Days of Darkness

Chapter 3

Teegan

The sweats were a little more athletic than I was used too. Dark gray with both the pants and shirt logoed with a swish. I usually went for something less energetically presumptuous. I laughed when I saw that Caleb was in a matching set. As a power couple, we looked ridiculous.

"I don't know," Caleb said, "we did get a good workout in the shower."

"Must have been a thousand calories," I said.

"At least," Caleb said, adjusting his shirt and absently brushing at the logo, "lots of cardio."

"We earned the logo," I concluded.

"We'll just have to own the look," Caleb said with a smile. We couldn't own it if we tried.

"I love you," I said, replacing my discomfort with something much better. Caleb moved his matching logo toward mine.

"And I you," Caleb said and kissed me with less l**t and more feeling than a few minutes ago. It's strange how a kiss can take on a personality, some meant to arouse, others to invoke a meaning defined by the pressure of lips and the length of an intimate caress. Before Caleb, I thought they were all the same. We had a physical vocabulary that matched our words and minds.

Hi," I said to the woman that was in the hall when Caleb and I finally got the guts to exit in our matching attire. She smiled at us, though I thought it was a short-circuited laugh.

"Evening, Ms. Fuller, Mr. McGuire," the woman said. She was about the age of my mother but had one of those old lady perms. Frozen curls that looked like they belonged on a statue and wouldn't budge in a hurricane. She was dressed in pleated brown slacks from the 90s, matched with a tan blouse with a silken shimmer.

"Teegan, please." I said, "and this is Caleb."

"Of course, Teegan," she said. "I'm Evelyn, more or less the housekeeper." Her eyebrows raised as did her smile. "Though in this house, the title is more of a suggestion."

"Are you responsible for our clothes?" I asked trying to keep my tone neutral and nonjudgmental.

"They looked better on the rack," Evelyn answered while nodding. "Sorry." This time, her smile was all humor.

"It's not quite our style," Caleb said, "but they'll do for now." Evelyn covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes were laughing hard enough.

"I should have steered clear of the matching," Evelyn said. "I wasn't given enough time and obviously didn't put enough thought into it."

"Is it really that bad?" I asked.

"Well," Evelyn considered, "if you act like you're about to go out for a run, maybe convince everyone you're on the same track team..." I had to laugh. Her description was dead on. I was supposedly the new ruler of an empire, and I looked like an i***t. Next to me was the man I loved, who now doubled the i***t part.

"Blame me," Evelyn continued, "and I'll quickly wash your other clothes. Tomorrow we can talk and get you something a little more flattering."

"We'll just own it," I said, repeating Caleb's words. I took his hand, and we headed back down the stairs to find Vincent.

"Good luck with that," Evelyn called as we began to descend. Caleb was chuckling, not overly concerned with our look. Men rarely are.

Victor was waiting in the entry hall, struggling to hide a smile. He didn't mention our attire, and I decided to let him ignore it. It would only be for one night. Anyone could live with that.

"Where's Captain Garcia?" I asked. "I promised him an explanation."

"His orders preclude accepting our hospitality," Victor replied. "I promised you a tour of the house." He waved his hand toward a hallway. I sighed loudly.

"He was told to stay outside?"

"Ordered too," Victor answered, nodding.

"That's stupid," Caleb said. I had to agree. Both Caleb and I moved in sync, straight to the front door. I could almost feel the frustration in Victor. Everyone seemed to have a plan on how I was supposed to act. Well, I had news for them, there is no plan. I'm not organized enough to have one.

We burst through the front door to find Jason sitting on the steps, watching the two humvees and the four soldiers sitting on the bumpers.

"Nice outfits," Jason commented with a smile. "You two joining a jogging group?"

"Stow it," I said, wishing he wasn't there to see our matching gear.

"Yes, ma'am," Jason said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes. I may regret asking for a partnership instead sticking with an employer-employee relationship.

"Captain," I called as I neared the vehicles, "I understand you have declined to come inside."

"Orders, ma'am," Garcia replied. I was beginning to hate that word. It made me feel so damn old. I didn't have near the wisdom or the number of wrinkles to deserve it. All the soldiers rose as I neared. They trained respect well.

"Call Righthouse again, maybe I can talk some sense into him," I said, looking back at the house. "The place is huge. It's not like we lack the room and you're already on the property."

"He's worried about undue influence, ma'am," Garcia said formally. There was a wall being built with his words. Too formal, no warmth and no give. Way too many ma'ams.

"Just let me talk..." I started. One of the soldiers advanced quickly, a glint of the waning sun off the metal in his hand made me suck in my breath. I saw the surprise in Garcia's face, and I felt that horrible anger flair in Caleb. The knife was thrust forward toward my chest.

Jason leaped in front of me, his hands moving in a fury. I stepped back in shock, looking at the soldiers, wondering what orders they had been given. Each of them dropped to their knees, motionless, and I heard a scream from my attacker. I could feel Caleb ripping him to shreds from the inside. Jason stumbled to the left, and the attacker fell to the ground in an epileptic fit, his mouth foaming and blood pouring from every hole in his head.

I turned to Caleb. He was smiling, relishing the power he pulled from me. His thoughts were lost in a world of vengeance. The desire to protect me superseded all that he was. He meant to kill them all.

"Stop!" I yelled. Caleb was hidden in a world of hate, blood dripping from his eyes and nose. I hated him this way, something so horribly wrong was warping him, changing the man I loved into a weapon to be feared. I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed him, merged my lips with his, flooding him with all the love I had.

Caleb's concentration faded, replaced by confusion, then I found him again. My love returned to me, then collapsed. I followed him to the ground making sure he landed softly. I could taste his blood in my mouth. I rose, and my own anger flared.

"What the hell?" Garcia said.

"You tried to kill me," I said, "I either capitulate or die. Are those your orders?" My anger was more for what it did to Caleb than the attack itself. Jason fell to the ground.

"I couldn't move. None of us could," Garcia said, his mind trying to digest what had happened. I rushed to Jason as Garcia collected his thoughts. He was obviously more confused about that attack than I was. Jason lay in a quickly growing pool of blood. Victor was running down the front steps, a phone to his ear hopefully talking to 911.

"You okay?" Jason sputtered. There was blood coming from his mouth. My eyes lost their anger and began to flood.

"I'm fine," I said, then coughed to clear my throat. "You saved me. Just lie still, help is on the way." At least I hoped it was. I rolled him onto his back and blood shot out with force hitting me in the shoulder. I covered the wound with my hand and could feel his life pumping out. "I can't stop it," I cried, adding my other hand over the first.

"Show me again," Jason said weakly. I could see the life leaving his eyes. The knife had found something vital. I panicked and sent out my mind in a fit, looking for help.

It took only a second for the physiology of the human body to fill my mind. Hundreds of years of medical science were at my disposal, and it was useless. The knife had snaked around the protective cage of bones and severed the aorta. Jason would need to be on an operating table yesterday, not a minute from now.

"Show me," Jason begged again, blood accenting the words from his lips. My tears flowed as I joined my song to his. I took his pain, and our thoughts merged. He had dreams, and he shared them with me. I saw his jealousy of Caleb, fleeting thoughts of he and I together. They weren't as strong as his responsibilities, the real reason he left the army. A mother, his mother, in a facility which cost so much more than a military salary would provide. I saw memories of how she raised him without a father, instilling all that he was into him. Devotion to her, devotion to country, and a love of life. For the last minute of Jason's life, I Ioved him as deeply as I could. It nearly tore my heart apart when his thoughts faded to nothing and no matter what I did, his song couldn't be found. I screamed.

I stood, Jason's blood on my hands, Caleb's on my lips, and tears pouring from my eyes. "You did this," I shouted at Garcia. Victor dropped down next to Jason, trying to shake awake what I knew was dead. "What are your orders?" I asked for the final time. My anger was beginning to rise. The other soldiers were moving away from me and the b****y mess of their moaning comrade.

"He told me it was a bad idea to invite you here," I growled, pointing at Jason's lifeless body. "I wanted peace, and you brought war." Garcia's eyes were wide as he matched my steps forward with his own backward.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Garcia said, raising his hands, palms opened. "Colonel Righthouse is on his way. I was only supposed to verify your location, make sure you didn't move."

"Who's this assassin?" I asked, p ointing that the man Caleb nearly killed.