Jumping to his feet, he pushed forward, and attempted to follow, only to fail again and again, each time returning to the same place in the strange realm.
Finally he was forced to give up, he’d tried too many times. Now weak and unable to pull any more energy, he fell to the ground, if one could call it that, and he didn’t bother getting back up. He listened intently and was relieved.
Silence. No heartbeat.
He was dead.
Tonia returned to the hotel annoyed and tired. All flights out of Portland were cancelled because thunderstorms ravaged the northwest. Caught in the deluge of rain on her way back, she was soaked, angry and worried at what happened back in Atlanta. She peeled her wet clothing off and stood under a hot shower in an effort to warm her chilled body.
She’d tried to contact Wendy several times without success. Now she was troubled, something was wrong. Fallon needed her and she was stuck thousands of miles away.
A sudden sting behind her eyes caught her off guard and she covered her eyes. The floor swayed under her feet and she slammed against the tiled shower stall. The room swirled round and round, until she got nauseated. Oh God, what has happened to Fallon?
Terrified, she stumbled out of the bathroom, the whole while, holding on to the wall to keep from nose-diving to the floor. By the time she made it to the bed, her energy was completely depleted. It took all her strength to crawl to the bed.
Something was definitely wrong.
Oh God, Fallon.
Blackness threatened.
Thankful that her cell phone was within reach, she pushed in Douglas’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Come to my room, I feel bad. Can you take me to the hospital?”
Douglas arrived in less than a minute, bursting into the room, using his key. They made it a habit to always get two keys, each having the other’s for cases like this. Somehow she’d managed to pull on her pajama pants and a tank top. Her partner felt her forehead and then took her pulse. “Geez Mohr, your heartbeat is slow, did you take something?”
“No,” she replied, as her eyes closed and she knew nothing more.
Gerard moved with assurance toward his new vessel. Victory was near. He felt assured in the knowledge that his new strength and power would help him thwart Carlo’s attempts to take his place. In this realm few could see or sense him.
He growled when he detected Julian’s presence in Fallon’s house. Julian would know, the Roman would sense him as soon as he entered. It was unavoidable, he would face off with the Roman if need be, but he would not be stopped. Not now that he was so close to victory.
The sizzle in the air announced Julian’s awareness. Gerard cast a spell in hopes of blocking the Roman’s ability to guess his location. He didn’t want to use more energy than he had to, the insertion would take all he had left.
When he spotted Fallon’s body strapped to a bed, he smelled success. He hovered over the body, and as he reached for it, Julian got his attention.
“How do you plan to inhabit a dead man’s body?”
No. It was impossible. Julian would not go that far.
He jerked his eyes back to Fallon’s body. The Protector didn’t seem to be breathing. An IV in his arm dripped a clear liquid, the monitor next to the bed showed a flat line. He lurched forward, and slammed against the Protector’s solid body. He could not push into it.
Fallon Trent was indeed dead.
Furious, he launched himself against Julian, but the Roman had shielded himself, and Gerard was not able to touch him.
“You will pay for this Protector, whatever your weakness, I will find it and destroy you.” Gerard sneered, he wanted to remain and kill the bastard, but there wasn’t enough time, nor did he have the strength. He had to return to his body in a hurry or he’d be lost in this state forever.
Chapter Nineteen
The eerie silence of the realm he remained in did little to reassure Fallon. Was this the place he’d spend eternity? He was dead, yet he felt the same. He longed for Tonia, craved her, and fury filled him at the thought that within days Julian would bond her with Logan.
“This shit sucks.” He punched the air, since there was nothing solid to hit. Even his form was not quite physical.
“Julian!” he yelled again. “Get me the hell out of here.”
He waited. Silence. “And you better not mate Logan to her.” He put in for good measure.
Frustrated he began to pray. Perhaps the only one that could hear him in this forsaken place was God. Would God hook him up or push him on his way to wherever he’d spend eternity?
A light filled the space and he jerked up. Great now God was coming to get him. He was really dead. At least if he went to heaven, there he’d be too happy to care what happened.
That’s what he hoped anyway.
The form of a male appeared. Fallon assumed he was an angel, but he kept his mouth shut and waited. The male studied him for a moment and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a damn angel.” The wide-shouldered being had multi-colored hair, auburn streaks mingling with gold and burnished bronze. His eyes were a piercing shade of amber. A tattoo of a phoenix decorated his top right chest area. “I am Ares.”
Not sure what to say, Fallon remained quiet. The male looked past him for a moment. “I am…was a Protector.”
“A Protector?”
“I have been here for centuries, not able to return to my body.”
“Great. A forever roommate,” Fallon snorted. “I don’t plan to stay.”
“You won’t,” Ares agreed, surprising him. “They are working on bringing you back.” The male looked down and Fallon followed his lead, but saw only darkness.
“Where is your body? Maybe I can help find it and get you back.”
The pain in the male’s eyes tore through Fallon, his body was probably dust by now.
“Thank you,” Ares replied. “Know that I am here, that is enough.”
“Where are you from?” Fallon asked. “What is your surname?”
“I am Byzantine,” Ares replied, his expression serious. “I am not sure what a surname is.”
That was all right since Fallon had no idea what the hell a Byzantine was. “If anyone can help it’s Julian, my leader.” and the bastard who needed to get him out of there. “Now!” he yelled noting Ares’ eyebrows rise. “I’m not yelling at you.”
Ares nodded. “Tell Julian I am here. Be well.”
He disappeared.
Fallon couldn’t hold the screams as invisible claws shredded his body. The ground gave out and he fell into space.
“Welcome back, Cinderella.” Logan’s drawl pierced his ear. It was followed by a gruff voice.
“It’s Snow White. She’s the one that went comatose after biting an apple, dumbass,” Cyn corrected.
“Hey what about Sleeping Beauty? That works, too,” Logan quipped back.
“The fact that you know that is plain scary,” Kieran was in the room, too.
“Would all of you please shut up?” Julian’s grumpy tone quieted the room.
Fallon waited, he’d not heard the one voice he’d hoped to.
Gerard flashed back out of the house straight into the SUV. For long moments, he groaned in pain, his old body contorted and twisted unnaturally as he moved back into it.
The guards watched wide-eyed, not able to do anything to help. When he completed the reentrance, he moaned in agony.
“Drive, I must have blood, find me someone fast,” he ordered them and grabbed one of the guard’s arms and pulled it to his mouth. His fangs sunk into the male’s wrist. He took from him, not caring that the demon yelped in pain. The demon’s blood would help until they found a human.
The car swerved into an alley and the driver sprung out of the car. A lone woman, a prostitute turned to watch the male that came toward her. She eyed the demon, assessing the expensive clothing and muscular physique. “Well it looks like it’s my lucky night,” she told him. Gerard watched and his mouth watered when the guard took her b
y the arm and brought her to the vehicle. The back door opened and she was pushed in. Curvy with cropped-over sprayed hair, she would suit him fine. Her dull thickly—lined eyes looked at him, and then at the other two in the front seat. “It’s gonna cost you extra, if you want me to do all three of you.”
“Just me,” Gerard told her, as he locked gazes with her, taking control of her mind. She nodded, her eyes blank. “Now be a good girl and turn your head.”
Before sinking his fangs into her throat, he glanced at the demon that held his wrist against his chest. “Find another, she won’t be enough.”
He scrambled out of the car.
The woman’s blood coursed through him, each swallow made him stronger and he leaned over her. Her hand moved into his pants and he allowed her. She moaned enjoying the pleasure that came from his feeding. When she took him in hand, he bucked into it, they’d come together, but only one of them would live to remember it.
Later, they drove to one of his homes, this one in an outer part of Atlanta. A house he didn’t tell anyone about. The one he planned to move in using Trent’s body. Once they parked, he went inside to a large living room and sat. His fingers drummed on the chair’s arm as he began to formulate his new plan.
He’d begin to recruit lower levels and build a new group while keeping a low profile. In time, Carlo would lower his defenses and then he’d kill him. In the meantime, he had to find two things, a new body to possess, and enough humans to feed from to keep losing any more energy.
The guards arrived with four lower levels they’d collected. Once the demons entered the room, he tied them to him with lifelines. After instructing them to bring weak humans susceptible to his persuasion, he sent them back out.
And so it began. His not so great new life.
Chapter Twenty
She’d spent two entire days in the hospital. The first day in and out of consciousness, the second the doctors insisted she remain for more tests although she felt perfectly well. They were not able to figure out what happened to have caused her blood pressure to plummet and her heart to slow to barely above a flat line.
A young blond doctor walked in, he took her vitals and read over her chart. “Well Miss Mohr, I’m going to release you today, everything seems to be in good order. All of the tests came back normal.” He gave her an apologetic grimace. “I wish I could give you a definite answer as to what happened. If you have any questions, please call me.” He handed her a card.
“Thank you doctor,” Tonia replied and took the card. Already heading for her overnight bag, she didn’t bother to ask him any questions. After all, the answers were in Atlanta.
She’d talked to Wendy earlier, only to be told the same thing as the day before she’d been admitted. Fallon was “sedated” and that she could wait until she felt better before heading back.
Two hours later she was at the airport waiting for her flight. Douglas had left the day before, so she was alone. Truth be told, she was glad not to have to talk to anyone right now, as she tried to figure out what she’d do upon her arrival.
That night, exhausted yet her nerves on high alert, she arrived at Fallon’s large home. After pressing the security code, the gates opened and she pulled onto the grounds. It was almost eleven at night, yet all the lights were on. She parked beside the garage and walked towards the front entrance. When she saw Albert, Wendy and Kieran’s dog, he was busy digging in the front yard and she called to him. The dog barked and bounded toward her wagging his tail. She bent down to pet him, admittedly delaying going inside.
“Bad dog, you shouldn’t be digging. Fallon will be mad at you.” He was oblivious to her scolding and yelped happily wagging his tail harder. She allowed the silly dog to lick her face.
“Albert!” Wendy called from the doorway and then shrieked upon spotting her. “Tonia, what are you doing out here?”
Tonia straightened up, “I got here a few moments ago. I was about to push the doorbell.
“Right, well come on in,” Wendy waved her toward the side kitchen door.
She stepped inside the doorway, while Wendy blocked Albert from following. The diminutive woman grabbed his collar. “No Albert, you have to stay outside until Kit comes home and cleans your dirty paws.”
Tonia stood in the kitchen, not sure what to do. Wendy lifted an eyebrow and glanced toward the doorway that lead into rest of the house. “Fallon is upstairs, he’s still weak and hasn’t been allowed to go out to fight yet.”
“Where is Julian?”
“I suppose he went back to Italy.”
“So the threat is gone?” Tonia asked astonished.
“Sort of, I think the creepy demon is still alive.”
“So? What’s happening now?”
Wendy’s uncertain expression made Tonia nervous. “I’m not sure. Kieran said he’d talk to you when you returned.”
“Can I talk to him—Fallon?” Tonia asked, glancing at the doorway too. “Is he still dangerous?”
“Not dangerous, but different.” Wendy replied and finally relented. “Something is wrong with him. He’s not quite himself.”
Tonia didn’t ask any more questions, instead she made her way toward the stairs.
Once on the third floor she hesitated at the doorway.
“Come in.” Fallon’s voice sounded strong. Relieved, she walked in. Once inside, she spotted him sitting before the fireplace, a book in his hand, he turned to her, with a blank expression.
“Hello Tonia.” His flat eyes worried her. She took his lack of reaction as him being mad at her for leaving.
“Fallon, how are you feeling?” She placed her bag down on a side table and sat across from him. His gaze followed her.
“I’m well, thank you.” He glanced down to his book, as if she was taking him away from his reading.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up,” she told him, leaning closer. “I shouldn’t have bailed on you like I did.”
He shrugged, the movement seemed effortless. “I don’t blame you. Actually, I didn’t realize you’d left town until just yesterday.”
His words were not spoken with any type of rancor or spitefulness. Instead the tone was vacant, without any hint of emotion.
“Oh well, I suppose that is a good thing then.” Tonia’s eyebrows rose as he went back to reading. “Are you upset at not being out there fighting?” she asked, getting his attention.
“Not at all. Julian said I must wait a few more days,” he replied, with a bored tone.
“Oh.” At a loss for words, she stood. “Do you need anything?”
His eyes met hers for a moment. “Hector, my butler, will see to any needs I may have. He has returned.”
Tonia wanted to shake him, she’d rather he be angry with her than this zombie before her now. “Good night then, I’m going to bed. Can we talk tomorrow?”
“If you wish.”
With one last glance at him, she went towards the closet. “Am I to stay in the guest room?”
He stared at her for a moment as if he’d already forgotten her presence. “Of course not, you’re my mate. You’ll remain here with me.”
She went into the closet and took out some pajamas, then headed to the bathroom to take a shower and wash the travel grit away.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
When she returned to the room, Fallon was already in bed. Shirtless, she couldn’t tell if he wore anything under the blanket. She figured he was nude. Book in hand, he sat with his back cushioned by a myriad of pillows. His lack of reaction when she slid into the bed beside him was not at all normal. He never looked up from the book.
She lay back on the pillow and watched him for a few moments until he finally tore his gaze away from the page and looked over to her. “Would you like to make love?”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. “You’re asking me?”
“If you require sex, then it’s my duty to see to your needs. Besides, it’s important since it’s been a few days.” The f
latness of his voice made it hard not to slap him. Instead, she rolled her eyes.
“I don’t want my needs looked to, thank you though,” she replied sarcastically.
“Alright, but tomorrow we probably must. Good night then,” he replied and looked back to the book.
What an infuriating man. She rolled away from him, clenching her jaw in irritation. “Would you kiss my ass if I asked you to?”
“No.”
She turned her lamp off, ignoring him.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day, Tonia woke to find she was alone in the bed. After dressing, she went to the kitchen to find Kieran, Logan and Wendy eating dinner. Fallon was not in the room.
“Hungry?” Wendy asked pointing to the empty setting. “I made breakfast casserole and meatloaf. Your choice.”
She opted for the breakfast casserole and a cup of tea. Joining them, she didn’t have to ask the obvious question.
Kieran spoke, looking toward the doorway. “Hector takes him breakfast in the library. He refuses to eat with us.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Tonia asked him.
“Julian blocked Fallon’s emotions, to keep the Master demon from detecting him. Although, he was surprised that Fallon’s personality seems to have changed so much. Julian said he wasn’t sure if a part of Fallon is blocking as a protective mechanism to keep the demon at bay or from returning to the ethereal space.”
“So the Master demon could come back?”
“Not if he still believes Fallon to be dead. We are keeping the fact that Fallon is alive a secret until we find Gerard,” Kieran told her.
Before she could ask another question, a man dressed in black coattails walked in. She assumed he was Hector, Fallon’s butler, as he carried a tray with a teapot and cup and placed it on the counter.
The man stopped when Wendy spoke to him.
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