Chrysalis: The Emergence of Emery (The Gifted Series Book 1) (14 page)

I have to tell you both what happened when I went with Iric and Isobel.
I push my thoughts out to both of them.

Later. Right now you just need to get better. You need your rest.
Kade says.

The last sentence is obviously directed at Elijah, if the death glare Kade sends his way is anything to go by.

Elijah steps back holding his hands up in a surrender pose, his face is totally at odds with his body as his lips move into a smirk. “I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll leave you two alone. Love you, little sis,” he says leaning down and kissing the top of my head. He turns to Kade. “Look after her.” This time his tone is serious, and Kade just growls back before Elijah chuckles and leaves.

Kade claims back his place next to me, leans over and kisses my mouth softly. My eyes flutter closed, and I can almost feel my lashes laying on my cheeks.

You make me feel so calm.
I tell him, keeping my eyes closed as he moves back out of my space.

“Rest,” he tells me.

What happened before? What if it happens again?
My questions cause pain, I can see it in his eyes, and I know it’s because he didn’t figure out the situation with the doctor sooner.

“It won’t happen again,” he snaps, a guttural harshness to his voice. “Now I know you’re okay, my top priority is your safety.”

But Kade, you need to go home. Rest. I heard Elijah. He said you hadn’t slept for four days.

“Don’t worry about me. You’re my life, right by your side is where I belong. Making you safe is my only concern.” I frown and it seems to trigger a similar look on Kade’s face before some sort of realization crosses his features and he continues, “Sorry princess. Loving you is my other priority. Although that takes no effort. With or without you being my Pith, there was never any doubt I’d fall in love with you.” I watch as his eyes roam over my face, the gold igniting. Always for me.

Gentle snoring is the first thing I hear as my eyes flutter open, my vision is blurry again so I squeeze them shut and bring my hand up to rub across my face. This time when I open my eyes everything is clear. Kade’s head is lying against my thigh, his face completely restful as slumber consumes him. I’ve never seen him sleeping, the only thing close was when…
when he was pretty much dead.
The thought sends a shiver through me and Kade stirs. I still, not wanting to wake him, he hasn’t had much sleep over the last few days from what I can tell. Although we’ve had a brief conversation, albeit with my mind, I fell back to sleep quickly and there are so many more questions I wanted to ask.

Your thoughts are projecting across this whole building, Em, wrap it up.

Elijah?
I think, looking around.

Yeah. I’m outside in the waiting room, we all are.

All?

Me, Sicily, Tess, Tristan and Kat.

No Miles?
I ask him.

No.
That’s all the answer I get before Elijah moves on.
Kade still sleeping?

I look down at his gentle face. I’ve seen him angry, dangerous, loving, scared, but never like this.
You wouldn’t think he was so lethal.

He is. Just never to you.
Elijah’s thoughts flow back into my brain.

Shit, has something happened to me? I was able to keep my thoughts to myself and now I can’t?

You just haven’t blocked off your thought process today. You’re still weak, baby sister.

You know, Elijah, if Iric is right—

He isn’t.

You don’t even know what I was going to say!

That’s true. But I can guess.

He told me that I would turn dark, that Kade would be the only one who could stop me. I don’t want him to have to do that, it would kill him… if I didn’t first.
I rub the heel of my palm across my heart, feeling the sting of electricity sparking under the surface.

Calm down. It won’t happen like that. You choose who you want to be. You decide.

But—

No. Stop! This is not the time to have this discussion.
Elijah’s voice is stern.

When then?

Soon.
He softens and the electric pulse calms.
Shit.

What?
I question worried.

Your boyfriend has just told me to get the fuck out of your head and stop pissing you off. Apparently he can feel your energy ramping up.
Elijah’s thoughts end with a chuckle, which I find slightly odd. I’ve just gotten used to words, without sounds being pushed into my brain too. I move my head gently and look down at Kade. His eyes are open and he’s staring at me intensely.

“You okay, princess?” he asks softly, lifting his head from the bed.

I open my mouth, ready to test my voice again. “Yeah, I think so.” I smile as the words come out scratchy. I have a kind of
Janice Joplin
thing going on.

Kade smirks. “It’s good to hear your voice again.” He sits back slightly and I watch as his jaw ticks. A sudden unease tickles my throat.

“What is it?” I ask him.

He stares at me for a few seconds and the gold ignites in his eyes momentarily, before he blinks and it turns back to hazel. “Don’t ever do that again.”

I swallow, his words hold so much anger that my heart thumps against my ribs. “W-what?” I stutter.

“Never put yourself in danger,” he returns, no less angry.

I pull my eyebrows in, confused as my head reels. This is the cold, hard Kade that I knew at the beginning. “Kade?” My voice comes out wobbly, and I’m sure I see a flash of concern flit across his eyes before his resolve is back in place.

“It doesn’t matter the reason, who you’re trying to save. I need to know you’ll never do anything like that again.” His tone is strained now, and as I take a second to think, I realize he’s talking about me saving him. Me nearly killing myself to save him. I feel a calm cover me, my heartbeat slows and I take a breath in, releasing it slowly. “Emery,” he snaps.

I place my hand up in the air. “No. I will absolutely not promise that.”

His beautiful full lips thin at my words and a muscle in his cheek jumps. “Emery…”

“No, Kade. No,” I return carefully shaking my head for emphasis. “I will not stand by and watch someone I love die, not if I can prevent it.”

“Dammit Emery,” he shouts standing, then starting to pace.

Em?
I hear Elijah question.

It’s fine. Don’t come in here. We’re working something out.
I quickly explain before looking back to Kade.

“If you die. That’s it for me.
You’re
it for me. Don’t you understand that by now?” Kade snaps, pulling his hair with his hands.

“Kade,” I whisper his name softly, he stops pacing and looks at me. The devastation I see on his face makes my lungs constrict, and I find air hard to capture. He’s opening himself up, allowing me to see him at his most vulnerable. And right then I can see it all clearly—this man cannot live without me.

“I swear I will always look after myself, and I promise not to purposefully put myself into dangerous situations. But I won’t ever promise not to save you or someone I love if I need to. Listen, come here,” I tell him gesturing to the bed.

Sighing, he makes his way back to me and sits. I cup his face. “I love you. I no more could live without you, than you could without me. If I told you not to save me… knowing you could kill yourself in the process… would you listen to me?” At my words his shoulders slump. He knows he’d save me, he already did, and I wouldn’t ask him not to. It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask that of him. I can feel that it is our instinct and to let the one we love die. That would go against our grain, against who we are.

“Emery.” His voice is much softer now, laced with his love and passion. “You’re going to end up in a lot of dangerous situations. The dark wants you… from the information gleaned so far from Isobel… but the light wants you too. We’ve also found out that there’s a new mixed group, they consider themselves good, but we have yet to determine that. They’re a new, evolved sect. A mixture of both, dark and light beings, deeming that this is evolution, that this is the way of the future.” Kade rubs the back of his neck and lets his head drop back, so he’s staring at the ceiling.

“Kade?” I question softly.

“Verum Novum. That’s what they call themselves. New Truth, it's Latin. They think that you belong with them, they think you’ll unite everyone,” he says bringing his eyes back to mine.

“Well, that’s good, right? I mean, finally a group that doesn’t want to kill me.” I laugh sardonically.

“I don’t know, princess. There’s more to it, although none of us are sure what yet. We don’t know nearly enough. But I have a bad feeling. For the first time in my life I’m scared
,
Emery. They all want you. I will always protect you, but we might be fighting for the rest of our lives.” His eyes search mine, worry and anxiety is rolling off him and I can feel it in my gut, taste it in my mouth, as though it’s my own.

I reach my hand to his and thread our fingers together. “We can’t worry about the future, we can only take every day as it comes. We have each other. If I die tomorrow, I’ll feel like I was able to live a thousand lifetimes, because I got to love you… knowing you loved me, too.”

“Shit
,
princess,” he says shaking his head. “No more talking about you dying
,
okay?” His eyes flash gold and both our emotions of love and desire mix together inside me, warming my body until my skin flushes. “Rest some more, I have no doubt we’ll be heading home soon. This is one of our special medical facilities, so they won’t keep you long, they know how tough we are. There are a few medical centers scattered across the country. We don’t allow many of our kind to know about them, not nowadays, with things as they are. We started setting them up about six years ago, aware that the fighting would be developing, and that we’d need special care. They function as normal hospitals in every way, it’s just the sections we control are run by people with powers, and the doctors and nurses all have powers too. So they’re prepared should one of our kind need treatment.” He closes his eyes and swallows, then opens them to stare at me. “I don’t know where we would be if we hadn’t had this place to bring you to, I can’t think about it—”

“Then don’t.” I soothe, leaning forward and beckoning him with my mouth. He smirks before angling himself toward me for a kiss. It’s only a peck and I pout as he pulls away.

Smirking Kade rubs my cheek with his thumb. “Let’s worry about getting you better, before we worry about kissing.” I stick my tongue out and he chuckles.

“Oh, I wanted to ask you,” I say changing the subject. “Why did I have eye pads on when I woke?” I touch my eyes, remembering the panic I felt at not being able to see.

“They have to do that to us. Remember your training? You can direct your power to come from anywhere, your fingers, arms, head—”

“Eyes…” I finish and he smirks.

“Yeah, even your eyes. It’s your choice and your brain helps you decide, when we’re unconscious we can’t make those choices. The strongest of us—”

“Like you,” I interrupt smiling.

He smiles back. “Yes, like me. We can control it, even our subconscious can be trained. You’re too new to believe that you could control things when you’re unconscious. They couldn’t take that chance.”

I nod at his explanation as my eyelids feel heavy again.

“Sleep baby, we’ll be home soon.” Kade doesn’t tell me twice before I close my eyes and drift away.

Ten hours later I’m on my way home. I grin at myself in the dark glass of the car as I watch the world whiz by.
I can’t believe I actually consider that place my home now.

I’m glad you do.
Kade whispers in my head.

My home is wherever you are
,
Kade.

Same here, princess.

I close my eyes and relax. Elijah and Tristan went home earlier and collected Kade’s car. By the time they got back to the hospital, I was almost ready to be discharged. The others all left about thirty minutes before us. Then Kade—being Kade—lifted me into the air and carried me to the car. I rolled my eyes and he ignored me as people stared while we walked through the hospital. Now, in a matter of minutes, we’ll be home.

As we turn into the familiar lane my heart starts thumping, a buzzing zings across my skin and I can feel pain, fear, anger and rage. I look at Kade. His eyes are alert and I know he senses something too.

“I can feel fear, and anger. There are people in pain, too, Kade. What’s going on?”

He looks over to me and back at the road. I can almost see his brain working through the movements and changes in the color of his eyes. His anxiety is spiked and adrenaline starts pumping through my system as words and thoughts start filtering in.

“They were ambushed,” I whisper into the dark air.

“What else?” Kade snaps.

“The fight is over,” I reply as we arrive at the house. Smoke billows into the night sky, bright yellow flames shimmer through the windows that are still intact, showing me that our bedrooms are gone. I reach for my handle.

“Stay in the car,” Kade demands.

“No,” I reply wrenching my arm out of his hold and swinging the door open. I said I wouldn’t go into situations where there was danger on purpose unless I had to save or protect someone I love. My brother is somewhere and I’m not about to let him burn.

“Elijah!” I scream when my feet hit the ground running. There are trees lying on their sides, pulled out by the roots. Elijah’s car sits in its usual place, dents all over, with smudges of what looks like blood and the window screen is shattered. The downstairs windows in view are all smashed too. Then I spot Tess, her body is slumped at the front door. The door now demolished.

I run to her. “Tess,” I call, shaking her slightly. She groans as her eyes flutter and I release a breath knowing she’s alive.