I walked into James’s room and knelt at his bedside. After a moment’s hesitation, I picked up his limp hand. “Hey.” I knew he couldn’t respond, but part of me believed he could hear me. “You really picked a bad time to check out on us. I’m heading off with Calvin, Liam, and Henry to find a way to make you better and to defeat Blake once and for all. I wish you were coming, too. Who’s going to make fun of me?”
After brushing his blond hair off his forehead, I looked at his face. His expression wasn’t peaceful. I hoped he wasn’t in some sort of pain. I still couldn’t believe a father could do that to his son. But we were talking about Blake.
I concentrated on James’s mind. There had to be some way I could break in. I pushed as hard as I could, but it might as well have been an impenetrable wall. I got nothing.
“Charlotte?” The low voice felt like a caress. Calvin and I were so connected now.
I dropped James’s hand as I turned to face Calvin, who stood in the doorway. His dark hair fell slightly over his eyes, and he looked exhausted. He’d been training people day and night.
He rested a hand on the rock wall. “Any change?”
“No. I just keep thinking I’ll find a way in.”
Calvin walked over and kneeled down beside me. “We’ll find a way to save him.”
“You and Liam both think so.” I sat back on my heels. “I wish I had that confidence.”
He kissed the top of my head. “We think it because we know how strong you are.”
“At least the training with Mom has been going well. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned so quickly.” She’d been pushing me hard. Every time I thought I’d mastered a task, she made it more difficult. The hardest part for me was concentration. My mind tended to wander at the worst possible times.
“What do I keep telling you? You are a natural.”
I smiled. “I’m kind of the queen of being natural. Isn’t that part of being an Essence?”
“You certainly are my queen.”
“So there are queens here?”
“Not in Energo, but several Pact nations have monarchs with those terms. Here, we have the Essence and Gerard.”
“I like our names.” They were different and so much more than just titles.
He squeezed my hand. “Me too.”
A thought suddenly occurred to me. “Where’s Liam? He’s supposed to be waiting.”
“I told him to go back to sleep. I will walk you back to your bed.” There was definitely an edge to his voice. I didn’t blame him. I wouldn’t have liked him slinking through the night with a girl—and we both knew Liam wasn’t just any boy.
I turned back to James, kissed his forehead, and whispered, “We’ll be back soon.” The nearly threadbare blanket didn’t seem like enough to keep him warm, but Mom thought his body was in a state that made him impervious to cold or heat.
I let Calvin pull me into his arms. Everything felt better when he held me. All of the confusion melted away.
“This journey will not be easy, but at least we will be able to sleep side by side. It is torture having you so far away.” Calvin understood that I felt uncomfortable sleeping next to him with my mom around, but that didn’t make him like it.
“It’s better than being in different worlds.” Our year apart had been torture for my heart.
He smiled. “That is true.”
He led me through the still corridors of the cave. We stopped at my bed, which was next to Kevin’s, and he waited for me to get in.
“Sleep well, my Essence.” He kissed me gently on the lips. The look of longing in his eyes made me wish I could curl up in his arms. He touched my hand again one more time before walking away.
Warm and recharged from spending time with Calvin, I snuggled down under my covers. Just before I closed my eyes, I sensed someone watching me in the darkness. Liam. I turned over and went to sleep.
Chapter Two
Charlotte
Morning came far too soon. I stretched before forcing myself out of bed. Kevin’s cot was empty. He always seemed to get up so much earlier than I did. I walked outside, craving a few moments of morning sunshine. I closed my eyes, trying to soak in the sunlight the way my mom had taught me. Evidently, I also had the power to absorb the natural elements. Absorption worked kind of like recharging a battery. I couldn’t take in too much, but the recharge would help if I depleted my energy.
“Uh, Char, are you okay?” Henry asked.
“What?” I lost my concentration and realized I was sweating like crazy.
“I think it is great that you are using your abilities more, but maybe you should save some energy for later.” His cotton shirt fit him loosely, and he probably wore it purposely because it showed off just the hint of chest hair. Henry was all about making sure people realized he’d grown up. I understood on some level. Being the youngest child could be hard.
“That’s what I’m doing. I’m charging.”
“Charging? Is that what you call sweating like a pig?”
“Hey!” I swatted at him, but he moved away too fast.
He plastered on his most innocent expression. “What?”
“You don’t tell a girl she’s sweating like a pig.”
“How about… you are sweating like a beautiful pig. Is that better?”
“Get lost.”
“Okay. If you really want to be deprived of my company…” He winked before disappearing back inside.
I had just gotten back into a comfortable position when I was interrupted again.
“It’s nice to see you progressing so well.” Mom handed me a cup of coffee. She’d finally accepted that, on top of everything else, her daughter had become a total coffee addict at seventeen.
“Thanks. I needed this.” I took a sip, savoring the bitter taste. Sweetener wasn’t an option. The coffee certainly wasn’t gourmet, and it was made over an open fire, but I wasn’t going to complain. It served its purpose.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay without me?” Mom looked so comfortable in her Energo outfit—a long navy blue dress. Sometimes I forgot that she had worn those clothes for the first eighteen years of her life. I wanted to ask her so many questions about her childhood, but we definitely hadn’t had time for reminiscing.
I loved having Mom back, but sometimes it got to be too much. I was so frustrated by her worrying, that I finally blurted out what I’d been holding back. “You do realize I’ve traveled Energo without you—twice. Right?” I regretted the words as soon as I saw her wounded expression. “I’m sorry. I just mean that I can do this.”