Read Online The Darkness Within by Jaime Rush - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jaime Rush
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on?”
Tucker sat on the edge of the coffee table and filled them in. Halfway through, he realized she was still standing there and gestured for her to sit. Del took one of the chairs, a soft swivel recliner, and twisted back and forth as she listened to his telling of the events of the afternoon. All the terror and fear gripped her again. Her mother, gone. She felt so damned helpless, and she heard the same frustration in Tucker’s voice when he finished with how they had no way to find Elgin.
Shea’s eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. “They’re looking for us. All of us.”
Tucker nodded, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Greer put his hand on her shoulder, and for a moment she leaned into him. Then she shrugged away, getting to her feet. “What do we do?”
Tucker said, “We watch our backs. They don’t know about us—”
“They know about you now,” Del said,. “Because you helped me, Elgin knows you exist.”
Shea turned on her. “You put him in the line of fire?” She looked at Tucker. “Is that true?”
Del thought the little spitfire might tear her head off.
Tucker took Shea by the shoulders. “They have her mother. I couldn’t not try to get her back.” He looked at the rest of them. “But they don’t know about you. We want to keep it that way.”
Darius wheeled forward. “We’re not going to hide and wonder when they’re going to nab us. We have to get them first.”
“We don’t know where they are. There are two of them. One is my and Greer’s father. The other guy is named Bengle.” Tucker met each of their gazes. “He didn’t look like any of you.”
Del took them in: Darius with his tight, angry expression; Greer big and brawny; Cody, who looked like a teenager with his fresh face and long lashes . . . and Tucker, whom she’d seen take on one of those creeps without hesitation. She didn’t want to believe that any of them could have mauled that guy last night. But they could have, and she needed to keep that in mind.
Tucker said, “Shea, you should—”
“I know what you’re going to say, and no, I’m not moving back here. I love my place, which isn’t littered with dirty socks and towels and junk food. I can take care of myself.” She gave him a meaningful look. Maybe healing wasn’t the only thing she could do.
“Not against these guys,” Tucker said.
Greer flexed his big hands, ready for the fight. “How did you take on the guy you fought?”
Del had wondered that, too, and leaned forward to hear his answer better. In fact, he had all of their attention.
“I kept shredding his Darkness. I went ape-shit on him, just flipped out. I must have swiped a thousand times, and I kept seeing bits of him flake off. He would pull them back, and he was so busy doing that, he wasn’t properly fighting me. He made these sounds, like it hurt. I think it wore him down, weakened him.”
“How do you kill them when they’re in Darkness?” Del asked.
“We don’t know,” Tucker said. “We’re the only ones we’ve been around who have it. So far we haven’t wanted to kill each other.” He shot them a sheepish raise of his eyebrow. “Mostly.”
“We spar each other,” Greer said. “Out in the desert. Tucker fell off a cliff once, hit a few rocks on his way down. He was kind of our test subject.”
“I stayed in Darkness as I fell. It hurt, tore into me, but I was able to heal myself.” Tucker faced her, probably seeing the horror of the picture Greer had put in her mind. “We’re just rearranging our energy when we Become. We pull from the deepest part of ourselves, from the Darkness we hold inside.”
He held out his hand, palm up, and that black spiral she’d seen him make earlier appeared. It writhed up like a quicksilver snake. He flicked at it, making it tremble. “I can feel it when I do this. It’s like this bit is part of me, part of my energy.”
Darius reached over and swiped it, making it go poof . “If you break
Tucker sat on the edge of the coffee table and filled them in. Halfway through, he realized she was still standing there and gestured for her to sit. Del took one of the chairs, a soft swivel recliner, and twisted back and forth as she listened to his telling of the events of the afternoon. All the terror and fear gripped her again. Her mother, gone. She felt so damned helpless, and she heard the same frustration in Tucker’s voice when he finished with how they had no way to find Elgin.
Shea’s eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. “They’re looking for us. All of us.”
Tucker nodded, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Greer put his hand on her shoulder, and for a moment she leaned into him. Then she shrugged away, getting to her feet. “What do we do?”
Tucker said, “We watch our backs. They don’t know about us—”
“They know about you now,” Del said,. “Because you helped me, Elgin knows you exist.”
Shea turned on her. “You put him in the line of fire?” She looked at Tucker. “Is that true?”
Del thought the little spitfire might tear her head off.
Tucker took Shea by the shoulders. “They have her mother. I couldn’t not try to get her back.” He looked at the rest of them. “But they don’t know about you. We want to keep it that way.”
Darius wheeled forward. “We’re not going to hide and wonder when they’re going to nab us. We have to get them first.”
“We don’t know where they are. There are two of them. One is my and Greer’s father. The other guy is named Bengle.” Tucker met each of their gazes. “He didn’t look like any of you.”
Del took them in: Darius with his tight, angry expression; Greer big and brawny; Cody, who looked like a teenager with his fresh face and long lashes . . . and Tucker, whom she’d seen take on one of those creeps without hesitation. She didn’t want to believe that any of them could have mauled that guy last night. But they could have, and she needed to keep that in mind.
Tucker said, “Shea, you should—”
“I know what you’re going to say, and no, I’m not moving back here. I love my place, which isn’t littered with dirty socks and towels and junk food. I can take care of myself.” She gave him a meaningful look. Maybe healing wasn’t the only thing she could do.
“Not against these guys,” Tucker said.
Greer flexed his big hands, ready for the fight. “How did you take on the guy you fought?”
Del had wondered that, too, and leaned forward to hear his answer better. In fact, he had all of their attention.
“I kept shredding his Darkness. I went ape-shit on him, just flipped out. I must have swiped a thousand times, and I kept seeing bits of him flake off. He would pull them back, and he was so busy doing that, he wasn’t properly fighting me. He made these sounds, like it hurt. I think it wore him down, weakened him.”
“How do you kill them when they’re in Darkness?” Del asked.
“We don’t know,” Tucker said. “We’re the only ones we’ve been around who have it. So far we haven’t wanted to kill each other.” He shot them a sheepish raise of his eyebrow. “Mostly.”
“We spar each other,” Greer said. “Out in the desert. Tucker fell off a cliff once, hit a few rocks on his way down. He was kind of our test subject.”
“I stayed in Darkness as I fell. It hurt, tore into me, but I was able to heal myself.” Tucker faced her, probably seeing the horror of the picture Greer had put in her mind. “We’re just rearranging our energy when we Become. We pull from the deepest part of ourselves, from the Darkness we hold inside.”
He held out his hand, palm up, and that black spiral she’d seen him make earlier appeared. It writhed up like a quicksilver snake. He flicked at it, making it tremble. “I can feel it when I do this. It’s like this bit is part of me, part of my energy.”
Darius reached over and swiped it, making it go poof . “If you break
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