Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2)

by Mundy, Maggie

  Chapter 19

  Abandoned Midworlder

  Charles peered down at the fallen figure that was Heath. The fact he had attacked them seemed foolish, and he had never known Heath to be foolish before. Heath was shaking and would be out of action for a while. He knelt down and placed his hand on the side of his head to see if he could read any thoughts that might help them in kidnapping Evie. What he found was a jumble of mixed-up images.

  He could feel the sickening love Heath felt for the woman. He never understood why Angelic Midworlders had this preoccupation with finding a life partner. To have someone you were concerned with for all time would just allow for weakness, and that was something he could not condone. Not that he didn’t want Liliath, but that was lust, pure and simple.

  He continued to search in Heath’s mind and found death. Murder after murder, but not at Heath’s hand. For a second, he felt the hate spear out in a thought of warning to leave, and he lifted his hand away.

  “It would seem our fellow Midworlder here has been attacked by the darkness that prevented us from taking Evie to Pergor. It appears it’s true he even tried to rape her and believes she won’t want him anymore.” Charles laughed. “How delightful. He is fighting the darkness, but I fear it’s winning. I dislike Angelics intensely, but I’m not sure I want this madness running around causing us havoc either.”

  Sayell sneered, as he peered down. “I agree, but what do you suggest we do with him? His own have left him here, so they don’t seem to care much.”

  “I think their concerns may have been more for our little friend’s interference. You can stay and watch over him, while I kidnap her. Too many hours have been wasted already.”

  Sayell shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ll not let you take our prize over to Liliath on your own.”

  Charles knew they were at an impasse. He could make sure Heath would not move for a while, the same way Heath did to him the night they met Evie. Charles stood behind Heath and kicked his lower back with a resounding thud. There was a groan from his victim, but not much more as Heath’s legs went flaccid on the floor. He wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

  They headed out of the cave, found their car, and made their way back to Kingston. The address they had gleaned from Heath’s mind was not far away from their current location. The problem was there were at least four uninjured Midworlders waiting for them there. Charles was just about to leave the car when he saw a taxi pull up, letting a man and a woman out from the cab.

  “Damn,” Sayell said.

  “I assume you know those two.”

  “That’s Ridge and his bonded and transformed mate, Nicole. She was the last person without a guardian I tried to take over for Liliath.”

  “You mean it’s true? I thought that was all bullshit someone had been changed.”

  “She has a girl child as well. I don’t like the idea of the Angelic Midworlders swelling their ranks. Trust me, you don’t want to be around Liliath when she doesn’t get what she wants either.”

  “I had not considered that a possibility. I think I have an idea how we can get the girl. It may hurt though.”

  Chapter 20

  Beyond Healing

  Evie woke up to see a person she didn’t know sitting beside the bed. She still felt like death on legs. Her lungs ached with each breath, and she had a feeling that if she lifted her top, bruises would be forming across her chest.

  The woman had dark shoulder-length hair and smiled at her.

  “Hi, I’m Nicole. Are you feeling a bit better? They said you fainted. I’m not surprised, with everything going on.”

  She had an Australian accent. Evie hadn’t expected it. She thought she would be an American, as she came from San Francisco. Evie had always wanted to go to Australia but had a feeling she wouldn’t make it somehow.

  “I feel better, just a little weak,” she lied. “Have they found Heath yet?”

  “No. But my partner, Ridge, has gone out to help them in the search. They’ve known each other for a long time, and Heath helped us when I transformed. I think Ridge feels responsible for him.”

  Nicole looked just like any other human she had seen before. The difference was she was a human who now had wings and would live long like the other Midworlders. It all seemed so unfair. Evie’s heart ached with the loss of Heath not being near. The fact was, she would lose him anyway, even if he was.

  Aunt Georgia walked into the room with a tray.

  “Good. You’re awake. I’ve some food for you. No wonder you passed out. These angels might be able to go weeks without sustenance, but you need something.” The tray was placed in front of her, and the soup and bread smelt wonderful. Evie just wasn’t sure she would be able to keep it down. Nicole sat forward.

  “How are you coping, Evie? Being bonded is a strange thing for a human. I found, when Ridge went to Pergor and I didn’t think he would come back, I wanted to die. Don’t try to be brave. We will all help in any way we can.”

  Evie ate some food under the watchful eye of her aunt, who was listening intently. It was good to have someone like Nicole here. She would at least understand some of what she had been going through.

  “It’s strange. At times I feel as if he’s with me, and then he’s just out of my mind’s reach. It’s like the darkness takes over him and blocks me. He’s fighting it, but I don’t know if he can hold out much longer.”

  “Midworlders are stronger than you think. We only see a portion of the power they keep inside. He’ll make it, I’m sure,” Nicole said.

  “Can I ask how you met? This has all happened so quickly, I feel like I’m in a dream and will wake up eventually. In one way, I don’t want it to be real, but then I’d never have known Heath.”

  “I was at home in my apartment in San Francisco when I suddenly had two Midworlders fighting over me. My guardian had been removed, and Sayell, who I heard you have met, was trying to take me over to Pergor. Ridge turned up and stopped him. The only way he could stop Sayell from getting to me was by bonding with me. We didn’t like each other much at first. In fact, I found him annoying and arrogant. He still is sometimes.”

  “They are all a bit like that, I think,” Evie said.

  “He tried to get me a new guardian, but no one would come near me. After a week or so, the bond was getting stronger, and I didn’t want him to get a guardian for me. I’ve never believed in love at first sight that much, but from the minute we met I knew there was some kind of a connection. You can try to reach out to Heath again. He may hear you.”

  “It was the same with Heath, when we met. It was in a thunderstorm, and I didn’t know if it was him or the lightning causing my body to tingle as if it were lit up like a Christmas tree.”

  Nicole reached across and squeezed her hand. “We will find him and put this right. If you feel up to it, I was going to ask you to help me heal Arthur. Genia says you have the ability to move things, including poison in bodies. She thinks if we can remove the substance from Arthur, we could use it to remove the darkness from Heath. Then you can bond.”

  Nicole said it as if it were like having a cup of tea or giving a hug. Evie suspected it wouldn’t be like either of those. Evie nodded and handed the tray back to her aunt, who looked pleased she had managed to eat. Slipping her feet over the edge of the bed, she took a breath and stood up. The pain was still there, but she would survive. She had to. If there was a way to save Heath, she had to do it.

  She followed Nicole to another bedroom, where Arthur lay on the bed. She had despised this little weasel of a man before but now realized the crystals had made him irrational. He looked so pale, she was surprised he was still alive. The darkness could have done the same to her if she had not fought it. Genia stood at the foot of the bed, while Nicole and Evie stood on either side.

  Nicole stared at Art
hur. “I’ll send my thoughts into your body and track the crystal. When I get it to leave, I want you to try to hold it, Evie. Then, Genia is going to try to collect the substance,” Nicole said, as she raised her arms and held her outspread palms over Arthur’s chest, closing her eyes.

  Evie did the same, and her connection with Nicole and Genia was almost instantaneous. She didn’t know how they were doing it, but she was in their minds and hearing their thoughts. Tentatively, she closed her eyes and was amazed that she could see through Nicole’s eyes as she entered Arthur’s body and began her search for what ailed him. Evie felt like she was watching a medical documentary, as she travelled through the systems of his body.

  Each organ appeared to be coated with a gray substance clinging to its surface. Nicole started with the heart and then moved on to the kidneys. The substance tried to reattach itself, but Evie held it with her mind in a tight little ball. It followed her thoughts to the next organ. When they reached the liver, they noticed something was different. The other organs had seemed to be coated with the substance, but the liver had completely absorbed it. She could only imagine the body had been trying to clear itself of what was causing the damage and it had collected here. She watched as Nicole tried to remove what she could, but the liver was an angry grayish purple color, and its surface was lumpy where the crystal had absorbed.

  Evie heard Nicole sigh in her mind at her failure to clear the man of his affliction. They withdrew from the body, and Evie concentrated on pulling the crystals with her. They fought as they reached the skin of Arthur’s body and tried to stay inside him. She opened her eyes and could see a swirl of gray mist spreading up from his abdomen. The mist could not go back into Arthur’s body, and it started to shift toward her. She was barely coping as it was and had no intention of allowing these crystals near her.

  Genia was by her side and held a hand in front of Evie’s chest to prevent the mist from advancing further. In Genia’s other hand, she held a beautiful glass crystal container. The mist turned toward it and slithered in through the top. When it was inside, Genia placed the lid on.

  Arthur’s eyes opened, and gasped in air and smiled. Evie could see he didn’t look so pale, but she had a feeling that, like her, he was living on borrowed time.

  They moved over to Namid, who was lying on the other bed. Again, Nicole closed her eyes and placed her hands above his chest. This time, the mist left the scars with ease, and Genia collected the gray matter in her container. Namid was healed almost immediately, though he would be left with a nasty scar across his chest.

  Evie knew at that exact moment that was all she had left. She hoped what she had done would save Heath, but she could not hold out any longer, as her legs gave way beneath her and the room went dark again.

  She heard a scream in her mind and knew without a doubt it was Heath. He was in pain himself, but she sensed his torment was due to the fact he could sense she was dying. She didn’t want to cause him sadness, but she was so weak. She could see her body lying beneath her but hardly felt connected to it. There was a silver cord reaching out from her chest to her ethereal form, but it kept blinking in and out of existence.

  Calloue stood above her and was chanting words she could not understand, while Aunt Georgia was crying as she placed a wet cloth across Evie’s forehead. It was odd to witness the actions and yet feel nothing. Genia held her hands above Evie’s prostrate form and stopped above her chest. She whispered something to Georgia. Her aunt undid the buttons on Evie’s top, and she heard the gasps from others in the room as they caught sight of the purple and black bruises forming on her chest.

  Genia turned to the others. “I can only take this to mean one thing. I believe the darkness within her was keeping her alive after her accident, and now that it’s gone, the injuries are returning.”

  Nicole stepped forward. “We need to find Heath, and fast. Perhaps if he could transform her, she could survive.”

  Genia shook her head. “I don’t know if her body would cope with the transformation, even if it was successful. Not in her present state. I’m sorry.”

  “You have to save her. She’s all I have left of my family. I’ll do anything I can to help you,” Georgia said.

  Genia hugged Georgia, but Evie was pretty sure there was little they could do. Her mind heard the scream again. Heath was fighting the darkness. The torment in the scream tugged at her heart, and she hated to think of him being in pain. His life, for so long, had been filled with sadness, and she didn’t want to be the one to contribute to him hurting more. Maybe if she could reach out with her mind, she could call him back. Maybe the others would be able to remove the darkness where she had failed, and he would live. All she could hope was that one day he would find love again. Luke picked her up and took her back to the bedroom and placed her on the bed.

  Genia sat on the bed and placed her palms on Evie’s temples. She could feel Genia’s thoughts probing her mind. It eased the pain in her body, as if a cool breeze had blown over her.

  “She is reaching out with her mind to try to find him. If we work together, we can boost her thoughts and then send a message to Ridge.” Genia was smiling, and Evie hoped it was a good sign.

  Evie found the silver link between her body and her ethereal form growing stronger. She sent her thoughts in the direction she believed the scream had originated. Her mind was floating above the town as it headed toward the mountain. Most of the time, all she could perceive was darkness, but then a glow would appear like a faint star in the night sky, and she could sense him. Within a second, the darkness would close in again. She could not leave him out here struggling like this.

  There it was again. Just a blink of light, but she knew it was his mind. She was so connected to him now, nothing but death would separate them. Her mind skirted over the top of the Blue Mountains behind Kingston. There were cliffs reaching down into deep gullies with rivers flowing through. At last, she found him, though her relief was brief, when she saw his twisted frame upon the rocks. He was in pain, and she could sense from his memory what he had done, and her heart went out to him in despair. He had been flying high above the island, so high that he was just a blip in the sky. Then he had pulled his wings in, so he would plummet to Earth.

  If she were in her real body, she was sure she would be crying. She hovered above his still form, wondering if the faint light she had seen was real, and maybe he was dead after all. She felt Nicole’s touch in her mind like a feather running across her skin. She was telling Ridge where to find him. The darkness Heath had absorbed from her must have prevented them from seeing his old friend.

  Evie watched as two Midworlders arrived. One she recognized as Zen, the other a tall man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. She guessed that was Ridge. He leaned down next to Heath, and she heard him whisper, “I’m here, friend, like you’ve been for me. Let’s take you back. There’s a little lady waitin’ for you.”

  Ridge scooped Heath up in his arms, and Heath didn’t fight against his embrace.

  Genia was calling her back, and Evie found herself again floating above her body back in the room. She sensed to return to her own body would bring pain, but the silver strand connecting her to it was becoming weaker, and she wanted to fight to stay with Heath, no matter what it took. He would be with her soon.

  Chapter 21

  Unexpected Healers

  Heath could not stop the tremors going through his body. He was aware another Midworlder was carrying him through the sky and tried to take some warmth from him. His eyes were swollen, so he could barely see.

  “We’ll be back soon, old friend.”

  It was Ridge. He would recognize that Southern drawl anywhere. What was he doing here? He would not want Nicole or the baby to be in danger because of what had happened. It was bad enough he could not save Evie. Heath looked within himself to see what had happened to the darknes
s. It was trying to heal him and was furious that he had tried to kill himself. The pity, he thought, was that he had not succeeded. Ridge thought he was being helpful, but all he was doing was taking the darkness back to the others.

  “Don’t let Evie see me. I tried to rape her. The Demonic guardian within me will make me kill her.” He still could not believe those were words he would ever utter.

  “She’s how we found you. Whatever happened between you, your little lady still wants you. Now shut up and rest.”

  Heath’s heart soared for a moment that she could still possibly love him after what he had done. It didn’t matter; he still could not afford to get close. For now, he would let Ridge carry him. He appreciated the soothing thoughts coming from his friend. It was so unlike Ridge. What he usually offered was a whiskey and a cigar, not that Heath’s lungs could cope with a cigar. He opened his eyes again and could see the lights of Kingston before them. Out on the bay was a cruise ship, lit up with people going about their business, unaware of what was going on around them. Regardless of what was happening to him, he needed to keep it that way so humans were oblivious to their existence.

  He could feel they were descending to Namid’s house, but he could also sense the closeness of Evie. The bond was growing stronger, and he didn’t know if he would have the strength to walk away again, even if the darkness took over. Heath didn’t protest, when Ridge carried him inside and placed him on the couch. Genia walked over and started to place her hands on his head and then his chest. The relief was almost instant when the searing pain reduced. His eyes opened as the swelling went down and he could move his arms and legs again.