by Knight, TW
Memories flashed in his mind. Those had been dark days for the humans. So many were lost while he and the others sat in prison, helpless.
Cassidy’s soft cough pulled Rail back to the present.
Letting go of the dark thoughts, he snorted. "Imagine how pissed Lucifer was to discover he couldn’t cross over himself."
"But I thought…there are stories…"
Rail shook his head. "No. The manifestations of Lucifer are projections, demons, and minions, nothing more than tools and extensions of his power."
Cassidy gave him a questioning look. "But every religion has angels who intervene on behalf of God."
"Right. God created a new breed of angels to place on Earth as replacements, but they were no competition for the demons—on the advice of the Hierarchy, God had cut back their gifts. Most were little more than guiding spirits or muses. Those who had once been on Earth had their gifts reduced before they were allowed back. Even the new warrior class was weaker and fled back to Heaven with their tails tucked between their legs." He snorted his disgust. Realizing they needed help, members of the Hierarchy convinced God to use the imprisoned angels, send them back to Earth to fight the war."
Cassidy raised her hand. "Uh, who is the Hierarchy?"
"The Hierarchy consists of the first children of God. They are born solely of the Heaven dimension. They became known as the Arch Angels and are the most powerful. Lucifer was once a leader amongst their ranks. My brothers and sisters are lesser angels created after humans became more than animals."
"Wait. If you guys are weaker and the new angels are weaker, then why didn’t this Hierarchy fly in and take care of business?"
Rail's sharp laugh made Cassidy jump.
"Let me guess," she offered, "these big-high-mucky-muck angels realized they were in deep shit, didn’t want to risk themselves or the other angels, and decided you were expendable?"
"Pretty much." Pride flooded Rail. Cassidy had a quick wit and a quick mind. And she was his. "But the imprisoned said, ‘No, not after what you did to us and the people we loved.’ They were willing to stay imprisoned forever, even if it meant turning their backs on the humans. Who could blame them?"
"Understandable." She nodded solemnly. "I’d tell them to fuck off too."
"The Hierarchy took offence, as did God—who wanted the humans to be protected."
Caught up in the story, Cassidy leaned forward. "What happened next?"
"One day, every one of the imprisoned angels were tossed out of Heaven and told to stop the demons."
"Why didn’t they refuse to fight, or go into hiding, or join Lucifer like the escapees had?"
"The Hierarchy hobbled them." Rail tightened and released his fists. Rage simmered just below the surface, feeding the need to transform and relieve the pressure. Sucking in air through clenched teeth, he willed his inner beast to calm. "Just before they cast out the prisoners, the Hierarchy tore the immortal souls from the angels and scattered them amongst the unborn humans."
Cassidy lifted a shaky hand to her pale cheek. "Why?"
"Insurance. The angels didn’t know where their souls landed and if they wanted to keep their souls from being devoured by demons, they would have to protect the humans."
"How is it you know so much about this?"
"Because I was there." Rail shrugged. "I’m one of the outcasts."
Chapter Four
"And what does this have to do with me?" Cassidy asked, a hint of skepticism and irritation in her tone.
"You are my Aktura, my soul-keeper."
"Excuse me? I’m your what?"
"My…"
"I heard what you said," she snapped, "but you’re wrong. I am not some storage unit for your soul."
"There is no mistaking the connection, Cassidy."
Moving with confidence, if not strength, Cassidy stood and moved in front of Rail. "Well, I gave you a chance to explain yourself, and you have."
"I have? You believe me?" The tension slid away; relief coursed through him.
"Yes. You are just as insane, if not more so than I thought you were."
"I am not insane. Everything I told you is the truth."
"Riiight." Cassidy patted his arm and shifted to the side, attempting to get past him. "Get out of my way."
"You’re not leaving." Rail parked himself in her path, arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes. I. Am." Once again, she pushed against him and found it was like trying to push a mountain. "Move!"
"You are not leaving. I can’t protect you from the skratars if you’re out running around."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cassidy huffed, giving one more weak push.
"The creature that attacked you is a called a skratar. They hunt our soul-keepers and kill them in order to kill us. If you die, I die."
* * *
Cassidy blinked a few times and then sat on the edge of the bed. There was so much weight and emotion behind Rail's words; she felt their truth. It was staggering. Maybe this is really happening. Cassidy chewed on her lower lip and reviewed what she remembered since leaving work. She had been attacked by a monster—not a rabid bear, as she had tried to persuade herself. She had seen Rail and the other man, Boomer, transform into something frighteningly inhuman. And she could no longer deny the connection she felt when Rail was near. It was as though they’d known each other for years. There was a buzz of electricity between them that grew when he touched her.
With a resigned sigh, she gave in—more out of fatigue than true understanding. "Okay. Say I believe you, what does this mean for me?"
"To start, it means giving up the life you have." Rail sat and took her hand in his. "But I’ll try to make the transition easy for you."
Reality hit home. "Tempe. Oh, my God. I was on the phone with her when that thing attacked. She must be worried sick. My family…the police would have called them."
"I’m sorry, but they can’t know you survived."
"What! No. I can’t let my parents go on not knowing what happened to me."
"It’s best if you just disappear."
"Hell no." Her eyes lit with an inner fire focused fully on Rail. "I am not leaving my family and friends wondering what happened," she said forcefully. "No. If I’m even going to consider that this is the truth and leave with you, you are going to let me call my parents."
"You can’t tell them about us," Rail's voice took on a dangerous rumble.
Cassidy pulled her hands free of his tightening grasp. "Why not? Aren’t you going to protect them too?"
"They’re not in any danger from the skratars."
"No, no, no. You said those things hunt your soul-keepers. What’s to keep them from going to my family’s home looking for me?"
Rail's eyes glazed over.
"Hello! Are you listening? What’s to keep them from killing everyone in my apartment building who are looking for me?"
Again, nothing. His brow creased with concentration.
"Rail!" She gave him a slap on the arm. "Answer me."
"They should be safe now that you’re gone."
"Should be. Should be?" Cassidy shook her head and turned away. Tears burned the back of her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams had she considered her life taking such a dramatic and strange turn. "How did this thing know who or what I was?"
"I don’t know, but they are good at what they do. As far as we know, there are very few Knights left."
"Well, why don’t you round up all the soul-keepers and move them some place safe?"
Rail shrugged. "Because we don’t know who they are until we meet them. We have to be close enough to feel their energy, their resonance. The four in residence with us were discovered during skratar attacks just as you were. One belongs to Kaz and another to Boomer. We haven’t found out who the other two belong to yet."
"Wait a minute." Cassidy stood and looked down at him. "Are you telling me that your enemy can find your soul-keepers, but you can’t? And you don’t even know how they are
doing it?"
Rail stared at her, confusion and pain rippling across his face.
Cassidy moved directly in front of him. "How the hell am I supposed to feel safe and protected with you if you don’t even know how those things found me in the first place?" A thought struck her, turning her blood to ice. "There were some animal attacks recently. Were those people, uh, what did you call us? Acuras."
"Aktura," he corrected her, holding up a finger. "The plural is the same as the singular. And as to your question, no. I don’t think so. Nothing about them resonated with us when we examined the bodies."
"Then why were they killed? And don’t tell me those monsters didn’t do it. You just admitted you investigated the killings."
"The skratars are demons, predators. Just because their prey isn’t available doesn’t mean they won’t hunt. They killed those humans because they felt like it."
"But they were here in Nevada looking for me?" A shudder ran through her body.
He nodded.
"Then what’s to keep them from killing more people?"
Rail stood and moved closer. "It’s not your fault."
"No. It’s yours." Cassidy took a step back. "You’re supposed to protect us!"
"Now just wait a fuckin’ minute!" Rail growled.
Cassidy took another quick step back, gasping in shock.
"I’m sorry,” Rail lowered his voice and gently placed his big hands lightly on her shoulders. “I shouldn’t keep yelling at you like that. You don’t completely understand what we’re up against." He let out a long breath. "I’ll try to control myself better."
Recovering her composure, Cassidy pulled away, wincing at the pain in her arm. "Whatever."
"If I could have prevented those deaths, I would have."
She believed him. God help her, but she believed him. The guilt and pain was written on his face. "I know, but I still don’t understand why you couldn’t find me before the attack. Why you can’t find the others like me." Her eyes narrowed. "Unless…" Ideas fell into place like blocks in a computer game.
"What?" Rail moved closer.
"What if that was part of whatever was done to you when you were tossed out of Heaven? I mean, if you had a way to find your soul-keepers, what would stop you from gathering them and running off with them? You would have no reason to stick around and protect the rest of humanity, right?" Anger colored her cheeks. "Those bastards."
Rail took another step forward. He buckled and dropped to the floor, groaning in pain.
"Rail! Rail! What’s wrong?" Cassidy knelt next to him and placed her hand on his back. Not only was every muscle tense, but he shook like a paint mixer. "Rail. Answer me."
He cried—a man being torn apart.
Cassidy wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Hold on. I’ll get help."
Not knowing what else to do, Cassidy clambered to her feet, raced to the corridor outside the room, and screamed.
Chapter Five
Rail clawed his way through the blinding darkness with pain so intense he envisioned broken glass slicing into his brain. He hadn’t felt this bad since his initial punishment by the Hierarchy.
Was he being punished now?
Cassidy’s voice, soft as a feather and tinged with fear, worked its way through the black fog filling his mind. Her trembling tones guided Rail out of the darkness and toward consciousness. Forcing his eyes open a crack, he locked onto Cassidy’s gaze. A mix of concern and relief danced in her beautiful eyes. Why hadn’t he noticed her eyes before? They were the color of dark caramel flecked with gold and emerald, made brighter by her sable hair hanging loosely around her face.
A face of a true angel. The kind poets wrote prose describing and sculptors coaxed from stone. The kind he’d lived amongst once.
He blinked a few times and Cassidy’s face vanished.
In the next blink, the image of Kaz on the verge of transforming as he held Cassidy to the wall filled his vision. Everything turned red.
"Let. Her. Go." Rail didn’t recognize his own voice. Each word drove another glass shard into his brain.
"Rail? Man, you okay? What did she do to you?" Boomer knelt next to him. "Let’s get you on the bed."
Ignoring Boomer and his pain, Rail snapped, "Kaz! Let Cassidy go. Now. She didn’t do this." When Kaz hesitated, a rumbling growl filled the room, making the walls vibrate.
"Please, Kaz," Cassidy gasped, keeping her eyes locked on Rail's. "I don’t know what’s wrong with him…but I’m pretty sure making him angry isn’t a good idea right now."
With a grunt, Kaz stepped back, hands held high. "What happened?"
"We were talking." Rail used the edge of the bed and Boomer’s arm to pull himself up, only to drop back to the floor, his legs turning to Jell-O. "Damn."
Cassidy was at his side a moment later. "Are you okay?"
"No. I feel like my head is going to explode," Rail caressed her hand, driven to calm her fears, "but I’ve felt worse."
"What can I do?" she asked softly.
"Well," Kaz snapped before Rail could answer. "You can explain what happened here."
Cassidy turned and stood toe-to-toe with the big man. "I told you, we were just talking and he collapsed. Jesus! If I had done something to him, would I have screamed for help? No. I would have ran. I would have escaped, asshole."
Rail was stunned. Cassidy’s first thought when he’d collapsed had been to get help and not escape. Which was probably why his brothers were confused.
As he watched Cassidy stand up to Kaz and stare him down, pride blossomed in Rail’s chest. His Aktura was strong, brave, feisty, and definitely not a wilting flower—in other words, a good match for him. For a brief moment, he could see a future with her. He shut those thoughts away before they woke his old fear. Guilt gnawed at his heart.
Kaz stepped around Cassidy and hefted Rail onto the bed. "The way you look, it reminded me of…"
"Yeah, I know. I thought the same thing." He winced as Cassidy sat down, jostling him slightly. "But I didn’t do anything to warrant punishment. Besides, when was the last time any of them even took notice of what we were doing?"
"Who?" Cassidy rubbed his back in slow circles, as though it were the most natural thing for her to do.
Rail began to purr. A low rumble in his chest. Her touch felt so good.
When Cassidy’s hand hesitated, Rail glanced up to see confusion turn to barely hidden amusement in her eyes. The corner of her mouth tilted in a half smile, her hand moving again.
"The Hierarchy," Boomer snarled and kicked the desk chair out of the way.
"Why would they punish you for talking to me? I am your, uh, Aktura, right?"
Rail closed his eyes. Searching, he reached out and felt the resonance of his soul laced with Cassidy’s. The warmth of the connection washed over him, easing his mental and physical pain. Threatening to reopen the emotional wounds he wanted to keep locked down. "Yes. No question. You’re mine."
Mine. The word reverberated with such possessiveness; it sent shivers down Cassidy’s spine—not from fear, but excitement.
Oddly enough, she felt just as possessive of Rail. He belonged to her in a way she didn’t understand. Seeing him in pain woke a desire to take care of him, help him. Protect him. A desire she chalked up to the soul connection he’d mentioned. But hearing mine leave his lips with such certainty woke a different kind of desire in her.
Something more primitive, carnal.
"What were you talking about?" Kaz’s voice broke into Cassidy’s sensual thoughts.
"Uh? What?" Cassidy looked up, hoping the warrior didn’t notice the heated blush creeping over her cheeks.
“I asked what you were talking about? Just talking wouldn’t put him on the floor writhing in pain.”
"Oh, I asked Rail how those monsters could find the soul-keepers, but you guys can’t." Once again, Cassidy was met by blank stares. "Hello? Do you know?"
"It’s just the way it is," Boomer answere
d dully. "We believe Lucifer created the skratars, specifically to hunt Aktura. It’s a given they’d be able to find them."
"That doesn’t make sense. The Aktura are connected to you, not them. You should be able to find us too." Cassidy turned when Rail placed a hand on her leg and squeezed lightly.
"Please stop."
"The pain again?"
He gave a single slight nod. "Like rolling thunder before the storm—in the distance, but not quite here yet."
"Okay, okay. No more questions." Cassidy worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She was on to something. There was a connection between the questions, Rail’s suffering, and the blank looks on the other guy's faces—as if the subject flipped a switch in the men’s brains, shutting them down. She could almost see it. Her mind worked through the threads, slowly worrying a knot apart. "A deterrent," she blurted as the thought clicked into place.
"What?" All three men stared at her.
"The pain. Don’t you see? It’s another punishment. A deterrent to stop you from thinking too much about finding your soul-keepers," she explained, smiling in triumph.
"Huh?" Boomer leaned against the doorjamb, confusion mixed with pain on his face. "Rail’s not looking for you. You’re right here."
Cassidy shook her head. "We were discussing why you can’t identify the Aktura until after you stumble across them in one of those skratar attacks. I kept pushing when Rail wasn’t able to answer my questions…then he keeled over in pain. It makes sense that something is blocking the thoughts." An evil glint sparkled in her eyes as she leaned toward Kaz. "I bet if I questioned you and got you thinking about the Aktura in the same way, you would—"
Visibly panicked, the big man cut her off, "Now’s not the time or place to test that theory. You up for traveling, Rail?" He pushed Boomer into the hall.
"Give me an hour?" Rail asked softly.
His voice sounded so weak, Cassidy worried about the aftereffects of this punishment. "Maybe we should take more time?" she asked hopefully, noticing Rail’s body still tensed under her hand. "You look like you could use a nap."