“What about it, Eta? What does the lemon juice mean? What does it do?” Marcus asks anxiously.
“Every Quo has a different reaction to various substances; like humans who are allergic to certain foods. In our family citrus juices has a strange reaction: It negates the effects of—”
“—Get down!” Marcus shouts as a power ball heads straight for us.
The power ball misses us but manages to make a giant hole in the wall. Nearly half a dozen demons enter the apartment and are throwing power balls at us from every direction. Bianca must have told Lucy I was coming.
Marcus’s first priority is placing Eta and I in a Holder. Normally I would help him fight them but the pain from my shoulder and ribs is making it impossible to stand; let alone fight. Eta tries to pause time but she’s still so traumatized with killing Bianca, her powers aren’t working.
Finally Marcus is able to get the Holder and place us under it. He then takes out four of the demons using his brute strength. The other two flee.
“They’ll be back, we have to go, now!” Marcus shouts as he releases us from the Holder.
“Marcus, something’s wrong,” I reply.
“I know you’re in pain but we have to leave now,” he says.
“No, not me…”
He looks over and finds Eta on the floor bleeding from her head. He goes over to her and calls out her name.
“She must have gotten hit before we could get inside the Holder,” I reply.
“C’mon, we’ll get you to a Healer. Hang on,” Marcus orders her as he pulls out his cell and texts someone.
“Who are you texting?” I ask.
“Tony, he might be able to help,” Marcus replies, frantic.
“I tell myself you like me a little,” Eta confesses to Marcus in a weak voice.
“I like you a lot. Please hang on,” he begs her.
Her eyes start to glaze over. Marcus calls out for her not to close her eyes.
“Eta, don’t die on me. Tell me what does the citrus juice do? Why did Bianca drink it?” Marcus shouts.
“Eta, Eta!” Marcus shouts.
“Marcus; she’s gone.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
DELUSIONAL
“So…what do you think?” I ask him.
Marcus looks at me, completely taken aback.
“You cut your hair,” he replies.
I did indeed chop most of my hair off. It used to flow down my back, now it’s a short bob that reaches just above my shoulders.
“You don’t like it?” I reply.
“No, I mean…yes. You look great. But why the change?”
“Long hair sucks in battle and besides, it’s very ‘pre’ Guardians. I thought I could use a change.”
“You don’t miss any ‘pre’ Guardian things?” he wonders.
“Like what?”
“Like going to school without a bone fracture of some kind? Or choosing a hairstyle based on what you like and not what is easier in battle?”
I shrug my shoulders and look out the window.
“I really wish we had stayed away from you sometimes; given you a chance at normal,” Marcus admits.
“What’s done is done. My name was the only clue to finding the Triplex. You guys had to include me. Sometimes things happen to us and we just have to suck it up and deal,” I reply in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Yeah, I guess. Your hair does look really nice,” he says with an undertone of sadness.
I know if Marcus had his way I would be in school taking exams and picking out colleges. But the reality of it is I’m not sure I can ever go back to that again. I would tell him that but I think that would make him even sadder. And he’s already on edge about the team being taken.
We have been in the Healer’s apartment for two days now. Her name is Candice. She has a pleasant smile and is very skillful at what she does. When we came to her she tended to me for hours. And although she was able to mend everything that was broken, it has taken awhile. Also there’s a scar where Bianca cut into my stomach. Candice says that one will take longer to heal because of the kind of glass the table was made out of.
She placed a blue mixture on the wound and has sealed it closed but it’s still treating the cut so it’s glowing bright blue. Marcus can see the glow underneath my paper gown. I don’t want him to focus on that because as much as it hurt, it was all worth it to see a house fall on the witch.
As much as I hate Marcus focusing on my scars, I know it’s better than having him think about the team. He’s picturing all kinds of crazy demented things that could be happening to them and it’s driving him nuts.
I can always tell when he’s thinking about them because a profound sadness creeps into his eyes. His jaw clenches, and he forms a fist without realizing it. That’s what he’s doing in front of me, right now.
He has stayed by my side while the Healer worked to mend my wounds. I begged him to go on without me to the address the clue gave us but he refused. However, the whole time he was by my side, he was thinking and plotting.
“I know you’re worried about them, so am I. You should go without me. This is about your team,” I plead.
“You’re a part of the team. I can’t leave you to go get them. We have to go together. I can’t trust you to stay with anyone.”
“Okay, but according to the Healer, I should be ready to go by morning. So until then can you at least Recharge?” I ask.
“I’m fine.”
“Marcus, all your pacing is putting a hole in the floor of the waiting area. Healers hate that,” I joke.
He tries to smile but fails at it. He places the palm of his hand to the back of his neck and rubs it. He looks longingly at the sky through the window, then shoves his hands in his pockets, and lets his head drop.
I have never seen him this stressed out and on edge. The thought that Jay, Miku and Rage could be hurt or worse, is killing me too. But it’s nothing compared to what it’s doing to the leader.
“I’m sorry I attacked Bianca. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt and we could be headed to the address right now,” I tell him.
“I’m not sorry she died at all. Yes it would have been good to see if we could get more info out of her but she needed to die,” Marcus replies.
“Eta didn’t. I liked her.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Any idea what the lemon juice thing was about?” I ask him.
“No and I don’t care as long as it doesn’t do something crazy like make Bianca immortal.”
“Can lemon juice do that?”
“At this point, nothing surprises me.”
“The good news is if she comes back, we get to kill her again,” I reply gladly.
“I saw how you felt about her when you were on top of her, screaming that you were going to send her to hell,” he teases.
“It’s not my fault; turns out, your first wife was kind of a bitch.”
We share a smile and then something occurs to me; I address Marcus.
“Hey, does that mean that you can kiss me—I mean that you can kiss someone else? You know, now that she’s dead?”
Someone kill me now. Why did I even ask that? Now he’s gonna think I still…
Well, don’t you?
“I don’t know if I’m free to kiss someone else. I haven’t tried it in the past few hours since she’s been dead. But I think my Rah is now free for me to give it to …someone else.”
“Oh.”
He smiles at me and blood rushes to my face; it settles on my cheeks. I look away because I don’t want him to see it. Although I’m pretty sure I’m too late. He slowly steps towards my bed. My heart races as he stands over me. He’s about to touch my cheek and brush a stray hair from my face.
I keep the memory of his touch buried inside me. That way I won’t recall it too often.
When my body does remember the feel of his skin on mine, a current of overwhelming pleasure surges through me. I am left with so much longing and
desire I forget to breathe. His hand is getting closer to my face. I can feel the heat from his touch even before he makes contact with me. In the past, when we made contact no matter what’s going on outside of us, I feel safe. His touch has always given me what a thousand Paras could not: peace.
I close my eyes in anticipation of getting what I so desperately want. I hope to Omnis when Marcus touches me, he lingers. And even though there are a million reasons he probably shouldn’t, my heart awaits his touch like my lungs await air.
I close my eyes as his hand approaches…
“Do you get reward points for going to the Healer so often? I mean is there a frequent Healer program I don’t know about?” I hear someone say.
Startled, I pop my eyes open just as Marcus pulls his hand back. Standing in the doorway is Alex. He studies the scene carefully, not sure what he just walked in on.
“Did I interrupt something?” he asks, suspiciously.
“Hey! Um…no, no you didn’t. How did you know I was here?” I ask.
“Well news gets around. And my family is usually one of the first notified when a human is hurt during any Angel related issues,” Alex replies.
He walks over to my bed, and gives me a kiss. Marcus looks out the window as if something extremely interesting has caught his eye. Since there’s nothing out there but skyscrapers, I’m guessing he just doesn’t want to see me kissing Alex. I understand that feeling all too well.
“Hello, Marcus,” Alex says.
Marcus flashes him a fake smile and heads for the exit.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“I’m gonna Recharge and get ready for tomorrow,” he says.
“I heard about your whole team being held captive. Sorry about that,” Alex offers.
“Thanks; we’re gonna get them back,” Marcus assures him.
“How did Lucy get ahold of everyone but you and Emmy?”
“We were downstairs at the time, talking,” I reply.
“Guess it would be better if you guys kept your distance, that way you both could be more focused,” Alex says.
“Are you saying I lost my team because I’m unfocused?” Marcus challenges.
“No, I’m saying separating may have been a bad idea,” Alex says simply.
“We left Miku and Jay alone so they could—you know what? Why the hell am I explaining this to you?” Marcus snaps as he storms out of the room, leaving me alone with Alex.
Alex asks me all the questions you’re supposed to ask someone who is recuperating. He inquires about my health. He asks what hurts and where. He also offers to get me whatever I might need. When that part is over, we are left with uncomfortable silence.
Alex is the first to break it.
“You weren’t going to call me and tell me you were hurt?”
“I was but things just got crazy. But I’m glad you’re here.”
“Why? You have Marcus. Seems like that’s all you need.”
“We weren’t doing anything when you came in,” I promise him.
“You know what, never mind the sexual tension between you guys, how about the way he keeps allowing you to get hurt?” Alex says.
“Wait, what sexual tension?” I ask.
“Emerson, whoever comes within a ten mile radius of you and Marcus needs to come with condoms and cigarettes.”
“That is not true.”
“STOP LYING TO ME!” he snaps.
I’m taken aback by his outburst. He’s normally composed and calm. He looks back at me, shakes his head and takes a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. But Emerson, I’m not stupid. I know that Marcus is still in your heart. I just thought I would try and get in there too. And then maybe you’d let him go.”
“Marcus and I aren’t together. In fact, we argue most of the time.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen those arguments and it’s like some kind of twisted foreplay.”
“What?”
“You two don’t argue because you dislike each other. You do it because it’s the only interaction you guys can have now.”
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I will try to be better at the whole communication thing. The team was taken and everything has been a mess since then,” I reply.
“Yes and here you are once again, hurt.”
“Marcus didn’t have anything to do with my getting hurt. I was fighting Bianca and—”
“—I don’t want you to keep making excuses for him. What kind of First Guardian can’t even stop a human girl fight?” he says, disgusted.
“Okay first, I’m not a girl. I didn’t wander into the woods wide-eyed and innocent. I didn’t run into a ‘big bad wolf’ on the way to deliver cookies to Nana. I’m a grown woman who has put every fear aside to kick some demon ass and try and help save the world. And yes, that means I am helping to save you too; you’re welcome. So when you speak to me, try doing it with some respect.”
“You think you’re some kind of heroine in a fantasy novel don’t you? Look ‘Katniss,’ this is not a story. This mission is dangerous and soon your luck is going to run out,” he cautions me.
“You really think I need to be reminded about how dangerous missions are? I lost my mom. I lost my best friend, Sara. And three members of the team are dead. Not to mention the sweetest three year old you will ever meet. There is nothing you can teach me about danger that Lucy hasn’t already.”
“Then walk away from all this while you still can. Haven’t you learned enough about loss and grief?” he pleads.
“Alex, I can’t turn my back on them.”
“No, you can’t turn your back on him. ”
“This is not about Marcus,” I swear.
“Bullshit. Every single thing you do is about Marcus. You allow him to treat you like crap. He can’t protect you physically; he lets you get tortured and attacked daily. He can’t protect your heart; he’s walking around sleeping with everything in sight.”
I look over at him, shocked that he knows about Ameana and Marcus.
“You know there are no secrets in the Angel world, Emerson. Look, Marcus is an asshole and he’s got you worshipping him like he was Omnis; or some kind of hero. He’s not. Marcus Cane is a failure.”
“Get out,” I order him.
“Really, that’s how we’re going to solve this?”
“There is nothing to solve: get out.”
“You know what, to hell with this. I really like you. And I wanted to help you but…you’re so delusional: you’re not a Guardian member: you’re a Guardian groupie.”
“I said get the fuck out!”
“Fine, whatever. Just remember if you do make it out of this mission alive, they will forget you. They will head back to the light and never think of you again…”
Early the next morning Marcus comes to pick me up so we can finally go to the address given to us by the clue. On the way, he tells me that everyone now knows that Bianca is dead. Many Quos are unhappy about it and feel like the Guardians are to blame.
“Um…are you doing okay?” he asks as we land in a nearby alley.
“Uh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“You realize you haven’t spoken in like an hour,” he replies.
“I think Alex and I broke up,” I admit.
“Oh. That’s…I mean…I’m sorry. What happened?”
“Well…He’s a Mets fan and I’m more of a Yankees kind of girl,” I joke.
“Emmy.”
“Okay, Okay. It turns out he’s left handed. And well…”
“You know I will stand here all day…” he warns me.
“Fine. He thinks that I am latching on to you guys and that I have no place on the team. He also thinks that you and I are…together still. And I guess he’s sick of always being left out. Oh and he called me a groupie. And yeah, it kind of hurt a little, I guess,” I reply avoiding his eyes.
“Right away I can tell you that Alex is a douche bag who takes pleasure in judging from the sidelines whil
e the team, and yes that means you, goes out and gets things done. He doesn’t see what you go through so he doesn’t know how amazing you are.”
“Thanks, but I don’t know…am I just hanging around you guys?” I ask fearing the reply.
“Actually, Emerson Hope Baxter, you’re kind of a rock star. Rage, Miku, Jay and I are the ones who are latching on. We are proud to be your groupie. In fact, can I have your autograph, please?” he begs.
I start laughing and he joins in. By the time we are done, we have inched closer and closer towards each other. There is barely any space between us. The pounding of my heart drowns out the city streets. He gazes down at me with a smoldering look that renders my knees weak and causes my spine to tingle.
I remember the last time he held me. I was in heaven. Then we found out the last time he held me would be the last time he would ever hold me. That hurt more than I can possibly say. And even though the decision to break up was mutual, I can’t take yet one more failed attempt at getting together. I just can’t fall into this moment.
“We better get going,” I tell him as I pull back.
I think there’s a flash of disappointment on Marcus’s face but he gets into “official First Guardian” mode before I can be certain.
“You’re right; we better go,” he agrees.
A block later we are standing in front of a rundown three-story brownstone. Not sure what to expect, Marcus places me behind him as he knocks on the door. For several minutes, we wait and nothing happens. Finally Marcus breaks in.
We walk inside and find the apartment is nearly empty. The only things here are the random items in the center of the room: a sleeping bag, a few toiletries and can goods.
“I guess someone’s been squatting here,” I tell Marcus.
“It looks like it. But where are they now?” he asks.
“Right behind you; now get the hell out of my house,” the person says.
We turn and find ourselves face to face with the squatter: Julian.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
NOWHERE