Destroyed (4 page)

The man inched closer to Kai. His comrades closed in.
Just leave
, I thought. My insides were twisting and turning. I did not like where this was going. I sent out the smell of spearmint, hoping they’d cooperate.

The man snarled and spit chewing tobacco at Kai’s feet. Then he turned around and stormed out the front door, followed by his three bodyguards. I couldn't take the tension in the room so I escaped back into the kitchen to look for a rag to clean up the floor, but my father beat me to it.

“I’ll take care of this,” he said.

“Are you sure? Won’t it look bad if the supposed Master Destroyer is cleaning up messes?”

“All these men know I’m not the Master Destroyer.” His cheeks reddened. He’d fallen so far.

“So did the man who just left. What if he talks?”

My father shrugged. “Maybe, but no one will believe him.”

He left the kitchen, dishrag in hand, and I followed him. Kai was already in deep conversation with the men at the table.

I took a seat next to him. He had a suitcase open on the table. The energy around the table was overwhelming, like just before a thunderstorm, when you can feel the electricity in the air. It hummed and crackled and tasted a lot like red wine. I hid my hands under the table to conceal that they were shaking.

“What do we have left? Oh yes, Frankie, I found a bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet from Napa Valley.

He handed Frankie the bottle.

Frankie’s eyes widened. “You know, Destroyers don’t usually give gifts to each other. Especially ones like this.”

Kai shut the suitcase. “Don’t consider it a gift, consider it a bribe. I’ll expect a favor in return.”

Frankie smiled and reached in his other pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.

A few weeks ago, I sat in another circle with Puck and his council. That meeting changed my life. It was the reason I was sitting here today with Kai, instead of running around Vegas with Puck.

This council was around the same size as Puck’s. I listened for names and things, knowing that would be important for the Guardians. The men didn’t say anything to me, so I pretended to ignore them.

Cards and money flew around the table. Kai reached for my hand once and I pulled it away. He looked hurt, but I thought I was supposed to act like that. Every once in a while, one of the Destroyers would look at me with a scowl. A few didn’t speak at all, but their eyes continually flicked toward me. They didn’t trust me.

The men all knew that Kai was in charge but most of them deferred to my dad. Both Kai and Father were good card players. After a few hands, the conversation turned to the problems at hand.

“My Major Destroyers are undermining my authority.”

“Jeremy is trying to take over my territory.”

“Many women are being attacked in New Orleans.”

“A few Minor Destroyers in California were killed last week.”

Finally, Frankie took a long sip of beer and said what I think the rest of them wanted to say. “Kai, we’ve lost control. No one listens to us anymore.”

I leaned forward, curious how Kai would handle that. I kept my eyes down, so it didn’t look like I was listening too hard. That was my job though, wasn’t it? To listen and report back to Puck. Well, at least according to the Guardian Council it was.

“I’m working on that. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be.” He leaned back in the chair, his hands on the back of his head.

“Fix it fast or the Guardians are going to overthrow us. This would be a prime time to do it. You need to get things under control. Your father never had this problem.”

Kai stiffened. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. “My father also didn’t inherit a mess like this.”

Another man spoke. He was harelipped and spoke with a slight accent.

“Speaking of your father, he always had a pretty girl on his arm too. Though this one looks a little too clean. Like a Guardian. I suppose that’s expected since she’s been hanging out with them.”

Before anyone could respond, my dad laid down his cards. “Full house boys, read ’em and weep.” He grinned.

A series of grumbles around the table and the men all threw down their cards. I thought my dad had done a pretty good job at distracting them, but the man with the harelip was not to be deterred.

“Maybe if you spend more time trying to control the Destroyers and less time worrying about your girlfriend, stuff might actually get done.”

Something about his energy bothered me. He was definitely a Destroyer and he had no shield up, but he was hiding something. He put off the smell of sour grapes, but I couldn’t remember what that meant. I concentrated harder and tasted Blue cheese. Deceit. Cheat.

He had both hands under the table. I’d only lived in Vegas for a few months, but Puck and I spent one afternoon wandering around a casino and studying various Destroyers. I learned a ton.

I stood up.

“I’m going to bed.” I looked straight at the harelipped man. “You are a cheat. You’re only saying those things to distract everyone while you pull cards out of your sleeve.”

I had no idea if it was true or not, but I saw that trick all over the casinos. Combined with the type of energy he was giving off, I figured I had pretty good shot at being right. Ultimately, it didn’t matter if he had any cards hidden or not, the rest of the council all thought he did. I walked out of the room and didn’t look back, but I could hear them arguing behind me. I had an urge to join the fight, my mother and Dwayne itching for a place to demonstrate their power. But they weren’t me, and I was able to control them long enough to get to my bedroom.

With shaking hands, I picked up the vase of Dark Nights and inhaled. The sweet smell drove down those two lurkers who were taking over. I had no idea how strong they were until now. The Guardian energy must’ve kept them at bay while I was with Puck.

I unzipped my suitcase, pulled out a nightgown, changed, and climbed into my bed. My pillow smelled like Kai. My body betrayed me, and I shivered. He’d been sleeping in my bed while I was gone.

He loved me. His feelings radiated off him when he was close to me, they tasted of cinnamon and honey. Why? He didn’t even know me. But he’d come back for me. While I tried to fall asleep, I thought about my mission. Watch Kai and bring him back to the Guardians. For Puck.

*

I woke in the middle of the night. It was pitch black outside my window, but there was light coming from under the door. Was Kai still awake?

My brain was foggy and I probably wasn’t thinking straight. No one does in the middle of the night.

I padded out of the room and found Kai sitting in the office, staring at the computer. The office still looked the same. Though all the gruesome pictures had been taken down and replaced with smiling Guardians plastered on every wall. With little effort I was able to find both Alejandro and Puck.

I sat next to Kai. He’d changed into flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt.

“How’d the rest of the meeting go?” I asked.

He grinned. “Fine, no thanks to you. I wouldn’t recommend talking to Jesse anytime soon. He’s out for blood.”

“Is he the one with the harelip?”

Kai nodded. “That was a good play though, something I would do. How’d you know he was hiding cards?”

“I didn’t.”

Kai laughed out loud then looked at his watch and frowned.

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

I shrugged. “No, I just noticed you were still awake. What time is it?”

“About two-thirty.”

“Why are you still awake?” I asked.

He grinned and in that moment he looked a little like Puck. My heart skipped a beat.

“You stole my bed.”

I smiled back at him.

He continued. “I tried sleeping on the couch, but it wasn’t very comfortable.”

Of course not. The thing was about twenty years old and probably uncomfortable even when it was new.

He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “Besides, after tonight there is too much Destroyer energy. I can barely go in there.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a Destroyer?”

“Not when I’m alone. As much as I can, I try to stay in the Guardian energy.”

I nodded and checked his energy. Of course it was Guardian, sunny and warm. It made sense that he would want to stay in that energy. At least it made two-thirty-in-the-morning sense.

Time to start doing my job. For some reason it was easier when I was groggy. I got up, took his hand, and led him to my room. He followed without question. When we got to the bed he stopped, but I pulled him in after me. I lay with my back to him, and I could feel his breath on me. My throat thickened with emotion. Puck would be so hurt if he saw this.

It felt so unreal to be back in my old house. I was afraid my father was going to come in at any moment with a belt, or Mother would show up and force me back into my old life. I knew it was irrational. My mother was locked up and my father no longer had the power or the desire to control me.

Another part of me worried I would wake up from this fantastical dream and have to put on one of those horrible skirts.

I shifted closer to Kai, hoping he’d get the hint. He did.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight against his chest. For this to be believable, I had to pretend he was Puck. So I closed my eyes and imagined I was back in Las Vegas. Within minutes, I was fast asleep.

Alejandro taught me how to bleed power into plants. It was fairly easy. I discovered that every time I did, the essence of the plant stayed with me for a while. It was mostly about the smell. Puck loved it when I’d been playing in the rose garden, but he wouldn’t come anywhere near me when I’d been tending Alejandro’s jalapeños.

The next morning, I rolled over and expected to see Puck. Instead I found Kai, asleep, peaceful. His face was relaxed, childlike. I tried to sense his Destroyer energy, but there was nothing dark. He was pure Guardian, smelling of soap and sunshine. How was he pulling this off? I thought about touching his cheek, but I didn’t want to wake him. I slipped out of bed and found a pair of flip-flops by the door. Kai never stirred.

I escaped out to the greenhouse. The air was heavy with humidity. This afternoon would be hot and unbearable, so now would be the only time I’d be able to work in my garden without feeling miserable. A year ago that thought would’ve never crossed my mind. I’d have been in my garden no matter the heat. But now I had nothing to hide from, so I could be picky about when I went.

I grabbed a couple of clippers and a bucket from the greenhouse and made the short walk to the garden. It was overgrown, but very much alive. This garden felt more like my Grandmother. I found her favorite rose, Maiden’s Blush, which she’d planted a couple of years before she died. As I worked, I focused on feeling its energy. I fed a little of my own into each stem and could smell it coming out of the bloom. I shouldn’t be angry with Kai for bringing me back to this house. I was glad to be with my roses again.

After I trimmed all the plants, I went back to the greenhouse with a few Ruth Alexanders that I wanted to blend with a yellow rose Kai put in the new greenhouse. I hoped to get a color similar to Ruth’s hair.

I entered the greenhouse and found Kai waiting there. My grip tightened on my roses. He smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Hey, Beautiful. I brought you breakfast.”

He handed me a plate with a muffin and a banana. I smiled. Last year, his muffins and bananas on Sundays cinched my ability to trust him when I’d never physically seen him.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Know what?”

“That my father didn’t let me eat on Sundays.”

He sighed and leaned against the table.

“I didn’t know specifically about you, but I knew that the women in the church weren’t allowed to eat on Sundays.”

“I could’ve gotten in trouble, you know.”

He grinned. “No, you were smarter than that. I knew you’d hide it.”

Just like that, the spell broke. I clenched my fists. Kai had taken care of me, but he used me. He wanted me with him because I was an easy energy source. For a second I had forgotten Puck. My sole purpose was to bring Kai back to the Guardians and return to Puck. Not to worry about whether or not Kai loved me. It would be better if he didn't love me, actually. Then he wouldn’t be hurt when was is all over.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked, changing the subject.

He paused his pacing, but still bounced on his feet. “Not much, chilling at home. Maybe we’ll go down to the creek.”

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Sure, why?”

“You’re jittery.”

He laughed and ran a shaking hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m like that a lot now. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

I crossed my arms. “Okay, then what do you want to talk about?”

He hesitated. “You need to know how this year is going to play out.”

What an odd way to phrase that. I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Don’t I get any say in the way this year plays out?”

He looked at me like I was a little kid. “Forgive me for not asking your opinion, but you spent the last three months on the Guardian council. The Destroyers don’t need your input.”

“Excuse me, then why did you have me at the meeting last night?”

“Because they all wanted to meet you. No one said anything that Puck doesn’t already know.”

Anger bubbled up inside of me and I could feel my mother and Dwayne encouraging me to act. The air smelled of smoke, my anger was bleeding out. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself and suppress their energy. I hated the Destroyers and everything they did to me, and now I was supposed to pretend to love the Master. This was so wrong.

On the other hand, this Master was Kai. I was so confused.

“Why did you bring me here, if you think I’m working for Puck?”

He pointed the clippers at me, his face hardened. “I need you here with me or I might not make it back to the Guardians when this is all over. You are counting the days until you can go back to Puck.”

He knew. How the hell did he know? He couldn’t read minds. At least I’d never heard of a Guardian or Destroyer with that capability. This was going to be so much harder than I had planned. It didn’t help that my anger was coming up. Damn my mother and Dwayne.