Unforgotten(88)

Like gravity.

He reaches up and opens the necklace. I know he won’t let me wear it. That’s too risky. Which means he has to hold it up to my skin to activate the gene.

He pulls on the chain, drawing the heart-shaped amulet out from under the collar of his shirt. I can’t help but notice how wrong it is to see it around his neck. My gift from Zen. The symbol of everything we have. Held hostage by this tall, handsome Diotech agent.

And yet, it’s appropriate as well.

Diotech has always come between Zen and me.

Kaelen takes another step. The pull becomes more intense. I attempt to anchor my feet to the ground to keep from being yanked toward him. To keep from launching myself into him, my arms around him, my lips against his. And never letting go.

He towers over me. I look up to meet his gaze. I know it won’t help anything. I know it will only make this worse. But there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

I see the strain on his face. The struggle. We are both fighting.

He extends the locket out, toward my chest. The chain doesn’t reach. I can see the annoyance on his face as he’s forced to come even closer to me. His feet step between mine. I feel his pant legs brushing against my own. His heavy breath hits my skin like an intoxicating wind. My brain turns to pulp. My limbs turn to liquid. I’m dizzy. So dizzy.

I swallow and attempt to breathe through my mouth.

Finally the chain reaches, the cold, hard surface of the back of the locket chills my body as he presses it against my chest, below my collarbone.

I can almost feel the engraving digging into my skin.

S + Z = 1609

How obsolete it’s become, knowing we can never go back there. Not even if I succeed today. That promise is long lost. That dream is over.

Kaelen’s hand rises up. I’m instantly drawn to it. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to press my cheek into his palm.

He looks at his hand, seemingly trying to decide where to place it. Where to make contact. What body part will yield the smallest effect?

I don’t think it matters.

Wherever he touches me, I will feel it everywhere. In my feet. In my toes. In my legs. In my chest. In my heart.

Completely, utterly, undeniably against my will.

Against both of our wills.

I lift my hand up, too, silently offering it as a neutral meeting point. He understands. His hand drifts toward mine, our palms about to meet, our fingers about to collide. I close my eyes, anticipating his touch. Anticipating the delicious sting. All the while still fearing what will happen when it comes and where I’ll be when I open my eyes again.

I can feel the heat of his skin just before it makes contact. And then suddenly I am surrounded by white. A warm light. I am floating. My feet are off the ground. And I don’t know if it’s because we’ve left or because we’re still here.

Every emptiness I’ve ever felt is suddenly full.

Every silence I’ve ever heard is suddenly singing.

Every sadness that’s ever come over me is lost beyond discovery.

Our bodies converge. Melt. Combine. As though we are two people, made out of the same foreign substance. Separated for centuries. Waiting to come back together.

Waiting for right now.

And then I feel the piercing, cold rush of the icy water slamming against me from all sides, knocking me back and forth. Splashing into my nose and mouth. I instinctively kick and flail with my arms to stay afloat. Hold my breath.

After a few seconds, I break through the surface. And when I open my eyes, I see that I am exactly where I started.

Floating in the middle of an endless, dark ocean.





PART 3

THE CHOICE





50

BEHOLDER



Unlike the last time I found myself in the middle of an ocean, I don’t have any broken airplane parts to keep me afloat. Kaelen and I are forced to flap our hands and feet to keep our heads above the surface. Not to mention keep ourselves warm. Despite our being built to withstand extreme temperatures, this water is something else. Like daggers of ice stabbing every inch of my body.

It takes us both a few seconds to get the hang of paddling in place and learn how to exert the least amount of energy, but after that it becomes easy. Like running. I could do it for hours and never tire. Despite the choppy current of the water and the occasional larger wave that slaps us both in the face.

Once we’ve managed to stabilize, Kaelen reaches down and snaps the locket shut. “I’m going to swim down a ways. Perhaps I can see something.”

“I’ll go with you,” I reply immediately, knowing that from here on I cannot let him out of my sight for an instant.

We both suck in a large breath and dive under. As soon as I open my eyes, I’m surprised by how well I can see. I knew my enhanced vision allowed me to see across long distances, and through the dark, but I expected everything underwater to be blurry and distorted. It’s not.