* * * *
Lissa smiled and touched the plants as she made her way down the golden path of her new garden. Plants of all kinds greeted her and sang to her as she inhaled their fragrance. Castor had been called to help Nikola and Pierre, while Adonis helped Remi bring the rest of their clan over. He had made her promise she would stay on their land and she wasn’t about to break the promise with all of them still angry with her.
The plants stopped talking first, which had been her first clue something wasn’t right, but then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see her personal guard behind her and she sighed. “You guys scared the crap out of me, but I’m glad you’re here. I owe all three of you an apology. I shouldn’t have tricked you the way I did to leave. Will you forgive me?” She smiled up at Matlock, but her smile died as he advanced on her.
“What’s wrong? I said I was sorry.” She backed up watching as all three of them moved towards her with a steady gate, Matlock drew his sword pointing it at her.
“Nikola believes making us your guards will keep us under control. Well he was wrong. It just gives us what we want, to take what he cherishes the most: you.” His gaze slid up and down her body. “We will have fun training you for our needs.” He nodded and his brother, Ken, grabbed her from behind, but that lasted only a moment before her plants covered his body.
His screams filled the air as Matlock reached for her, but was stopped by flames from above. He jumped back and glared at her. “This isn’t over…” He chocked, his eyes grew large and he reached for his throat, as did his brother.
Lissa moved away from them as Suzanne ran to her side. There was a shadow above and Lissa knew one of Suzanne’s mate was there, but so were hers. Nikola and Pierre appeared in front of them. Nikola’s hand traced down her the side of her face, but his attention on the two in front of them.
“I had hoped you would have grabbed this opportunity to change. This place gave you a chance, but you blew it. Now, how do I explain to your mother and father that all three of her sons have raised their sword against their king’s mate? How about your sisters. Who will be there for them?” Nikola glared and stepped forward.
All of a sudden, both men gasped and drew breath into their lungs and fell to their knees before Nikola. “For some reason, this new planet has let you live, so there must be something good inside the both of you, but I’m afraid your brother is no more. You are no longer Lissa’s guards, but you will be working with Norris helping their people adjust. Both you and your brother will spend ten years in servitude. Norris and his people will control your punishment and your powers are gone.”
Both men disappeared as Dominic landed in their spot and shifted. His gaze landed on Suzanne. “Shit, he’s in his dominant mode.” Suzanne moved forward, but glanced back at her, winking.
Lissa busted out laughing, her hands shook as she looked behind her, but Castor blocked her view. “You don’t need to see this.”
“Lissa, look at me,” Nikola said behind her, his breath warm on her neck.
She turned slowly and gazed up at Nikola. “I’m sorry Nikola, I know how much you wanted to believe in them.”
Wrapping his large arms around her, he held her tight. “Nothing matters to me as long as you are safe. I can live with their disappointment, but I couldn’t live without you. Would you mind spending some time with me?” Nikola stepped back, but he wrapped his hand around hers.
“I’d like that. Right now I don’t want to be alone. Maybe later we can go to the palace? I need to gather a few things from there. That is if it’s okay with you?”
“What are you up to?” Nikola asked as they reappeared up in the mountains, she was now covered in a heavy down coat, fur lined boots and mittens. Men worked all around them, carrying furniture, and their personal belongs into homes built into the mountain as the mountain men and woman settled in their new land.
“We are still working things out, but so far, we have decided our new holiday will last seven days. It will be called New Beginnings Jubilee and one of those days will be celebrating Queen Isabel and the old ways of your people. I would like to go to the palace to bring certain things for our holiday celebration to save and to treasure so that all of your people will remember where they came from.”
Nikola stared at her, and didn’t say anything for a few seconds, until he wrapped his arm around her and bent her backwards gazing into her face. Men and women stopped and stared at them, smiling. “Nikola let me up, people are staring!” Lissa hit his chest, but his smile only grew bigger.
“Let them watch and know how much you mean to me.” Nikola covered her lips with his while his other hand traveled up and cupped her breast.
She forgot about everything and everyone, the heat from her punishment once more back full force. “Damn it Nikola, It’s not fair to keep teasing me!” Lissa yelled and pushed away from him, with tears in her eyes. “Haven’t I been through enough?”
Knocking on Jaycee’s front door, Lissa wiped the tears from her eyes when Suzanne answered it. “What did they do? I swear if it’s not me, it’s you, or Jaycee. Cecil always seems to have it together, even though I thought for sure she was going to deck Clayton earlier.”
“I heard that. Are you going to invite her in or are you going to stand there babbling?” Cecil laughed and reached over Suzanne, pulling her into Jaycee’s home.
Lissa couldn’t help it, but laughed. “I swear, we are all in trouble here. Just think, we’re the first ladies of our new world.”
Jaycee and Suzanne stared at her for a minute, then busted out laughing. “This world is in so much trouble! What in the hell?” Lissa sat down next to Suzanne at the dining room table and shook her head.
“I don’t know about you two, but the thought of being a queen, or one of the first ladies here, scares the crap out of me.” Lissa smiled up at Marsha who handed her a plate of sandwiches.
“Eat. I know for a fact you haven’t eaten since this morning.” Marsha sat down next to her and patted her arm. “Maybe your insecurities are due to the fact you froze today, and were almost killed.”
Jaycee, Suzanne, Cecil, Tonya, Shelly and Marsha stared at her as she took a bite of the sandwich. “I’m afraid, I still have flashbacks at night. I haven’t been sleeping well either. I feel as if someone has been watching me since Della got me out of there. I know it’s crazy, and I thought the feeling would go away, but today in the garden…” She glanced up at Marsha. “It was as if he was there watching, through Matlock’s eyes.”
Marsha grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Who Lissa? You keep saying ‘he’. Who are you talking about?”
“Yes Lissa, who are you talking about?” Nikola whispered behind her, his hands on her shoulders, as he gently squeezed them, encouraging her. Adonis, Pierre, Remi, Clayton and Dominic moved around the table till each of them fell behind their woman.
“Hombre del Diablo.” She whispered, glancing down at the plate of food, before Nikola turned her chair around and knelt down in front of her.
“Lissa, I killed him, remember?” Nikola covered her hands with his warming them.
She shook her head. “No Nikola, you killed his brother or some imposter. Don’t get me wrong, I believed you killed him too, but something has been nagging me and I’ve been replaying the scene over and over.” She glanced up into his eyes. “Then I remembered.”
Glancing behind her she looked at Suzanne. “What was the one thing he always bragged about at the parties?”
Suzanne snarled and spit on the floor. “He bragged about the steal post in his cock, that he had it permanently placed there. He used to say that all the woman crave his cock because of this.”
“And he did have it.” She rubbed her arms. All of a sudden she was so cold. She took a deep breath and tilted her head back, waiting to see the revulsion on Nikola face. “I was forced often to give him oral when he was in a hurry.” She snorted. “I bit it twice trying to tear it off, but nothing had worked.” Nikola held her gaze, not
moving. “That man was a replica of Hombre del Diablo. I don’t know why he was there, but it wasn’t him.”
Nikola glanced up at Suzanne, who shrugged. “Lissa was the one who always got stuck with him, from what Della told me. I just heard the rumors. I was never given to him. If she says that wasn’t him, then it wasn’t, but Nikola…” Suzanne leaned over the table. “If what she says is true, we have a bigger problem.”
Dominic reached over the table and pulled Suzanne back in her chair. “What are you talking about Suzanne? Why would one man be a problem for us here?”
Lissa pushed Nikola out of the way and walked towards the sliding glass door needing to look out at the plants around. Nothing else would calm her now. She glanced out at the new snow; the large fern type trees blew in the wind, calling her. “Hombre del Diablo wasn’t just a man Nikola, he was a demon wolf, and, at the end, part zombie. I didn’t know how it was possible at the time, but now I know.” She glanced over her shoulder and held his gaze. “I know you know that with Fae magic there is a pattern. Well, he too had this power.” She glanced back outside and sighed.
“I could never figure out how he knew things and could do things that shouldn’t be possible. He always believed that since I was drugged, he could speak in front of me. Some things still don’t make sense.” She frowned and turned to the table a pen and paper in her hand.
Snake people-Warren Valet
Demons-
Vampires-Drome Hounsfield
Fae-Vender
Shifter- Hombre del Diablo
“These are the men that I know run things on Earth, from what I overheard. Vender, well that we found out here, but Hombre del Diablo controlled the New York gang the Bloods, and he was also a wolf.” She glanced up at Remi. “I don’t know his real name, just what they called him, but Remi, he hated you. That much I know.” She glanced at Dominic and sighed.
“Dominic, do you know this Drome Hounsfield? I’ve only seen him once when this Hombre paid me a visit. This Drome was with him. I don’t know if he also has a connection to the demons or not. He didn’t say much, but he was almost as cruel as Hombre was.” Lissa plopped back down in her chair and took a bite of her sandwich.
“Lissa, why are you remembering all of this now?” Remi asked, frowning down at her.
Jaycee jumped out of her chair and smacked him. “What the hell is wrong with you? Didn’t you hear her earlier?”
Chapter Thirteen
Nikola stood back and watched as Remi tried to calm Jaycee, but he too was worried about how his mate had suddenly come upon this information. Lissa glanced up at him with watery eyes. “You would believe I would be a traitor?” Her words were broken and hurt, but enough to draw everyone’s attention to him.
He sighed and picked Lissa up, sitting in her warm chair with her in his lap. “You know I would never think that. I’m just worried Lissa. If the other side finds out you heard what they were planning, they’ll try everything to get to you.”
She laid her head on his chest. “Like they already are, Nikola?” She lifted her head back up again. “Nikola, I want to see Matlock and his brother again. They have triggered these memories somehow, I just don’t know how. The flashbacks started the night I met them.”
“No.” One simple word, but it had come out strong enough that the others eyed him. “Lissa, these men would have taken you, raped you. Why would you want to see them?”
Kissing his chest, Lissa smiled up at him, and traced his chin. “I don’t think it was they who tried to hurt me.” She sighed. “Can your people possess others? You know, like take over their bodies?”
Everything in Nikola stopped and a chill ran up his back. “Adonis, have Tor and Norris bring Matlock and his brother here, but not inside. We’ll meet you out there.” He lifted Lissa up and stared at Remi and Dominic.
“If that’s what has happened here, we could be in serious trouble. This world should have killed those two men, but it didn’t, and if what Lissa suspects is true, those men were in this house, with your children.”
Jaycee grabbed her throat, her hand shook as she glanced up at Remi. Remi snarled, as did Mark, who ran into the room. “We need Dane here now.” Remi snapped, and at once Pierre was gone.
He turned his attention to Lissa. “Will you be able to tell if this has happened, because all I was able to see was a shadow. That’s why they’re not dead.” He kissed her forehead and once more, she was dressed in her winter gear.
“I would know Hombre del Diablo anywhere, but Nikola, it won’t be him personally. It will be the magic he weaves. It will carry his footprint.” She glanced around the room. “This might be a good thing.” Lissa snuggled closer to her. “I hate to say this, because it will take two of my mates away from us for a while.”
Pierre returned with Dane and Adonis, nodding to him. “Tell us Lissa.”
“If I can recognize the footprint of Hombre del Diablo, we could follow it back to him, when his magic is pushed out of these men.”
Nikola shook his head. “You really believe you can do this?” He nodded to the door that Remi held open.
“Not me, you. You will be able to help them. I can follow the magic back…” She glanced over her shoulder with a small grin. “But I have these four men who would punish me if I tried to leave here.”
Nikola tried to grab her, but she jumped out of his reach. “Little slow, aren’t ya’ old man?”
“Isn’t it funny how our mates keep teasing us about our age, but yet they can’t keep up.” Dominic smiled and Suzanne yelled out the door.
“I heard that old man, and for your information, you were the one who conked out last night, not me. Plus, you’re not carrying four babies.” She slammed the door.
Nikola stumbled as he ran into the back of his frozen mate. She stared at Matlock, the color in her face turned almost white and he could hear her heart beating faster than normal.
Adonis moved up next to her, as he moved to her other side. “He cannot do anything to you, Lissa. You are safe.” He kissed the side of her neck.
She shook her head. “He actually did this, Nikola. I can smell his stench, and feel his hands touching me.”
Nikola wasted no time and pushed the images from her head and replaced them with him and their first time together. “He can no longer have you, Lissa! You are ours.” He flooded her body with his magic, and his scent.
Reaching for his hand and twining it with his, Lissa smiled up at him. “Let’s do this, shall we?” She turned and kissed Adonis lips. “Be careful, please.”
“Always. Do it!” Adonis and Pierre nodded as they all turned their attention towards Matlock and his brothers.
Tor and Norris held each man as Lissa worked her magic, all the while he could hear the demon’s threats to Lissa.
“There is no place to hid,e Lissa. You are mine. These men might think they have a claim on you, but you still carry my mark and always will.” Lissa faltered for a minute, weaving her magic, but continued.
Nikola could now see the yellow glowing eyes as they turned towards him. “She will be mine again!” The scratchy voice screamed, as the magic was forced out of Matlock and his brother, who both fell to their knees before them.
“There Adonis, Pierre! Do you see it?” Lissa turned to them as she too wavered on her feet, tired.
“We have it now. Rest Lissa, we’ll be back soon.” Adonis and Pierre disappeared.
“Nikola?” Matlock glanced up at him, then at Lissa. “What are we doing here? Is she your Companion?”
Tor helped Matlock and his brother stand, both men confused. Lissa’s soft cold hand squeezed his. “They didn’t know Nikola, but you might want to find out where they were on Earth, because that is where they were tainted. I also want to check the babies before going home.”
Remi sucked in his breath behind them. “You think they did something to our children?”
Lissa shook her head. “I don’t know Remi, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance. Our
children are what is important and I won’t rest knowing I didn’t at least make sure they were all right.”
“Tor, Norris, explain to these two what has happened. I will speak with them later. Right now I need to be with my companion. Take them back with you to the mountains; I’ll deal with them tomorrow.” He wrapped his arm around Lissa and helped her inside Remi’s home.
Jaycee stood just inside, waiting. “Do you really believe they could have done something to the children?”
Lissa pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know Jaycee, but I will make sure before I go home.” She frowned and turned to look up at him. “I’d like to have Remi see an image of him, before he turned. It might help if he can see who we are dealing with. The same with Drome, if we know who we are fighting…”
“We have a huge advantage,” Nikola said, but he sure didn’t like that fact these men would be floating around in her head.
“Take a look at the children, then we’ll go from there.” Jaycee led the way to the children’s room where all three babies were sound asleep in their bassinets.
Lissa stood in front of Edric’s bassinet and reached down to cover his body with the blanket when all of them heard the growl that came from the crib. She moved to the other boy’s crib, and the same thing happened.
But when she stepped in front of Marcia’s crib, the child didn’t make a sound, but her tiny body rose up out of the crib. Jaycee tried to reach for the little girl, but the child hissed at her.
“Step back Jaycee, let me take care of her. Please trust me.” Lissa moved in front of the
child. “Jaycee when I tell you, Marcia will reach for you inside your head. Grab onto her and hold tight, she’ll need you to hold on to while she fights this thing inside her. Dominic, you will be needed here too. This thing inside her is part demon.” Lissa glanced back at Dominic, who nodded.
Running in Fear: New Beginnings Jubilee Page 10