Without saying a word, he lifted a hand encouraging me to come in. I knelt beside him and took his hand in mine. As soon as I touched him, I was drawn into the world he created for meditation. While mine was a cozy warm tropical lagoon, his was a windswept sea coast. The craggy world was wild and open. It suited him. Today, the winds were calm and the sea gently lapped at the jumbled black rocks of the coast.
I adjusted my inner vision until I could see myself standing on the shore with Killian. “Walk with me?” he asked as he linked his fingers in mine.
We walked along the shore watching the waves and feeling the gentle sun on our skin.
After a few minutes, he said, “Sean’s drifting…He’s moving around a lot. I sense him out there but I can’t get a good read on him. I want to find him before anything happens.”
My stomach clenched. “Let’s go now! What are we waiting for?”
“We have other problems, babe.”
“What is more important than Sean?”
“How about the death of millions of innocent people? We can’t ignore the smallpox intel. If that strain gets weaponized, it’s going to be sold to the highest bidder. You can bet it won’t be your United States government. Whoever gets it will use it to destroy humanity.”
Millions of people. I thought about that for a minute. Was that so awful? I’d really rather have Sean back…I didn’t care so much about the humans.
“Mica, Sean is only one Primani. Our job is to protect humans. We can’t blow this off.”
“No, your job is to protect humans. I’m not Primani. I’m not bound by your codes.”
He pulled me around to face him and said reasonably, “No, you’re not Primani. But would you turn your back on the laws of the angels after all they’ve given you? Do you really think Raphael runs around making house calls for everyone? Did your conversation with Michael mean nothing to you after all?”
Swinging away, I cried, “Damn it, Killian! Stop being right! It’s not fair.”
I stomped off and looked stubbornly away from him. Damn him. He was right. He was also intelligent, patient, and wise. Leaving me alone for a minute, he gazed out at the open sea. I thought and thought but I had no argument that made sense. Why did I have to fall in love with a Primani who was 3,000 years old? God only knew he’d made good use of those years. He bloody well knew everything. It’s unnerving. Coming up beside him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against him.
“Okay, I’m listening. What can we do?”
Relieved to have my cooperation, he kissed the top of my head and said, “I have some ideas.”
“And what about Rivin?”
With a huge sigh, he muttered, “He’ll have to come with us.”
Rivin didn’t take the news well. “You want me to do what? This is bullshit! What do I care about O’Cahan? We all have our problems; he’ll deal.” He opened his mouth to complain some more but promptly snapped it shut when Killian cut him off with a single word.
“Selana.”
Cursing viciously, Rivin lunged into Killian and the two of them hit the wall hard enough to shake the windows. Rivin’s face was bright red as he did his best to strangle Killian. Killian neatly jammed an elbow into Rivin’s diaphragm and stepped back to watch Rivin’s face drain of color. Not completely satisfied, he lifted him up by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.
Growling deep in his throat, he said, “I see you remember her.” He reached out and plucked the tiny cross into the light. “This isn’t penance enough!” With that snarl, he flung Rivin to his knees and stepped back.
Rivin struggled for air and still hadn’t caught his breath. His white face turned red with the effort to breathe. Killian watched with arms folded as Rivin’s eyes rolled around in panic.
“Killian, please! We don’t need his help.” I tugged on his arm and he gave me an irritated glance.
Abruptly, he reached around and thumped Rivin hard on the back. Rivin sprawled on his face but sucked in a great lungful of air. The hoarse sound of his breathing filled the room while Killian looked on. When Rivin had finally settled down to the business of living, Killian finished their conversation.
“You’ll do what I ask, when I ask it. You’ll do it because you’re assigned to my team.” He squatted down to look Rivin in the eyes. “But most importantly, you’ll do it for Selana. Am I clear?”
Pushing himself into a more dignified sitting position, Rivin replied, “Crystal.”
“Good. We’re leaving in the morning. You can meet us in London in three days.”
“I’ll just go be domestic…” I sprinted out of the room.
The atmosphere was heavy with resentment and anger. Rivin was putting off waves of both and Killian was just simply annoyed. The two of them were bringing me down…I needed some testosterone-free time. I gathered up the small bundle of dirty clothes and started a wash. While that was working, I made a snack for all of us. We had food left in the fridge; might as well eat it. I tossed together a salad and threw in a bit of leftover steak, the last two boiled eggs, and the cheese. There were a handful of crackers left so I set them out too. It wasn’t a lot, but at least it was fresh.
Satisfied with the results, I called the guys to come down. Rivin slouched into the room looking grouchy but he brightened at the sight of food. I handed him a beer which he took with a small smile and no smartass comments for a change.
“I’m going to go pack. Would you clean up when you’re done?” I asked him.
“Sure, no problem and thanks for the food.”
I finished packing everything up and undressed for bed. Standing in the moonlight, I thought about the black thing in the forest and shivered with a sudden chill. It wasn’t like any demon I’d ever seen. It was still out there…someplace.
Was it watching me right now?
Killian came up behind me and locked the shutters with a loud clank. Touching my hand on his way by, he said, “Are you coming to bed? You’re freezing.”
Snuggled against my personal furnace, I rubbed my icy feet along his leg making him wince. After a lingering kiss, he curled his arm around me and relaxed.
“Killian?”
I love you too, Princess.
Smiling into the darkness, I kissed him again and settled against his side. The rise and fall of his chest slowed until it was nearly still. And yet I stared at the ceiling and listened to sounds I couldn’t identify. Odd noises filtered through the shutters…yips and howls…wolves. The cry of a night bird startled me. Was it an owl? Creaks and groans startled me out of my spiral into dreams. Every little noise brought me out of sleep and alert, listening. Eventually exhaustion took its toll and the last time I sank into sleep, I was out. The sudden pounding on the metal shutters catapulted me out of sleep with a full-blown scream. Leaping out of the bed, Killian shoved me behind him and yelled for Rivin.
The screech of tearing metal paralyzed me and I sat huddled on the bed. Pounding fists sounded against the downstairs windows and glass shattered. Killian threw my knife to me and palmed his own. The pounding and screeching grew louder, more frantic.
No, no…not again.
I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared with huge eyes.
Killian stood between me and the window. Rivin raced into the bedroom with his knife ready. He took one look at my bare skin and threw me his t-shirt.
“Move, Mica! Get up! They’re coming!”
Killian shouted, “Mica? Get up!”
Shaking my head, I clutched the blanket in front of me and squeezed my eyes shut.
No, no, no...
The breaking glass echoed through my head and I was back in the tiny powder room in the farmhouse, clutching Sean’s knife against my chest, praying for the strength to use it. They’d come from everywhere…they tore the house into pieces, screaming and yelling for me…hours and hours of siege…
Now they screamed again.
Inhuman, bloodthirsty, terrifying…
The tearing
metal, the scraping of claws…
“Come on, babe, come back to me now. It’s okay. We’re safe.”
Killian.
Another male voice rumbled against my ear. “You know you’re naked, right?”
Blinking, I sputtered and tried to sit up. Slurring my words, I managed to say, “Naked?”
Killian reached out and steadied me. He gave Rivin a dirty look and snapped, “You have a big mouth, Rivin!” To me, he said calmly, “You’re covered up; he’s just messing with you.”
I was covered in a blanket. Clutching it against my chest, I asked, “What happened?”
“Vampires,” Rivin announced with disgust. He looked extremely put out by the whole thing. “Fucking unnatural, foul creatures.” He spit on the ground for emphasis.
“Vampires? Are you kidding me?”
“Maybe.”
Killian gave Rivin a censorious stare and reached for my hand. “I think you should give me that now.”
Following his glance, I was stunned.
I was still clenching the Primani blade under my heart, my knuckles were white and blood was seeping between my fingers. “What happened? I remember them coming…they were screaming…and…and…”
“It’s over now. Don’t cry, baby.” He pulled me against him and squeezed me. I was shaking so hard the blanket was twitching. “I’ve got you.”
“I’ll just…go…somewhere for a minute,” Rivin mumbled and turned his back.
Killian laid the palm of his hand against the rune on my chest and leaned his forehead against mine. Gently, the soft flow of his saol slid through my chest sending trickles of heat and lethargy through my body. My panicky mind settled as he whispered into my ear.
“Serenity, Mica; find your strength.”
The hypnotic sound of his voice and irresistible pulse of his power lulled my senses, calmed my racing heart. Brushing my tears away with the pad of his thumb, he pulled me against him and held me tightly.
“You’ll never have to use that knife! Do you hear me? I’ll protect you. Always.” He lifted my palm and healed the long gash.
“For eternity?”
He kissed my palm and muttered, “If I have anything to say about it.”
Rivin approached with averted eyes. He cleared his throat and said, “Hate to interrupt, but I think we should go back and get our stuff before we can’t get into the house. They’ll send more when the others report in.”
“How did we end up here?” I asked. Realizing I was holding a t-shirt too, I added, “Whose shirt is this?”
Rivin held out a hand and said, “It’s mine, lass. I was trying to help. You don’t need it now, so give it back. It’s a bit nippily out here.”
Killian threw the shirt in his face and waited while I secured the blanket like a toga. “When they attacked, you went catatonic and we couldn’t protect you and fight off the attack at the same time. There were too many to leave Rivin alone, so we grabbed you and left. It was close; too close. One of them was halfway inside the window just as we faded. You’re lucky you were holding that blanket or you would’ve been naked sitting here.”
He was trying for a light tone, but it still fell a little flat. He didn’t like any exits to be ‘close.’
Rivin’s teeth gleamed in the darkness. “You’ve got nice tits, by the way, love.”
Killian’s fist connected with his eye and he landed on his butt with a heavy grunt. Killian warned, “I’m going to kill you one of these days, and nobody will blame me.”
Rivin rubbed his face and said, “What did I say? It was a compliment! They’re lovely!”
Wanting to spare me the sight of the house, Rivin went back alone and put our things in the McLaren. He drove it a few miles to the main highway to meet us. Killian and I rematerialized just as he pulled up. Diving inside, I had just enough time to sit down before we were roaring down the road. Rivin teleported off with his backpack slung across his shoulder. Faint sounds of screaming drifted on the wind and Killian gunned the gas and shifted gears. The car took off like a rocket. Completely aware of the screaming that trailed along behind us, he drove single-mindedly while I got dressed. I caught a glimpse of his face as we roared by another car. He was deadly serious. His eyes watched for physical dangers; his mind scanned for incoming attacks.
Finally, I turned to him and said, “Vampires? Was he serious?”
His lips curled into a ghost of a smile and he said, “What? You believe in demons, but you don’t believe in vampires?”
“Not normally, no. It’s just too cliché.”
“You’re getting cynical, babe.” He relaxed and unclenched his knuckles. “I like it.”
Chapter 9: Kryptonite
Plattsburgh, New York:
IF THIS WAS HELL, why was he so cold? He’d always assumed it would be hotter than this. He was a little disappointed…and where were the demons who were supposed to torment him for eternity? Were they giving him time to settle in? That seemed unlikely…Looking around him, he saw nothing but an empty red space. There was nothing here but him. He turned to check behind him and flinched as blinding pain speared his brain. Squinting automatically, he realized his eyes were glued together with dried blood.
He wasn’t dead after all.
Now he was really disappointed…
“Fuck. Why am I not dead?”
“No idea, man. You look like you’ve been dead for days.”
Someone grabbed him under the arms and hauled him to his feet. Sean rubbed at his eyes and peeled them open. The kitchen whirled and spun and he clutched at the counter. His stomach heaved and he leaned over the sink retching up nothing but stomach lining.
“What happened to your head? You’ve been bleeding all over the place.”
Straightening with supreme effort, Sean squinted at the visitor. “Tyler? Where did you come from?”
Tyler frowned at Sean’s condition but said, “The back door was open…I’ve been trying to find Mica for weeks. Thought I’d try here again. Dani’s gone, Sean. Her mom’s totally lost it and the cops haven’t got a clue. I’m really worried about her. I was hoping maybe Mica knew something. You know, maybe Dani did one of those flaky running-off-to-a-commune things or something.”
Sean didn’t answer him.
Tyler studied his old friend. Sean was barely functioning. He leaned against the counter for support and couldn’t seem to focus his eyes. He blinked one eye and then the other. One pupil was a pinpoint and the other was dilated. Dried blood covered the side of his face; the kitchen was a disaster area. What was going on here?
“Dude, you should sit down before you fall down.” He pulled over one of the kitchen chairs and said, “Sit.”
Sean was confused. What was Tyler doing here? How did he find this place? Dani was the only human who’d been here, right? He thought that was true, but he wasn’t sure. Did they ever have company? Where was everyone? Where was Dec?
Oh, yeah, he was…somewhere else.
He didn’t know where.
He shook his head to clear his tumbling thoughts but that just sent pain blasting through him again. Groaning, he sat heavily, missing half of the chair. Tyler jumped up and shoved him back onto the seat.
“You don’t look too good. What happened?”
Blankly, Sean looked at Tyler. “My head’s fucking killing me, man. I can’t stand it.” He fumbled under his shirt and pulled out his Sig. Handing it to a stunned Tyler, he said, “See if it’s loaded, would you? I can’t take this anymore.”
Tyler took the gun like it was a grenade and gingerly set it out of reach. He looked more closely at Sean and then at the small pool of blood on the tile. He must’ve fallen and cracked his head. That would explain the symptoms. Confusion, headaches, vomiting, uneven pupils…He needed a hospital. Now.
“Hold on, man. I’m calling 911. You need a hospital.” He grabbed his cell phone and stepped out onto the back porch to get a better signal.
Five minutes later, he stepped back inside saying, “
Hang on, the ambulance is on its way…Sean?”
Sean was gone.
He looked for the gun. It was gone too.
Manhattan, New York:
His reentry was less than smooth…he landed too hard and his foot and his tibia went in two different directions. Cursing in multiple languages, he sat on the marble tile in the penthouse foyer staring at the odd angle of his foot. His foot blurred into three images and he ground his teeth together in frustration. Damn it, stay still! He gave it an experimental turn and winced at the excruciating pain.
“Is there anything else that can go wrong?” He glared around him daring someone to answer. No one did. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even with his disconnected thoughts, he knew there was no help for it. He’d have to try to heal the ankle. He had work to do. The city was crawling with demons and he was going to get back to his job. He had screwed up in ways he’d never be able to fix. New York had plenty of demons that needed killing.
Maybe that would balance his karma?
Pointedly ignoring the pain in his head, he closed his eyes and drew his saol to the broken bone in his ankle. It was harder than usual because his body kept trying to pull the energy flow towards his head.
Oh, no you don’t. I’m not fixing that.
He vividly remembered the car accident and what happened to cause Mica to risk her life for him. It was a miracle she wasn’t killed in the rollover. He’d put her in that position because he’d lost control. He’d gone too far, slipping towards a darkness he’d fought against for thousands of years. No, he thought as his ankle mended, he deserved the pain. He’d let his emotions fuel his powers in the worst way possible. He’d lost control and hurt the one person he cared about. He’d suck it up and take the punishment.
If it killed him, well, maybe that was his destiny.
The fact was, he didn’t much care.
After a few minutes, his ankle was perfectly healed and he realized his head ached less fiercely. He opened his eyes and the room remained steady. He could think again…how did that happen?
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 81