Darkening Chaos: Book Three of The Destroyer Trilogy (44 page)

“Actually,
once Libby takes over the Guardians she’s going to need people to help
coordinate and run the new world security force. No one expects her to do it
alone. Many of the Ciphers are looking forward to getting their lives back
after this, but some of us, me and Lance included, we plan on staying around to
help. Lance wants to handle the intelligence side, and I plan on covering the
security end. We’ll both help with training, though.” Braden glances down at
me, and says, “As long as that sounds okay to Libby.”

“Sounds
fabulous,” I say. So long as Braden handles my personal security. Nights
especially.

My
dad nods appreciatively. “Sounds like you have a good plan worked out, Braden.
I’m sure you’ll be a great help to Libby.”

It
sounds like a stamp of approval, but my dad motions for Braden to join him. He
takes several steps away from me. Braden—-with Celia being pulled along—follows
him. He and my dad are facing away from me, so I can guess at what they’re
saying. Celia does her best to pretend she isn’t listening, but her facial
expressions give away her excitement about whatever it is they’re talking
about. My irritation at being left out grows every second I’m left standing
there. When they finally come back, all three of them look quite pleased. Do
they share with me? No, of course not.

***

I’ve spent plenty of time
since then wondering what Braden and my dad talked about that day. I even tried
asking Celia, who can’t keep a secret about romance to save her life, and
Braden, who can’t resist anything I ask him, but neither one has given in. It’s
been a constant tickle in the back of my mind. The kind that is so small you
almost don’t notice it, but as soon as you think about it you can’t stop.
That’s kind of where I’m at right now. Where is Braden?

As
if in answer to my question, a sharp blast of mist stops gracefully in front of
me. When it clears, I’m shocked to see only Braden standing there. “What?
Where’s Celia?” I ask.

“She
thought we might want to spend time together with just the two of us.”

“But
I thought …” My nose crinkles as I remember the other way to combine power
through blood. That is beyond gross. I don’t point that out, though. It’s the
first time we’ve been alone together in more than eight months. I’m not going
to let Braden playing at being a vampire stop me from soaking up every minute
of it. I close the last few feet between us and press myself against him. His
arms fold around me instantly.

I
can’t wait to be with him in the physical world. So much is lost coming here.
There is no subtle hint of cologne, no scent of shampoo or soap, not even the
lingering smell of sweat from one of his workouts. His form is all that comes
with him into the spirit world. But, at least I have that much. My hands run
down the contours of his back muscles, coming to a rest right above his hips.
The temptation to let them slide down a little further is almost irresistible.
Braden kisses my forehead softly in return.

“Everyone
is getting in place for tomorrow. Lance has …”

“Can
we not talk about tomorrow?” I ask. “Alex already gave me the rundown, and I
really just don’t want to think about it for a while.”

He
smiles and kisses me on the lips this time. “Of course. Can I at least wish you
an early happy birthday?”

“That,
you most definitely can do. It’s probably the only one I’ll get.”

Pulling
me over to edge of the gateway, Braden sits and gestures for me to join him. I
fold myself onto his lap and lay my head against his shoulder. Body heat is another
one of the things that doesn’t translate to the spirit world, but I still warm
to his touch regardless. Peace envelopes me, something only he has ever been
able to give me. I sink against him even more and relish the feeling. It can
only last so long with what we’re about to face.

“Libby,”
Braden says quietly, “do you still want to know what your father and I talked
about the first day I met him?”

I
turn and look up at him. “Yes, of course.”

“He
asked me what I intended to do with you … with our relationship. He wanted to
know where it was going and how serious I was about you.” Nervous energy
ripples across my skin from him.

“What
did you tell him?” I ask slowly.

Rather
than answering me, Braden gently takes me off his lap and sets me down across from
him. Facing me, now, Braden says, “Do you know what the worse part of the
spirit world is?”

It
takes me a minute to process what he said. Weren’t we talking about something
else?

“I’m
sorry, what?” I ask.

“The
worst part of the spirit world is that you can’t bring anything with when you
come here.”

“Okay
…”

 “I
have your birthday present in my pocket back in the physical world,” Braden
says. “I really wish I could have brought it here with me, because I think
you’ll like it.”

“Does
this have anything to do with …?”

He
smiles. “With what I talked to your dad about?”

I
nod.

“It
has everything to do with it,” he says, waiting for his clues to sink in.

I’ve
had a long day, and my brain isn’t functioning as quickly as it should. The
gift is small enough to fit in his pocket. He thinks I’ll like it. It has
something to do with my dad asking Braden about our relationship. Clarity
starts to seep into my mind. My breathing slows, and I can feel the anxiety and
fear I’ve been carrying around literally slither off my body. While I was
thinking, my eyes had dropped down. They come back up to stare at Braden in
rapt amazement. I can’t even speak.

Braden
takes my hands in his and captures every inch of me in his gaze. “What I told
your father that day was that I loved you more than my own life. Nothing could
ever keep me from staying by your side. I told your dad that I had every
intention of marrying you as soon as we crush the Guardians.”

It’s
what I guessed, but I still gasp as he utters the actual words. A tingling hum
builds in my chest, threatening to explode and send me bouncing up and down
like a jackhammer. Braden’s eyes are bursting with the same desire, his lips
fighting not to break into a grin.

“Your
dad told me I had to wait until you turned eighteen,” he says, glancing at the
gateway, “but I hope he won’t mind that I’m a day early. I couldn’t wait any
longer. I couldn’t let you walk up to Howe tomorrow not knowing that I would be
behind you, waiting to carrying you off to eternity right after.”

Tears
are pouring down my cheeks by now. I can barely form words, but I manage to get
out a few. “Braden, I never doubted you would be there for me. Never.”

“Well,
as soon as possible, I want everyone else in the world to know, too,” Braden
says. He shifts, kneeling in front of me. There’s no ring to present to me, so
he brings both of my hands to his lips. His kiss is light and delicious, so
much so that I don’t even notice he’s slipped my bracelet off my wrist until he
starts wrapping it around my ring finger. His eyes never leave mine. “Libby,
will you marry me?”

I’m
crying and laughing at the same time, but I throw my arms around his neck and
kiss him with everything bursting to get out of me. When I finally pull back, I
laugh at his startled expression. “Yes! Braden, of course I’ll marry you. I
love you so much!”

He
can’t possibly have doubted what my answer would be, but a huge wave of relief
roles off of him. Now it’s him pulling me into a kiss. Our bodies mesh
together. My fingers lock behind Braden’s neck and beg him to never let go.
Rolling quickly, Braden is suddenly hovering above me. His lips brush against
mine so very lightly. They move along my jaw to my neck. I turn my head, giving
him better access, and shiver as he delves down the curves of my body to my
shoulder. He pushes back the loose fabric of my shirt as he goes.

I
tighten my hold on him. His body presses against me. Bringing his lips back to
mine, Braden kisses me once, twice, and then simply caresses my cheek. His
infallible love seeps into my skin and fills me. I don’t even try to contain my
own colossal love for him. It spills out of me and covers Braden. Brimming with
our devotion, neither of us can move or speak. We hold each other in the beauty
of the moment. Worry and concern has no leverage on us. Only the pristine
possibilities are allowed to filter through. Marrying Braden, finding a house
of our own that is not borrowed or used as a base of operations, children we
might one day have, each possibility shines around us. Perfection. It’s the
only word I can think of to describe this precious moment.

Slowly,
Braden rolls to his side and pulls me against his chest. “I love you so much,”
he says quietly.

“I
love you, too.”

Comfortable
silence fills the empty space around us. “Are you scared for tomorrow?” he asks
eventually.

“Yes,”
I admit, “but not because I’m worried about the outcome. I’m afraid of how many
people might die to get there.”

“You’re
not scared of how things might go?”

“Are
you?” I ask.

“I
have every faith in you, Libby, you know that, but to be honest, it scares me
that we never figured out how to give my talents back,” Braden says honestly.

I
settle against Braden’s chest nervously. “Yeah, about that …”

“What?”

“How
much do you really trust me, Braden?”

Braden
looks at me with his face scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean? You know I
trust you completely.”

“Do
you trust me with your life?” I ask.

“Of
course,” he says without hesitation.

I
want to tell him everything. It’s not that I trust him any less than he trusts
me, but I know better than anyone that there are ways to get secrets out of
people aside from simply asking. Braden doesn’t even have the protection of a
Guardian promise to fall back on anymore. If anyone found out, it would mean
Braden’s death, my failure, and freedom for the Dorotabos to destroy the world
on the Guardian’s whim.

Braden
draws me tightly against his chest and strokes my hair softly. “Libby, what is
it?”

“I
need to ask you to do something for me tomorrow,” I say.

“Then
ask.”

Cupping
his face in my hands, I say, “It’s dangerous, Braden.”

“But
you need me to do it,” he says firmly. “Whatever the risks, I know you would
never put me in harm’s way unless you had no other choice.”

He’s
right. There is no other choice. Either he does what I’m about to ask him, or
the whole world falls to pieces under Guardian rule and Dorotabos attack. I’ve
tried to for months to figure some way out of involving Braden, but there is
just no other option.  

“If
I’m not fast enough, or good enough, you could die, Braden.” My voice is a
whisper barely heard.

“I
trust you,” Braden says again. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

I
take a deep breath and swallow my mounting fear. This is going to work. It’s
the only way it can. “Tomorrow, you have to give yourself up to President
Howe.”

Chapter
34

Alive

I know a lot about pain.
It is an old friend of mine. But as I lie writhing on the bed in my cell, it
feels like I am discovering it for the first time. Pure liquid agony flares
through my body. My lungs feel like they are about to burst, because I hurt too
much to even breathe. Tears sizzle down my cheeks as I pray for the pain to
end. I want Braden. More than anything else I could wish for right now, I want his
arms around me, his voice whispering in my ear that the pain will end and
everything will be all right. One final burst of torture rips through me like a
blade, and then suddenly I can feel him for the first time in more than a year.

New
tears ripple down my cheeks as I force my body and mind to be still. I can feel
him. I can feel Braden pulsing in the deepest part of my soul. It’s faint and
tenuous, but I revel in the sensation. The hint of pain still lingering in my
body goes unnoticed. All I can feel is the subtle thrum of Braden’s life force
mixing with mine. It seems to make promises to me that I will see him again,
that I will live long enough to at least touch him one more time.

My
body sinks into the bed in relief. My eyes close, not to sleep, but to pretend
I am drugged out of my mind like I’m supposed to be. I knew to expect the pain,
but it still caught me off guard and nearly incapacitated me. If I hadn’t been
lying down in preparation, the fall to the concrete floor would have given me a
few new bruises. They would have matched all the others. I wasn’t nearly as
concerned about avoiding bruises as I was about Milo possibly showing up early.
I was terrified he would come to my cell before it was time.

Thankfully,
he didn’t. Milo still believes he’ll live through today. I think he knows
President Howe plans to kill him as soon as I’m out of the way, but he’s
arrogant enough to believe he can beat him. And millions of Guardians. And
thousands of Dorotabos. Yeah. He’s totally delusional.