Chrysalis: The Emergence of Emery (The Gifted Series Book 1) (15 page)

“I’m okay. Tristan?” Her voice is strangled.

“Where is he? Where are they?” I demand, feeling Kade sidling up next to me.

“Some are inside, some out the back. You need to get them, don’t let them die.” Her voice is barely a murmur but her mind is screaming, it’s so loud I need to switch her off in my head.

“I’ll go inside, you check the back,” Kade tells me, disappearing before I have the chance to argue.

I grab Tess and move her to Kade’s car, placing her on the back seat. “Stay here. I’ll go look for the others.” Her head rolls back as her eyes close. I monitor her for a second before making my way around the back of the house. Kade is coming out the front door with Tristan as I pass him. He nods, letting me know that Tristan is fine.

The sight out back takes my breath away. Multiple fires are scattered across the yard, rubble, wood and scorch marks on the ground all litter the large space. I close my eyes and try to sense something, anything. The first feeling I get is of worry, I latch onto it and let it drag me to the far corner. Behind an upturned bench is Elijah. I reach him and bend down, cupping his cheek.

I’m okay. Find the others. I think they were all inside.
He tells me.

“I need to know you’re okay,” I tell him.

I’ll be fine. They hit me with something, not sure what, I haven’t seen a power like it before, but it knocked me out. I’ve just come around, I could feel you and that woke me. Now help the others. Please.

“Okay,” I tell him. Rising, I close my eyes again and feel pain. Moving toward it, I could choke on the agony. When I reach the blistering fire I can smell singed flesh and I struggle to keep my stomach from lurching.

“You…” I hear hissed from behind me as an arm swings around my neck forcefully, pulling me to the ground. “His body burns because of you. Everyone wants you. The great
Emery Laird
. Well, now nobody will have you.” I recognize the voice, it’s Michael. I’m slightly surprised and fear rushes through me as I try to pull his arm away but can’t. Being ill has weakened me. There’s a momentary tingle which spreads across me before Michael is ripped from my body, and my head falls backward but Elijah captures me.

“Let’s go,” he says pulling me up and I look past him to see Kade with Michael.

“I told you, if you ever touched her again I’d kill you,” Kade growls.

“Do your worst, without him I’m dead anyway,” Michael replies looking at the fire. Elijah pulls me away quickly and I feel a split second of unbearable pain before I close it off. When we get back to the car I see everyone but Sicily and Miles.

Kade rejoins us quickly. “They took Sicily,” he says and I squeeze Elijah’s hand as I feel the pain shoot through him before he locks it up. “Miles has gone, too.” He looks around us all. “We need to regroup and settle, tomorrow we’ll have to analyze this. See what happened.” He stops and looks around at everyone slowly then states, “She’s dead.”

She?
I question Elijah.

You remember the tingling when you went upstairs?
Elijah asks me and I look his way so he knows I’m listening.
She was an elder, helping us. She was very old, the oldest we knew about, at least from the light side. You got the tingles because you could feel her power, her knowledge, she was leaking it into you.
I raise an eyebrow at him as the others continue talking.
More explanation is needed, for now just know that she’s dead. They killed her. They will pay. They will also pay for taking Sicily.

I grimace at his words. I’m worried for Sicily and my heart feels heavy. I now realize what Kade was talking about earlier today. We may never have peace, we might be fighting forever. As I look around the group that has quickly become my family, I’m pretty sure, if this is the way we will live then we’re not all going to survive.

We’ve been walking for thirty minutes. I don’t know why we’re walking rather than using the car or at the very least doing the usual fly-running thing that they all seem to do. I’m also not sure where we’re going as nobody has uttered a word since Kade said,
‘Let’s move.’
As soon as the instructions were issued everyone fell into line, like they’d done it a thousand times before. Maybe they had, I was the newbie, not them. I tacked myself onto the end and wondered why they followed behind one another. Sometimes I forgot that my time here had been short, with the love of Elijah and now Kade, there was nowhere else I’d rather be, and for the first time in my life, I knew down to my bones, that I belonged.

As soon as we’d started to walk away from the burning house, I could feel the pull inside me. Now we’re a few miles into our journey and the pull has turned into a burn. It blisters against me like there are actual flames licking my chest.

It’s you. Accept yourself.

“What the hell?” My whispered words enter the group and all heads turn to me. “Right, super hearing,” I groan rolling my eyes.

Kade stops and everyone halts quickly behind him so as not to cause a human pile up. “Emery?” he questions.

My brain flitters from one thought to the next, somehow aware that I need to keep the voice to myself, for now. “A m-moth flew into me,” I stutter. Kade just raises his eyebrow and waits for me to continue, “I-I’m scared of moths,” I continue with my stutter, this time I do it on purpose, trying to act out the fear, hoping I’ll be believable. Kade tilts his head and stares at me. I bite the inside of my mouth hoping he’ll buy it, knowing that he didn’t feel fear from me so he’s probably not convinced. I see a flash of something in his eyes, but then thankfully he lets it go. I huff out a silent sigh as we continue in our formation.

We’ll talk later, princess.
Kade orders in my head.

I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say. I’m starting to think that I imagined the other voice.

Emery, you need to accept yourself.
The voice tells me again. This time I manage to keep quiet and continue walking in line with everyone else. My heart picks up speed at the unknown voice and Kade—without missing a step—turns to look at me, his eyes narrowed and I know we’ll be having discussions sooner rather than later. As soon as he turns back around I know what I need to do.

Who is this?
I demand.

You already know
. The voice is eerie, it takes everything inside me to keep shivers from running down my spine. There is also a melodic element to it, like there are musical notes attached to every word. It’s a strange kind of hypnotic tone.

The woman in the house. You died.
I say, answering my own questions confused as to how I know the answers.

You’re quick, I can see why you were hidden.
She sings in my head.

Stop, now. Tell me what’s going on.
I can’t control my heart rate from getting faster, but it’s anger that’s causing it. Kade and Elijah both turn their heads to me as I stop walking. I ignore their stares, instead closing my eyes to concentrate.
Please tell me.
I beg this time.

I am the Convergence. Named as such because I am a normal human who lived with gifted beings, a human who should never have had powers. I do not come from a House, or even a bloodline which has power. I am merely a mortal. I will show you.
As her last word leaves me, my eyes snap open and I can see Elijah and Kade shouting while the others look on with wide eyes, fear displayed across their faces. Although I can see them all, I can’t hear, it’s like watching a mime. I try to speak or to reach out, but I can’t do anything, the feeling is similar to when I was Earthed, but I don’t feel scared, it’s almost as if I know this has to happen. This has to be the way it is and that thought gives me peace as I fall backward, closing my eyes.

When I open them I’m lying in a field. The sun beating down so hard that beads of perspiration have already formed along my brow. I sit up and take in my surroundings. The first thing that strikes me is how beautiful this place is. The view spans for miles. A wide expanse of different colored fields are between where I sit and the breathtaking snow-topped mountains in the distance. The skyline is only broken up by a line of tall trees where a selection of different looking houses sit complementing the scenery. They were obviously built to blend rather than trying to compete with the vista.

An explosion of noise captures my attention and I stand, turning in the opposite direction. What can only be described as a brawl greets my eyes, and after taking a second to compose myself I run in the direction of the rabble. It’s while I’m running that I realize I have no power and halfway to the fight I have to stop to catch my breath. By the time I finally reach my destination, there are only a few people left. Many have disappeared much like I’ve seen before, where they seem to shatter into shards before vanishing. There are others lying on the floor, people helping one another up. The strongest seem to be talking amongst themselves. In the middle of them all is a vehicle, upside down. It looks like a cart, but without the horses to pull it. I take a few steps and move my focus from one person to another. Everyone is wearing old-fashioned clothes, and it’s then that my brain catches up and I take another look around me.

I’m in the past.

“Hello,” I say tentatively. Nobody even looks my way. “Hello…” I say a little louder
,
but they still ignore me. I walk over to the tallest, broadest, scariest looking one there, and feel strangely calm and safe as I tap him on the shoulder. He looks back and straight through me. His eyes study the immediate area, then he shakes his head as he pulls in his eyebrows.

“We’ll have to take her with us,” he tells the others turning around. “People will not believe her parents’ disappearance while she is seen alive and well. And anyway, the others will kill her if they find out she exists.”

“Just a normal human family in the wrong place at the wrong time. They then fall prey to the ways of the dark. We need to stop them, Kalciffer. Otherwise, there will be more destruction of human lives for those who do not hold gifts. The time for keeping ourselves sectioned off
is
are
gone. This is a new age,” another man with blond hair says to him.

They all turn toward me, forming a line and looking straight past where I stand. “It starts with her,” the man called Kalciffer says.

I turn and see a young girl, maybe six or seven years old. She has brown hair in ringlets and is wearing an old dress with some kind of pinafore over it. The whole outfit is dirty and torn, and I look back and forth between the vehicle and her.

My parents died this day. Leaving me. If the dark had got me I would not be of any world for longer than my mere seven years. However, Kalciffer and Edmond decided to save me. They didn’t know then, but having a powerless human around those that are gifted for an extended period, turns that person into the Convergence.
The little girl tells my mind while staring directly into my eyes.

A jolt followed by shouting causes me to blink a few times, as the little girl fades and Elijah’s fear covered face with the backing of a dark sky replaces her.

“Em, are you okay?” Elijah asks as my eyes move past him, catching onto Kade’s, who is standing behind my big brother. The mixture of fury and fear causes me to stop breathing and when it catches up with me I end up having a coughing fit. Elijah stands me up and holds me, rubbing my back and soothing me.

It’s taking everything inside me right now not to rip you from your brother’s arms. You should be in mine. I know he needs to hold you. But damn it, Emery, so do I.

I allow my body to relax and even let out a giggle as I peer over Elijah’s shoulder and watch Kade pacing back and forth muttering to himself.

I feel my shoulders jostled as I’m pulled away from Elijah, he looks annoyed but then relaxes as another set of arms wind around me.

“Glad you’re okay
,
little one,” Tristan whispers his hot breath in my ear. “Watch what happens now.” He chuckles quietly as he kisses my cheek.

A growl pierces the now tranquil night and then I’m ripped from Tristan’s arms and pulled against a solid chest. I ignore Tristan’s laughter and people chattering as I gaze into Kade, right into his soul. “Why did I fall in love with someone who everyone wants?” he asks shaking his head.

He remains silent for a few minutes, seeming to take in the warmth of my body, holding me and knowing that I’m real, that I’m here. “I’m so scared, princess. If I lose you, I’ll lose me.” He moves his thumb gently across my bottom lip. “You’ve always been my reason to fight. Do you understand that? You were the reason I became who I am even before you knew me… because, deep down, I knew the day would come, the one where I admitted my feelings for you. I knew that Pith or no Pith, I would have fallen in love with you, and I would spend my life making sure you were okay. My world exists only because you’re in it, and I fall in love with you a little more each day. The idea that you could be taken from me at any moment nearly brings me to my knees. I can’t lose you, Emery. If something ever happened to you…” He breaks off and swallows and a lump forms in my throat.

I open up and feel his pain and worry. It’s unnerving coming from Kade, he’s always so strong, so fierce. To know his very real fear of losing me is causing him this much anxiety is unsettling, to say the least, but I also know there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t stop people coming for me, I just have to be strong and as much as he wants to protect me, I have that same need to protect him too.

I grab his hand and he focuses back on me. “I could walk away right now. Let you have peace.”

He snatches his hand away. “You think I’d want that, or I would have considered it for even a second?” Kade snarls.

I smirk at him and bring my hand back up, this time I run my fingertips through his hair and he lets a little sigh slip from his lips. “Then we have no choice but to make sure we both remain safe. Kade
,
you already know I feel the same as you, we’ve been through this already. Do you not think that if I lost you it wouldn’t tear my world apart?”

He grabs my hand and kisses my palm. “I know, princess.” Leaning down he places his lips on mine. Unmoving for a split second, I suddenly feel his other hand wrap around my waist, hauling my body even closer into his while he kisses me. It’s hard, needy and desperate, almost like he didn’t think he would have the opportunity to kiss me again. His hand runs up my back and into my hair holding me close and tight. He slows down the kiss until his lips rest against mine once more. I open my eyes and see his are still closed.

He breathes in and out slowly, then opens his eyes
,
pulling back an inch. “There’s everyone else, Emery. Then there’s you,” he tells me spinning around and morphing before my eyes into Mr. Alpha-Leader-Man, telling everyone that we need to continue and that we’re going to split up and meet somewhere.

The others all talk at once, it’s a mixture of jeering about our kiss and complaining. I block them out as I touch my fingertips to my lips and look at Kade’s back. I’m drowning in this man, and it’s everything I want. I’ll happily close my eyes, let my hands and feet float unmoving and allow myself to sink into him, completely.

He moves back to me, collects me in his arms and the next thing I know the breeze is washing over us both. Looking down at my face momentarily he says,
Don’t think I’ve forgotten about earlier, we WILL be having a chat.
I just smile, letting the warmth and love flow over me.