“It’s a long drop. I’d stay away from the edge if I were you.”
He loomed behind her, larger than life, eyes shadowed and dark. In her wild imagination he was a giant roaming the empty lands of…. wherever the hell they were.
“Ireland. This is the Ireland of my past. No houses, no cars, no electronics. Nothing but the sweeping hills and powerful sea.” He flashed a genuine smile that caught her by surprise. The smile transformed him into someone much less intimidating, attractive even. “Welcome to Eden.”
If anyone had told her she’d be standing in the middle of an alternate universe that was a dead ringer for the Irish coastline, she would’ve told them to go visit the methadone clinic. But her life had definitely taken more bizarre turns than she ever expected. This was just another of those twists. The wind shifted, tossing her hair around, scooting her back a step even farther from the edge. Wait a minute. He said there were no houses… did that mean there weren’t any people either? They were alone here? Completely alone? Resisting the urge to gulp, she scanned the landscape and confirmed that, nope, not a single building in sight. Crap.
The boyish smile vanished. Annoyance was stamped all over his face again. All business now, he turned on his heel, shouting over the wind, “Let’s move. We’re on a schedule here.”
After tramping through the grass for a half mile or so, they ended up next to a partially collapsed stone shelter. It was built into the side of a hill, sort of. The thick walls seemed sturdy enough, but they were leaning ever so slightly inward, probably holding each other up. Killian waited in front of a narrow entrance. A squat rock stood guard beside it. Thousands of years of wind and rain had worn the edges to form a small, shallow depression filled with water. The surface shimmered slightly as the air currents brushed it. The air itself vibrated with life, humming with energy. This place was old. Ancient. Holy.
Planting her feet, she wondered for the millionth time how Dec got her to agree to this. This was nuts.
Still all business, her host nodded at the water. After dipping his fingers in it, he said, “Cleanse yourself before you enter. It’s respectful.”
She followed his example, and then looked up expectantly. What now? This place gave her the creeps. Her skin crawled from the odd vibrations coming from the stone. They got stronger the longer they stood outside. The raw power set her teeth on edge.
“Come inside. We’ll do it in here.” Judging by his tone, the scenic tour was over.
Impatient to leave? Impatient to get rid of her? He looked over his shoulder and shook his head with another annoyed frown.
“Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s rude to read minds?”
He didn’t crack a smile. “No one’s ever dared. You might want to tone that attitude way down since I’m about to do more than read your mind. I’ll be joining you inside of it. It might be uncomfortable for you.”
Whoa! What?
Dragging her through the narrow entrance, he snapped, “I’m not going to hurt you. Relax for God’s sake. This is my temple. It’s been in my family for more generations than you can possibly comprehend. I’m the last of my people. The energy here is powerful. More powerful than I’ve ever found on any plane--human or otherwise.”
He lit the room with a wave of his hand and looked around. Apparently satisfied that all was in order, he pinned her with his gaze and said very precisely, “I scare you. I understand that. But you need to get over that silliness. I’m the good guy. I have no reason to hurt you, and I don’t want to screw you.”
She blushed like a tomato. Jesus. That little mental image sent her nerves running for cover. So not helping. He was right, though. She was being an idiot. Dec and Mica wouldn’t agree to send them off alone if there was any danger. She needed to focus. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she said, “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help. I’m just… um, nervous. You’re too intense.”
And holy shit! Is that an altar? What the hell was that doing here?
Killian cocked an eyebrow and sighed. She was going to be a problem. This woman was more skittish than Mica ever was. Even when they first met, Mica had been more comfortable with him. He knew damn well he was intimidating; he got that. This wasn’t a new problem… he could practically hear Mica snickering inside his head. The ‘I told you so’ echoed loud and clear. This experiment was his idea. It would work if Dec’s girl would just chill. He’d have to try some more interesting ways to get her to let her guard down.
“Sit down and relax. Let me tell you what we’re going to do today. The goal is to teach you to control your projections, right? We want you to choose when and where to project. No more flying off to random places. That’s a no-go. It’s unsafe and you’ll kill yourself doing that. So the first step is control. The second is to create a safe house--a safe place for your astral body to hide. Think of it as a little panic room. You have to construct that place in your mind. You can make it whatever you want--a room, a little cave, a protected island, whatever works for you. The point is, it’s your place to go. You’re safe there.”
So far, so good. She was actually focusing on his words and paying close attention. She seemed to be following his explanation, nodding in the right places. Good. Progress. “Something you should know. You’re extremely vulnerable when you’re out of your body. I’m sure you can understand why. While you’re projecting, I need you to be 100 percent aware of who’s around you. Look around and see who’s there.”
Shivering in the chilly air, she wrapped her arms around herself. “You think the demon can find me, don’t you? He’ll show up?”
Without a doubt. He’d keep that to himself. She’d never go through with this if she knew. Instead he said, “It’s possible. That’s why you have a safe house. Ready to try?”
Her attention was gone. She flicked her eyes back and forth between him and something behind him: the altar. Sigh.
Instead of answering his question, she asked, “You’re not going to cut me, are you? Those knives are freaking me out. What are those squiggly carvings?”
With so much patience even Raphael would be impressed, he ground out, “They’re simply runes, Rori. They honor the old gods, invoke protection within these walls, and give me the power I need to do what I do. Look. You can either trust me to help you, or we can go back to the farmhouse, and you can take your chances.”
“I’m not very good at blind faith. It hasn’t worked out for me much.”
“Seems to me that blind faith is all you’ve got right now.”
Reaching her was going to be harder than he thought. She really only trusted Dec right now. That was problematic. Dec couldn’t do what needed to be done. He watched her fidget, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Clearly she wasn’t comfortable. Okay, plan B.
“Have a seat.”
Rori watched warily as he went behind the altar and knelt. After rummaging around for a minute, he produced a couple of clay pots. A small brazier glowed nearby. He carefully crumbled something into the embers. They hissed and popped sending tiny sparks into the air.
“Herbs. These’ll help you relax. We need to get moving.”
A bitter herbal fragrance drifted in the air. Her nose wrinkled in protest. After a few minutes she was used to it and breathed it in normally. As she breathed, the hard walls of the temple softened and blurred before narrowing to a small cozy den. The orange glow from the brazier tinted the grey stone while sending dancing flames across the altar. Flames…
Too weak to stand, she started to sink to her knees but Killian caught her elbow in a surprisingly gentle grip. He led her to a heavy blanket on the floor.
“Easy now. Lay down here.”
When she did without arguing, he smiled with real warmth before sinking to the floor. Sitting cross-legged near her side, he held her hand loosely. “I’m going to hold your hand. The physical connection will help us. Look into my eyes, Rori. Look and see. You can trust me to help you. Trust me to keep you safe.”
Her vision was f
uzzy. The room swirled and shifted oddly, but the ocean blue of his eyes stayed steady. He locked his gaze to hers until there was a soft click deep inside her mind. He squeezed her hand, still so gentle, carefully leading her to trust. As she peered more deeply, she heard his voice coming sure and strong.
“Focus on my eyes. I’m coming to join you. I’ll be with you the whole time. Is that okay?”
She nodded, never taking her eyes from his. The room continued to shift, but his eyes stayed steady. “Do you feel my presence?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Okay, that’s good. Now, I need you to close your eyes and get ready to project. Concentrate on rising just above your body for now. Once you can control that, we’ll expand to the other side of the room, then outside, and so on. We’ll do this as long as it takes for you to learn control. Okay? I’ll be right here in case you need help.”
Even in her drug hazy mind, she was nervous. He was sitting too close; he loomed over her… he was too big. His body heat was stifling. What would he do if she couldn’t do this? Would he be mad? Would he give up on her? Worse, would he insist on putting his hands on her? It was bad enough she could feel the roughness of callouses against her palm. His fingers were loose around hers, but they practically oozed strength and power. Why couldn’t he be Dec? Dec’s hands were strong, but only touched her with care. Was it her imagination or was Killian getting hotter? He was making her sweat. She fought the urge to move away, struggled to focus on what he wanted her to do.
Killian studied Rori. Good. She was finally relaxing. She stopped fighting everything he did. She was… what the hell was she doing? Her soul floated a few inches above her body, hovered a nanosecond, then bounced back inside. Up and down, up and down… He smothered a smile with the back of his hand. Well, shit.
Sweat ran down the side of her scrunched up face. Her eyes were squeezed tight enough to burst blood vessels. Her mouth was pressed in a frown that looked painful. She was focusing so hard his head hurt!
“Uh, Rori, stop for a second.”
She rolled her eyelids open and pushed herself up on her elbows. “What?”
Her face was so red she looked like she was about to explode. He couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out. She was a freakin’ wreck. It wasn’t funny, really, but… okay, yeah, it was funny.
“Stop laughing! I can’t help it. I have… performance anxiety! You’re scaring me to death!”
Laughing harder, he sat back on his butt, pondering the woman in front of him. What the hell was he supposed to do with her?
“Maybe it would help if you didn’t sit so close?”
“Whatever it takes to keep your head from exploding.”
Four hours and eight different tactics later, Rori finally learned to project to a specific place. She could pinpoint herself to any place within the temple, just outside the walls, and eventually to the middle of the plain. They didn’t dare try getting any closer to the cliff edge. He didn’t have that much confidence in her coordination. Still. It was progress, and he was impressed. Once he’d gotten her to relax, she demonstrated more control than they thought she had.
Control she had, but stamina was in short supply. She didn’t look good. She was weak, exhausted, nearly spent. After each attempt, he insisted she sip water to stay hydrated. As usual, she sipped from a cup of water, but this time most of it ran over her chin. She didn’t notice. Her face was very pale; her lips still bluish from the last projection. That wasn’t supposed to happen… what was going on with her physically? It almost seemed like seizures, but he’d be damned if he could figure out what caused them. She seemed all right once she returned to her body… though each time it had gotten worse. The last time was pretty bad, but she insisted on trying again. One more time she’d said. He let her. Now he was second guessing that decision. After dropping the cup, she collapsed back onto the floor, breathing shallowly.
“Take it easy now. You’re doing great.”
She lifted her bloodshot eyes with such a look of fear he nearly grabbed his weapon.
“What is it?”
“Killian… I can’t do this anymore. My brain’s scrambled. I need to sleep…” Her voice trailed off as she passed out.
“Rise and shine, darlin’! We’ve got work to do.”
“Dec?” she mumbled into the blanket. The blanket didn’t respond, but someone shook her shoulder until she snapped fully awake. “Dec!”
Launching into his arms, she squeezed him like a tube of toothpaste. He grunted at the impact, laughing at the same time. Man, he was the answer to her prayers. She’d passed out wishing he was there… and somehow… he’d showed up this morning. Wait. Was it morning? It was dark inside the temple…
“I hate to ask why you’re so happy to see me. You’ve only been gone about eight hours. What did Killian do to you?” This question was followed by a softer warning, “He’s standing right here.”
“It’s not his fault. At least I don’t think it is! To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure what he did to me… there was some kind of herb… and I was stoned. Then he held my hand and… it was really hot… then I think he watched me go in and out until I passed out. It took a really long time since I couldn’t get it to go up.”
Dec and Killian both burst into laughter. Dec wheezed, “So let me get this straight. You smoked a joint and had mind-blowing sex with my brother? I’m going to have to kill him now. It’ll ruin Christmas.”
Killian’s laugh disintegrated to a coughing fit that left him red faced and breathless. He finally managed to say, “She’s confused.”
Dec grinned hugely. “You don’t say?”
“Why are you here, Dec? I thought Killian wanted us to be alone so there wouldn’t be any distractions for me.”
Killian answered her. “That’s true, but you were so nervous around me that I thought this would help you. Dec can sit with us and hold your hand. I need you to build your safe house now. Then we’ll see about sending you out to another place, if you feel strong enough. I don’t want you to do too much. You’re still weak from earlier.”
After a quick walk around the area to stretch legs and wake up, they snacked on some bagels Dec brought in until she was ready to try again. This time when she lay on the blanket, she rested her head in Dec’s lap. The familiar warmth relaxed her more than any drug Killian could find. Dec was there. Nothing would hurt her.
“Good to know you’re superman now,” Killian observed dryly.
“Stop reading my mind!”
Killian chuckled and said, “I don’t have to read your mind. It’s all over your face. Seriously, you can’t hide a single emotion. Okay, let’s get busy. Mica needs us back ASAP.”
“He’s right.” Dec gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s do it.”
Killian said, “Okay, let’s talk about your safe room. Most of the time your astral self should be able to snap back to your corporeal body because they’re tethered. But there might be a time when you run into trouble and don’t want that trouble to follow you back to your body. That’s when a safe room is good. It can be anything you want--but you need to build it how you want it.”
“I understand. I’ve got something in mind already. Mica talked to me about this a few days ago. I think I can figure it out. It’s similar to the meditation room she opens in her mind, right?”
“Very good. That’s pretty accurate. It needs to be something you feel secure in. Close your eyes. Imagine what you want, and then construct it step by step. We’ll be with you. Dec will anchor you. I’ll keep an eye on things like I’ve been doing, so please don’t daydream about Dec. I’ll have to bleach my eyes.”
Rori let her mind drift to the quiet countryside she’d begun to imagine as her special place. The rolling hills grew higher until they became the forest-covered foothills of a soaring mountain range. She would build a small cabin on one of those beautiful green hills. It would be her safe house if she needed to run and hide while in her astral form. Gradua
lly and very precisely, she created the foundation and then raised the walls. Not simply logs, they were re-enforced concrete, lined with iron sheeting, and then covered with logs for appeal. Windows? Windows would look nice.
Windows are a weakness. It’s a way in.
Killian’s comment made sense. Damn it. She virtually erased the windows she was already picturing. Now the walls looked weird. Who builds a house without windows?
It’s a safe house, not a vacation home. Get over the windows for God’s sake.
Fine. Don’t yell at me. I’m new at this.
The final step was constructing the roof; no chimney because that’s a way in too. Once that was done, she considered her handiwork. Was this good enough? Was it sturdy enough? Could another astral body get inside?
Looks good, Rori. Why don’t you go see how it feels?
Switching gears to project out, she focused her attention on gathering her energy, gasping softly as her astral body shot through the temple roof. It was too easy! It took several tries, but eventually she ended up at the cabin. She settled inside and looked around. The walls were plain white, windowless, dimly lit by an unseen light source. Not bad. Even Killian couldn’t fault the results. It was safe and secure.
Just as she was patting herself on the back, an odd sound intruded on her thoughts.
Broken Souls (Primani Book 4) Page 31