Chrysalis: The Emergence of Emery (The Gifted Series Book 1) (23 page)

Hours later, as the sun is starting to set once again, he leads me to the back of the yard. There’s a bench now, near the cliff edge, a blanket and a cooler sits at the side on the grass.

“Sit,” he tells me, once we’re at the bench. He then proceeds to lay the blanket across my lap, before grabbing the cooler and placing it down next to me.

I look over to him, raising my eyebrows.

Kade shrugs. “If we can’t have normal once in a while, then what’s the point?” he explains with a smile, while passing me a Diet Coke.

“Thanks,” I say grabbing the Coke then leaning over to touch my lips to his. “For everything.”

He smiles back at me and my heartbeat skips.

We sit quietly listening to the sounds of the ocean beyond, both in our own heads. Kade fits my hand in his and strokes his thumb over mine, he then moves us until I’m in the crook of his arm, my cheek resting on his chest. I wonder if this is what it would be like, if there were no threats
,
if our lives were crazy-free. My eyes feel heavy and I start allowing myself to doze. Suddenly, something at the edge of my conscious is nudged by my falling asleep and I sit bolt upright.

“Emery?” Kade sits up with me.

I turn toward him, the concerned look on his face registers in my mind and I flap my hands slightly.

Kade grabs a hold of my hands. “Emery, what is it?” He centers my focus and I nod.

“You never asked me about my dream... nightmare,” I tell him.

His eyebrows pull in. “Yes princess, I did. You told me about Elodie,” he growls.

“No. I mean yes, I did. But there was more. I never thought about it at the time, I was too upset when you left,” I explain and watch as he grinds his teeth. “It’s possible for people to talk to you in dreams?” Kade nods at my question. “Tell me, had Elijah ever been able to do that?”

“I don’t know. I mean, he’s never told me of such a gift,” he replies, and I feel my shoulders drop as my hope deflates. “Princess, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got that ability. This gift usually comes from people who can speak with their mind, like you and Elijah. Maybe he has it, but never told me. Maybe he never knew. There is one other possibility,” he says looking out to the sea and rubbing his chin.

“What?” I ask grabbing his shoulder.

Kade turns back to me. “Well, if he has that ability, maybe it’s something he can only use with you, as you’re his sister and have family gifts. Or maybe he knows that Elodie has that power and he’s able as your brother to jump into her dreams himself.” Kade shakes his head. “Either way, why is it you’re asking? What happened in the dream that makes you think this might be possible?” he questions, sitting back on the bench and pulling me into his lap almost subconsciously. I snuggle into him and start explaining the nightmare, the whole of it. As soon as I stop talking Kade asks, “Is that
all
of the dream?”

I nod in reply, and he shoots out of his seat, dropping my feet to the ground. I’ve barely stopped myself from falling over before he rushes off, his lightning speed means he’s disappeared in less than a second.

I drop my head back and give the sky my angry glare, before stomping off after him at a much more sedate pace. I feel him before I even reach the house, panic, concern and more than that, excitement fills the air as I walk into the office.

“Get me Genna…
now
,” Kade growls down the phone.

My body goes on alert as I wonder who he’s talking to.

“Genna, I need you to meet me in the morning. No, Emery will be there, too,” he tells her looking toward me. “There’s new information that I’m not willing to discuss over the phone. We need to meet and we need to talk strategy. This has been going on for too long. Planning is good. Doing is better,” he snaps, holding out his hand to me. I take a few steps forward and reach out to him. The second our fingers entwine he pulls me down to sit on his lap once again. “Yeah, that works. Okay, ten it is. Bye.”

“What was all that?” I ask, turning to face him.

“Verum Novum. That was their leader, Genna
,
”
 
he tells me.

“The woman you were fighting side by side with?” I grind out.

Kade smiles and strokes my face. “Firstly princess,
always you
. You should know that by now. Secondly, she has no interest in me, so stop worrying, most of her interest lies with you. I should be the one concerned
,
if it weren’t for what I already knew I would wonder whether she had a thing for you. She talks almost non-stop about you.” He chuckles easily.

But I pull away from him, my body stiffening. “How much do you talk to her... exactly?” I ask, harsher than I meant.

Kade laughs, throwing his head back and I watch him for a moment as his shoulder shake and his throat moves, enjoyment filling every inch of his face.

Dammit. I’m supposed to be annoyed with him
.

“Kade!”

“Sorry princess. It’s just your jealousy is unnecessary but at the same time… I kind of like it,” he tells me capturing my lips with his own, and as usual, I melt into him. He leads our kiss but ends it before we get carried away. “You have to know, Genna will never look at me like that. She is only a friend, trust me on that. We can take a chance on her. I know that you’ve yet to get to know her, but you know
me
, you know I would never do anything to put you in harm’s way. If you let the jealousy slide for a moment and think, you’ll know. Please, trust me.”

I nod at him and lay my cheek against his. “I trust you, completely. I’m meeting her tomorrow then?” I ask.

“Yeah, but this isn’t a get-to-know-you chat. This is a strategy meeting. We have been talking regularly, but that’s only because she has people that believe in what she does. They believe you are the savior for us all. Well, you
and
me. Apparently it’s the two of us together that will save the light from the dark, we’ll be able to stop the darkness from taking over the world. We’ve been trying to put plans in place and scope things out. With the information you have just given us... if it turns out to be real… we could make a massive change,” he tells me.

I nod and smile, glad that finally things might be starting to piece together. I know it’s going to be a long road, but we have to start somewhere and now we have a bigger army at our backs.

“There’s something else that I don’t think has registered with you yet, Emery,” Kade tells me softly. I look to him, tipping my head in question. “If Elijah did step into Elodie’s dream… and remember this is a big if… maybe just maybe, he isn’t lost to them. I mean, that would be a huge piece of information to pass along. If it’s true, we could make a real dent if we pull that new venture apart. It would be a massive win for us.”

My chest compresses, as my brain thinks back, over and over again as his words loop. I miss Eli, it’s like losing a limb, I could learn to live without him, but I’ll never be whole.

“We’ll know more once we’ve done some recon, and can find out if this place does exist.” He shrugs his shoulder. “If it does, that’s a big way for him to tell us that he’s still with us.” Kade pulls me into him and I bury my face into his shoulder.

“I love you,” I tell him, my voice muffled.

“Always you, princess.”

That’s her then. She doesn’t look like anything special.

I wonder if she’s really supposed to save us all?

Wow, she’s so pretty.

I would love to be her, I mean look at the guy she’s got with her. Hot Damn!

People keep talking and I can’t seem to clear my mind. Since I came into my gifts—really came into them—I haven’t been around this many people at once.

This morning Kade woke me with sweet kisses and then whisked me down to breakfast, telling me that Tess, Tristan and Katarina had all gone out. We ate croissants on our bench, listening to the waves, then I took a shower and we took a walk along the clifftop. It was all so normal, holding hands and just
being
.

I knew why Kade was doing it. He thinks I needs a slice of normal, and he’s probably right. It was bliss, and I know I’ll hold on to these moments he gives me, especially while we face the other—much less normal—side of our existence.

I take in the large room as we wait for Genna. It’s a huge space, laid out like a dining hall. An old bar sits at one end, dark brown wood which is worn and cracked, but gleaming all the same, arches around a small floor space. A large mirror makes up the wall behind, and glass shelves hold both glasses and liquor. An old man stands behind the bar, propping himself up and chatting to
people
, who I assume are regulars, content on their barstools. To the left there’s a type of food court, three different serving stations are set up, all seeming to provide different food to choose from. Tables and chairs are strewn about haphazardly, and there are at least a hundred people sitting and talking, eating and watching.

This place seems to be a compound. We rode here on Kade’s bike. It took us over an hour, but the ride was nice, holding him as the wind blew around us. We turned off onto a path I never would have noticed, and traveled at least five miles up a dirt track. This opened out into a wide field, surround
ed
by tall trees that circled us. There were more dirt tracks, three to the right and two on the left, but Kade rode straight ahead. I pulled my head away from his and tried to see where he was going, but even with my super abilities I couldn’t see a gap. My grip on his shoulders tightened and I’m pretty sure I heard him chuckle, although everything was muffled to my ears because of the motorcycle helmet that Kade insisted I wear so I couldn’t be sure.

As we approached the trees, Kade didn’t slow down, not even for a second. Just before impact I closed my eyes, when, after another second, I realized my body was still in one piece. I opened them again, blinking as they adjusted to the dark tunnel we were flying down. It felt like we rode that tunnel for hours, and after emerging into the light, hissing at the sting my eyes bore, we entered a town. People watched us as we passed until finally Kade stopped at a large building, which looked like a typical City Hall.

He got off the bike and pulled me off after him, taking my helmet from my head, which lead to me snapping that I wasn’t a child, which in turn caused his lip to twitch while he tried to hold off a smile. He threaded his hand through mine and pulled me up some steps and into the building. Without any haste, we navigated through small corridors until we arrived at this very spot.

We’ve only been waiting for Genna for ten minutes, but I’m apprehensive. Worried thoughts have invaded my mind, and I can’t seem to calm myself.

“Something feels off,” I whisper to Kade.

He looks back at me with a sharp nod. “You feel it, too,” he states but says nothing else, moving to look back toward the door.

I can’t question him further as suddenly he pulls me up out of my seat and gently tucks me into his chest, his eyes are trained on four people who have just entered the room. The first person is a woman, she’s a couple of inches taller than me, about five foot seven and has curves that make me want to cry out with jealousy. Her long gray hair falls dead straight down her back, and when she steps up to me I can see the violet tinge to her silver eyes.

This was the woman Kade was fighting next to—this is Genna.

Instantly she smiles and it lights up her whole face, dimples pop out of each cheek and I have visions of stabbing her with cocktail sticks, but she makes me swallow the green-eyed monster when her excitement shines through.

“Emery, finally!” she breathes out in wonder, then proceeds to fling her arms around me in a tight hug.

“H-Hi,” I stutter, slipping out of her embrace, immediately Kade pulls me back to him.

“Genna.” He nods his head but makes no move toward her, which allows me to relax slightly.

“Kade, good to see you. Please, won’t you both sit?” She gestures to the table we were seated at earlier, and we all settle into chairs. “This is Lucian,” she says, her hand aiming for a tall, well built, brown haired man sitting to her right. He’s clean cut and suited, his eyes are sharp and no emotion passes over his face. “The one next to him is Leon, his brother.” I move my gaze to the next tall, well built, brown haired man. This one however, is rough, his beard at least four days old, his hair slightly longer and unkempt, a scar curves from the side of his neck, across his lower cheek, and just touches the tip of his upper lip, where he wears the biggest grin as his green eyes sparkle.

“Been waiting to meet you,” he says leaning across the table toward me. Kade growls and I bite my lower lip to stop the smile trying to form as I feel his jealousy zinging in my stomach.

At least it’s not just me who gets jealous.
I say to him, the humor in my voice unmistakable.

Kade just grunts in my head which makes me bite my lip harder.

“Thank you, I guess?” What starts in a statement, ends in a question as I lean over and take his offered hand. He doesn’t shake it. Instead, he stands up and bows over the table kissing the back of my knuckles.

Kade growls again and Leon holds up his hands in surrender. “Okay, big guy, I’m just saying hello. I know she’s your Pith,” he tells Kade winking at me. As he sits back in his seat, leaning toward his brother and the single whispered word, “Shame,” isn’t quite quiet enough.

Kade jerks forward and that’s when the man to Genna’s left speaks, “Enough Leon. This is not how these talks need to start,” he snaps.

Leon immediately sits back. “My apologies.” His words are aimed at Kade, who just nods in acceptance.

“I’m Goran. Genna is my sister. Between us, we lead the Verum Novum. Welcome to our compound, our base, our strategic headquarters…” he looks around a small smile playing on his lips, before turning back to us, “...our home.”

“It’s extremely well hidden,” I state and then feel like an idiot for pointing out the obvious.

“It is. We cannot go by normal human measures when hiding. The dark are a forceful opponent, and never to be underestimated. We’ve been setting this site up for many years, since before your birth, Emery,” Goran tells me.

I feel my eyes widen as shock registers.

“There is much to tell you. You are still new, my dear. Some things will come with time. Some… we can guide you,” he says pinning me with his eyes.

Kade sits next to me and is looking around the room. I can feel something coming from him—a displeasure of sorts. Without warning, he suddenly leans across the table, his move is threatening and his gaze aimed at Goran. “You have humans here,” he hisses. Nobody moves as I convulse in my seat, Kade squeezes my thigh.

“Kade, you do not know the full extent of our organization. It reaches far beyond the normal spans of light and dark. I can explain all the inner workings over time, but I fear this is not for the here and now,” Goran explains calmly.

Kade still doesn’t move, and I think maybe it’s time for me to talk him down. But before I have the chance Genna speaks, “Kade, please, you must understand, we have no time. You trust me… remember?” she says, and her hand snakes across the table. She’s about to clasp onto Kade’s arm when I put my own hand in the way, thwarting her attempt.

She smiles at me, but I can’t see past the anger that’s sparking to life on my fingertips. Kade grabs my hand in his, kissing the back of it in the same place Leon did not ten minutes ago. I feel my temper dissipate as I realize we’re both battling the same emotions.

My eyes move back to Genna, and she offers me a genuine smile before she rocks my world.

“I’m not interested in Kade. I figure it’s best to lay that out there. He’s gorgeous,” she says glancing at him then back to me. “Anyone with two eyes and a penchant for men can see that. But I also understand the meaning of our other halves or
Piths
. I know Kade will never look at another woman. He would be no more interested in me than he would in my brother,” she tells me glancing at Goran then back to me. “Your Pith is the one your whole world revolves around.”

My eyes automatically move to Kade, and I see he’s already looking at me. I can’t seem to pull them away as I listen to her words.

“The day begins and ends with them… no being, item, power or gift is more important. Every decision you make revolves around their happiness. This is the meaning of true Piths, this is what we’re made to feel. Of course, the natural love that some of us are lucky enough to have is extra special… another layer that connects the two Piths. Love that isn’t because you’re meant to be, but instead because you have your own connection. Love that would have evolved between the two of you, even if you weren’t each other’s
other half
. Making that connection even more unbreakable. If you die, he will kill himself.”

I frown as a pain like barbed wire tightening around my heart makes me clutch my chest.

“And it would be the same for you. If he dies, you would feel unable to continue, you would die too.” Kade squeezes my hand harder, and if it weren’t for my super strength he would have broken it already. “You’re lucky and unlucky that you have found each other. I, myself, have found my Pith. However, he has never laid eyes on me, so he doesn’t know I’m here for him. Everything I have done over the last two years, since seeing him for the first time and realizing who he was, has been to keep him as safe as possible. However, by doing that, I have inadvertently allowed harm to befall him anyway.”

I feel Genna’s pain in my tight chest, she’s tormented, grief-stricken and desperate to help her other half. I blink and look away from Kade, searching and finding Genna’s eyes instead.

“The reason I could never think of Kade as anything more than a friend is because my Pith, the man I am bound to be with, and the man I have watched from the shadows over the last two years and fallen in love with is Elijah. My Pith is your brother.”