Darkness Comes This Way Part 18

"Thomas," Zarah said softly, reaching across and touching her brother's arm on their way out.

He looked over at her questioningly.

"Maybe I won't kill you after all."

She smirked at his stunned expression before falling asleep seconds later.

Warmth and light flooded her. Zarah stepped into a clean, empty room with pristine white walls and matching ceramic tile. Her body moved slowly as she looked around.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked out loud. Her voice came out echoed, and sounded soft and musical.

"Somewhat," a female voice responded behind her suddenly, causing her to turn and face her visitor.

Zarah gasped.

"Mom?"

"Hi, sweetheart," Kathleen said with a radiant smile, standing before Zarah and looking just as beautiful as she had before she'd died.

Zarah sucked in a sharp breath, afraid to touch her. Instead, her mother took the remaining steps toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Zarah's arms stayed limp at her sides, still in shock.

"Listen to me carefully. I don't have much time with you," Kathleen started in a rush after pulling back, keeping her hands steady on her shoulders.

"The world is about to change dramatically, and you are going to be a force to be reckoned with. You must learn to control and use your powers. You are so strong, baby girl. And start a change for as many as you can. The Fallen Masters already know and they'll be coming for you, so you're going to be up against more than just humans and rabids. I don't want to see you destroyed by the hands of the Masters the way I was."

"But I thought the Rogues-" Zarah started, confused.

Her mother smiled sadly and shook her head.

"No. I was an Exiled One. Once the Masters found my whereabouts, they ordered my destruction. I made sure not to let on that I had children or they would have destroyed you both as well."

"This is all so confusing. I have a lot of questions."

"I know. You will learn more in due time."

Zarah nodded slowly, knowing that her visit was coming to an end as tears sprang to her eyes.

"You've grown quite beautifully, sweetheart. Just as I always knew you would." Kathleen took a loose strand of Zarah's hair and tucked it back behind her ear. When her mother nodded and smiled, her short bobbed hair bounced with her, and her turquoise-gold eyes sparkled like glitter.

"It's time for you to wake up. Draven awaits, I'm sure. By the way, you should tell him to start looking more into his own past and family history. Just a thought."

When Zarah started to speak, Kathleen held up a hand to interrupt.

"Don't ask why, it's a suggestion that I think you should follow for the sake of the future."

She nodded and wiped away a few tears.

"Will I ever see you again, Mom? Like this?"

"Not likely," Kathleen started, smiling sadly again and then reaching forward to place a hand on Zarah's chest.

"But know that I'm always in your heart, darling."

Her mother started to turn and walk away from her.

"Take care of your brother, too," she added before her form faded from sight and Zarah was left with a heavy emptiness.

There was a soft tickle on her cheek, slowly drawing her awake. Her eyes fluttered open to see Draven staring down at her with worry. He pulled his hand away. His fingers brus.h.i.+ng across her cheek having been what awakened her, and smiled in relief when she stared up at him in silence.

The emptiness from the dream of her mother still weighed her down and she continued to fight the tears back.

Noticing she was in a bed, with Draven sitting beside her, she looked around briefly to see a large room that was well furnished. An office with all the current updated technology she could have imagined set off to the side in a separate s.p.a.ce through an open doorway. She laid in a large wrought-iron bed with four posts that stood tall and proud, winding up toward the ceiling in an elegant leafed pattern. The floor was a dark cherry hardwood. Across the room, sat a black leather couch with a gla.s.s table beside it. A large, thin television hung on the wall in front of the bed.

"Where are we?" Her voice cracked.

"At the new Compound building we're establis.h.i.+ng. It's, uh, above ground this time. So that will explain why you won't see any windows during daylight hours."

She paused and looked around again, seeing what he meant. Just like he said, she couldn't visibly see any windows. Instead she saw large sliding metal shutters locked in the place where the windows were meant to be. They looked motorized, and when she glanced on the wall near the draping burgundy curtains, she saw the control panel system that probably controlled them.

She noticed a shopping bag on the table in the sitting area. When he caught her gaze on it, he grew fl.u.s.tered, picking it up and carrying it over to her.

"I know you lost all of your belongings, so I went to a store before sunrise and bought some things."

She stared at him blankly, blinking a few times, before turning to the bag and peeking inside. A soft smile turned up the corners of her mouth when she saw the items: several cross-st.i.tching patterns with their threads and needles, some art paper and pencils, and a beading kit for making jewelry. It wasn't everything, but enough, and he'd thought of her.

"Thank you."

He nodded and cast his eyes down.

His nearness made her nervous, self-conscious. It was a new feeling that she hadn't experienced before. She bit her lip trying to think of more to say. Her eyes drifted back to him and she sighed, beginning to sit up.

"We're sharing this building with the Fallens. You should know that," he spoke slowly. He watched her cautiously.

She froze and clenched her jaw.

"Why? I thought they were going to leave?"

Draven stood and crossed the room in long strides. Maybe the closeness had made him nervous, too. She didn't know. Or perhaps, he was just falling back into his usual cold, Guardian routine and things were going to go back to where they had stood between them before. After all, she had changed him into a strange new being. Even she hated herself for that.

Zarah watched him silently, waiting for his response, as he walked over to a dresser and poured a couple of drinks. His face was emotionless when he turned and brought one back to her, keeping one for himself.

"Apparently not. Seth and his brothers want to stay. There's a lot already happening," he replied after a moment while she drank. She hadn't realized how thirsty she'd been until he handed her the gla.s.s.

Suddenly, Zarah thought of Thomas and frowned. Opening her senses, she immediately knew he was somewhere in the building there as well.

Draven jumped in alarm when she'd stood abruptly, thrusting her empty cup at him.

"I have something to take care of long overdue. Give me your gun and show me right now where Thomas is."

Twenty-Nine.

Draven was tripping over his feet, stumbling over the end of the area rug, before he caught Zarah's arm. She'd already found his gun and was loading it.

Her hair was a long, tangled mess. It was apparent that someone, or Draven, had changed her s.h.i.+rt at least. The other one had been stained with blood. She was now wearing an oversized plain black s.h.i.+rt. Her jeans had been torn at the knees during the fighting, but she didn't care. She tossed out the question of whether Draven changed her s.h.i.+rt or not, ignoring her current appearance, and went about loading the ammunition.

Ignoring Draven's fumbling, she headed for the door.

"What are you going to do?" He grabbed her arm, stopping her, as she started out in the hallway.

"I'm going to find Thomas. I know he's here." She yanked her arm back.

"You can take me to his room, it'd be quicker. Either way, I'll find him."

Zarah kept walking. She saw the distress and confusion in his eyes. He kept protesting.

"Zarah, I thought you said back at the base that you might not kill him? And really...can't you get past this now? He helped through a lot, and he'll continue helping us, I know. Besides, I met Ethan. I saw what happened to him. Maybe you can cure Thomas."

She swallowed and clenched her jaw. The truth was she was going to do exactly that. It was a big decision on her part. Since she had returned from being Rogue, her oath always had been to kill Thomas when given the chance. The last couple of months changed her.

Zarah didn't tell Draven he had nothing to worry about. Instead, she kept walking briskly through the hall with the gun in her hand at her side waiting for her senses to pick up on her brother, determination set in her features.

"Just take me to my brother."

Draven sighed and led her on in silence. When they stopped in front of her brother's apartment door, he looked again at her with pleading eyes. She rolled hers in response before banging on the door.

"Sis, good to see you're awake. I was about to come check on you-" Thomas began, standing in the doorway, before Zarah interrupted him.

"Let's cut the chat, okay?" she snapped and then aimed the gun eye level.

Thomas took a small step back but kept his gaze steady on her, frowning.

"I thought you said you changed your mind, hmm?" A smirk began to turn up the corner of his mouth. Draven fidgeted beside her uneasily. She saw Alyssa in the dark room, staring at the scene in disbelief, but unmoving. The tension charged the air.

"Well, I lied I guess."

Thomas stared in amused silence before shrugging. He stepped back as pushed her way into the apartment. The gun remained aimed and steady on him, her eyes never leaving his face as she walked forward.

"Close the door, Draven." Zarah didn't bother turning to look at him while she barked the order when they were inside. She could hear him moving slowly, wary of her actions. He followed her command and then took a stance off to the side in a corner.

"Are you ready, Thomas?" Her eyebrows rose and a small teasing smile on her face matched his.

"Or are you going to try and delay me?"

Her eyes flitted over to Alyssa. The Rogue woman was standing at the back of the room near a desk, eyes filled with tears, but she remained still. Zarah didn't worry about her coming into a fight. Alyssa knew this was between brother and sister to resolve only.

"I've always been ready, little sister. I told you that when the time came, I looked forward to dying by your hand."

Zarah's jaw clenched. Of course he was. She knew the truth. She'd learned enough from Nathanial. The ambush. His turning. It had all been a set-up because Thomas knew what she was all along. He knew turning her would trigger her gene, bringing her immunity and Fallen power out full-force. The more memories flooded her of the night he had turned her Rogue, the more she started understanding. Yes, he had been smiling that night when he'd closed her in the dark, and at that time it had seemed malicious, but then she recalled his eyes-cold, deep burgundy eyes that carried the weight of a heavy apology and intense sorrow. Zarah couldn't get the memory from her mind, and even with him standing before her then, his eyes still shone with the same sad intensity despite the playful smile on his face.

"Don't do this, Zarah," Draven's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Shut up, Draven."

"Yes, shut it, Guardian. This is between me and my sister. We knew this was going to happen," Thomas remarked, his eyes still steady on her.

"You have no idea," she started, stepping closer and closer until she touched the gun to his chest. If she really wanted to threaten him, she'd have held it to his temple, but she had other plans. He wasn't suspicious in the least.

"You have no idea how much h.e.l.l I went through because of you."

Her voice was a low whisper and tears were beginning to sting at the corners of her eyes as she struggled for the words. No, she wouldn't forgive easily. But she would try, and she would save him. Besides, she needed him more than ever now.

"Zarah...I know. And I can't emphasize how sorry I am. Of course, that won't save me. I don't deserve to be, anyway. I want you to kill me. Do it. Quit stalling."

Suddenly she smiled, brilliantly bright. With a flash, she brought the gun down and fired, grazing her brother's foot. He screamed out a curse and leapt backwards with a limp.

"What the h.e.l.l? I meant quickly! Not torture!" he yelled, reaching for his bleeding foot while he collapsed into a nearby chair.

"I'm not going to kill you, Thomas," Zarah said softly, setting the gun down on the table. Everyone in the room looked at her incredulously.

"So, you just shot me in the foot for sport?"

"Mostly."

Thomas growled and shook his head in disbelief.

"Actually," she started, "I shot you in the foot so you'd not only sit there with what I'm about to make you do, but so that you have some silver poisoning slowly beginning to form in your system and would need this either way."

He looked confused. But Draven had worked it out, already stepping toward Zarah in shock.

"You shouldn't have worried me like that," Draven hissed through his teeth, causing her to let out a soft laugh.

"I'm serious, Zarah, I thought you were really going to kill him."

She spun around to face him and narrowed her eyes.

"I thought so, too."

Dropping the subject, she turned back to her confused brother who was still nursing his injured foot. Alyssa had finally built the courage to approach and stood beside her mate with concern.