“Emmy, I don’t know…”
“Don’t you want us to spend some time together before we go running off to another mission?”
“Yeah, of course I do,” he replies, signaling to me that he does not want to have this discussion while Raphael is with us.
“Marcus, take my advice,” Raphael insists.
“Okay, I guess we can take a few days off,” Marcus agrees.
“Trust me, it’ll be great, and it will give you a chance to properly welcome your new teammate,” Raphael says.
“Who?” Marcus asks.
“Rage.”
“No, he’s just along for the ride while Ameana…he’s not…he can’t…” Marcus is thrown by the very thought that Rage could be on our side.
“We Originals like you and your team because of how open minded all of you have been: not only that, we admire your open hearts.”
“But, Rage—”
“—Rage saw a glimpse of what love was when he met the Lyris. He saw what life could have been like, had he been raised by decent humans. It’s easy to be a good person when you’ve been dealt all the right cards. That never happened for Rage. This is the chance he needs. This is the family he’s been looking for.”
“He hates us. He’s only here for Ameana,” Marcus counters.
“So, when you two were in battle, he never helped unless she was in danger?” Raphael asks.
Marcus and I exchange a look.
“Yeah, he did help. He saved us a few times. And he got me a healer when I was attacked…” I reply.
“That doesn’t sound like an Akon. That sounds like a friend…”
“We can’t just add him to the team because he’s acting half decent. He’s not an angel,” Marcus replies.
“Guardian, you take Rage as your friend or suffer him as your enemy.”
The news that we have been given more time is intoxicating. The team is hopeful and determined to find the Shoma. Miku and Jay start to brainstorm about where it could be and how they can find it.
Ameana wants to go over battle plans and Rage just wants to kill people, so he’s up for any plan that allows him to do that. Marcus tells them to hold off on the planning because we are taking three days off.
“I thought you told Raphael you didn’t want to do that?” Ameana says.
“I know, but I’ve changed my mind. We need this time to regroup,” Marcus says.
“Fine; Ameana and I are taking off,” Rage says.
“Actually, I would like it if we all stayed together for the three days. There’s an island that Rahell and her family want to loan us,” Marcus informs him.
“Yeah, I’m really not into bonding or sharing battle stories over bottles of Coy,” Rage counters.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with you and Ameana, but so long as you’re with us, you will be with us,” Marcus replies.
“And what if I don’t do what you say, like a good little dog?” Rage counters.
“Nothing stopping you from going,” Marcus informs him.
Rage looks at Ameana and walks away. Ameana goes after him. Marcus signals for me to look at the watch I’m wearing; it allows us to spy on Rage.
“Shouldn’t they talk alone?” I venture.
“I don’t trust Rage fully,” Marcus replies.
So, we all look on from my watch as the couple argues.
“You can’t go, Thomas,” Ameana says gently.
“We had a deal. We did the mission and now it’s done,” Rage says.
“Look, it won’t be so bad if we hang out with them for a few days. We can make fun of the human,” she says playfully.
“What the hell am I doing here?” He snaps at her.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m a Demon. Why am I hanging out with Angels? Why am I saving a world I don’t care about and that never cared about me? And why did I rescue some little girl, who I didn’t even know, and start to…” Rage falls silent.
Then he smashes his fist into the glass door of the shop they are standing by. The glass shatters and falls noisily to the ground.
“I’m sorry about Mouse. I really am. I know it’s stupid because we just met her, but she became important to me, too,” Ameana shares.
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
“Thomas, it’s okay that you loved her. She’s—”
“—I SAID I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!!”
He says as he hurls what’s left of the glass across the street. Luckily, there was no one walking by.
“Okay, I get it. But can you at least come with me to the island?” Ameana asks.
“I’m not sure about this,” Rage says quietly under his breath.
“Look, the island is big enough that we can avoid the team,” she offers.
“No, I mean I’m not sure about us. ”
“Oh, okay,” she says casually, as if he’d just told her he didn’t want another cup of coffee.
“Ameana, you know this thing with us…I want it to…but…” He fails to find the words he needs.
“Thomas, are you breaking up with me?” She says, determined to look him in the eye.
“I need time to think.”
Without another word, the Akon takes off.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE:
CHILLS
O-Nay Island is more beautiful than any of us could have imagined. The water is so clear, you can see to the very bottom. The waves gently sway on the impossibly white sands and the picturesque ocean goes on forever. We walk along the beach and find the only house on the island.
The sky blue, two story house is lavish, elegant and right on the beach. We enter and find ourselves standing in the middle of a spacious living room with high ceilings, hard wood floors and panoramic views. The room is decorated with tasteful, brightly colored sofas and plush pillows. Just seeing them makes me want to take a nap. There are five bedrooms, each with its own private bath. It’s perfect.
The trip here was fairly quiet. We didn’t want to let Ameana know we heard the conversation between her and Rage. At the same time, she looks like she really needs to talk. Normally Miku would have been for the one to do that, but I think Rio’s death is really starting to hit her. She looks lost in deep sadness. Jay keeps throwing concerned glances towards her. I overhear him ask Marcus what he should do to help her.
“That’s just it, Jay, we can’t do anything. She’s grieving. That takes time,” Marcus replies.
“What did you do when Emmy lost her mother?”
“I felt just like you’re feeling now: helpless. But all you can do is be there for her,” Marcus replies.
“Okay, who’s sleeping where?” Marcus asks.
“Jay and I are taking the room upstairs,” Miku says.
“Sounds good, Emmy and I can take the room down the hall,” Marcus tells the team.
“Ameana, which room do you want?” Marcus asks.
“I don’t care,” she says quietly.
“Is Rage coming?” Marcus dares to ask.
“I don’t know,” she says, unable to look him in the eye.
“You should take one of the bigger rooms.”
“Why?” She asks him.
“Because Rage will be back for you.”
“How do you know?”
“You’re a hard girl to leave behind.”
He gently brushes the hair from her face and she does what she hasn’t done since her conversation with Rage—she smiles.
Marcus was right about Rage, he shows up a few hours later. Although he does come back to her, his mood has not improved. He’s sullen and closed off, not just to us but to Ameana as well.
She is worried about him. I can tell, because she looks at him the same way I sometimes look at Marcus when he’s facing danger. But that said, just having him with us picks up Ameana’s spirit greatly.
Miku’s spirit has lifted too. But that’s because she’s working on her second bottle of Coy. Jay tries to get her to slow down, but she refu
ses. Marcus cautions her too but it does no good. She reminds him that they are here to have fun.
In fact, when Jay gets a text from and an old Traveler friend about a last minute game of runner ball, Miku insists he goes. Jay refuses because he doesn’t want to leave her alone.
“That’s crazy, just go. Blow off some steam,” Miku tells him.
“You should go too, Marcus; we’ll be fine here,” I assure him.
After going back and forth, they finally agree to go. Ameana signals quietly for Marcus to include Rage. Marcus asks him if he wants to join them. Rage says no and heads out to the beach to be alone.
“I tried,” Marcus says to Ameana.
“I know; thanks,” she says.
The guys take off leaving us girls in the house, alone.
“I’m so worried about him,” Ameana says not really meaning to share her thoughts out loud.
“He’s fine. Demons don’t feel anything,” Miku says flippantly.
“Come on, seriously, after all this time, after everything he’s just been through, you can’t give him a break?” Ameana snaps.
“I’m sorry, but giving a break to a Demon is really low on my list right now. My brother just died, so that’s kind of my first priority.”
“He has risked his life over and over again for us; you really can’t find one nice thing to say about him? NOT ONE NICE THING?”
Miku looks at her best friend and is unable or unwilling to find one positive about Rage. Ameana is on the verge of losing it, judging by her stern expression. The silence in the room is thick and shows no sign of lifting. So, I take a chance and answer Ameana, even though she wasn’t talking to me.
“Well…Rage is hot,” I reply.
They both turn to look at me with bewilderment.
“What? Well, he is,” I offer with a shrug.
Much to my surprise, Ameana bursts out laughing and Miku joins her.
“She’s right; he is hot,” Miku concurs.
“Really?” Ameana asks her friend bashfully.
“Look, I’m not saying I like him but yeah, he’s …yum; if you’re into Demons, I mean,” she clarifies.
Ameana is beaming. I didn’t realize how important Miku’s opinion had been to her. But apparently what Miku thinks of Rage means everything.
“I just don’t want him to hurt you,” Miku says to her.
“Don’t worry, I’d kill him first,” Ameana vows.
“Or I would,” Miku replies with a grin.
“Okay, if Thomas hurts me, you have my permission to go Redd on him.”
“Good; and since we’re already on the subject…what’s it like with a demon?” Miku says taking yet another drink.
Oh my Omnis, I have always wanted to know the answer to that question.
“Um… do you guys want me to leave so you two can talk alone?” I ask.
Please say no, please say no…
Ameana and Miku exchange a quick glance and Ameana signals it’s okay if I stay.
Yes!
“So, what’s it like?” Miku asks, plopping on the sofa and placing a throw pillow against her chest.
“Come on, Mimi, spill!” She pushes.
After pausing for a quick moment, Ameana smiles and sits beside Miku on the sofa.
“Well, I don’t know what it’s like with all Demons, but with Thomas…he’s passionate and intense.”
“Is that your way of saying he gets it in good?” Miku asks.
“So good.”
We both burst out laughing. Ameana gets shy and hides her face behind one of the pillows.
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll accidently set you on fire with a power ball?” I ask.
“He doesn’t need a power ball to do that,” she confides.
Miku and I squeal with laughter.
“I don’t know, I might have to rethink Rage now,” she jokes.
“Pretty, he’s so nice to be with because he doesn’t try to be anyone but himself. Sometimes he’ll call me and be rude about it like, ‘Come here,’ - I pretend like I’m pissed that he thinks he can order me around, but the truth is—”
“—it turns you on,” Miku finishes.
“Every time!” She shouts with glee.
I’ve never seen Ameana so taken with any guy before. She looks so happy and so…human.
She’s not the second in command; she’s a girl in love.
“I totally get it; they’re sexy when they're serious. Jay jokes around all the time. But when we get going, and I pull away, just to tease him…that boy does some serious begging.”
“Shut up! You did not get Jay to beg!” I shout with delight.
“Many, many times,” she brags.
“Begging is good,” Ameana confirms.
“Don’t tell me you have gotten Rage to beg!” Miku says.
“No, but he’s gotten me to do it a few times,” she whispers as she buries her head on Miku’s shoulder.
“That’s awesome,” Miku replies.
I shake my head as they share a laugh.
“Actually, the guy I could always count on to beg for more was Marcus,” Ameana says.
I’m not sure if she did that on purpose or not. On one hand, she’s Ameana and she doesn’t like me all that much. But on the other hand, I don’t think she really remembered I was there until the words came out of her mouth.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She says.
“No, it’s cool,” I lie.
Damn, it’s uncomfortable now. I don’t want it to be. We were having fun and Omnis knows we need more of that. I decide to swallow my discomfort and ‘be easy,’ as Jay would say. So, after a pause, I confide in them and hope I’m not making a mistake.
“I don’t know about begging, but I really would like to get Marcus to be less…” I can’t finish.
“Less what, Emmy?” Miku asks.
“Gentle.”
They both laugh at me. But it’s not mean spirited, so I’m relieved.
“Why don’t you just tell him?” Miku asks.
“Marcus will never be too aggressive. He’s afraid he could kill you,” Ameana replies.
“At this point, I’d risk it,” I confess.
We all laugh together. This is so nice.
“Is it true what Arden said about Demons and their wing span?” I ask.
“Yes,” Miku and Ameana reply in sync.
I turn to both of them shocked. Ameana and I push for Miku to tell me how she knows about Demons and their wings. She refused to tell us. For the next few minutes, our imaginations are running wild.
“No, no. I’m not telling. All I will say is that Arden was right,” Miku says smugly.
“Can I ask you something?” Ameana says to me.
Crap.
“Um…sure,” I reply, uneasy.
“Did Marcus ever tell you about his night with Bianca?”
“Mimi, don’t ask her that!” Miku scolds.
“Sorry, I was just curious,” Ameana replies.
“I ask him but he won’t say anything because we had a deal that he would never tell me. But, yeah, I want to know,” I share.
“You don’t. It’ll just break your heart,” Miku advises.
“Screw that; I would want details, pictures, and diagrams,” Ameana replies.
“It doesn’t matter, he’ll never tell me,” I conclude.
“There would be nothing to tell if you had taken care of her,” Ameana says.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I mean if she went after someone I loved, I would have driven a stake through that plastic bitch,” Ameana assures me.
“I can’t do that. That’s crazy - right, Pretty?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s definitely not the right thing to do,” Miku confirms.
“What if Bianca came after Jay?” Ameana asks her.
“I would end her.”
There’s something so final about her voice that causes both Ameana and I to fall silent. Miku is, and always will be, a powerfu
l angel with a close connection to darkness; maybe too close...
“Maybe I’ll let Bianca have Marcus and I’ll just hook up with the guy Arden was talking about,” I joke.
“What guy?” Miku asks.
“The one who likes to Soul Dive all night,” I reply.
“When you’re done, can we have him?” Miku begs.
The room explodes with laughter from all three of us. Who knew ‘Soul Diving’ would be the thing that bonds us. Although I suspect it’s bonded many girls.
The next morning, I get a call from Julian and for the first time, I’m not stressing out about it. In fact, I take the call and we talk for nearly half an hour. It’s kind of silly, but it feels nice to have someone worry about me the way my mom used to.
Julian asks about the location of the island. He asks if I have enough to eat and if I am wearing a sweater because it gets cold in the Caribbean at night. We make a date to get lunch when the mission to find the Shoma is over.
“Who was that?” Marcus asks as he walks into our room.
“My father.”
He looks at me, shocked by what I have just said.
“I just wanted to hear what it sounded like to say ‘father,’” I reply.
“And?”
“It sounds kind of nice.”
“So, you and Julian are getting closer?”
“He’s not gonna make father of the year but…yeah, I guess.” He’s about to say something but then he thinks better of it.
“Marcus, what is it?” I ask.
“Has Julian said anything to you about Bianca?”
“Um...he hates you for marrying her and he wants me to stay away from you. So, you know, the usual.”
“Oh.”
“Is there something I should know?”
“I just…no.”
“Okay…”
I’m sure there’s more to the story, but right now all I want to do is head to the beach. We never get time together, so I want to enjoy every second of it.
“Okay, what do you think?” I ask.
I spin around showing off my new, and my very first, two piece purple bathing suit. Normally, I would rather die than have someone see me in a two piece. But, there’s something about being around Marcus that makes me feel desired. It’s like I could be dressed in a plastic bag and he would still want me. Plus, the designer managed to somehow give me the illusion of curves.