Primani (Primani Series Book One)

by Laurie Olerich

“MICA? WAKE UP, DARLIN’. You’re dreaming.” A faraway voice called my name.

  I’d barely fallen asleep when the nightmare caught me by surprise. I was back in the forest with the usual misshapen creature stalking me. Instead of running blindly this time, I strode ahead, determined to ignore the darkness that hovered on my left. Despite my boldness, my skin prickled with fear. Any second now it would attack as it did in all of my dreams. But it didn’t.

  Instead, it paced my steps, shadowing me . . . waiting. The path wound this way and that until I came to a brilliantly lit clearing. Sean! There was no reason to be afraid now—the welcoming glow promised safety—but as soon as I approached, the light changed. It expanded and contracted oddly. It flickered like an old star. I started running. It expanded and contracted faster and faster, creating a sound wave that pierced my eardrums.

  “No! Wait! Don’t go!” I dove towards the light as it imploded in a blinding explosion. As I landed on my stomach, the creature pounced.

  The darkness pressed me into the boggy ground. I struggled to free myself, but the force was relentless. Slowly sinking, I shrieked for help, twisting my face to the side to keep from choking. The forest floor continued to cover me, cloaking me in the musky black dirt, burying me. My mouth filled with it as I screamed. Until the world slammed to the right, and I was falling . . .

  “Mica! Come on, baby girl, breathe for me.”

  Someone hit me in the chest once, then twice. Oxygen. I need oxygen. I tried to sit up, but something heavy was holding me down. Panicked, I started thrashing at my unseen attacker. Someone grabbed both of my hands and held me still.

  Urgent voices finally broke through the dream’s fog.

  “Damn it, woman! You come back to me right now or I’ll hunt you down wherever you go!” Sean resorted to threats since pleading wasn’t bringing me around.

  The desperation in his voice tugged at my heart. I opened my eyes and coughed. Sean and Dec grabbed me at the same time. They hugged me so hard I broke into another painful coughing fit.

  “Don’t ever do that again! You scared the hell out of us!” Sean was yelling and rocking me against his chest at the same time, his expression full of panic.

  “Wow! That was some dream. Tell me, were you in a forest?” Speaking through thinned lips, Dec’s voice sounded oddly pained.

  “How could you know that?”

  He drew a finger down my cheek and held it up. It was coated with spongy black loam.

  Ewww! I staggered over to a clean-looking snow pile on the side of the road. Yes, it was freezing cold and dark as hell out in the middle of nowhere. But I was absolutely not getting into the car covered with dirt that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

  “What the hell? What kind of creepy shit are you getting me into? I never had these dreams until I met you two!” I was totally freaked out and wanted answers. Biting my lip to keep it from quivering, I washed off in the snow.

  Dec shrugged. “Don’t look at me! I’ve never had this effect on a woman before.”

  “Well?” I asked Sean as I stuffed my arms into a clean sweater.

  He frowned, puzzled. “No dirt in the car. It’s bizarre. We’re nearly to the city anyway. Don’t fall asleep again. We’ll get answers from someone at the safe house.” He held the door, and I gingerly climbed into the front seat. I didn’t trust the back seat anymore.

  By the time we reached the Tappan Zee Bridge on the Hudson River, the sun was starting to rise, and I was bouncing on the edge of the seat with excitement. Near-death experience aside, I was ever the optimist. We were going to have fun in the city.

  “This is so cool! Look at that river!” My head was swiveling from right to left, trying to take in everything at once.

  Large sheets of ice floated against the banks, the shimmering water visible underneath them. The snow from last night glowed ghostly white in random places. The dark water looked decidedly uninviting in the early morning light. The long roadway rose gradually as we approached the middle of the river and leveled off under the main bridge structure. I craned my neck to look into the cobweb of steel beams above us.

  Dec’s excitement showed in the brilliant smile that graced his face. “I love this place! It’s my favorite city on earth.”

  He was driving the last bit of the trip so Sean could focus on security. Sean was in the back with his eyes closed. He said he wasn’t sleeping; he said he was trying to pick up any traces of demons in the area. Hmm. For someone who was not sleeping, he was pretty relaxed . . .

  “Can you feel the energy? It’s so alive!” Dec drove casually with one wrist balanced on top of the steering wheel, beaming as he navigated through morning commuters. “All these people! So many souls.”

  Traffic was building as we got closer to Manhattan. It was stop and go until we got onto East River Drive. Roosevelt Island loomed in shadows on our left. Tall buildings crouched as far as I could see. Were those apartments? I gazed at them as we made our way up the side of the island. Lights twinkled in some windows, but most were still dark. Dec made a series of turns to bring us westward. The sun was fully up now, and the buildings cast shadows ahead of us as we made our way across the city.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.

  A grumpy Sean answered, “Gramercy Park—and I can’t wait to get there—this place screams demons, every place we turn. Their energy’s making me sick. It’s a disgusting city.”

  “Oh, so you are awake.”

  His mouth pulled into a sour grin as he grunted something I didn’t quite hear but sounded like, smart ass. To Dec, he said, “Okay, you’re going to pull into that parking garage on the next block and park in a penthouse spot. They’re marked.”

  “So I have a question. You keep talking about demons running around causing problems. Are there angels here too?”

  Sean and Dec did that mental conversation thing that annoyed the heck out of me before Sean replied, “Some, yes. Probably more than I know about. You’ll get to meet a few at the penthouse. Alex is a working angel. The house manager is too.”

  Real angels? Should this make me happy or terrified? What are they like? “What do they look like? Do they have wings?”

  With just a trace of laughter in his voice, Dec answered, “They look like people here on the human plane. They generally keep the wings stashed. There’s a lot of power in those feathers so they won’t risk losing any. Not to mention, they’d stick out like a sore thumb with their wings extended all the time.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d had some time to get used to Primani. Their powers and my new psychic ability were finally feeling familiar. I’d accepted them at face value. Angels, though? What would they be like? How do they stand on smiting? For or against?

  “How am I supposed to act? I don’t want to insult them.”

  Sean waved a hand in front of my face. “Hey. Don’t stress. They’re not douchebags like the ones on TV. They’ll be nice to you. Just be your normal respectful human self.”

  I snorted at his description. “Thanks. I think.”

  Dec interrupted my next thought. “Just don’t ask to see their wings. That’s kind of personal. Like asking to see their nipples.”

  In front of us was one of the most beautiful buildings I’d ever seen. Old and quaint, it was made of red brick with some kind of curling trim around the top of the main floors. Was that a gargoyle? The unique building charmed me immediately.

  In spite of the throbbing in my arm, I was still trying to see everything at once. After we parked, the guys grabbed our bags and quickly shuffled me into the building. I tried to protest that we were moving too fast, but Dec shushed me and gave me a nudge to keep walking. Geez! These guys were like hot and cold today! I barely had time to see the lobby. The walls were covered in stained glass artwork and blood-red velvet draperies. Elegant crystal chandeliers sparkled in the dim morning light. The floors were black and white marble and were covered with red carpets. Pretty little seating areas
were scattered around with antique tables and chairs. I wanted to look around, but Dec firmly guided me to the nearest elevator. Sean was on my right side, scanning everything we passed. A uniformed concierge approached to ask if we needed any help. Sean’s fierce expression relaxed into an easy smile. He casually explained we were meeting friends and were expected. He waved a hand over our general disreputable appearance, and commented that we’d had a car accident and really needed to freshen up. The nice man swallowed the story and wished us a good day.

  Once in the elevator, I collapsed in laughter. “How do you do that?” I leaned up to kiss him.

  Smiling a little smugly, he draped an arm around me. “Mind control. It’s no big thing.”

  Dec rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “Show off.”

  “Can you do it too, Dec?”

  He broke into a warm laugh. “Oh, yeah. It’s one of my many talents. We can all do it to a degree, but Sean’s one of the best there is. I’ve got other mad skills that he doesn’t though.”

  Really? “Such as?”

  In typical Dec fashion, he dropped a kiss on the top of my head and lowered his voice to be purposely mysterious. “All in good time. You can’t learn all of our secrets at once. It’s our mystery that keeps you coming around.”

  The elevator crawled to the top floor and spit us out into an opulent foyer. The walls were rich blue and dotted with geometric paintings in bright colors. The black marble floors glistened in the dim lights. The penthouse door was made from a very dark wood and had an antique brass knocker in the center. A spunky golden cherub smiled up at us from an alcove beside the door. Everything was elegant . . . maybe too elegant.

  “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

  “This is the place.” He knocked on the door with enough force to make me jump.

  A well-dressed older man pulled open the door and waved us inside.

  “Good morning, young ones! I’m Jordan. I’m the house manager here. Everyone has been waiting anxiously for you to arrive. I’m very glad to see you made it safely. Follow me, please.” With that greeting, he swept regally into a dimly lit hallway.

  “My first angel!” I fairly giggled in Sean’s ear.

  His mouth quirked with amusement but made no comment.

  Jordan led us into the living room where several men were talking. I recognized two of those men immediately. I breathed a sigh of relief at Killian’s tense face. Unconsciously, I squeezed my locket. Oh, thank God you’re okay!

  His sleek, dark head snapped up. Aw, I didn’t know you cared.

  “Of course I do, you idiot!” The words came out much louder than I planned.

  Conversation crashed to a halt. Everyone looked at me. Oops. Did I say that out loud? I flushed beet red. Killian’s wicked eyes latched onto mine as he strode over to me. Dec looked confused as he glanced back and forth between me and Killian. I was definitely confused. What did I do now? The other three men came over to listen with curious expressions.

  Killian was beaming with pride. “Do you know what just happened? Do you?” Vibrating with energy, he was searching my eyes again.

  Irritated, I shut them.

  “Knock it off! I don’t know what you’re talking about. You said, ‘Aw, I didn’t know you cared,’ in your typical smartass tone, and I called you an idiot. What’s the big deal?”

  Smiling like a cat that just ripped the canary to shreds and ate him with Sriracha sauce, he said patiently, “No, Mica. I didn’t say anything to you. You picked up my thoughts and answered me out loud.” I must’ve looked stumped because he added, “You still don’t get it? Your psychic ability is getting stronger. Good job, girl!”

  He patted me on the head like a dog, completely ruining the praise. Typical.

  Before I could kick him, Raphael interrupted us, “Sean, help your Mica over here so I can look at her arm. I can smell the blood from here.”

  Thanks to a couple of pain pills I got from Dec, I’d almost forgotten about my arm, but now the throbbing came back in full force. It did seem to be bleeding again. My sleeve was sticking to my arm. Yuck. Raphael took one look at the mess and got down to business.

  “Scissors, please.”

  Jordan brought him a pair of scissors and a first aid kit. While he worked on cutting my sleeve away, the other two men introduced themselves. They were Zadkiel and Alex. Zadkiel was a trim older man with a mane of silver hair that framed a soft cherubic face. He had green eyes that sparkled when he shook my good hand. He explained that he was here to help the injured Primani and was very glad to meet me, since he normally didn’t get out among humans. I was the topic of a lot of speculation right now. I glanced at Sean who simply shrugged. He had no comment.

  Raphael interrupted Zadkiel. “Well, the bullet went straight through the muscle without tearing a lot of the fibers. That’s good because it’ll heal more cleanly. But I can help it along if you’d like.” He was leaving it up to me this time.

  “We have a lot to do while we’re here, darlin’. If I were you, I’d take all the help I could get.” Dec winked at me.

  “As usual, Dec is right. Do you want me to lay down first?”

  “As you wish.” Raphael waved a hand toward the couch.

  Sometime later, I rolled over and looked at my watch. Oh, surely not? It couldn’t be so late! The sun had already set, and the city was sparkling in its nighttime finery. Sliding open a glass door, I slipped out to the rooftop garden and leaned on the wrought iron railing that stood between me and certain death eighteen stories below. Wow! So many lights everywhere. They were like stars. The view was breathtaking.

  “Oh good, you’re up.” Sean came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, skimming my belly with his fingertips. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Not so disgusting now, huh?” I snuggled against him, and he sighed against my hair.

  “It’s not all bad, I know that. But there are a lot of demons in this city. We have a lot of work to do.”

  His woodsy fragrance curled around me, lulling me, drawing my blood to my center. He was still damp from a shower. I rubbed my palms over the taut muscle in his forearms, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine. If I moved very slowly I could feel the blood moving under his skin. I was starting to get used to the slight pulsing that was a part of him. The saol was always there, just below the surface . . . just below his human façade. It was hard to remember that he—they—weren’t entirely human. I still wasn’t sure what that really meant, but I didn’t care anymore. They were better people than most real people, and I loved them completely. Right now, all I cared about was this moment with Sean.

  The feeling of dread was still lingering in the back of my mind. I didn’t know how much time we had left. I thought of the dream and the darkness and shuddered. If the light represented Sean, who was the darkness? What did it mean that the light exploded like a supernova? Surely that wasn’t a premonition of some kind. It has to be symbolic. But what did it mean?

  I turned around and wrapped my arms around his waist. His heart beat reassuringly against my cheek, and I closed my eyes. We might not have forever, but we had today.

  All too soon, my little slice of Heaven was gone. Alex called us back to the living room for a meeting. Killian was pacing in front of a wall-sized window while Dec draped himself across a chair. He was staring into space, toying absently with a guitar pick. He frowned at something I couldn’t see. My stomach clenched in response.

  Raphael stood to greet me. “How are you feeling tonight?”

  I forced a grin and did a bicep curl. “It’s much better now. Thank you again, for healing me again.” I grimaced, and added, “I hope we can meet sometime when I’m not deathly sick, beaten up, or shot.”

  A shadow passed over his eyes, and he said, “I hope so too. But we don’t always get what we want, do we?”

  Alex got the meeting started. Clearly he was important. An air of command entered the room ahead of him. No one wo
uld mess with this angel. He wasn’t physically impressive, like Sean or Killian, but his authority was practically stamped on his forehead. He stood about six feet tall with the solid build of a martial arts instructor. His close-cropped hair was more red than brown, and glinted with gold in the light. His face was hard and lean and nowhere near pretty, yet it was strangely compelling. More than one woman probably tossed her morals to the side for a few minutes with him. There was something attractive yet scary about him.

  As the Primani’s official mentor or boss, he called all the shots. He was in charge of the special operations on the east coast. After catching everyone up on recent events, he switched the discussion to the injured Primani. His name is James. He had been worked over meticulously by Dagin’s thugs and was still not completely conscious. For some reason, he hadn’t been able to heal himself and was slipping away. Zadkiel was a specialist in healing emotional or mental injuries, and he and Raphael were trying to help him.

  “We need to talk to James. We’re still not sure why he was held or what Dagin’s doing out in the middle of Vermont. Unfortunately, our efforts to bring him around are not working, and I’m worried he might not survive at all. He’s just not healing. Mica, this is where you come in.”

  All eyes turned to me. “Me? What can I do?” Surprised, I automatically sought Sean, and he gave me an encouraging nod.

  Alex replied, “By now, you may have realized you’re an anomaly. Your transformation has been incredible and not to be taken lightly.” He put his hands behind his back and paced as he continued, “Now, when I first heard about Sean’s indiscretion with you, I was furious. For him to take such a risk with your life, not to mention exposing us to a human, well, I was ready to recall him and assign Killian to watch over you. But . . .” He smiled slightly at Raphael, “calmer minds prevailed that day. And after Killian explained your new abilities, we came to believe your transformation was predestined. You should know that Killian was impressed with how you handled yourself and pled your case for you. You can thank him for your continued existence in this group.” He paused for effect.

  Killian was mortified by this revelation and scowled at me behind Alex’s back. Dec broke into a violent coughing fit. Sean stiffened next to me. All I could think of was how different my life would be if I was Killian’s charge. That would totally suck! I thought of the day in the snow when he tried to teach me to shoot my new Sig. He was a hard man and pushed me without mercy. I almost lost some toes that day . . . but in the end, he showed surprising kindness. In fact, he’d shown me a lot of kindness this year. He might act like a jerk and boss everyone around, but in the end, he always took care of us, of me. I looked over at him with love shining in my eyes.

  You’re not such a tough guy after all, are you, big brother? I sent the thought to him with a watery smile.

  To my intense surprise, he actually blushed, but then snapped, “I should’ve let your toes fall off!”

  Right. There’s the Killian I know and love. “Uh, so back to James . . . What do you want me to do, exactly?” I asked Alex to break the sudden weird tension.

  “I want you to talk to him. That’s all.”

  “That’s it? I can do that, but I don’t know how that could possibly help him—”

  “Just spend some time with him, and we’ll see what happens. It certainly can’t hurt him to hear the voice of a pretty girl, now can it?”

  He smiled a genuine smile. Just for a moment, it transformed his face like a light switch. Suddenly he wasn’t ordinary at all. He was fiercely beautiful like the statues of angels I’d seen in church a very long time ago. He was proud and dangerous. Powerful. I blinked, and his face was normal again. I edged a little closer to Sean.

  So my job was to work a small, minor miracle with James, while the guys went out into the city to look for someone. They planned their mission while I was asleep earlier, so I had no idea what they were up to. Sean wasn’t talking about it and got a little snippy with me when I tried to pry it out of him. He was edgy and wound up again. He’d been tense since we got here, and it was making me nervous. They were in the foyer strapping on their guns while I nervously twisted my locket back and forth. Something just wasn’t right here. I didn’t know what it was, but I had a bad feeling about this mission of theirs. Seemingly oblivious to my thoughts, Sean tossed Dec a pair of black gloves. I didn’t want them to go.

  “Guys, wait! Don’t go! I have a bad feeling about this.” I reached out to Sean, and he wrapped his arms around me and tilted my chin up for a kiss.

  “We have to go, love. This is what we do, remember? We’ll be fine, so don’t worry tonight.” His words were supposed to reassure me, but he held me against him like this was goodbye. Then they were gone. I didn’t feel him leave my arms. He was just gone . . . like he never existed.

  Raphael was waiting in the doorway when I turned around. His eyes were thoughtful as they took in my frown. “Real intuition is nearly always right—it’s the timing that you can’t predict. Come. They’ll be back tonight.”

  James was lying on a bed in another of the bedrooms. Someone had washed him and dressed him in a soft blue robe. He could have been sleeping except for his eyes. My God. I stopped and stared. What did they do to him? His beautiful blue eyes were staring at horrors only he could see. The rest of his face was composed in sleep, but his eyes! Horrified, I turned my back and squeezed my own eyes together. I took a deep breath. Okay, get it together. It’s not like they’ve been cut out of his face after all—they’re just open and staring—and creepy. I can deal with creepy, can’t I? Everyone’s counting on me . . . Surely I can do something to comfort him. Maybe he needs a woman’s touch. Well, I’m the only woman around here, so I’m going to have to give it a shot. I can’t make things worse for him.

  First things first, I bandaged his eyes. There. That was much less drafty for him. Plus I wouldn’t have to look at them. Win. Win. Next, I took a quick inventory of his injuries. Dagin’s thugs had worked him over thoroughly enough. Bastards! Every finger on both hands was broken. He had bruises over every inch of his face, which was swollen twice its normal size. He had a long gash along his forehead that needed stitches. It still seeped blood that snaked in a little stream down his neck. I peeled back his robe and froze. He had a long ragged burn across his chest. The flesh was blackened and raw. The wound was still oozing blood and an odd-looking golden fluid. It had to be excruciatingly painful. It was a miracle he’d survived this at all.

  “Oh, you poor, poor creature.” I didn’t intend to weep, but a few tears leaked out anyway. I sat at his bedside and prayed for him until my throat was hoarse. A feeling of déjà vu swept over me, giving me a small twinge of hope. Sean had survived, so maybe James would too. How had Sean done it?

  Killian once told me they could heal themselves, but they had to remain completely focused. It took immense concentration to focus their saol on the wounds that needed healing. They were completely vulnerable while they healed. So James should be able to heal himself but obviously wasn’t. What’s the problem?

  I paced across the room, muttering to myself. I stared unseeing out the window, wracking my brain. I was missing something. We all were. The feeling of impending disaster was back. The seconds were passing like the ticking of a bomb. Think! The answer has to be here. I pressed my fingers into my temples and rubbed.

  I ranted to my invisible adversaries. “What did you do to him? Dagin, you disgusting demon! I swear I will hunt you down and kill you myself!”

  Frustrated, I went back to the bed and examined James while willing an answer to jump up and show itself. Something was slightly different about him now. I stared until my eyes cramped. Was his breathing different? That was it! Straining to hear, I put my ear close to his chest. Hours ago, his breathing had been shallow, like a man in pain. He was breathing more deeply now. That seemed like a good sign. I inspected the cuts and burns. They were still seeping blood and fluid. No change there. Hmm, that wasn’t good.
>
  Oh, come on, give me a break here! I blinked back frustrated tears and started talking to James. Maybe he’d respond to my voice. I put on my best cheerful tone and settled down to tell him my life story. This would take a while, and I wouldn’t have to think too hard. It was 3:00 in the morning, and I was too exhausted to be creative.

  I fell asleep somewhere around discovering my love for Sean only to wake abruptly when I fell out of my chair. I jerked upright when I was halfway to the floor. I stumbled over to check on my patient. The bandage had slipped below one of his eyes. The creepy thing was still staring into space. Too groggy to be repulsed, I peered into his eye and saw what James was staring at with such horror.

  “Alex! Raphael! Get up. Get up!” I ran through the hallway, banging on all the bedroom doors like a crazy person. “Get up! I’ve got it!”

  Twenty minutes later, Sean and Dec were back but not on my side. “No way. It’s too dangerous.”

  “But it’s the only way! I’ve got to try!” I begged Sean to give in.

  Killian, bless him, actually supported me. After hearing me out, he gave me a long appraising look, and announced, “I agree with Mica. It makes sense. If anyone can do this, it’s going to be her.” Sean began to sputter, but he held up a hand. “Sean, I know you don’t want to hear this, but the truth is her inner mind is connected with mine. I know how strong she is now. I know it up here.” He tapped his temple. “I can help her with this.”

  Sean grabbed Killian, and snarled, “You’d let her destroy her mind?” He flung him away in disgust. “Of course you would. Anything for the greater good, right?” He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  I made a move to follow him, but Raphael put his hand out to stop me. “We’re running out of time. If we’re going to try this, we need to do it now. Sean will be okay, Mica. He’s angry because he’s worried about you. He’ll be all right once he walks it off.”

  A few minutes later, we were ready to try my plan. Raphael propped James into a sitting position. Killian and I were sitting on either side of James. Dec, still protesting bitterly, refused to leave my side. He was the only one who could help me afterwards. I was nauseous remembering the last time I’d tried this and nearly lost my memories and one of my eyes. Dec absolutely refused to release my hand. I didn’t have the heart to point out that he was hurting me. Killian was casually holding my other hand in one of his big paws. He said it might strengthen our mental connection, but maybe he’s scared too. I was terrified.

  He actually smiled a little at that. Do you ever shut up?

  I dug a nail into his hand, smirking when he grimaced. I took a deep breath and got to work. James’ irises were separated into a hundred different shades of blue and green that fit together like an intricate puzzle. Behind those beautiful colors was a wall of flames. The flames were raging out of control so I couldn’t see behind them. I focused harder on the flames and tried to move them out of the way, like pulling up a piece of a puzzle. They wobbled a bit, but didn’t move for me. I gritted my teeth and focused harder. A bead of sweat slipped from my hairline with the effort.

  Killian sent his thoughts to me. Let me in. I can help you move it.

  I relaxed a little and sensed, rather than felt, Killian’s will join mine. I pictured the puzzle piece again and started to peel it up. This time it moved a bit. Yes!

  Calmly, he cautioned.

  Moving very precisely, we peeled the piece back and laid it facedown. A wave of images struck me like a tsunami. This was no kaleidoscope of random impressions or memories. This was a full-blown attack against my invasion. The images bombarded me from all directions and threatened to overwhelm me. They shrieked defiantly as they flew at me. I saw James tied to a chair in dark room . . . the roof of a farmhouse with soldiers standing on it . . . tracers from a machine gun . . . James slumped over on the floor with blood running from his mouth . . . an odd-looking gun on a table . . . then an evil face laughing up at me . . . instead of flickering away like the other images, it pressed closer, becoming more clear. I tried to flinch, but I couldn’t look away, couldn’t break the contact.

  Out of nowhere, words struck like stray bullets: Guardian! Protector! Primani! As abruptly as they came, the words stopped flying, and the images flowed in slow motion like an old broken movie. The evil face sneered with recognition. Demon!

  He taunted, “I see you, Mica! Want to come and play with me?”

  Ice dribbled down my spine as his voice echoed. The sudden feeling of dread was so powerful that I whimpered. Every one of my instincts screamed, run! But my brain wasn’t sending signals to my feet. Frozen in place, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from James. I couldn’t pull my mind away.

  “Come on, Mica, come play with me . . . Look! Your mother’s here!” he said in a sing-song voice, dripping with malice.

  Images of my mother burning in the flames bombarded me. She was screaming for me to save her. As I watched helplessly, she turned to ash and blew away into a firestorm. No! No! Come back! I started to chase her into the flames . . .

  Mica! Don’t! Stand still! Killian’s voice cracked like a whip.

  I froze. He’s got my mother!

  No, he doesn’t. It’s a trick to distract you. Don’t follow the demon!

  He yanked me back to safety. Digging in my heels, I narrowed my eyes. So the ugly demon wants to play, does he?

  Bring it, filthy soul sucker!

  Showing rows of nasty fangs, the demon smiled at my challenge. He stepped up his efforts and flung hundreds of horrifying images at me, but I tossed them aside like garbage. I was getting tired and had to save James before my brain simply shut down from exhaustion. We needed to end this.

  Okay, big brother, keep up!

  As quickly as the demon flung the images, I grabbed them and forced them into a box. Killian took over while I relentlessly stalked the demon. The demon lost confidence when he realized he was outnumbered, and one of us was Primani. He backed away. I ignored the grotesque pictures of my mother. They weren’t real. I wasn’t paying attention now. I wanted him in this box I made. He had to go. He was killing James. We were going to end this now. I backed him into a corner of sorts, and he froze for a last stand. He raised his arm and fire oozed from his claws.

  Really? Is that all you’ve got? It was my turn to taunt him.

  He unleashed an arc of flame just as Killian dropped a gold chain around him and tossed him into the box.

  Awareness came back slowly. I steadied myself for the usual Tilt-o-Whirl sensation, but it didn’t come. Instead, Dec clutched me to his chest, sobbing against my hair, chanting, “Please come back. Please come back. Please come back.”

  Holding my hand in a death grip, Killian lay sprawled like a broken doll with eyes wide open, staring into space. Were my eyes open too? That would explain Dec’s hysterics. It was unnerving. I tried to reassure him but nothing came out. I tried again—still no sound. Frantic now, I tried to speak again, but still nothing. This was bad . . .

  Mica? Are you here? He sounded strained even inside my head.

  Oh, thank God! Killian, what’s going on? Why can’t I talk?

  I think we have a problem, babe.

  Chapter 19: Back from the Edge