Chapter 3
I just stared. He couldn’t be…A heavy feeling hit my core, cutting off my ability to breathe. “Wh-What?”
“I’m sorry, Taylee,” Ian whispered. “Truly, I am. I know you two were close.”
A throbbing pain filled my chest. No—impossible. My head refused to process such a ludicrous concept. He couldn’t be gone. Not Delmari.
Images streamed through my mind—his smile, his laugh, the sound of his voice...My life couldn’t go on without them. If he was dead, I should be, too. I needed him. I didn’t have anyone else. Determined not to lose control in front of Ian and the redheaded bitch, I silently inhaled.
When I opened my mouth to ask another question, Ian interrupted. “We have a couple options. There are some wonderful Drea families who will take you…”
This had to be a dream. This couldn’t be happening—not to me. I shook my head, a sob building in my throat. “D-Drea families? Like a foster home?”
“It’ll only be a few months—until you’re eighteen.”
I got to my feet and jerked my bag off the floor, breathing hard. “No. I-I’m going home.” Delmari would be there. He had to be.
“All that’s left is ash and cement.” He reached for my bag and, with a fast, gentle tug, took it from me. “I won’t place you with a family against your will. Heaven knows you’d be halfway across the U.S. by nightfall, but I can’t let you wander alone, either.” He motioned to the Kember guarding the door. “Taylee Pierce, this is, Aiden Oltman. He’ll be your new Kember and legal guardian.”
Aiden stepped forward, towering over me. He folded his arms across his chest and gave me a curt nod.
No. No. No.
They weren’t going to replace Delmari. They couldn’t. No one could protect me like he could. The sting in my eyes and the pain in my chest swelled into rage. Maybe I overestimated Ian all these years. He was an idiot. “You think I’m gonna go with him? I-I don’t need a new Kember!”
“I know it’s fast.” Ian held my gaze, like it was supposed to reassure me. “You can’t go unprotected. Aiden’s best-suited for your situation.” He turned away, obviously thinking I’d go quietly and addressed Aiden. “Oakridge, Oregon will accommodate you both. I want you to steer clear of the Boise area—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I sat, crossing one of my legs over the other. “Not until Delmari comes.”
Ian ignored me. “No school and no contact with people in Meridian. Not until the culprit’s caught.”
I jumped from the couch and shoved a vase of flowers off the table. It hit the wall and shattered in a million pieces.
Cindy jumped, letting out a horrified gasp.
“Are you deaf? I’m not leaving.”
Ian spoke, his voice calm. “You’ll do what you’ve been instructed.”
“I don’t want—”
“At this point, what you want isn’t practical. Delmari’s not coming back.” He pointed a finger in my direction. “You will do exactly what Aiden tells you, and you’ll do it without causing problems. Do you understand?”
My whole body quivered as I fought back all the inappropriate names I wanted to hurl at him. “I should’ve let him take me, too.”
Aiden’s and Ian’s gazes never wavered from my direction. I kept a straight face, hopefully hiding how much they intimidated me. My comment was completely uncalled for. Even I knew it.
Cindy shook her head, her mouth hanging open. She jotted notes in her binder. Lucky for her, two Kembers were here to keep me from shoving the paper down her throat.
“Delmari died protecting you. That should tell you how important you are. Can you imagine if a Rygon depleted your energy and stole your gift?”
“I’d be dead. Not much to imagine.”
“Yes, and they’d be wreaking more havoc than they already are. Your gift is rare and powerful. They could do anything they wanted if they had it. I don’t need to remind you in the last few months they’ve been extremely interested in you.”
“Maybe before you start making assumptions, you should read what your little chick,”— I motioned to Cindy—“wrote about the attack.”
Ian leaned back in his chair, giving me his full attention.
“It wasn’t a Rygon. Whatever this guy was, he was pyrokinetic. That’s a physical ability.” My satisfaction rose as the color drained from their faces.
Aiden spoke, his voice hard. “Impossible. Rygons can’t have physical abilities, and a Kember wouldn’t do that.”
I gritted my teeth. “Well, guess what? This Kember did.”
They glanced at each other. Ian turned toward me. “You’re certain this man wasn’t a Rygon?”
“Unless Rygons are somehow getting spider-vein treatment, I’m pretty freakin’ positive.” The black energy marks webbed across their faces made them impossible to miss. Like food and water, Rygons needed energy to survive—hence their creepy marks. They collected it from everyone and everything, even by merely walking past them. To actually drain someone, they had to touch them.
“You’re sure this man controlled the fire?” Ian asked.
“Yes. The trees looked like giant tiki torches and fire exploded from his palms.” The way he disappeared and reappeared, flashed in my mind. I lowered my voice, becoming serious. “There’s something else. One minute the Kember was standing across the flames and the next, he appeared and slammed Delmari to the ground. He came out of nowhere.”
Ian shook his head. “I’m sure it was the fire. It can make you see things.” His attention shifted to Cindy and like that, he dropped the issue. “Inform Authority Collins and Authority Dansk immediately. Get them a list of every Kember who is pyrokinetic.” He paced the room, hands folded behind his back. “I want every one of them in here and interviewed personally.”
She nodded and rushed out of the room.
“You don’t understand.” I flung my arms. “No Kember could take Delmari. Hell, an army of Rygons couldn’t. There was something different about this guy, and I wasn’t seeing things.”
Ian stopped pacing. “You know Kembers don’t have both abilities. It’s impossible. Sometimes, when we lose the people closest to us, our mind generates events or occurrences to help us cope.”
“No, that’s not it.” I gripped my long thick hair at the scalp. “Quit acting like I’m crazy. I know what I saw, and only someone like that could—”
“Delmari was an excellent Kember, but by no means was he invincible.” He turned to Aiden. “Maybe this Kember held a grudge against him.”
“Possibly.” Aiden adjusted his footing and leaned against the wall. “There’s no other explanation.”
Another Kember—or whatever the hell he was—attacked Delmari and they were acting casual about it. The only thing worse than a Kember killing another Kember was one who took the life of a Drea. This was ridiculous. “That makes it better?” I spat.
Ian shook his head. “No. There’s no excuse for his actions. I promise we’ll find him, and he’ll be punished accordingly.”
“So you’ll choke him and light him on fire?”
“No.” Ian looked me evenly in the eyes. “He’ll be brought to justice.”
Justice? That wasn’t good enough for me. This so-called Kember deserved the worst.
“Can you think of any Kember Delmari didn’t get along with?”
Stupid question, but a good way to distract my anger. “No one hated him. You know that.”
“You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Aiden stepped away from the wall, raking his hand through his hair. “Obviously, someone had a problem with him.”
Ian sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “No matter. We’ll find out who did this.” He motioned to my new protector. “Aiden‘s perfect for your circumstances. I’m confident you’ll be safe.”
He directed his gaze at Aiden, who nodded in confirmation.
“Safe?” My voice sounded so cold I barely recognize
d it. “What makes you think this idiot,” I gestured my hand toward Aiden, “can do half as good a job as Delmari?”
“You’re out of line.” Ian stepped forward and crouched down until we stared face to face. Aside from his eyes, his features remained stoic. They burned into me.
Did he plan on kicking my ass or lecturing me?
“I understand you’re upset. None of us are happy about this.” He motioned between Aiden and himself. “That’s no reason to act disrespectful. Do you hear me?”
I stared back. “Delmari is the best part of my life, so don’t sit there and act like you ‘understand’ anything.” Images of me as a child curled up on Delmari’s lap flashed through my mind. When I woke up scared, he was the one sleeping across the hall. Every skill, everything I had was because of him.
Ian inhaled and stood, addressing Aiden. “I’ll be in touch. Cindy will have Taylee’s file ready for you.” He turned to me one last time with severe eyes. “Be good.”
I scoffed.
Aiden simply nodded, and Ian walked out after holding my gaze a second longer. We were left in the little office alone. I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping I’d wake up from this nightmare. Nope. Maybe Delmari would burst through the doors and prove everyone wrong if I sat here for a while longer. Please, Del.
Aiden glanced at my small bag. “Is that it?”
“Disappointed?” I looked at him without blinking, wishing he’d disappear. He didn’t. This was, by far, the most horrible moment in my life, and sharing it with him made it that much worse.
He grabbed my backpack off the couch and said, “Let’s go.”