“Because you, even as a so-called human, can handle the stones needed to unlock the gates of Thiberoux,” Demetri murmurs. “Normally humans who touch them would disintegrate into dust—as would Light-angels.”
I nod. “I guess that’s how they see it. But why can’t they just get some other demon to do their dirty work? Why me?”
Vincent shakes his head. “We explained this to Lucky as well… It is impossible for a Dark-angel to turn against their own Source of Power in any way. It’s coded into their very existence. That leaves you.”
“Well, if you ask me their plan really sucks, because I’m not really sure where the portals are. And aren’t there some magic words I need to chant? I don’t remember them—”
Demetri shakes his head. “No doubt they have someone who could jog your memory.”
I take a deep breath. “So now what?”
“Right now we need to make sure that you remain safely hidden until the threat has passed,” Vincent says.
“And you think the threat will actually ‘pass’?”
They look at one another, silent.
I clear my throat and set down my cup. “Look, no offense or anything, but how can you guys actually protect me from anything? According to Kieron you don’t even have demonic powers… only passive ones, whatever that means. If Light-angels or even some demons come after me, how could you help me?”
The two exchange another glance. Demetri shrugs. Vincent gets up and comes over to stand next to me.
“May I show you?” he asks.
I nod. I feel his warm hand touching my shoulder, followed by a quick blast of dark coolness. I gulp, but before I have a chance to process anything, I realize we are back outside standing on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.
“Wha—How— What just happened?” I look around, completely flustered.
Vincent gives a small smile. “I can teleport myself and whomever else I’m touching, as long as they allow it. It’s considered a passive power because I can never use it on another against their will, and it is intended to be used for self-protection. Although I will say that it comes in handy at other times as well.”
I scrunch my eyebrows. “That certainly is a power. Wonder why Kieron said you didn’t have any?”
“He’s right that I don’t have demonic powers. It’s a little complicated. Short version is, many centuries ago prior to the creation of a full time human-demon ambassadorial unit, Guardians from Thiberoux, like myself, were tasked with the additional duty of communicating with our counterparts in Mortal World. We needed to be able to do so under complete anonymity— and completely off the radar. The powers of Angelus, Dark and Light, leave a very specific trace for anyone who is looking. So we were each granted a single defensive magical power by a mighty demon witch. Mine is that I can teleport.”
“Best way to win a fight is to not be there in the first place,” I mumble, and he chuckles.
“Yes, that’s exactly right.” Then he cocks an eyebrow. “Mind you, that’s only here in Mortal World. Back in Thiberoux I can guarantee I never run and hide. Demons flee me.”
We share a smile, and I suddenly realize that we’re all alone out here, and still standing unnaturally close. I take an awkward half-step away.
“What can Demetri do?” I ask.
Vincent clears his throat. “Best I let him show you.” He reaches out to me again, and a second later we’re back in the house.
“Enjoy your field trip?” Demetri asks.
Vincent takes his seat again on the couch. “Your turn, dude.”
Demetri smirks and puts his hand on Vincent’s shoulder. The next second they are gone.
I glance around the empty room. “Okay… I get it… he teleports too. Okay, you can come back now!” I shout.
A low chuckle comes from the direction of the couch.
“Vincent?”
“Right here, darlin’,” his disembodied voice drawls, and a second later they both reappear exactly as they were.
“You can turn invisible,” I say in awe.
Demetri nods, and Vincent gives me a reassuring smile. “So you see, we’re not completely useless around here. Although you need to stay close by us, for obvious reasons.”
Okay, twist my arm.
But my mood quickly sours as his words sink in. What this all means. The abhorrent reality that we all face.
“This… everything…it’s all my fault, isn’t it,” I whisper. Unexpected tears spring to my eyes, and I quickly look away. “This is all because I’m weak and vulnerable and helpless. Because I’m human.”
“You’re not helpless, and you’re not weak,” Vincent says quietly. “But you are more vulnerable.”
“And the only way that’ll ever change is if I’m not a human anymore,” I mutter.
“But that’s not a possibility right now is it?” Vincent asks.
I let out a deep breath and stare at my hands in my lap. “Maybe it is.”
He frowns and leans toward me. “What are you saying?”
I shake my head, unable to continue. True, I’d already planned on staying here at least until I give birth, but the thought of being a virtual prisoner indefinitely, even in a place as lovely as this, turns my stomach to knots. And what if the Light-angels somehow got through Anastasia’s spell and got to me, and Vincent and Demetri were out of reach? I have no way of fighting back. The scariest thing about Tristan—other than his crazy scars— was how he appeared so normal. He made me feel so good, I didn’t even realize I was under his control. Everything felt natural. Like I was the one making decisions.
It’s frightening to think I wasn’t.
Demetri taps his fingers nervously on the coffee table beside him. “Liora, darling, I don’t want to scare you, but I also don’t want to understate the importance of what is at stake. The barriers between Light and Dark have existed for many millennia. They need to remain that way for Order to reign. Yes, we are natural enemies with the Light-angels, but we need each other to keep the balance. Our worlds are kept separate for a very good reason. You are a loophole that was never supposed to happen. Now that they know about you, there are some rogues that will stop at nothing to get in to Thiberoux and seize power. And even though it’s just a few, it’s like a dam cracking. Once that crack is made, the walls between worlds will come tumbling down. Dimensions will overlap. Humans will be caught in the crossfire, and either perish or go mad. Demons and Angels will fight to the death, each side pulling in more and more of their kind to join them. It will not end until one side is completely destroyed, and believe me when I say there will be no winners… only losers. Every living thing on this planet will suffer the consequences. It will be the end of ages.”
Tears come to my eyes again. “Oh, is that all? And here I thought I’d be the cause of something bad.”
Vincent lets out a deep sigh. “Liora…”
“What am I supposed to do?” I whisper. “If that happens, it will be my fault.”
“No!” Vincent shoots Demetri a harsh look and comes over to kneel beside me. “No, not your fault at all. You’re just being used as a pawn in a very old and very treacherous game.”
I think about that for quite a while. I always knew my curse was a curse. I just never thought it could potentially bring about the end of the world. I wipe away a stray tear.
“What if I wasn’t like this… what if I wasn’t human anymore?” I ask softly.
“Of course that would be ideal, but it’s not an option, is it?” Demetri replies.
His words are like a slap across my face. It would be better if I wasn’t me anymore. If I were more like Lucky.
The very thought hurts. To think that I… me… would disappear. My memories. My identity. My hopes and dreams. My connection to Tatiana and Kieron and Corrine, and now to these two lives growing inside of me. To think that could all just be erased as if I never happened… And to know that the world would be a better place for it.
I can’t even think it.
/>
But what are the alternatives? Stay here in an enchanted house like a sitting duck? Continually put others’ lives at risk? Or worse, get captured and be the key that unlocks the destruction of the entire world?
“I need some time to myself,” I whisper, standing up.
Vincent rises with me. “Where are you going?”
I let out a choked laugh. “Nowhere, right? I mean, I’m trapped here.” I frown at his pained expression. I know he’s only trying to help.
“I just need to be alone for a while… do some thinking. Is that okay? I’ll just be out there.” I wave my hand in the direction of the cliffs. “Just for a while.”
Vincent studies me a moment and nods. “From what I can tell the protection spell is very, very strong, so you should be fine. But if it’s all the same, I’m going to keep an eye on you, just in case. I just want to make sure nothing happens to you.”
“You mean you don’t want me to unleash Armageddon.”
He reaches out to hold my trembling hands, and looks into my eyes. For a brief moment, the world stops spinning. “No,” he says, his voice low. “I don’t want anything happening to you. Okay? And as long as I’m here, nothing will. Got it?”
I give him a weak nod. How is it possible that I’ve known this guy all of an hour, and yet I feel like I can trust him with my life? What’s left of it, at least.
“I’m not going far. I just need to be alone. Hear myself think. Go ahead and make yourselves at home. If you’re hungry, whatever…” I glance at Demetri, and he nods. I turn to Vincent. “Thank you. Thank you for being here and for wanting to help.”
He briefly lowers his head. As I walk through the sliding glass door, I hear him say,
“I will always be here for you, Liora.”
********
Even before I sit down on the edge of the cliff I know I’ve made up my mind. It will be me. It has to be. She’ll never do it. There really is no choice. I will tell Anastasia to do whatever hocus-pocus she needs to in order to obliterate my existence. I can’t live out the rest of my life as a hostage, or worse, a pawn in the war against good and evil. No thank you. And how would it ever end? How would I ever be safe? Unless all the Light-angels are wiped out or they suddenly have a change of heart, I’ll always be a target. I’ll never be safe. Not really. I’ll only have the pretense of safety, the illusion. Like now. I’m not safe under the witch’s enchantment, or with someone who can teleport me away. That’s not being safe. That’s simply hiding. And I’m sick of it.
I’m not supposed to exist anyways. Not this version of me. There was only supposed to be one rose on this stem, not two. I’m a fluke, a freak, an accident. A loophole. Something to be used and taken advantage of. Something that spells destruction for my family and loved ones and our way of life.
Unless I do what I know needs to be done.
It has to be me. She’ll never do it. Only I have the power to save us from certain destruction and undo the burden I’m placing on everyone. I have to be the one to let go of this life and my memories and identity. The human in me must die.
There is no other way.
Chapter 17. Lucky
It’s a bit disorienting for a moment, waking up outside, sitting cross-legged on the grass on a spot overlooking the ocean. At first I’m not sure where I am, but as I glance around I realize I’m behind the guesthouse near a cliff.
A familiar figure approaches, and my pulse quickens at the unexpected, but not unpleasant, surprise.
“Hi, Vincent.” I stand up and wipe off my jeans. My legs give a slight wobble from being crossed for so long, and he immediately shoots out his hand to steady me.
“Hey, Lucky.” He grins, and in the shadows I admire the strong cut of his jaw. He seems less tightly wound than last night, although his eyes still burn with intensity.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing here?”
“Demetri and I came over to get intel from Liora on the Light-angels and to keep an eye on things while Kieron is in repose.
“Right. How’d it go?”
Vincent only just now seems to notice he’s still holding my elbow and gently releases his grip.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose. It’s important that Liora know she’s a critical pawn in a potentially catastrophic war, and be fully aware of the risks involved. But at the same time we wanted to try to put her mind at ease and help her feel safe.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You tell a girl that she’s a target for powerful supernatural beings who want to use her to destroy her world, and you expect her mind to be at ease? Geez, what do you tell people when you really want to freak them out?”
“There was no other way. She needs to know the truth, and she needs to know that we’ll protect her.”
“How’d she take it?”
He shrugs and looks off in the distance. “I’m not sure. She said she wanted to be alone to think. She sat out here for about three hours before the sun finally set. I respected her wishes, so I just watched from afar. But then I saw her slump over, and then you came to. So here I am.”
Yes… here you are…
“And Kieron is already asleep?”
Vincent nods.
An awkward silence falls over us as we stand there, close, in the dark. I don’t know if it’s all in my overly-hormonal head, but I haven’t felt this sort of electricity with another guy since… well… ever. Even with Bones, no matter how much he turned me on and how badly I wanted him, everything was always just so damn complicated. And when I think of him now and how he’s gone forever, I hurt too much to breathe. So I just can’t allow myself to think of him.
But in this moment, in the midst of all this craziness, my feelings for Vincent are the only things that are simple. Primal. I want to throw him down on the grass, straddle his body, run my fingers through his hair, and kiss him hard. I want to rip off his t-shirt and see what’s underneath. I want him to roll me over and press his full weight on me and touch my skin—
“What’re you thinking?”
I blink. “Huh?”
“Do you think she took it okay? Liora, I mean. I don’t want to traumatize her, but—”
I swish my hand and start to walk toward the brightly-lit guesthouse. “Oh yeah, yeah, she’s fine. Liora’s a big girl. She can handle it.”
He quickly catches up to me and walks by my side. “I’ll be taking you to Club Hades tonight. There’s a portal that’ll drop us off directly at the back entrance. It’s the safest way.”
“Okay, whatever,” I say, hoping I sound casual. Nonchalant. “Just let me get changed out of these rags.”
We walk in silence across the grass and toward the guesthouse.
********
An hour later I’m dressed and ready to go. Tonight I’m wearing my favorite power outfit, one of several designed just for me by the fire witches of Rome. Usually I only wear it if I’m expecting to be fighting, but the tight fitting, midriff baring, ass hugging crimson leather attire is the most eye-popping, attention getting outfit I have. No harm in looking sexy, is there? Just because a girl is knocked up doesn’t mean she’s dead.
I pause in front of the mirror to adjust my Boumeaux. I close my eyes and bring it to my lips for a soft kiss. I picture his face. The one I never, ever want to forget. The one I wish so badly I could see again.
“Please give me strength,” I whisper. “I know you are here somewhere. I know you can feel me, just as I feel you. I love you… I miss you.”
I give the stone another kiss and head out to meet the others.
“Wow, wow, wow,” Corrine mutters. “You look like you should be in a movie or something.”
I sling a jacket over my shoulder and join Vincent by the door.
“Don’t wait up.”
********
What is it with demons and their damn motorcycles?
Vincent and Demetri’s shiny silver Harleys are parked side-by-side next to the beach portal.
�
�Why can’t we just teleport there?” I ask.
Vincent shakes his head. “No can do. Porting in and out of highly enchanted areas is risky. Even friendly enchantments. Too much magic floating around. We could teleport close by and then walk, but this portal takes us right there.”
I sigh and look away.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” Vincent teases, as he swings his leg over the seat.
I stand there and stare at him, not knowing what to say. Because, actually, I am afraid. I’m afraid of sitting so close behind him and pressing my body to his. I’m afraid of how it will make me feel, and worse, how I’ll feel about myself. Bones just died. Kieron is sleeping not five hundred yards away. How am I even looking at another guy?
I shake my head. This isn’t happening. It’s all in my head. Stress, hormones, depression… plus, he’s a stinkin’ Guardian. They always have that super sexy strong and protective thing going on no matter what they’re doing. That’s all.
Vincent raises his eyebrows, and I give him a dirty look. “I’m not afraid,” I mutter and position myself behind him. The feel of his body beneath my hands and his musky, masculine scent is almost more than I can bear. I’m seriously considering jumping off and riding with Demetri, when suddenly the silver beast roars to life. I hold on tight and press my face to Vincent’s back as the wind rushes past.
The ride is over far too soon, and before I know it we’re slowing down and parking in a small lot behind a run-down building. Vincent kicks down the stand and dismounts. He offers me his hand, but I ignore it.
This time there is no doorman, no velvet ropes, no line of Sapies hoping to be allowed in. Just a small, unmarked door. Demetri opens it and we follow him in.
The VIP Bar is more crowded than it was last night, but there is still plenty of space. We take our seats around a table in the back, and almost instantly a drink is in front of me, compliments of some anonymous waitress. I glance to the bar and see Ruby watching me, and I flash her a grateful smile. She winks and returns to her other patrons.
“Lucky, we have some friends we’d like you to meet,” Demetri says. A tall blonde woman, followed by a hulking black man walk over to us. Well, walk isn’t exactly the correct word. The pale, almost translucent woman sort of floats her way over, as if her feet don’t actually need to touch the ground, and the beautiful, ebony skinned man swaggers close behind with the confidence of a champion gladiator. Even if he were merely a Sapie, he’d still be intimidating.
The Complete Demonblood Saga: A Demon Made Me Do It; Fire With Fire; Curse of Shadows and Light Page 57