Keeper Read online

Chapter 6

  I hadn’t launched myself at anyone, so Aiden must’ve taken that as an improvement. He never brought up the shrink nonsense after we left Ian’s office, but he watched me closely. I forced down food and managed about two hours of sleep a night—while I tossed and turned the other six. I couldn’t explain what happened at the funeral, not even to myself. The Kember was there. He stood right in front of me when I jumped at him.

  Back in the office, Ian told me if you want something badly enough, sometimes you make yourself see it. I laughed and told him he was crazy. But now, after three weeks of mulling the incident over in my mind, he didn’t seem so crazy. Maybe the Kember wasn’t there. Like Ian said, no one else saw him. All they saw was the poor man I nearly rendered unconscious. Now, thanks to me, another Drea possibly locked himself in his house determined to never leave again.

  It definitely wasn’t one of my finer moments. My cheeks blazed at the thought, and I shook my head for the thousandth time, determined to drop it. In a few weeks, people would find something else to gossip about. Until that time, I screened every phone call and concentrated on finding the Kember.

  And getting out of tutoring sessions.

  My teacher flinched. His mouth dropped in a look of pure idiocy as I slammed the book onto the kitchen table. “I’m not gonna read ‘To kill a fu—’”

  “Taylee!” Aiden closed some tattered hardback he was reading, jumped from the couch and walked into the kitchen. One thing I’d learned about him: he wasn’t fond of my vocabulary.

  I slumped back in my chair and redirected my scowl at the balding, old man. How did this help me find that Kember? It didn’t. Therefore, not my problem.

  “Actually,” Mr. Whatever-his-name-was began, oblivious to the insult. His brown eyes brightened. “It’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s an outstanding novel. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  Where the heck did Aiden dig this guy up from? Some cult for the socially challenged? Unlike him, I couldn’t bury myself in a book after the most important thing in my life had been stripped from me. I folded my arms and scoffed. “Yeah, since you know so much about me. I don’t read. Ever.”

  The grey slab of hair above my tutor’s eyes, which I guessed were once two eyebrows, furrowed as he shuffled through papers in his binder. “Your report cards indicate you passed all your classes with A’s and B’s. I find it hardly plausible you don’t read but passed English with flying colors.”

  Aiden’s eyes flickered toward me and narrowed. He wondered the same thing, although he knew the answer: Mind control.

  “I’m incredibly gifted.” I smiled sweetly. Okay, enough of this. I glanced at Aiden, who stood against the counter, feet crossed, attention back in his book where it belonged. I placed both my palms on the table and snickered inward. Sayonara, Teach.

  I looked squarely at Mr. Unibrow and focused until I felt the weight of his mind. Like pushing through water, I moved forward past his resistance and enveloped his mind in mine.

  Embracing the wonderful, warm buzz, I closed my eyes. I quickly opened them again, knowing I didn’t have time to screw around.

  The tutor’s eyes glazed, and I gave him his first command. Put the book away.

  He did.

  Now, tell me I’ve been doing such a fantastic job the last few weeks that I don’t need to worry about reading this book.

  “You know, Taylee,” he said in his wise, blah voice. “You’ve been doing such a fantastic job the last few weeks. Don’t worry about reading this book.”

  Now leave.

  With a cheery smile, he stood from his chair and began packing his things.

  Aiden snapped his head toward the clock. “You’re leaving? It’s only one.”

  “Yes, yes, well, time is in the essence,” I made him say.

  “Of the essence?” Aiden studied him suspiciously.

  “Uh, yeah—yes,” his voice wavered like my order, “exactly what I said.”

  Pack faster, pack faster!

  He threw his crap in his bag.

  My head pounded from the pressure of trying to keep his mind under control. I bit my lip and casually smoothed my fingers from my jaw to my temple.

  Aiden took a few steps closer, glancing between Mr. Unibrow and me. I shrugged at Aiden, trying to play it cool. The tutor still had that dumb smile plastered across his face.

  “The conversation we had yesterday, Mr. Sorenson,”—ahhh, Mr. Sorenson, that was his name!—“can you tell me about it?” Aiden asked.

  Busted. Asking questions I didn’t know the answer to was a sure way to find out if he was under my control. By now, thanks to the file Aiden received on me, he knew the ins and outs of my ability. Like the very inconvenient fact I can’t invade memories or get information from anyone. Well, not without inflicting torture, but that didn’t have anything to do with mind control.

  “Yeah—or, uh…Yes, of course.” I cringed. Man, I really needing to work on my sophisticated geek talk. “That thing.”

  “Let him go,” Aiden said in a low voice. His hard gaze set on me. “You’re done messing around.”

  I blinked. The room spun slowly, like I just jumped off some puke-inducing ride. The pressure in my head gradually turned into a headache, and my energy poured out in such thick currents, I was surprised no one saw it flowing across the floor.

  “What do you mean?” My words slurred. Funny, I didn’t remember drinking vodka, but I sure could’ve used some. The lightheaded feeling intensified; the verge of passing out crept up on me. I had no choice but to let him go or fall on my face.

  I released him. As the pressure of his mind left mine, I rested my cheek against the cool table and closed my eyes. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. Mr. Sorenson still packed his things, but much slower.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sorenson. I think it’s a good idea that Taylee still read the novel. I’ll make sure she gets it done over the weekend.”

  “Whatever you deem best. I’ll return Monday, Taylee. Have a pleasant weekend.”

  Pleasant? Hah! “Yeah, yeah.” I waved my hand dismissively, hearing two sets of footsteps walk to the front door. I sat up in my chair as Aiden came back. He tossed the book onto the table and settled in the chair across from me. “Read it out loud.”

  “Um…okay. I’ll get right on that.” I rolled my eyes. “After, I find the bastard who stole my life.”

  He set his elbows on the table and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “It’s not your job to find the Kember. Google isn’t going to get you anywhere.” He nudged the book forward with his finger. “Do your homework.”

  I shoved the book as hard as I could off the table. With a loud slap, it hit the stove and landed on the floor. “You read it.”

  “I already have.” Aiden’s gaze lingered on the upside down paperback before he directed it at me.

  “So what? You’re supposed to be some badass bookworm?” Skyler definitely exaggerated about this one.

  He sat back and crossed his arms. “Maybe you’d like to know that Ian requires me to send him an e-mail every day. In case you’ve changed your mind about the therapist.”

  Blackmail in its finest form. I gritted my teeth to keep my “screw you” comment at bay.

  Aiden pushed away from the table and walked across the wood floor. He picked up the book, set it in front of me and held it down with his index finger. “Read the book out loud.”

  Knowing how loyal he was to Ian, he’d no doubt make good on his threat. Spilling my guts to a therapist meant less time looking for the Kember. I couldn’t afford that.

  Opening the book to chapter one, it took every ounce of willpower I possessed to not tear out every boring page. I read, mumbling in a monotone voice.

  He started interrogating me about the chapter. Oh hell. Story time tortured me enough. Now this? I scooted my chair back and stormed toward the front door.

  “Where’re you going?”

  I didn’t break my pace. “Out.”
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  Ripping the front door open, I stomped outside and inhaled the fresh air greedily. It whipped around me, blowing dark strands of hair in my face. I placed my hands on the deck railing and peered around the surrounding forest.

  I wanted to go back to three weeks ago when everything was okay. I missed Delmari, and even though I knew he would’ve flipped about the stunt I just pulled, I didn’t care. I’d give anything to hear him yell again. Maybe I’d even listen this time.

  Tall trees used to bring me peace. Normally, standing in the midst of them calmed me. All I had to do was breathe in the clean pine scent, listen to the silence and before too long, I felt my anger recede. Not this time. If anything, the woods made it worse. Now all I saw were flames and despair. I didn’t want to relive that day. I didn’t even want to think about it.

  Seconds later, Aiden stepped out, killing any possibility of peace. “You’re not supposed to be out here without me. It could be dangerous.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, how unfortunate it’d be for someone to take me off your hands.”

  Before he could respond, I walked through the waist-high sunflowers, pulling some out as I went. Ever since I could remember, I’d hated that I had no known relatives. Now I felt the actual impact. I wanted a place to go. Something that felt familiar and safe. Nowhere would I find that. I didn’t know where I belonged anymore. Aside from Skyler, Aiden was all I had. That thought brought a tightening soreness to my throat.

  “How far into these woods are we going?”

  My thoughts raced so angrily, I didn’t care. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

  A blinding scarlet light veiled my eyes. I stopped dead in my tracks, blinking rapidly. “What the—?” I rubbed my lids and opened my eyes again: Nothing but a red haze. I couldn’t see. My heart hammered.

  “Everything okay?”

  A warm sensation rushed over my entire body, like I stood inches from a fire. I stumbled back, wiping at my arms. The heat intensified throughout my body, becoming so hot it started to singe my skin. My breath hitched and I dropped to my knees. I squeezed my eyes closed and threw myself to the ground, thrashing in the dirt.

  “What’s going on?” Aiden’s concerned voice sounded far away. “What’re you doing?”

  The dirt didn’t do jack. “I’m b-burning!”

  Rumbling, cracking sounds flooded my ears. I opened my eyes; the crimson was gone. Now, vicious, orange tendrils danced on the trees and swirled through the grass and shrubs around me. Thick smoke whirled and funneled into the air.

  Oh no.

  My skin blazed. I screamed then coughed as the smoke invaded my lungs. I shifted my gaze around the grove but couldn’t see Aiden anywhere. My heart accelerated. The bastard left me here to burn.

  Raindrops fell like marbles. They splattered on my scorched face and body, gradually washing the burning away. Delmari! He saved me. He was back. I knew no one could kill him! Relief filled me. My rigid body collapsed into the dirt. I closed my eyes, taking a long, deep breath.

  After a few moments, I peered up through the streaking rain. Placing both hands down in the mud, I pushed myself into a seated position. I blinked a few times, trying to make something out of the smoke and remaining flames. Where the heck was Aiden? Some Kember.

  Snapping twigs and labored breathing made me turn my head. A dark-haired chick, about my age, with wide eyes and tear-stained cheeks, sprinted toward me. I pushed my matted hair away from my face and tried to stand. My legs wouldn’t respond. I gasped and gripped them, trying to pry them from the ground. My jaw dropped and my breathing hitched. From the waist down, I was paralyzed.

  The girl glanced over her shoulder. She stumbled behind a huge boulder mere feet from where I sat. Leaning back against the rock, she squeezed her eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

  Again, I looked through the trees. Nothing was there. “H-hey, are you okay?” I choked on the words as they left my throat.

  She didn’t respond or even look my way.

  Low voices sounded from somewhere around us. A being, with energy markings around his eyes, bounded toward us.

  Before the girl could take a step, he lunged at her.

  “Son of a—!” My heart pounded. I jerked my upper body, trying to get up. I couldn’t. I peered frantically through the darkness for Delmari or Aiden—anyone!

  The Rygon grabbed the girl and pulled her body flush against his. She screamed and twisted, trying to escape. He held her effortlessly. The black veins around his eyes spread like webs across his face as he drew out her energy. He tilted his head to the sky. His crystal blue eyes grew brighter and brighter, glowing eerily in the darkness.

  I screamed to get his attention. I reached out to grab a rock, but I couldn’t pick it up off the ground. Like my legs, it wouldn’t budge. I watched helplessly as the girl thrashed and yelled, but it was too late.

  The struggling girl went limp in the Rygon’s arms. I stared in horror. Someone else I couldn’t save.

  Low voices sounded from behind me.

  “Delmari?” I yelled. “Hurry, you’ve—” I turned and gasped.

  Not Delmari. Not Aiden. The Kember.

  Behind him walked a dozen more energy-sucking beings. His cloak ruffled as he rushed toward the Rygon. His ocher eyes settled on the girl still clutched in the Rygon’s grasp.