Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2)

by Mundy, Maggie

  “You deal with your own problems, and we can look after him,” Charles answered.

  Evie didn’t want to leave without Heath but would have to trust the others to find him and bring him back. As they left the cave, she looked to the sky to see if she could see any sign of Heath. Of course, there was none, but she hated to think of him out there struggling with the darkness alone. The ring, which she had left inside, was all she had left of him at the moment. She turned back to the cave entrance to go retrieve her bag.

  Before getting far she was grabbed from behind by the little man who had accompanied Charles. He had her around the waist and was holding a knife to her throat. She could feel the point digging in and the warmth of blood trickling down her neck.

  “Help,” she managed to get the word out before he pushed the blade deeper. The others turned back but stopped.

  “I’ll kill her, don’t think I won’t. I don’t care about her, but I need the blood of one of these winged ones. It’s your choice, Charles,” the little man yelled.

  Then everything happened so fast. Namid dived forward and pushed her aside. Aunt Georgia was there and caught her before she hit the ground. Evie turned around and saw the man had slashed Namid across the chest. Suzie dived on the man and pinned him to the floor. There was no sign of Sayell or Charles. The bastards had fled when their little friend started to misbehave. Evie looked up, but it was too dark to see where they might have gone. They would not give up so easily and would still be watching. Her whole body ached, and she wanted Heath so much she thought her heart would physically break in two. She wondered if he felt the same or was still controlled by the hate of the darkness.

  “I think we should get back to Namid’s place so we can find out what the fuck is going on here,” Suzie said.

  Evie agreed with Suzie. One reason being that she just wanted to be somewhere safe, and a cave on a mountainside just didn’t cut it. The other reason was that she was feeling like shit. They all bundled in the car. She cuddled up to Aunt Georgia and was glad the creepy guy, Arthur, was in the other car. Namid was quiet, but she hoped it wasn’t due to the blood loss. She tried to hold back the tears, but it didn’t work. She didn’t want anyone to die because of her. Everything was going wrong.

  Back at the house, Aunt Georgia helped her inside. The others followed behind. Namid was helped by Zen and Luke, who placed him on the kitchen table, while Genia put a cushion under his head. The blood was still soaking into the front of his shirt. Last time, they had used the darkness inside her to remove whatever this was from Heath, but that wasn’t an option. She had never believed she would want the darkness back, but right now she did.

  Arthur was tied to a chair, and if she had had the energy Evie would have beaten the information out of him. Her stomach heaved, and she made her way to the bathroom because she could no longer keep the contents of her stomach down. After she flushed the toilet, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Her chest hurt, and her body ached. In the back of her mind, she had a feeling about what was happening to her but wouldn’t say anything for now. If what she thought was true, there would be nothing they could do anyway. Sometimes, no matter what you wanted, the past comes back to haunt you.

  When she walked back in the other room, the men were applying new dressings to Namid’s chest. Genia and Calloue were working together to try to help him. Genia placed her hands on Namid’s chest and Calloue was chanting. The bleeding was slowing but not stopping completely. Genia peered across at Arthur. They needed him to tell them what was going on. Genia stood before him and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Evie thought she saw pity for the little man in Genia’s expression.

  “I cannot read your mind, Arthur, but I can see inside your body. You’re dying. I sense whatever was on the blade is within your body as well. It’s killing you.”

  Arthur twitched and glanced away at the floor.

  “I am a healer and could ease your pain, if you let me,” Genia said, as she placed her hand on his arm.

  Arthur looked at her hand and then up into her eyes. He was crying. Evie thought he just looked frightened and small now. Maybe he could see his end was near.

  “Awhen promised us immortal life. All we needed was the blood of a being from another world to mix with the crystals.”

  “Whatever these crystals are, they’re poisoning your body, and your organs are failing. You also have cancer in your bowel, but I believe you already knew that. Is it the crystal on the knife?”

  “I was unworthy of the great gift Awhen offered.”

  Evie tried to remember whether she knew the name Awhen. It sounded Egyptian, but she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t need an Egyptian deity as an enemy, in addition to all the others.

  “You have seen we’re not human. Maybe we can offer you another gift in return for you telling us about these crystals,” Genia asked.

  There was a gleam in Arthur’s eyes, and Evie knew Genia had him. He was on his last leg, and he knew it.

  “There is a vial sewn into the lining of my jacket. It’s all we have left. At first, when we took it, I received the visions of Awhen. He told me to find a being from another world. Then my followers and I started to get sick and knew we were running out of time.”

  Suzie knelt down beside him and started to feel along the lining of the man’s jacket.

  “Where did you find the crystals?” Genia asked.

  “I bought it off eBay. They said it was from a meteor. It was meant to have special properties. We’d been trying other drugs before to help us with our enlightenment, but this worked beyond our dreams. My people felt powerful, and when I combined it with the morphine for my cancer, Awhen privileged me with his presence.”

  Suzie found the vial. It looked more like a small lip gloss.

  “It’s all we have left,” Arthur said, as he stared at the tube.

  Genia took the pot in her hand and stared at it intensely. Evie wondered if the woman had X-ray vision or something. There was still so much about Midworlders she did not know and would probably never find out.

  “It’s from our original Homeworld. When it blew up, a fragment must have been lost in space and landed on Earth. I can’t remove it, but I know someone who can. We need to contact Ridge and Nicole in America. She removed Pergor crystals from Ridge, and it saved his life. I believe she could do the same for you.”

  One of Namid’s men was on the phone. It would be good to meet Ridge and Nicole. They had been bonded, and maybe she could learn something from them. The problem was, she thought it was all too late.

  Heat suddenly wafted over her, and the room turned black.

  Chapter 18

  Shared Control

  Heath couldn’t stop the shakes from wracking his body, even though he wasn’t cold. He kept massaging his temples, but it did little to displace the voice that kept nagging away at him. He pushed his body back against the rockface and stared out into the empty space where Evie had been. He had followed her down the mountain until he was sure the others had found her. When Suzie had taken her into the sky, he knew she would be safe. Then he found himself returning to the spot where he had attacked her.

  She was gone, and after what had happened, so was his dream of ever being with her. He wanted to die for what he had done, only dying wasn’t an option. Even if he could rid himself of this darkness, he could not forget the look on her face when he had attacked her. She had been through so much, and now he had added to her pain, and he could never forgive himself for that.

  Stop lying. You have wanted to be in that tight little pussy since you met her.

  Pain stabbed into Heath’s temples and then radiated over the top of his skull and down his neck. He had to get control back. If he blacked out, he didn’t know who would be in charge when he came around. He slumped to the ground, his hands pressed aga
inst his head, and took deep breaths.

  You’re wasting your time. I can feel my strength like tendrils slipping out to encompass you brain. Soon I’ll have your mind and your power. This world is going to be so much more entertaining in the body of a Midworlder.

  “I’ll find some way to die before I let you do that,” Heath yelled into the night sky. His wings erupted from his back, and he took flight. He flew over the top of the mountain and out to sea. Folding his wings in, he plunged into the water and let the ocean fill his lungs.

  I won’t let you damage this body.

  Before he could stop himself, Heath flew out of the water and was on his way back to land.

  If you don’t want to fuck something, then at least kill someone. It’s been hundreds of years, and I’d love to feel my hands around someone’s neck for real. To watch them choke and turn blue as I apply pressure to their windpipe. Then the pleasing crack as I break their neck.

  Heath flew toward the city, his clothes still dripping wet. He wanted to stop, but his body was no longer obeying him. He landed on the outskirts and pulled in his wings. Walking up street after street, he kept to the shadows where he could hide from prying eyes. He saw a likely candidate ahead when a drunken man made his way into an alley not far from the beach and the nearby clubs. The alley smelt of refuse and alcohol, and the man stopped to urinate beside a waste bin. When he turned around, Heath grabbed him by the neck. The man’s arms flailed, trying to stop the attack.

  The man would have no chance unless Heath could get back control of his body. Beyond the man’s shoulder, Heath saw a glow of light as a guardian appeared for a second. She laid her hand on Heath’s arm, and then she was gone. Heath’s mind was released, and his body was his again. The man fell to the floor and took in large gasps of air. Heath sighed in relief. The man was breathing. He could hear voices coming and needed to get away. He didn’t know how long he would have the upper hand here before the darkness took control again.

  He strode through the streets until he reached the outskirts of the city. When he was sure no one else was around, he expanded his wings and took flight again. He headed back to the hills, not knowing where else to go. He landed outside the cave where the cars had been parked. The cave was deserted, and he could only imagine they had taken Evie with them. Taken her away from him, somewhere she would be safe. Daylight was coming as he stumbled inside. The pain was coming back, and he was struggling to breathe. He made his way across to the bed Evie had laid upon when Calloue had performed his voodoo.

  As Heath lay on the bed, he could still pick up the fragrance of Evie on the pillow. He hugged it to him and inhaled as if it would be the last time he would have any sense of her. Of the woman he loved. He was happy Calloue had succeeded in healing her. The others would look after Evie when she denounced him. Without the darkness upon her, she would be happy and free. They would get her a guardian, and she would be safe.

  He fought to stay awake, but the pain was consuming every part of his body. The burning reached out to every extremity, and he guessed the only way it would disappear was when the darkness took over completely. His eyes became heavy as he tried to fight a losing battle.

  You mind-fucked her, didn’t you? Let’s see if we can bring the memory back.

  Heath gritted his teeth, as the entity reached into his private memories with Evie. He tried to keep him out, but the entity was getting stronger. It found the memory of them at the beach when they had made love. He found his body was no longer under his control, and his hand undid his belt and pants and grabbed his erection. He hated this darkness for what it was making him do to himself and for sullying a beautiful memory. As he came in the reminiscence, he ejaculated now. There was no sense of relief, just self-loathing and despair.

  As he rolled off the cot and grabbed a rag to clean himself, another memory flashed through his brain. It was Elizabeth, and she was cutting her wrists. The darkness was screaming at her. Heath had found her dead with her wrists cut, so it wasn’t his memory. How could that be?

  This is wonderful. So you knew the little slut back then who stopped me. So long I had to wait for another. When she cut herself, I jumped into the maid who found her. It didn’t work, the Angelic attached to the maid knew something was awry. It was after that I discovered you had to be there just at the point the guardian goes across and you can take over without them knowing. Of course, that was the problem with Midworlders. You never die, so I couldn’t get inside one. Humans are too fragile, and I kept losing them.

  Heath gritted his teeth in anger that this entity had been the cause of Elizabeth’s death, and he would not let it succeed in taking Evie’s life now. He would have to find some way to stop it, even if he had to blow his own brains out. For now, he would join their minds together, so he could relive what had happened to Elizabeth and Evie. As he lay back on the bed, he found his mind was going back hundreds of years.

  He could sense this entity had once been a Demonic guardian, and when its human had died, it was meant to return to Homeworld. Only it didn’t want to. Its name was Slyth. Heath found he was hovering over the corpse of a young man who had been pulled from the river by his friends. Its Angelic was gone, and Slyth slipped into the body, making the young man cough and come back to life. His friends turned him on his side, as he vomited up the water.

  The young man’s personality changed after the incident, and Heath could sense the subtle words of Slyth influencing him. He also knew that next time Slyth wanted a new host, he wouldn’t risk not finding someone near death. When he became bored, he would kill another. The humans he killed had always been rich, and he enjoyed the high life in their bodies. It wasn’t enough, though. He needed to find a Midworlder to get their power, but it had to be done carefully so Homeworld would not find out.

  He had nearly achieved his goal when he got close to Elizabeth. He had been living in the body of the housekeeper and seen Heath and knew he was a Midworlder. He had poisoned Elizabeth, and everyone just thought she had been sick. The housekeeper threw herself from the battlements that night.

  Each day, Elizabeth got stronger and had fought against his presence. Heath had been on his way there to bond with her, and Slyth had been so close. Finally, he would get access to a Midworlder, but then Elizabeth had slit her wrists. Luckily, a stable hand had been dying from a kick to the head by one of the horses. Slyth attached himself to the man as the Angelic left.

  Heath remembered wanting to go back to Homeworld to die, but instead they wanted him to find a rogue Demonic who was murdering people. Now, he knew the rogue had been Slyth. The young man Slyth possessed had gone on a killing spree controlled by the Demonic. So many years had gone by since then, but Slyth knew his opportunity would return. It did when Evie came along.

  It was a wet night, and the car had skidded into the junction and hit Evie’s car. The body Slyth was inhabiting was dead with the man decapitated. He could heal most things, but reattaching a head was beyond him. Evie’s body didn’t look much better. Slyth hovered nearby and watched her Angelic leave, and when she took her last breath. He pounced and was in.

  Heath’s gut clenched as he viewed Evie’s torn body before Slyth had entered and taken over. She should have died that night. He could feel how, over the following weeks her body slowly healed. He also felt the fear as she awoke up from her drug-induced coma and knew she was not alone. Unlike the other bodies Slyth had possessed, she was aware. She came from a family that could see the guardians attached to them. It was rare, but not impossible.

  After Slyth joined with her, she started developing the skills to move things using telekinesis. She fought the darkness and kept him at home in her house, so he couldn’t do any damage. It had worked until the night her father had died and she had been attacked by Charles. It all made sense now why they could not take her across to Pergor. Somehow, Slyth was preventing it, and he had spent h
undreds of years perfecting his skills.

  The world took focus again, and Heath was back on the cot in the cave. There was something else, he realized; now, he was connected to Slyth. Evie would be dying, now that she didn’t have the entity on board. The only way she could survive would be to become one of them. Once she was transformed, she would heal. With the darkness in him, he could not change her, so he would have to find another way. He had to get back to her and convince her to denounce him and bond with one of the others. In truth, it was probably too late as the pairing had taken hold of them already.

  He sat up, but the room spun, and he shook his head to clear it. What he saw when it finally came into focus did not please him. Charles and Sayell were standing before him.

  He stood up, refusing to let them see his weakness. “I’m not sure who has sunk lower. You Charles, or Sayell.”

  A fight. Let’s see how powerful you really are.

  Heath didn’t need to waste his time or energy on these Midworlders. He needed to get back to Evie, or she would die.

  Charles snickered. “I sense something different about you. Looks to me that you’ve managed to remove whatever was stopping us from taking Evie to Pergor. I have to say, you look like shit. I don’t think she’d want to be paired with you now anyway.” Charles shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t have time for this. Let me pass.”

  Charles put up his hand to block Heath’s way. “I don’t think so. I’d personally like to see you in pain, and then we will go get your woman and do what we wanted to in the first place.”

  Heath raised his hands, and blue flames shot forth and hit both of his assailants. He tried to stop the onslaught, but it was just a matter of time. This was pointless, and they would win with two of them against him anyway. They fought back with their own red flame, and he could feel himself weaken. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he could feel the darkness take over. He would fight it with every last bit of strength in him. He would not let another woman he loved die because of him, or because of this Demonic who needed to be sent home for good.