“He has them in mesh cages. Inside there are those vile creatures, torturing them.”
“Bloody hell!” Xarrid yelled.
“Ok, what now? He wants Liasare. What the hell do you all propose because I’m fresh out of ideas?”
Tak looked at his friend and then away again. He rubbed his neck and then he began. “You’re not going to like this.”
“Fuck that Tak. I don’t like any of this.”
“Don’t get all pissed off at me and tear this place up with those damn eyes of yours.”
“Just say it already.”
“Right, then. Jurek, Liasare was right. We need her as bait. To draw him out. It’s the only way as I see it.”
“That will never happen, unless I am a dead man. Are we all clear on this?” Then Jurek stormed out of the room, before he destroyed it with his eyes, as Tak said.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liasare played with Justus. He was one month old today and growing like crazy. In human terms, he was equivalent to an eighteen month old. Walking and jibber-jabbering constantly, he was a little ball of fire. She had taught him to control his shifting so that now Brinna and her other nanny, Daria, could hold him. If he did shift, they could shift with him and no one would get hurt.
Luckily, Tak had been stepping in for Jurek, allowing him to come home every third night or so, which Liasare was grateful for. She didn’t want him to miss out on anything.
According to him, things were not going well on Earth. Abaddon had made an appearance and it was dreadful. Jurek was happy that Liasare had not mentioned a word about going back with him. It appeared she had lost all interest in it and he didn’t tell her exactly the words Abaddon used regarding her. He didn’t want to upset her newfound happiness in motherhood.
“We need to add another room here,” he commented. “Justus needs his own room.”
They were still staying in the sanctuary. There was only the one bedroom here.
“I agree. And he needs his own room at the house. By the way, are you going to keep me prisoner here forever?”
That question surprised him. He’d forgotten about how he had her contained here.
“Only until you can guarantee you won’t leave.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Then you’re here until all this mess is over.”
“Jurek, one day I’m going to have to get involved. Justus is safe here. He doesn’t need me all the time. My visions take me further than this.”
“I know. But I worry about you.”
She was quiet for a minute. “Very well. But you know it will come to me at some point. You’re just avoiding the obvious.”
“Perhaps. Now kiss me so I can go.”
After he left, she couldn’t stop thinking about his departure. Things were coming to a head. She could feel it. She’d been so preoccupied with Justus, she’d ignored it, but now as she thought about it, she knew her involvement was necessary to bring this thing to an end. Abaddon would remain where he was unless she locked him back away. She would have to come up with a plan on how to get him back there and how to get him imprisoned again. She began wondering if there was a way to strip him of his power. If only there was someone she could ask these questions to.
Her thoughts preoccupied her for the next two days until she couldn’t keep her mind on anything anymore. She slept fitfully, with visions of Lexus, January’s children, and Jurek. In the morning, she rose with her decision made up. She knew he’d removed the seals. He would never keep her locked up and risk her or their son’s safety.
After speaking with Brinna and Daria, she dressed in her leathers and boots. It didn’t take her long to make her way to the room where her weapons were kept. She carefully slid her sword and knives into their proper places. Afterwards, she returned to her quarters and spoke to Justus for a few minutes before kissing him good-bye. Moments later, she materialized in the headquarters on Earth, much to the dismay of her mate.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“And what do you think you’re doing here?”
His voice didn’t convey the excitement of a spouse that had missed his mate. Oh, no, it was quite the contrary. Jurek was angry. And why wouldn’t he be? He’d given strict instructions for her to remain on Praestan and here she was, back on Earth. So she had expected this reaction and was prepared for his anger.
“I’m here as bait. Abaddon wants me I’m giving him what he wants.”
“Like hell you are. Get on home. Now.” He waved his hand, like he would at a pet.
Her brows drew together, not so much in anger, but in contemplation over how she would handle him. She had to do this in way that would draw him over to her side and not make him her adversary.
“No.” Her voice remained calm.
They had the rapt attention of everyone there.
“Liasare, be reasonable,” Jurek cajoled.
She could see he had a tenuous hold on his temper. He was giving it his best shot, for her sake, as well as the others present.
After taking several deep, calming breaths, she walked up to him, placed her hand on his cheek and said, “I’m staying. I’m inarguably the best chance we have at drawing him out. The team will be diligent in making sure we don’t take any unnecessary risks, but we both know I’m right, Jurek. Now we can fight about this as much or as little as you like, but I’m not leaving. This is our best chance of binding Abaddon back up inside of his realm. Are we going to work together, or separately?”
“Christ, Liasare, you’re the mother of my son. You’re my heart and soul. And you’re putting yourself at great risk.”
Liasare found it difficult to find fault with his line of thinking. However, he didn’t see the future like she had. So she did the only thing she knew and shared her thoughts with him. Taking a hold of his other hand, she placed it on her other cheek and closed her eyes.
“Look inside of my mind. Perhaps you will see our futures together.”
His mouth hardened into a long thin crease as he watched her. Then he held her face gently with his hands and pressed his forehead against hers as he opened his mind. Images invaded him, flowing into him, suffusing him with hope and the possibility of a future free from the darkness of Abaddon. Liasare observed Jurek’s features alter, changing from doubt to belief as her visions drifted from her mind into his. The tension melted off of him and when he was satisfied, his lids fluttered open to see her fixated on him.
It was odd, because they were in a crowded room, yet they were sharing a most intimate moment. Because of this, he dared not speak less he say something too revealing. Instead, he flashed them to his private quarters.
“I saw,” he was saying as they materialized. “You’re right. I saw you with Justus. He was older. Maybe by a couple of years. So I know you’ll be safe. I still worry about the steps you will need to take in order to get to that point, though.” What Jurek didn’t tell her, and what she failed to notice, was that he had been absent in all of her visions. This wasn’t positive proof of anything, but it did give him an indication of what his future held. He was not going to point that out to her, however, because all this time his focus had been on her. And to him, that was the way it would always be. He would sacrifice himself for her, because it was plain that she was clearly the reason his people would survive this crisis that was upon them.
He gave her a lopsided grin, one that he hoped covered up his true emotions, because he was more shaken than he cared to admit. “This is not going to be easy. You understand what’s at stake here. You will have to pull forth every skill, every trick, every last shred of strength and knowledge you have in order to win this war. And that’s what it is. It’s not a battle, Liasare. It’s a war. Good versus evil. You will be the pawn, love, and as much as it kills me to say this, you’re right. It makes sense to use you as such, though I hate it with every molecule in my being.”
He turned away from her and moved across the room. His thoughts were shielded. He could not a
llow her to hear them, because they would betray his fears of what he thought was to come. With his back facing her, he said, “You are to wear your weapons at all times. You are to use them if you must and ask questions later. I would have you kill first instead of putting your own life at risk. Earth has changed. It isn’t the place you left. Do not trust anyone. None of the bartenders you may have befriended in the past or any of the waiters for they may be traitors. Abaddon is very persuasive. You’ll go nowhere unattended. A team will accompany you everywhere. I’ll take no chances with your safety. And under no circumstances are you to go to Club Down. That place is infested with Dark Creatures.” Jurek spun and faced her. “Give me your sworn word on this, Liasare.”
“I will do as you ask. With one exception.”
He slanted his head in the way only Jurek could do.
“And what is that?”
“If I hear that your life is in danger, all bets are off.”
A cocky grin lit up his features as he responded, “Oh, and what, may I ask, would you do in that instance?”
“I can’t answer that. But I will say this. Heaven help the one that dares to harm you.”
His eyes suddenly swirled with silver as she advanced towards him. Her fingers hooked into the neckline of the shirt he wore and she jerked him against her body. When their lips met, she muttered, “And don’t think I don’t know how you fret about the fact that you’re not in my visions. I fret about it, too. But I intend for that vision to be only a snapshot of our lives together and I fully intend for you to be a part of it.”
Her mouth moved over his, taking brief possession of it, but he would have nothing of that. Control of this kiss would be all his and he soon took the lead, turning the tables on her, taking a handful of her hair in his, and pushing his tongue past her lips. He tasted every last part of her mouth until she was sure she had no more secrets left.
“Christ, Liasare, every time I kiss you, it’s as it was the first. I’ll never know anything sweeter than this. Please promise me you won’t do anything foolish. It’s no longer the two of us. There are three now and we don’t want Justus growing up alone, like I did.”
“He won’t. I won’t let that happen.”
Jurek walked her into the closest wall and said, “You can’t know that. As powerful as you are, and there’s no doubt you have powers unmatched by any other, you don’t know what will happen. Evil will never be defeated. The best you can hope for is to lock Abaddon back up in his realm. And, love, that is going to take everything you’ve got. Don’t be overconfident.”
His hips locked her to the wall, and she knew he didn’t want her to argue. But Liasare wasn’t backing down.
“Dammit, Jurek, I know all of that. I’m not foolish. Do you think I wanted to leave Justus? My God, I miss him so much right now I could scream. I want to feel his soft hair against my chest when I hold him, and hear him make those funny little sounds when he sleeps. And I want to hear his thoughts when he speaks to me, and feel the soft pudginess of his skin that only babies and toddlers have. And his scent, that precious baby scent that’s all his, I want to bury my face in his tummy and just breathe it in. Do you have any idea of how being away from him effects me? It’s ripping my heart apart. Just knowing he may be crying for me and I’m not there kills me, Jurek.
“But I know I have to do this. We have to do this. Justus is in capable hands. He’ll be fine and when I get back I will shower him with all the love in my heart. Right now, I need to focus on the problem here and I heed you to help.”
Jurek was at a loss. He never thought of what Liasare was going through when she left Justus behind. How could he have been so blind to that? She was a new mother. He really needed to get his act together.
“I feel like I’m forever apologizing to you. I’m sorry for being so inconsiderate, once again. I never thought about the toll it’s taking on you being away from our son.”
One of her hands was tangled in his hair and the other had slipped beneath his shirt. Her fingers pressed into his heated skin as she replied, “Yeah, it’s hard, and I never gave it much thought either before I left. But he tears at my heart every time I think of him. So what I need from you is to keep me occupied and let’s get moving on this because the sooner we’re done, the sooner we can go home and be with our boy.”
Jurek’s gut knotted knowing this was going to be a do or die fight. When he saw the flames of fire spinning in the depths of Liasare’s irises, he knew she carried the heart of a warrior behind her words.
“Let’s join the others. We need to get your training back up to speed.”
When they walked back out into the main room of the warehouse, everyone turned to stare.
“Listen up. Liasare’s on board. We’re going in with everything we’ve got. But first, we need to get her in fighting form.”
Tak stepped forward but Jurek shook his head. “She knows all your moves, mate. She needs someone who isn’t afraid to injure her, but who is strong enough to teach her something. Any willing partners?”
They were met with dead silence. Then a deep voice from the back of the room spoke up and the crowd parted to reveal a young man. Tall, muscular, with shaggy brown hair and unknown to any of them, Jurek said, “State your name.”
“I am Talos.”
“And how long have you been down on Earth, Talos?”
“For the past five months, my lord.”
“Why do you want to fight my queen?”
Talos cocked his head, so common to the Praestani, and answered, “Because you have asked for someone to volunteer. I’m volunteering.”
“Do you think you can overtake her?”
Talos looked Liasare up and down. “She appears to be a worthy adversary, my lord, but no doubt I will win.”
Jurek nodded. “The rules are: no weapons and no powers. Only strength. Once an opponent is disabled, fighting is to cease. Understand?”
Both fighters answered, “Yes.”
“Good. Prepare yourselves.”
Liasare wasn’t looking forward to this at all. Talos was going to hand her her ass. He was strong and able looking. He was in shape. She was flabby and hadn’t done this in a while. She had to though. Laying her weapons on a nearby table, she stretched a bit, and then met Talos in the center of the room.
Jurek stood between the two opponents and said, “Begin.”
The two fighters circled around, eyeing each other, assessing for strengths and weaknesses. It had been so long since Liasare had fought anyone, she was unprepared when the first strike came. Talos threw a kick that seemed to fly out of nowhere. It shook her but she rolled back to her feet and assumed a fighting stance again. The next time he struck, she saw his eyes twitch before his leg struck. When it did, she side stepped him and hit him with a left jab and a right uppercut. He was quick and the uppercut only glanced off his chin. Liasare knew her power was all in her legs, so it was going to be below the hips for her. Rapid-fire kicks would be her answer, or so she thought. Talos was ready for her. And he blocked or evaded every single one. In the end, he wore her to a sweaty pulp. She was battered, huffing, and a poor sport by the time Jurek called the match.
Talos bowed to her, but she scarcely gave him so much as a glance. Jurek, seeing she was being rude, called her out.
“Liasare, you owe Talos more than that.”
“For what? Beating the crap out of me?”
“Yes! It’s not his fault you’re out of shape. And he put himself in a precarious position by offering to fight you in the first place. Give him the respect he deserves.”
Now she was enraged. Not with Talos, but with herself and Jurek. She bowed stiffly to Talos and offered him a plastic smile.
“It was very kind of you, indeed, to kick my bloody ass. And I do feel a debt of gratitude, although somehow it sounds odd to thank you for it. But I do appreciate it.”
Then he laughed. “I’m sorry I was so hard on you, but you are quite competent. I can see with some practice, it wo
n’t be long before you more than kick my ass in return.”
Liasare found herself warming to him and laughing in return. “I shall hope so. Now, I will go and lick my wounds.”
Tak, overhearing this, said, “Oh, I’m sure your mate will lick them for you, Brownie.”
She cuffed Tak on the shoulder as she passed him. As she was undressing, Jurek stomped into the room. His fists were clenched by his sides and the set of his mouth let her know there would be a showdown.
He marched a path to and fro and he finally asked, “What the hell was that out there? A jaunt in the park? Some kind of a play date?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. How many days ago was it that you tossed me across the room like a bag of feathers and you can’t drop that toddler not even one time?”
He was right and she wasn’t up for an argument. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“So you let him hurt you instead? Is this how it’s going to work?”
He did have a valid point. Liasare was stuck. She didn’t want to hurt the young man so she thought it would be better to allow him to be the victor.
“I felt sorry for him.”
“Goddammit, Liasare! How are you going to train if you allow yourself to get beaten? Take a shower.” He turned away and walked out.
This was a true quandary for her. She didn’t mind kicking Tak’s ass. But then when she trained with him, she wasn’t nearly as powerful as she was now. How was she going to handle this one?
When she came out of the bathroom, Jurek was waiting for her.
“I brought you some dinner.”
“Thanks. I’m starving.”
He chuckled. “At least some things never change.”
Later that night, when they were in bed, he told her he’d come up with a solution and she’d best be ready in the morning.
***
The next day, the team met to strategize on how to draw Abaddon out. One of the things they wanted to do was to go back to Club Down and see how active things were. They had plans to visit there that night. Liasare was headed to Jaylen’s for lunch to pick up any information she may have on new activity in the area.
Death Waltz Page 21