Evie sat up with Nicole’s help and leaned against the wall. She ran her fingers along its rough surface. It was warm and almost seemed to tingle beneath her fingers.
“If the others are here as well, wouldn’t they sense us, especially Ridge and Heath?”
“Not in this place. Because both sides use the staging post, they are shielded from each other. The only place they mix is in a big crystal chamber. I think we can both guess who is behind this. Charles and that bastard Sayell must be close.”
Nicole stood and started to run her fingers around the walls, trying to find a crack or a doorway, but as far as Evie could tell there was nothing. Nicole sat back down beside her.
“Thanks for trying to protect me. I’m sorry you’re in this mess. Since I met Heath, all I seem to do is get other people into danger. That was never what I wanted.” Evie just hoped she would see Heath again, even if it was just one last time.
“It was the same for me. The thing is, you and I didn’t start this. Their race has messed with us in some way. I think our bodies are changing. I reckon there will be more like us soon who don’t have guardians attached, and it will change things.”
“I didn’t want to make a difference in anyone’s life, I just wanted to live, and when the darkness came, I just wanted to die.”
“Until you met Heath.”
Evie nodded and knew it was true. From the moment he had caught her in the sky when she fell from the car park, she had believed she had something to live for again.
“I was the same with Ridge. My husband had been murdered a while back, and I was struggling to keep it together. Thought about ending it more than once. Then this great big jerk, who is too sexy for his own good, comes into my life. He got under my skin, and I fell for him.”
“Heath’s people think he’s aloof, but I see this incredibly warm and caring man. He’s just been hurt and is scared to love again. Listen to us waxing lyrical about them.” Evie laughed.
“I’d like to think they are in a bar somewhere having a whiskey and talking about how hot their women are. Not that we look hot at the moment. They will be looking, though. They’re both stubborn men and won’t give up until they find us.” Nicole sighed.
“If we’re up here, then how come Charles and Sayell haven’t taken me to Liliath? Without the darkness, she could connect with me.”
“I’d guess the darkness has caused this place to be swarming with Midworlders from both sides. She lost her chance once before, and she won’t want to mess up again. Homeworld is probably keeping an eye on her, too. I would guess Homeworld is like Earth, and the higher up you are, then people are too scared to take you on.”
Evie started to cough and tasted blood in her mouth. Her chest ached with each breath she took, but she wouldn’t give up until she couldn’t breathe anymore.
“If she wants me, then she might have to hurry up. Genia’s healing is wearing off, and the injuries of the crash are coming back fast.” Evie didn’t want to give up, but if Heath wasn’t alive, then she would rather be dead than help this creature called Liliath. “What’s she like?”
“The Elevated back on their world don’t look so human. She gives the appearance of being a voluptuous woman, but she had no hair on her body and her eyes are like a snake’s.”
“Sounds fantastic. Well, we need a plan, even if I have no energy. I’ll go down fighting with you, even if Heath is dead.”
“We don’t know where they are, and if I know our men, they’ll be looking for us until their last breath is taken from their bodies. I’ll try to make an escape and contact the others when they get us out of this room. I’ve a knife. If you could stab one of them while they carry you, I might be able to get away.” Nicole pulled a small pen knife from her pocket and handed it over.
“I’ve never stabbed anyone before, but I hate these guys enough for what they’ve done, so I think I’ll manage it.” Evie tucked the knife in her bra and pulled her blouse back across her chest.
Nicole sighed. “In the past I could have taken them on. The energy I could put out was stronger, but since I had the baby, I can’t use it much. I can still heal, but I’m pretty much the same as any other Midworlder now.”
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all they had. She could only hope Nicole could get to the others before she was presented to the snake woman. She wondered what her Aunt Georgia would have made of the woman from another planet trying to take over her niece. Georgia would give Liliath what for. That much she knew. At this point, Evie would be quite content if her aunt put Liliath in a big pot of Cajun stew. It was enough to make her go vegetarian.
It seemed they were about to find out, as a section of the wall at one end of the room became transparent, and she could see Charles and Sayell waiting with grins on their faces. Evie smirked at Charles and gave him the finger. It wouldn’t achieve anything, but it felt so satisfying. He raised an eyebrow in a superior way. She wished she could ground him to a pulp or throw him across the room. The problem of simply breathing was an issue right now, so he had the upper hand. Damn him.
Sayell pulled Nicole roughly off the floor. There was clearly no love lost between these two. Charles scooped her up, and she noticed yet again the revolting sweet aroma that always surrounded these guys. Heath smelt earthy and clean, and she loved it. She would not give up the hope she would be in his arms again. She wanted him to come and save her from this creep, and if it involved beating Sayell and Charles to a pulp, she was okay with that. They made their way out of the room and down a corridor, and then another. They all looked the same to her, and she hoped Nicole knew what she was doing. There was another corridor off to the right up ahead. Nicole turned back and gave a slight nod with her head.
Evie took as deep a breath as she could and started to thump Charles in the chest with one hand as she slipped her other inside her blouse and grabbed the knife. Before he could see what she had in her hand, she thrust it into his chest up to the hilt. If she had expected him to fall to ground in pain, he didn’t. He made a noise more like a growl and looked down at her with contempt. Sayell stopped and turned around, letting go of Nicole’s arm for a moment. It was all her friend needed. Nicole grabbed his shoulders and brought her knee up into his groin. He collapsed to his knees with a sharp intake of breath. Nicole wasted no time and headed down the corridor beside them.
Charles clutched the handle of the knife and yanked it free from his chest. Sayell was picking himself up off the floor but still looked pale. She hoped his balls swelled to the size of melons and he would never be able to have sex again.
“Never mind about Nicole. She will probably get lost and run around in circles,” Charles said.
“Can you make it to the chamber? Why don’t you let me carry her? Your wound is bleeding already, and we need to get you to Liliath so she can heal you.”
Charles handed her over, and she didn’t fight. She would conserve her energy, not that she considered she could win any fight. They traipsed down one corridor after another, and she felt completely confused. They stopped at the end of another corridor at what looked like a dead end, but the doors hissed open like an elevator. Inside, there were no buttons, and she could not tell if they were going up or down. Wherever they were going, she was in no hurry to get there. The doors opened, and her eyes opened wide at the sight of the incredible cavern before them.
The walls were high like a cathedral cave, and they glistened as if covered in tiny crystals. There was a raised platform at one end, and large stones were placed in a half circle, making it look like a pretty version of Stonehenge. She didn’t want to be impressed by a place where she might die, but it was majestic.
It was also empty at the moment, but she had a feeling it wasn’t going to stay that way for long. They made their way up onto the platform, and she was placed on what looked way too much like an altar. She
had accepted the fact that she might die, but she didn’t like the idea of being a sacrifice. Evie tried to get up, but Sayell put his hand on her chest and pushed her back down. She wished she had another knife, so she could slice his handsome face from ear to ear.
The crystal curtain at the back of the stage started to shake as if a strong wind was blowing, but the air was still. Evie turned her head to see a light forming below the platform. It eventually took the form of a woman. Well, not exactly a woman, but from what Nicole said, an Elevated female. She was right about the strange-looking bit. With Midworlders, you could forget they were aliens, but not with this creature.
Liliath made her way up onto the platform. She stood next to Charles and appeared to raise an eyebrow, as she glimpsed at the blood on his shirt. Well, Evie considered Liliath would be raising an eyebrow if she had one, but the Elevated was hairless as Nicole had mentioned, and the eyes were yellow and freaky to say the least.
“You were careless to get hurt. Don’t do it again.” She placed a hand on the wound, and smoke rose into the air. The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils. If it hurt when she healed him, Charles didn’t show any expression, but he looked pale as his lips were pulled thin. Well, Liliath was all heart, now wasn’t she? If she didn’t care about the guys who drooled over her, then she wasn’t going to give a shit about some woman from Earth. Then again, she didn’t want her just for her body.
Evie considered if the cavalry were going to turn up, then now would be a good time. Somehow that only happened in the movies, though.
Liliath strolled over, or maybe she had some hover skateboard beneath her, because her legs didn’t seem to move. Evie wondered if there were any legs under the shimmering gown. When she stood beside her, Evie noticed a musky smell. No wonder the guys were like lap dogs. This Elevated would make a million with the perfume, but then every woman would smell like her. Then it hit Evie. She couldn’t let Liliath do anything with her body. Earth had enough lunatics causing problems without some freak from outer space taking over.
Liliath smirked, or, at least Evie assumed it was a smirk.
“Is this the offering you bring me? She is barely alive.”
Liliath placed her hand on Evie’s abdomen, and her stomach churned at the touch. She might have vomited if she had anything left to expel. She would have been happy to chuck up right down this bitch’s sparkly dress. That would change how she smelt.
Liliath continued to run her hands up and down Evie’s body.
“She’s dying. In fact, she has already died. That answers one of my questions. I know every woman we tried to genetically manipulate, and she was not one of them. I have been listening to the talk on Homeworld about a Demonic guardian trying to take over a Midworlder and live below. I see now how he took a dead body to attract one. I have no intention of waiting until another one of mine is ready. I will accept her as a gift.”
“Fuck you.” It wasn’t very polite, but Evie wanted this woman to burst into flames at this moment. She had been able to manipulate objects in the past. Maybe she could break off a crystal hanging from the ceiling and aim at this creature’s heart, if Liliath had one. Evie tried to concentrate on a large stalactite just above Liliath’s head. It wobbled a bit, but that was about all, though a few crystals fell on baldie’s head. Liliath glanced up and then back at her.
“Interesting. A human with power. We have been observing a long time, and it’s never happened naturally, so I assume it is due to the connection with the Demonic. They say he damaged a Demonic guardian when he blew himself up. Such a waste. I’m sure I could have talked him into joining with us.”
Evie wanted to spit in her face. “From what I knew of him, you would have made a nice couple.”
Liliath laughed. “Your feisty character shall suit me. I need to heal you first, though. Just think of it as me doing you a favor. You will live years after this and transform your world.”
“As I said before, fuck you. I fought the darkness for a long time, and you won’t find taking over me so easy.” Evie wasn’t so sure about that, since her throat ached as if a leather belt was tightening around it. Her hand went to her neck, but nothing was there. You can breathe, she told herself, but the thought wasn’t working too well. This Liliath said she was healing her, but this felt like death knocking on the door.
Liliath laid her hands on Evie’s chest and the heat from them stung as if it were burning her skin. The pain was so intense, Evie thought she would pass out. Then it started to ease, and she realized her ribs were healing and that the blood wasn’t building up around her heart anymore. She didn’t want to be well. She would fight this woman, even if it meant her own death.
Once again, she peered beyond Liliath at the large stalactite, but then Liliath moved, so her face blocked the view. Evie was in her mind. It was an odd experience to be in another body staring down at your own. She reckoned her own body looked like shit with one side of her face still swollen from the thump she had received earlier. She wished she knew which one of the guys had hit her, but she longed for painful deaths for them anyway. Then she was back in her own head.
It could only have been a few seconds, but she had glimpsed some of this alien’s thoughts. It was surprising how human they were. Liliath was frustrated with her fellow Elevated and their lack of foresight. As a female, she struggled to be taken seriously. Well, that was the same on Earth. Patriarchy existed in outer space as well. Who would have guessed? Liliath wanted the Demonic Elevated and their people to leave Homeworld and move to one of the new planets they had found on their search with their minds through the cosmos. Her other suggestion was to kill all the Angelics. Evie could just see that one going down well.
Liliath had decided if they wouldn’t listen, then she would go to Earth, and she had collected a small group of supporters who agreed with her. She planned on bringing them over once she had set her new life in place. The world would be a very different place with this person in charge. There was so much hate and anger simmering beneath the surface. She wanted people to pay for the way she had been treated, and if that was going to be the people of Earth, then so be it.
The fact this alien wanted to do all this in Evie’s body made her feel sick.
“She is almost healed, and then I can begin the takeover,” Liliath said, as her two lackeys stood like drooling dogs beside her. Were they to be her lovers? From what Evie had glimpsed in her mind, she reckoned a different one every day of the week would be the preferred option.
“Over my dead body.” Evie squeezed the words out from between gritted teeth.
Chapter 23
Conversion
The stars in the sky around Earth blurred as Heath fell. He closed his eyes and concentrated on making his wings appear. The last time he had attempted it, the pain nearly made him pass out. This time it was like it had been in the past. He opened his eyes and hovered to see if he could see any of his friends. Ridge was not far away, and he could make out the others in the light of the moon. He swooped across to his friend, but the exertion it took for that simple action made him realize how weak he was.
“You still free of him, Heath?” Ridge held his arms up ready for a fight.
“He’s gone. I think he destroyed himself in hopes of killing us all in the blast. I sensed when he was connected to me that to return to Homeworld would not have be an acceptable alternative for him.” Heath wanted to head back to Pergor and look for the women, but the exhaustion overwhelmed him, and the world turned to black.
He jumped up and realized he had been lying on a bed. Ridge, Suzie and Genia rushed into the room and stood beside him.
“How long have I been out, and what do we know of Nicole and Evie?” There was no point in beating around the bush. If Evie was dead, he was on a one-way trip to Homeworld.
Ridge stood beside him. “Genia worked on healin’
you for about three hours. We haven’t heard anythin’, but have been skirting the island. Suzie and I went across to Pergor but couldn’t pick up a trace of them. Of course, that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. They also were not on the evening flight back to London.”
Heath put his feet over the side of the bed and stood. As a Midworlder, he was not used to feeling weak, but Ridge grabbed him as his legs buckled beneath him.
“If they were on Earth, I believe we would sense them, my friend. Let’s go back to Pergor. They must have them hidden there,” Heath said, finally managing to stand up without support.
Ridge closed his eyes for a second and placed his fingers on his temples. When he opened them, he had a smile on his face. “It’s Nicole. She’s escaped, but they still have Evie. They’re on their way to the crystal chamber, and we can all guess who’ll be waiting there.”
Heath didn’t have time to be weak anymore. He had to find out if Evie was still alive, or at least still alive as the woman he loved and not taken over by Liliath. They walked outside, and he didn’t bother to wait for the others when he flew into the sky. It would be dawn soon, and he wasn’t sure at this point if he would ever return to Earth. Genia flew beside them and touched his arm.
“I’m coming with you, but I’ll not join you in the fight. I intend to contact friends on Homeworld.”
As far as he was concerned, the time for talking was over. The trip through the conduit went ahead without any problems. He didn’t bother to contemplate what that might mean. They headed straight for the crystal chamber. Heath kept sending out his thoughts to Evie, but they just kept coming up blank. It was causing an emptiness in his heart that would never be filled. When he entered the chamber, he realized why. Liliath was bent over his beloved, and he planned on stopping whatever she was doing, even if it meant his own body being ripped apart.
Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2) Page 21