Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “What is your aunt doing with Damon?” Ethan demanded.

  I moved toward the door. “I honestly don’t know. Ask her,” I lied.

  Ethan followed me. “Who is your father, Dayton?”

  I turned on him just inside the open door way. “Bezaliel. Any more questions, Ethan? I’d really like you to take me to Marcas and Alessandro now.”

  My tone was bitter as I walked from the room. I’d taken only one step when I came face to face with Marcas. He was leaning casually against the wall next to the bedroom.

  “I’ll take this from here,” Marcas said flatly as Ethan exited the room. His words were for Ethan, his stare was for me. I met it without flinching. Ethan started to speak but Marcas interrupted him.

  “Alessandro could use you now. Demons are approaching. They will be here by nightfall,” Marcas ordered. His gaze never moved from mine.

  Ethan glanced between us then shook his head before moving away. He was down the stairs before Marcas finally spoke to me.

  “You have friends everywhere don’t you, Blainey?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Unexpected ones, I assure you.”

  He shoved away from the wall. “There’ll be more surprises, I’m sure. Come with me, Blainey. You have a lot to learn before tonight."

  I stared after him wide-eyed. “You’re going to teach me how to use my powers?”

  My surprise was evident. He nodded.

  I followed him as he moved down the hall. “I’m going to fight too?”

  Marcas paused and turned. “Maybe, maybe not. But I don’t want you unprepared if you discover you have to,” he answered.

  The look in his eyes remained cold. Did he care about what happened to me or was he afraid my being injured could injure him? I didn’t even attempt to discover an answer. It was pointless. Marcas didn’t reveal anything until he was ready to. I let that be my first lesson. I was determined to become the same way. I waited for him to start walking away again, but he surprised me. His gaze searched mine before suddenly moving toward me. I hated when he got close. He towered over me. I stared at his chest. Thank God it was covered. He leaned down and brought his lips close to mine. I almost screamed. What was he doing?

  “Are you going to kiss me, Craig?” I asked him shrilly.

  His expression didn’t change. “I’d ask you if you wanted me to, but I honestly don’t care, Blainey. We need to find the carpet tonight after the fight,” he whispered against my lips.

  My heart was beating so fast and my body was so tense that it took me a minute to realize he was doing this so he could speak to me privately. I swallowed.

  “Assuming we make it through the fight,” I said softly.

  Had I brushed my teeth? I couldn’t remember. Marcas put his hands on my arms. I had to work at staying relaxed.

  “We’ll make it through the fight, Blainey. This is just the start of the Demon war. The first wave won’t be as strong as the one coming. I know where the carpet is. Tonight we fight, then leave. Follow my orders explicitly,” he commanded before placing a soft, quick kiss on my lips and moving away. My own lips burned. I wanted to touch them but didn’t want to get caught doing it. It had been a peck, damn it! How great a kiss could that be?

  I looked up at Marcas expectantly. “Then you have a lot to teach me and little time to do it in.”

  Chapter 31

  An Angel’s powers are unique according to the type of Angel. For example, God’s Enforcers have entirely different powers than Guardian Angels. Each Angel must learn to use his abilities accordingly. There has never been a sane Naphil. The type of powers she could harbor is unknown. Many fear her abilities.

  ~Bezaliel~

  “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” I asked Marcas crossly half an hour later.

  Only thirty minutes into his "training" exercises, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it to the battle tonight. I tried throwing a light ball and ended up sitting on my ass while my "flaming" un-success of a ball snapped off the limb of a nearby olive tree. Marcas proceeded to catch it in mid-air, not with his hands but with his abilities, and throw it at me. Show off. I tried rolling out of the way but it still pinned my leg.

  I shoved it off and frowned. “Olive branches are supposed to stand for peace, right?” I asked sarcastically.

  Marcas just gestured at me, his unspoken way of ordering me to stand. I threw him the bird. I may have been afraid to do it before, but I was pretty sure he couldn’t hurt me more than he already had.

  I stood slowly and groaned. “Will taking my soul hurt less?” I was allowed to have an "It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to" moment.

  Marcas moved toward me. “It’d hurt much, much worse.”

  I eyed him suspiciously as he neared. “You’re not going to start throwing me now, are you?”

  Marcas hissed. “You need more control, Blainey."

  I had angered him. No surprise there. He moved behind me, and I froze. I honestly couldn’t take another direct hit.

  “Why don’t we learn more about protecting yourself and less about attack for the moment,” he offered.

  That didn’t sound so bad. I glanced around us. The grounds of Alessandro’s home were surrounded by olive trees with a vineyard visible in the distance. When I’d asked Marcas where we were he’d said something about hill towns near Rome in Lazio. Maybe Tivoli. Where ever we were, it was secluded and beautiful. The afternoon sun was warm but not overly uncomfortable. I wanted to enjoy it, but the situation was making it impossible.

  “What am I supposed to do?” I asked soberly.

  His instructions made sense, but my body wasn’t producing the desired results. Marcas placed his hands over my eyes.

  I tensed. “You couldn’t show me with another method?”

  The way he stood now reminded me of my father and the dream. I wasn’t happy with it.

  Marcas didn’t move. “No, the only way you’re going to learn anything is if you learn to rely on yourself and not your senses."

  I grimaced. “I feel like I’m in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

  Marcas mumbled something under his breath. It definitely wasn’t an endearment. “Angels and Demons have very different powers depending on the type of Angel or Demon you are. But one thing remains the same. We tap into our powers the same way. The way you imagined your inner light when you needed to see in the dark is the same way you tap into your powers. That inner light is your power. For a Demon, it’s their inner darkness. By cloaking yourself in the light, you can prevent or cause an attack. It’s not rocket science, Blainey.”

  I stared at the back of his hands. For him it wasn’t. “Always look for the light, right?” I asked.

  The comment wasn’t lost on Marcas.

  He leaned down until his mouth was directly next to my ear. “Your father is considered a wise Angel, Blainey. He was teaching you the fundamentals. You just weren’t old enough to understand what he was doing, and you weren’t aware of what you were. The concept is the same.” I shivered. “Close your eyes, Blainey,” Marcas whispered.

  I didn’t have the energy to argue.

  His hands fell away. “I’m going to attack you now,” he announced.

  He was what? I started to open my eyes.

  “Eyes stay closed!” Marcas yelled.

  I jumped. He sounded quite a few feet away from me now. Damn, but he moved fast! Attack me? In a panic, I grasped desperately for my inner light, my mind picturing it easily.

  “Pay attention to the air around you. Not what you wished you saw, not what you hear, not what you smell. Just the air itself. When you are being attacked, you will feel a buildup of pressure,” Marcas explained.

  The air grew tense around me. Was that the buildup?

  “As the attacker gathers his resources, the pressure will get steadily stronger."

  The air grew so thick, I felt like I was going to choke. Yep, now that was the buildup.

  “As the attack happens, you will feel the ai
r release as if a gun has discharged or a slingshot has ejected a stone. Once the ammunition is in the air headed toward you, you can feel its approaching energy. You can track it. As it draws near, use your light to catch it and dispel it away from you,” Marcas ordered.

  He didn’t give me time to think about it. His last word was barely out of his mouth when I felt the release he’d described in my body. I tensed.

  Energy approached me, and I strained to track it, my mind weighing its strength and its speed. I lost the sensation, and I panicked. In desperation, I let go of everything but the feeling of the approaching danger. I wasn’t ready for an attack!

  Pressure built, a growing sense of urgency consuming me as I created a shield with my light. Without thinking, I dispersed it. The approaching force slammed into me, and I flew backward. My tailbone hit the ground.

  “Not bad, Blainey,” Marcas said.

  I opened my eyes. There was a black mark on the ground about a foot away from where I’d been standing. My butt felt like it was on fire. Not bad?

  Anger filled me. “That was good? Am I supposed to end up on my ass each time?” I was trying my best not to get discouraged.

  Marcas stared at me with his ever-calm expression. I wanted to spit in his face. “That was a killing shot, Blainey.”

  I froze. What did he say?

  Shocked, I stared at him. “What?”

  He didn’t repeat himself and he didn’t have to. But it would have helped if he had. Killing shot?

  I inhaled sharply. “You have that much faith in me?”

  He didn’t move. “I have that much faith in your power, Blainey. Remember, there are times when I feel your powers so strongly, I forget they are not my own."

  The bond again. He stepped toward me.

  “Need some help?” a familiar voice asked from beside me, and I looked up to find the smiling eyes of Conor Reinhardt. I cried out happily.

  He reached down and pulled me up. I hugged him tightly.

  “Save some of that for me,” Monroe laughed from behind Conor.

  I flew at her. Her brother, Ethan, stood some distance away behind them. He smiled at the three of us.

  “I heard you were having too much fun without us,” Monroe teased.

  I punched her lightly on the arm. Our eyes met and our expressions grew serious. “How are you?” my eyes asked hers. I knew she’d had to deal with a lot of revelations. “About as well as you are,” her eyes seemed to answer.

  I understood the feeling. My backside throbbed, and it reminded me of Marcas. I glanced behind me. He was gone.

  “He went back into the house,” Ethan Jacobs said as he approached.

  Seeing him made me cross. “Was it a safe idea to bring everyone here now?”

  It was hurt that made me lash out, hurt over Marcas’ absence, and I didn’t want Monroe or Conor to know his leaving bothered me. Outside the bond, we weren’t even friends.

  “Safer than they would be in Rome,” Ethan answered.

  My gaze passed over the group. The battle ahead weighed on me. Knowing my friends would be in danger too didn’t help.

  “What will happen tonight?” I asked.

  I assumed Conor and Monroe had been filled in. By the expressions on their faces, they had.

  Ethan looked at Conor. “Conor will fight with us. Lexi and Luther have arrived against our wishes to fight with Marcas, and Monroe will work with the Coven.”

  I glanced at Monroe. “The Coven?”

  “We figured the extra power would help,” a voice said from behind me, and I turned to find Mrs. Jacobs standing with three other women and Lita.

  The sight was so welcoming I bit my tongue to keep from shrieking. A coppery taste filled my mouth, but Marcas wasn’t here to chastise me. Tears wet my cheeks as Mrs. Jacobs held open her arms. I went into them. It reminded me of my parents’ funeral.

  “I don’t know what’s happened, Dayton. We don’t understand a good deal of what is going on with you, but I made you promise to call me once if you ever needed anything. It looks like you have that need now,” Mrs. Jacobs whispered.

  I blinked to keep from crying more. Pulling away, I looked at the brightly dressed woman with an affection I’d once felt for my own mother. She had long blonde hair she kept brushed and unfastened, and she wore a loose-fitting long sleeve red kimono. She had a quirky sense of style.

  “What have you gotten involved in, sweetheart?” Mrs. Jacobs whispered, her gaze searching my face. I knew I looked a mess. Monroe moved to her mother’s side and our eyes locked. I had no ready answer. I shrugged.

  “A lot of people want Dayton dead. And she’s shacked up with the enemy. Simple as that, Mother,” Ethan grunted. I knew he wanted me to give him a reason why, but I couldn’t.

  Monroe looked at her brother. “There have been a lot of people and creatures who’ve attempted to kill her since she and I discovered what she was. This isn’t her fault. The Demons fighting with us may be on the wrong side, but they’ve kept us safe up until now. Isn’t it enough that she’s discovered she’s a Naphil that isn’t supposed to exist and who’s being targeted because of it?”

  She flanked me. Conor and Lita did the same. I reached over and squeezed Lita’s hand briefly. It meant a lot that she’d traveled with the Coven.

  “Jacin?” I asked.

  Lita winked. “Holding the fort down back home.”

  I smiled and released her hand.

  Ethan looked uncomfortable. “I’m not attacking Dayton. I just don’t understand why this fight is about her. Why are the Demons gathering now? Why now?”

  I sympathized with him. He really should know the answer but not until Marcas and I were gone.

  My gaze went to my feet. “What will I need to do during the fight?” I felt the sudden need to change the subject.

  “Stay out of it,” Ethan and Conor answered simultaneously.

  I glared at them.

  Mrs. Jacobs placed a hand on her son’s shoulder. “She can sit in with the Coven. The fact that she’s an Angel may help boost our powers.”

  I started to nod.

  “She’ll be with me,” a voice cut in sharply.

  The entire group looked up to find Marcas, Lexi, and Luther moving in our direction. Marcas’ eyes were dark. I read the message in them. If we got separated, our chances of getting to the carpet plummeted.

  Ethan took a step forward. “You’ve committed us to protecting her and now you want to get her killed.”

  Marcas’ gaze moved to his. “With me, she’s less likely to die.”

  There was a warning in his tone, and Ethan heeded it. I expected Conor to argue, but he kept silent. I suspected he knew something about our plans. And while no one said anything, the expression on Mrs. Jacobs’ face spoke volumes. I understood Marcas’ actions, but I was still mortified.

  “Leave us. All of you!” Marcas suddenly ordered. Voices rose in anger. Marcas’ gaze found mine. “If the Naphil is to have any chance at survival, I’ll need to continue working with her,”

  His tone left no room for argument, no room for compromise.

  I stepped away from the group. It was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I didn’t want to choose sides. Lexi and Luther took their place at my back.

  “I’ll be okay,” I murmured, my gaze passing over my friends to rest finally on Mrs. Jacobs. “He’s not here to hurt me."

  It wasn’t much consolation.

  Mrs. Jacobs’ eyes softened. “I’m not sure I believe that, Dayton, but I’m here to support you in whatever decisions you make. I don’t trust him, but I do trust you.”

  I nodded my thanks while fighting hard not to cry. She was misplacing her trust.

  "Let’s go. There’s a lot to be done,” Mrs. Jacobs commanded as she moved toward the house. The group trudged along behind her. Conor and Ethan hung back, but Mrs. Jacobs grabbed both men by the arm and dragged them resolutely toward the house. The looks on their faces were priceless. Leave it to her.

&n
bsp; “We begin again,” Marcas ordered.

  I sighed and turned reluctantly toward the Demons. Lexi and Luther didn’t appear to be going anywhere.

  “I need all three of you?” I asked suspiciously.

  Lexi’s eyes brightened. That didn’t bode well for me.

  “They get to be your enemy army,” Marcas said. Lexi rubbed her hands together.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” she said giddily as she moved to flank her brother.

  I looked up at Marcas.

  “You want me to die, don’t you?” I complained. He didn’t say anything, but Lexi’s voice floated over to me as she and Luther moved across the lawn.

  “The pleasure will be all mine,” she sang happily.

  I looked up into the sky.

  “No doubt about it. I’m going to die.”

  Chapter 32

  War is a terrible thing fought for terrible reasons. We fight each other knowing the only victor in the end will be death. Those left living are haunted, those who are injured suffer terrible pain, but those who pass on get their moment of peace.

  ~Bezaliel~

  “If I have to endure one more moment of pain, one more jibe, or one more riveting Lexi remark, I fully intend to bitch-slap that monster,” I hissed as I watched Lexi pace back and forth in the distance.

  She was playing cat and mouse games with me and about eight times out of ten, she was coming out ahead. I found myself imagining her heart crumbling in my hand. It was more than a little soothing. This should disturb me.

  “This is getting so duuuuuull, little bit!” Lexi called out with a pout.

  I saw Luther move in from the corner of my eye. Dull my ass! Eventually I was going to figure this whole power thing out and, when I did, I was rewriting the rules of the game. I felt Luther’s energy before I saw it, and I dispersed it easier than the last eight times he’d thrown it my way. He retreated. Lexi continued to dance. If I had to be all politically correct and shit then I’d have to grudgingly admit that Lexi was pretty good at the whole fighting thing. She teased until she wore her enemy down. I was her fingernail and she’d more than bitten me down to the nub.

  “Would you just do something, already?” I growled as she danced behind a tree.