“Where? Where is he?”
Hysterical now, she cried, “I can’t tell! I can’t tell! They’re killing him!”
Grabbing her hand, he slipped into her mind to share the vision. It played like a horror movie. The bloody scene could’ve been anywhere…where was he? Come on…show me something I can use…
There! That’s it!
Brooklyn, New York:
They rematerialized seconds later, with weapons drawn and eyes blazing. The smell of blood was overwhelming as soon as they landed. Mica inhaled sharply. Killian swung his eyes left then right and zeroed in on Sean. Two men had him spread out between them and were taking turns kicking him. Sean’s body jerked with the impact, but he was too far gone to move. Judging by the blood pool under his head, they’d been at it for a while. Were they too late?
A wave of fury swamped him so hard and so fast, he roared like a crazed demon. A bolt of lightning hit the building and sent chunks of brick flying like shrapnel. The alley was suddenly filled with a blinding white light; both humans froze and turned away from Sean. They took one look at what was waiting for them and started to back away.
Moving with inhuman speed, Killian snatched Joey by the shoulder and threw him into the wall. The wall cracked and collapsed from the force. Joey slid to the ground under a shower of bricks and mortar. He didn’t move. Killian pointed his Sig at the man and shot him between the eyes. Oh God, please make Sean be alive!
Sean’s pulse was there, but barely. He was bleeding too much. “Come on, brother. Hang in there, we’re gonna get you home.” He rubbed Sean’s cold hand in between his.
While Killian had been busy with Joey, he’d kept his awareness focused on Mica in case he needed to step in. He should’ve known better. She was just fine without him. Mica grabbed the other man and threw him over a garbage can into the ground. He’d gotten up smirking when he saw she was a woman.
Until she started to glow.
Mica’d gone road flare with rage. Her powers lit her up like a nuclear explosion.
The stupid human backed away with his hands spread out in a gesture of peace as if he could calm her! Killian ground his teeth with a fresh urge to kill.
The man’s hands were covered in blood.
Sean’s blood.
Mica went ballistic. She charged him with a howl that echoed in the alley. He tripped and fell on his ass. She tackled him and punched him in the face, smashing his nose. With eyes blazing like twin stars, she jammed the barrel of her gun into his mouth. He started to beg, mumbling and crying incoherently.
“You want mercy? Like you showed my friend here?”
To Killian, she asked, “Is he dead? Tell me he’s not dead!”
“Almost. Finish that garbage so we can get out of here.”
The scumbag grabbed her leg, pleading, “No, no, please don’t kill me! Don’t!”
“Death is a blessing.” She shot him between the eyes and stepped back to see a man’s horrified face peering through the crumbled bricks. Nodding at him, she re-holstered the Sig and let her eyes smolder.
The bartender slowly lowered his shotgun and crossed himself.
Seconds later, they had Sean in the penthouse. While Killian carried him to an empty bed, Mica shouted for Raphael.
“Raphael! It’s urgent! Please hurry!!”
Running back to Sean’s side, she leaned into his ear and said, “Sean? I know you can hear me. Hang on, baby! Please don’t go. We’re going to fix you.” Her words ended with a sob.
His eyes were swollen shut and he was too still. His chest barely rose with breath. She glared at the walls.
“Those bastards! We didn’t kill them right. It should’ve been slower!” Mica was pacing to release the extra power she carried. Her fingertips were still glowing and her heat was making Killian sweat.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was trying to keep it together. He had to give her props for that. Sean was a train wreck; it wasn’t easy for her to see. Although he’d seen worse over the centuries, this was ripping his guts out. This was Sean, his Primani brother. His life mattered more to him than all the others he’d patched up after battles. How the hell did a couple of humans get the jump on him? Sean was impossible to catch.
He ran his hands above Sean’s body trying to see where he was hurt. Hmm, a couple of broken ribs…internal bleeding? From what though? Spleen? Ripped aorta? He wasn’t a doctor; he wasn’t even a good healer. He had minor healing talent, but that was it. They needed Raphael for the serious damage.
A slight change in air pressure announced Raphael’s arrival. Thank God! With a curt nod of greeting, he nudged Killian out of the way and began working on Sean. He closed his eyes and sat silently for a moment. After peeling open each of Sean’s eyelids, he sat back and sunk into thought. Tapping his fingers against his leg, he held out his hand. A small black satchel appeared out of thin air. Mica jumped as it landed in his palm.
Killian frowned. Oh, damn, this isn’t good.
He pulled Mica towards the door saying, “You don’t need to see this.”
She dug in her heels at Sean’s side. “I won’t leave him, damn it! I promised him I’d be here. I promised!” She yanked her hand out of Killian’s and went back to the bedside. She latched onto his hand and rubbed it between her own.
“Sean, Raphael’s here. He’s going to help you. Hang on. No floating!”
Raphael held a small drill in his hand. The tiny bit gleamed in the bedroom light. “Mica, my child, you don’t want to see this.”
“I’ll stay out of the way. I just need to be here…for him. I promised.” Her voice cracked and tears streamed over her cheek.
Raphael considered her plea and nodded. “Sit over there, you can hold his hand. It might comfort him.”
Killian stood behind her and squeezed Sean’s shoulder as well. Come on, brother! You’ve got to hold on. We need you back. At the first high-pitched whine of the drill, blood spattered like red mist and Mica buried her face into his shoulder. Holding her against him, Killian prayed for Sean to pull through. They couldn’t lose him too.
Shaking her gently, Killian brought Mica back to the present, “Babe? Raphael’s done with the surgery. He’s going to finish healing him now.”
She kissed Raphael’s cheek and told him he was amazing. He smiled at her and said, “I’ve been known to pull off a miracle here and there. Would you be a good nurse and get some water and towels? We should clean him up while he’s still asleep.”
Sean’s clothes were covered in blood, his hair was matted with it, and his face and hands were splattered with it. He looked like he’d been spray painted.
Saluting smartly, she raced out of the room. Killian watched her go with darkened eyes. Raphael continued working on Sean but asked pointedly, “How is she?”
“Physically, she’s doing better. She’s finally regained all the weight she lost and her strength as well.” He lowered his voice. “You should’ve seen her tonight. She was perfect! She was furious but she stayed in control and didn’t give in to her urge to crush that maggot like a bug. She only punched him once and then executed him. It was a clean kill and not traceable back to our world. Her control is growing stronger every day.” And that was important if she was going to keep her powers. She couldn’t be allowed to keep them if she didn’t use them responsibly.
“And emotionally? How is she coping with all that’s happened?”
He turned to the window and ran a hand over his jaw. “She’s dealing with it, but you have to know that she’d be better if Dec was with us. I see her staring into space when she thinks I’m not looking. She’s missing him.” He frowned and added, “I’m worried about one thing though. I don’t know if she’ll ever recover from the hoard of demons that attacked her at the farmhouse. She froze up completely in Romania. We almost didn’t make it out of there. It was very close.”
“Well, that’s to be expected, my friend.” He glanced up from realigning one of Sean’s ribs and said
, “I have complete faith in your ability to heal those particular wounds.”
Killian’s gut clenched at the unspoken promise in those words and he was grateful for the foreshadowing. He peered at Sean’s face and was relieved to see normal color appearing in his cheeks. The swelling was almost gone and the bruises were fading. He was going to make it. Automatically, he took Sean’s fingers in his hand and slowly boosted his saol with his own. It was second nature to him after all these years. There were a lot of close calls throughout the millennia. He’d lost track of how many times they’d saved each other’s lives.
“He looks almost human again!” Mica exclaimed from the doorway.
“He always looks almost human,” Killian said with a slight smile.
Raphael stood up and stretched elegantly. His kind eyes were lined and shadowed with fatigue. He’d had to pour his heart and soul, literally, into Sean to save him. He was exhausted and needed to find his bed.
“I’m not going to stay until he wakes up. But Killian, you must pass on a message for me. When he argues with you about what he should do, tell him that I said he must do as you say. He’ll hate that, but you’ll know what to do. I know you will guide him as I would.” He reached out and clasped Killian’s hand with a smile.
“Thank you again, Raphael,” Mica said. Standing up on her toes, she kissed his cheek and said, “I love you; get some rest!”
With a fond glance at Mica, he winked at Killian and vanished.
Killian kissed Mica’s pouting lips and slipped quietly from the sheets. She smiled in her sleep and mumbled his name. The sound of it started a small fire low in his gut and he marveled at the feeling. Looking down, he thought, again? He started to reach for her and stopped. His lust would have to wait. She needed to rest and he had other important things to do.
When he pushed open the door, he was surprised to find Sean sitting up in the bed. Sean had been staring off into space but blinked when Killian walked in. His eyes were clear and focused as he turned around.
Taking a second to clap him on the shoulder in brotherly affection, Killian asked, “Do you want company?”
“Not really. But you’re not really asking, are you?”
Killian pulled up a chair and sat. “Not really, no. Here’s the thing. Raphael told me you’ve been bleeding inside your thick skull for days. He mentioned an old injury. Now, Mica already told me about the rollover…so, my assumption is you got hurt in the wreck and decided to be a dumb ass and not heal yourself.”
Sean stiffened at the insult and looked away.
“How am I doing so far?” Killian’s angry tone left no room for argument.
“I don’t answer to you.”
Killian spun Sean around. Nose to nose, he snapped, “You answer to your family! Damn it! You owe us that much.” He backed off a little but continued, “Do you think you’re the only Primani who ever questioned things? Lost faith? Made mistakes?”
“Do you have any idea what you put Mica through? She nearly lost her mind worrying about you! You used her and you hurt her. You damn well better start explaining before I start re-breaking your face!”
Sean’s control broke and he jumped off the bed. He jammed a finger into Killian’s chest and shouted, “Go ahead! Do it! For God’s sake, it doesn’t matter anymore! Are you pissed off? Get in line!” He laughed bitterly and added, “Shit, I’ve hurt everyone around me! I’m a friggin’ disaster! You should’ve let me die!”
“What are you talking about? What else have you done?”
“I’ve screwed up so much I don’t even know where to start! Mica? My only job was keeping her alive, and instead I got pissed off and turned my back on her. I was ready to marry her and I walked away the second things got complicated. I should’ve been with her that night! I should’ve forgiven her. She lost our baby because I was sulking like some kind of prima donna! I heard you talking to Raphael. She still hasn’t recovered. It’s my fault. There’s nothing I can do to fix that.”
Lowering his voice, he said, “And Dec…He’s gone because I didn’t have his back. How many years did we fight beside each other? I should’ve known what he’d do…I should’ve stopped him. Now he’s gone.”
With that, he sat with his head in his hands, jaw clenched and eyes squeezed shut.
Killian searched for the right words. “There is nothing you could’ve done to save Dec, Sean. What happened to him was Jordan’s doing. You want to help Dec? Get your shit together so we can send Jordan to Hell where he belongs. In the meantime, have some faith. The angels know what they’re doing.”
Sean’s head snapped up. “Do they? Really? I don’t know if I believe that. What are we supposed to be doing out there? I don’t even know anymore! I thought I was doing the right thing…I destroyed more demons than I can count this month…all in the name of Good. I killed them to protect humans. But then I realized something. The humans were worse than the demons.” He shrugged and turned away. “So what’s the point?”
“That’s enough, Sean.”
Mica stood in the doorway with anger glittering in her eyes. Killian and Sean both backed away. She advanced on Sean until she had pressed him into the wall. Craning her neck to see him, she hissed in frustration and yanked him to her level.
“Consider this an intervention. Sit!”
He sat.
Killian leaned against the wall. Here it comes.
“First of all, you’re missing the bigger picture. Don’t be an idiot! Will you let James win? He hated you! He wanted to destroy you, and you’ve let him. He knew you better than you know yourself! He said those things to rip you to pieces.”
She threw her hands up in exasperation. “He counted on your stupid ego to destroy you. He knew you’d be furious and that your pride would keep you from forgiving me. He knew you’d let it eat you alive until you were so consumed with bitterness that you’d begin to question everything Primani. He knew you’d need to kill and destroy to quell the anger.” Her voice dropped to a stage whisper, “After all, it happened to him, didn’t it?”
Sean blanched and reached out to placate her. She smacked the top of his hand like an angry nun. Killian smothered a grin. That’s my girl!
“Try that again, and you’ll pull back a bloody stump! I’m not going to calm down.”
Killian watched her face as she read Sean the riot act. She glowed with anger, but more than that. Her eyes betrayed the desperation he sensed in her mood. She was positive she could save him, redeem him. She’d probably kill him herself if he didn’t immediately cooperate. Looking at the stubborn tilt to her chin as she yelled at Sean, he thought she just might be able to do it.
“Mica, please--” Sean tried to interrupt.
She raised a hand to silence him. “I’m not finished yelling at you. You can talk when I’m done.” Narrowing her eyes, she stuck her nose against his and said sweetly, “You will talk when I’m done. You’re gonna sing like a canary or I’ll have my boyfriend rip your head off. Got it?”
Killian couldn’t quite smother the grin and hastily turned away from Sean.
Sean elbowed him and muttered, “This is your fault, you know. She was nice when she was with me.”
Mica paused to collect her thoughts. She studied Sean’s expression and the emotions swirling around him.
Regrouping, she stepped back and considered him with gentle eyes, her expression loving. She knelt and took his hands in hers. Rubbing his fingers lightly, she said, “Sean, I don’t blame you for my miscarriage. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Sometimes they just happen. At first, I was depressed and mad, but I’ve worked through my feelings. I think you haven’t. You’ve been saving up this rage and it’s going to destroy you.” She pressed his fingers against her lips and kissed them. “I’m telling you to let it go. Let all of it go.” Her voice was low and smooth, hypnotic. He took a shuddering breath and looked up.
Sean’s eyes reflected the naked pain he clung to.
“Let it go.”
“Mica…I’m sorry. For everything,” he whispered with tears in his eyes as he let go of the guilt.
Brushing his cheek, she said, “I know you are. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I wish I could take back what I did, but I can’t. I hope you can forgive me. I forgave you a long time ago. Can you forgive yourself?” Her expression said he would if he knew what was good for him.
She nodded meaningfully at Killian who cracked his knuckles and glared at Sean.
Sean gave in. “You’re sure?” At her nod, he said, “I’ll work on it, love.”
Laughing with relief, Mica wrapped her arms around him. They clung to each other; Sean soaking up the gentle touch of forgiveness, and Mica the soft warmth of healing.
Watching the two of them together, Killian felt the universe settle back into its proper position. Sometimes the angels knew what they were doing.
Chapter 11: Behind the Glass
I DRAGGED MYSELF out of bed and stumbled into the shower before I realized where I was. The penthouse…last night’s rescue came flooding back to me and I broke speed records getting dressed. Throwing clothes out of the dresser, I couldn’t find any that looked good. Frowning at the sloppy fit, I settled for yoga pants and a tank top.
“You hate that, don’t you?” Killian observed from the kitchen island. He and Sean had eaten and were chilling out and catching up.
Stopping dead, I scowled at him and answered, “It’s just so, so…sloppy. How could you stand me in this stuff? It’s so college student.”
He rolled his eyes at Sean’s confused expression. “We went to Paris.”
“Hey! You took me shopping, remember? I seem to recall you liked everything just fine.”
His eyes warmed, and I turned pink remembering the sapphire blue lingerie. He let his eyes linger on mine and I heard him sigh inside my head. I glanced at Sean but he wasn’t paying attention to us. He’d turned to look out the French doors. I slipped behind Killian and leaned my cheek on his shoulder. As usual, he reached up and caught my hand in his.
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 83