up and slung it at the living room window. The window shattered in a spray of glass. Lucas ran the arm of his leather jacket over the frame, knocking out the last jagged bits of window. He vaulted through the window.

“Lucas, wait!” I lunged after him, trying to catch him before he disappeared into the house, and landed hard against the window frame. Red and gold stars bloomed in front of my eyes. I lurched to one side of the portico and threw up. After it was over, I straightened. My throat burned, my nose and eyes were running, and all I wanted to was to curl up and hide. I scanned the street. No sign of the Guard. My stomach churned with panic. I turned back toward the open window, but heard only silence from inside. I couldn’t leave him to face this alone.

“Lucas?” My voice came out in a grating whisper, but it was too weak to travel far. I climbed through the window, eyes wide for any sign of Karayan.

Lucas came out of the kitchen, daggers in hand. “Where did she take him?” Something moved in the hall behind Lucas.

“There!” I said, recognizing Derek’s silhouette. “Grab him and let’s go!” I turned to the front door, unlocking the heavy bolt and pulling the door open. When I looked back, I expected to see Lucas and Derek running to join me. Instead they faced each other, frozen.

“Derek?” Lucas asked, tense. “What’s going on, man?”

Derek stepped forward. Lucas hesitated. That was a mistake. Derek picked a ceramic vase up off the hall table and hurled it. Lucas dodged out of the way, and lost his balance. Derek jumped Lucas from behind, knocking one of the daggers halfway across the living room and running Lucas’ head into the wall.

“Derek!” I screamed. “Stop! What are you doing?!”

Derek ignored me. Lucas went limp in his hands. The other dagger fell to the ground at their feet. Derek dragged Lucas back into the foyer before Lucas could summon the strength to jerk out of his grasp. Blood coursed down one side of Lucas’ head from a fresh cut. I ran into the foyer. Lucas half-turned to face me. Behind him, Derek grabbed a wooden chair next to the hall table. Derek swung the chair for Lucas’ head with lethal force.

“Get down!” I shouted.

Lucas dropped to his hands and knees. The chair exploded against the wall where Lucas’ head had been seconds before. Splintered wood rained down on him. Lucas lunged for Derek, driving a fist into Derek’s throat. Derek wheezed, a horrible wet sound, but didn’t otherwise react.

“No,” Lucas said. He clearly expected to have dropped Derek with that blow. Lucas backed into the dining room table. Derek grabbed Lucas by the front of his leather jacket and punched Lucas across the face. His fist connected with a sickening crunch. Lucas fell back against the table hard, but Derek didn’t release his hold. Derek pulled his fist back for another shot. I darted forward and grabbed Derek’s upraised arm. Derek turned on me, releasing Lucas, who dropped limply onto the table.

“Braedyn, careful!” Lucas cried, struggling to his feet. “He’s a Thrall!”

I looked at Derek and saw his eyes. They were flat. Emotionless. Derek moved. It didn’t seem like any effort at all for him, but the blow sent me flying across the foyer. I hit the wall and slumped to the floor.

Lucas stumbled toward me, terrified. “Braedyn? Braedyn, get up. We have to get out of here.” Derek walked up behind Lucas, expressionless.

“Lucas,” I tried to warn him, but my voice sounded thick.

Derek grabbed Lucas by the collar of his leather jacket, and wheeled him around. Lucas’ arms pin-wheeled for balance. Derek tightened his grip, and then ran Lucas straight through the bay window of our dining room. I saw Lucas curl his arms protectively around his face just before he impacted with the glass.

I heard an earsplitting scream and realized it was coming from me. Derek turned to face me. There was no flicker of thought in his eyes.

I heard tires squeal outside. Gretchen’s voice cut through the night. “Lucas? Lucas?! God, Hale, call 9-1-1!”

Dad burst through the front door. Derek turned to face him, and a glimmer of recognition came into Derek’s eyes, as though this was what he had been waiting for. They squared off, and the contrast was plain. Derek was fit and well muscled for a high school guy, but Dad had never lost his soldier’s physique. His chest was half again as broad as Derek’s, and the muscles along his arms tensed like knotted ropes beneath his shirt.

Dad risked a brief glance at me. “Are you all right? Can you stand?”

“I don’t know,” I said. I rolled to my knees and stood, holding onto the wall.

Dad turned his attention to Derek. “Get out of here, Braedyn.”

“Something’s wrong with Derek,” I said, worried. “Lucas tried to...”

“I’ve got this, honey.” Dad circled Derek, cautious. Derek tensed. “Easy, son. I don’t want to hurt you.” Dad stopped and lowered himself into a crouch. He didn’t take his eyes off Derek, but his hand drifted to the ground. I followed the movement and realized Dad had spotted one of the daggers Lucas had dropped. Derek’s lips pulled back in a grimace. He lunged before Dad had a chance to pick up the weapon.

They connected. Derek moved with unbelievable power, but Dad was faster than I would have thought possible. Dad managed to dodge most of the swings, but Derek caught him across the jaw with a left-handed swipe. Dad took the punch like a boxer, dancing back quickly.

“Dad!” I stood frozen in place.

“Outside, Braedyn!”

“She’s supposed to see.” Derek’s voice came out like a growl.

Dad turned to me, wild panic in his eyes. “Braedyn, go!” Derek moved, caught Dad by the shoulders, and twisted, throwing Dad to the ground. Dad tried to roll free but Derek kicked him savagely in the ribs. Dad rolled to his side, gasping.

Derek pulled a gun out of the back of his jeans. With a sick sense of realization, I suddenly knew what Karayan had been doing in Dad’s bedroom. He’d kept that gun in a box in his closet since I was a little kid. He took it out to clean and check it once a month without fail. He’d taught me what I needed to know about gun safety. Looking at the weapon, I saw that the safety was off. No emotion flickered in Derek’s face. He leveled the gun at Dad’s head. Dad grew still. I saw Dad swallow, but otherwise he made no move. Derek’s finger tightened on the trigger.

I felt a pressure building inside, fueled by helpless fury and the desperate need to control this situation. “
Stop.
” It was as though all other sound was snuffed out. As though my voice tunneled through the space between Derek and me, connecting us with a filament of sound. I could feel the word pushing toward him, cracking the air between us with a sound like little chimes. I was vaguely aware of Dad staring at me, his expression stunned. Derek froze and I felt a swell of triumph. Whatever she’d done, I could do it, too. I could speak and make Derek listen. I could reach him. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Derek’s hand trembled faintly, and I felt my triumph melt away. I felt the connection between us start vibrating, and I knew that if it snapped Derek would shoot my dad.

Dad seemed to realize this as well. “Focus,” he said softly. Derek’s hand twitched again as contradicting desires raged within him. I reached for the mysterious power, desperate to solidify the line.

“
Put the gun down,
” I said. Again I felt the words pushing through the space between us and felt the connection surge, growing in strength.

Gretchen edged into the foyer, clearly aware of the tension in the room. “Hale, hurry.”

Hale entered the dining room from the kitchen, coming up behind Derek. Hale moved quickly, catching Derek in a chokehold. When Derek’s gaze shifted off of Dad, Dad knocked the gun out of Derek’s hand. It skittered across the floor. Derek was struggling in Hale’s grip. He tried to throw an elbow into Hale’s side but Hale shifted easily to avoid the blow. Derek’s face was turning bright red.

Hale’s piercing gray eyes met Dad’s. The scar bisecting his eyebrow seemed paler against his flushed skin - it was taking all his effort to hold onto Derek. “Thrall?”

“Yes.” Dad sounded haggard. Hale’s face seemed to harden. He glanced at me and back at Dad. Unspoken communication seemed to pass between them. Dad stood and crossed the distance to me in a few quick steps. Derek’s struggles were becoming more frantic. Dad pushed me toward the front door.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Derek. “He... he can’t breathe.”

“Come with me.” Dad’s voice was firm. With a shock I realized Hale was killing Derek. I turned back, trying to break away from Dad. Dad caught me against his chest and half-dragged, half-carried me onto the porch. I fought him like a wild thing, trying to claw my way past him back into the house. I could hear the horrible scuffing of Derek’s feet on our dining room floor.

“No! Dad, no!” I heard my voice, high and shrill. Dad held me in a grip like a vise. He clamped his free hand over my ear, pinning me to his chest, muffling the sound of Derek’s death.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry. He’s gone. He’s already gone. There’s nothing we can do for him.” Dad held me until I stopped fighting him. When he released me, the silence was ominous.

I looked into Dad’s worried face and the edges of my vision started swimming. Dad’s concern changed to alarm. I was aware of the world tilting, and suddenly I was looking up at the ceiling of the porch. The last thing I felt was Dad catching me before I hit the cement. I saw his lips moving but no sound made it through the haze. My thoughts were snuffed out by a welcome peace, and I gave in to unconsciousness.

I found myself standing in a field of white roses, under a wide, silver disc of a moon. I took a deep breath and was instantly aware of the absence of pain in my side. It was a welcome relief. Someone moved beside me and I turned. Karayan was only inches away, studying the flowers.

I jerked away from her. “What did you do to me? What is this place?”

“I didn’t do this. You did.” Karayan wrinkled her nose in distaste. “White roses? Not exactly my style.” I stared at her in bewilderment. “It’s a dream, Braedyn. You pulled the ripcord of reality to escape.”

In my mind’s eye I saw Hale’s face again, grim as he tightened his grip around Derek’s throat. I heard the horrible noise of Derek’s feet scuffing against the floor, and then the silence. I lifted a hand to my face, feeling sick.

Karayan read my expression. “So. They killed him.” Her green eyes softened. “Now you’ve seen how the Guard operates. Care to reconsider my offer?”

“What?” I whispered, numb

Karayan tilted her head, eyeing me shrewdly. “Clearly I picked the wrong pressure point. If not Derek... then who? If you tell me who he is, I’ll show you how to find him in his dreams.”

The pieces started falling into place. “You picked Derek... because you thought I liked him?” I asked. Karayan’s eyes flickered. “You knew they would kill him.”

“I had to show you what the Guard is capable of,” Karayan said, crossing her arms defensively.

“You’re telling me,” I said quietly. “You let Derek die to prove a
point?

“You saw what they did to him. You think they’d hesitate to kill you if they had even the smallest reason to doubt you?” Karayan’s gaze was piercing. I swallowed. “You’re Lilitu. You belong with us.” Karayan reached a hand out toward me. I jerked back out of reach. Karayan bit her lip, frustrated. “Let me show you how good it can be. I have the perfect life. The food... it’ll blow your mind what a gifted chef can do. And once you move into a penthouse suite, you’ll never go back to life among the ants.” Karayan gestured broadly. “The best part? I’m in charge. Guys throw themselves at me, I have a little fun, I get bored, I move on. No obligations. No rules. No one owns me.”

“Sounds like quite a party,” I said softly.

Karayan allowed herself a small grin. “You don’t know the half of it,” she said.

“All those guys. Did you feel anything for any of them?” Karayan looked up at me, surprised. I saw a flicker of something - conflict? - pass over her face.

“You’re thinking about this all wrong,” she said, but her easy smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“What happens if you fall in love?” I asked. I needed her to have the answer. I needed her to show me a path forward with Lucas.

“Love is a distraction,” Karayan said, shrugging. “Who needs love when you have power?”

“I do,” I whispered.

Karayan turned away from me abruptly, but not before I saw a flicker of pain in her eyes.

“So that’s that,” I murmured. The disappointment was crushing. “You can fall in love, but it doesn’t change the fact that your touch is poison. If you act on your feelings, you’ll destroy the one you love.” I stared at Karayan, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. I felt a surge of anger. “Now tell me again how you have the perfect life.”

Karayan was silent for a long moment. Her hand drifted out to stroke a beautiful white rose. “You’re a clever girl,” she said. “So think about this: like it or not, you’re exactly the same as me.”

“I’m nothing like you,” I spat. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Instead of answering, Karayan bent and touched the ground. A pool of dark water grew in the grass at our feet, full of brilliant flickers of light. Karayan watched them, fascinated.

“Look at all those dreams,” she said. “You could spend all night every night with a boy in a dream and the worst thing that happens to him is he wakes up tired but happy. No harm, no foul.”

“Then, why did you...?” I hesitated and Karayan laughed again. Her smile was knowing. It made me feel foolish and inexperienced.

“Let me put it this way,” she said. “Relying on dreams for sustenance is like being a vegetarian for ideological reasons. Sure, it’ll keep you alive, but after one too many tofu burgers, you’ll do just about anything for a steak.”