by Maggie Mundy
“I’ve a daughter now and I feel the same. I promise I will protect you both as much as I can. May I embrace you?”
Anne could feel tears forming in her eyes. She so needed a hug and to know these people all cared right now. Edric put his arms around her and she sensed calm wash over her. When he moved away, she raised an eyebrow as she peered at him.
“Did you just give me a dose of Angelic Valium?”
Edric grinned. “You’ve been dealing with so much I thought it might help.”
“It did.”
Ridge walked in, supporting Soren in his arms, and laid him on the couch across from her.
Genia stormed into the room. “You both go,” she said to Ridge and Edric. “I’ll check Anne and Soren for injuries and see if there’s anything I can do to help them. Damn Angelics. To think I’d live this long to see my own kind behaving in such a way. It’s not right.”
Anne reckoned this was as close as Genia got to losing her temper. Anne had nothing to compare the Angelic she had met above to, but she had no intention of going back to Pergor ever again. Neither she nor Soren would be welcome there anyway.
Whatever Genia did with her hand waving, Anne started to feel better. Her clothes were still wet through though and she couldn’t stop shivering.
“I’ll go shower and change while you help Soren.” She let the hot water pound away her aches and pains and didn’t hear the bathroom door open. Soren opened the shower door and joined her.
“I see you’re up on your feet and feeling better,” Anne said.
“I didn’t want to be apart from you any longer than needed. When we’re close, my world seems more complete.”
She understood exactly what he meant. She didn’t speak. The two of them just held each other skin to skin. Eventually, they washed and got dressed in clothes left for them by Edric.
“I don’t know if the others are fighting out there beyond this room. I want to stay in this cocoon a while longer, because I know it won’t last.” Anne sat down on the bed and Soren sat next to her.
Soren grinned at her and she wondered what he could find funny right now.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“So I suppose I have to ask your father for your hand in marriage.”
Anne couldn’t stop laughing until the tears were streaming down her face. It wasn’t a serious question, but it made her relax at how ridiculous her life was becoming. Then she suddenly realized he was serious.
“You mean you really want to marry me. Did you just propose?”
He nodded as he palmed her cheek. “Before our life changes again, I want you to know something. When we bonded, I did it to save your life. As time went on, you’ve trusted me. I don’t want a future that doesn’t have you in it. I know marriage is a human tradition, but I want to be with you if you’ll have me.”
Soren stood and removed a small box from his pocket. He then knelt on the floor before her.
“I know we’ve not known each other long and you may think it’s the bonding causing my affection for you, but I love you. Will you marry me?”
Tears filled Anne’s eyes again and her hands trembled. She accepted the bonding to save her life, but he wanted her for who she was, and she wanted him. It was all she needed to know for now. Who knew if they would survive this, anyhow.
“Yes.”
He pushed a ring on her finger. It was a gold band with a big ruby in it. Anne grabbed him and planted a kiss on his lips. “Where the hell did you get time to go and find a ring a ring?”
“Jeanette gave it to me. She thought we were engaged, and asked why you didn’t have one. She said it came from a box of old jewelry her mother left her and Fiona. I offered her some money, but she said I just needed to make an honest woman of you, and invite her to the wedding before she died. I want to keep that promise.”
There was a knock at the door and Suzie came in.
“Seems like the fighting is over for now. I think we all need to talk about what happened.” Suzie waved her finger at Soren and smirked. “Did I interrupt something? Were you proposing, Soren?’
“Yes, and I’m glad to say Anne has agreed to be my wife, though we both realize this may be the shortest partnership in history.” Soren laughed.
“We’re all here for you both, including your father, Anne. Though I think Edric is still in shock at the moment. I might have to take his mind off of his worries later. If you don’t mind me propositioning your dad,” Suzie said with a wicked grin.
Anne didn’t have any problem with anyone grabbing what fun they could. She had seen Suzie fighting and knew she would be able to cope with Edric. The question would be if Edric could cope with her.
Anne held Soren’s hand as the two of them walked back into the main room where the other Midworlders were gathered. Soren headed straight over to Edric who sat at the large dining table. The head of the Enclave scrutinized him and raised an eyebrow.
“Edric. I’ve just asked Anne to marry me and she has done me the honor of agreeing. I would like your approval. After what has transpired in Pergor, I fully understand if you don’t agree to this union.”
Edric stood and the two men were nearly as tall as each other as they eyed each other off. Everyone else in the room went quiet. Anne didn’t care. She wanted Soren and Edric would have to cope with it.
“I’m still coming to grips with the fact Anne is my daughter, and I would prefer she’d chosen someone who didn’t have the tiniest part of Demonic in him. However if she chooses you, then I agree. I should warn you, Soren. I’m starting to feel protective already. You hurt her, and I’ll find a way to kill you.”
Anne wasn’t sure she wanted such an overprotective father, but in their current situation, she needed all the help she could get.
“I choose him,” Anne said. “He’s been there for me from the first moment we met. I mean, I never thought I’d meet my father, let alone thought he’d be an alien. I think we all have questions for each other.”
Edric put out his hand and Soren shook it. Edric turned to her and held his arms open wide. For a moment, Anne hesitated until she saw the pride and happiness in her father’s eyes. It was something she had been waiting a long time to see. She didn’t know if it was some weird alien thing, but she sensed a connection between them already.
From what she knew, Midworlders couldn’t have children. Ridge and Nicole were the first, or so they thought. Her existence would probably be considered a miracle to Edric and all the others. She moved into her father’s arms and felt safe. Anne now had two men who would help her in the fight to come.
Anne went over and sat next to Evie, who grabbed her hand to look at the ring. Soren came and sat next to her.
“I approve of the ring. Your future father-in-law, however, is scary, Soren, even if Suzie thinks he’s sexy.”
“I agree,” Soren said. “If I fuck up, Cameron and Edric will be taking turns to beat the hell out of me.”
“The pair of them will have to get past me,” Anne said and squeezed his hand.
Ridge stood before everyone.
“Well, I guess it ain’t a surprise tonight changes everythin’. We’ve two things I never thought I’d see in my life. A Midworlder who is both Angelic and Demonic. Plus Angelic Guardians attackin’ their own kind. The rules have changed in a big way.”
Soren interrupted. “I don’t wish to put any of you in danger. I’m prepared to hand myself over to Cameron rather than be the cause of death of anyone.”
Anne stared at Soren and then punched him in the arm. She hoped it hurt.
“He’s not doing that. Cameron will tear him apart, and I don’t believe any of you will stand for that. I don’t know you all very well, but what I’ve seen so far, you’re honorable people who’ll help us.”
Ridge shook his head and chuckled as he glanced across at Edric.
“You may have only found it out, but I reckon she’s definitely your daughter. She has your stubborn streak.”
“So what do we do now?” Anne asked. Hoping one of these people could come up with an answer because she didn’t have a clue.
Edric spoke next. “We need to understand something of what has happened with both of you. I’ve researched your mother and remember meeting her at a festival in Byron Bay. She definitely had a Guardian attached at the time.”
Anne was sure he was telling the truth. “My aunt said not long after the festival things started to go hay wire. She and Mom could sometimes see angels on people. Then Mom tried to kill herself because she could see devils. She told my aunt she’d met an angel, but my aunt thought she was high on drugs.” Anne took a deep breath before going on. These were things she had not spoken about for years. “Mom threw herself off a cliff the next day and stayed in a coma for four weeks. When she came around, the doctors told her she was pregnant. After I was born, she tried to kill us both by setting the house on fire. My aunt got me out that day, but Mom didn’t survive.”
Soren put his arm around her. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.”
Edric shook his head. “All I can think is that when she was in a coma, the Guardian left and she conceived. As for seeing angels and demons, some humans have been tampered with over the centuries and are capable of such things.”
Genia piped in. “From what I can tell, Anne has a spliced DNA and the Angelic in Pergor suggested as much. I think Liliath is trying to do the same with Soren.”
Ridge spoke. “Except with my brother, Liliath’s tryin’ to blend Angelic and Demonic rather than human and Midworlder. What’s happenin’ to both Anne and Soren will change the status quo down here as much as the birth of my daughter, Ellen, is doing.”
Heath chimed in. “This still doesn’t explain why the Angelic attacked their own kind, and with no information coming from Homeworld we’re running blind. The Angelic, Mira, could always be trusted to keep us up to date. If the powers at home have stopped her coming over, it shows the political playing field is changing.”
Before anyone could say anything else there was a loud crash from outside. Anne jumped as her heart raced. The battle was on. Edric ran over to the windows to see what was happening. The others formed a circle around her and Soren.
Edric turned back. “Someone started a fire down in the boathouse. My people are fighting it, but I’d imagine it’s just a diversion and the main assault will come on the house.”
Anne thought Cameron might hold off for a while, but from what she could tell, this battle was going to get a whole lot bigger. The members of the Enclave were dispersing around the house, but Evie, Heath, Genia, and Ridge stayed to guard them. Anne heard glass smashing on the lower level. Then the large window before them crashed in as a beam of red light pelted against it. Soren grabbed her hand and yanked her from the room, but not before she saw Cameron standing on the balcony outside. Her body went cold at the thought of being near him again. As Soren headed toward their bedroom, she glanced back to see Ridge send out a beam of blue light from his hands. His fellow Angelic Midworlders were doing the same.
Cameron sent out a beam of red light, hitting Soren’s back. He staggered and fell toward the wall. Anne screamed as pain shot through her hip as a beam caught her. Anne helped Soren along the corridor to their bedroom. She shut the door, but they wouldn’t be safe for long unless Edric and the others won. Soren stood by the glass doors leading out onto the balcony. Anne placed her hand on his back and could feel his body trembling. When he turned to her, his eyes were completely red.
“I have to get you away. You’re mine and I can’t let them have you,” Soren’s voice sounded as if he had chewed on gravel.
Anne peered into the eyes of a stranger instead of the man she loved. All traces of Soren seemed lost at this moment. No, she wouldn’t believe that.
She went to move away, but Soren scooped her up into his arms and pushed open the door. Anne fought but it seemed extra strength came with the change in him. A second later his wings appeared, and with one flap, he rose into the sky. The rain continued to pelt down on them as he flew over the harbor. She glanced back at the house and could see flashes of light from the fighting. She wanted to be with Soren more than anything, but not like this.
Lightning streaked across the sky as Soren flew towards the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Anne gazed down to see the cars looked like toys as they made their way across the bridges roadways below. Soren landed in the center span of the bridge. He held her so tight she struggled to breathe.
“Your father is coming, Anne. They’ll look after you. I’ll only bring your death.”
Soren let her go. Anne grabbed onto the railing, holding on tight as the wind and rain ripped around her. Soren jumped over the railing and turned back to her. His wings were gone and the lightning flashed so she could see his eyes were still red and his fists clenched.
“No.” A crash of thunder hid her words and her scream as Soren lifted his arms up and fell backward off the bridge.
Chapter 16
Pergor
Cameron ordered his people to retreat. It frustrated the hell out of him to be outnumbered, but he needed to fight another day. Edric’s power was impressive and tonight he witnessed it firsthand. Two of his men nearly drowned after being blasted off the deck at the back of the mansion. His people pulled them unconscious from the water.
All Midworlders could kill humans with a single shot of their power if they wanted to, but they didn’t. Even he obeyed that rule. There were enough times he could have killed some of idiots on this planet. Midworlders had different strengths to their power but most kept them drawn in. The events of tonight showed the rules were changing and he didn’t like it if the power wasn’t flowing his way. Not when he was so close to achieving his goal.
The storm eased as they drove out of Sydney. Cameron pulled down a side road and got out of the car. Sayell and Charles joined him. A moment later, their wings appeared. Cameron flew into the sky and made the link to Pergor as the other two followed.
The three of them arrived in the crystal chamber and Cameron immediately sensed a difference. The whole place seemed to be humming more than usual, and it wasn’t a pleasant sound. It made him want to throw up. He never lost control of his bodily functions and wasn’t about to start now.
“Can you two feel that?” Cameron asked his two companions.
Sayell and Charles nodded. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, knowing Liliath and a Demonic were on their way. Liliath didn’t look too happy as she appeared before them. The snarl on her lips meant some shit was going to go down. Cameron braced himself for her anger and the pain she would inflict upon him. If she threw someone flying across the cavern into a wall, he hoped it would be one of the others.
No such luck, she headed straight for him. He always found it weird how she didn’t walk but sort of hovered. Cameron didn’t have a chance to move. Her hand held his throat in a tight grip. Liliath could crush his windpipe if she wanted, but he reckoned she still needed him. She glared at him with her snakelike eyes.
Why the fuck would anyone wanted to be an Elevated? The freaks spent their days staring out into space with their minds to try to find something instead of living. The women were angry and the men impotent. From what he could tell, both the Angelics and Demonic races were stuffed. It explained why Liliath wanted to get to Earth so badly. She needed another race to fuck up.
“Where is he? He is mine and no one else can touch him.”
The words were spat in Cameron’s face. She let go of his throat, but he suddenly found his body unable to move. He did this to others and didn’t like being helpless. The humming in the cavern increased with her anger. Maybe h
e could vomit on her. The thought made him smirk, so his face still worked.
He took a deep breath in and tried to talk. “He’s been joined by Angelics who don’t seemed fussed about using their full power against us. Did the rules change back home and no one told us?”
He got a slap across the face for his question. His cheek stung and he wished he could slap her back. In fact, he wished he could kill her right now.
“How dare you question us? What happens on Homeworld is not important to Midworlders. You just do your job. It seems to me I have chosen three fools to do my bidding.”
Cameron couldn’t see the expressions on Sayell and Charles, but those two were more interested in Liliath’s pussy than him. The fools would still probably jump when she clicked her fingers.
Cameron could give her something to keep her interested. “I leeched into one of their minds before we came over and the Angelic Midworlders plan to move Soren to the States. It seems he’s getting sick without your caring ministrations.”
Liliath scratched her fingernail down the scar on his cheek. He could feel his blood flow down his neck.
“I should cut you up slowly here and now.” Liliath spat out the words. “I gave you something precious and you lost it. Soren’s existence took years for me to plan. I gave up a part of myself to create him to change the future. You will get my son back or you will die. He’s mine to use as I see fit. You’ll find him and bring him to me.”
Cameron hadn’t seen her dirty little secret coming, and from the gasps behind him, his companions hadn’t either. Somehow he didn’t think he was getting a maternal instinct from her. He wanted to go home because someone killed his wife and daughter. He knew the pain of loss and Liliath wasn’t even sad her boy might be in pain. Her anger made him want to spit in her face now more than ever. He knew more than anyone what she had perpetrated on her son. Cameron did his job, but he often respected Soren for what he went through. He also now understood why when Soren went so dark he would kill anything around him.