“Hey, I’m really sincere here! I didn’t realize how much you worried about me until the last few days. Killian helped me to see. I remember how it was when Sean…” I broke off my maudlin train of thought.
“Sooooo totally changing the subject since I’m not an emotional guy...where did you go when you guys left?”
Thankful for his understanding, I said, “Eden. How long were we gone?”
His eyebrows went straight up at that. “How long do you think you were gone? You don’t know?”
“I don’t know…maybe three days?” I really didn’t know. It was another plane for crying out loud. Who knew how time flowed there?
He burst out laughing and didn’t stop. Killian and Sean broke off their conversation and looked over with surprise. What’s so funny? Killian and Sean finally got up and wandered over to stare at us with concern. Maybe Dec had finally lost it?
Seeing Killian, Dec got himself under control and threw him a challenging look. “Uh, Killian, do you want to tell Mica how many days you two were gone?”
Killian glared at him for a minute and said grudgingly, “A month, give or take a day.”
“What? How is that possible? No, don’t!” I held up a hand. “I know, I know, different dimension…but a month? Wow…”
“And while you were gone, we were busy. Let’s go for walk and I’ll catch you up,” Sean suggested.
He seemed in a good mood, so maybe he’d forgiven me. I hoped so. I was getting tired of being in the doghouse!
Killian added, “We have to get some plans together so don’t take too long. Things are about to get ugly around here.”
I saluted him smartly and said, “Aye-aye, Captain!”
The leaves were changing already. I loved the smell of fall and took a deep breath as we entered the woods behind the farmhouse. It was crisp and sunny today and I wistfully thought of apples. I wondered if there was time to find a farmer’s market before we headed out to kill demons. Sean led the way towards our favorite spot by the creek. I followed him on the narrow trail and enjoyed the sight of his muscles working under his clothes. He had a great butt…I was a lucky, lucky girl.
He took my hand and helped me over the rocks until we came to our favorite boulder in the middle of the creek.
Sean leaned back in the sun for a minute before saying, “I’m glad you missed the attack last night. It was brutal. It was touch and go for a little while.” He sat up and grinned mischievously. “Dec lost it. He was so pissed off.”
“What happened?”
“One of the loser demons actually slashed his arm--that’s the blood on your wall--with a razor. It was a small razor…it’s a little like amateur hour to be hurt that way.”
“Are you serious? What, it’s too mundane? What’s he want? A fireball in the gut?”
He just laughed and said, “That’s exactly it. He was insulted. Getting blown up is much better. We’re warriors for crying out loud. I think he was mostly mad at himself though. He got distracted for a split second and that’s when it happened. He’ll never do that again!”
“Poor Dec!” I would stroke his ego later. ”So what were they doing at the penthouse? That seems weird to me.” I stopped and sat up suddenly. “They weren’t looking for me, were they?”
He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe, but I think they were looking for something else.”
“Sgaine Dutre?” Ignoring his surprise, I was thinking out loud. ”That’s it, isn’t it? But I’m thinking it’s not here…” Something tickled my brain. Wait a minute…
“It’s in Eden!”
“Where? What are you talking about?”
I stood up so I could move more. Movement always helps me think…hard to pace on a boulder though. “Killian’s…place.”
He looked sideways at me and said sarcastically, “Eden. It has a name?”
Waving him off, I said, “I named it that. It fits. Anyway, Sgaine Dutre is the knife, isn’t it?” My eyes misted as I remembered the heat of the fire. But the fire healed me in the end…and the knife was the vessel…a very ancient and very powerful vessel. It had also carved these runes into my skin…what power did it leave behind? What did the demon want with it?
He was quietly studying me and I felt a small pang of guilt. Here I was going on and on about this thing and we haven’t even made up yet. Most boyfriends would be pretty upset if their girlfriend left for a month in the company of a wicked-hot powerful supernatural warrior slash magical high priest. Probably I should try to make up with him…I plopped myself down so I could sit between his knees and leaned back against his chest. He rested his arms around me and just sat there. I supposed he was getting his thoughts together like I was.
Finally, I said, “I understand if you want me to go. I disappeared not once, but twice, and scared you to death. I haven’t been the greatest girlfriend…I can’t leave now though; there’s too much to do and it wouldn’t be fair to Dec and Killian.” When he didn’t respond, my heart sank. This was the part where he's supposed to beg me to stay. “I’ll move into the other bedroom for now and start looking for my own place. Maybe Dani will get a place with me. I’ll have to get a real job--” I was babbling now.
“Mica. Stop. Please.” His voice sounded hoarse. “Turn around and look at me.”
Like facing a firing squad, I twisted around very slowly. He sounded mad and I didn’t want to see the anger in his eyes. Instead, I looked into the trees, and the sky, and any other place. Grumbling, he turned my face so we were nose to nose.
“You are killing me,” he enunciated each word distinctly. “Every day is a new crisis with you. I’m surprised I have any hair left.” He gave me a not quite gentle head butt.
“Ow!” I rubbed my forehead.
“That's what you get for being stupid. You’re not going anywhere.” He sounded stern but his eyes sparkled. “How many years have you known Killian?”
Nonplussed, I said, “About four or so, why?”
“I’ve known him for a few thousand. So I think I know him better than you do. Do you honestly think anything could stop him from doing what he wants to do?
“Well, no, I guess not.” I turned my face away as thoughts of Killian’s personal sense of morality intruded in the back of my mind. He lives by his own rules and no others.
He threw a rock at the creek saying with some irritation, “Do you think I liked having you disappear with him for a month? No, I didn’t. Was I jealous? Absolutely! I'll admit that. But, and this is important, I trust that he knows what he’s doing. I’ve followed him into more battles than I can count and he’s never let me down.”
“He’s very good at what he does, isn’t he?”
He laughed with real humor. “Sweetheart, you have no idea! I wouldn’t follow anyone else.” He paused and said a little shyly, “I don’t want to press you, but if you feel comfortable…I’d really like to hear about the ceremony. It’s very old and it’s been lost in time. Killian’s the only remaining descendent who can use the powers of Sgaine Dutre. It's been tied to his family forever. I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”
Yeah…somehow I didn’t think he would’ve been happy with the process. Too much skin, too much blood, too much screaming…
“Do we have time? It’s a long story.”
Tightening his arms around me, he told me we had all the time I needed. Letting the sun warm my face, I sighed and began my story with, “Once upon a time, there was a princess…”
An hour later, I dried my eyes and wiped my nose on his shirt. I wasn’t the only one who was affected by my story. Sean’s emotions went up and down like a roller coaster, but he did a good job of hiding it. He’d been respectfully quiet while I shared my experiences in Eden. He was astonished that I instinctively knew it was another plane, and I didn’t freak out over the isolation. He was angry when I described the demon’s attack in my dream and shared my pain and horror during the cleansing by fire and water. I don’t know how long we sat there, but the sun was getting
low when he stood up.
“Are you going to give me a proper kiss hello or do I need to toss you into the creek?” He punctuated the question by hanging me over the boulder by my feet. Chilly water bubbled up and splashed on my face.
Squealing at the cold, I yelled, “Okay, okay, I’ll kiss you!” He dangled me a little lower.
“Are you sure?” He lifted me like a yo-yo.
“Yes! Pick me up, you jerk!”
Laughing, he pulled me onto my feet and said, “I’m waiting.” His face went blank and he dropped his hands, waiting for me to kiss him.
I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him and hesitated. I stopped a few inches from his face and he winked at me. He was so sure I would kiss him now, and why not? More fun to make him wait though. Instead of kissing his mouth, I started with his fingertips. After all ten fingers were kissed I pressed his palm against my mouth and let it rest with a small kiss. Like we were made for each other, the curve of my jaw fit precisely in the palm of his hand. Inhaling his scent, I nuzzled the soft skin on the inside of his wrist and was rewarded with the rush of heat that rose to the surface. Taking my time, I spread tiny butterfly kisses up the muscle of his arm and across his collarbone to the base of his neck.
Instead of kissing his neck, I buried my face against it and wrapped my arms around his waist. I was on my tiptoes again when I finally pulled his face down to me.
Pulling back with a sexy grin and drowsy eyes, he breathed, “Well, now, that was a proper kiss. Good girlfriend.” He patted my butt and ducked when I swung a right hook towards his nose.
Sniffing in mock indignation, I left him standing alone on the rock. Head held high, I strolled off like I owned the place only to break into a full sprint when he suddenly appeared beside me. I keep forgetting about the super powers…laughing and gasping for air, I claimed victory at the driveway.
“You’re getting slow in your old age!” I crowed in the middle of my happy dance.
Not even breathing hard, he announced. “I let you win.”
“Oh yeah? Let’s see how fast I can pack?” I started for the door handle when he stopped me with one word.
“James.” He didn’t sound pleased.
“O'Cahan. I see you’ve got your girlfriend back all in one piece.” His voice grated on my nerves. He added as an afterthought, “Nice to see you again, Mica.”
Sean’s expression was carefully neutral as he talked to James on the front porch. He was always good at masking his emotions and was doing it now. The only telltale sign that he wanted to punch James was the tiniest twitching in his little finger. The rest of his body was draped loosely over the railing as he considered James with guarded eyes.
It was odd. James had changed recently. He’d been a little condescending when we met last year, but he was nice to me. He’s been more and more obnoxious every time I see him now. He was weirding me out with his strange covert glances. He was doing it now; looking at me from the corner of his eye like I was something nasty stuck on his shoe. What was his problem with me? I saved his life last year for God’s sake.
“I’m going inside. I’ll let Killian know you’re out here,” I said in as bland a tone as I could muster. I started towards the door but then stopped. I couldn’t help myself. Maybe the devil made me do it, I don’t know…but I kissed Sean full on the lips, with tongue, and sauntered into the house.
And ran smack into Killian’s chest just as he was about to open the door. I hit him, ricocheted back into the door, and bounced back into his chest. He caught my elbow before I could bounce anywhere else. With Dec’s hoot of hilarity echoing through the house, Killian smirked down at me.
Still gripping my elbow, he said, “Your exits suck.”
I didn’t even blush this time. He was right. My dramatic exits always ended in disaster. I should stop trying. Instead of a snappy comeback, I simply said, “Kitchen, now.” I stalked off grabbing Dec on the way.
Once safely in the kitchen, I said, “What is he doing here? Now he knows how to find us? We can’t trust him and he’s creeping me out! He keeps looking at me!”
Killian said, “Orders from Alex. James is going to be working with us on the Dagin problem. Since Dagin was the demon who held him hostage last year, he might have some unique perspective to offer us.” He lowered his voice and added, “Plus, he wants us to keep an eye on him.” He gave Dec a stern look and ordered, “We are not to eliminate James--Alex’s orders. I mean it, Dec, no killing James!”
Dec looked positively angelic and said with a broad grin, “Oh, but I’d so like to strangle him on behalf of all Primani.”
Chapter 14: Death and Destruction
THE FRONT DOOR SLAMMED and Sean’s voice echoed as he hollered for us. Dec pushed open the kitchen door and waved them inside. James checked out the kitchen like he was memorizing the exits. Why was he so interested in this place?
He sensed my suspicion and returned a glance that said ‘prove it.’
Sean started to ask Killian about orders from Alex when the doorbell rang. Startled, we all looked at each other with a question in our eyes. Everyone shrugged. We weren’t expecting company. The doorbell rang again and Dani’s voice came faintly through the door. What was she doing here?
“She knows we’re here, so you might as well answer the door.” Sean was right. “Go see what she wants. I’ll fill you in later.”
She was hurrying back to her car when I ran onto the porch yelling for her to wait.
“Dani! What are you doing here?”
Her eyes filled with tears and her face crumpled. “Oh, Mica! I’m so glad you’re home!”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I led her to the porch and sat down on the swing.
She didn’t look at me right away. Instead her gaze was somewhere high above the tree line and very far away. With a sob, she leaned into me and cried as if her heart was broken. I gathered her into my arms and held her while she cried. A slight tingle on the back of my neck alerted me that I wasn’t alone. I lifted my eyes to see Sean peering out of the doorway.
He lifted a hand in question and quietly mouthed, “What’s wrong?” at me. I shrugged helplessly as Dani continued to sob.
Rubbing her back, I waited for a lull and asked carefully, “Sweetie, what’s going on? Is it your mom?”
God, please let her mom be okay. She was all Dani had left.
Sniffing loudly, she struggled to stop crying and managed to catch her breath. “It’s Aric!” Her breath hitched again. “Oh, God, he’s dead! Mica, he’s dead!” With that, she broke down in sobs again.
Aric? No, it couldn’t be true! He wasn’t sick…there was nothing wrong with him…how could he be dead? I cried with her as I thought about the handsome boy who had been the love of Dani’s life. Aric was everything to her. He was perfect for her; they were so happy together. How could he be dead? I don’t know how long we sat on the swing wrapped in each other’s arms, holding each other up, struggling to deal with the overwhelming pain. Eventually, she leaned her head against the back of the swing exhausted from too many tears and too much raw emotion. Her haunted grey eyes were vacant as she stared out into space. She was completely shattered and I felt her agony tie me into knots. I held her hand and wished I could fix this.
Trying not to intrude, Sean slipped out and with a look of profound sadness, touched Dani’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t blink. My heart tightened and I squeezed her hand again.
After a few minutes, she seemed to come back to herself and shook her head to clear it. Smiling a weak watery smile, she blew her nose and said, “I’m so sorry I sprung this on you. I was going to call…but that seemed wrong.”
“Oh, Dani, don’t apologize to me! That’s what I’m here for, remember? Best friend?” I tried a smile, but it felt awkward on my face. Instead, I said, “Do you feel up to seeing the guys? Dec’s been staring out the window for an hour now, and I think he’s about to come through it.”
Sitting up stiffly, she closed h
er eyes and took a shaky breath. “Let me wash up first. My face is numb.”
I watched as Dani closed the door to the powder room and then bolted to the living room where everyone else waited. Wanting only my family around me, I skidded to a stop when I saw James lounging on a chair.
“You shouldn’t be here right now. This is a family emergency.”
He looked apologetic. “Oh, I’m sorry, I had no idea. What’s happened? Can I help?” He sounded sincere, but I didn’t trust him.
“Can you raise the dead?” I asked bitterly. “That’s the only thing that would help right now.”
He blinked and paused before asking, “Who’s dead?”
Sean growled under his breath and towed James to the door as Dani came into the room. Soap and water had worked minor miracles on her tear-ravaged face. Her eyes were still red and swollen but the pink in her cheeks looked healthy and her naturally pouty lips were even prettier. Those haunted grey eyes only emphasized her pale skin making her look like a china doll. Hovering in the doorway, she sent Dec a trembling smile as he rose to greet her. He was on his way to her side when James stepped between them.
Taking her arm, he said, “Here, let me help you to the table.”
Dani gazed up at him with surprise and just a little gratitude. She allowed him to lead her to a chair. Like a gentleman, he pulled the chair out for her and smiled into her eyes.
Dec wanted to kill James on the spot.
Killian spoke up. “Well, James, thanks for stopping by today. I’ll call you when we need to talk again.” It wasn’t a subtle order and we all waited for him to leave.
Flushing angrily, James made a sulky exit. Sean followed him leaving Dec to glare holes into his back. Dani was oblivious to the tension in the room and stared vacantly at the window. The wind tugged the maple tree’s branches back and forth in front of the window. The leaves were splatters of blood against the stark grey branches. It seemed a bad omen and I shivered. Dani was mesmerized by the branch, and I left her alone with her thoughts.
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 41