Kale blinked.
“I almost drowned,” I clarified.
“Oh. Yes. And from this moment forward, we will never speak of it again.”
I threaded my fingers through his. “Ya got a deal. What about you? How do you…feel?”
“I’m okay, Dez. I don’t have it all back, but it will come.” He sat in the chair beside the bed and sighed. “I don’t think things will ever be the same, though.”
A chill raced up my spine. “What do you mean?”
“My memories are coming back, but there’s a sense of detachment. I’ve been through so much since that first day in the woods. Things about me have changed—and a lot of that happened while I was at Zendean.”
“Oh,” was all I could manage. I didn’t know exactly what he was getting at, but his words were like a ten-ton weight on my chest.
“I will understand if you don’t want me anymore.”
Wait, what?
“Kale, what are you talking about?”
“I don’t like cheese anymore.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Well, then deal’s off. I can’t possibly be with someone who doesn’t like cheese.”
But he didn’t smile. “I understood that to be sarcasm. As you’ve pointed out, I have a different vocabulary. I’m not the same Kale anymore.”
I pulled him closer, rolling my eyes. “Of course you are. The more time you spend away from them—in the real world—the more acclimated you’re going to get. It has nothing to do with who you are.”
“Maybe,” he said softly. “But one thing is different—and it’s something that scares me.”
“What?”
“I remember feeling this…this blackness. Like a bubble in my chest. Anger, Dez. For everything they did to me. To all of us. It’s hazy, but I remember keeping it locked away. Controlled. It was something that took a conscious effort but I managed.”
“And now?”
He shook his head. “And now I don’t know. It feels different. I feel different. Like sometimes I don’t want to lock it away. Sometimes, I like feeling angry.”
“I think that’s normal, Kale. After everything you’ve been through—everything we’ve been through, it’s normal. I kinda feel the same way…”
He looked hopeful. “Really?”
I nodded. “Really. We’re gonna be okay. I promise. We all are.” Brandt told me everyone made it out of Zendean okay, but then I remembered Alex. “How is Alex?”
“He’s awake. He wanted to come see you, but Ginger asked him to wait.”
“Wait? Why?”
He looked away for a moment. When he turned back, there was regret in his eyes. “He wasn’t undamaged by Ben’s attack.”
“Wasn’t undamaged,” I repeated, throat thick. “What does that mean?”
“He’s missing a few memories. It’s nothing to worry over, though. He’s truly fine.”
“Okay,” I said, not sure whether to believe him or not.
“And right now, you have something more important to concern yourself over.”
I swallowed. He was right. The sand in my hourglass was almost up. “I… Brandt said— We don’t have a cure, do we?”
He looked away, hesitating for a moment before looking me in the eye. “Brandt’s strange friend is working on it. The scientist, Franklin Wentz—although don’t call him that.”
I blinked. “Call him what?”
Kale lowered his voice and leaned close. “Franklin. Something about babies. I don’t understand, really.”
I couldn’t help my smile. It was so Kale. His mannerisms, his tone—even the way he moved. “So, what about this friend who we won’t call Franklin? How far has he gotten?”
“He’s working on a synthetic cure. He says he thinks he can even duplicate my blood if the Underground wants.”
“I thought that was impossible?”
Kale shrugged. “I guess he’s special.”
“Wait—doesn’t he need at least some of Penny’s blood? We don’t have any. Kiernan destroyed it all.”
“That’s not true. We had your shirt. The one you were wearing when Penny Mills was shot.”
“My—” And then I remembered. I’d gotten blood all over it. “That’s kind of brilliant.”
“I know.” He grinned, but it didn’t last. “A lot has happened. I need to know if we’re okay.”
“Okay?”
“Dez, I killed people. I killed them for Denazen.” He bowed his head, ashamed. “That is something I swore I’d never do again.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that. Denazen killed those people, not you.”
“And what about the things I did to you? Was it Denazen, too? I… Kiernan—”
“Yes,” I replied quickly.
He looked like he wanted to argue, but he simply sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against mine. “I love you, Dez. Please tell me you know that.”
A lot had happened. Denazen, Kiernan—Kale and I would always have mountains popping up to stand in our way. But if anything, this last one proved to me that no matter what happened, we could weather anything.
“I know that, Kale. I promise you, I know.”
34
Things were starting to feel normal again—whatever that meant. I moved back into my own room two days later and, that morning, found a note taped to my door from Alex asking me to meet him at noon at the picnic table outside the cabin. Everyone I’d asked refused to talk to me about his condition, saying only that he was fine and had asked to speak to me himself.
It was the first time since the day at Zendean that I’d been outside, and the chilly January air bit at my skin—but it was wonderful. I’d missed New Year’s Eve—and Kale’s first New Year’s kiss—but I was determined to spend the next few weeks making up for it.
“How’re you feeling?” Alex sat down beside me. I hadn’t even heard him come up.
I wiggled my fingers and smiled. “I’m good. I got your note.” I gestured to the bench. “Obviously.”
“I wanted to come see you right away, but they told me to let you rest. Said you got shot.”
“Surreal, right? But I guess now I can call myself a true badass. Wasn’t that what we said? It takes a bullet?”
He shifted uncomfortably.
“Oh, come on. You have to remember. That night at Memorial Park? We had this conversation about—”
He looked up from the table, head shaking slowly from side to side. “No. I don’t remember.” Sighing, he tapped the wood twice, then turned so he sat sideways, facing me. “Most of my memories are gone.”
“But they’ll come back.”
“No. They won’t. That Ginger chick is pretty sure they’re gone for good, and I can’t explain it… I think she’s right. I remember my first name and that I’m a Six—a telekinetic. I know that everyone here is important to me. My family…but that’s about it. Everything else is just gone.”
“I… No. That can’t be—”
He took my hands in his and smiled. “Don’t sweat it. I’m alive. From what I understand, there was a girl with me who wasn’t so lucky.”
This had happened because he’d helped me. Alex and I, even with our intense history, were just bad for each other. It wasn’t intentional, but somehow we just kept hurting the other. It was like there was a force field around both of us that turned our intentions to poison. Nothing we did in regards to the other ever turned out right. “Lu. Lu was killed. Ben attacked me. You came in. You saved me… I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“Don’t be.” Sighing, he leaned his head back and blew out. “I’m not sure why, but I get this feeling that I had a lot of unresolved issues. Things I couldn’t get past.” He tapped the side of his head again. “I think a lot of them had to do with you. Whatever they were, they’re not a problem anymore.”
I swallowed, fighting against the lump in my throat. “That’s true.”
“I think I have to look at this as an opportunity. A gift, ya know? T
his is my chance to start over with a clean slate. That Dax guy said I was kind of a dick.”
A small giggle escaped my lips. “You, um, had your moments.”
“I don’t really remember much, but I get this heavy feeling when I look at you. He said we were friends, but it was more than that, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” I admitted. “At one time.”
He nodded, justified, and stood. I noticed there was a backpack on the floor at his feet. “Anyway, I wanted to stop and say good-bye.”
“Good-bye?”
“I’m a new man—literally. I want to help with this whole Denazen thing, but I think I need to figure out who I am first. Yanno, find myself?”
Alex had a wide array of faults—faults I took great pleasure in pointing out every chance I got—but he had genuinely loved me. I loved him, too, but Kale had my heart and soul, and that would never change. Even the loss of his memory couldn’t kill what we had together. This was a way for Alex to finally be free. Even though I wanted to stop him, to keep him close and safe, I knew in my heart this was best for him. It was time to really let go.
“I think that’s a good plan.”
He turned and started away, stopping a few feet from the path. With a wink over his shoulder, he said, “Who knows? Maybe I’ll find myself a great girl. Someone like you.”
I sat there until he disappeared from sight, then stood, wincing as I turned the wrong way and wrenched my arm. I didn’t mind, though. The pain was a relief. Brandt and his friend were working on the cure and insisted it’d be ready in less than a month. In the meantime, I worried about the little signs creeping up and increasing.
But no worries. I had plenty to occupy my time until then. There was a lot of work to do. I had no intention of sitting around waiting for Vince to return with answers. I planned on getting them myself. If Marshal Cross was simply a worker bee, then we needed to know who was above him in the chain of command. We needed to know where his orders came from.
First I’d verify that what Vince told me about Denazen—and himself—was true, then I’d work on getting names. We had a handful of new Sixes under our roof now, and I had a plan that would use the ability of every last one.
I was about to head inside when the black leather bracelet on my wrist caught my attention. It was the one I’d mimicked purple the night after Kale went back to Denazen. I didn’t remember consciously changing it back, but I let it go for now. I had more important things to worry about.
There was a conversation I needed to have with Mom.
I needed to know who my father was.
Keep reading for a bonus scene from TREMBLE, as told in Kale’s point of view…
Aubrey’s Promise
Whatever was in the needle Cross gave me earlier was wearing off. The edges of the room were becoming steadily sharper, and the sick feeling in my stomach was nearly gone. How long had I been back? Four days? Five? Maybe it was longer than that. At Denazen, there was no real sense of time.
They tried to break me. No food. No water. Pain. Threats. But all these things meant nothing to me. I’d been here before. In this same exact place. The only thing that mattered now, the only thing I wanted, was for her to be safe. I could endure anything as long as she was okay.
I was about to drift off again when a small noise came from the door. A moment later, someone tall with long, dark hair, dressed all in black, slipped into the room. I eyed him for a minute, debating whether he was actually there or not.
“I’m sorry,” Aubrey said, approaching slowly. “This is the first chance I’ve had to see you.”
I considered not responding. Cross was getting desperate to break me. There was no trick beneath him. But I needed to know. “Dez?”
He stopped a few feet from me, pulling up a metal chair. “She’s fine. I healed her.”
I nodded, silent. There was nothing more to say. At least for me. Aubrey, on the other hand, wasn’t finished.
“I don’t know how much time I have,” he said, taking a deep breath. “So I need to make this quick.”
Still, I didn’t speak.
“When we met in September, my view of the world was…different. I believed in what I thought they were doing at Denazen. I believed Cross. My brother did, too.” He shifted in the chair. “Able and I, we were raised by an honorable man. Brought up to always keep our word and show no respect to those who don’t deserve it. Cross intended to go back on his promise to cure Dez. After you left with him, he told me not to cure her unless she came with us willingly.”
That caught my attention. My head snapped up, the chains giving a painful jingle at the movement. “You said—”
“I cured her anyway. My point is, my eyes were opened that day. That night, I told Able what happened.” Aubrey stood and started pacing. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to tell me, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable. “Able’s always been a little bit of a follower. He would have gone along with Cross if it weren’t for me. But I talked him into leaving. We were going to pack up and get the hell out of town before sunrise.”
“You’re still here.”
Aubrey nodded. “I went to get Able that night, but he’d changed his mind—with a little help from one of Cross’s Sixes. Mindy.”
“I don’t understand…”
“They hijacked his brain. He’s still my brother…sort of…but he’s different. Cross must have gotten wind that we were planning to bail. Able has an offensive ability. Cross doesn’t let go of those easily. You should know.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I made a promise to Dez and I want to keep it. I can’t stop what’s coming, Kale, and for that, I want you to know I’m sorry. In a few hours, you won’t even remember this conversation—”
Unease swept over me. “You’re saying Cross is going to do this to me? This brain hijacking?”
Aubrey sighed. “They’ve created a successful trial of the Supremacy drug. Domination, they’re calling it. Cross plans on giving it to you, but he needs to know he’ll be able to control you first. He plans to wipe away all memories of Dez and the Underground.”
“No!” I was weak, and even though I knew it would do no good, I pulled hard against the chains restraining me. Raw and bruising pain shot down my arms but I ignored it. “They’ll never be able to do that. Nothing can take Dez away from me.”
The sympathy on his face made me angry. He thought I was wrong. “They will. There’s nothing you can do.” He started toward the door, then paused a few feet away. “Like I said, you won’t even remember this conversation by the time they’re done, but I wanted you to know I’ll be here for you. With you. If there’s any way for you to find your way back to her, I swear to you that I will help.”
“Why?” I stopped fighting the restraints, knees giving out. Conserve. I needed to conserve what little energy I had left. I would need it. “Why would you help me?”
“No one deserves the things they’ve done to you. No one deserves to have someone he loves taken away. Cross knew I’d never leave Able behind—so he made sure Able stayed. I’ll never get my brother back. I’ve got no one now. Not really. Even if you never find your way back to her, I wanted you to know you’ll have me. I’ll stand with you.”
Acknowledgments
As always, a huge thank you to my family—my parents who are always supportive, and my brother for his computer wizardry. And to my saintly patient husband who is willing to forage for his own food when I get too wrapped up in work (which is most days).
My editors, Erica, a trusted friend and sounding board, and Liz, who continues to take chances on me, I’m eternally grateful.
A special thank you to Cathy Yardley for brainstorming titles with me. T is a lot harder than you’d think! And to Mary, JJ, and Marie for taking the time to share their thoughts and suggestions on the early drafts of this book.
For the hard work of my publicity team, Dani and Anjana, thank you. You guys are awesome and rock my socks ten
times over.
Don’t miss Prophecy Girl by
Cecily White
Available online and in stores now!
Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.
I was born to slay Crossworld demons.
Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.
Then he shows up.
Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right?
Wrong.
Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.
Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.
Chapter One:
The Beginning
(…five days earlier)
“I’m not going to the dance, so quit asking,” I announced, extending a hand to my best friend Lisa Anselmo. “Binoculars, please.”
Lisa yanked a pair of black, dual-tube goggles out of her backpack and handed them over with a calculated pout. Enough to tug the heartstrings, not enough to wreck the mascara.
“Amelie, it’s our senior year. We’ve been planning this forever.”
“You’ve been planning this—”
“We’ve been planning this,” she insisted. “Katie and I have our dresses and everything. Don’t you remember? We swore never to go to these things without each other.”
“That was second grade, Lisa.”