Heavy Metal (A Goddesses Rising Novel) (Entangled Select) Read online

  “It’s time to come home, Sam. Quinn needs you.”

  Sam waited, but Nick didn’t elaborate. “What, we cut to commercial break or something? What are you talking about?”

  Nick sighed. “That was supposed to make you drop everything and come running.”

  Sam tossed up his free hand in exasperation. “You have never, in the entire time I’ve known you, wanted me to drop everything and come running. Most of the time, you wanted me to disappear.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ve proved yourself useful.” Nick chuckled, but Sam could tell his heart wasn’t in the joke.

  He frowned, concerned. “What’s going on?”

  “Quinn’s not doing well, Sam. I can’t let her keep waiting you out.”

  “Not doing well how? And waiting me out for what?” He didn’t have the patience for beating around the bush. He wanted to get back to the Society and see how Riley was doing.

  “The power she’s holding from the leechings. It’s having an effect on her. She’s trying to hide it, but she’s weaker and tires more easily. She can’t tell me how long she’s slept.”

  “Shit.” That more than anything told Sam Nick had reason to worry. Quinn’s source was the moon, and that connection gave her the ability to tell how much time had passed, to the minute, even while she was sleeping. She acted like it was a parlor trick, but when Sam had been her manager, he’d used it to gauge her health and stress levels and keep her from overtaxing herself. The only other time she hadn’t been able to tell, the situation had been serious.

  But he didn’t know what that had to do with him. “What can I do that you’re not already doing?”

  “She’s ready to transfer the power back.”

  A burst of excitement sent Sam to his feet. “Really? She found a way? How?”

  “We’ve been doing obscure research, and she’s experimented a little. We think there’s a way to transfer power back to Tanda and Chloe without doing anyone any harm.”

  “That’s awesome.” From the day she’d drained all the stolen power from Anson, Quinn had wanted to get rid of it. Sam hadn’t expected it to be so difficult. “When are you going to do it?”

  “As soon as you can get here.”

  Sam looked at his watch, then signaled to John before heading out of the park. He wanted to get back to Riley. “I can’t. I’ve got something going on here that I can’t break away from.”

  Nick heaved a heavy breath. “We can’t do it without you, Sam.”

  “Why?”

  “Quinn needs to explain it to you, she understands it better. But something about needing a filter.”

  Sam wanted to help. Anson’s victims deserved to get their abilities back, and he didn’t want Quinn to suffer. But he couldn’t just walk away from Riley, not until he could fulfill his promise to her. Once she was settled at the Society and they’d made sure she was safe, then he could go.

  John fell into step beside him, and he lengthened his stride, gaze locked on the Society building a few blocks away. “How long can we put it off?”

  Nick’s silence was laden with disappointment and frustration. “How much time do you need?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Yeah, do that. And in the meantime, I’ll keep trying to keep Quinn alive.” He hung up before Sam could find out if he meant it or was just being dramatic.

  It didn’t matter if Nick was exaggerating the threat. However urgent the situation in Ohio, it meant Sam needed to take care of the one in Boston as fast as possible.

  …

  Riley filled out the registration paperwork while Marley did whatever an education coordinator did, and then sat silently while Marley reviewed the packet.

  After a few minutes of studying the first page well beyond what Riley thought it merited, Marley asked, “What did Sam want to talk to John about?”

  Riley shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

  Marley nodded and finally seemed to focus on the paper in her hand. “Riley Kordek, twenty-three, orphan, yada yada,” she mumbled, skimming. “No fixed address…that’s unusual nowadays.” She seemed to realize she’d been thinking out loud and raised her head. “In the early days of the Society, secrecy was paramount and goddesses often had to move a lot to avoid persecution. Sometimes they were labeled witches.”

  She waited until Riley nodded, clearly uncertain if she should offer the history lesson. But despite herself, Riley was fascinated.

  “Things are a lot different now,” Marley told her. “You can find small-mindedness and fear without looking too hard, but you can also find welcoming communities. And the more we help people, the more accepting they are.”

  She jotted a note on a pad and flipped to the second page, skimming again. Riley had written a little bit about how her power manifested and how she used it. She’d left off the part about the forklift, still freaked about the whole thing.

  “So.” Marley stuck the papers into a file folder and scribbled Riley’s name on it. “Tell me about how you figured out metal was your source.”

  Riley shrugged and wiggled her hands under her legs, pressing them against the rough, nubby fabric of the chair. “I can’t pinpoint it, really. Stuff just seemed to happen, and eventually I realized I could make it happen, and once I figured that out, I realized it was always when I was touching metal.”

  “Can you describe how you do it?” Marley wrote on the back of the registration form as Riley tried to express the sensation of making herself more. As she struggled to explain something so unique, Marley’s writing got faster and harder. The pen dug into the paper, and her knuckles turned white. Like she was…mad?

  Riley tapered off, but Marley didn’t say anything. “Um…how does it work for other people?”

  Marley heaved a big sigh and dropped the pen onto the pad. “It’s different for everyone.”

  Riley waited. That was it? That was all she was going to say? She’d been sitting here like a little kid registering for school, fighting the sense of inferiority because Sam insisted these people could help her. And she got different for everyone.

  “Is this a bad time or something? You don’t seem very happy about doing this.”

  Marley’s mouth fell open with a look of dismay. “Oh, Riley, I’m sorry. It’s not like that at all.” She sighed again and straightened her shoulders. “Every manifestation is similar, but every goddess describes it differently. Everyone accesses the energy in unique ways.” She leaned her arms on the desk and focused on Riley. It was the first time she’d made real eye contact, and the strange paleness of her eyes jolted through Riley. It took a few seconds for her to catch back up to the conversation.

  “My sister, Quinn—her power source is the full moon. When it’s up, she says she has a constant awareness of it, like a sense that it’s available, and she can reach out and use it.”

  “What’s your source?” Riley asked. Ah, that was the problem. She could see it on Marley’s face. Riley thought she wasn’t going to answer, and when she did, her voice was much softer and less matter-of-fact than it had been seconds before.

  “My source is…was…crystals. If I held the little ones—like you can get in a touristy store—I was filled with light. That enabled me to make an impact on the things around me. With bigger, purer crystals, I didn’t need to touch them. I had a connection like a laser beam and could use them to open myself up to the energy.”

  A spurt of jealousy went through Riley. She ignored it, because Marley was talking in the past tense. “I have to be touching metal to use it.”

  Marley nodded and made another note. “You can probably do more, but you need training.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “I enjoy tailoring classes and mentorships to a goddess’s abilities, but I wish I could do demonstrations.”

  Riley tried to let it go, she really did. But Marley was talking like Riley already knew the story, and she couldn’t contain her curiosity. “You…can’t do it anymore?” Marley looked ashamed, and Riley r
ushed to correct herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. That’s prying—”

  “No, it’s okay. It’s common knowledge. I assumed Sam had told you.” She tilted her head and frowned a little. “What did Sam tell you?”

  “About…you?” When Marley nodded, Riley shook her head. At the diner Sam had talked a little bit about the people she’d meet and how he knew them but not in a lot of detail. “He used to work for your sister, right?”

  “Yeah. And me, for a little while, when I first started this program. I don’t run it anymore. I’m just filling in while the new director is on maternity leave.” She pressed her lips together. “I wish he had told you everything.”

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Riley had really mucked this up. “You’re here to help me understand what I am, right? It’s none of my business what happened to you.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s everyone’s business.” She sighed and stood again. “Look, it’s getting late. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

  Riley bit her lip. Where was Sam? He hadn’t said what would happen next. Whether he was going to drop her here and move on, or what. She wanted to stay with him tonight, but A, that was presumptuous, and B, no way was she going to admit it. So she shook her head.

  “Come on. You can stay with me. We’ll get takeout and I’ll tell you my sordid tale, and tomorrow we’ll figure out what we can do for you. Okay?”

  Riley didn’t even get a chance to hesitate. The door behind her opened, and Sam filled the space, looking deliciously disheveled. He’d carried fresh air into the tiny office with him, as well as an air of distraction. But his tense expression eased into a smile when he saw Riley.

  “How’s it going in here?”

  “Fine. Everything okay?” She twisted more in her seat to study him. His brow had furrowed again almost immediately, his gaze focusing inward. At her question, it snapped to her and Marley again.

  “Yeah. For now.” He angled his chin toward the messenger bag Marley was stuffing. “You done for the day?”

  “She’s all registered.” Marley switched off her computer monitor and slung the bag across her body. “She needs training, not that we have many people here right now to do that, and we can dig into the archives and see if we can find out anything about her family. I was just telling her she could stay with me tonight. I’m in the Society apartment.” She raised an eyebrow at Sam. “Where are you staying?”

  “Ahhh…” He looked from Riley to Marley and back. “She really needs a protector with her right now.”

  Marley smirked. “Okay, you can stay there, too. There’s room.”

  “I wasn’t—”

  From the hall behind him, an older man’s voice rumbled, “You should. I don’t have anyone in town right now. Told you we were stretched thin.”

  Sam stepped back and introduced Riley to John.

  He looked very much like she’d imagined. Older, maybe fifty or so, but as fit and tough-looking as he’d probably been twenty years ago. His hair was mostly gray, as was his five-o’clock shadow, and he clapped a proud hand on Sam’s shoulder as he joined the little group.

  “I heard Marley say something about training,” he said. “What kind?”

  Marley answered. “She needs to test her ability, see what works best to channel energy, do trials to see how it manifests. Determine her skill set.”

  “You’ll need a goddess for some of that.” John eyed Riley. “But I can do some preliminaries. Sam tells me you defended yourself pretty well against some attackers.”

  Riley nodded and shrugged. “If he says so.”

  “We’ll start there tomorrow, then. You’ll cover them tonight, right, Sam?” He slapped Sam on the back and strode away, whistling.

  “Looks like I’m it.” Sam raised his eyebrows at Marley.

  “Good.” Marley ushered them out of the office. “Chinese for dinner. I’m buying.”

  …

  An hour later, Riley sat on a fat cushion next to the coffee table in Marley’s living room, twirling lo mien noodles with a set of wooden chopsticks. Sam perched on the very rectangular couch, elbows on his knees, and dished himself sweet and sour chicken out of a cardboard container.

  Marley had said on the way over that the little apartment furnished in worn castoffs wasn’t technically hers. It was owned by the Society and used by goddesses in town for short visits. Marley had rented it while she was serving her time, so she still thought of it as hers even though she’d only be using it for a few more weeks. Riley was still trying to decide whether or not Marley had meant “serving time” tongue in cheek.

  “Okay. My sordid tale.” Marley dropped a handful of paper napkins on the cheap particleboard coffee table and sank onto her own cushion at the short end of the table. “Has Sam told you about the leech?”

  Riley shook her head.

  “Hadn’t gotten around to it.” Sam eyed Marley thoughtfully. “I thought you didn’t like to talk about it.”

  Marley shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. Much.”

  Sam didn’t look like he believed her, and Riley wouldn’t have, either. Marley’s tone was too sharp, like she was trying too hard to act like it was no big deal.

  “I can tell her,” Sam offered. “It was my fault.”

  Marley snorted. “Hardly.” She turned away from Sam and directed her next words to Riley. “To understand what happened to me, you have to understand us. Since your mother was dormant, how much do you know about goddesses?”

  “Not much. Just what I could get from your website and the street.” She cringed a little at the words that separated her from them. “I’m a complete newb.” She picked up a piece of broccoli and watched it drip soy sauce so she didn’t have to see Marley’s expression.

  “Well, you know how people talk about connected life force? An energy that’s created by all the life on earth and stuff like that?”

  “Sure.”

  “That’s essentially true. Energy is the core of our existence. Science has proved that, even though it doesn’t really deal with what most people call magic. And it’s fed by a lot more than life force. Okay, here’s an analogy.” Marley’s enthusiasm and warmth revved up, drawing Riley in. “You know how certain things conduct electricity better than others, and in different ways? Wires carry it into our homes, right? If lightning strikes a body of water, the electricity travels across it, but if power is generated in a power plant and directed through specific conductors, it comes into our homes and businesses to do different things. Run appliances, turn on lights, etc.”

  “I get it.” The concept wasn’t difficult. She applied Marley’s analogy to what she’d done that afternoon with the forklift. “The source of the power is a conduit, connecting us to the main pool of energy. How we use it is based on how we’re created or something. Like someone has a talent for painting or singing. I use mine as a force. You—” She cut herself off. She’d gotten carried away and forgotten the story they were leading up to.

  Marley forced a smile. “My sister can heal, among other things. Some goddesses are more specialized than others, but most can do a broad range of things, only limited by what they try. We’ll get you into some training and testing, see how broad your application is.”

  Riley nodded again and waited while Marley toyed with her fried rice, deep in thought.

  “Have you ever been in love?” Marley finally asked, looking up at Riley.

  Sam’s dimples flashed in the back of her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his head lift slightly. She flushed. “Not really.”

  “I was. Big mistake. I guess he was using me, and he got what he wanted. I gave him the ability to draw power, and it turned him into a leech.”

  Riley raised her eyebrows. She had to sort through the details of that short sentence to decide what to ask first. She went with the part that seemed least personal to Marley. “We can do that? Give someone else the powers we have?”

  Marley’s shoulders
dropped half an inch, and her hand relaxed on the chopsticks. “Only under very certain conditions. It takes a goddess with the capability and the son of a goddess with similar capabilities. But he’s not a natural vessel with an energy source, so once he uses what he’s initially given, it’s gone. He has to constantly reacquire power in some way.” She gave up the pretense of eating and dropped her chopsticks, slumping over her plate. “Anson was greedy. What I was willing to share wasn’t enough. He used what I’d given him to drain another goddess of all of her power. That’s permanent, and made him far stronger. In total, he drained four other goddesses. And then, when we tried to stop him, he drained me.”

  Riley wasn’t sure what to say. Poor Marley, to be so utterly betrayed by someone she loved. But in the back of her mind, part of her was ranting, demanding to know if that was why Sharla and Vern were after her. Funny how this power thing had caused her so many problems, but the realization that it could be taken from her turned her fingers to ice.

  “Is that why your eyes…” she began tentatively.

  “Yep.” Marley brushed a hand over them before picking up the chopsticks again. “All of us have abnormally light eyes now. Freaky, huh?”

  “What happened to the leech? Is he still out there?”

  “Somewhere. Quinn, my sister, defeated him and sucked all the power back out of him.” She dug in the takeout bag for a wax-paper-wrapped egg roll and a packet of duck sauce. “He was in jail for a little while, but the normal authorities didn’t have much on him, so he’s free again. But powerless.”

  Riley’s appetite had left her. She drew a leg up and rested her chin on her knee. “What happened to the other leeched goddesses?”

  Sam cleared his throat and poked at a piece of chicken. “One died of complications from diabetes last year, unrelated. The other three, Jennifer, Tanda, and Chloe, are okay. Normal. But—”

  “But not really,” Riley finished. “How could they be?”

  The reality of their loss sat heavy in the silence for several moments.

  “What about the power she pulled from him?” Riley asked when she couldn’t hold her curiosity in any longer. “Is it gone?”