He shot a blast of blue energy past Evie’s eyes, hitting Liliath straight in the chest. Evie turned her head toward the open cavern. It was the most wonderful sight he had ever witnessed. His wonderful woman was alive.
Sayell and Charles didn’t wait either, hurtling red beams of energy straight back at them. Liliath hardly seemed bothered by the attack, as she waved her hand and deflected the beam of energy, so it hit the wall to the side of them. He would leave the others to attack Sayell and Charles, and if his energy stream could not stop Liliath, then he would fight her with his bare hands. Liliath flicked her hand, and Heath found himself thrown back against one of the pillars. He was winded and struggled to get air into his lungs as he stood there. Her hand then threw a beam of white energy at his chest. It didn’t matter because he had to push against it. Each step forward was agony, but he lifted his hands and sent a blue beam of energy back. He was fighting a losing battle against her superior strength, but he would keep fighting until he fell.
Then the most wonderful thing happened when Evie brought up her fist and thumped Liliath on the chin. The action brought a smile to Heath’s face. The beam of light ceased, as Liliath peered down at Evie with what Heath reckoned was a look of disgust. It was all right for this Elevated to use Evie’s body for her own uses, but she seemed affronted that a mere human would hit her. Evie didn’t stop there and lay another thump to Liliath’s abdomen, causing her to double over. He loved his feisty woman so much. Faced with death she was fighting up to the end.
He reached the platform, but Liliath was back to full strength and threw her energy at him again before he could reach Evie. He fought her back and was joined by more beams of light. He glanced behind him to see Genia had arrived, and she had brought two guardians with her, an Angelic and a Demonic. The screech that came from Liliath’s throat caused him to wince. If harpies had ever really existed then that was what their call would sound like. Sayell and Charles put their arms up in surrender, knowing the battle was lost at this point, but knowing these two men would not be giving up so easily.
Liliath walked down off the platform and stood before the guardians and let out a long sigh, as if she was irritated.
“I shall return with you, but I think we all know this situation must change. The old ways are gone,” Liliath hissed the words between gritted teeth.
Sayell and Charles made their way off the platform and stood behind her. She turned and placed a palm on each man’s cheek. “Wait for me. I will return.”
With that, she shimmered and blinked out of existence, along with the others from Homeworld. Heath rushed across to Evie where she lay on the altar. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheeks, her nose, eyelids, and lips. She opened to him immediately as their kiss deepened. Both of them were hardly able to believe they were in each other’s arms again. A cough from behind them was the only reason they stopped. It was Suzie, standing there with her arms folded and laughing.
Genia came and stood beside them. “Evie, I believe we should return to Earth, but I think you need to make a choice before we go. You no longer have the darkness in you, and you are healed. We could ask and try to find a guardian for you.”
“But I thought, since I’m bonded to Heath, he would have to try to transform me.”
Heath stood beside her and looked her in the eyes. He wanted her to be his partner more than anything, but was it worth the risk?
“You know, you could die when I transform you. Nicole is the only one who has ever survived the transformation process. If you get a guardian now, then you could live a long and happy life.”
“Would I know you?”
“I would watch over you and make sure no harm came to you. You would have no memory of what has happened. We could be lovers, but you would die when you are old, and I would live on. You can’t know about the existence of Midworlders, and what has happened to us would be erased.”
He could see that stubborn look on her face and guessed what her answer would be.
“I want to risk it. I thought I was going to die anyway, and I don’t want a life without you in it, or at least not one based on what we’ve been through. It’s corny, but it’s true. Let’s get back to Earth and get on with giving me some bloody wings then.”
Heath whispered in her ear, “I love you more now than I ever could have imagined. I won’t let you down.” They walked along corridors until they made it to the arrival chamber. Evie clutched on tight with her arms around his neck, as he opened the portal for them. Within moments, they had made their way back into Earth’s atmosphere. Below, he could see Kingston, but they had to be quick before the sun came up, or it would mean needing to clear a whole lot of minds. They landed at the back of the house next to the pool. Luckily, there were no houses nearby.
“You can put me down now,” Evie pointed out.
He was sure she would be fine, but he liked holding her close. Now the moment had come to actually try to change her, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to go through with it. Ridge had talked to him years ago about is first love, Jade. Her body had suffered what appeared to be thousands of cuts, and she had bled to death in his arms. He dreaded the thought of Evie going through that pain. This was such a long shot. He should have insisted she get a guardian. It would have been awful, but he would have watched over her until she died and then gone back to Homeworld.
They walked into the house, where Calloue, Georgia, and the others were waiting for them. “I think I should talk to Aunt Georgia before we do this,” Evie said, as she squeezed his hand. “Stop looking so worried. It’s going to be fine. We couldn’t have gone through all this crap to lose each other.”
“You do whatever you have to.” He watched, as she walked off to their bedroom with her aunt. Maybe Georgia would convince her to change her mind. Someone touched his arm and he saw Ridge standing there.
“I’m gettin’ a couple of drinks, and you and I are goin’ outside for a chat. You look like you’re a tightly coiled spring. She needs you calm right now, not stressed out.”
Ridge was right, and he followed his friend outside. Ridge was holding a bottle and two glasses, and proceeded to half-fill one and hand it over. Heath took a large gulp.
“Sorry it’s not whiskey, but Namid said they mostly drink rum. They’ve set Arthur up in town at a plush hotel. His mind’s been wiped. He said a phone call came through from the manor as well. They’ve visited Arthur’s group, but they were either deceased or had already left. I suppose you’ll keep an eye on him when you get back?”
“Yes, of course. Ridge, I was there with you that night you changed Nicole, but I can truthfully say until this moment, I didn’t know what you were going through.”
Ridge sipped his drink. “It was easier for me as I had no choice. Nicole would’ve died, and she couldn’t get a guardian. You look like you’re about to do a runner on Evie.”
“She would be better off and would live. I may kill her, and I don’t want to live with that memory.”
“I know what livin’ with that kind of memory’s like, but you’ll have more pain if you don’t go through with this. You don’t want to live the next fifty years knowin’ you’ll lose her for good.”
Heath was well aware of that. Evie was tough, and she believed in him, and now he had to do what was right. Namid came out and looked straight at him.
“She’s asking for you.”
Heath stood up and knocked back his drink, feeling it burn as it went down. Taking a deep breath, he walked back inside and across to the bedroom. He found Evie standing next to her aunt, and she had a big smile on her face. He loved her so much and found it easy to reciprocate, as he smiled back. She ran across, and he took her in his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss he never wanted to end, as their lips joined and her tongue searched his mouth. Was it too much to ask of the universe to be given this woman to los
e himself in? Eventually, they came apart.
“Okay, so what do we do?” she asked, as she stood in front of him.
“We need four official witnesses. Ridge and Nicole have agreed. I was hoping Georgia and Genia would do us the honor as well.” He looked across to her aunt, not knowing how he would ever face her again if things went awry.
“I will always be there for my niece.” Georgia kissed Evie on each cheek and stood back. He took Evie’s hand and led her out to the main room. They stood in the middle of the room, while the others stood around them.
He looked across at Ridge, who nodded to him. Heath had to push his own fear away and be strong for her. He had to believe his whole life had led him to this point, and it was meant to be.
“I will place my hand on your chest, as I did the night I bonded us. You must do the same. Then I want you to recite the words I say. You will see all my memories, and I will see yours.”
Evie pulled a face as if to say “eek.”
“You mean I’ll have no secrets at all? Not even when I smoked pot behind the toilet blocks at school and got suspended for a week? Or the time my girlfriends and I broke into the boy’s school and swam naked in the pool? The cops caught us. I’ve never seen so many naked butts disappearing into bushes. I had splinters on my ass.”
Everyone laughed along with Evie, and he knew she was trying to relax the situation, but as he looked at her, he still could not remove the fact from his brain that she might be dead in a moment. He needed to warn her about something.
“I wish I could hold it from you, but you’ll see Elizabeth and how she died. It’s something I would have spared you if I could.” Remembering his first love made the thought of losing Evie even worse.
“I’m honored to be able to have a part of her in my life. I will also have the memories of your good times together. Nicole’s already told me it’s going to hurt, so I hope I can be strong enough for you. I’m really hoping that after coping with the darkness for so long, it’s just going to be like a dull headache.”
“You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. We will get through this together.” Heath undid his shirt and took Evie’s hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed her palm, and then placed it against his chest. He then undid the top three buttons on her blouse and placed his hand between her breasts. The response was immediate, and their hands were glowing white. There was no pain, but it was as if the air crackled around them.
“That was quick, and we haven’t even said anything yet.” Evie giggled, but he could hear the nervous tension in her laugh.
“Our bodies have been preparing for this since we bonded. Unless you recanted on the bond, it would grow until joining or our deaths were the only options.”
“That’s cheery. Well, let’s get on with it.”
It was just like the first night he had met Evie. No hesitation. She jumped right in and fought whatever was thrown at her.
“Evie, I love you with every part of my being and thank the day you came into my life.”
“I love you, too. You’ve given me more than I ever thought I’d have.”
It was as if they were saying their vows to each other and were now joined forever no matter what.
“Now, repeat after me. I am no longer me, you are no longer you. Shared minds and shared bodies. You will share my death as I share your life.”
She said the words, and to begin with, nothing changed. Their hands still glowed, but that was all. The intensity of the energy hadn’t altered either. He slipped his hand around her waist, and she did the same to him so their bodies touched. Maybe everything that had happened to her with the Demonic Slyth meant the transformation would not work. Then Evie screamed.
He placed his forehead against hers, so he could help with calming thoughts and to try to take some of the agony away from her. She opened her mind to him, and he could see the memories. Happy Christmases with her father laughing and sharing gifts. Picnics and holidays shared. Then it changed, and she was about ten years old and sitting on the floor staring up at her father, who was crying. He had never gotten over the death of his wife, and depression hit. He held a picture of an attractive woman with blond hair. Evie got up and went to get a box of tissues and came back to sit beside her father and wipe away his tears.
“We’ll be good, Daddy. We have each other.”
Then, she was a teenager with her first kiss and her first time having sex. It had not been the best experience, but there were others that followed that were more considerate. The years went by, and university came and went, and then her father got sick. She stayed home to look after him. They were all each had. Then the accident came like a movie scene playing before him. She was at the traffic lights, and they were green as she entered the intersection. There were bright lights as the car sped toward her. Then she was in the hospital, and there was so much pain. Tubes were coming out of her body, and people were buzzing around her.
The pain lessened, but the darkness replaced it. He realized, from that moment on, Evie had thought she was insane up until the moment she had met him. He felt the connection she had sensed when he had caught her as she fell from the roof of the car park. He sensed her strength, and more than anything, he sensed her love for him. She opened her eyes, and he shut his, so she could take his memories. Nothing would be hidden. Within moments, she would know him as he truly was.
He was a young man on his Homeworld and standing before the chamber where his genetic mutation would commence. He had seen them take his friend Pater away on a trolley. He had looked pale and didn’t appear to be breathing. They had covered the body quickly and pushed him into the room. Strapped down and injected, he had thought his body was being ripped apart as it was modified so he could go to Earth.
He worked hard and did what was expected of him on Earth. He made friends and then fell in love. He remembered the first day he had seen Elizabeth. She had been climbing a style and had tripped and gotten covered in mud. She had sprained her ankle, and he had carried her home and fallen in love.
Then the moment came he had not wanted to burden Evie with. Elizabeth was on the bed with her wrists cut. He wished he had known about Slyth then, and he could have stopped so much pain over the years. The problem was, he would never have met Evie then either. Years went by with him doing his job and fighting Demonic Midworlders, but his heart had grown cold until he had met her. He let Evie see how much he loved her and how she had made him live again.
Once the memories were shared, he could feel the change begin in her. Just a slight ache to the chest to begin with. Then her arm gripped him tight around the middle, as she laid her head against his hand on his chest. Her breathing was rapid, and her nails dug into his back. The pain was radiating from her heart as her body tried to change its basic cell structure. Nerves were ablaze, as her human body fought the change. His own wings sprouted from his back, and he could only assume hers were about to do the same.
“You don’t have to do this on your own, my darling. We are together, so share the pain.” Finally she lifted her head and screamed anew, as her wings erupted from her back. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his long life. There were cheers in the room from everyone, but he knew if he let her go, she would fall in a heap on the floor.
Evie glanced up at him with a smile. “We did it.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Blood hell, Heath, I’ve got wings.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped, so her legs were around his hips. Heath placed his hand under her butt and twirled her round as people cheered and clapped. When he stopped, her aunt and Calloue came forward and ran their hands over her wings as if they could not believe their eyes. Heath let her legs down, so she was standing in front of him.
“Now, close your eyes and try to reabsorb them back into your body.” Evie squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as if she w
as trying really hard, and they disappeared.
“I did it.”
They walked over and sat on the couch as champagne corks popped and everyone joined in the celebration. As they sat next to each other, he didn’t let go of her hand for fear this was all a dream and he would wake up. After a while, Evie was leaning against his chest, and she yawned and put her hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just become so tired. I guess changing into an alien will do that to you.”
Her aunt wagged her finger at her. “I think you should both go and rest, even if it is nine o’clock in the morning. I will go to the market and get some food and do us all a feast for dinner this evening.”
They walked into the bedroom, and Evie stripped down to her underwear and was under the covers in a moment. He stripped down to his boxers and slid in beside her. With her back to him, he pulled her against him so their bodies touched. This would be the first time sleeping together for the rest of their lives.
“Later, I will help you so you can try to fly tonight, and then I will book our tickets back to England.”
Evie didn’t reply, and when he raised himself up on his elbow and glanced down at her, he could see she was already asleep. For a while, he just lay there enjoying his woman beside him. He had every intention of making her scream with pleasure when she woke up. For now, he would join her as sleep beckoned him.
Scarred Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 2) Page 22