“She’s a fucking Seeker,” Juston raged. “A godsdamn demon bent on ending the universe and all life as we know it.”
Cal felt sympathy for his brother. He seemed to go for unavailable females. First Sleep, and now Dunkel, or whatever her real name was. “I’m sorry.”
Juston shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to get the fuck out of here before I lose it for real.”
“I want out too, but I’m not sure your suggestion is the best one.” Cal didn’t know if he could do it, if he could take Gemma’s virginity. What if they were wrong? He’d be robbing her of her innocence.
Or even worse, what if they were right?
Her whole life would change. She’d be locked into combat with evil beings, an integral part of the Armageddon to end all Armageddons. At least here, he knew she was safe. If she stayed locked inside her own mind, the Seekers might never find her.
How could he look into her beautiful blue eyes and curse her to unending suffering?
He felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, but you can’t protect her by leaving her like this. At least give the girl a choice. Let her tell you what she wants.”
“I can’t,” Cal said, running his hands through his hair. “I commanded her never to speak to me and now that I’ve lost my damn powers, I can’t remove the command.”
“But I can.”
Of course.Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Juston could use his own powers to bring back Gemma’s ability to speak. That is, if he still had his powers.
“It’s worth a try,” he said at last. Even if nothing else, it would make up for the cruelty he’d dealt her, at least in some small measure.
“I don’t know how much longer they’re going to let you stick around,” Juston said, poking his head out into the hallway. “Visitors usually have to leave before dinner.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure Grimm thinks I’ve already overstayed my welcome.” There was something about the doctor, something vitally important, but Cal couldn’t remember what it was.Oh well, it doesn’t matter until it does.
As stealthily as they could, the brothers made their way from red ward back to yellow. They crept to Gemma’s door, which remained unlocked. “Looks like Grimm hasn’t made it back to her yet. Remind me to thank Charlie for taking one for the team.”
When they entered, Gemma didn’t move. She was fast asleep.
“I hate to do this to her. She’s so exhausted.”
“I get it,” Juston said, “but this is too important. We can’t afford to wait.”
Nodding, Cal moved to sit on the bed beside his beloved. “My darling, you need to wake up.”
She frowned, and he noticed the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. His heart ached in his chest and he wished he could take her away from all this madness and just hold her for the next hundred years.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but we need you.”
Slowly, her eyelids crept open. When she saw him, she smiled, and his heart lit up. Then she saw his brother and confusion leapt onto her face.
“It’s okay, Gemmaline. Juston is here to help us. I’ve lost my powers, but he should still have his. You’re going to listen to him carefully, okay?”
Juston knelt beside the bed and looked into Gemma’s eyes. As Cal watched, his brother’s pupils flashed red. “You’re allowed to speak to my brother. You will ignore the command he placed upon you. You’re free to say what you want.”
Gemma’s eyes flashed to Cal as if to ask for confirmation. He nodded, hoping it was enough to break the spell in her mind.
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Cal?”
Relief flooded him. “Yes, baby, I’m here.” He held her tightly, then pulled back in confusion. “Wait, how did you know my real name?”
“I heard… your brother call you that,” she said, her voice high and unsure. “And I found you… in the data stream. Calabez Vartik.”
Juston whistled. “Fuck. She knows about us. She is the Guardian.”
“Darling, what do you mean, you found me?”
