Chapter 27
An End and Beginning
Rae woke with the glare of the sun shining through the window. It seemed like she had slept for days, but she still felt exhausted. After that first coherent thought, confusion set in. Then everything came flooding back: Kraigan, her bruises, her missing tatùs and the realization that her tatù was not as invincible. Depressed, she scowled at the cheery morning outside and rolled away from the picturesque view. She grimaced as pain shot through her body. However, her breath caught when she noticed Devon in the infirmary bed across the room.
He sat leaning against pillows, reading some kind of document. His face had faded purple and brown bruises around his eyes and mouth. His nose was straight, with only just some slight swelling left behind. His injured shoulder had been bandaged, and his arm was tightly wrapped against his chest. But he looked—healthy and alive and like the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“’Bout time you decided to come back to the land of the conscious.” The dimple on his face shone through the bruises. He set the papers aside.
“M-Morn-n-ing.” Her voice cracked and she swallowed to saturate her dry mouth.
Devon swung his legs over the side of his bed. Rae couldn’t help but notice he only wore light green hospital bottoms. His bare chest had a few light bruises but the sight of his muscles made Rae tingle. His delicious body brought the water back to her mouth.
She tried to focus her thoughts. “Be careful. You might fall.”
Devon laughed. “I was wobbly this morning, but the doc here has some kinda magic healing vitamins. His tatù can help speed up the healing process. I should have this wrap off by tonight.” He raised his sore shoulder, grimaced then smiled.
Rae tried to push herself into a sitting position and discovered a cast on her left wrist. She stared at it in wonder. “How long have I been…out?”
“A few hours then you fell asleep and snored all night.” Devon laughed and shuffled over to the chair beside Rae’s bed. “You needed stitches in the back of your head and your broken wrist set. I’m not sure if you or I came out worse for wear.” He leaned forward and caressed her cheek.
“I think I did, but not because of the beating.” She searched for her tatù and only felt its quiet hum. It still felt different—wrong. “Seems Kraigan knew how to screw my tatù up.”
Devon gave her a sympathetic look. “Carter filled me in. I’m sure it’ll all come back, or you’ll figure out a way.”
Rae grabbed his wrist with her good hand. The familiar hum, ran through her. “I can feel your tatù.” She checked to see if anyone was about. “I actually got it when you touched my cheek but I figured any excuse to touch you was good enough for me.”
Devon leaned over and, after glancing towards the door, kissed her. Not a soft, gentle touch, but one full of desire. His lips melted her insides and made her stomach flip pleasantly. Slowly, he pulled away and rubbed his nose against hers. “By the way, thanks for saving my ass.” He smiled, his adorable dimple showing.
Still staring at his lips, she said, “Anytime. It’s an ass worth saving.” She grinned. “I kinda like it.”
He reached above her by the wall and then stood straight. “I just pulled the call button for the nurse. You…uh, should let them know you’re awake. Carter’s probably gonna want to know.”
Rae nodded. He was right. Yet, at the same time, she worried more how bad her breath smelled or how chapped her lips were. She watched Devon’s muscular back and derriere as he made his way back to his bed. “Glad I saved that nice ass.” She smirked when Devon turned around with a surprised look on his face.
The nurse and doctor came in, followed shortly after by Carter. While the medical staff checked her over, Devon spoke quietly with the headmaster. He then got up and began stuffing his things into a duffle bag.
“You’re being discharged?” Rae tried to make her tone joking but heard the pleading in her voice. She leaned sideways to see around Carter.
“’Fraid so. I’ve got some reports to write up and the Privy Council needs me back in action.”
Carter turned and made his way to Rae’s bed. “Sorry, but you’re staying. We want to run a few more tests and make sure your tatù continues to absorb other powers.” He patted her leg. “If all looks normal and functional, we’ll get you discharged first thing in the morning. I’ve asked Raymond—the student with the healing tatù—to pop by after lunch. The doc here has already done wonders, but it won’t hurt to have that ability back.”
“Is it okay if he comes here?” Where ever here is.
“Raymond knows about the Privy Council, about the Academy’s training facility and the infirmary. He works for us, I mean the Privy Council now.”
Devon let out an intentional “A-hem.”
Rae watched him sling his backpack over his good shoulder. Something about Devon leaving made her chest feel tight. She wanted to beg him to stay and wished Carter would leave the room. She knew she was being silly, but after the fiasco with Kraigan, she wanted him close by.
Devon lingered, waiting for Carter to finish. He finally walked over to Rae’s bed and touched her shoulder, his hand pausing a second longer. He shifted slightly to block Carter’s view and lightly brushed his fingers along her chin. “I’ll pop by your dorm tomorrow around noon, before I head out to the train station. Have a fun night.” He winked and then was gone.
Carter stepped to the side of Rae’s bed and blocked her view of the door. “I’ll be off as well. I just wanted to ask a quick question.”
“Sure.” Rae hoped it had nothing to do with Devon.
“Kraigan had your uncle’s journal. The Privy Council tried to question him…”
Shoot, had Kraigan told them she took it? Had they found where she had hid it? Rae’s heart beat erratically. “Where is he?”
“In lockup. He won’t be bothering you or anyone else for a very long time.” Carter chuckled. “It appears his tatù has not come back. He’s simply stuck in a room with no power.” He shifted his weight and tugged his shirt cuffs into place. “We haven’t been able to locate the journal, nor is Kraigan giving us any information. Did he happen to tell you?”
“Have you tried your tatù on him?” She didn’t know if he wanted her to tell or if he simply didn’t know. Her breath caught as she had another thought. It seemed Kraigan had two tatùs last night. He stole people’s tatùs, but in my room, he’d pretended to be Nic. No one here has that ability. Could he possibly have been able to camouflage and steal tatùs? He has two tatùed parents. Could I have two abilities? She had no intention of sharing her thoughts out loud at the moment.
Carter coughed. “I have a very useful ability, unfortunately it has limits. I don’t know why but I’m completely useless on Kraigan. I can get no past memories from him. I don’t know what’s happened.”
Well then, it seems like the lock and key approach actually works. This may be the only information I’ve garnered from Kraigan that I’ll be keeping to myself.
“Did he say anything last night?” Carter asked.
Rae stared at her hands neatly folded. She planned on sharing the journal eventually, but she needed to read it first. Guilt flooded her chest though she lied despite it. “S-Sorry, he didn’t tell me anything.” Heat rose to her cheeks.
The room was quiet. Rae couldn’t look at him. Carter finally spoke. “Not to worry. We’ll find it.” He squeezed her shoulder and left the room.
Why didn’t Kraigan tell them? She sighed and dropped her head back onto her pillow. She had suddenly grown exhausted.
Rae sat at her desk flexing her previously broken wrist, happy to have the healing tatù back. She had asked a few friends to allow her to mimic their tatùs. Each touch had put the familiar hum rushing back through her body. She only had a few powers compared to before Kraigan’s altercation, but it was a hundred times better than none. I need to get into the Oratory and get the journal before someone finds it. I’ll go early to class one morning next week and hide it in my backpack. Sometimes plain site is the safest place for something to be kept hidden.
At exactly twelve, Devon came by as promised.
Like clockwork. Rae jumped from her chair and ran to open the door when she heard him in the hall.
Devon stood, knuckles midair about to knock. “That was quick.”
She hugged him tight but quickly let go when he grunted. “Sorry, I forgot you’re still sore. Raymond came by and I mimicked his healing tatù. I feel awesome.” She shook her wrist, to show him. “Sorry I can’t transfer the healing to you.”
“That’s great. About you, I mean. I feel good, too.” Devon ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to–”
“Hey, guess what?” Rae interrupted, so excited to see him. “Julian let me borrow his car so I can take you to the train station. It took a bit of begging, but he finally said okay. He just got it all fixed up.”
Devon’s eyebrows came up. “You don’t have to drive me. You should rest. You’re probably exhausted.”
“Uh-uh. I can drive.”
“That’s super nice of you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was planning on taking my own car. Using the Park N’ Train.” His eyes looked everywhere, but at her.
“What’s going on?” Rae grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
“Nothing.” Devon shifted.
“Liar.” Rae nudged him with her elbow.
Devon brought his arms up, palms facing her. “I remember some of your driving the other night. I…I think you should stick to driving on the right side of the road.”
“Hey, I saved your life!” She punched his open hands but couldn’t hold back a giggle.
“I’m eternally grateful, but, Rae—your driving sucks.”
“What? That’s bull. I—” she paused and exhaled a breath. “Fine. You can drive us to the station, and I’ll drive myself back.”
“I’ll say okay to that. Since it’s Julian’s car, not mine.” Devon kicked the door shut and kissed her before she could respond.
Ten minutes later, both of them breathing heavily, they slowly pulled apart.
“I hate to tell you this,” Devon whispered into her hair. “The Privy Council has me going on an undercover mission. I don’t know how long it’s going to take.” He sighed. “It could be a week, a month, maybe two. You know I can’t tell you the details, and I’ll be pretty deep undercover so I won’t be able to e-mail or call you till it’s done.”
They want you to find the missing journal. That’s probably the mission. Rae stood perfectly still. The thought of not knowing if Devon was safe or not seeing him tore at her heart just as much as not knowing the details of the mission. Secrets—he’s keeping secrets. “It’s alright. I get it.” I now have a few secrets of my own.
“What’re your plans when school ends?”
“I haven’t thought too much about graduation or anything past.” Rae let her eyes drop. That much is true at least. “There’s still four months of school left. I’ll talk to Carter and see if I can stay on as a mentor. I don’t mind going to New York for the summer, but I’m not staying. England’s my home now.”
“Good.” Devon pulled her into a one-armed hug, still favoring his injured shoulder a bit.
“Maybe I’ll look into working with the Privy Council.” Rae paused, waiting to see what his reaction might be. “Maybe I can send my resume to them.” She stepped back and looked at him.
Devon pressed his lips tight and crinkles appeared by his eyes. He nodded. “Good idea.” Rae immediately got the feeling that despite his words, Devon did not like the idea of her joining the Privy Council. Considering how she felt about him working for them, she couldn’t really blame him; except that, she had a feeling his objections were totally different from hers. Whose side is he on? Mine, or theirs? Today however, she didn’t want to deal with any of that. She just wanted to pretend a little longer.
She checked her watch and grabbed Julian’s keys off her desk. “Shoot. You’re train’s leaving at two. We gotta get going.”
Devon opened the door. “You should go to your uncle’s place for the summer. I like knowing you’re safe there. No one knows who you are in America. Plus, I can also send you the odd postcard without getting caught.”
Rae preceded him out the door. And then, I’m also out of the way—
A week later, Rae waited in a lavishly decorated lobby underneath Guilder. The balls of her feet bounced faster than the human eye could keep up with. Tapping her thumb against the arm of her chair, she checked the clock and glanced around the waiting room. Still adjusting to her new look, Rae did a double take when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. The day after Devon left, she had gone to a salon for a drastic makeover, having her long, curly hair chopped to just below her ears, straightened and dyed platinum blonde. The length was barely long enough to make the ponytail she had stuffed it into this morning.
“Miss Kerrigan?” the receptionist called from her desk.
Rae jumped up; all the anxiety of the past week still had her nerves on end. “Yes.” She cleared her throat.
“They’re waiting for you in the Chamber meeting room. If you go through those main doors, it’s the third set of doors on the left. You comfortable walking in on your own?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She wiped her sweaty palms on the back of her jeans and headed through the main doors. She paused a moment, hand on the doorknob and gathered her courage. This was the job she wanted. She had known it for sure when she had left Devon at the train station. I need to find out what things my father all created. I have to stop the Kraigans and Lanfords. They exist because of me.
The Privy Council needed her. They made that clear with the salary and contract they offered, presented to her personally by a representative. This was a chance, to finally see the big picture everyone had worked so hard to keep her from seeing, to hunt down any other children of Simon Kerrigan before they came hunting for her, to be on the inside of the mystery that was the Privy Council, to see who she truly could and could not trust, and maybe to watch over Devon to an extent. It was a job that enabled her to be part of something bigger than just herself, to fight the crazies trying to make her father’s delusional megalomaniac dreams a reality, and learn more about her father, and hopefully, her entire family at the same time. How could she say no? It’s time I become a dark nebula.
She took a few deep breaths, opened the door and stepped inside. The room was the same as the picture Kraigan had used for their presentation. At the round table sat five men, including Carter. Huh—didn’t see that coming.
Raising an eyebrow, she looked directly at him.
Carter smiled and ran a hand through his perfect hair. “I’d like to introduce you to my council.”
“Your council?” The words were out before she could stop herself.
The gentleman to the right of the headmaster, scowling at her outburst, spoke. “His council. He’s President Carter, head of the Privy Council.”
The president grinned at Rae. He spoke, his tenor voice loud and clear, “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, Miss Kerrigan.”
THE END