by Aliyah Burke
Her shoulders slumped and one strap of her tank top slid down over the curve of her arm. He reached out to return it only to pause, blink and stare harder. The ring mark had changed. The stars were now black and the rest was the bright pearlescent colour.
“Lana?”
“Hmm?” Her moan was sleepy and seductive all at the same time.
“When did your mark change?”
“What do you mean?”
He pressed his lips to it. “This one. It’s different.”
“Different? How so?” She didn’t make any move to check for herself.
So what, her question makes me think she didn’t know anyway. “The colours have switched. Dark stars on a light background.”
She yawned and finally turned her head. “I didn’t notice.” A shrug.
He hadn’t either, although he was positive it hadn’t been that way this morning, so something had happened through the day for it to change. He had to let it go—right now he couldn’t do anything about it. Perhaps it would be worth me reaching out to Ala and seeing if she could shed some light on this for me.
Finished with her hair, he leaned over and set the brush on the bedside table. She gave him a smile as she crawled under the covers.
The winds rattled the windows and doors as he joined her. Tucking her close, he said, “The children will be here by the end of the week.”
Her squeal escaped as she pounced on him, impressive given how he’d been holding her.
“Thank you,” she said between kisses. “Thank you, Lian. I’ll get rooms ready for them tomorrow.”
“They’ll be residing in the left wing, second floor.”
Her smile filled the room with sunshine. “How’d you get them to agree?”
“I spoke with Yancy Carroll. Maxwell took in my paperwork along with money to speed the process along.”
“You paid Yancy off?”
He chuckled. “No. Although I would have been fine doing that as well. We made a substantial contribution.”
She wound her arms around his shoulders. “You are one hell of a man, Lian Yang, and I want to tell you something.”
He waited.
“I love you, so much.”
“And I you, Lana Tennesol Yang.”
* * * *
Lana rocked back on her heels as the five children climbed out of the passenger van that had delivered them to this place. Yancy stood off to the side, speaking to Lian. So Lana faced them alone.
I thought there were only four kids. Four stood together and she knew they were a family. The fifth remained off to the side, his eyes full of anger and hurt.
The ages ranged from two to fifteen. She pasted a smile on her face. It wasn’t returned by any of them. All of them had wary expressions. She didn’t take offence at that, not given what they’d gone through.
“Welcome,” she said. “I’m Lana. Who are each of you?”
Of the four white children, the lone girl answered. She adjusted the child on her hip and pointed as she spoke. “Kenny, Morrison, Ronald and I’m Cora.”
“Lovely to meet you.” Lana put her gaze on the lone black boy standing there. “And you are?”
“Grant.”
“So nice to meet you as well.”
He wiped his hand off on his pant leg. “I know you weren’t expecting me, so why are you being nice to me? I won’t be staying.”
Her brow shot up. “Excuse me? You’re not staying?” Lana faced Lian, who had given her his attention. “Are we or are we not taking all five of these children, Lian?”
She could see the hint of a smile teasing the corner of his lips. He knew what she was up to.
“All five,” he said.
She huffed and faced Grant again. “See, any more questions?”
He shook his head. “Why?”
Lana looked at the others. “Get your things and we’ll get settled.” Back to Grant. “Because you need a roof over your head and we want you here.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“And if you leave, I never will. So, you stay and we’ll get to know each other just fine.” She gestured to the door. “Come along, let’s go. The rain will be falling soon. Say goodbye to Ms Carroll.”
Once they were inside, she watched them look around in awe. She struck out for the stairs and took them to the left wing. She showed them where the youngest, Morrison, would stay and Cora. Then she went to the rooms for the two brothers and pointed them out.
“I don’t know if you want to stay together or not. If you do, we can move the other bed in here.” She tipped her head to the side. “Or to the other room. Doesn’t matter. And Grant, your room is right there. Go ahead and put your things in.”
They stepped in and she smiled at the sight of the flowers on the dresser with the sign welcoming them to the house, same as the other rooms. It was personalized and she noticed even the bed was made. He stood before the wildflowers and read it a few times. She recognised the look on his face. He wanted to hope so badly, but he didn’t know how to let go of his guard.
“There you go.”
Back in the hallway with all five, she led them down to the kitchen, figuring they would be hungry and what better way to welcome them than with bowls of butterscotch pudding.
* * * *
Two months later as Lana dashed to the front steps for the house, she waved at Grant who stood at the top, watching her. The rain fell in steady sheets from the sky and she didn’t know why she even bothered running. It wasn’t like she could get any wetter.
Christmas lights were abundant and made her smile. This was her first opportunity to celebrate in many years and she was excited. They had a tree set up in the living room and presents under it for everyone.
Catching the fleeting smile on Grant’s face, she slowed and held out her hands to the side. “I thought I could make it back without getting wet.”
“I think you failed.”
“Me too.”
Grant was still extremely reserved. She’d noticed he’d taken a bit of shine to Edmond and could usually be found near him as he worked on his computers and made other things.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
He shrugged.
She didn’t press him further. “I understand. I love being outside myself.” Although, I will admit it was nice when Lian did whatever he did to keep me dry.
She put her foot on the bottom step and frowned over the piercing pain in her neck. Panic filled her—it was a feeling she knew personally and was well aware what came after. “Go inside, Grant,” she ordered, words already slurring.
Lana reached back and withdrew the dart.
“Lana?” Grant stepped towards her.
“No,” she called out, sinking to her knees. “Go inside, get the others to the panic room. Then call Edmond or Lian.” She fought off the impending darkness as best she could. She saw men appearing where before none had been. “Go! Run!”
“What about him?” one of the approaching men asked.
“Should we take him? Erlik could always use another body.”
No way. Not so long as there was breath in her body. She dug her fingers along the marble step and took one last look up at Grant. “Run!” she mouthed, before stumbling to her feet and beginning what she knew would be a futile escape attempt.
The drug was too strong and too far along in her system. She made it a few steps before a net soared over her head and brought her back to the ground. Still, she didn’t stop trying. She crawled and scraped herself along the gravel.
“Leave the boy, we have to get out of here before Lian finds out.”
A heavy booted foot stomped on her wrist, snapping the bone. Her scream was barely there.
“Where do you think you are going, Lana?” He crouched and she found herself looking into the cold ice-blue eyes of Seger’s sibling, Hans. “My brother is dead because of you. I’m going to have fun welcoming you back home. Then you get to go back to Erlik.”
She couldn’t fight it anymore and closed her eyes against the pain and familiar push of the drug.
* * * *
“Wakey, wakey, Lana.”
The smack across her face finished what the voice had started. She blinked heavily a few times then stared around. Well, she may not know the exact location but she recognised a lab when she saw one.
Her arms were secured right above her elbows and her legs at the ankles. The stainless steel table beneath her wasn’t truly cold but she knew it should be.
Hans stepped close and smacked her again, rocking her head back. The well-recognised metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
“You won’t get away with this,” she said.
“You never learn, do you, little girl? We own you.” He picked up her right wrist and yanked off the leather covering. “And we have what we need. You will bring him to us and we will kill both of you before his power can manifest.”
“You think you’re so smart. It won’t work. You will not be successful. So what, I have a mark on my wrist. Do you even know what it means?”
“He may not, my dear. But I do.”
Erlik stepped from the shadows and walked across the room. For the first time in her life, Lana didn’t feel fear when she looked at him. Nope. The emotion coursing through her was straight up anger.
He stood at her other side and reached out with one hand to drag it along her cheek. She couldn’t move her head because of the band anchoring it down, but she curled her lip in disgust.
“You’re going to lose. The prophecy will come true.”
His grin was pure evil. “Really? You have to sacrifice yourself for that to happen. You, ready to die? I doubt it. Now, I am going to keep you hidden for a while and wait for the Cold Moon. When it passes and your precious Lian is dead, the prophecy will be no more. The Guardians won’t appear and we can again have the control we so rightly deserve.”
She spat at him. “You’ll get what you deserve all right. But it won’t turn out the way you want it.”
He hit her, much harder than Hans had, and tears sprung to her eyes. Then he had a knife in his hand and he drew a line along her bared shoulder. She shuddered when his forked tongue sneaked out to lick it up.
“Your blood is so nourishing. I could keep you alive for years and just allow myself to indulge in it.”
“Go to Hell,” she snapped, trying not to throw up with revulsion.
“I don’t think so, Lana. You see, I’m about to bring Hell to Earth.”
Chapter Fifteen
The vase—a priceless Ming vase from thirteen-seventy—shattered against the wall. Outside, storm clouds rolled and thunder shook the sky as bolts of pure energy jagged to pierce the earth.
Lian swore and paced, his fury insurmountable. Somehow They had managed to sneak some of the members from The New Order onto his property and they’d lain in wait until they’d been able to capture Lana. He launched more items that would have fetched a fortune should he have sold them, instead of sending them careening into a wall and breaking them.
“You do remember what night this is, right, Lian?”
“What are you talking about, Edmond? I’m focusing on finding Lana right now. I just finished checking to see if any of the workers saw anything by happenstance. I have to figure out what my next move will be.”
“We were attacked during the Hunter’s Moon. Tonight is the Cold Moon. Just a thought, but if you went somewhere you know they were watching, they would probably appear.”
He froze, mid pace and stared out of the window. With his hands, he made a separating motion and as the waters of the Red Sea had done for Moses, the clouds did for him. Parted and allowed the moon to shine down on him.
“Thank you for the reminder, Edmond. I will go bring her home now.”
“You know they will try to cheat. Do you need me to come with?”
“As much as I would love to fight with you again, I need you to stay here and keep the children safe. Nothing can happen to them.”
“Understood. Stay safe, my mentor.”
“I will let you know when we are coming back.”
Lian cut the connection and put himself outside. With one final look back at his home, he strode off before being swallowed up by the air itself as he streaked along it to a place he knew The New Order freaks hung out. Materializing, he set his feet on the ground and ripped the door off its hinges without even touching it. The old building was abandoned by everyone other than the people he was after.
“Where is Erlik?” he demanded, as he strode in, stepping on the door he’d just removed.
There were five men in there and all stared at him in surprise, drinks paused halfway to their mouths. Lian had no patience left. With a burst of power, he sent all of them flying to the walls where they dangled and gasped for air. In moments, four had died and he faced the only one left alive.
“You have to have a way to contact your boss. Do it. Now.”
He shook his head as the fear he desperately tried to hide leaked into his gaze. “I can’t. The only one who could…well, you just killed him.”
“So you’re no good to me either.” Just like that, he was dead as well.
Lian turned to the open doorway and stared out. The clouds gathered again and he turned his hands up as his power surged through him. The noise was unmistakable. The destruction complete. He levelled the building around him, his power protecting him from crashing debris.
“Erlik!” he cried, the wind whipping away his words.
He stood there, chest heaving as he gathered himself. One second it was silent then it all exploded. Demons attacked from sky and ground. Armed New Order followers began shooting at him as well.
This was what he knew well and he defended himself. He spun, fought and killed as the moon shone upon them. Each cut wore him down more than it should. The clouds raced in and the sky opened up.
Wet with both water and blood, Lian ripped the head of a demon off and tossed the two parts in different directions. Another tore into his back from behind while a second attacked his leg.
He went to his knees and stared at Erlik across the way. Erlik was no longer alone. Hara, Uma and Cheza were with him. They shifted and snaked their way along the ground towards him. They were after his blood this time, nothing to stop them from killing him and terminating the prophecy. They surrounded him and retook human shapes with weapons as he rose again to meet this challenge.
“I’ve waited millennia for this, beast calmer,” Hara spat.
Weapons flew from his fingertips as he moved with all the speed he could call upon. Unfortunately, they knew how he fought and with the four of them they were able to land devastating blows.
Erlik swiped him across the belly. Hara took out his left leg while Cheza did his right and Uma attacked his back. With spots before his eyes, Lian fell to his knees, his world suddenly moving in slow motion.
“No!” The cry cut through the rain and the rush of pain roaring in his own ears.
He turned his head to the left and saw Lana standing there. Run! He screamed in his head but he knew it was futile. The moment he fell completely they would kill her.
“No!” she screamed her refusal and stepped towards them.
The four around him laughed manically as Hara beckoned her to them. “Come, little one, we will feast on your blood as well before the night is over.”
His comment wrenched Lana’s attention from Lian and as he attempted to get back to his feet, she shook her head.
“Lian!”
He desperately tried to reach her, but couldn’t get his limbs to work. Cheza sneered and launched a spear created from hellsfire at Lana. It tore through her chest like any weapon Inaki made with ease.
His cry of agony filled the air and was echoed by maniacal laughter. She crumbled to the ground. Tears mingled with rain and streaked down his face. How was this possible? How could I have failed her? Fury filled him and he knew he was about to die, but he would take as many of them as
he could with him. Reaching deep, he tried for any tiny bit of remaining strength.
They gathered around him and stared at him. “Your time has finally come, beast calmer.” Hara’s grin was pure evil.
The moon burst through the rain and clouds, engulfing her still body in its silver beam. The mark on his wrist throbbed and Lian swallowed back his pain and attempted another shove to his feet. He failed and collapsed into a heap.
“Wrong. Tonight. You lose.” Lana’s voice—slightly altered, deeper and huskier—drew his gaze and he didn’t know what to make of what he witnessed.
Lana rose in the air, feet poised by each other, her hands out at her sides. The air vibrated with power and a loud crack snapped through the area. The wind moved her hair as she floated closer. She was mostly naked except for a silver binding—moonbeams perhaps—around her breasts and creating a very tiny sarong around her waist. The four who’d circled him didn’t move and he wondered if they could.
“You have failed to stop the prophecy,” she said. “You will return to the darkness from whence you came—there is no place for you here. The Guardians have been chosen. Your rules were made, now you must follow them.”
Her hair lengthened to her hips as the colours morphed from black, browns and red to silver. At the ends of the strands, he swore there were stars dangling. Her entire body had become a canvas for the sky. Constellations were apparent on every inch of her skin, glowing and moving. The mark on her wrist—the one identical to his—glowed gold and the symbols rose in the air and surrounded her as well.
“You are sacrificing yourself,” Uma said. “He’s dead.”
“I am willingly sacrificing myself, but you are wrong. He is not dead. Mother Earth is displeased with the destruction you have bestowed upon her. Her power flows through me and by extension, Lian. I am her emissary and I choose where the power of the earth goes. It, combined with the stars, the heavens, is more than enough to defeat you.”
Lian could feel curative waves push through him, healing him at the rate he had never expected. He rose and stared at the four. “You failed. Leave.”