Coercion Read online

  “We ask someone for help. Have you never had to do that before?” Trey smirked at me before getting out of the car and closing the door.

  “You’re kind of snappy, you know,” Meredith said, as if I had requested a personal evaluation on my behavior.

  “Really? Snappy? I think I have the right to be.”

  “Let’s just get out of the car,” Beth said to Meredith, and the sense that the two of them had teamed up against me raised my hackles.

  “Hey,” I said, getting out also. I followed them as they approached Trey where he stood talking to a man who had just left the store. “This hasn’t exactly been the most ideal field trip for me. The police hate me now, my boyfriend’s still missing, I’m waiting for this psycho dude to decide he’s got powers and can protect me, and I’m losing my identity! Which part of this am I supposed to be okay with?”

  Trey handed the man’s phone back along with a wad of cash. “Thanks so much, man. Our Uber will be here in five minutes.”

  “No problem,” the man said. He pocketed the cash and walked away.

  Trey turned his attention on us and flashed a smile. “It’s not Jayne’s fault. She’s changing and doesn’t know how to deal with it.”

  Beth raised an eyebrow like only a sister can and said snarkily, “Like, she’s going through puberty?”

  I glared at her, but Trey almost managed to keep a straight face when he said, “Something like that.”

  Neither one of them was helping the situation. I crossed my arms over my chest with a humph and stomped back to the car.

  They left me there to stew alone until the Uber pulled into the store parking lot. Then Meredith called my name, and we all climbed into the back.

  None of us said a word as the driver headed to the address Trey had previously given him. I had no idea what everyone else was thinking, but I was lost in my own world. Something strange was going on with me, and I didn’t like it at all.

  It was nearly forty-five minutes later that the Uber deposited us at an old farmhouse. Pasture stretched out around it with a line of trees in the distance, probably indicating a stream farther on. By the time the Uber driver left, a few dogs had come out to greet us, long tails wagging slowly as they surveyed us.

  “Come on,” Trey said. “Let’s get inside and say hello.”

  “He’s not expecting us, is he?” None of us were using our phones, so I knew no one had contacted him that way.

  “No,” Trey said with a snort. “We don’t have some special telepathic means of communication.”

  He said it so derisively that I immediately felt stupid for wondering. “Of course not,” I said. “We’re the most normal group of teenagers you could ever find, with no unusual abilities. Telepathic communication would just be outside the realm of possibilities.”

  Meredith laughed, which did give me a smug validation. But then she said, “Will he be happy to see us?”

  I turned my attention back to the matter at hand.

  Trey shrugged. “We won’t find out till we go in.”

  Not exactly reassuring.

  By the time we got to the farmhouse, the screen door had opened to reveal an old man. And I do mean old. He kept one hand on the porch door, and I could see how it trembled. The other hand was in his pocket. His eyes, watery and rheumatic, stayed on us as we approached. His expression was blank, and I wished I was telepathic. I had no clue what he was thinking. I hoped he would welcome us and not turn right around and call the police.

  “Hey, Grandpa!” Trey called out, his voice louder than usual. “I hope you don’t mind a visit.”

  “I wasn’t expecting one,” the man said, the words taking their time to exit his mouth, like each one held weight and importance.

  “Yeah,” Trey said. “Kind of an emergency. I have some questions. About our family traits.”

  We had reached the porch now, and his grandfather’s watery gaze moved from Trey to focus directly on me. I gulped. He knew who I was. His eyes froze me, holding me still for an eternal minute.

  “Come on in, then,” he said finally, opening the door wider. “It’s past suppertime, but I can heat something up.”

  I didn’t realize I was hungry until he said that. We’d run out the door in a hurry, and I’d been stressing. I was coming down from my adrenaline rush.

  We stepped inside, Meredith and my sister and I huddling close together. A living room with a hearth greeted us, a small breakfast nook and kitchen to the right before a staircase climbed to the second floor. The furnishings were simple and rustic, an old couch and a polished table with benches. “This is a nice place you have here,” I said with an attempt at a smile.

  He chuckled as he closed the door and shuffled behind us, shepherding us into a dining room. “Been in the family for generations. Almost as long as we’ve been associated with your kind.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I was silent as he turned on the gas range and warmed up a pot of beans. He put a chunk of corn bread into four different bowls, scooped beans next to it, and passed it around. I had never eaten such simple fair, but it was incredibly satisfying.

  “You live here alone?” Meredith asked after she finished her food, a touch of concern in her voice.

  “Have for the past seven years, since my Lillian passed on. But farm work is good work for the soul, and I’m satisfied.” He turned his eyes from Meredith to Trey. “What’s going on, son? Last I heard from your mama, you’d been locked up.”

  Some emotion flared behind Trey’s eyes. But he kept his voice calm. “I was discovered. The vadatajs planted false evidence and used their influence to get me locked away.”

  “Vadateyesh what?” Beth whispered to me. “What’s that?”

  “The goblins,” I whispered, then waved my hand to shush her.

  “I could have used your help,” Trey continued, eyes steady on his grandfather.

  The man leaned back in his chair, studying Trey. “You know I am nothing but an old man now. I can’t help you. But I you should have been able to help yourself.”

  Trey thrust his arm out and pushed back the sleeve of his long T-shirt, revealing the braided chain branded across his arm. “They took it from me.”

  His grandfather’s face softened. “I didn’t know.”

  “You could’ve checked on me,” Trey bit out.

  I shifted uncomfortably, feeling like I’d been caught unawares in a domestic dispute. I glanced around the kitchen, wondering if I could flee up the stairs.

  “The last time I tried to help you, you told me to stop interfering. You told me you could handle it.”

  “Well, I was wrong!” Trey snapped. “I’m nothing but a headstrong adolescent teenager! You should know better than to listen to me!”

  A wry smile spread across the lips of his grandfather, and the old man chuckled. He slapped one hand against the wooden table and gave a hearty laugh.

  A twin smile appeared on Trey’s face. And then they were both laughing, while I exchanged a very confused look with Meredith. The two of them laughed while I sipped my water, trying to be patient.

  Finally his grandfather spoke again. “I’m sorry it’s been hard for you.”

  Trey nodded, the last trace of a smile fading from his lips. “Can you help me get my powers back?”

  “You know I can’t. But she can.” He nodded, turning his gaze on me. And despite his age, his eyes suddenly seemed sharp and penetrating.

  Trey made an impatient noise. “She doesn’t remember anything yet.”

  “She’s lying.”

  I gave a start. His eyes hadn’t left my face, and obviously he could see much more of me than I was comfortable with.

  Trey turned to me also. “So you have been remembering!”

  I swallowed hard, feeling as if I were under attack. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “She’s scared,” the old man said, and I felt a rush of irrational anger that he should speak for me. “Until she gets her emotions u
nder control, she won’t be able to help you.”

  “Okay, so.” Trey waved his hand at his grandfather and then at me. “Train her.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t.”

  Trey scrunched up his brow in confusion. “Of course you can. That’s what you did last time.”

  “Last time I was Auseklis. This time you are. You must train her, and she will set you free.”

  “How can I train her if I don’t have any powers?” The irritation rose in Trey’s voice.

  “What about the other one?” Now Grandfather looked at Beth. “Does she remember anything?”

  I’d had enough of this talking about us without talking to us. “Hey, we’re right here. What do you need to train me to do? And what is it I’m supposed to be remembering?”

  “Yeah, I’m a little confused too,” Meredith said, dragging herself into the conversation as if she were somehow relevant here. “What does Jayne do besides learn how people are going to die? And why was she forcing the guards to stand up against the wall?”

  I growled deep in my throat, shooting daggers at Meredith, annoyed she’d brought that up.

  “And why is she growling at me?” Meredith added. “Is there somewhere in the rules that Dekla becomes a werewolf also?”

  Beth giggled, her only contribution.

  “Trey, let me show you to your rooms and help you get settled down for the night,” his grandfather said. “And then your friend and I have things to discuss.”

  “Jayne,” I said. “My name is Jayne. And I’m not his friend.”

  The old man raised an eyebrow, and Trey kicked my foot under the table. “Jayne!” he hissed.

  But it was my little sister who said, “For the love of sugar, Jayne. Could you be any pricklier?”

  Judging from the set of Trey’s lip, he was thinking about laughing again, and I couldn’t have that. I stood up, pushing my chair into the table. “Let’s get this over with.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  I learned that Trey’s grandfather’s name was Rory. Rory put Meredith and Beth in the same room but gave me a room to myself. Their room only had two beds in it, but I still thought it odd not to be with them. I worried he was trying to separate us, or worse, that they didn’t want to be with me.

  Rory found some cozy flannel pajamas that must’ve belonged to his wife. I wrapped myself up in them and sat down on the bed, tucking my knees up to my chin and rocking back and forth. Why did I feel so completely out of my element?

  Someone knocked on my door, and I straightened up. “Come in.”

  The door opened, and Rory poked in his bushy white head. “Can you come out to the living room for a moment?”

  I nodded and untucked my legs, then followed him down the stairs to the rustic wood living room beside the kitchen. A floral couch from the eighties sat in front of the empty hearth. It was the only seat, and since Trey already sat there, I sat down on the bricks of the fireplace.

  “Well, Jayne,” Rory said, entering the living room to stand behind the couch. “I’m sure you have some questions. I know you’re very scared right now. But let me just tell you, you need to stop fighting it.”

  I frowned at him. “Stop fighting what?”

  “And stop acting like nothing is happening,” Trey added.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but that was my best defense. I turned my attention back to Rory. “So Trey said you can train me?”

  “I’m sorry for the confusion, but I can’t. As I said at supper.”

  “But Trey said you’ve done it before.”

  “Yes, I’ve trained my Dekla. But you are not her and I have not been assigned to protect you. I don’t even have powers anymore. Trey is your protector, and he is the only one who can train you.”

  I sent an accusing glare at Trey. “Why did you say he could help us? Why’d you even bring us here?”

  “Whoa there.” Trey held up his hands. “First of all, I’m super grateful you got me out of that place, but you’re the one who didn’t have a plan, not me. I’m coming up with one the best I can. I didn’t know Grandpa can’t train you. We needed somewhere to go, anyway, and here we’re still in your jurisdiction.”

  My jurisdiction? Before I could ask, Rory spoke.

  “And don’t write me off as useless just yet,” he said, his lips turning upward. “I can help Trey. And then he can train you.”

  I let out a slow exhale and unclenched fists I hadn’t realized I’d clenched. “Sorry.”

  “It’s all right. You’re not yourself right now. Quite literally.”

  And that was bugging me also. “Why? What’s happening with me?”

  Although I directed my question at Rory, he turned his placid gaze to Trey and said nothing.

  Tray cleared his throat. “First of all, I’m new at this also, right? I didn’t come into my powers until you got yours, and I’m still trying to figure things out. But I’ve at least been learning the lore since I was a kid. Now Dekla, when she handed her powers out to mortals, in a sense it was like she handed her DNA to another person. Also her experiences, her memories, even sometimes her feelings. And each time one Dekla comes to the end of her life and passes that thread on to another person, she passes down her memories and experiences also.”

  “Why?” I couldn’t see the sense of that. My chest tightened, and I fought panic. “I’ll just get so confused about who I am.”

  Trey shook his head. “Only at first. This is what you’ve been asking for, Jayne. Discernment. Answers. You’ve been asking how to make the best decision, how to judge. You’ll have a thousand years of experience behind you once you get all their memories.”

  It was too much to wrap my mind around, and I was glad I was sitting down. “Everyone’s memories?” My hands gripped the bricks beneath me, and I felt a little sick to my stomach.

  “Not everyone’s,” Rory said, jumping in. Maybe he saw my panic. “Just the direct line you come from. Remember that Dekla spread her powers out among many mortals. There are hundreds of other Deklas scattered across the globe. You’re not an omniscient god who can see what’s happening with everyone everywhere at all times.”

  “And how many people have there been in my line since Dekla handed over these powers?”

  Trey shrugged. “There’s no way for me to have a real answer for that, you know? Just depends how many people died and passed it on. The host doesn’t have to die until she’s ready, so some of the Deklas may have lived for a very long time.”

  Rory interrupted. “It doesn’t really matter. At first it might feel like they’re taking over, all these memories, but you’ll adjust. They’re not going to affect who you are. But you’ll be able to tap into them, like opening a book or asking a friend a question. It’s only overwhelming right now because the memories are coming and going, the personalities are bumping into yours, and you have no place to put them, you have no classification for them.”

  I shuddered, desperate to believe that I wouldn’t be haunted by these dead people’s memories. “Okay. So how can I make this happen faster? And then is that it? I’ll have all the answers I need?”

  “It will happen faster when you stop being afraid of it. But we can also move it along with training,” Rory said.

  “Why do I need training if I’m going to learn from their experiences?”

  The two of them exchanged a look that almost seemed smug.

  “You don’t have a clue how powerful you can be, do you?” Trey said. “You’re a goddess of fate. You don’t just see how people are going to die. You can change how they’re going to live.”

  I rolled my wrist. “Yeah, it sounds like I’ve got so much power, but actually I don’t do any of that. All I can do is give suggestions to Laima, and she decides whether or not to take my advice.”

  Trey shook his head. “That’s only until you master your powers. Do you really think she wants to be the go-between forever?”

  I kind of thought Laima preferred to micromanage all of her mini-goddesses. I
tilted my head, intrigued by the prospect of something different. “So what, then? Eventually I’ll have the final say?”

  “You’ll have so much more than that,” Trey said. “You can alter someone’s destiny. You can change the course of their life, not just their death.”

  His words sent a shiver down my spine. Really? I wasn’t just a specter of doom? The idea had so much hope and expectation in it that my throat closed off. “How?”

  “You have to learn to summon.”

  Images filled my mind of dead bodies rising from the ground to do my bidding. That didn’t make sense.

  “Summon your visions. You should be able to look at someone and summon a vision of their death at will, and then you can expand the vision to give you information about their life. You’ll see the choices they have, the pivotal ones that could change the course of their future.”

  I could only stare at him as past visions flashed through my head. Hannah. If she hadn’t gone to that bar, she might not have died by the hand of a serial killer. Harold. Could he have woken up earlier and saved his little sister from the fire? “I could’ve made a difference before now, you know,” I said with a snarl. “Someone should’ve been there with me the moment I started having visions, guiding me through this process!”

  Trey shook his head. “You’re forgetting you weren’t Dekla yet. Those visions were preparation for what was coming. You couldn’t change anything.”

  His words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I sucked in a breath. Aaron. The vision I’d had of him, of his future, his death. “But I supplicated Laima on behalf of some of them.” My hands trembled to think that vision might still come true. “Are you saying it was for nothing? She won’t change those deaths because I wasn’t actually Dekla yet?”

  Trey moved from the sofa and crouched in front of me, taking my hands. “Of course it wasn’t for nothing. Are you listening to anything I’m saying? You’re Dekla now. You can see someone’s future at will and ask to change it. And eventually, when you understand your power, when you have confidence in your abilities, you won’t even have to ask Laima.”