by Jaime Rush
“You won’t win,” Treylon uttered. “You don’t have enough power.”
“Together we do.” Kasabian clutched Treylon’s heart and squeezed just enough to keep Treylon inert, but not enough to kill him. Kasabian used Treylon to help pull down the essence, while adding his effort. He turned to look at the cloud, where Treylon’s attention was riveted. The stream now reached the ground right where the children were.
“No,” Treylon said on a faint voice. “Kill me now.”
“Not a chance. I will use you like you have used all of those children. I will use you until you serve your purpose, and then you can die.”
Treylon lifted his hand and aimed for his throat. He was going to kill himself. Kasabian sent the vines to grasp his wrists and hold them.
Goose bumps prickled along Kasabian’s skin. He looked up to see one angel looming above them. “Stop them!” he commanded Treylon.
“I…cannot,” he said.
The sky shuddered with the sound of thunder. No, the sound of angels screaming in anger. “I am your sire,” the angel told Kasabian. “You owe me your life.”
Demis. Kasabian faced the angry, beautiful face. “I owe you for the pain and suffering that you cause all of us every day of our lives.”
Demis threw his hands toward Kasabian, who braced for some kind of blast while holding his power to continue assisting the tug-of-war. Electricity filled the air and seared Kasabian’s back. It felt like his skin was being flayed. He held on, panting through the pain.
Demis looked beyond Kasabian. “The wave. It’s here,” he called to the others. “It will be enough. It has to be enough!”
It was barely visible, a shimmering wall that rushed toward them. Demis reached toward it now. For a few moments, the Deus Vis vanished, leaving Kasabian breathless and empty. He felt his Caido essence wilt, his wings begin to pull in. Then the magick returned with a blast as the wave washed over and past them. Demis receded into the cloud.
Kasabian called out, “You cannot punish the innocent to free yourselves! Bastards,” he added under his breath. Then he turned his anger on Treylon. “And you are the biggest bastard of them all. They have never been human, but you are. Human enough to feel empathy, to know wrong from right.”
“What I’m doing is right,” Treylon gasped. “I was trying to save us…”
His mouth went slack, and the spark of life left his eyes. Kasabian fell away from him, rolling onto his back. The vessel was gone.
Kasabian got to his feet as Kye appeared at the entrance to the courtyard. Her expression went from scared to relieved, and she threw herself into his arms. Her emotions pummeled him as their bodies collided, and he didn’t care. He was alive to feel the pain…and her. His arms wrapped around her waist, and for a moment, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. Warm and sweet and salty from her tears. When he pulled back, he could see the faint tracks of them, fresh with her joy.
“You’re okay,” she whispered, running her hands over his face as though to make sure. “The kids are all right. They’re starting to revive.”
He could see them through a gap in the bushes, the Caidos helping them to sit up. They were rubbing their faces as though they’d woken from a long sleep. He hoped they’d see this as just a nightmare.
“Silva’s in bad shape,” she said. “You need to help him.”
He slid his fingers through hers and let her lead him back. “He surprised me.”
“Not me.” Kye flashed him a sad smile. “I told you, we came to an understanding.”
Yeah, he’d get to the bottom of that later.
“Even mortally wounded, he kept pulling down the essence,” she said. “He made the difference.”
Silva was sprawled on the grass, his hand over the gaping hole through his chest.
Kasabian knelt down beside him and waved his hand over the wound, sending healing Light into it. “Why can’t you heal yourself? I had a hole punched through my chest earlier, and it healed faster because I was in Wraithlord form.”
Silva shook his head, his breath coming in short gasps. “I used up all of my strength to bring down the essence.”
That was probably why Kasabian couldn’t seem to do much to heal him either. “We’re all sapped.”
“I get it, why you saved the kids all those years ago. Because it feels…right.” He reached toward Kasabian’s hand. “I misplaced my loyalty.”
Kasabian stared at it for a moment and then clasped it. “Silva, you did good today.”
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“My original name was Daniel. Call me that. One more time.”
Kasabian wanted to hate this man who had betrayed him and caused so much pain. But now he felt sorry for him. Not because he was probably dying, but for all the things that had shaped him. And twisted his path so much. “Hold on, Daniel.”
Kye put her hand on Kasabian’s back, kneeling next to him. She pressed her cheek against him, the emotions she was emitting twisting like barbed wire as the Essex began to wear off.
It was worth it. What he felt was her compassion and admiration. She met his gaze, letting him know that admiration was aimed at him.
“Thank…you,” Silva said. He gave Kasabian’s hand a weak squeeze, took one stuttering breath, and fell silent.
Kye checked his wrist’s pulse point with trembling hands. “He’s gone.”
Kasabian closed his eyelids, unable to look at those vacant eyes for another moment.
Hayden approached as Kasabian got to his feet, pulling Kye up with him. Mallory and Cecily were right behind him. Kasabian scanned their surroundings. “We need to sweep the grounds for any other minions.”
Lyle, with his brother’s hand still clutched in his, approached. “The kids want to go home.”
Kasabian took them in, all of them tired and scared, but grateful. Their emotions pummeled him like fifty pairs of boxing gloves. “We have proof of what’s been going on here. Hayden, Cecily, go to the Guard and tell everyone at once so nothing gets covered up. We’ll take the children to Harbor and start calling parents.”
Hayden put his hand on Cecily’s arm. “Ready?” They disappeared.
Kasabian turned to Kye, pulling her close. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. Nothing like saving lives to inject some energy into you.”
He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and felt how that simple act flooded through her. It stunned him. Even without their bond, he felt connected to her. But there wasn’t time to explore it right then. “Call your parents and let them know you’re all right. Sarai was freaked when you pulled your disappearing act.”
Her chuckle was husky. “I bet.” She took the phone he pulled out of his pocket and started to make the call.
“We’re going to be busy with the fallout for a while, I imagine. Tell them we’ll head their way the moment we can break free.”
“We?”
“I did promise I’d get you back safe and sound.”
Sarai’s question echoed in his mind. Did he love Kye? Could he love someone after just a few days? Could he love at all? He hadn’t thought so. Until Kye.
He slid his fingers through hers and led her toward the group of restless children. “We’re going to get you all home.”
By the time they’d gotten every kid back where they belonged, answered thousands of questions, and walked Guard investigators through events, Kye was running on fumes. Kasabian had only been apart from her while they gave their separate statements. The moment they were released, he’d come to her side again. She could see his concern, probably worried that she’d keel over at any time. Which was a definite possibility.
Despite her exhaustion, their triumph kept her going. That and the feel of his hand clasping hers. There was something both comforting and sensual about the way he linked their hands…like he’d never let her go. Hayden had called him over though, and she felt oddly alone as she waited on one of the benches. Odd because
Kasabian was in sight, only about twenty yards away. He kept glancing her way as he spoke to both Hayden and another man from the Guard.
Footsteps pounding along the pathway drew her attention to the right, where Lyle and Jonathan were running toward her. In the distance, Cory, in full wing, waited. He’d obviously brought them back.
She turned her curious gaze to them as they came screeching to a halt in front of her. “Are you all right?”
Lyle brushed his hair from his face. “That’s what I wanted to make sure of, that you were okay. You looked…well, it was scary. I thought you might…”
Die. He’d been afraid she would die. That they cared about her generated a smile she couldn’t contain. “I’m perfectly fine. Kasabian’s been sending me doses of Light.” She searched their faces, tired but bright. “And what about you?”
All of the children’s bonds had broken when they briefly lost their essence during the wave. Kye had checked each one to make certain, though her feelings for Kasabian had once again started to weaken her abilities.
Lyle swallowed hard. “Thank you for everything you did. For me. For Jonathan. He said you made him feel better.”
Both boys appeared to be on the verge of tears. She pulled them close, holding them as tight as she could. Their small arms squeezed her just as tight, tugging at maternal instincts she had no idea she possessed. I’m really not a kid person. But gods, I’m in love with these boys. They had Kasabian in their lives, but they needed a female influence, too. She caught Kasabian watching them, some unidentifiable emotion cutting across his expression even as he talked to the men. Only when the boys stepped back did she release them.
She brushed a tear from Jonathan’s cheek. “How about I come visit you at Harbor? We could hang out.” She gave a tug on his faded shirt. “I could take you both shopping for clothes. Sometimes you need a woman’s eye.” She turned her gaze to Lyle. “To coordinate the colors, patterns, that kind of thing.”
“Tomorrow?” Jonathan asked, and his eagerness melted her heart.
“Yes, tomorrow. We’ll have lunch and ice cream, too. I’ll have to make sure it’s okay with Cory though.”
“That sounds fine to me.” She hadn’t even noticed Cory approach. “If you were willing to risk your life to save them, I figure you’re safe to take them for the day.” Or forever, a voice whispered.
Kasabian came up, and Lyle slammed his body against him, too. “Can you come, too? Kye’s taking us shopping tomorrow.”
“And lunch and ice cream,” Jonathan added with a soft smile.
“I can manage that. You guys get checked out by the doc yet?”
“No,” Cory said, his voice a bit terse. “They insisted on making sure you two were okay. Come on, boys, they’re fine. Let’s get back.”
“See you tomorrow,” Kye said as Cory put one hand on each of their shoulders and Leaped.
“We’ve officially been released,” Kasabian said. “They’re going to be doing a full-scale investigation. Hayden’s already pushing them to check out the Bend. I’m sure they’ll find all the evidence they need.”
“If it’s not covered up.”
“Let’s cross that bridge if we have to. I should take you to your parents. I’m sure they’re anxious as hell to see you.”
An ocean breeze washed stray tendrils of hair across her cheek. She turned to see a slice of blue water between the building and foliage.
“I need a few minutes of down time.”
This time she linked her fingers with his and led him to the water’s edge. Just seeing the expanse of wide open ocean invigorated her and cleared her mind. The dock held several lounge chairs, but Kye leaned against one of the pilings instead. She loosened her hair and let the fingers of breeze waft through it as she shook it out. Lifting her face to the sun, she filled her lungs with fresh air.
A sound, like Kasabian swallowing a groan or a growl, pulled her attention to him. He’d been watching her, hunger on his face. He shifted his troubled gaze toward the ocean.
She walked over to him, gently resting her hands on his bare shoulders. “I know what you’re feeling right now. You’re thinking that the right thing to do is push me away because you harbor dark magick and you don’t want to hurt me. But part of you doesn’t want to do the right thing.”
“Your abilities work? Even with us like this?”
She shook her head. “No, they’re pretty much all mucked up. That was an educated guess.”
“Yes, part of me knows I should walk away because I don’t know what this Wraithlord thing is capable of.” He brought his hands to her face, that struggle clear on his expression. “Another part says to hell with doing the right thing. I know that’s the Wraithlord, and I shouldn’t listen. It whispers that none of my struggling matters because you’re mine, and there’s no way in hell I could walk away from you.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip, his eyes heavy with the weight of his words. “And it’s right. Because the thought of that feels worse than being Stripped.”
He slid his hands down her back, pulling her against his body. “That goes to show you what a terrible person I am, Kye. Driven by my dark needs, selfish beyond imagination, I would subject you to the danger of my unstable nature and the loss of what makes you feel valuable.” His fingers squeezed the curve of her ass. “I would take all of you and not care what it costs.” He claimed her mouth, hard and swift, giving her a taste of the violence he harbored, the possessiveness of it.
She gave it right back, matching his ardor tongue to tongue, running her hands up into his soft hair. He swiveled so that her back came up against the railing, his thighs trapping hers. He nibbled her lower lip, and she bit his back. He let out a groan of pleasure, squeezing her tighter.
“Kye, damn it.” He restrained all of the energy that threatened to sweep her, and probably him, away. Agony filled his eyes as he visibly fought to pull back a few inches. “You have to tell me what a selfish bastard I am. You have to tell me to bug off and leave you alone so you can get back to your life, your job.” He shook his head and laughed, though it came out bitter. “I can melt doorknobs, I can cut someone in half with my Light, but I’m not strong enough to walk away from you.”
Save me. That’s what his expression implored of her. Save yourself.
She ran her fingers down his cheek. “You are bad for me. Selfish, violent, possessive—”
“An aberration,” he added. “Forty ways fucked up, remember?”
“I do. But here’s the thing. You’re more than that. You’re noble and courageous. Above all, you are a good man. If you don’t believe that yourself, well then, I’ll believe it enough for both of us. You brought me to life, showed me passion and sacrifice and what it feels like to be cherished.” She patted his cheek, giving him a chagrined smile. “So I’m not able to let you go any more than you’re able to let me go.”
Despite his agony, his eyes glittered with something more powerful. “Pity, love, that you’re not a smarter girl.”
“Yeah, pity.” She gave him a sweet kiss. “And we can wallow in our stupidity as we make crazy love and annoy each other with our habits and quirks, and, oh, knowing exactly what the other is thinking because of our bond, because we are doing the Cobra again. This time on purpose.”
He gathered her in his arms and spun her around, but his expression quickly sobered. “Except—”
“Crap. No abilities.” She took a breath. “I’ll teach another Zensu how to do it. We’ll find a way.”
“You’ll be okay with not having your abilities to sense your clients’ issues?”
She tested that idea and didn’t feel that sick panic in her stomach. “Yeah, I am. I still have my counseling degree.”
He pulled her close, his forehead pressed against hers, hands in her hair. “Do you know how much I fucking love you?”
Emotion swelled in her heart. “Why do you think I’m out here pledging myself to a slightly psychotic Dragon angel?”
He leaned back to
look at her. “Because you’re slightly insane?”
“I’m very crazy…over you.”
He released a long breath. “I want to take you home, but I promised—”
“I know. Let’s go to my parents’ first.”
She had stepped off a cliff, but instead of feeling scared, she was happier than she’d ever been.
Kasabian and Kye were silent as they drove, his fingers curled around hers. Kye knew her parents wouldn’t be thrilled about any of this, but most especially about her falling for the monster they’d seen in the van. The one who had almost killed her father. But she had stood her ground all those years ago and pursued her Zensu career. Kasabian was worth standing that ground again.
When they pulled up to the house, Kye turned to him. “Brace yourself. Sarai’s here, too.”
The three surrounded Kye with hugs and frantic questions. Kasabian let her handle it, but he remained by her side once they’d settled in the living room. No one had missed their linked hands, but they didn’t seem surprised or even upset about it.
There was an odd tension though, so Kye said, “Okay, out with it. You don’t like that I’m with Kasabian.”
Her mother traded a look with Sarai, who was silently urging her to say something. Finally her mother said, “I may have misrepresented your babushka’s advice. A little.” She held her finger and thumb a fraction of an inch apart.
“You mean her directive that I should be committed?” Yeah, that had stung.
“She did say you should be committed. But she meant…to him.” She flicked her finger toward Kasabian. “It will solve the problem of losing your abilities. Once you commit your heart to him, the crazy feelings and doubts will settle down, and you’ll get your focus back. She said he’s a good man. He’ll love you well.”
Kye met Kasabian’s gaze. Yes, he would. She pushed to her feet, which forced Kasabian to follow suit since she was gripping his hand like a vise. She gave Babs, wherever she might be, a smile of gratitude and then turned it to her parents and Sarai. “Babs is right. He is a good man. He’s going to take me home and put me to bed, where I’m going to sleep for, oh, about twenty hours.”