What the Heart Seeks

Chapter 4-1

Chapter 4

Dylan tapped his fingers against the couch and glared at the front door. The twenty minutes his mother asked him to take had ended. She claimed he needed time to cool off, but it was more like an adult time-out. Either way, it hadn’t helped. He still wanted to kill his father.

Neither his mother nor the other elders would let Dylan within arm’s reach of his dad in his current emotional state. He had to be smart about this and play the part of the grieving but calm husband, even if “husband” wasn’t his role in Heaven's life.

Fuck the marriage certificate. It was just a piece of paper. She was his wife, even if she didn’t love him as much as she had that day. She’d loved him at one point. They’d created Adalyn from that love.

His daughter was the only thing left of Heaven, but the lack of vibrations in his connection with his daughter said she hadn’t reopened the emotional line of communication between them. Adalyn blamed him for her mother’s death. What other reason would she have to shut him out and refuse to communicate with him? She saw the future, which meant she knew Heaven had died. She probably had known it was going to happen before Heaven fell.

A dull pain pulsed in his hand. The shard of glass he’d picked up had left one hell of a gash. At least his mother had bandaged it before she and Spencer gave him some space. The way the gash throbbed only added to his frustration. If his mom wanted to help him, she needed to do it now.

He blew out a deep breath when the front door creaked open. His mother and Spencer reentered the cottage. She took the seat across from him as Spencer flanked her side. Spencer curled his hand around the back of the recliner, avoiding eye contact, but the way he hovered close to Delia proved he didn’t trust Dylan to do the right thing, like keep his s**t together.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Dylan’s mom said. “Spencer and I came to check on you before we go inside. How are you holding up?”

Dylan cleared his throat and held her gaze. “I don’t know how to answer your question, Mom. There’s a hole in my chest. Every time I breathe, it seems to grow. It’s raw and aching. I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s bleeding.”

“The last forty-eight hours have been hard on you.”

He snorted. “It’s been more than the last forty-eight hours. It’s been my entire life. I thought I’d finally found happiness.”

“You did.”

“Did I?” He sneered. “You’ve lied to me from day one about my connection with Heaven. You said she was my soulmate—that she wouldn’t love anyone as much as she loves me.”

“That isn’t a lie.”

“Bullshit.” He growled the words as he gripped the arm of the couch. “She’s in love with her Keeper. They slept together, Mom, but I guess that wouldn’t surprise you.”

Spencer came into view. He didn’t flinch at Dylan’s jab. His rigid stance proved he didn’t like it, but his eyes remained averted.

“You never told me she would have s*x with her Keeper, that it was inevitable.”

“There’s a lot you don’t understand about our kind, Dylan.”

“Is this why you and Dad divorced? Did he catch you f*****g your Keeper?”

Dylan sprung from the couch the second Spencer went into defense mode. His mother patted the Metal Bender’s arm as if to tell him she was okay, but Spencer didn’t look away. Instead, he peered in Dylan’s direction, waiting.

“Relax, Spencer. He’s angry, but he won't hurt me.” She laced her fingers with Spencer’s until he relaxed his shoulders. It didn’t mean he let down his guard. Every ounce of his attention was fixed on Dylan.

Once his mother turned to Dylan, he wanted to shrink into nothing. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“This is the reason I’ve kept things from you. Your mind can’t process it. You’ve struggled with a fraction of the knowledge I’ve shared. Perhaps if you’d grown up knowing about your heritage...”

He gritted his teeth so hard they squeaked. “It wouldn't have mattered. Nothing would make this situation easier. I’ve never understood the bond between a Seeker and Keeper. I never will.”

Dylan tucked his hands into his pockets and marched into the dining room. Drops of rain scattered over the sliding glass door. Beyond the deck, the trees bent with the wind.

It was ironic to see their submission. He was much like the limbs. The winds of life gusted around him, pushing him to contort to its will. How much longer would it be before the force overpowered him and he snapped? Everything had a limit, and Dylan was nearing his.

“Sweetheart, I wish Fate had given you a different path. The one you're on is far from perfect. And to answer your question, my relationship with Spencer wasn’t the reason your dad and I divorced. He chose darkness over his family.”

“What’s happening with me, Mom? I had electricity arcing between my fingers. A few minutes later, a lightning bolt struck the ground and demolished the edge of the cliff. How is any of this possible?”

She eased off the recliner and rose to her feet. As she approached, she motioned for Spencer to give them some space. He did so reluctantly.

“You’ve had these powers all along,” she said, “but they’ve been dormant. When your father threatened your life, the powers activated. You’re a hybrid, Dylan. You have both Seeker and Keeper abilities.”

A sudden coldness hit his core. “Am I a Keeper as well?”

Her eyes fell to his hands. He did the same, disbelieving the light sparking between them. He was bending again.

“You’re not a Keeper in the same sense as Spencer, Isaac, or even Layne. You don’t have a Seeker to protect. Your ability to bend started for one reason.”

“What reason?”

“Darkness.”

She should have punched him in the gut. It would have hurt less than her admission. No wonder Spencer was guarding her like an attack dog. He was worried Dylan would use his powers against her.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I follow the path of light. How can I have evil powers?”

“Because darkness has touched you. It doesn’t mean you’ll follow its path. It means it’s harder for you to resist it. The more you use your Keeper abilities, the closer you’ll slip toward The Fallen.”

When would the madness stop? Ever since he’d returned from Jamaica, the love story she’d sold him and Heaven had depreciated. Heaven had bonded with her Keeper, had s*x with him, and had given him her heart.

Now she was dead, and Dylan had some freakishly dark hybrid powers?

“Where is Addie? I want to see her.”

“Your daughter's upset. I was on my way to check on you earlier when Scott suggested I give Anna a break and bring Adalyn to you. Before Anna could object, your daughter began wailing. Nicholas read her thoughts, and she’s scared. All she wants is her mommy.”

Tears rolled down his mother’s face. It made his insides quiver. His daughter didn't want him. She wanted her mother, the one person she couldn’t have. He was responsible.

So was his father.

He brushed past the dining room table and neared his mother. Spencer rushed to her side as Dylan passed them. The door was in his sights, but he hesitated at the edge of the sofa. “You said you know where Dad is. I want to know.”

His mother’s shoulders slumped as she shifted her eyes to the front door and replied, “He’s in the basement, locked in an old wine cellar.”

Heat flushed through Dylan and he gritted his teeth. “Are you f*****g kidding me?”

He stared in horror as his mother shook her head and said, “We must try him for his crimes. Heaven may not have died at his hands, but he was the reason she was in harm’s way. Not to mention, he committed a slew of other crimes. The Regency is more lenient with our society’s rules, but there are certain things they won’t overlook. What happened this morning violated most of those laws.”

“You should have let me kill him. He’ll escape this mess.”

“It’s those types of comments that make me second guess my decision to let you see him. I know you’re angry, but you can’t react to your emotions. Your father isn’t going anywhere.”

“Dad's a telepath. How can you keep him locked away?”

She approached again. When she reached him, her hands warmed around his arm. “Isaac has a way of subduing your father. He, Spencer, Garrett, and Zeke have taken turns guarding him.”

“What about Mason and Layne?” He held no ill feelings toward Mason, but part of him hoped Layne had perished.

His gut said otherwise. Not that it mattered. If he killed his father, he might as well kill the other man who had stolen Heaven from him.

“I know you’re upset with Layne, but he was Heaven’s Keeper. He’s devastated by her loss. Mason was her first Keeper. Neither of them can separate themselves from their connection with her. They’re sick with grief. We haven’t allowed them to go anywhere near your father.”

Of course Layne was sick with grief. He’d lost his lover. The motherfucker deserved to suffer.

Dylan rubbed the back of his neck. He had to keep his anger at bay. If his mother recognized it, she wouldn’t take him to his dad.

“You know I won’t rest until I see Dad.”

She patted his arm then lowered her hands and sighed. “I know, but I have to know you won’t hurt him. Your kinetic abilities activate when negative emotions affect you. It’s why they’re dark.”

“You owe this to me after all the lies. I need to see him.”

“I’ll allow it, but on one condition. Scott must accompany you.”

He fought the urge to bark a response. He didn’t want his friend listening while his dad taunted him about Layne and Heaven. There was no doubt his father would touch on the subject.

“Will it just be Scott and me?”

“Two Keepers will be on standby. If you behave, they’ll keep their distance.”

It wasn’t the scenario he wanted, but at least it was getting him closer to his old man. If Scott’s Cooler abilities worked, he’d remain calm and keep his wits about him, but it wouldn’t prevent his hatred.

“Fine. Scott can stay. Maybe he’ll use his abilities on Dad and me. Who knows? This conversation may be the most civilized one we’ve had.”

His response appeased her. She nodded once and forced a smile on her face. While Dylan didn’t doubt Scott's ability to ease a tension-fueled situation, he wasn’t sure his friend had taken on energy as powerful as the force flowing through Dylan’s body.

He’d never felt this enraged. Even the Bender who’d kidn*pped Heaven in Aruba hadn’t evoked this strong of an emotion. Nor had Layne when he betrayed Dylan.

In all honesty, he hoped Scott couldn’t handle him. Then Scott wouldn’t be able to stop Dylan when he electrocuted his father.