Queen of the Magnetland (The Elemental Phases Book 5) (30 page)

She
put a hand on his arm, not knowing what else to do.  “Chason?  Darling, it’s
Mara.”

He
didn’t wake-up, but the heart monitor’s noise changed.  The
beep, beep, beep
got faster as if he was somehow heard her and grew more alert.

Chason
knew she was there.

Mara
sat down on the bed next to him.  “I was so worried.”  Her voice cracked and
she had to look up at the ceiling to get herself back under control.  “I’m
still
worried, Chason.  Please wake-up.  I need you so much.  Please just open your
eyes and tell me you’ll be okay.”

Something
moved along their connection.  Something reassuring and strong.

His
energy was reaching for hers; trying to comfort her.

He
was going to be alright.

Mara
could’ve cried.  She grabbed hold of his powers with her own and holding tight. 
When he was asleep, Chason knew
exactly
who she was.  She lay down next
to him, her head on his shoulder, listening to him breathe.  Mara closed her
eyes, softly humming
I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time
as she stroked
his arm.

She
had no idea how long they stayed like that, but after a while she heard shouting
in the hall outside.

“I
don’t
care
, Job!  It’s all over the realm that there’s some Mara
imposter running around the Cold Kingdom and I want to see her!”  Nia, of the
Water House was not a woman with a calm and lilting voice.  Her demand echoed
through the Cold Palace.

Mara
quickly got to her feet and headed for the door, not wanting her best friend to
disturb Chason’s rest.  She marched out into the hall and saw that it was now
packed with people.  Phases from just about every House had showed up, all of
them wanting to see the undead Magnet Queen for themselves.

Mara’s
chin notched up as the crowd gaped at her.  She was used to having her every
move watched, but the walk down the hallway seemed overwhelming.  Trying to
look as regal as she could in a blood covered bathrobe, she headed for Nia. 
There were gasps and whispers as Mara swept by.  Most people stepped backwards
as if they were frightened of her.  Some made quick signs of prayer.  A few had
cameras and were taking pictures.

Mara
pretended not to notice.

Up
ahead of her, she spotted Job trying to reason with Nia.  Ty and Tharsis were
standing next to her, as were several others.  Mara had always been closest to
the Water House, so they were the only people in the crowd she cared about
speaking to at the moment.

“Hello,
Nia.”  She said, stopping just outside the isolated area where they’d
congregated.  “I hear you found your Match and you’re expecting a child.  I’m
so happy for you.”

Nia
looked past Job and spotted Mara.  Her eyes went wide.  “Oh my God.”

Everyone
stared at Mara like she was a ghost.

“I
told you.”  Job sighed.  “It’s uncanny.”

A
large man with dark hair and mercury colored eyes stood next to Nia.  Mara had
never met him, but it didn’t take a genius to deduce he was Cross, of the
Shadow House.  “What does Freya say about this woman?”  He demanded.

“We
haven’t run the tests, yet.”  Job told him.  “But… she certainly
seems
like Mara.”

Gion,
of the Air House stepped forward so he was behind his Match.  For the life of
her, Mara still couldn’t image the Darth Vader of the Elemental realm with Ty. 
The girl favored sweater sets and Hello Kitty jewelry.  Gion wore a sinister
black cape, probably to hide the bloodstains of his enemies.

“Even
if she
is
Mara, you still haven’t explained what Chason did to get his
hands on her, Job.”  He pronounced.  “There’s no line that lunatic wouldn’t
cross.  You
know
that.”

Mara’s
eyes narrowed at him.

“I
know that if she’s Mara, whatever Chason did was worth it.”  Job sent Gion a
pointed look.  “And it’s no less than what you and I would’ve done in his
place.”

Gion
glanced down at Ty and sighed.

“Hi,
Mara.”  Isaacs, of the Air House sounded like he was simply running into her at
a coffee shop.  He was leaning against the wall, sunglasses over his eyes. 
“Been awhile.”

“So
it seems.”  She cleared her throat.  “How have you been, Isaacs?”

“Gone
blind.  Been exiled.  Your Match tried to crush me with a car.  The usual.”  He
lifted a shoulder.  “How ‘bout you?”

“I’ve
been dead, apparently.”

He
nodded.  “Yeah, alright.  You win.”

“You
can’t even see her.”  Gion pointed out.  “How would you know if she’s Mara?”

“Because,
Chason hasn’t killed her yet, Einstein.”  Isaacs snorted.  “You think that
maniac would let anyone
pretend
to be his Match without us seeing the
explosion all over the realm?”  He shrugged casually.  “Hell no.  Chason did
something and got her back.  Seems obvious to me.  Hell, I’ve half
expected
it happen.  When you’re insane and have no scruples you can accomplish
anything.”

“You
would know.”  Cross muttered.

Tharsis,
of the Water House ignored them.  “How many princesses does it take to screw in
a light bulb?”  He asked Mara in a serious tone.

Several
incredulous looks were flashed in his direction.

Mara’s
lips curved.  Thar had told her that joke on her Phazing Day, trying to help
her relax before the ceremony.  “Princesses don’t screw in our own light
bulbs.”  She answered quietly.  “We have commoners for that.”

The
corner of his mouth quirked upward.  “Good enough test for me.  Hey, Mara.”

“Hello,
Thar.”

Nia
rallied herself.  “We have to be
sure
.”  She moved to stand in front of
Mara.  “You look…”  She trailed off, slowly shaking her head.  “Alright, if
you’re Mara, what’s the last movie we watched together?”

Mara
thought about the question for a beat.  No one else had been there that
completely ordinary Tuesday afternoon; just Mara and the Water Phases.  To her,
it had been less than two weeks since that day, so it was simple to recall everything
that happened.  “
North and South
.”

Nia
wasn’t letting it go at that.  “Armitage or Swayze?”

“Armitage. 
We were in your bedroom in the Water Palace, debating the merits of John
Thornton vs. Mr. Darcy.  I voted Thornton.  You voted Darcy.  Then Ty said, ‘Why
not try both flavors?’ and we laughed so hard we had to rewind the scene where Margaret
rejects his proposal.”

Nia
let out a shaky breath, still not convinced.  “That’s a good scene.”

“You
hated it.”  Mara reminded her.  “You ranted about Margaret’s idiocy for a solid
five minutes.  We had to rewind it, again.”  She arched a brow.  “Elizabeth vs.
Margaret was likewise discussed, with the vote three to nothing for Eliza
Bennett.”

Nia’s
eyes filled with tears.

Mara
kept going.  “Then, I believe, we discussed how much better the film would be
if Mr. Thornton had more nude scenes.  It was agreed that it’s a failing of
many Victorian novels.”  She squinted in deep concentration.  “At that point,
we gave up all pretense of watching the film and just fast forwarded to the
kiss at the train station.”  She arched a brow.  “Would you like to know what
we were wearing?”

Nia
grinned.  Ty gave a watery laugh.

…And
then they were both hugging her.

Mara
stumbled back under the force of their greeting, her arms going around them and
holding tight.

Tharsis
watched his sister and cousin embrace Mara.  “She’s really Mara, Job.”  He said
softly.  “Trust me.”

“Told
ya so.”  Isaacs called.

“Jesus.” 
Job whispered.  “She’s really Mara.  I couldn’t believe it, but it’s
her
.” 
He stepped forward, one hand coming up to touch the top of Mara’s head.  “Mara,”
he cleared his throat as if he was having trouble talking, “you’ve been missed.”

Mara
smiled at him, her eyes meeting his.  “Thank you for taking care of Chason.”

“I’ve
tried, but the boy was lost without you.”

“He
kidnapped my Match.”  Gion put in sourly.

“Mine,
too.”  Cross agreed.

“Doesn’t
matter.”  Nia waved the abductions aside with typical Water House ease. 
“Mara’s
back
, so Chase will stop his free fall into madness and…”

“
Mara!
”

It
was a roar of panic and raw agony.

Mara
jolted, instinctively turning towards the sound.  Chason was calling for her. 
He was awake. 
Thank Gaia.
  He sounded so anguished, though.  Was he in
pain?  What if he was dying?  Damn it, where was Freya?!

“I’m
here, Chason!”  She started back down the hallway at run, but he appeared in
the doorway of his room before she got halfway there.

Chason
had yanked the tubes and wires off his body and was on his feet.  She had no
idea how he managed it in his state, but Chason was somehow heading towards her
just a few hours after nearly dying in her arms.

He
no longer looked vulnerable.

He
looked wild.

His
head tilted at a predatory angle as he stalked towards her.  People scrambled
out of his path.  Shirtless and covered in bandages, he barely even looked like
the Magnet King.  Purple eyes stared at her, swirling with something untamed.

Mara
felt her heartbeat speed up.  How could someone so out of control be so
attractive?

“You’re
real.”  He got out, his voice a dark rumble.

“Yes,
I know.”  This wasn’t the time to notice how incredibly gorgeous he was.  “Darling,
I don’t think you should be moving around so much…”  Her words ended in a
squeak as he grabbed her.  A massive hand shot out, seizing her wrist and
yanking her forward against.  “Chason, you’re hurt!”  She cried, trying to pull
away from his chest so she didn’t reopen his wound.  “You were just shot!”

He
didn’t seem to care.  His eyes roamed her face, like he was memorizing it.  “Mara.” 
He breathed and lowered his forehead to hers.

Mara
sighed in surrender and stopped trying to fight him.  “Chason.”  She whispered
back, unsure of what else to say to him in this state.

“You’re
real.”  He repeated dazedly.  “You’ve really come back.”

He
finally recognized her.  She could tell by the way he was looking at her that
he was awake and aware and
finally
seeing his Match.

Mara’s
panic faded into joy.  “I never left.”

The
oxygen sawed out of his lungs, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and he
grabbed her even closer.  Chason’s arms came around her in a desperate
embrace.  She could feel his heart pounding as he clutched her close like he
was afraid she might vanish.

Mara
mouth parted in shock.  He’d never hugged her like that before.

Not
ever.

It
was wonderful.

“Oh
God.
”  Chason’s buried his face against her neck, his whole body seeming
to melt against hers.  If it wasn’t for his grip on her, he would have sagged
to the floor.  He clung to her like he wanted to absorb her right into his skin. 
Like she was all that kept him from falling into nothingness.  Like she was his
very salvation.  “Oh God, thank you.”  It was a prayer.

It
was all Mara could do not to cry as his shoulders shook with the force of his
emotions.  “I’m sorry.”  She leaned against him, the way she’d wanted to from
the moment she saw him standing in the Smoke Kingdom.  Even before that.  Deep
in a coma, she’d still longed for him.  The warmth of his body engulfed her. 
“I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m sure Vandal attacked you because of
me.  I don’t even know
why
, but…”

“You
think I care about
that?
”  He raised his head to meet her gaze, his eyes
glistening with tears.  “Without you, my entire world went dark.  You think
anything
matters
at all
, compared to having you back?”  His hands came up to
caress her hair, his expression desperate.  “Don’t leave me, again.”

This
kind of stress couldn’t be good for his recovery.  “You’re upset.  If you calm
down we can…”

“Upset?” 
He gave a slightly crazed laugh.  “I almost ended the
universe
from
missing you, Mara!  I thought you were gone forever.  I thought I was lost in
the darkness.”

Mara
shook her head.  “You could never be lost, Chason.  I told you, I’ll always
find you.”

His
eyes glowed hot at that answer.  And then his lips claimed hers, drinking
deep.  He kissed her the way that she’d always wanted him to.  Hard and
possessive and not at all like a polished aristocrat.  Mara’s toes curled
against cold floor, unbelievably turned on.  Her fingers dug into his strong
flesh as his mouth ravished hers.

Wow
.

His
tongue was
really
talented.