“James is scum, Dec. But Dani really needs you right now. Go and sit with her; her mind is in a bad place.”
With considerable effort, he rearranged his face and tamped down his anger. Grinding his teeth as he stood, he said, “He really needs his ass kicked.”
I snorted lightly, “True, but not today. I promise I’ll hold him down and you can beat the shit out of him some other time.”
“Deal.” He turned his attention to Dani and I left the two of them alone and went to find Sean.
Killian followed me out and said, “You’re a good friend, Mica.” He touched me lightly on the arm. “I have something to tell you. Let’s find Sean first.”
Sean was waiting for us on the porch staring at the air where James had vanished. He took one look at my face and said, “Did you tell her already?”
“No, she’s already upset. I wanted to wait for you.”
“What’s going on? You might as well tell me; this day can’t get any worse.”
Sean grimaced and said, “Yeah, it can.”
Killian hesitated and that freaked me out. Whatever it was, it was really bad.
Sean suggested I sit down. “No, I’m not going to sit. There’s nothing you can tell me that is going to hurt more than Aric’s death.”
“Two more brunettes were found murdered. Both were in their early twenties and had athletic builds.”
My stomach cramped and I said very carefully, “That doesn’t mean--”
“The last girl’s hair was hacked off.”
Stiffly, I touched my hair. “But--”
“Just like yours.”
My mind just sort of stalled out. I was awake but I just stood there like a zombie. This was too horrible to think about. It could only be one person, but how would he know about my hair? I haven’t seen him. Was he spying on me? When would he have done that? I’ve been surrounded by Primani since they rescued me. That’s crazy. Why would he do that?
“It makes no sense…” I whispered to myself.
Sean’s voice snapped like a whip. “Where is your gun?”
The change in tone confused me. “My gun? What’s that have to do with anything?”
Holding my shoulders tightly, he ordered, “Get your gun and load it. Keep it on you at all times--I mean it. You don’t pee without it. Do you understand me?”
He was in soldier-mode.
His tactic worked.
The brusqueness snapped me out of the numbness of shock. He’s right! I’m not a sitting duck here. I’m a trained killer. Between my gun, my knife, and my lethal hands and feet, I could protect myself pretty well. I’ve fought demons! One stupid human wasn’t going to kill me. Angry now, I pushed away from the wall and stalked into the house.
I knew exactly where my gun was.
Behind me I heard Killian comment, “That went better than I thought.”
Dani stayed for dinner and we all listened as she told us what happened to Aric. His mother called her this morning to give her the bad news. He’d been in a car accident coming home from work. The police thought he might have fallen asleep because his car ended up wrapped around a telephone pole in the middle of a sharp curve. There weren’t any skid marks, so they thought he was most likely asleep. She told us the story with tears in her eyes, but the hysterical weeping was gone. Dec’s magic again. Dani would never realize how he calmed her down, but she would feel better because of it.
“Stay for the night. You’re too tired to drive and I need your company.” I pleaded my case. It was after 10:00 now and her eyes were bleary.
She started to protest, but Sean cut her off. “Come on, Dani. You’re exhausted.”
I stifled a grin as I caught him with his hand on the small of her back. Catching my eye, he winked. In the space of a heartbeat, Dani’s eyes fluttered and she sank into his arms.
I pulled the blanket over her and smoothed her hair back. Her lashes left little shadows on her cheekbones as she mumbled peacefully in her sleep. She looked so innocent. Thanks to Sean’s help, she would sleep dreamlessly for about 12 hours. He was a miracle worker when it came to overwrought females. She’d wake up refreshed and strong. I kissed my finger and pressed it to her forehead.
“Sweet dreams, my sister.”
Sean whispered, “She’ll be all right now. Do you want to sleep here?”
I leaned into him and soaked in the steady warmth. “I need some peace too. Let’s go to bed.”
In our room, I slipped off my clothes and crawled into Sean’s open arms. I curled up and fell immediately to sleep.
“Mica!” A loud crash startled me awake but sleep tugged at me and I closed my eyes again. Sean shook me with one hand and grabbed his gun with the other. Domino growled softly near the door. Another crash and a shout brought me completely out of bed and into a crouch.
“Get your gun!” Sean hissed.
A high-pitched scream reverberated through the house and Domino went ballistic. Dani! I snatched up my Sig and bolted for the door. Sean was already gone. The hallway was in chaos. White smoke filled the corridor and people were everywhere. I couldn’t tell who was who in the smoke but tried to dodge them so I could get to Dani. Her room was at the other end of the house.
A hard blow from the side threw me into the wall and I saw stars for a second. Not wanting to waste time struggling, I pointed the gun at the shadowy shape above me and pulled the trigger. My reward was the meaty splat of blood and body parts hitting the wall. Without a sound, the man fell against the wall.
“Domino, get to Dani!” I sent the dog ahead. She took off like a flash in the darkness.
My ears were ringing so loudly I didn’t hear the man come up behind me. He grabbed me around the neck and started to walk me towards the door.
“I don’t have time for you!” I gritted out.
He grunted in surprise when I jammed my blade into his thigh. Letting go of my neck, he grabbed at his leg. I yanked the dagger out and shoved it into his chest before he could react. I took off at a sprint.
The smoke had cleared a bit by the time I made it to the living room. I saw Dec kicking the crap out of someone over by the couch. Dani screamed again and his head lifted up automatically. Her screams were punctuated by vicious barking. I nearly tripped over two sprawled bodies when I rounded the corner. Stumbling forward, I lurched into Sean. One look at his expression and I knew we had to move fast. Dani’s room was right in front of us now and I threw myself into the door before he could stop me. Sean and Killian were right behind me. The scene that greeted me was worse than a horror movie. Domino had pinned a very ugly demon against the wall, but he wasn’t alone. There was a man straddling Dani’s legs in the middle of the bed. He held a gleaming blade above him and was about to bring it down into Dani’s chest.
“No!” I screamed and threw myself at him.
The man vanished and the demon exploded with a loud whoosh. Domino’s barking cut off with a startled yelp. Confused, I looked for my prey, but he was gone.
Dec vaulted over me to get to Dani. Her eyes were black as she shrieked in mindless terror. Without bothering to check for wounds, he drew his hand over her face and her screaming stopped. She lay as quiet as the dead with eyes staring at nothing. Gently, he closed her eyes.
“God, Dani! Is she okay? Is she hurt?” I ran over to help. She was bleeding from several cuts on her arms but none seemed very deep. Her clothes were bunched and twisted around from her struggles. My heart sank and a cold fury took hold of me.
“So help me God, if they…”
Dec caught my gaze and looked at her bare midriff. He lightly ran his hand over her and shook his head slowly. “They didn’t.” He tugged her t-shirt back down and exhaled loudly.
“Animals! Monsters!” My voice rose with each syllable. “What is wrong with these people?” I swung around fully intending to kill anyone who was still alive in this house.
“Mica, wait!” Sean looked like he wanted to stop me.
“Get out of my way!”
>
Stepping aside, he waved me forward, and I stalked out of the room. I was hunting now. Someone was going to pay. Flipping on the lights room by room, I was only vaguely aware of the destruction around me. Bodies were everywhere. I counted three before I got back to the living room. A soft groan caught my attention and I searched for the source. There, near the kitchen, was a familiar face. What the hell? He was on his feet, but hunched over a chair. He was having trouble standing.
“Balin?” I said. Surprise stopped me from shooting him in the head on sight.
He turned my direction and I gagged. His arm, shoulder, and half of his chest had been blown away and black fluid ran freely from the gaping wound. Before I could say anything, Sean stopped beside me. He took one look at Balin and raised the silver knife. What had once been Balin disappeared as the knife struck true. As the body vanished, the knife clattered on the tile.
“Nice throw,” I complimented.
There were two more dead guys near the front of the house, but the rest of the place was clear. That was unfortunate. I was still boiling mad and really wanted to blow up another demon or two. Practically howling with frustration, I caught my breath and rubbed my stinging eyes.
There was no one left to blow up. Damn it.
I settled for kicking a dead guy in the head before sprinting down the hallway to check on Dani. Dec glanced up when I walked in.
“She’ll be okay. I’ve healed the cuts and put her into a deep sleep.” He looked miserable. “I’m going to erase her memories.”
I looked down at her pretty face and the bloody sheets. “I think that’s best.”
Supernatural energy is useful not only for killing demons, but also for housework. I was on my hands and knees drowning blood splatters with a bottle of bleach. This house was one massive crime scene. Cleaning was going to take weeks. Maybe we should just burn it down and move? It was nearly dawn when the guys came looking for me. I had no idea what they were up to. I’d assumed they were getting rid of the bodies.
Something in the hesitation of their footsteps made me look up. Killian had a peculiar expression on his face. It was a cross between respect, confusion, and fear. A sense of dread tightened my stomach, and I steeled myself for more pain. What else could go wrong today?
“What is it?” I reached out to Sean, and he wrapped his arm over my shoulders. He touched me like I might explode. His face was white but he didn’t say anything.
Killian said, “Come outside. There’s something you need to see.” His mouth twitched in the tiniest imitation of a smile.
“Okaaaay…” My stomach clenched again and I swallowed the sudden rush of saliva that signaled imminent puking. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead and the light got very dim.
“Hey, hey!” Sean shook me gently. “No puking or passing out right now. This is important.” He lifted me up and carried me out to the yard.
Dec was already there. He was kneeling over something that held his undivided attention. He didn’t even turn when we approached. We stopped behind him and he jumped as if surprised to see us there. I got the feeling he was blocking my view of something. He stood directly in front of me with his arms spread out. The light behind him cast his face in shadows. I couldn’t read his mood.
“What’s going on? You guys are freaking me out.”
“You and me both,” Dec said as he stepped to the side.
I stared. I turned my head to the side to see it from a different angle. I stared some more. My brain couldn’t comprehend the message my eyes were sending it. I shut my eyes and opened them.
It was still there.
How was this possible?
Behind me, Sean’s chest vibrated with silent laughter. Unable to hold it in, he finally burst out laughing.
“Well, that’s one mystery solved,” he wheezed.
“What mystery?”
“Who vaporized me.”
I stared at the body in front of me. He was bent backwards and sprawled like a rag doll. He’d been thrown on top of the fountain he lay on. The whites of his eyes gleamed dully in the misty early light. Something glinted on the grass and I reached for it. It was his knife. I dropped it like it burned me.
How did he get out here? It made no sense to me…and yet...What about the time the demon tried to kill Trevor? He’d blown up and both Trevor and Domino ended up outside in the snow. That was just a weird fluke, wasn’t it? But there was also the demon in the rest stop…All the people in the rest stop! And most devastating of all…Sean exploding in the basement…I wanted to deny it, but the truth was right in front of me.
“No…I…” My stomach rebelled, and I ran to the bushes.
“Dec, get rid of him.” Killian’s voice barely penetrated the ringing in my ears.
I retched until my stomach was empty and still couldn’t hold down the waves of nausea. It was me? Oh, God. I vaporized my soul mate! Gagging, I retched again and still my stomach roiled. There wasn’t much left to puke but I thought I could do it again. Memories overwhelmed me and I curled into myself. All the hell we went through…all of us, but Sean most of all. We were so lost without him, but he was scattered.
I am the world’s worst girlfriend--ever!
“Mica? Let’s go. I’m not going to stand here and watch you torture yourself over this. It's not your fault.” Dragging me upright, he said, “Get dressed. We’re going for a run.”
“A what? Are you nuts?”
“You heard me. Get your running clothes on. We’re getting out of here.” He nudged me towards the house. To Killian he said, “I hope you don’t need us right now.”
The first mile was the hardest. My breath wouldn’t come through my clogged nose, and I was still struggling not to throw up. Ignoring my distress, he left me behind when I slowed down, so I had to sprint to catch up to him. He kept the same relentless pace we always had and took the familiar route through the trees and down the dirt road. I had to focus on the path to keep from twisting my ankle and soon I had no room for thinking at all. By the end of the third mile, I was breathing normally again and feeling the boost of endorphins kick in. Looking over his shoulder at me, he slowed down a little to let me run beside him on the road.
I tried to gauge his mood but his expression was neutral. If anything, he seemed pretty relaxed. At the end of the fourth mile, he slowed to a walk and stopped near a tree stump to stretch. This was part of our routine too. We always stopped here to stretch. Bending down, he tied my shoe for me and smiled at my surprise.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” he mocked me gently. “This isn’t your fault. You always want to blame yourself, but it’s not your fault.” He gave me a playful kiss on my open mouth and laughed at me.
“You keep forgetting your powers came from me in the first place, and let’s not discount your destiny…You always think you have control, but you don’t. The angels have been generous with your powers. Whatever this is, it's a new power. You get new powers when you need them and not before. But you do have to learn to use them, and that’s where control comes in.” He stressed the last part with a hard look at me.
“But you could’ve died!”
“But I didn’t. Did I? No. Your powers sent me away and brought me back. You did that, Mica.” He was sitting on the ground stretching now. He looked up at me and asked, “You didn’t intend to kill me, did you?”
“No!”
“Okay then, the fact that you brought me back here tells me that we’re supposed to be together.” He rolled his shoulders. “Otherwise, why bother to give you the strength to bring me back?”
Pulling me to him, he kissed my forehead and said, “I forgive you, but you have to forgive yourself. Okay?”
Curling my fingers in the soft material of his shirt, I thought about that. He had a good point. Maybe my vaporizing him was a mistake and the Power that hands out powers decided to help me fix it.
Watching me carefully, he grinned at my conclusion and said, “That’s my girl. Now, we have to get back. G
od only knows what’s going on at the house.”
Dani was still sleeping and Dec was cleaning when we got back. All the windows were wide open and candles were burning all over the place. I sniffed and my nose curled in on itself. Yuck! It smelled like cinnamon and a slaughterhouse in here. It was so hard to get the smell of incinerated demons out of the furniture.
We really needed to figure some things out, but no one wanted to risk Dani overhearing anything. So Killian left to report the attack to Alex and the rest of us cleaned the house. It was good to be the boss. Dani finally woke up and stumbled into the kitchen about 3:00 in the afternoon. Wrinkling her nose, she asked about the horrible smell.
Dec smiled guilelessly and said, “Mica’s cooking. We had to throw out the whole thing, pan and all. It’s amazing what she can do with perfectly good cow.”
Dani rubbed her eyes and asked, “Since when do you cook?”
“My point exactly!” Dec thought he was very clever.
“Oh, ha ha. Don’t you have something to do…someplace else?” I hinted.
“Not really--” he started to say but then the light bulb went off. “Oh, yeah, you’re right! I have to fix my door.” He leaned over and gave Dani a hug and told her to hang in there.
She seemed better today though. The haunted look in her eyes was gone and she had some color in her cheeks. I searched her face for any signs that she remembered the attack.
“How are you feeling?”
She sighed and said, “I keep forgetting that he’s gone. Is that horrible? It’s so crazy, Mica.” She wrung her hands and looked over at me for reassurance.
“It’s just happened and you haven’t had time to get used to it. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’ll know he’s gone soon enough.”
Her face fell.
Geez, I’m so insensitive! Quickly, I added, “What I mean is, this is such a shock. You haven’t had time to get used to it. It’s going to suck for a while, but you’ll get through this. We’re here for you, whatever you need.”
She wiped her eyes and glanced at her phone. “I need to get home. My mom is freaking out. She’s called me four times. I’m glad you’re here. I feel better when I’m with you.”
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 42