“He hasn’t. He was a little shaken by Kia’s display of... whatever it is she does to him,” I say, smiling as I think about Jack being taken down a peg or two. I see Brad frowning at my smile. “Trust me. You have to see it,” I say with a laugh.
Turning back to look at Matt and Kia before I walk through the kitchen door, I see he’s still got her curled up in his lap, her head tucked comfortably into his neck. He looks to be sleeping himself as he rests his own face on her head. Happy that they’ve reconciled things, I head off to my room to get ready.
Chapter Forty-Four
Matt
I hope never again to see Kia look at me the way she did earlier. I didn’t want to upset Rolland, yet he needed to know that Kia has to go home to her people and the chances of us surviving the serum are abysmal. The only alternative is to stay here and wait for the craft to be complete, then go look for her after. Though what are the chances we would find her? There are no maps of how to get in and out of Mid Gaia unless Jack knows the routes.
Kia still sits within my arms, her nose tucked into my neck, and if my body would allow it, I’d sit here all night till we had to leave. Though I wouldn’t be much good flying the chopper half asleep. With that thought of encouragement, I stand slowly, sliding an arm under Kia’s legs to support her weight. She shifts herself slightly with my movements and I begin to wonder if I’m hurting her back. Her energy flows from where her cheek now rests against my chest, seeming to ease some of my worries.
Thankfully, Seb’s left the kitchen door open, so I don’t need to juggle her about trying to open it. I make my way to Seb’s room wondering if I can just keep her like this and pack in the morning. Just set the alarm and get up before the rest of the house.
Rounding the corridor that takes me through to Seb’s room, I find Rolland sitting up against the headboard in his usual spot closest to the door on the bed, studying his phone - most likely going through emails regarding the farm, or maybe looking for possible stopping off points.
Seb is to my right, quietly packing a bag at his chest of drawers but stops when he sees us. He runs his eyes over her and a small smile appears on his face.
“You’re not going to put her down to pack, are you?” His voice is full of mirth. A smile plays along my own lips as I head over to the other side of the bed. Rolland still hasn’t looked up as he continues to study his phone.
Sitting carefully so as to not wake her, I ease myself down as though I’m holding a newborn baby that’s just fallen asleep.
“She won’t wake, Matt.” Rolland’s voice comes from behind me, though it sounds like he’s only giving me half his attention as he speaks. “She’s not sleeping per se, but she won’t stir if you move her either. Just be careful of your movements near her back,” he finishes, still sounding distracted.
Unsure of how to move her without causing her pain, I turn my back to the headboard, as I swing my legs up. There, that wasn’t so bad.
Rolland finally turns his head to me, his eyes full of humour and life. Glad to see him smiling again, I give him one of my own. Silently, I wish never to see such a tortured look on his face ever again. He returns his focus to his phone just as Seb appears from the bathroom with a few bits to go in his bag.
Deciding to get more comfortable, I pluck my phone from my pocket and settle in. I need to check if Gregg has replied yet but there’s nothing. Putting it to the side, I slide my feet under the duvet before pulling it up to cover Kia’s shoulders. I run my eyes over her face, taking in the dark eyelashes that fan against her fine lightly bronzed skin, which is looking slightly lighter tonight, with the depth of colour fading around her neckline. My eyes take in her pink lips that darken and swell as they do after being kissed. Her round face and delicate features are so unique to her - I doubt I’ll ever see anything like them again. I move my eyes over her black ebony hair, wondering how it shines and doesn’t mat without brushing it. Dipping my head forward to breathe her in, I fill my lungs with her scent. My gel has faded, leaving just her own unique essence, which I haven't been able to pinpoint. At first, I thought she smelt like the forest after it has rained – fresh and clean but with the hint of wet wood. Then it changed to something exotic, almost fruit-like, with the undertones of sweetness to it. As I breathe her in now, I can smell the sea, as though it’s pooling around my feet, calming me into a state of tranquillity.
My body unwinds with each breath, pulling me deeper into relaxation. I ease our bodies down the headboard, turning onto my left side to curl her deeper into me, then bury my face in her hair. Snaking my arms around her waist to hold her against me, sleep finds me fast, knowing she’s safe in my arms.
Chapter Forty-Five
Rolland
Something stirs me awake, but my ears don’t pick up on any sounds, so I have no idea what it could be. I feel for the connection to Kia and find it’s strong and steady, except she’s not next to Matt where she fell asleep. I feel for her emotions to find curiousness and worry flow back to me. Following the connection, I find it leads through to the front of the house. What is she up to now? The little minx can’t keep out of trouble for more than five minutes.
Forcing my eyes open, I let them adjust for a few seconds to the light coming from the lamp. More worry flows from Kia, prodding at my senses and waking me up further.
“Kia, what are you doing?” I ask her curiously, sitting up before swinging my legs off the bed. She doesn’t reply, concerning me more, but after a few more seconds of trying to wake my stiff eyes up, her feathery voice trickles through.
“Something not right, Rolland.” Her voice is full of apprehension, raising the hairs on my neck.
“You not being here in my arms is what is not right,” I try reassuring her, making my way to Seb’s door.
Pain fires through my stomach, pulling a breath from me and causing me to falter in my step, followed by another shot of pain, forcing me to double over, folding myself in half and falling to my knees. I try to drag air into my lungs, but I can’t. Another blast of pain hits me again, nearly rendering me unconscious. Putting my hands on my stomach, I find no blood, but the pain is still there. KIA!
I can’t take air into my lungs to call the guys and my body feels like it’s caving in from the pain that’s spreading up my body.
“SEBASTIAN! MATT!” I shout into their minds.
The pain continues to spread, then stops as she pulls it back into herself. Dragging air in desperately, I yell at the top of my voice, “SEB! MATT!!”
Tugging hard on our connection, the pain returns to me, but with it, the inability to speak or move. I hear Seb jump off the bed and he’s by my side in a fraction of a second.
“KIA. FRONT DOOR!” I shout again through their minds, still curled up on my knees. They both scramble from the room as Kia pulls on the connection, grasping for control of the pain, while she tries to shut me out of her feelings. Remorse soaks every inch of her and it’s as though she’s drowning in it. Anger seeps through, followed by more guilt as I see Matt’s and Seb’s faces flash across my vision from her own thoughts. She tugs hard and I lose my grip on it.
Hauling myself to my feet, I drag more air into my starved lungs, gaining some strength back in my limbs. I manage a few steps into the hallway, then stagger right, heading toward the front door. Feeling along our connection, I find her drowning in pain and darkness, lost to all other feelings. I yank hard on the link and pain covers me like a suffocating blanket. Heat, acid and something else crawls in my stomach, making me stumble over my feet but I grab for the wall to balance myself. I blunder a few more steps before she pulls the pain back, freeing me again. A couple of more steps and I see her as I round the corner. Seb has her in his arms, speaking to her as she curls her body in tight from the pain. I yank hard once more on the thread, and the pain returns, but I can’t feel her emotions - the connection is fading.
Kia relaxes as the pain leaves her and comes to me. I force myself up on my feet, filled with determination a
fter seeing her, but as I move toward her, the pain is pulled from me once more, allowing me to take a lung full of air. I stagger the last bit of the way, feeling for our connection to drag her pain back, but there’s nothing there.
Taking her out of Seb’s arms, I cradle her head in my hands. “KIA! DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS!” I scream at her.
Light catches in my peripheral vision from my right, but I don’t turn to look. All my focus is on Kia, who has gone completely limp - I feel no emotions, no pain and no connection to her.
“KIA, PLEASE DON’T. DON’T SHUT ME OUT!!!” I scream at her. My heart is pounding in my ears and the world begins to fade out.
I need to feel her, any emotion, something. Any-fucking-thing. “Please, Kia, baby, just let me feel you, sweetheart,” I whisper into her ear, but it comes out garbled through my emotions. Unchecked tears coat my cheeks and my heart feels like it’s being squeezed tight by some unknown vice.
Seb’s voice floats through to me, but I can’t hear his words. Everything around me has been muted, leaving only Kia’s face in focus in my hands. As I look down at her small lifeless frame, I find it soaked in blood. So much blood. Lifting her head to my chest, I still feel nothing.
“Rolland, she’s still alive.” Seb’s intense voice simmers somewhere.
I ease her head back to look at her face. “I can’t feel her,” I hoarsely whisper to him. “Kia, please,” I try one last time. Nothing.
Something begins to crawl its way up inside me. A darkness that’s looking for revenge for taking something so innocent, pure, and beautiful from this world. She’s suffered so much, only to be allowed a few hours of freedom before her life was taken from her. Why? The crawling feeling within me spreads, tracking its way through my limbs, fuelling my need to destroy something. I feel a hand on my shoulder, followed by a shit load of calming energy, immobilising me completely.
But I can’t just sit here. I want to destroy something. I NEED to destroy something.
Kia’s face still lays within my hands. She deserves to be avenged. Every single one of them and anyone who stands in my way. They need to be removed from existence.
The noise around me has faded out, leaving the only sound of my own pounding heart within my ears. Kia is pulled from my arms, but I’m still left paralysed by whoever has their hand on my shoulder. Someone has taken her from my hands and they’re going to die. Slowly. Painfully. With no remorse.
Calmness is forced on me, but I push back on it, hard, not willing to allow anyone to stand between Kia and me. Someone has taken her from me. How. Fucking. Dare. They. Her place is in my heart. And I can’t feel her anymore. Rage fills me and I begin to push against the hand that’s holding me paralysed with the calming energy. It needs to be removed.
Fixating on the image of Kia’s face in my mind, I lift my hand slowly to the one that’s resting on my shoulder. Some of the noise around me begins to filter in, but my focus remains on whoever stopped me from keeping Kia in my arms. Letting the rage take over, I allow it to do its work. I move to my feet fast and push the body belonging to said hand against the wall, my hand around its throat, squeezing hard. A pretty face stares back at me, and a small part of me recognises that face, but I don’t care for it. The owner of it needs to die. Slowly. I begin tightening my fingers. The eyes I see flash blue and something within my mind tries to nudge at me to stop.
Why would I want to stop? That’s a stupid thought. The pretty face needs to be demolished into smithereens. So, I squeeze harder as I’m encouraged on by the darkness that’s fuelling my energy. It craves death, just as I do.
Energy moves up my arm from the pretty face and I’m pushed back slightly. My hand begins to loosen as the blue light from the pretty face starts to get brighter.
I’m forced back hard and thrown against the wall behind me and as my head hits the wall hard, fall into unconscious.
Chapter Forty-Six
Sebastian
“SEB! MATT!!” Rolland’s shouts pull me from my sleep. I’m up off the bed and by his side in a fraction of a second. Rolland’s curled up on his knees, not far from the bedroom door. “KIA. FRONT DOOR!” he roars in my head.
Matt scrabbles off the bed and is at my heels as I sprint to the front door. Time slows the closer I get to it as I spot Kia’s form laying limp by the open front door, her stomach covered in blood from what must be gunshot wounds. Her body seems to come to life, as she curls herself into a fetal position, sucking in a desperate breath. Sinking to my knees, I pull her to me, taking a quick glance out the front door - and I find our front garden is swarming with beings.
Matt throws up a shield to hold them off, so I turn my gaze back to Kia, drawing her further into my arms as I try getting her to open her body up so that I can look at the wounds.
“Kia, sweetie, I need to get to your stomach, so I can heal you,” I try coaxing her while pushing my hand against her side, but she curls in tighter, turning into me. There’s so much blood seeping from her, but I can’t get my hand to the wounds.
“Come on, Kia, let me take the bullets out, so I can heal you. Just listen to my voice, sweetheart,” I encourage. Her body finally relaxes, giving me a chance to lift her vest up, but before I can get to work, she pulls herself back in tight, curling up in pain again.
I lift her face up to mine to study her. She opens her eyes a fraction, allowing me to see her pupils. Blackness is fighting the silver within them and as they find mine, I catch the silver winning before she goes completely limp. I check for a pulse which beats steadily, thankful that she’s just passed out from the pain.
Rolland yanks her roughly from my arms, then shouts, “KIA! DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS!” His face is covered in tears and he’s looking half-crazed. My heart breaks for him, knowing how deep his feelings go for her.
Matt’s shield pulses, growing considerably, which catches my eye and I turn to find it looking like it did after the Gjinn attacked. It’s translucent and multicoloured swirling energy pulses, forcing the beings back.
“KIA, PLEASE DON’T. DON’T SHUT ME OUT” Rolland screams at her in front of me. I look back to Rolland as he draws her closer to his head and whispers to her, “please, Kia, baby… just… let me… feel you… sweetheart.” His voice breaks as he tries to get his words out.
“Rolland, she’s still alive. I need to get the bullets out and heal her. Let me get to her, Brother,” I appeal to him, trying to get to her stomach, but he doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s breaking apart before my very eyes, and the life within him that brings so much happiness when he’s around is fading.
“Rolland, she’s still alive,” I explain, trying to use a more demanding tone in order to get through to him.
“I can’t feel her,” he whispers, but doesn’t raise his head from her ear.
“Kia, please.” My heart feels like it’s been torn up through my throat. Hearing the agony in those two words, I feel my own eyes begin to sting. I know she’s still alive. I felt her pulse. She’s just gone under.
Jack appears to my right as Brad’s feet thunder down the stairs. I peer up at Jack, having no clue whether to heal Kia or fight off whoever is out the front. Jack stares out the front door, taking in the number of beings out there and Matt’s shield, then fixates his eyes on me. When he finally starts talking, he uses a tone that leaves no room for questions or doubt. “Brad, take Kia and get her out of here. Sebastian, go with him so you can heal Kia,” he commands, then places his right hand on Rolland’s shoulder. I watch as Rolland’s face becomes impassive. “NOW!!” Jack shouts through clenched teeth, shining with a madness of their own.
Brad bends low, easing Kia from Rolland’s arms, as an explosion comes from the roof, shaking the whole house. The sound of glass shattering fills my ears as pictures fall from the walls and the few lights that remain on flicker.
“Use the truck, Brad. We will be right behind you, just make sure to WAIT FOR MATT,” Jack grinds out, his focus remaining on Rolland beneath his hand. “GO!” h
e roars.
My heart wants to stay by Rolland, but the influence behind Jack’s command forces my body to follow Brad, who’s making his way through the house to the back. More explosions come from above, vibrating the walls but they remain steady. I keep my eyes glued to Brad’s broad back as I feel a tear slip down my cheek. I don’t bother to chase it away, but take a steadying breath, trying to stay focused. Kia needs me. If I crack now, I’ll never have enough energy to heal her.
We hurry past the door that leads to the gym then pass the corridor that leads to the healing chamber. Kia’s face when Matt referred to her as, ‘springing up like a jack-in-the-box’ comes to mind, pulling another tear from me. I take another steadying breath as we round the corner to the garage that Brad works in. The house shakes again from another explosion and all the lights go out. A section of the garage roof collapses, but my quick reflexes kick in. I leap back avoiding the debris, but catch Brad curling himself into a ball, Kia tight within his arms, as chunks of wood, plaster and floorboards fall onto them, burying them. My heart sinks as I take in all the debris covering them and I fear the weight of it is crushing them.
Movement stirs within the rubble, then Brad pops up, shakes the dust off his head and continues on as though someone had just laid a light blanket over him, not the tons of cement, plaster and wood that I know was there. This is the reason why Jack had Brad take Kia; he’s basically indestructible. Brad trudges through the gap that was made in the wall from the explosion, so I leap over the debris to follow him.
He waits by his Range Rover at the back-passenger door for me to take Kia from him. When I catch up, he eases her into my arms then opens the door for me. I climb in, drawing Kia further into my body, running my eyes over her small form which is still steadily bleeding.
Holding her head in my left arm, I lift her top up to see three gunshot wounds in her gut. Pushing my finger into a hole, I begin searching for the bullet, but with each movement my finger makes within her, more blood flows from her. Brad’s door slams shut, and he starts the engine.
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