Arthur returned with five friends. One of them was carrying a tray with some mugs of tea. When they had followed Arthur down the corridor to the room, Charles tried to search the man’s mind but couldn’t get through the haze of confusion in order to get anything sensible. The man wasn’t just sick, he was mad.
Charles sent out thoughts to the other minds of the five men, and they also seemed just as jumbled. He looked to Sayell, who shrugged his shoulders. Now he took a closer look at the others, they all had the same haggard and disheveled look about them. What was this cult into that they were all dying?
It always annoyed him that he couldn’t just ask the Demonics attached to these people for information, but it just didn’t work that way. The guardians took energy from the people they were attached to but were not allowed to get involved in controlling their minds. When they did, they were removed and sent home. It meant they would never become Elevated, and most were not prepared to take the risk. They wanted to be part of that special group looking for the promise land of a new planet, living in the lap of luxury. Giving information to half-breeds wasn’t something they wanted to do either. He was sick of the power games, unless he could lead. He looked at the weak tea in the mug and pretended to sip, but in truth the fluid didn’t touch his lips.
“So what can you tell us about the woman, Evie?” he asked.
“Why should I tell you anything? What is in it for me? You know my interest in her, but you haven’t explained yours.” Arthur slurped his tea, and Charles tried not to cringe.
“A friend of ours visited her home recently. It didn’t go well for him, and he has ended up with quite severe injuries. His body appeared burned, even though he said there was no evidence of a fire. His memory was affected as well. We wondered if it was something supernatural. After it happened, we wanted to confront her, but she has moved in with a group of people intent on protecting her. We wanted to approach her again but would like to know what we are dealing with first.”
“What are you going to do to her if you can get your hands on her?” Arthur asked, grinning.
“I’ll be honest and say I’d like to kill her for what she’s done to my friend. However, if there was some way we could take her power and use it for ourselves, I think she would be allowed to live.”
“That may be possible, but we had some difficulties last time we attempted to take her.”
“I was there. I saw the man she was with is not of this world. It was what my friend had said when he was attacked. He said Evie had burned him but that this man with wings was impossible to hurt, as each time he slashed him with his knife or hit him, he healed almost instantly.”
Arthur was fidgeting in his chair. “They’re not as strong as they think they are. There are other forces on this planet that have power, too,” Arthur spat out.
Charles leaned forward. “Now you have my interest. I have a large group of well-trained men who would be willing to fight with you. I believe we truly can assist each other.”
“I’m ill, and I need this man’s blood to survive. So do my men. If we can have that and prove angels exist, then I don’t care what you do with him or the girl afterward.”
There was no way Charles would let this imbecile reveal their presence to the world, but he would go along with this plan for now. If Demonics were to become known to the world at large, it would be when he had Liliath by his side to rule it. “How can you be sure you can subdue him?”
“I made the mistake last time of not incapacitating him enough. I took his blood and was going to remove his heart, but he recovered his power and escaped. Let’s just say, I’ve been able to obtain a certain substance that caused his body to not have the ability to heal.”
Damn. It was just what Charles had thought. He could not let this rat of a man have such a power that could be used against Demonic Midworlders, too.
“What is it?” Charles’ fingers itched with the need to get his hands on this substance. He would torture the idiot if he could but reckoned Arthur and his men would just become blubbering fools if he did.
“I don’t think we have that much trust between us. I see we can benefit each other, but I’ll not share my secret with you until I have the angel’s blood.”
“My revenge and your need are equally matched, I see. I believe we shouldn’t waste any more time. We should go to the manor house tonight.” Charles stood up.
“I’ll need more time to get my special ingredient prepared. Do you plan on going in there all-guns-blazing, or what? When we visited before, an explosion caused everyone to become unconscious. I don’t believe we can expect that again.” Arthur was getting nervous and starting to twitch.
“Sayell, here, will go through the front door on the pretense of negotiating with him while we attack from the rear of the house. We’ll meet you here tomorrow night at eight then.”
Charles was glad to be out of the place and found he wasn’t the only one. Sayell was also taking in large gulps of air.
“I feel sure whatever stopped Heath from healing was permeating the air in there. My chest was getting tighter and tighter by the minute,” Sayell said.
“I felt the same. I tried to read their minds, and all I found was a jumble of thoughts. I think it is fortuitous for us they didn’t want to go tonight. I suggest we return to my home and consider paying another visit to Pergor.”
“I was going to mention that I’ve received news that Liliath would like to have another talk with us. I, for one, would like to find out more about the darkness on this woman. We have too many unknowns here,” Sayell said.
“I agree. We may not be close friends, but I think we both like to be prepared when going into battle.” Charles pulled into the basement of his building and made straight for the lift with Sayell in hot pursuit. Once in his apartment, he went to the double doors and out onto the roof. He wanted to get answers to their questions, but he also could not wait to see Liliath again. His wings sprouted from his back in all their wondrous glory, and he knew Sayell would be right behind him.
It took only a moment to rise into the darkness and send out his thoughts to Pergor. Even though Evie was not with them, he still felt cautious about being in the conduit. This time everything was as it should be. He felt a slight pain in his temple, and then the beautiful lines of the tunnel to Pergor. They arrived as before in the crystal chamber, but it was empty.
Then the crystals started to shimmer and move to announce the presence of someone arriving from Homeworld. It wasn’t Liliath, but a guardian. A moment later, Liliath appeared, too. Again, Charles was consumed with a need for her. It was as if her presence heightened all his senses. The guardian helped Liliath down from the high platform, and she stood before both of them resplendent.
“Kneel before me, both of you.”
Charles was on his knees, and Sayell joined him. Liliath walked forward and stood in front of them and placed a hand on the tops of their heads. She moved her hips past both of their faces, so you could almost get a view of her body through the shimmering material of her gown.
“You don’t have the female yet. This really does disappoint me, gentlemen, but maybe it is for the best. Stand up.”
They stood before her, and Charles was sure she was laughing at them. On a human woman, arrogance would have made him slap her in the face, but on Liliath, it made him want her even more.
“Charles. It seems the signature of darkness I felt on you was recognized on Homeworld. It took some digging, but I eventually found an Elevated who knew it.”
“So whatever is in her is one of us?” Sayell asked.
“Not quite. It seems it was a guardian once. He was just about to return home and become Elevated. They believe he didn’t like that idea and wanted to stay on Earth. When the human he was guarding killed herself, he found a way to attach himself to others. There was a
spate of murders at the time that were investigated by Midworlders and were thought to be caused by him influencing human minds. He was never caught, and I think Homeworld thought he had died not having a human of his own to leach energy from.”
“What is he now, then? What I felt didn’t seem human, Midworlder, or guardian. It just felt like hate and emptiness. Now, I’m not adverse to pain and torture, but what touched me is just malevolent.”
Liliath moved forward. “He, or it, as it would be now has to come back. We cannot allow entities to roam Earth and do harm. At least not any I don’t have control over.”
Charles tried not to sneer at the comment. They wouldn’t want their supply of energy to be messed up and have to look elsewhere to get Elevated, now would they? Especially when they had been looking out into the cosmos for over two thousand years.
“So do you know how we can capture it and bring it here? It seems extremely capable of defending itself in the conduit. As far as I could tell, it really doesn’t want to go home,” Charles said.
“May I offer a suggestion?” Sayell asked, as he stood up and stepped forward.
Charles wanted to hit this Midworlder even more now.
“It seems some humans have found a substance that can prevent Midworlders from healing properly. If we could obtain the substance, maybe we could use it on Evie to remove the entity and bring it here in its weakened state.” Sayell had a smirk on his face as he turned back to Charles.
“What is this substance?”
Charles stood next to Sayell. “We should find out tomorrow night. The humans are willing to give us the substance if we let them have a go at Heath.”
“Well done, boys,” Liliath said, then leant forward and kissed Charles full on the mouth. Her lips pressed hard as her tongue fought with his. Then she moved across and repeated the action with Sayell. When she was finished, she turned and took the hand of the Demonic guardian and walked back up to the raised platform and disappeared. Charles wanted Sayell gone. He was not prepared to share Liliath. He just had to be patient and work out how to go about getting rid of him.
“Well, my fellow boy, I suppose we should return to Earth and do our lady’s bidding,” Sayell said.
Chapter 14
Jamaica Bound
Heath knew his declaration of love was a mistake, but it was what his heart had felt at that moment when Evie looked into his eyes. It was a mistake because she believed he would be able to make things right. He didn’t have a good history of dealing with problems. When he had been in his mind-world with her, they had joined their bodies, and all it had done was heighten the need to join with her in reality.
He paced the yard, and everyone stayed away from him. They knew the dark expression on his face meant he would give them a hard time if they approached.
He had seen the outcome of sex in the real world with Nicole. She had conceived immediately, and Liliath was eager to use the fetus to gain access to Earth if she could not get her hands on the mother. Nicole somehow had a power to use the energy in her body, but Evie didn’t have that. He needed to make sure she kept working on her skills at moving objects. She was working in the library with Suzie, and her skills were improving. He reckoned they would need everything they had to fight in the end.
Suzie and Evie came out through the back door, and Evie came across and kissed him on the lips. Evie was the only one, along with Marge, who ignored his obvious frustration.
Suzie raised an eyebrow and smiled. “She’s getting better, but she’s still not fast enough. I stopped the blade before it hit me.”
“Only just. To start with, I couldn’t get close at all. The last time, I almost cut your arm.”
“I’m warning you if you cut my new bike jacket, you’re going to need more than Heath to protect you.” Suzie wagged a finger at her.
Luke walked out from the kitchen.
“We’ve just had a message to send one of us from the enclave over to Pergor.”
“So what did they want?” Heath asked.
“They want to speak to you. They want you to go over and talk with a guardian. As usual, they’re pissed off someone is trying a bonding again. Especially with the loss of the other two that have tried over the past year.”
“I’ll go now. Evie, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“We’ll make sure she’s safe. We would give our lives to save her,” Luke said, as he stood behind Evie.
The presence of Luke did nothing to ease the look of fear on Evie’s face. He would have to be as quick as he could. Ridge had told him Nicole tried to kill herself because she thought he was dead when he went to Pergor. He could see tears forming in Evie’s eyes as she looked at him. When he opened his arms wide she ran into them. It was a strange thing to have someone showing him affection in front of his enclave.
“Please, stay safe and get back as quickly as you can,” Evie said, then she planted a kiss on his lips again. Whenever she touched him he lost some control, and this time was no different, as his arms pulled her close and his tongue entered her mouth. He heard a cough and guessed it was Susanne bringing him back to reality.
“I’ll see you soon.” He walked away and beckoned for Luke to follow him. “I want you to watch her closely and tie her up if you have to. Nicole tried to slash her wrists when separated from Ridge.”
“Will do. Let’s hope she hasn’t gotten too good with moving objects. The twins are waiting on the roof to go over with you. Safety in numbers, I was thinking. Plus, I don’t trust the bastards up there. I also heard another rumor when I was up there.”
Heath dreaded to think what else could make things worse.
“It seems Charles was up there recently and talking with an Elevated, no less. We can all guess who it was. He also took someone else along with him, and they were not from his enclave. It seems Sayell has decided now is a good time to pay a visit from the States.”
Heath stopped in his tracks. “Those two are unlikely bedfellows. I can’t see either of them willing to share their power, or Liliath, with each other. This does not bode well.”
Heath left them and met the twins up on the roof. The darkness would hide their ascent, and he could get this over and done with. As they rose into the sky, he looked down to see Evie walk back inside with the others. Within minutes, they were high enough to make the connection, and he nodded to the others to help him open the link.
As always, it commenced with a dull ache in his temple, but that was where the similarity with his old life stopped. A band of steel felt as though it had been placed around his chest and someone was tightening it. He couldn’t breathe, and his arms were clamped to his side with his palms fisted. The twins flew back and hovered in front of him.
“Hell, boss. Your eyes are completely black,” Altai said.
The pain from his wings was excruciating, as if someone had set them alight. When he looked to the side, he could see a blackness spreading like ink through his wings. The wingtips were already alight. His head experienced the same crushing feeling as his chest. Someone had an invisible hand on his body and was squeezing and burning him at the same time. The link was broken, and the darkness of the night sky returned as he started to tumble back to Earth. The twins caught him, and he drew his wings in so they could place their arms around his shoulders. He had never been so grateful in all his life for the presence of other Midworlders.
Closing his eyes, he absorbed his wings back into his body. It felt like his skin was on fire, and his tattoo was blistering. The stars and sky of Earth were around him as they made their way back to the manor house below. They landed in the backyard, and the kitchen door flew open as Evie and the others ran out.
“I could feel your pain,” Evie said, with tears streaming down her face as she ran up to him.
Heath’s legs were weak, and he let the twi
ns guide him inside. Sitting at the table, he took the glass of water Marge offered and gulped it down so she could refill it. His chest still ached as he tried to draw air into his lungs. Evie took his hand as the others gathered round.
Genia came in, and Heath didn’t protest when she placed a hand on his chest and the other on his forehead. The coolness and the healing effects were immediate, and the pain in his body eased.
“I didn’t heal you, but I enhanced your own healing techniques. You should be fine in a moment or two. I’d advise hot tea, but I’m sure you would prefer a whiskey.”
Evie took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight. “So what happened?”
“It was like before. The darkness stopped me from making the link and going over. I couldn’t breathe, and my body was on fire.”
“But I wasn’t with you this time. It’s because we’ve bonded. I’ve infected you in some way. The first decent thing to come into my life in so long, and I damage it.”
“I knew what I was doing when I bonded with you, and I would do it again. I have no regrets, as long as you don’t.” The room had gone silent as everyone was listening to them.
“I’ve no regrets. I just don’t want to bloody well lose you.”
“You bloody well won’t,” Heath said, and Evie smiled at his profanity.
“Enough of this sad talk now. I think I have the solution to your problems.”
Heath looked up to see Georgia standing there with her arms folded and a big smile on her face. He couldn’t see what she could offer, but it seemed their situation was not improving, so maybe trying something completely different would work.
“So, what do you suggest?” Genia asked, as she sat down and Marge supplied food and tea for everyone.
Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2) Page 14