Courage (Mark of Nexus) Read online

  Grandma leaned in again, once the coast was clear. “So, she used that to bring you back here. What've you done since then?”

  Henry was quiet for a moment, tendrils of shame twisting between us. “We've been working on somatically advanced genetic experiments—SAGES, as she calls them. At first, we went over the ethical and legal consequences of gene therapy versus enhancement, how to approach trial participants, ways to transfer the genetic material with minimal risk, et cetera. Then we considered supplemental measures, how we would arrange follow-ups, ways we would re-educate the—”

  My brain reached overload. “Are you serious?”

  “I didn't have a choice,” he insisted, lowering his voice. “If I didn't help her, she'd go after Jaya.”

  I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to stay calm. “Why did you wait this long to tell us? If you were under duress, you should've asked for help.”

  His pupils turned to pinpricks, shifting back and forth. “There's nothing more dangerous than someone fighting for what they believe in, Wallace. And Faye thinks she's fighting for the peace of all mankind. She would've hurt you—all of you. She's not the same woman she used to be. “

  “So don't help her,” I said. “Sabotage the whole thing.”

  He shook his head. “The project had too much momentum by the time I got involved. We're talking decades of work, here. At least with me there, we know what we're up against.”

  “What we're up against?” Grandpa Edwin interrupted, lifting his brows in disbelief. “You mean you or that woman?”

  Grandma frowned. “Dad, she's still your daughter.”

  He stiffened. “My daughter is dead—been dead twenty-some years now.”

  Two realizations struck me at that moment. One, Grandpa Edwin wasn't as decrepit and senile as he'd always let on. And two, serious lines were being drawn here.

  “Regardless,” Henry continued, addressing me, “I'm here now, so let's figure out what we're going to do about this. You, Rena, and Cole are prophesized to ruin their plans, right? How?”

  Like I knew.

  “Well, we have the obvious,” Grandma cut in. “Among the three of them, there's augmented strength, speed, empathy, and healing abilities. That's not something to take lightly.”

  I nodded and added, “Plus, Rena can pull my power sometimes.”

  “True,” Henry acknowledged. “But is that cause for Faye to take so many precautions? She doesn't know the Augari can overpower us. After she revealed her plans, I claimed to have lost the journal. My memory's not what it used to be, you know? I misplaced it, and the details are sketchy…”

  “One good thing ya did,” Edwin grunted.

  Henry paused and hefted his shoulders in a sigh. “You'll have to excuse our father. He's angry with me for getting him involved in this.”

  “How is he involved?” I asked. “Other than having been forced to move.”

  “Power sensing.” Edwin sneered. “He let her drug me, let her monitor my sleep with those whatchamathingies in her lab, and then he let her use that connection to field the ribbons.”

  “Ribbons?”

  Grandma leaned over and lowered her voice. “Dad's power is unique in that it's active while he's asleep, almost as if his subconscious is transported to another plane. There, he sees ribbons wherever he looks. Silver for humans; blue for Dynari…”

  “Red for Nullari, and gold for Augari,” Edwin added. “I just never told you about 'em.”

  She frowned. “I see. Well, anyway, if his mind can get a grasp on one of those ribbons, it follows it. As far as necessary—through buildings, across rivers—until his soul mingles with that of the individual. So, not only can he identify someone, he can almost pinpoint their location.”

  My brows knit. “Then, that's how they—”

  “Found the girl,” he finished. “Yeah. Against my will.”

  “My sister said she wanted to visit her father,” Henry insisted. “Who was I to deny her that?”

  Silence.

  “Anyway.” He dabbed his forehead. “She has three Dynari at her disposal, including herself. That gives them searing and rejuvenating smoke, visions, mental manipulation, microscopic modification, and some kind of health immunity. So, why are they worried?”

  I took a swig of water. “Because of whatever Gail saw in the vision, I'm guessing.”

  “Yeah, but has she come after you again?” Henry leaned in. “My guess is she doesn't feel threatened. She just thinks she'll need your abilities later.”

  Edwin snorted. “Like she needed yours?”

  Grandma waved her arms across the table. “Now, now. Let's not take this too far. You both know Faye has a good heart. She's simply been led astray.”

  As expected, Henry flinched. Like he thought saying Faye three times would summon her from the depths of ERA’s headquarters. “Clara,” he whispered. “You're being terribly naive.”

  I couldn't believe my ears. “Grandma is being naive? You're helping a delusional woman bent on starting a revolution to assimilate everyone. And what's your plan of action? I mean, you have one, right? You're playing with the lives of millions of people here.”

  “Wallace.” Grandma patted my leg in warning.

  I knew she could feel my frustration, but I wanted to make sure Uncle Henry felt it, too. He was being stupid, and it was going to cost everyone.

  He straightened in his seat, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him. Memories of him seeming impossibly tall, wearing bright Hawaiian prints under a lab coat, and lifting me up onto paper-covered tables shattered. My uncle didn't know everything. He didn't have all the answers.

  “I think we've discussed enough for one night,” he finally said, leaning to one side so he could retrieve his wallet and toss a few bills on the table. “Here. This should cover our drinks.”

  Shit. I'd pushed him too far.

  “Henry,” Grandma tried, in a calm voice. “You know we're not trying to be accusatory. We just need to get to the bottom of this before things get too complicated.”

  Guilt morphed into incredulity as he eyed her, running his hands over his head. “It's already complicated. We're caught somewhere between prevention and damage control, and guess what? None of us knows what we're doing.”

  He laughed, but there was no humor in his expression. “I'm being bullied by my own sister. Someone I played with, someone I took care of. I just don't believe my life anymore.”

  As he scooted to the end of the booth, I stood up. “Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinu—”

  I was silenced by a wave of his hand.

  “It wasn't you. It's just, I…I can't deal with this right now.” He glanced back at Grandpa Edwin and held out a hand to stabilize him. “You'll figure something out, Wallace. You are prophesized to save us, aren't you?”

  “But I don't know how to save us,” I insisted, trying to keep my voice down. “I don't know how to stop her.”

  His smile was grim, but sincere. “Well, that makes two of us.”

  CHAPTER 16

  I ran my hand up and down the seatbelt until friction heated my fingertips, the next morning. “You guys were there for forty-five minutes. Did the journal stuff come up?”

  “Briefly.” Wallace raked his hand through the unkempt spikes in his hair, squinting through the windshield. “Was the overpowering thing what you wanted me to read about?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.” I pushed a piece of hair out of my face. “Then, that means…”

  His jaw tensed, as if he were already tired of the discussion. “Rena, we’re already tempting fate here. One more variable isn’t going to make much difference.”

  “It could,” I insisted. “What if I accidentally surge you?”

  “What if I accidentally hurt you?”

  Touché. I slumped down in my seat, watching festival balloons blur past on the street. “So, did he tell you anything else?”

  He blew out a sigh. “I don't remember everything that w
as said. We were too busy trying to figure out Faye's next move.”

  “Well, what did Clara think?”

  “About you?” He hunched one shoulder while keeping his grip on the wheel. “She was surprised. She thought you were special, but she didn’t know anything about the Augari.”

  The fact that Clara thought I was special was almost enough to make me smile. I mean, the woman had supported our relationship before we did. Too bad we were all doomed by a crazy vision. “What about ERA?”

  He pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine. “She’s worried about what Faye might be planning, but she wants to reserve judgment. She thinks there could’ve been a misunderstanding.” A second ticked by before he added, “You know how she is.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed as we unbuckled our seatbelts. “She loves her sister.”

  He grunted and made his way around the truck to help me down. “Someone has to.”

  “Faye’s married,” I reminded him as I hopped down to the gravel. “You think they’re in love?”

  That earned me an “Are you serious?” look as he slammed the door.

  “Okay,” I said, holding my hands up. “But they could be.”

  Wallace rolled his gaze heavenward and—so help me—the man better have been praying. I realized the red rimming his eyes meant he hadn’t slept much, but that didn’t mean he had to cop an attitude with me. “Can we just drop it?”

  “Why are you—?”

  “Hey, guys!” Pastor Mark called from a few spaces down, busy trying to shut the back of the church van. His arms were laden with hotdogs, buns, and every grilling tool known to man. It didn’t matter how much he hopped around on one foot, there was no way he was going to get that door shut with his leg.

  “Let me get some of that.” Wallace jogged over and took an armful. “Where are you headed?”

  “Just up there to the grill master.” Mark nodded toward the smoke pluming behind the church. “We’ve got some tables set up, and we’re going to try to get everything going before eleven.” He turned around, shut the door, and blew out a deep breath. “Thanks for the help, man. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” Wallace smiled, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. What was his problem today? Nexus-channeled PMS?

  I rocked back on my heels. “So, what do you need me to do, Mark?”

  He scanned the area with focused eyes. “Hmm…I do need someone to face-paint with Rachel by the bounce house. You game?”

  Rachel? The winter-tights-wearing bane of my existence?

  “S-Sure,” I said, trying to mask my reaction. “Why not? I’ll just, uh, head over there now…”

  I flashed Wallace a quick look before making my way toward the bounce house. No use putting off my fate. He and I could talk later.

  Rachel perked up when she saw me. She had her long auburn hair pulled into a glossy side-pony, and her skin practically glowed in the summer sun. Wait. Skin? Where were the trademark tights?

  “Hey, Rena! Are you face-painting, too?”

  “You bet,” I said, taking a seat at the other end of the table. “Not that I’ve ever done it before.”

  Rachel grinned. “Don’t worry. It’s really easy. Just grab one of these.” She pointed to a set of thin little brushes in a cup, and then slid a paint pack across the table. “And wipe it off between times.”

  “Great.” These kids had no idea what they were in for.

  Twenty minutes passed by as I watched Rachel in nauseated fascination. The way she interacted with the hyped-up munchkins, you’d swear she was animated by a Disney studio. In fact, I was half expecting woodland creatures to pop out of the trees and sing.

  “May I please borrow your blue?”

  “Huh?”

  Rachel smiled and gestured to the butterfly she’d been painting on a little girl’s face. “Your blue paint. May I borrow it?”

  I looked down at my own, nearly full tray, and mouthed an “oh”. After the kids realized I wasn’t good for much more than hearts and stars, they all filed into her line—which was a-okay with me. “Sure.” I slid it over and watched until she finished. The girl was good, I’d give her that.

  “So, did Wallace come with you?” Rachel asked in a nonchalant tone, smiling at the people who passed by.

  Heh. I wondered when that would come up. After all, she did like him before I came into the picture. Once Wallace and I announced that we had started dating, she’d backed off. Honestly, she’d accepted it with more grace than I could’ve mustered.

  “Yeah, he’s helping Mark carry things.” I gestured toward the church.

  She nodded. “Well, that’s nice of him.”

  “Mhm.”

  We watched a few more people trek by.

  “So, are you two going to the…?”

  Her words fell into the background as my eyes zeroed in on one festival-goer in particular—Corynn Catley. She popped up on her tiptoes, appraising the crowd, and it irked me for no reason. What was she doing here?

  “—ou okay?”

  I blinked and turned to Rachel, barely registering the twist in her features. “What?”

  “Are you okay?” she repeated. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

  “Oh…yeah.”

  What could I say? I caught a glimpse of my boyfriend’s only shot at happiness? “Sorry.”

  “Rena,” she said, ducking her head down to smile. “You can talk to me, you know.”

  The honesty in her voice made me feel even worse. God, what I wouldn’t give to talk to someone about this. In fact, Rachel was probably the one person on the planet who could understand. But still…ugh. “Can I ask you a question?”

  The sun caught in her hair as she tilted her chin, fiery strands lifting in the breeze. “Sure.”

  “What made you give up on Wallace?”

  The question melted her smile and pulled her lips into a mulish line. “I had to.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t what he needed,” she said carefully, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress. “I wasn’t the one who made him happy.”

  Happy? “But didn’t you love him?”

  “Of course, Rena. I’ll always love him”—her eyes searched mine for a moment—”in my own way, but love isn’t selfish.”

  Selfish… The word punctured my heart like a jagged barb. “But you—”

  “I’m not saying it didn’t hurt.”

  A few kids ran past, giggling and carefree.

  She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Look, when he brought you with him that first morning, it nearly killed me. I’d never seen him so free with his emotions, so alive and ready to conquer the world. It was like he lit up around you.”

  “I-I didn’t realize,” I stammered. Crap. What had I opened up? “I’m sorry.”

  Her face softened. “Don’t be. It helped me understand I wasn’t truly in love with Wallace—just the notion of someone to love. Someone who would care for me and not judge me for my past decisions, you know?”

  What kind of past could Little Miss Sunshine have to be ashamed of? I opened my mouth to reply, but faltered when I saw another familiar figure jogging toward us. Oh God. “You don’t have any holy water on you, do you?”

  Her brow crumpled in confusion. “What?”

  “Never mind.”

  “Yo, Sis,” Cole called out, lifting an arm in greeting. “Have you…” He trailed off as his gaze slid past me and landed on Rachel. “Hey there.”

  “Hi.” She smiled.

  I jerked my chin back and forth between them, not liking their immediate interest in each other. “What do you want, Cole?”

  “Why don’t you introduce me to your friend first?” he asked, with a sly grin.

  I almost answered that she wasn’t my friend, but it didn’t seem appropriate given the circumstances. “Cole, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Wallace’s brother Cole.”

  “Enchanté,” he said, lifting her hand to brush a kiss atop her knuckl
es.

  Was he serious? When she started giggling, I stood up and tugged on his arm. “Easy, Loverboy. You’re looking for Wallace, right? He’s inside.”

  “Fine.” He shrugged me off. “Sorry, Rach. I have to go find my knucklehead brother. Maybe I’ll catch you later? I wouldn’t mind getting painted…”

  She brightened. “I’d be happy to.”

  He curled his lips into that cocky, smoldering look of his. “Until then.”

  Oh, for crying out loud. “I better take him, so he doesn’t get lost,” I told her. “I’ll be right back.”

  Rachel nodded, her face still tinged pink. “Sure.”

  I grabbed Cole’s sleeve and took off, weaving through throngs of people and smoky, barbeque-scented clouds. He had to be kidding me. When we finally made it to the foyer, I turned on him. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

  He twisted away from me. “What?”

  “Not here. You cannot mess with people here, Cole. This is a church festival.”

  “I’m not the one cursing and jerking people around,” he hissed. “Besides, she was hot.”

  I gritted my teeth. “I don’t care. She’s off limits.”

  “Why?”

  That was a good question. It wasn’t my job to protect Rachel from Wallace’s deranged twin. But I couldn’t take the chance that he’d do something bad, right? Cole was a wildcard. “Just stay away from her.”

  “What if I don’t?”

  “I’ll harvest your organs.”

  He smirked. “Oh, I’ve got an organ you can harvest.”

  I slapped my hands over my ears. “Gross!”

  “What’s gross?” Wallace’s voice echoed around the vacant foyer as he carried a tray of meat from the kitchen. “Cole, what’re you doing here?”

  “Getting abused.” He rubbed his arm and glared at me, before getting to whatever it was he’d come for. “I brought the papers.”

  I uncovered my ears, not that the childish gesture had kept me from hearing anything. “What papers?”

  Cole lifted his brows at Wallace. “You still haven’t told her?”

  “Told me what?” I asked, looking between them. First Aiden, now this. Why were people keeping things from me all of a sudden?