Crossing Nexis Read online

  As soon as Angel was out of sight, darkness descended all around me. Like a plague. A putrid stench filled the air. An oppressive, rotting, thick cloud.

  Shrieks split my eardrums right down the middle.

  I slammed my hands over my ears. Plummeted to my knees.

  Pain seared into my brain. Tears dripped uncontrollably down my cheeks until I forced my lids shut. A pinprick of red light emerged in the blackness, morphing into an expanding orb that burned brighter and brighter as dark clouds hurtled and screeched around it.

  The shrieks ebbed from ghastly, to ghoulish, to wraith-like. The insane pitch of evil grew louder as the clouds of darkness swirled around the red light. The sphere materialized into an oblong shape, almost like an uncut gemstone. Angry words erupted from the glowing red circle, spewing venom at me like lava. Almost like this strange stone was calling to me. You know you want to get them back. You have all this power right at your fingertips.

  Just then, familiar arms wrapped around my middle. The screams quavered for a second, and the red orb stopped growing.

  I opened my eyes long enough to see the darkness tremble. Gray streaks fizzled in and out of the blackness around the red sphere. It wasn’t my angel or even Bryan who held me. It was Will. The air was spiced with his cinnamon scent.

  Even with the hounds of hell screeching around me I knew one thing for sure. They weren’t in me, inside my head. They were on the outside of me, trying to torment me. But they couldn’t really get at me, they could only try. I rocked back and forth on my heels. Will rocked with me.

  At least I wasn’t alone.

  Will squeezed me tighter. The hellish pitches simmered until they faded away. I drew in a breath of fresh air.

  Rough fingers dabbed at my cheeks, wiping away the remnants of tears.

  When I opened my eyes, his face hovered close enough to examine the swirls of gray in his eyes. Streaks of gold warmed up parts of his irises, as if he were lighting up from the inside out.

  Something bloomed inside me, a scary-tingly feeling. If only I could curl up in his arms again. But I stopped myself for one reason. Bryan.

  “What are you doing here?” My words came out raspy.

  “I followed you.” His eyes held mine, never flinching. Obviously he had no shame about the truth. “Are you okay, Lucy? What just happened?”

  “Believe me, you don’t want to know.” I uncurled from my fetal position, rising slowly.

  “I do want to know.” He stood up in a blink, hovering over me. “I have to know. Please just tell me.”

  “It’s a long story. Complicated, too.” My knees wobbled, and I reached for him. Maybe I could catch him off-guard enough to shut him up. Or maybe I just couldn’t stop myself any more.

  Pulling him close, I wrapped my arms around his abs and buried my head in his shoulder. It felt even better than I thought to rest there. Like I was the one fooling herself.

  His head dipped toward mine, lips pressing against my forehead. “Don’t think that’s the end of this.”

  He circled his arms around me, too, fingers crawling up and down my back. Even through my thick parka, each tap hit a nerve deep inside me that I didn’t even know existed. If his arms weren’t around me, surely I’d float up into the sky like my angel.

  “I hope not.” I whispered the words into his coat, praying he’d never hear them.

  ***

  The night darkened around us as all remnants of angel light disappeared into the stars. The moon was our only guide as we crunched through the brown grass toward the bridge.

  “Why won’t you just tell me what happened?” Will reached for my hand, but I edged away, eyes on the field. Unable to pry the horror from my brain. Or the memory of Will’s arms around me, shielding me as best he could.

  Black combat boots planted in front of me, blocking my path. His palms came down on my shoulders.

  I blinked and stood taller, trying to shrug his hands off my shoulders. He didn’t budge. I tightened my abs and clenched my jaw, my feet moving into fight position.

  “I saw everything, you know.” He sounded eerily calm, even as those gray eyes hardened. Drawing circles around my face.

  “Please.” I coughed a bitter laugh through my teeth. “You didn’t see anything, or you wouldn’t be asking me about it. You would just know.”

  “I think I know exactly what happened. And I’m scared for you.” His hands slid to my biceps.

  “You’re scared for me? That’s a joke, right?” Bubbles gurgled in my stomach with an energy I couldn’t name.

  “No joke.” Those silvery eyes softened, warming at the edges. “I’m just looking out for you. Making sure you’re safe. Why don’t you believe me?”

  “You know why.” I met his gaze full-on, my arms sagging into Jell-O. “You’re the Nexis President. That’s why.”

  “And the Guardians told you I’m pure evil, right? If I’m so evil, why are they pushing you to spy on me? It’s sick.” His quiet words smacked me in the face.

  “You’re right. It is sick.” The bubbles curdled inside. I balled up my fists just remembering how easily they kicked me to the curb. And I couldn’t deny the truth any longer. “How did you know?”

  “It’s not the first time they’ve done something like that.” His warm breath puffed on my cheeks.

  Colleen. He didn’t have to say it. I just knew.

  Wriggling out of his grip, I crunched up the path to the bridge over the creek. I wrapped my gloved hands around the railing. Gripping tight. The wan light of the crescent moon highlighted a trickle of water. It looked so peaceful meandering along its merry little way. That’s all I ever wanted from this life. A little bit of peace.

  He stood at my side.

  I kept my eyes on the water. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “I think you do.”

  Those four words dangled in the air. I could almost reach out and grab them. But not quite.

  “What do you mean?” I stared straight at him again, studying his reaction.

  “You aren’t the only one whose life has been turned upside down this past year.” His face fell, that chiseled façade crumbling. “New Year’s Eve I told you my parents were separated, but I never said why.”

  I waited, holding my breath. Not moving a muscle.

  He gulped, Adam’s apple bobbing. “My mom suddenly went all gung-ho about finding the Seer and gearing up for the Nexis Nations takeover. You see, my grandpa’s got cancer, and I think he wants to leave some kind of Nexis legacy behind.”

  “Oh, Will. I’m so sorry.” My hand landed on his arm.

  “But she went overboard. Crazy overboard. And my dad couldn’t take it.” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes clouding. “They fought and fought, and then he just got fed up. Asked for a transfer to Chicago.”

  “That’s awful.” I could totally relate to that.

  “The thing is, I wanted to go with him.” He turned this haunted look on me, face shadowed by the dim moonlight.

  “Why didn’t you?” My heart stuttered in my chest.

  “I was torn. I couldn’t leave my mom alone with Grandpa. He’s too overbearing. And manipulative.” His hands slid up my wrists. Bare fingers crawled under my jacket sleeves, tendrils of heat curling up my forearms. As if he could manipulate me by mere touch.

  My breath hitched. Something flashed in front of me. Like a camera going in and out of focus. An eagle soaring over a bright blue globe. Much like the glowing earth I’d seen in the angel’s hands. Only bigger. With two people on the eagle’s back. I pulled my arms from Will’s grip.

  Then it disappeared, fading away into the night. A strange flash of a vision.

  Will was still talking. “I have these dreams, these visions. And I just know I need to be here in New York. Even if I’d rather be in Chicago.”

  “What do you mean, you have visions?” I almost added, too, but sealed my trap shut.

  “Maybe I’ll tell you all about them sometime. If you tell me about yo
ur visions.” He leaned closer, his mouth inches from mine. If I closed the gap, he’d have all the proof he needed.

  Every muscle in my body stilled under his gaze. Scenarios, explanations, clever comebacks assaulted my brain—scrambling for something to deflect the truth. He couldn’t know my gift came early. He’d tell Nexis. And the world as I knew it would come crashing down.

  “I never said I had visions.” I drew the words out slowly, measuring them carefully.

  “Is that right? Then how do you explain what I just saw?” Those full lips curled, chin cleft jutting out. “A lightning strike out of nowhere. You falling to your knees screaming God knows what. That was a reckoning, wasn’t it?”

  Suddenly his hands were on my face. Stroking my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.

  “How many times have you had to go through this?” His rough fingers soothed my skin. Worked my thoughts into a tangled mess. But I couldn’t give in. I had to resist the tingles crawling up the back of my neck.

  “I don’t know.” Yep. I just lied right to his face.

  “Does that mean you’re the Seer?”

  I bit my lip. After what he just did for me, I didn’t want to keep lying to him. But until I knew for where his loyalties really were, I couldn’t take any chance. “I won’t know till my eighteenth birthday. Same as everyone else.”

  “Don’t be like that.” His face fell. “We both know that’s not the truth. I wish you would just trust me.”

  How could I be so stupid? Did he really know the truth? My lung seized, and the world around me wobbled on its axis. He’d seen too much. Bryan would kill me, the Guardians, too. But they weren’t here right now. They put me in this mess.

  Will didn’t seem to notice my internal freak out. “It was awful for me, listening to you scream like that. Like something was torturing you. And not being able to do anything.” His voice cracked. Almost as if he really meant it.

  “You did do something. You held me,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “I needed it.”

  “Good. If that’s what you need, I won’t stop. Not ever.” Then he pulled away and stared me down. “I need you to know one thing.”

  “I’m listening.” I drew in a breath, bracing for impact.

  “What happened tonight—it’s just between us.” His eyes held mine. “I won’t tell anyone. Especially not those mindless Nexis drones. I promise.”

  “Really? Not a single soul?” I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to add a caveat. But he didn’t crack.

  He leaned in, lips arching up. “Let’s keep our secrets for now. Shall we?”

  “I think I can manage that.” My lips curved back, mixed feelings skating by in figure-eights and curlicues.

  “We’ll see.” He dropped my hand, and I felt suddenly cold. Untethered from his warmth.

  My heart clenched as my thoughts finally floated back to Bryan, where they should’ve been all along. Waves of guilt swarmed in my head, hurling accusations. What was wrong with me? If I could mentally kick myself, I’d be black and blue.

  But it was too late. I had to keep Will from blabbing my secrets to Nexis—and keep up the charade a little longer.

  So I let him walk me back. His hip bumped mine as we crossed the bridge. I scanned the woods for signs of Shanda, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she bailed when she saw Will?

  I wanted to bolt straight for the dorm, drown my shame in a bottle of fizzy Dr. Pepper. But that idea brought back the wrong kind of memories. The last time I almost kissed Will. Maybe this charade wasn’t a charade at all. Who was I really fooling? Him or me?

  Chapter 16

  Glancing around the shadows for Shanda, I stopped at my dorm’s back window. Where was that girl? Hopefully, she hadn’t been caught by Miss Sherry.

  “Here you are, gorgeous.” Will’s smile gleamed at me in the dark night as he dropped me off at my dorm. “Your…window?”

  “That’s right,” I nodded at him, staring up at my kitchen window escape route. “It’s top secret. Hush, hush.”

  His smile widened, and his eyes met mine in the moonlight. “Need a boost?”

  “Absolutely not.” Hopefully the darkness hid my flaming cheeks. Who knew where he wanted to “boost” me from? “Just because I’m six inches shorter than you doesn’t mean I need your help. I’ll have you know, I’ve gotten pretty good at this.”

  “Really?” He practically snorted. “I’ve got to see this.”

  Suddenly, nervous energy coursed through my veins. “You really don’t have to watch.”

  “Oh yes, I do.” He chuckled to himself then sobered up. “I want to make sure you get in safe and all.”

  “Sure ya do.” I rolled my eyes at him as I walked toward the windowsill. Just do your usual routine, I told myself. Jumping for the sill, my fingers wrapped tight around the slippery brick as I hung for dear life from my fingertips. Then I made the usual attempt to pull myself up with my feeble arm strength while scrambling my feet against the siding for leverage.

  “That’s exactly what I pictured,” His laughter-filled voice floated somewhere behind me.

  “Shut up.” I turned around to shoot him an evil glare. Suddenly my left hand slipped, and I dangled from the ledge by one hand.

  “Here, let me help you.” Will darted below me in a second, wrapping both hands around my foot and lifting me like I weighed nothing. “We’ll have to find you a better way to sneak out next time.”

  On quivering jelly-arms, I pulled myself through the window and stared down at him from my perch. “Next time?”

  “Yes.” He nodded, eyes crinkling in the moonlight. “Next time.”

  He lifted two fingers to his forehead and gave me a mock salute before he took off into the night.

  I watched his backside as he disappeared. Two could play his little game. My heartbeat stuttered in my chest like it couldn’t remember how to beat normally again. Every nerve ending in my body crackled and fizzled like a live wire wreaking chaos inside me. What was this boy doing to me?

  Shutting and locking the window, I tiptoed through the kitchen, up the back stairs, down my hall and into my room. I just hoped Shanda was all right.

  Easing open the door to my room, I slipped in and shut it quickly and quietly behind me.

  Click. The desk light switched on and swiveled on me like a spotlight.

  My heart did somersaults in my chest, and I squinted, shielding my face from the sudden brightness with one hand.

  “Where have you been, missy?” Shanda asked in a deep voice. “You’re in big trouble.”

  I clutched my chest, gulping in deep breaths. “Don’t scare me like that, girl. What happened to you anyway?” I collapsed in a heap on my bed, peeling off my parka. My limbs were still reeling from the reckoning. Yeah, that was definitely it.

  “Oh, yeah, that.” She rolled her eyes and pointed at our bathroom door. “Our suitemate came in wanting to dish about your fight with Felicia. I guess she heard us talking and thought we might still be up.”

  “Brooke?” I scrunched my forehead at her, hope rising up inside.

  “No, Mindy.” Shanda shook her head. “She asked why you weren’t here, so I had to make up an excuse.”

  “Oh, great.” Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “What’d you say?”

  “I told her you were getting chewed out by Miss Sherry as part of your punishment.” Shanda had the decency to look a little bit sheepish. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  I shrugged. “No biggie. Good thinking.” Glad I dodged that bullet.

  “Mindy kept me busy for thirty minutes with her gossip girl tales.” She tiptoed over to my bed and sat down beside me, whispering now. “Then I tried to follow your escape route, but Miss Sherry caught me on her nightly rounds. Did you know she does that?”

  “Huh-uh.” I gave her a headshake. “I wonder if that has something to do with the break-in. We’ve got to keep tabs on her. What time did she head out?”

  “About twelve-thirty or so.
” Shanda pulled her phone from her pocket and made a note. Then her eyebrows knitted together. “Girl, it’s 2:00am! Where’ve you been for two hours?”

  My cheeks flamed, threatening to give me up. “In the field. Training.”

  “By yourself?” She tilted her head at me. “From that look on your face, I’m not buying it. Spill.”

  “Okay, fine. Will showed up out of nowhere.” I twisted my hands through my hair, trying to make sense of what happened out there tonight. “I don’t know if he stalked me to be protective or to get intel, but he saw everything.”

  Shanda gasped. “What do you mean, everything?”

  I shrugged my shoulders as if it didn’t matter anymore, but a trickle of fear still slithered down my neck. “He saw me talking to my angel. Then he saw the reckoning.” I could barely eek out that last word.

  “Hold up. We’ll circle back to that last bit in a minute.” She held up one hand like a stop sign. “Did you say you talked to your angel?”

  I nodded, my eyes wide. “He told me I could be the last Seer this world ever needs.”

  “Whoa.” She whispered, hissing air between her teeth. “That’s major. And Will heard that?”

  “No, no.” I shook my head so hard my hair flapped in front of my face. “Thank God.”

  “Phew.” Shanda wiped her brow, and we both exhaled a sigh of relief. “So, you have to tell me. What the heck is a reckoning?”

  “Oh, it’s terrible.” I could barely even say the words. “It’s like the screaming hordes of hell are unleashed all around you. It’s awful.”

  “Yikes. I’m so sorry, girl.” She slung her arm across my back and rubbed my shoulder. “What did Will do about it?”

  I slumped down and glanced away. “Kind of what you’re doing now. He held me until it was over.”

  Her arm dropped from my shoulders, and she reared back. “Oh, so is Will your ‘new man’ now?” She added air quotes to “new man.”

  “He’s not my ‘new man,’” I said, mimicking her ridiculous air quotes. But my heart lifted ever-so-slightly just thinking of Will. “He’s just different now. Like I’m seeing a new side of him.”