Michelle just looked at him with a sigh. “It’s your choice, but I think you’re over-reacting.”
He shrugged again, then deliberately and obviously changed the subject. “Do you think Valez is dead?”
Michelle’s face drew up, thinking. “I don’t know. You cut off his head, but that’s only helpful if his brain is where it’s supposed to be.”
“And he can regenerate body parts?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
He rolled his eyes. “How wonderful.”
“I just want to know how in the world he got his grubby claws on Kaldiss. That stuff is really rare. There’s only one flower in one swamp out of the entire demon realm that’s used to make it, and you have to harvest it at just the right time. It really makes me think someone’s paying him. I just wish I knew who it was.”
Ian grinned, and she thought she saw elongated fangs. “Don’t worry. Between the two of us, we’ll figure it out.”
The next day, Mickala could get out of bed, but she was still sore and weak. Ian began staying late in the night, and Travis was back on his best behavior. Michelle, Ian, and Aiden all watched as she tried to act like she was completely well.
* * *
Aiden was shaking his head a couple of days later as they walked Fate and Destiny along the water’s edge. “Everyone knows you’re hurt, except for Travis. Why are you acting like everything’s okay?”
“I’ve got too much to worry about, too many demons eager for any sign of weakness to look anything but a hundred percent.” Fate jumped up at a seagull flying low over the sand, and she gasped at a sudden flare of pain. The Wolfhound turned with a low whine, pushing her head into Mickala’s arm, like an apology. She stroked the grey head. “It’s okay. I know it was an accident,” she said in a low whisper to the dog.
Just two days later, Mickala felt unexplainably fidgety, unable to sit still. She was in the kitchen, washing their dishes from lunch, and she heard the dogs barking from one of the back rooms. She looked out the window which overlooked the backyard, and she saw a muscular man in a white tank top and blue jeans looking up at the house. The water glass fell from fingers suddenly gone numb, exploding when it hit the Italian tiled floor. Aiden came in at a run. Her face was paler than it had been before, and she was shaking like a leaf. He took her shoulders, then followed her gaze. The yard was empty, the dogs now calm.
“Mickala? What’s wrong?” he asked, but she couldn’t answer. He led her into the living room, then went back into the kitchen to clean the glass up. He kept glancing out the window, but whatever she’d seen had vanished. When he finished, he came back and knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “What was that all about? What did you see?”
It took several seconds, and at first, he thought she wouldn’t answer at all. Finally, she took a shaky breath. “It’s another part of my life I was hoping you wouldn’t have to find out about. Two years ago, I dated a guy named EJ. It wasn’t anything serious, but he was a good guy for a human. We had been friends ever since I moved back from England, and about a year after moving back, we started dating, and we were together just a few months. Then, suddenly, everything changed. He began getting distant, and I found out he had cheated on me with a girl I had considered my best friend. Of course, I ended the relationship and the friendship, then EJ began following me everywhere. I ended up having to get a restraining order on him.
“A month later, I thought he’d finally left me alone, but about two weeks later, I was out in the woods behind our house. He was there, waiting for me. He attacked me, and he damn near killed me. I couldn’t use any of my powers. God knows I tried, but it’s like they weren’t there.” She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, and she gripped his hands tighter. “I’ve never felt so afraid, so helpless, so human, as I did that day, in any of my lives. Victor found me, and he called the police. They arrested EJ, but he said he remembered nothing about what had happened, but he still went to jail. The problem was, I could almost believe him when he said it. His eyes when he was stabbing me were blank, empty, like there wasn’t anyone home. Never in a million years did I expect that from him, and his brother, Trey, is my best friend. You’ll meet him when school starts. Anyway, I thought they still had EJ locked up, but I just saw him standing outside, looking up at the house.”
He took her hands. “I won’t let anything happen you. I’ve never met anyone as kind, and caring, as brave as you are.”
She laughed bitterly. “Brave? Hardly. It was four months before I could make myself go back into the woods, and I still avoid that place where he attacked me. I’m damaged goods, Aiden. I just manage to hide the damage well.”
“Don’t say that,” he said. “But, if you really believe that, so be it. Let me be the one to repair you, to straighten out that bent spirit, because it’s damn sure not broken.” He met her eyes, and for one second, she allowed him to see past the confident façade she showed the world, past all her walls and straight into her soul. It was dim, but there were brief flashes of light, and he knew it was something he could fix. He took her in his arms and kissed her fiercely. “I love you, no matter what lies ahead of us, no matter what’s behind us. I will always be here for you.”
***
She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, tears flowing unchecked for the first time in years. “Do you think he’ll come after you again?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s capable of,” she said. “I never thought he would do what he did the first time.”
All night, she was jumpy, the least little sound startling her. After dinner, Michelle and Mickala were in the kitchen. “What’s wrong, dear? You’re awfully pale.”
She sighed heavily. “Mom, EJ’s out, and he knows I’m here. I saw him while I was washing a few dishes earlier.”
“Are you sure it was him?” Michelle asked, and she nodded. “Does Aiden know about him?”
“Yes. I told him after I saw him, because I kind of freaked out,” she said. Travis, who had been listening from the doorway, turned and stalked out, his face dark, muttering curses. They went into the living room, and he was sitting on a barstool, loading a shotgun, then snapped it closed with a flip of his wrist. “He can try something if he wants to. It’ll be the last thing he does.”
Aiden couldn’t agree more, and Michelle looked at him. Is Ian still staying at night?
I am now, the dragon demon replied for himself.
Good. The more eyes and ears I have out for my daughter, the happier I’ll be.
Me, too, Aiden replied, taking Mickala’s hands and squeezing it. She tried to smile but failed.
Seven
Mind Games
Over the next three days and nights, Mickala barely slept. Dark circles began forming under her eyes. At first, they were light, but they steadily grew darker. During the entire time, she only got about five hours of unrestful sleep. On the third night, two days before she and Aiden went home, everyone but Travis was in Mickala’s room. Travis was in the living room, passed out on the couch, the shotgun within easy reach.
Mickala’s eyes burned, and they were playing tricks on her. “I can’t help it, Aiden. I’ve got to sleep.”
He brushed her hair back from her forehead. “Why do you think all of us are here now? You should’ve been asleep a long time ago.” Her eyes closed before he even finished speaking.
Ian sighed. “Sometimes, I don’t think I’ll ever understand how humans think. How could someone say they love someone, then try to kill them just a little later? I mean, I understand emotions rule humans, that they have huge mood swings and all, but isn’t that a little extreme? Even for them? That’s like an entire personality shift.”
Aiden was thoughtful. “You might not be too far off the mark, Ian. When Mickala was explaining what had happened, she said his eyes were strange, like the lights were on, but no one was home. It really made my skin crawl, but I didn’t really think anything about it.
Now, though, more and more, I’m wondering if maybe he wasn’t under someone’s Compulsion.”
Michelle frowned slightly, sitting at her daughter’s computer desk. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I do know, however, never in a million years did I expect EJ to be capable of something like what he did to her. Never once, and I knew him well. I never picked up on any kind of ill will toward her at all.”
The others stayed awake until the early morning, and the sun was just coming up when suddenly, all of them grew so tired they couldn’t keep their eyes open, no matter what they did and despite the fact they’d been wide awake just a few seconds before. Ian, long used to being up for days at a time, was the last to give in, and as his chin dropped onto his chest, a shaggy brown head came through the door frame.
***
Mickala woke slowly, then she heard a single creaking floorboard. When she saw who was in her room, she opened her mouth to scream. A hand clamped down hard, and EJ held a knife to Aiden’s throat. “Make a sound, and I’ll cut your boy toy’s throat to his spine. You understand me?” She nodded, her eyes wide. “Good.” He let go of her mouth. “I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten me. Oh, and just a head’s up. It won’t do you any good to scream, not even until your pretty little throat bleeds. Now, get on the floor.”
She hesitated, and EJ pressed the tip of the knife into Aiden’s skin, and a trickle of blood rolled down his chest. Mickala tried to control her trembling as she did what he said, and she felt for her powers, but just like before, they were outside of her reach. EJ smiled, but there wasn’t anything in his eyes. They were dead. “You aren’t the only one who can hide in the human world, Mickala. There’s no point trying to get to your powers. You can’t. Just like before. I can do that much. Of course, I knew I could never win a fight against you one on one, not without having some kind of edge.”
Mickala’s eyes widened, and his dark smile turned into a smirk. “You really didn’t know? And my brother is your best friend?” He pulled the knife away from Aiden. “Now, it’s time to finish what I started.” He began cutting, some of them shallow, and some cuts were wicked deep.
Mickala felt along his shield between her and her powers. If she could at least find a crack, she might have a chance. Several minutes later, as he put the blade over her heart, she found the weak point she was looking for. She pushed against it with her mind, and she felt it give, slightly. The tip of the blade pierced her flesh, and she felt her blood flowing out. She pushed against the shield even harder as a growing darkness and weakness threatened to overtake her. Finally, she felt it shatter. AIDEN!!! she screamed as loud as she could. Her eyes were closing, but she gently reached up and touched his cheek. “I know it’s not you, EJ. None of this is,” she said.
Her hand fell away, leaving a bloody mark. EJ’s eyes seemed to clear, and he looked around in surprise, feeling as if he’d been asleep for several days, then down at Mickala’s bloody body and knife still clutched in his hand. He dropped it like a hot poker. “Please, no. Not again,” he said, tears in his eyes. He scooted back as fat as he could, then a low growl caused him to look up. He saw the three demons staring back at him, but he focused on the older wolf demon. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, Michelle,” he said, unable to keep the pleading out of his voice. “I don’t remember anything after Tuesday.”
Michelle frowned. “It’s Friday now.”
“I know what it looks like, what it looked like before, but you have to believe me. I would never hurt her. You can test me,” he pleaded, getting to his feet and backing away. “Please, figure out what’s going on. You can do that, right?”
Michelle’s voice was quiet. “Mickala said something wasn’t right when you attacked her the first time. Despite what my eyes see, my spirit says you wouldn’t hurt her.” She looked at Aiden. “I can’t, but you can, right?”
The fox demon nodded, and EJ edged nervously to stand in front of him. “Don’t worry, EJ. We’ll get to the bottom of it, and if you’re innocent, then you have nothing to fear from me.” He placed two fingers on EJ’s forehead. “I’ll be as gentle as I can, but if they’ve controlled you for three days, then whoever it is has a great hold on you. They went deep to gain control, and I’ll have to go just as deep.”
“I don’t care. I just want to know what’s going on.”
***
Ian disappeared to find Nehela as Aiden and EJ both closed their eyes. Aiden began digging through EJ’s clouded memories, working his way backward. The last thing EJ clearly remembered was talking to his brother, Mickala’s best friend, Trey. They had been talking about something, then Trey switched the conversation to Mickala. The takeover happened so quickly, Aiden had to go back and double check. Aiden frowned, his forehead furrowing, his eyes still closed. EJ, there’s something else I want to check, but I have to go back further. It’ll help if you think back to before the first attack.
With Aiden’s mind connected with his own, he saw where Aiden was heading, and his mental voice had a sharp, dark edge to it. Of course. He went back, and Aiden found the clouded memories marking the time EJ was under someone’s control. Going slowly, he discovered the Compulsion had once again happened while the brothers were talking, but the very first time it had happened was before even that, when EJ had cheated, and Mickala had said his entire personality had changed.
Aiden carefully pulled out of EJ’s mind, and they opened their eyes. They were both dark in their fury. “You saw what I saw, right?” Aiden asked, and EJ nodded, his face cold as stone.
“What did you find out?” Michelle asked.
“It was Trey,” EJ replied. “My brother, Mickala’s supposed best friend.”
Michelle looked at Aiden, and he nodded. “Trey made him do everything, even making him cheat on her with that girl. It may have been EJ’s body attacking her, but as far as his conscious goes, EJ’s innocent. Your brother had to have thought we wouldn’t let you live long enough to bother finding out the truth,” Aiden said.
Nehela was already back with Ian, and the elf was pouring everything she had into healing Mickala. The wounds were all closed, including the one over her heart, but it still wasn’t beating. The elf’s face twisted in a mask of concentration. Wordlessly, Ian, Aiden, Michelle, and even EJ laid their hands on her, their combined powers flowing through her, augmenting her own. Finally, they all heard the loud thud as Mickala’s heart began beating again, and she took a deep, ragged breath. Aiden picked her up and carried her to the bed as everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.
EJ was hovering in the corner of the room, trying to not attract attention to himself, but Aiden saw him. He went to his duffel bag and pulled out some clothes. He gave them to EJ, then laid a hand on his shoulder. “Here. I know the pants should fit, but the shirt might be a little tight.”
He looked at Aiden in amazement. “Thank you.” He went into Mickala’s bathroom and got in the shower. Seeing the red of the water, he felt his blood pressure rising as his anger increased. He kept it locked in, and when the water finally ran clean, he got out. Michelle had a trash bag for his bloody clothes.
***
Aiden and the others were still in their halfway forms. “We know what happened wasn’t your fault, EJ, so don’t beat yourself up over it. It won’t do any good. Mickala’s going to survive, and she’ll be glad to know the truth.”
“Even the part where her best friend was using me to kill her?” EJ asked the fox demon, his eyebrows raising. “She’s been hurt enough. She really trusted him, Aiden. This? This won’t go over well.”
“We have to tell her,” he said. “She’s going to have to be careful or do something about him. One or the other.”
Nehela sighed, looking exhausted, and she leaned up against the headboard of the bed, next to Mickala. “EJ’s right. It might be best not to tell her yet. She’s still going to be weak, and I don’t want to put too much strain on her. You can tell her it wasn’t EJ’s fault, but I would hold off on letting her k
now about this Trey’s involvement.”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get him to show himself for what he really is.”
Michelle sighed. “This is going to crush her. She’s slow to trust anyone exactly because of situations like this.” She looked at EJ. “Trey never gave any sign of wanting to hurt her?”
“Actually, his not wanting to should have been the first red flag, to be honest. He’s always hated human world demons, and so he automatically hated Mickala. And this was before we ever even met her. I didn’t care. I just wanted peace, which is why we chose this realm. And the major reason I was drawn to Mickala when she came. The longer we knew her, the more he seemed to thaw, and he became her friend. Or so I thought. When I realized I had started to get feelings for her, I told him, and I thought it would upset him, but it didn’t. He actually seemed happy, but then, a few months later, the whole cheating thing happened.”
He shook his head. “I don’t remember the night before, and when I woke up the next morning, it was next to this girl who was a friend of Mickala’s. I told Trey, and I guess I thought, since he was my brother, he could try to help me understand that blank in my memory. But, he didn’t. He went straight to Mickala. Naturally, that ended us, but I didn’t blame her. I tried talking to her, but every time I got near her, I would black out again. I knew she would go for walks in the woods around her house, so I waited for her one day. My only intention was to talk to her, but when I saw her, it happened again. When I came back to myself, I was being arrested. I spent a year and a half in prison for something I don’t even remember.”
Michelle shook her head. “I’m so sorry, EJ, but at least we all know, and Mickala will when she wakes up, what the truth is.” EJ asked what he should do about Trey, and she was thoughtful. “Go be big brother. Don’t act like anything’s wrong. For all Trey knows, you came to yourself after you killed her, then got away before we killed you. For all you know, she’s dead.”
Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II Page 6