by Tiffany King
I lifted his bare foot and placed it on my lap. His foot was tanned and smooth to the touch. I ran my hand over the top of it and smiled when I saw the look that passed over his face. Shelving that tidbit for another time, I focused on the task at hand. The contraption around his foot was clasped on tightly, making it impossible to slide it down off his foot. The hardware itself looked simple enough, but I could see that only a key would work to remove it, unless of course Mark and I were talented at picking locks, which we weren't. I looked around for some kind of device to pry it open with.
"There's nothing," Mark said automatically, knowing what I was searching for.
"Okay, well that won't work," I said, moving on to a different solution. I approached the unseen barrier and cautiously stuck out my finger in front of me. I felt a red hot surge of electricity race up my hand, making my hand and wrist go numb. I winced in pain, stepping away.
"Krista, don't do that," Mark said, cradling my hand in his.
"So, as long as your ankle thing is on, we're trapped here," I said, stating the obvious. "Can we try to short it out?" I asked, looking around for water.
Mark shook his head. "I've tried that. It doesn't work. The electrical mechanism must be waterproof.
"Okay, so we can't short it and we can't get it off. What if we ignore the pain and charge the barrier?" I asked.
Mark looked at me skeptically. "What about the monitors? My father will just send in Daemons to take care of us."
"I'm not so sure about that. I have a feeling Victor had all of them engaged in other activities."
"What about your weakness?" He asked, trying to be the voice of reason.
"I'm already starting to feel better. I don't think I could pull off another transport anytime soon, but I was able to read your thoughts not too long ago, which means some of my energy has been replenished.
"Oh you did," he said, shooting me a sexy smile.
"Maybe just a sneak peek," I said, smiling also.
"Okay, so we test the boundary," Mark said, dragging me back to reality. "I've done it one other time and it hurts like Hell. Plus, it takes several minutes to get your nerves to recover the assault. Last time I did it, my father had his goons in here within seconds because of the alarms I set off. If no one comes rushing in, we know you're right about him being busy elsewhere."
"I say we do it together. I’ll try to use my gifts to help protect you. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, it won’t hurt you that much."
"That sounds good, but what about your pain. I’d rather have it the other way around," he said bitterly.
"No offense, but I’m hoping my gifts are going to protect me too," I said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Funny. Just one of these days though I’d like to be the one to save you okay?" he said, kissing me lightly on the tip of the nose.
"Fine by me, I could use the break," I said, giggling at his mock growl. "Okay let's do this."
He reached over and grabbed onto my hand. "I think if we step back and take it at a run, it will help."
I nodded my head. "I'm ready when you are," I said, gathering the emotions together that I planned to use to distract Mark from the pain.
Mark tightened his hold on my hand as we stepped as far back as we possibly could get without standing on the furniture. We looked at each other one last time before we raced toward the invisible boarder. I used all the energy my worn out body could muster, sending it all Mark’s way. The electrical current was more intense than I was expecting and I fought the urge to jerk back. An instant later we were through, tumbling to the ground as the current continued to race through my body. We carefully stood up on the other side of the barrier as the alarm wailed throughout the room. I looked frantically around for a weapon in case Daemons charged through the door, but saw nothing of use.
After several tense seconds with no recourse, I turned to Mark and smiled, finding him peering at me oddly.
"What?" I asked.
"That was incredible," Mark said appraisingly.
I giggled as a blush slowly crept up my face.
"Are you sure you’re okay, how did if feel going through the barricade?" I asked curiously.
"Your gifts are truly amazing. I didn't feel a thing."
"Yay, I'm glad," I said, feeling more lighthearted than I had in a long time. Standing on the other side of the makeshift jail made all the difference.
"How about you? Did you drain yourself protecting me once again?" He said, all laughter gone.
"I feel fine. Matter of fact, I feel oddly energized. It's like the electrical current recharged me or something. Maybe it worked the same as Shawn shooting me up in the heart with adrenaline."
"He gave you the shot in your heart? He and I are going to have a serious talk if we make it out of this alive," Mark said, striding across the room toward the antique wing chair in the corner of the room.
I watched in amazement as he flipped it over like it weighed nothing. He pulled off two of the legs of the chair at once, like he was pulling weeds outside. He placed the two of them to the side and pulled off the last two legs before joining me.
"Here, it's not much, but at least it's something," he said, handing me two of the legs to use as weapons.
I looked down at them admiring his handiwork. He had pulled them off at an angle so they each had the small piece of wood they had been mounted on still attached, giving it the look of a wooden hammer.
"Good idea," I said, giving him a small smile as we headed toward the door. I turned the knob, expecting it to be locked, but it turned easily in my hand. I looked at Mark puzzled.
"I guess my father never thought I would make it this far. Before you guys showed up tonight, Harmony used her warped gifts to keep me compliant. I haven't had a thought or emotion that was completely my own until tonight. He wasn't taking any chances of me Ascending and being able to fight Harmony off."
My heart twisted at his words. I felt awful that he had suffered so much over the last few months at the hands of his sister and his father. "I'm surprised you even made it," I whispered, knowing full well what normally happened to Guides and Protectors when they were separated.
"I think I did because I knew you loved me. Any time Harmony wasn't playing her sick games with my mind, I would recall moments you and I had shared, and I think that helped. Once you Ascended, Harmony tried to use that against me to make me turn, but it only made me hang on to the memories even tighter."
"I'm so glad you did," I said, humbled that he had put more faith in our love than I had.
"Ready?" Mark asked, pushing the heavy mahogany door open.
I nodded my head.
Mark stepped out protectively into the bright hallway. I followed behind him as he slowly moved down the hallway in front of me. I felt secure having him here, even with my new gifts. I had worked hard not to be envious of my friends and the bond they shared with their Protectors, but watching them over the last few days had been tough. I knew that Mark was no longer obligated to protect me, but it made me melt a little that he still embraced that role.
The hallway was well lit and as stark white as the one my friends and I had seen earlier. Several doors broke up the space of the long hallway. We paused at each one so we could check them out and I was surprised that they were much like the room we had just left. We passed another living type room and a large, oversized state of the art kitchen with every modern amenity available. We grabbed a couple of butcher knives to wield with the makeshift clubs from the chair Mark demolished. We moved past each room once we discovered they were clear of Daemons and showed no sign of our friends.
Several doorways later, we stopped at a room that turned my blood to ice. The room itself wasn't intimidating, it was the objects inside it. For appearance sake, it was the most elaborate master bedroom I had ever seen. The space was easily the size of the entire bottom level of my mom's house. A large king-sized bed made of rich maple wood sat on one side of the room across from a wall made up of nothing but flat-scree
n TV's. Each TV was turned on and I could see they were monitors for multiple areas around Victor's lair. I saw multiple Daemons roaming around on the majority of the screens, obviously standing guard in each section. Victor had been well prepared for our attack. Scanning each monitor carefully, I gasped when I finally saw John, Kieran, Kim and Jacob on one of the monitors. It looked like they were being held captive in a large laboratory. Kim and Kieran looked to be unconscious on lab tables much like I had occupied in Victor's other lab. Oddly, Paul and John sat idly by like they didn't have a care in the world.
"What's wrong with them?" I asked, shocked by their vacant expressions.
"My sister," Mark said bitterly. "I'm sure my father is using her to keep them docile. She’s quiet gifted at making you forget things that are important."
"So, I need to take her out," I muttered, studying the monitors intently one last time. I didn't know if I should be relieved or terrified that I didn't see Haniel or his group anywhere on the monitors.
"That’ll be the only chance we’ll have," Mark said as we exited the room.
"Do you know where the laboratory is?" I asked as we made our way down the hallway at a faster pace than before.
Mark shook his head. "No, I wasn’t given much freedom to move around."
"Well, this hallway has to lead somewhere," I said, increasing my speed. Seeing my friends in peril had spurred my new role as an Ascended into high gear and I once again took charge of the situation.
"I wonder why your father didn't bring us here when he abducted us last spring," I speculated as we veered off to the left to a different hallway.
"Because he wanted to be able to keep an eye on the other Guides and Protectors in our group. I think at the time, he truly thought he would successfully be able get at least half of us to Descend by destroying our relationships, especially after the progress he made with Harmony."
"How did he break the link between Harmony and Mason…" I started to ask when I felt the intensity of evil closing in on both sides of us. I stopped in mid-stride and pushed open the first door we came to. Mark followed my lead and did a quick survey of the room before gently pushing me in before him. The room was empty, but felt eerier than the hallway we had just exited. I shuddered from the waves of darkness that swirled around us in a thick fog.
"They're almost here," I told Mark as we faced the door.
He nodded his head grimly and leaned over to drop one of his makeshift clubs at his feet. I followed suit, knowing it would be less awkward for me to handle only one at a time.
"You have to slash the bigger Daemons across the throat to kill them," I said, raising the large butcher knife just as the door in front of us burst open.
Chapter 16
Three Daemons lurched at us through the doorway. I gulped back a scream as Mark pushed me behind him so he could face the Daemons alone. Using the wooden chair leg like a bat, he knocked one of the Daemons in the head, sending him to the ground with a resounding thud. Without pausing to think, I straddled the dazed Daemon, feeling the intense heat of its skin through my denim jeans. I sliced the blade of my knife across its neck, spilling its acid-like blood down its chest. I had to jump off as quickly as I had jumped on to avoid being burned. The Daemon had already started to burn from the inside out as I whirled around to assist Mark who was trying to hold off the remaining Daemons at once.
I noticed his movements were sluggish from lack of use over the last few months. I stuck the knife in my back pocket and grasped my club in both hands as firmly as I could. Both of them were so intent on finishing Mark, they didn't see me approaching from behind. I hit the closest one to me on the back of the head with as much force as I could muster. Momentarily stunned by the blow, it staggered on its feet, blindly swiping at me with its long claws. Dodging the claws, I swung the club again, this time smashing the Daemon across the face, spraying its disgusting green blood everywhere. He crashed to the floor at my feet and I couldn't help the triumphant smile that crossed my face as I watched Mark polish of the third Daemon.
I grabbed the knife from my pocket and turned to take care of the Daemon at my feet when white heat burned across the thigh of my right leg. Confused, I looked down and saw that the Daemon had regained consciousness and had used my cockiness against me, swiping at me with its razor-sharp claws.
Mark growled behind me as he spotted the free-flowing blood from the four slash marks that had left my jeans in a shredded mess. He leapt onto the Daemon, removing its head from its body in one swift move.
Breathing heavily, I stepped back from the two Daemons that were now smoldering at our feet.
"Holy frik, that stings," I muttered, sinking down on the ground so I could study my injury closer.
Mark sat down next to me. He studied the injury for a moment and cursed under his breath when he saw how deep the claws had dug into my leg. He ripped off his pullover sweater and jerked off his white undershirt revealing lean hardness that even in my pain-induced state had me catching my breath for a whole new reason. I watched as he methodically tore the white shirt into usable strips. His taut stomach muscles tightened as he tore though the cloth making it hard for me to tear my eyes away.
"Don't worry, I'm going to stop the blood from flowing," he said, misunderstanding why I looked dazed.
"Okay," I said, grateful for the first time that he could not read my thoughts anymore. I'm sure gawking at the lean muscles of a guy was some kind of faux pas in a situation like this.
Mark used the holes in my jeans to his advantage, ripping the bottom half of my jeans completely off of my injured leg. He made quick work, wrapping the pieces from his shirt around the oozing mess my leg had become. Once the injury was completely covered, he pulled the bottom half of my jeans back onto my leg. I admired his handiwork and resourcefulness. I was grateful that I had worn my favorite boot cut jeans since there was no way my skinny jeans would slide up over my injury without cutting off the circulation.
"Nice job," I said, struggling to stand up.
Mark reached down and hauled me to my feet effortlessly. "Can you put weight on the leg?" He asked, supporting all my weight.
"I think so," I said, balancing on one leg as I slowly eased weight on my injured leg. The sudden pressure made my injury burn, but I knew I could power through it.
Mark held me by the elbow as I adjusted my weight so that my good leg would take the brunt of the work.
"It stings, but nothing I can't handle. We should move on," I said, limping toward the door.
Mark kept a hand on my elbow as we continued our journey down the hallway. I could tell we were close to our destination by the swirl of evil that enveloped us the further we progressed into the heart of the mountain. I had to work to keep my composure from the bombardment of dark emotions emanating around.
"How did your dad get the money for all this?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the source that was making me sick. "I know he was involved in shady dealings, but this goes beyond that," I added.
"I'm not sure, but I guess when your buddy, buddy with The Dark One, money isn't an issue."
"We're almost there. I can feel a large group of Daemons up ahead of us." I finally said, trying to fill him in on what we would be facing. "Your sister and Victor are waiting for us also."
"So, you're trying to tell me we're walking into an ambush," he said with a small smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
"Exactly," I said, lacing my fingers through his as we approached the double-wide doors. I fought the temptation to flee with him in the opposite direction. The thought was irrational. I knew that if we left our friends behind, we would never forgive ourselves.
Mark placed his hands on the door handle and pulled the large door toward us. The essence of evil in the space beyond us was staggering, causing me to take a wobbly step backwards, trying to adjust to it. I fought with my own emotions, pushing it back to protect Mark and me as we entered the oversized lab space.
"Sheesh, what's with
your dad and his mad fascination with labs?" I gripped sarcastically to Mark.
"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his God complex," Mark piped in as we studied the obscure scene in front of us.
Kim and Kieran were still unconscious on the lab tables, just as we had seen on the monitors earlier. John and Jacob must have become a little harder to handle since they both were tied against two of the pillars that ran from the floor to the ceiling in the center of the room.
I fought the urge to run to my friends, fearing that they suffered similar injuries as Sam from Harmony's brain manipulation. Anger built up in me as I eyed their prone bodies and the dazed look of their Protectors. Without turning to face Harmony, I gathered my emotions together, feeling them grow stronger than ever before. I pushed them out away from me, blanketing John and Jacob before moving on to Kieran and Kim. I cringed, feeling the evil that Harmony was subjecting them to. Their every emotion was nothing but grief, despair, and hopelessness. I focused my concentration, taking in every negative emotion and replacing them with my own positive energy.
Turning from my friends that were now safely tucked under my emotional protective cloak, I turned to face Harmony.
"I see you made it back," she said snidely.
"And I see you're still daddy's little toy," I answered, sweeping my eyes around the room to gauge where the biggest threat was. I observed most of the Daemons hanging back on the far wall, surprised they had yet to try to apprehend Mark and me. Confused, I moved my eyes beyond them before finally resting them on Victor, who was eyeing me appraisingly. Using my gifts, I delved into his mind without any effort and pulled the thoughts from his head. I could see that he had been waiting months for the moment that Harmony and I would face off with our gifts.
My protection began to clear John's and Jacob's heads and I could hear them off to the side as the realized their Guides were somehow in harm's way.
I wanted to help them, but we were in a standoff, with each side waiting to see who would flinch first. I knew that a step in their direction would be the the catalyst Victor was waiting for. So, I ignored their pained voices as they worked to loosen the knots around their wrists. Their pain was mine as they anxiously tried to rouse their Guides on the table. Harmony shot me a sinister grin as she read my inner turmoil.