“Then why would my presence threaten Sean?”
“Because he already suspects the same thing I do—that Matt has been possessed by a Belian.”
“You said that before, but there’s no scientific evidence that possession actually exists.”
“Nor is there evidence of Sentinels, Sanctioned, or Belians. Yet you’re well aware of our existence.”
“That’s bad enough,” she muttered. “I didn’t need to add possession to the equation. Next you’ll be telling me that vampires and werewolves really do exist.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe what’s out there.”
“And I don’t want to know,” she said firmly. “Let’s get back to the possession issue. How does it happen?”
“There are two basic ways a Belian can enter the Earth plane,” Adam explained. “By being born into a human body—and yes, reincarnation is an integral part of the universal plan.”
“I told you I didn’t want to hear anything else.”
A small smile flirted with his mouth. “Little coward.”
“Just overwhelmed.” Now, why had she ever admitted that to him? Adam was the kind of man—supernatural being?—who would exploit any weakness, if it served his purpose. “Make that sensory overload,” she corrected. “Just stick to the pertinent facts, please. No more data than necessary.”
“All right. As I was saying, a Belian can be born into a human body, or it can enter this plane by taking possession of a body. Coming in by birth is the most common way, but there are a fair number of possessions.”
She tried to get her mind around the idea of a person being possessed, while the theme from The Exorcist played eerily in her head. “Isn’t it almost impossible for someone to become possessed?” she asked. “And if they are, what happens to the person who’s already in the body?”
“It’s complicated. It is difficult to take possession of a body unless the person is weak or ill in some way. When it does happen, it’s possible that the original soul in the body can remain there, repressed by the invading soul.”
“Wait. Are you saying that Belians have souls?”
“All living things, animals included, have souls.”
“So Belians have evil souls?”
“All souls come from one source—the Creator. All are loved and cherished by The One. But some of them have wandered away from the Light.”
“Looks like quite a ways.”
Adam did smile this time. Damn, the man is sexy when he smiles. Stop thinking that! she told herself.
“You could say that,” he said. “In the case of a possession, the original soul could remain, overshadowed by the Belian soul. Or it might leave the body, in which case, when the Belian is cast out, the body dies. That’s the common scenario.”
Meaning very poor odds for a person possessed by a Belian. “I assume Sean knows this.”
“He does, which is why he’s reacting so strongly. Matt is the only family he has.”
Julia considered. “But you believe Matt is still alive. Assuming a Belian has possessed him, that means both Sentinel and Belian souls are inhabiting the same body.”
Adam nodded. “That’s exactly what I think. It appears Matt is holding on and fighting back. The times he’s in control of the body are when I can sense him.”
“When there’s a void, the Belian must be in control,” Julia surmised. “And since a conductor can help track a Belian, then I might do just that. Theoretically, of course, since I’m not here in the role of a conductor.” And she planned to keep it that way.
“Of course.”
She ignored the sardonic tone in his voice. “So what happens when you find Matt? Will you be able to force the Belian out of him?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a situation like this. I can exorcise the Belian and send its sorry soul to burn on Saturn. But I don’t know if I can save Matt. That’s why I can’t—won’t—allow any of my other Sentinels to handle this.”
He paused, his expression grim. “There’s a very good chance I’ll end up destroying Matt’s physical body, casting his soul from the Earth plane.”
In other words, he might have to kill Matt. And she might be the one facilitating it.
SEVEN
THEY went to the IMAX Theater, which was at Rivercen ter Mall. Adam wanted to investigate to confirm whether or not a Belian was behind last night’s carnage, and if it was a link to Matt. He asked Julia to wait inside the mall. Probably just as well, she thought, sitting on a bench seat, flanked by huge pots of frond-type trees. She didn’t have any breaking and entering skills, or the ability to redirect minds should she be seen and questioned. But she had no doubt Adam would be able to gain entry to the closed theater without difficulty or being noticed.
She sighed and tried to stretch her stiff body. Behind her, a bank of glass panels soared several stories high. They overlooked the waterway, which was illuminated by hundreds of nighttime lights. Way above her, brightly colored contemporary tapestries hung quietly, despite the hustle and bustle of people through the thoroughfare.
Although the mall was warm from all the bodies and movement, Julia was chilled. She felt like she had just taken a step on an irrevocable and terrifying path. She had no idea what horrors lay ahead, but if they were even a tenth of what had happened in Dallas, it would be very bad. And there would be no turning back.
Not that she would. She’d told Adam she’d stick it out. Even if that meant dealing with the fierce and unsettling sexual attraction between them. Not to mention the violence and mayhem and high body count that Belians generated. And all of it was nonlogical and inexplicable in her scientifically based world.
She saw Adam striding toward her, tall and imposing in his black trench coat. Against the more casual shoppers and sightseers, he stood out like a prime number among a string of transcendental numbers. But he appeared oblivious to the stares, his focus solely on her. He stopped beside her. “We need to go.”
She allowed his assistance to stand, having resigned herself to the fact that it was both easier on her leg and more expedient than fighting him every time he offered. However, she sidestepped his subtle attempt to take her arm as she started walking. “Where are we going?”
“To Matt’s house.” Ignoring her warning glare, he grasped her left arm anyway, giving her unobtrusive support and moving her toward the nearby exit. “I need to see it, to read the energy patterns and get any information I can. I’d like you to be there, to see if you can pick up anything.”
“And I’d like you to let go of me.”
“I suggest you pick your battles, Julia.” He tugged her through the doors. “And there will be a battle. There was a Belian at the IMAX last night.”
She hated hearing that. She gave up trying to extricate herself as a renewed feeling of dread swept through her. Now it was certain they were about to step into the Sentinel otherworld.
They were silent on the drive to Matt’s house. He lived in an older residential section of the city, where the houses were modest but well tended. Adam parked in front of a white brick and frame house with a double garage. The bank of tall windows between the garage and the front porch were dark, and there didn’t appear to be any lights on elsewhere in the house.
Adam stared at the house a long moment. “I can’t sense him anywhere.” He looked at Julia. “I want you to stay in the car while I check things out. Have you got your gun?”
“It’s right here in my purse.”
“Get it out, have it ready. If anyone or anything approaches the car in a threatening manner, shoot first, and ask questions later.”
Oh, great. Now she could add shooting someone to the possibilities. But she understood the seriousness of the situation, the potential danger of a Belian—one Adam thought might be in the general vicinity. She pulled out her Tomcat, rested it against her leg.
“Do not hesitate to shoot if you feel you are in danger,” Adam reiterated.
“Don’t worry. If it comes do
wn to a Belian or me, there’s no contest.”
“If the house is clear, I’ll come get you.”
“I can hardly wait.”
He gave her a look—she couldn’t tell if it was amusement or exasperation—and got out of the car. As he strode away, the car doors locked on their own. Julia scanned the area, but all she saw was a young couple walking a massive dog. She tried to relax, but her nerves were on edge. She imagined a dark form coming out of nowhere and ripping off the car door. So many monsters in the world . . .
The man moved toward her, the glare of the kitchen light behind him shadowing his face. “Where have you been, Julia? I warned you about seeing other men, but you didn’t listen. Now I have to punish you.” Shock and terror swept through her as he lunged forward, grabbing her with one meaty hand, the other one balling into a fist and raising to strike. . . .
She jolted at the tapping on the car window, her heart leaping and going into a frenzied pounding. It took a moment for her to realize it was Adam, not William Bennett. God.
Adam opened the door. “The house is clear, so you can—” His gaze focused on her face, his eyes narrowing. “What happened? Did you see something?”
Only a demonic ghost. “No, it’s nothing.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder. “And nothing is why you’re pale and shaking, and your heart is racing?”
“I’m just tense. You might track down monsters on a regular basis, but this is new territory for me.”
“I would say you’ve had some experience in that area,” he said quietly.
Why did the man have to be so damned perceptive? “I’m fine,” she insisted, swinging her legs out of the car. But she was still shaking, a reaction to the sick rush pum meling her body. Who needed caffeine when adrenaline was only a memory away?
She got to her feet and took an unsteady step toward the house. “Let’s get this over with.”
But he blocked her, sliding his hands down her arms. Even through her jacket, she could feel their heat. “Take a minute and settle down.” He pulled her lightly against him.
“Adam—”
“Hush.” He splayed one hand over her upper back. She felt a subtle flow of energy radiating into her, soothing, calming.
Some of her tension dissipated. Of its own volition, her head eased against his chest. His trench coat smelled fresh and clean, and from beneath it came an entirely too enticing scent of expensive cologne and primal male.
If he could bottle that scent, she thought inanely, he could make a fortune and there would be a lot of turned-on women and sexually satisfied men in its wake. No, no, no! What was wrong with her? Oh, right—the Sentinel/conductor attraction, and her awakening libido. Nothing a little—or maybe a lot of—self-control couldn’t handle.
She pushed away from him. “Enough of the woo-woo stuff. Let’s get this done.”
“All right.” He steered her toward the house. “The place is a mess,” he said as they went up the sidewalk. “Obviously, Matt hasn’t been functioning well at all. I should have kept a closer watch on him.”
Her nerves tauter than violin strings, she went for levity. “Like you don’t have a fleet of Sentinels and a horde of Belians and the vast state of Texas to rule over.”
“That’s no excuse. Every individual in my care is of vital importance.”
“I hate to break it to you at a time like this, Adam, but as I’ve already pointed out, you are not God. Despite your delusions to the contrary.”
“I’m not the one with delusions, Julia, nor am I in denial. I know exactly what’s happening here.”
She opted to ignore his implication that she was avoiding the reality between them, and remained silent while he opened the door and went ahead of her. She smelled the stench as she entered the house—rotting food and stale air and sweat. Layered over that was another foul odor she couldn’t identify. It was nasty, like putrid eggs and decaying vegetation.
She placed a hand over her nose as she looked around. The front room was a jumble of tossed clothing and mail, plates of old food, and liquor bottles. Couch cushions and garbage littered the floor, and the pictures on the walls were askew, the glass broken in some of them.
“I see what you mean about the mess,” she said. “What is that awful smell?”
“Do you smell more than old food and filth?”
“I don’t know . . .” She lowered her hand, risked another sniff. Ugh. “It’s like there’s something dead and rotting.”
“There is, in a way. Can you sense or feel anything?”
She looked around the room, could imagine the despair and emotional upheaval that had created the mess, but couldn’t really feel it. “No.”
“So you don’t have empathic abilities, like Marla does.”
“No. After Bennett—” She paused, took a breath through her mouth. “After that night, I could suddenly see flashes of future events. And Marla started picking up emotions from people. I don’t know which is worse.”
“These abilities don’t have to be curses.” Adam glanced around. “The overriding stink in this room is from a Belian.”
“Belians stink?”
“Many demons leave a stench.”
“Demons? Oh, please, that sounds like a melodramatic horror novel.”
“We don’t have time for detailed explanations of the complexities of the Universe. Suffice it to say that the byproduct of some tainted souls reflects the nature of those souls.”
“Then why can’t you just track Belians by their bad smell?”
“Because corporeal Belians look and smell like any other human. The incorporeal ones are what you would term demons . They can be very dangerous, despite their lack of a body. Many of them move in and out of dark realms and absorb the essences and odors of those realms.”
She didn’t even want to think about other realms. “Why do you keep telling me things I don’t want to hear?”
“Would you rather go into a situation ignorant and unprepared?”
“I’d rather go back to Houston and forget any of this ever happened.”
“There’s a surprise. Why don’t we focus on the current scene? There are other indications that a Belian was here.” Adam took Julia’s hand.
Her heart kicked up again. “I assume it’s time to trigger one of my visions?”
“Not yet. I want to show you something through a third-eye link.”
“I’m confused. Aren’t we doing a third-eye link whenever I tap into Belian energy patterns through you and have visions, like I did in Dallas and then again last night?”
“Yes, but in that situation I was deliberately ‘download ing,’ if you will, the Belian psychic signature. The third eye can be used for various scenarios, and there are a number of ways a third-eye link between two people can work. For now, I’m just going to show you the energies in this room. You’ll be seeing what I see when I investigate a BCS.”
She was intrigued, despite the circumstances. “Anything for the team.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He entwined his fingers with hers. Heat and desire rolled through her.
She braced herself against the sensual onslaught. “Can’t you turn that off?”
“Turn what off?” Feigned innocence tinged his voice.
“You know damned well what I’m talking about. Can’t you block the sexual energy stuff? It’s really annoying.”
“It affects me, too, Julia. Since I’ve never had this experience before I met you, I’m not an expert on diverting the energies. But I have some ideas on how it can be dispersed.”
She snapped her teeth in frustration. “Do you have to be such a guy?”
“Apparently.” He looked genuinely disconcerted. “I seem to be learning the ins and outs of testosterone.”
She laughed, despite herself. Adam surprised her with a smile, and she felt the strain between them easing. “How can we be acting like this in such an awful situation?” she asked.
“Humor is good. It’s not one of my s
trong points, but I think we’re going to need it, because things appear to be pretty grim. Let’s take a look at the patterns. Ready?”
“I guess.”
“Just close your eyes, and try to blank your thoughts.”
She did, and almost immediately, she saw the room in her mind, but it was surreal and distorted. Wavy lines moved from ceiling to floor, and she assumed they were energy waves. She saw dark swirls moving around the room, coming together to form a large, grotesque shape, then shifting back into random swirls.
They moved around the room, sporadically coming together and separating in ominous patterns. Occasional sparks of light flashed in and out of the main shape. It was like watching a hokey ghost film, except the swirls were black instead of white. The awful smell intensified, almost gagging her. She heard a low hum of some sort. It sounded mechanical rather than human.
“What is this?” she asked.
“You’re seeing the energy patterns left by the Belian.”
“It’s that dark shape?”
“In a manner of speaking. We’re seeing it in its discarnate form.”
“Is that strange sound from the Belian?”
“Yes, it’s an echo of the residual energy. I think you’ve seen enough. I’m going to break the link now.”
He let go of her hand, and the images winked off. She opened her eyes to the room in current reality. “I don’t know what to make of that.”
“It gives me a lot of information. I’m just sorry Sean had to experience this. He was here a few days ago—against my orders. He told me a Belian had been here, but insisted Matt must have left before that. He’s in denial.” He shook his head. “Come on. We’re done here.”
Julia was only too glad to get out of the house. She stepped off the porch and drew in a deep breath of untainted air. “So if the Belian is in a discarnate form, then it hasn’t possessed Matt.”
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