Destroyed Read Free Page A

was right there in the room with me. It smelled of cloves and when I licked my lips I tasted the faintest bit of cinnamon. Somehow he’d managed to imbue the greenhouse with that energy. I could bleed power into roses, but I’d never tried it with anything else.
    He was so genuinely good. I was still having a hard time accepting that he was the Master Destroyer. I wondered how he was doing it, if he was always a Guardian. Maybe he could turn both Guardian and Destroyer energy on and off. Most Guardians couldn’t do that. A few tried, but they rarely made it back to the Guardians after playing Destroyer. Jason, for example.
    Being a Destroyer must be killing Kai. Destroyers were evil to the core and Kai was the leader of all of them. Judging by the energy in the greenhouse, he hadn’t been spending much time as a Destroyer. Maybe Puck was worried for nothing. If that was the case, then I could go home.
    Heck, I was more of a Destroyer than he was, with my mother and Dwayne’s energy still inside me. The darkness wore on me. Puck’s Guardian energy was the only thing that kept the darkness at bay. Sometimes I even forgot it was there. When I was alone, however, it simmered right underneath the surface, threatening to spill over in anger or sadness.
    The plants were neatly arranged on the shelves, tables, and on the floor. There was no mess, no dirt, no chaos. I smiled. That would change. I sat on the floor and allowed myself to relax for the first time since I walked away with Kai at Ginny’s wedding. He showed up at the wedding unexpectedly and asked me to dance. If I were going to convince Kai that I was on his side, I had no choice but to go. I still wasn’t sure why he came for me.
    I closed my eyes and inhaled, smelling old rose. I waited for the familiar feel of my greenhouse to come to me. It didn’t. My grandmother’s influence was nearly gone, though the roses did help tamp down my mother and Dwayne. I listened to myself for a moment.
    I didn’t trust Kai the way I trusted Puck. Puck had always been up front with me. I knew exactly where I stood with him and he never once tried to use my love for something other than what it was. I appreciated that. I was sure I’d been in love with Puck since the moment I kissed him at that stupid kissing party. It just took me awhile to notice.
    Which was why it was stupid that I was here with Kai. But really, it was all for Puck.
    The door opened and Kai walked in and settled himself on the floor next to me. He had a calming effect on me. I smelled lavender and knew he was trying to influence me. I didn’t mind. I opened my eyes and found him staring at me intently.
    He pushed a strand of hair out of my face and my skin tingled where he touched it. “I like your hair, it suits you.”
    I smiled. “Thank you. But it's a little bland for me. You never saw the green.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “That must’ve been something.”
    “It was.” I didn’t know what to say to him. I wiped my palms on my shorts. It was roasting in here.
    After a minute of awkward silence, he finally spoke. “Why did you come with me? You didn’t say a word on the airplane and now you are hiding out in here.”
    “Why did you come?”
    “I came to the wedding to apologize. I didn’t actually expect you would accept the offer to come with me. I had hopes, but no expectations. Now you are acting like you don’t want to be with me. So why are you here?”
    “I’m hiding in here because of my dad. I’m with you because you need me.”
    He pursed his lips. Because I love you , that’s what he wanted to hear. But that wouldn’t be believable or true. But did he need me? Absolutely. Puck said Kai wouldn’t make it back to the Guardians without me. For him to trust me, I had to convince him that I wanted to be here. Puck’s words resonated with me. Whatever it takes.
    “I barely know you.” I hesitated, wanting to make sure I sounded genuine. “In some ways, I’m here because I