by Tina Folsom
Hamish hadn’t even flinched at the sight of it. As if he’d expected it! As if he’d seen it before! Then she’d seen the streaks of green on his clothes. Did it belong to his attacker, or was it Hamish’s? Was he the same as them?
When she’d witnessed him massacre the second assailant with so much rage, fear and horror had gripped her, and she’d nearly thrown up. She’d never seen such fury in anybody’s eyes. Such bloodlust. She’d seen a monster in those eyes. An untamed beast. And all she’d been able to think was: Run! Get somewhere safe! For all she knew, those two thugs had unleashed something so evil in Hamish, something so uncontrollable, that it would lash out at her next. And whatever it was, it wasn’t human.
Survival instinct had overridden any rational thought. Yes, Hamish was her bodyguard, but what did she really know about him? Sure, he’d saved her life, not once, but twice, but what if that had all been part of a bigger plan?
No, her best chance of survival was to get to the police. They’d help her. And once they found the two dead bodies, they would start a manhunt for Hamish.
She turned a corner, and there, on the next block, she saw the lights of the police station. She was almost there. Just a few more steps. She gasped for air and begged her tired legs not to desert her now.
“Almost,” she murmured breathlessly as she reached the steps leading up to the station door. She stretched her arm out toward the handrail. But it slipped from her grip as she was suddenly ripped backwards.
An arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off her feet, while simultaneously a hand clamped her mouth shut, before she could take a breath to scream.
Her assailant yanked her back away from the station and dragged her around a corner. A block from the station, he turned and carried her down a side alley next to an auto repair shop. She kicked at him with her legs and struck out with her arms, but to no avail. He didn’t slow down, until he pulled her into the yard of the auto repair shop, where he finally stopped.
“Stop kicking me, Tessa!”
It was Hamish, but instinctively she’d known that already.
“Now calm down. I’m gonna take my hand off your mouth, as long as you promise not to scream.”
Fat chance!
“Nod to tell me you’ll cooperate.”
She nodded.
Hamish took his hand off her mouth, and she screamed as loud as her lungs allowed. A split second later, his hand was back on her mouth.
“Bad move, Tessa. I expected better from you. I thought we’d been through this once already and established that you’re following my commands.”
She grunted and kicked her leg back to hit him in the shin.
“Damn it, Tessa, will you listen to me? You’re safe now.”
She huffed.
“Those two guys back there are dead. They can’t hurt you anymore. I made sure of that.”
Yeah, but who would keep her safe from Hamish? She sniffled. What was going to happen to her now?
“Have you calmed down?”
She nodded.
“Good. No more screaming, or I’ll have to use other methods to shut you up. So don’t try my patience.”
This time when he took his hand off her mouth, he spun her around to face him, but didn’t let go of her. He looked her up and down.
“Did he hurt you?”
She ignored his question. “Who are you?”
“You know who I am.”
“No, I don’t. What I saw…” She pointed toward the street. “What you did back there…”
“That’s part of my job. To protect you. Even if it means killing an attacker. I know it’s hard to accept. But I had no choice.”
Tessa shook her head. “I saw you! You disappeared!” She watched his reaction and noticed that he flinched ever so slightly. “You melted into the wall. I saw it with my own eyes. What are you? Because you’re sure as hell not human. Just like those two men weren’t human. For God’s sake, they had green blood. Green! And you, you just vanished and then reappeared, and then you went into that wall, and you came back out as if it were nothing. Damn it, tell me the truth! What are you?”
Hamish exhaled sharply, his eyes searching hers.
“The truth, damn it. I want the truth! Don’t I deserve at least that?” She drummed her fists against his chest.
Slowly, almost gently, he wrapped his hands around her wrists to stop her.
“I’m your guardian. And those two dead creatures with the green blood attacking us were demons.”
She moved her head from side to side. “No, no.”
But Hamish’s expression remained sincere. “I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to find out. But if I hadn’t used my skills and passed through the wall when that demon pinned me against it, he would have killed me.” He paused. “And you would have been next. And I couldn’t let that happen, because I promised to protect you.”
Tessa panted, trying to make sense of his words. She tried to fill her lungs, tried to send oxygen to her brain, but still, she didn’t understand what he was saying. Demons. The word conjured up images of creatures half human, half animal, half ET. But the two attackers had looked entirely human.
“Demons,” she murmured to herself. She lifted her eyes back to Hamish. “But they looked human… just like you.”
Hamish nodded, easing up his grip on her wrists. “That’s what makes them so dangerous.”
She had to agree with him. “The green blood. Is that how you knew?”
He shook his head. “I recognized them by their green eyes. It’s the only outward sign.”
“And you. You said you’re a guardian. What does that mean?”
He turned his head toward the alley they’d come from. “Somebody’s coming.”
“More demons?”
“Somebody must have heard you scream. We’ve gotta get out of here. Now.”
“The only place I’m going to is the police. There’s a station just—”
He pulled her against his chest, so her next words were muffled against his shirt. Then he brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Not a sound. I’m cloaking us.”
She wanted to protest and ask what he meant by that. She lifted her head to speak, but he’d obviously anticipated her move and pressed his lips to hers. Stunned, she froze.
She needed to fight him, because she was scared out of her wits and didn’t trust him farther than she could throw him, yet she felt her body respond to him as if she wasn’t its master any longer. As if her body knew something her brain didn’t.
19
The only reason he was kissing Tessa was so she wouldn’t scream again.
Liar!
Fine, so he was kissing her because he was still riding high on adrenaline after killing those two demons.
Not true either.
Okay, realizing how close Tessa had been to being captured and killed by the demons had scared the shit out of him.
You’re getting warmer.
Damn it! So what if he was kissing her because he wanted to? He didn’t have to justify his actions. He’d saved her life two times in as many days. Didn’t he deserve a bloody reward for that? So what if that reward wasn’t a simple thank you from his charge? Who would even know? Just he and Tessa. Who wasn’t exactly putting up much of a fight. Sure, at first, she’d remained stiff and had hit him with her fists a few times. But now she was responding to his kiss, going all soft on him. Her head tilted to one side, granting him free access to her mouth. With her lips parted she accepted his invasion and welcomed him.
It was just a short moment they both deserved after the ambush by the demons. Nobody would ever have to find out that he’d broken his vow never to get involved with a human woman again. Besides, he wasn’t getting involved with her. It would only be a kiss, nothing more.
“Looks like you found her.”
At the sound of Enya’s voice, Hamish released Tessa as if he’d burned himself. And maybe he had.
“Shit, Enya! What are you doing
here?”
“When the call came in that you and your, uh, client, got attacked, I figured you might need backup.”
She looked at Tessa, who nervously adjusted her clothes. Had he pulled her blouse from her skirt, or had that happened during the struggle with the demons?
“But it looks like you’ve got everything under control.”
Hamish sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. Under control? He wouldn’t exactly call it that.
“Tessa, meet Enya, my colleague.”
Tessa nodded. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Enya replied.
Tessa fidgeted. “So, are you a… a guardian, too?”
Enya whipped her head in Hamish’s direction, bracing her hands on her hips. “What the fuck, Hamish?”
“She knows.” He glanced at Tessa. “It’s okay, Tessa.” Then he addressed Enya again, “Tessa saw me fight the demons. I had to use my… my preternatural skills to survive. I had no choice. The bastards are getting too good.”
“Well that’s just peachy.”
“It is what it is.” He shrugged. “Now give me an update. Who’s doing the cleanup?”
“Aiden and Pearce are on it. They should be almost done.” She pointed to his shirt and pants, which were stained with demon blood. “You should get cleaned up, too.”
He nodded. “As soon as I can.” He pointed to the stains. “Fucking demon blood can’t be cloaked. That’s why—”
“Cloaked,” Tessa interrupted. “You said that before. What does that mean?”
Enya frowned and tipped her chin up at him. “You just told me she knows.”
“I was just about to explain things when you interrupted.”
“Didn’t look much like explaining to me, but then I could be wrong.”
Hamish grabbed her bicep and pulled her a few feet away. “Damn it, Enya,” he said in a lowered voice. “Do you have to make Tessa uncomfortable?”
She smirked. “I have the feeling it’s not she who’s uncomfortable, but you.”
Enya had a point, but he wasn’t going to admit that. “Drop it! What you saw means nothing, okay? Nothing at all.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say.” Then she tossed a pointed look at her bicep. “And now I’d appreciate it if you’d let go of me. I don’t like being manhandled.”
Hamish released her. “As long as we understand each other. This goes nowhere. You got that?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t gossip.”
He nodded. He believed her. Enya was a straight shooter. At least his compound mates wouldn’t have to find out that he’d been playing tonsil tennis with a charge.
“Good. You’ve got transportation?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you drop me and Tessa off at my car?”
“Sure.”
Hamish turned back to Tessa and caught her gaze on him. There was something different about her now. She appeared solemn. Maybe the reality of what had happened was only just now sinking in.
The vibrating sound of a cell phone suddenly echoed in the dark yard.
“Mine,” Enya announced and pulled it from her pocket. “Yeah, Logan, what’s up?” She listened for a few seconds. “Oh shit! Yeah, got it. Sure. I’ll tell him.” She disconnected the call and put the phone back.
On alert, Hamish looked at her. “What?”
But Enya looked past him at Tessa, taking a few steps closer. “Logan picked up a 9-1-1 call coming from your parents’ house.”
Tessa slammed her hand over her mouth. “No! Oh God no! Is it my father? His heart?” Panic widened her pupils.
“We don’t know. We don’t have a recording of it. We just know somebody at your house called 9-1-1, and dispatch sent an ambulance. It’s already back en route to the hospital,” Enya replied, her voice soothing. “We’ll get you to the hospital right away.” She tossed him a look. “Right, Hamish?”
He nodded. “Do we know which one?”
“St. Agnes.”
Hamish took Tessa’s arm. “Let’s go. We can talk about everything else later.”
He followed Enya with Tessa by his side.
“He looked so well tonight,” Tessa lamented. “Damn it, why did they have to throw that party? It was too much stress for him. He needs to take it easy. But he won’t listen. He just won’t listen.”
Hamish squeezed her arm in reassurance. “We don’t even know if it’s your father’s heart. Please don’t imagine the worst.”
Eyes full of tears looked up at him. “What else would it be?”
“It might not even be him. Maybe one of the guests got sick. Or drank too much and hurt themselves.”
He hoped that was the case, because Tessa already had enough to deal with. Finding out that her father had suffered another heart attack would make her crack under the pressure. His first priority now was to keep her strong.
“We’ll know in half an hour.”
20
Tessa stared out the window as if in a trance, while Enya drove them to the abandoned Mercedes. There was too much to process, and she didn’t know where to start. To say that she was confused was an understatement.
Demons. Hamish disappearing into the wall. Green blood. Beheaded monsters. Then there was her frantic escape, and Hamish catching her, kissing her, and then proclaiming to Enya that it had meant nothing. Yes, she’d heard it, and it had felt like a stab in the back.
And now this, the worst of all: her father in the hospital. Her night couldn’t possibly get any worse. She had a million questions and not a single answer, only a few things she’d pieced together from what she’d seen and heard. And right now her mind was too clouded with worry over her father’s health to even recall those things.
“Do you need backup?” Enya suddenly said to Hamish who sat in the passenger seat.
“I’m good. I want you to report the demon attack to the council. Then give Manus a push. I need to know what he found on the duct.”
“Sure.” She stopped the car next to the Mercedes.
Hamish got out and helped Tessa out of the car. Just as Enya drove off, Tessa realized something.
“Oh no! Get her back! Your car doesn’t work. We need hers to get to the hospital.” She waved in the direction of Enya’s disappearing taillights, but Enya didn’t stop and turned right at the end of the block, disappearing from her view.
She suddenly felt Hamish’s hand on her shoulder and spun around.
“The car works. I had it disabled remotely earlier, so I could catch up with you.”
At his admission, her chin dropped. “You did what?”
Hamish shifted his weight to the other foot. “I had to make sure you didn’t get away. I didn’t know whether there were more demons following you. I needed to get to you first.”
When he opened the passenger door for her, she got in without protest. Numb, stunned. Whatever one might call it. Hamish entered on the other side and pressed against a spot on the dashboard. A panel slid back and revealed a small number pad. He punched several numbers into it, then closed it and pressed the start button. The engine hummed to life.
Tessa leaned back in the seat and tried to calm herself. Maybe figuring out what had happened tonight would take her mind off her worry about her father, because that hurt more than anything else in her life. He was her rock. She couldn’t lose him.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Hamish said with a sideways glance.
She nodded. “You didn’t answer my questions earlier.”
“No, I didn’t, you’re right.”
“I need answers now.” And when she got them, she would calmly evaluate them from every side, look at everything logically, and decide what to believe—and accept what she must.
“Why don’t we talk after the hospital?”
“Why don’t we talk now?” she shot back and pinned him with a glare. “Or do you need time to come up with a story first?”
“There is no story. Just the truth.”
“Then let me have it. Strai
ght.” She folded her hands in her lap to make the shaking stop. “Explain to me what I saw tonight.”
Hamish directed his gaze back to the road, and for a moment she wondered if he was going to ignore her, but then he started talking. “The two dead men whose blood is all over my clothes were demons. More specifically, Demons of Fear. Their sole mission in life is to incite violence and fear in the world. They feed off it and it makes them stronger. And one day, when they’ve reached critical mass, they’ll rise up and attempt to rule over mankind.”
“How?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“I do.”
“Once knowledge is obtained, it can never be returned. Are you sure you want to know all this?”
She nodded. The more she knew, the better. “I fear the things I don’t know more than the things I know.”
“Fair enough.” He cleared his throat. “They’ll manipulate humankind, drain their minds of all independent thought, and turn them into slaves. There will be no free will, no choice, no happiness. Humans will only exist to serve their demon masters.”
Tessa shivered involuntarily. Images of apocalyptic movies on foreign planets came to mind, where humans toiled in mines deep underground. The prospect of it made her gasp for air.
“I’m sorry,” Hamish said. “But they’re as evil as they come.”
“And where do you and your colleagues come in? Who are you?”
“We were human once. Just like the demons. But we evolved. Nature gave us certain skills so we could fight the demons.”
“Like how you merged with the wall?” She shook her head, still unable to believe what she’d seen.
“I didn’t actually merge with it; I passed through it. We’re able to disassemble our molecules to pass through solid objects. It gives us access to any place we need. Nobody can lock us out.”
“That’s how you managed to defeat the demon. He had you pinned against the wall.”
“Yes. I had no other way of escaping.”
“But what if he’d just followed you through the wall?”
“He couldn’t. Demons don’t have that skill.”
She tucked that fact away for future use. “And earlier, when you were fighting him, you disappeared and then reappeared again at a different spot. What is that? Teleportation?”