“A teacher.”
I peered over my shoulder at him. He was so close I could feel his breath against my skin. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “I always felt I would be good at it.”
I blinked, shocked when I realized he was right.
He pressed his ocean treasure in my palm. “I really hate that you won’t let the she-Healer fix you.”
I shrugged. “I think it makes me look dangerous.”
Jonathan laughed. “Sure enough.” He abandoned me and his seashell-hunting to stand ankle deep in the surf, pants rolled high enough not to be soaked by the waves.
I took a deep breath of air, its salty fragrance a soothing balm to my anxiety. I closed the gap that distanced us. “Why don’t you come have dinner with me?”
His lips twitched. “In your prison?”
I held back a chuckle, enjoying the way the cold water felt against my feet. “The sanctuary is not a prison.”
“Maybe not a prison. A zoo. Everyone stares at me as if I’m an animal.”
I elbowed him gently. “I can see that. You’re like one of those red-butted baboons.”
He snorted. “I was thinking along the lines of a black panther.”
I laughed, but a soft, growing hum caught my attention. I paused, listening to the mounting vibration within the wind. An engine roared in the distance.
Jonathan spun on the spot, knife already in hand and I followed suit. A green Jeep tore down the shore line, jumping and jiving in the thick beach, the tires shoveling pale loads of sand into the air. A black SUV trailed behind in hot pursuit.
“Go,” Jonathan said, but before I could argue, he took me by the arm and dragged me through the veil. The orchards and a shaken Bailey waited on the other side. A compound truck sat parked nearby.
I pointed to it. “Did you take one of our vehicles?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. Red still marred the skin at her neck. “I will not walk or run almost three miles to the border like some idiot.” She scowled at her husband. “May I have another word, Defender?” she asked unable to see the vehicles approach in the mortal realm.
“No.” I turned to watch the unfolding drama from the safety of our haven. “Something’s wrong.”
Jonathan placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “It’s probably just some stupid teenagers messing around on the beach. They’ll pass right by.”
“I don’t think so.” I gripped my pendant, but there was no warning from the demons within. I reached out to connect with the other Three, letting them know of the activity just outside our borders.
“What’s going on?” Bailey asked.
The Jeep approached the veil. The window to the SUV rolled down as they sped to the side of the other vehicle and a male leaned out. I jerked back when his gun went off, blowing the Jeep’s front tire. The Jeep flipped. I gasped, seizing Jonathan’s arm in panic.
I watched in terror as the Jeep flipped again, and then again, sand flying, metal grinding. The engine growled, then cut.
The SUV had come to a stop to watch their handy work. Three other men stood from open windows, guns drawn.
“Give me the keys!” I screamed to Bailey.
She flinched at my command. “What’s happening?”
“Now!”
The color blanched from her face. “They’re already in the truck.”
Jonathan grabbed my arm before I could move. “Ava, don’t get mixed up in human warfare. This is not a part of your—”
Another shot rang through the air.
Upside down, the door was kicked off and a rugged Darius emerged from the Jeep. Air shrilled through my lungs in an unnatural gasp. My heart rose to my swelled throat.
Frantically, he tried to pull someone from the wreckage. The SUV passengers dropped back into their vehicle, their wheels spinning out in the sand.
I yanked my arm from Jonathan, but he let go easily, running with me toward the truck. Bailey yelped and fled from his advance, but we ignored her. I leaped into the driver’s seat, only to be shoved roughly to the passenger side.
“I’ve got this,” he said. He revved the engine. “Buckle up, or I’ll kill you.” We blew through the veil at top speed. The SUV was circling toward the fleeing occupants. Cedric was now visible, with an unconscious woman draped over his shoulder.
The men in the truck aimed their weapons.
Jonathan aimed the truck.
I closed my eyes and braced for impact.
15
Oceanic Scene
Jonathan extended an arm, pinning me against the seat before we slammed into the front fender of the SUV. My head whipped forward. The seatbelt dug into my chest, cutting off breath. Metal crunched.
I coughed against my restraints. Blood leaked down Jonathan’s face from a gash over his eyebrow, but he seemed unconcerned as he examined me for injury.
My heart plummeted. “Is anyone—”
“No one is dead, but I will kill them if you don’t get to safety with your Guardian.”
My breath hitched. Darius.
Jonathan tried starting the truck, but it only clicked and sputtered. He swore out loud. The truck radiator hissed, issuing a thick, white smoke. I unbuckled and searched for sight of my Guardian. I grabbed the door handle, but Jonathan gripped my hand, seizing my attention. “Ava, the attackers—they’re mortals.”
I jerked back. “What?” But he only nodded.
Shocked, I scanned the SUV. One back door was already open. Voices rang out from the direction of the Jeep. My heart thundered against my ribcage. The driver side window had shattered—broken glass covered the front of the truck from the impact. The hulking driver appeared to be unconscious from a deployed airbag. His head lulled to the side, exposing the top of his black baseball cap. The collar of his thick jacket was lifted high over his neck and face. The passenger of the SUV groaned, floundering for his weapon. He wiped the sweat from his brow.
I threw the door open in a panic and sprinted for him. From my periphery, I spotted Cedric as he raced across the beach toward the veil, Darius’s mother in his arms. Darius was nowhere to be seen. The man with the gun aimed and fired. Cedric dropped to the ground shielding the woman with his body.
“Jonathan,” I screamed, “protect the Healer and the woman.”
The sun’s rays blasted through the clouds, reflecting a painful glare as I rounded the SUV, the beach sand slowing my speed. I banged my fist on the hood to keep the mortal’s attention. The shooter caught sight of me and threw open his door. I slammed into it. A sickening crunch sounded and the man cried out when metal met the bone of his leg. I flung the door wide and he crumpled to the ground, but when I reached for him he lifted his gun and unloaded his clip.
Several things happened at once. A strange, stinging sensation zipped through my body as a bullet progressed from my navel, through a major organ. Glancing my spine, it flew out the flesh of my back. I smelled the gunpowder and the heat from the discharge. I froze, waiting for the onslaught of pain, but nothing came except for the memory of Dr. Maynes’s words.
Those whom you protect cannot harm you. Not even a dagger to the heart would kill you…
Not even a bullet.
“You—” I peered down at the mortal panting on the ground. He shook as he attempted to fire the empty weapon. “You tried to kill me?”
The shooter paled, but before I could even react, the man was grabbed from the ground. Darius held him by the shirt, twisting the fabric in one hand.
“Darius, stop!” I pulled at his arm. His muscles rippled beneath my touch. “They’re mortal!”
He cocked his elbow back, slamming his fist into the man’s face. The hit knocked him out cold. “I figured that out.” His voice was a soothing balm amidst a violent scene.
The Demon’s Eye pressed against my skin, an icy warning. I palmed the pendant to silence the growing hum. “My pendant’s reacting. I worry something else is coming.”
“Then we need to hurry.”
/>
“Where are the other two men?” I surveyed the beach for any movement. Darius touched my hand with a finger. I shirked away, searching for the cause of Hepzibah’s panic, and refusing to look at my Guardian any longer than necessary. He was whole and well, with only a bruised cheekbone, but I couldn’t look any deeper. Not yet. I didn’t trust my reaction.
“Ava?” His tone caused my breath to spike, but when I didn’t answer, he continued. “The other men are incapacitated. Their hands are zip-tied together. Cedric and my mother are safe within the veil. Jonathan entered with them. We believe the Annihilator sent these mortals after us.”
“But they were using guns.”
His face dropped all expression. “They were after my mother.”
“Oh.”
“We’ll alert the authorities as soon as we move the truck.” He pulled his cell phone out. “Noah, we have a compound truck down yards from the border. Bring the tow cables and be quick.”
He gave me a concerned look, sliding the phone in his back pocket. “Stay close,” he said, then jumped into the truck and turned over the ignition. It whined and coughed but didn’t start.
A cell phone hummed a muffled tune, but it did not belong to Darius. The Demon’s Eye grew more persistent the farther I moved from my Guardian. I held my breath, locating the sound by the SUV. I dropped to the sand, searching the pockets of the unconscious man. An unknown number lit the mortal’s screen.
I accepted the call but said nothing.
“Is it done?” a familiar voice asked.
Heat seared my face, my mother’s pendant exciting an angry admonition. “Yes,” I answered. “The woman is safe, as are the Three.”
He paused. “I see. And my mortals?”
“Your mortals, Nikolaos?”
A chuckle vibrated my ear. “You’ll find that mortals are often willing to fight my battles—for the right price.”
“Did you get my message?” I asked.
“I did. I was sad to hear of Charlotte’s passing. Was it painful?”
“You’re sick.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Ava… it’s so nice to hear your voice. Have you considered my offer?”
“Go to hell, little Nikki. I would rather die—”
Pain erupted in my skull. An iron grip yanked me by the hair and into the truck. Fire burned when a large hand covered my mouth, stifling my scream. A voice growled into my ear. “Your death can easily be arranged, Defender.”
I mentally cursed myself for not examining the unconscious driver of the SUV. Grayson had done a good job hiding his abnormal size by staying hunched over. I extended my energy, pressing against his formidable power, but this demon’s soul was an impenetrable fortress. I would not be strong enough to defeat him without my Guardian.
“Grayson!” Darius voice was menacing, but panic inlaid his tone. He leaped, knife drawn, to cut a path toward my attacker.
My responding cry muffled against a tight grip.
“Do me a favor,” Grayson breathed. “Wait here.”
Before I could react, he grabbed me by the neck and threw me into the dash. The force turned my bones into powder. Lights erupted in my vision, threatening to go out. I slinked to the floorboard, my body in a tangled heap.
As I fought for consciousness, my mind was a mess of dismay and anger. To be reunited with Darius only to be stripped from him mere minutes later… It was too much, and I knew what came next. Grayson would give me to the Annihilator and I would be killed or taken to Nikolaos, which would be worse than death.
Seconds ticked by. Or it could have been hours. Pain pulsed with every heavy beat of my heart. I focused on it, savoring the pain to keep me from blacking out. The sound of a door squeaked open, then hands prodded my face.
“Ava.” Jonathan patted my cheeks.
If I could have sighed in relief I would have. I opened my mouth. An awful noise bubbled from my lips as the air squeezed from my lungs. Well, that wasn’t what I was trying to say.
“It’s going to be alright, Ava.” His arms slinked beneath me. He cradled me to him as he ran. Frustrated, I strained to open my eyes, but tears distorted my sight.
A gun shot sounded. Jonathan grunted. I squeezed tightly to him, then another bang and he fell to the ground with a harsh jolt. I cried out, rolling in the sand. It coated my face, stinging an open gash over my brow.
I crawled to my demon’s blurred form. He reached for me and I gripped his long fingers. “I’m okay,” he lied. “Go, Ava.”
Bailey suddenly appeared at Jonathan’s side. She fell to the ground and pressed the extra material at the bottom of her sundress into a wound I couldn’t see. I cursed beneath my breath, searching for other injuries, but she pushed away my hands.
“I am a healer, Ava. Sort of.” Trepidation tainted her voice, but she didn’t flee.
“She has to get inside,” Jonathan said, his words slurred.
“No. She has to help them.” With the jerk of her head she motioned behind me.
In the obscure distance, I could just make out my Guardian and Healer battling the monstrous demon, their movements slow and labored against the strength of the giant. Cedric was knocked to the ground from a backhand to the face, then Grayson kicked, hitting Darius in the stomach. Darius flew, landing on his back.
I gasped, drawing a dagger from my boot. At that moment, the giant turned on his heel. With his sharpened gaze trained on his target, he ran straight for me, the muscles in his tattooed neck bulging with every massive bound. Bailey whimpered next to me and fear oozed from her soul. My breath deepened as my energy pooled to protect her.
Darius rebounded, racing after the demon, and oddly… I smiled. He would never live with himself if he allowed Grayson to take me, but I would never let him feel such pain. My blood pulsed through my veins, and pressure from restrained power strengthened my sight.
I would protect him from it. I would protect Cedric, Jonathan, and Bailey, too. My love for them warmed me. My love for Darius sustained me. Energy buzzed within, vibrating down my arm. I looked at the beauty of the dagger, amazed at the bright glow of the blade. It was once Grayson’s—and now I would return it to him.
I took aim and threw.
Grayson staggered, then stopped. He peered down at the dagger that protruded from his heart. Disbelief clouded his expression as he gripped the handle, removing the blade. His mouth opened and closed in shock when he took in the sight of his own weapon. He stepped forward, one arm outstretched. A growl bubbled from his paling lips.
The Demon’s Eye unlocked; it’s warm light beckoned.
I stood firm as the black tendrils of Grayson’s being seeped from him, tearing at his flesh and the fibers of his clothes. Through my growing mental fog, I could hear the screams of his soul as he fought his new captors—hear the stern admonitions of Hepzibah and her companions as they restrained him. It may have only been my imagination, but it still made me laugh.
When the Demon’s Eye closed, I fell to my knees. Darius slid in front of me before I could collapse into the sand. He spoke to me, his amazing lips mouthing words I couldn’t understand. His large hands gripped my arms, warming me in ways I had refused to recognize before. I placed my palm against a bristled cheek, and I smiled again. He really was beautiful.
It was no wonder I loved him.
My head swirled, his face blurring.
My eyes cracked open. Dim light soothed. I gripped a soft comforter, but the colors of the room were wrong. Not mine. I painstakingly turned my head, only to realize that it was cradled in warm and careful hands.
“You took quite the beating today.”
Cedric hovered over me, his eyes narrowed but glazed as his gift allowed him to see through flesh to the injuries within. Disappointment hung like a boulder against my chest.
While it was good to know I was alive, it wasn’t Cedric’s face I wanted to see first. He released my neck, only to press delicate fingertips against my cheekbones and nose. Pain followed the touch, bu
t then it was gone. I blinked away the groggy exhaustion. As the contents of the room came into clear focus, I blushed. I was in Darius’s room—on his bed.
My heart rate increased, heightening the pain that throbbed in my skull. My muscles clenched as I went to sit up—I had to see him—but Cedric placed a strong hand on my shoulder.
“Please wait until my work is done.” I couldn’t have moved if I tried. He sat at the edge of the bed. His fingers threaded into my hair, massaging my skull. “You’ve suffered a concussion.”
I only hummed. With the force Grayson had used to slam me into the dash, it was no surprise. I released a heavy breath. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
Cedric chuckled. “I’ve been hit by a truck before. Nasty business. But I’d say your assessment is rather accurate.”
I reached up, my arm like a lead weight, and stopped his ministration. “Darius... Jonathan.”
“Your Guardian and demon are safe, but they suffered damage as well. Darius has several broken ribs. Your demon was shot twice—once in the leg, the other in the back. Luckily the giant wasn’t a good shot, but if your demon hadn’t—”
I seized Cedric’s sleeve. “He called to the Destroyer?” My voice was an octave too high. It grated against my throat.
Cedric watched me curiously, his brows pinched together. “No. He wouldn’t. Fiona took care of him, and he’s resting in your suite. Hector and Roman guard him.”
Relief washed over me. My eyes rolled back into my skull. I would have laughed if my ribs didn’t feel like they’d crack from the effort. “I’m sure Darius loved that.”
“It was his idea.”
“I—” But my mouth clamped closed. Darius was a strange and wonderful puzzle to me. “Where is he?” I asked, striving to not sound too keen.
“After carrying you here, he went to see to his mother. She was shot in the arm and lost a lot of blood.”
“Oh,” I mouthed. I cleared my throat. “And you?”
Cedric’s lips lifted into a crooked grin. “Shot in the hip, but Gayle has removed the bullet and has patched me up.”
Personal Warriors: Book 3 in the Personal Demons series Page 16