Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2)

by Mundy, Maggie

  They all walked in together, and the three Jamaican Midworlders took guard on the entrance, while Georgia helped Calloue with his equipment and they lit lanterns around the walls. Suzie and Genia were deep in discussion as Heath took her off to one side and pulled her into his arms. Before he said anything, she put a finger to his lips.

  “Don’t say anything. You’re more than I’d hoped for. Whatever happens, remember we had this,” Evie said.

  “No. Don’t stop me, Evie.” He got down on one knee and her eyes watered as she bit her bottom lip. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife when this is over?”

  “Yes, a million times yes.”

  “I was a bit presumptuous and brought this ring with me from England.”

  It was a beautiful gold band with a huge ruby in it, surrounded by tiny pearls. He tried to put it on her finger. It didn’t fit because her hands were swollen.

  “I’ll put it in my bag for now and wear it on a necklace until these fingers get back to normal size again.”

  He hugged her, and the world seemed more complete. The others in the room clapped, but now they needed to get on with why they were there. Popping the ring in her purse, she noticed her hands were trembling. Her heart was bursting with joy, but her body wasn’t fooled about what was to come.

  The cave wasn’t wet and damp as she had expected. In fact, it was surprisingly cozy. The ceiling was not too high and there were two camp beds set up. Evie’s stomach turned as she stared at them. Calloue had brought a large picnic basket from the back of the car, and somehow Evie didn’t reckon there was tea and cucumber sandwiches in there. Namid opened a trestle table, so the contents of the basket could be displayed. There was a vacuum flask and a variety of canisters. Some pots looked like they contained herbs and spices, while others looked like pots of paste. He poured the hot water from the flask into two glasses and mixed in a spoonful of some liquid, and then powder from another pot. The drink looked red like blood, but the aroma that filled the air was sweet like strawberries.

  “I want you to both drink this,” Calloue said, as he handed them the drinks.

  Evie took the glass and really hoped it tasted like strawberries. “I don’t suppose there’s any Jamaican rum in it?” Evie asked.

  Calloue raised an eyebrow and shook his head at her. It was worth a try. She took a mouthful, and it wasn’t that bad. A bit sickly sweet, but she reckoned she would keep it down. One thing she was certain about was she didn’t want to know what was in it. If he had dried blood of a chicken or goats testes in it, he could keep that secret to himself. Heath knocked back his drink and handed the glass over.

  “Show off. I hope it gives you indigestion,” she said, as she smiled at him.

  Calloue picked up a pot, which contained a blue paste of some sort. He came over and painted marks on their cheeks and forehead. She glanced to Heath to see they both had a snake painted on their cheeks. Calloue then took her right hand in his and painted her fingertips with the solution and then drew a cross on one palm and swirls on the other. She should have done a quick course on some of this before she left England, but then again, perhaps it was better not to know.

  “Now go and lie down,” Calloue ordered. “I will be calling upon our most powerful god to come and heal you. He will make this evil leave your body for good.”

  She did as she was told and watched as Heath had the same procedure done to him. Everyone was standing around and not speaking or moving, giving Calloue the reverence he deserved. Georgia stood at the head of the cots and smiled down at her. Evie wished she had met her aunt years ago. Now, it seemed so much time had been wasted when they could have been in each other’s lives.

  She looked to the Midworlders watching in silence. They had seen so much in their long lives, and yet, even they didn’t know what would happen.

  Calloue came and stood between their two beds and started to chant. His eyes were closed, and she didn’t understand the words. It could have been Jamaican or maybe an older language. Georgia said sometimes they used a language brought to the Caribbean from Africa. It didn’t sound like the chanting Georgia had performed back at the manor house. Evie peered across to Heath, who mouthed the words “I love you.” She was about to repeat the same words back to him, when the pain hit and a scream of agony was ripped from her throat.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her middle. Her insides were on fire, as if someone had rammed a red hot poker into her and was twisting it. Then the pain started to spread so that it reached out in burning tendrils to the tips of her fingers and her toes. Holding her hands up in front of her, she saw the marks Calloue had made were now glowing red.

  Evie took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Calloue was still in the same position, and Heath was trying to come to her but Suzie and Namid were holding him back. The shooting pain speared up her spine into her head and she thought it would explode. Her body went into spasms as she bowed off the bed. The darkness knew what they were trying to do and would find some way to stop them.

  Then everything changed. She was no longer in her body, but floating above it. Calloue appeared different, as if another translucent form covered his body. She knew it was friendly but wasn’t sure how.

  The pain was gone in her ethereal form but her body was writhing in agony below. Her eyes were wide open, showing the whites, and she was screaming. Maybe this was it, and she was dying. Heath was yelling, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Then her body below went rigid, and the blackness oozed out of her like a dark cloud. It seeped from her abdomen just above her belly button and then from her mouth. When it stopped, she laughed, and her eyes turned completely black. It was at that moment she knew she should stop them. This was what it had wanted all along. The problem was she was up here floating near the roof.

  “Calloue.” She tried to call with her floating form. She didn’t hear a sound but the ethereal form covering him glanced up and pulled its human connection eyes upward as well.

  Her eyes returned to a normal color as the black finally seeped out and she was sucked back into her real form. The pain was gone from her body and for the first time in years she could sense her body was hers alone. The darkness was really gone. Calloue continued to chant, but she could see the sweat beading on his brow. She needed to tell him to stop now and put the darkness back in her.

  She glanced across to see Heath had collapsed in the others’ arms, and they laid him back on the other bed. Calloue turned his attention to him as the darkness hovered above Heath’s body. They thought they could remove what was in him as well, but the darkness had shown her its plan just before it left her. Within a second it entered through his open mouth. Heath’s body started to shake uncontrollably as Calloue continued to chant more loudly. Evie cried, thinking her love was now putting up with the torment she had suffered these past years, and had seen for a moment what the darkness wanted to do with him.

  Evie pushed herself up off the bed and slipped her feet down. Damn it. Now she could move, but it was too late. Her body felt drained, but she had to be near him. She knelt beside his cot and placed her palm on his chest.

  “You can beat it, Heath. Don’t let it take your power. It’s what it’s been waiting for. It didn’t want me. It wanted you.”

  He stopped shaking and opened his eyes and gazed at her and smiled. Calloue kept chanting above her, then a yell was heard from the entrance to the cave. The other Midworlders ran in that direction. When she turned back, Heath stood up from his cot and within seconds, his wings erupted from his back. For a second, she thought he was preparing to fight until she saw his eyes had turned completely black.

  Evie backed away but knew he would be too strong for her. He laughed as he grabbed her in his arms and held her tight against his chest. The others were outside, fighting whatever had attacked. Evie screamed but b
efore anyone could stop him, Heath had run through the entrance to the cave and rose into the sky. Peering down, she could see the fight below and saw Luke point her way. She just had to hope they would find her and believe Heath would be strong enough to defeat the darkness.

  Chapter 17

  Arthur’s Secret

  It might’ve been Heath’s body she was clinging to, but there was no mistake his mind had been taken over by the darkness. All she could wish was that she would be able to connect with the man she had grown to love and that he would fight through it.

  She expected the others might be following them, but after seeing Charles at the entrance to the cave, she knew they might also have their own fight as well. Her heart raced as she tried to control her breathing. It was cold, and the air hurt her lungs as she breathed in. Heath kept flying higher until they reached the top of the mountain behind Kingston. He swooped back down and landed on a small flattened area surrounded by a few trees. He let her feet drop as he let her go, and she collapsed to the ground. Her legs were like Jell-O. She glanced around trying to make out her surroundings as the sun went down. Evie knew it was pointless trying to run, as he would catch her before she could get far.

  Heath held his arms open wide as he took in the vista below. She could hear his deep intake of breath, as if the darkness in him was trying to get used to his body.

  “For fuck’s sake, Heath. What are you doing? Take me back to the others. You need their help.”

  Heath sauntered back to her and bent down so his face was inches from hers. The light was fading, but she could see his sneer, and then he licked his lips.

  “Don’t be coy, Evie. Don’t you want to be alone with me? I mean me. Of course, we both know Heath is hiding like a frightened mouse at the back of his mind. You on the other hand, are real, and it’s been a long time since I was with a woman. Hundreds of years, in fact. Maybe we could have some fun.” Heath laughed.

  Evie’s stomach turned as she struggled to keep down the drink Calloue had given her earlier. She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts together. Heath would never forgive himself if he hurt her, and being possessed by some strange creature would not be a sufficient excuse for him. He would blame himself for not being stronger. Somehow, she had to find him in there. Before she had a chance to think or move, Heath pounced on her and flipped her onto her back. His weight was pressed down on her, and she could hardly breathe. He was hard and pushed his erection against her lower abdomen. This was not Heath. He would never hurt her. She would have to get through to him somehow.

  “Heath, this isn’t you. Fight him. I love you.” Heath’s lips came down hard on hers, as he forced his tongue into her mouth. His hand came up and gripped her breast and squeezed it roughly. Damn, but she wasn’t going down like this.

  She bit down on his tongue. He moved away, wiping the blood from his mouth and then slapped her across the face. Tears were forming in her eyes at what had become of the man she loved. Her cheek stung, but she wouldn’t give up. She had always feared being assaulted after what had happened to her mother, but she had never considered it would be Heath who would attack her.

  “He can’t hear you, you stupid bitch. So shut up and let me get on with what I want.” It seemed so wrong to hear Heath’s voice utter such words, as he pushed her legs apart and started to fumble with the button on her jeans.

  In the next moment, Heath’s weight was off her body as he jumped up and stood with his back against the tree beside them. She pulled herself up, ready to run, but something stopped her. She could hear sobbing. Heath was crying. She moved across to him and placed her hand against his cheek.

  “Get away from me while you can, Evie. I don’t know how long I can hold him off. I’m so sorry.”

  “You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I’ll find the others and come back to help you.”

  It was one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life, turning away from him like that. Evie stumbled over rocks and tree roots in the darkness as she made her way down the hillside. Tears streamed down her face, and she wiped them away with her sleeve, but they kept coming. Threading her way through the trees, she dreaded to think of what Heath would do to stop the darkness from taking control again. The thought that he would try to kill himself was uppermost, and she had to reach the others and get them to stop him. She had lived with the darkness a long time and knew how powerful it could be.

  She tried to get her bearings, but it was so dark, and all she could see were trees and the lights of the city below. Peering over a rocky ledge, she was still high up on the mountainside, but she could make out the cars of the others with their lights on below. Then, one minute she was upright, the next she was falling head over heels. When she finally came to a stop, she had a bump on her head and could taste dirt in her mouth. Spitting it out, she wiped her face, got up, and moved on.

  She could hear wings flapping and squatted down with her hands over her head to shield her face. All she could do was hope it wasn’t Heath, taken over by the darkness again.

  “It’s all right, Evie. It’s me.” Suzie was before her with her glorious wings reaching up from her shoulders, and it was one of the most wonderful things Evie had ever seen. “The others are searching for you both as well.”

  Evie stood up and let out a long breath, and as her body relaxed a bit. “The darkness has taken him, Suzie, but he’s fighting it. He let me go, but I don’t know how long his good side will last.”

  “Come on, I’ll take you back. We need to get out of here. If the others find Heath, they’ll bring him back so we can deal with him.”

  “He attacked me, Suzie. I fear he’ll try to kill himself for what he did. You have to stop him.”

  Suzie picked her up and plunged down the mountainside until they were at the entrance of the cave. When they got inside, Georgia ran over and hugged her niece. Genia, Calloue, and Namid were there, too, but Luke and Namid’s colleagues were still out searching.

  “Let’s get you back to town. The others can sort Heath out,” Namid said, as they walked toward the cave entrance.

  She didn’t want people to sort him out like he was some hooligan. This was Heath, who she knew to be a proud and wonderful man in the best way. Only he wasn’t human, and neither was the darkness within him. As they went to leave the cave, Charles entered with another man. Her skin crawled and the hair went up on the back of her neck as she looked at him. She assumed the other man was a Midworlder as well, though he looked more like a model than a fighter in his fancy suit. The hatred in eyes matched Charles’, and it was obvious that he was a cold-blooded fighter, when required of him. Another enemy they didn’t need right now.

  Suzie moved forward to confront them.

  “Charles. Can’t say we’re happy to see you again. I thought that was you I saw earlier, Sayell. Consorting with the lowlife now, are you? Oh, sorry. Ridge said that’s the only sort you’re friends with.”

  Charles sneered, and Evie took Aunt Georgia’s hand in hers. She had seen Midworlders fight before, and it wasn’t a pleasant sight. It just ended up with everyone getting hurt.

  “I’m not interested in another fight. We just want the girl. Heath has left, and from what I can gather from her mind, he tried to rape her. Even you have to admit they’re not exactly a perfectly bonded pair. Interesting. I couldn’t read her before. You fixed her up for us, didn’t you? It’s quite convenient because now we can take her to Pergor. I’m sure she will denounce him and come with us after his unbecoming behavior.”

  “Over my dead body would I go with either of you.” Evie shouted. The name Sayell rang a bell with her. Heath had said he was the one who had attacked Nicole. Evie didn’t like the way he looked at her. His smirk made her skin crawl as she shivered. Then, she noticed the little weasel of a man standing next to them. He was so far from being a Midworlder, she wondered what he w
as doing with them. He looked pale and sick and tugged on Charles’ shirt sleeve like an impatient child.

  “Never mind her. With Heath gone, get the woman. She can fly, too. I saw her outside,” the man said, pointing to Suzie.

  What was going on here? Didn’t he realize Charles and Sayell could fly as well?

  “Are you prepared to give us what we want?” Charles said to the man.

  The man shook his head and fidgeted, banging his fingers against his lips repeatedly and almost jumping from one foot to another.

  “Then leave us to negotiate. You’ll get what you want in a minute.”

  The little man backed away, mumbling to himself and rubbing his swollen abdomen with one of his hands.

  Namid walked forward. “Seems your little friend is a bit unstable. You’re outnumbered, so I suggest you let us pass. Evie is not denouncing Heath, and unless she does, you can’t touch her. We’ll find her bonded partner soon enough.”

  “Of course you may pass, but I should warn you our little friend wants him dead. He assures us he has a way to kill Heath. We’ll see who finds him first.” Charles stood aside and bowed to let them through.

  Genia strode up to him. “If your friend has the ability to kill a Midworlder, then it’s your duty to both sides to tell Homeworld. If this planet is not safe for us, we will have to find another,” Genia said.