Lightbringer

by Frankie Robertson

  If Dave died now, he’d never have a chance.

  *Let me help you,* Dave pleaded. *Help me.*

  An argument could be made that Dave wouldn’t be dying if not for the actions of a Fey, and the conflict between Aelziroth and himself. That saving Dave was only restoring the natural order.

  Jared shook his head. I must be insane. He put his hands on Dave and summoned his Power.

  He pulled it up from deep within his core, the Light that could only be seen with the inner eye, and pushed it into the other man like a cleansing fire. He didn’t try to be gentle. Dave didn’t deserve gentle. He couldn’t replace all the blood Dave had lost, but he could heal the damage Aelziroth had left in his wake and stop the bleeding from his other wounds.

  Dave shuddered, convulsing with the pain, strangling on his screams. As the agony eased he sucked in a deep breath. He’d be weak, but he would live.

  Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. Someone must have reported the gunfire and explosion.

  Dave groaned as he levered himself up to a sitting position. “We need to get out of here. And we need to get rid of the body.”

  Shame washed through Jared. How could I have forgotten? “The innocent I killed.”

  Dave used the wall to pull himself to his feet. He stood for a moment, wavering, but his voice held a tone of command. “No time for guilt. We’ve got to go. Now.”

  Jared nodded and stood. He gasped as pain stabbed his side, but he ignored it. Using his extreme strength and speed, he picked up Dave and had him in the car in less than thirty seconds. Then he went back for the man he’d shot.

  As he started to lift the body, the man moaned and Jared almost dropped him.

  He’s alive!

  “Oh God, my back!” the man cried. “What happened?”

  Jared felt the man’s chest. A vest! Aelziroth had given the man a Kevlar vest to complete the illusion that he was Dave. The trick had worked all too well, but it had also saved the man’s life.

  Sirens screamed closer.

  “Wait here. Help is coming.” Then Jared ran for the car.

  Cassie frantically tried to brake, to turn the wheel, to control something as Aelziroth drove up White Mountain Boulevard, but none of her efforts had any effect. The more she struggled, the more Aelziroth laughed.

  *Why so unhappy, my sweet? We’re just going to have a little fun. Much better than anything dear Jaradiel provided, I promise.*

  *Shut up!* She raged, pulling and pushing against her invisible, incorporeal prison. *You tried to kill him! He was your friend!*

  *My friend? He betrayed me! He deserves whatever he gets.*

  *I don’t believe anything you say!*

  *Don’t you?* Aelziroth pulled into a dirt parking lot next to the Lion’s Lair Bar and Grill. *Without even knowing what I’ll say? Without knowing the facts? What about Truth? Your Lightbringer lover would be so disappointed in you.*

  Cassie hesitated. Jared loves the Truth, she conceded to herself. But Aelziroth heard her thought.

  *He says he does. But when push came to shove, the Lightbringers betrayed us. I still can’t believe it! Lucifer siding with Michael and his sycophants. They’ll tolerate anything, any atrocity, just to keep their precious Order.*

  Jared’s not too fond of Michael either. Could Aelziroth be telling the truth? At least part of it? *Jared said you chose Chaos.*

  *Only as a means to an end. Michael will ruin Creation with his iron fist. All of us were left in charge, not just him. We’re not apostates, we’re Loyalists, and we’re the only ones willing to stand up to him. The Guardians won’t. The Lightbringers wimped out on us. We’re the only ones who really want to protect the universe in all its original, messy glory.* Aelziroth got out of the car and headed for the door.

  *By tearing it down?* Cassie demanded.

  *By not letting Michael have it all his own way. And if we have a little fun while we’re at it, all the better.*

  Aelziroth strode into the bar. A metal silhouette of a lion graced the wooden door, a black cardboard witch’s hat taped to its head. Music from the live country rock band thickened the air. Faux cobwebs festooned the rafters and a scarecrow hung by its neck in the corner next to a sign that celebrated the site of the last lynching in Arizona. A mostly young crowd stood jammed around the high tables. Aelziroth headed straight for an open seat between two guys at the L-shaped bar. One wore a long sleeve T-shirt and had stringy, shoulder length hair, the other was nuzzling the neck of a dark-haired woman with a rose tattoo on her shoulder.

  Cassie’s fear surged as she guessed what Aelziroth had planned. *No! No! No!* she screamed, trying to turn, to walk out, but nothing she did made any difference.

  Aelziroth hiked her hip up onto the plastic upholstered stool and mentally laughed at her. *Don’t be shy, sweetie.*

  “What can I get you?” The bartender, in black jeans, red shirt and black cowboy hat, asked.

  Aelziroth flipped through the drink menu, then smiled at the handsome young man. “I’ll have a Toasted Almond.”

  The bartender smiled back. “Coming right up.”

  Aelziroth turned in the seat to survey the place. A couple of stuffed ducks and a deer head graced the wood paneled walls, along with lariats of barbed wire. A “No Sniveling” sign hung over the bar and “Scenic Overlook” pointed the way to a smoking patio. The mood of the crowd was buoyant. Under other circumstances, Cassie might have liked the rustic ambiance of the place, but not tonight.

  Music thrummed in her lungs, but it was a distant sensation.

  “Here you go,” the bartender said, placing the drink on the bar in front of her. “It’ll be last call in a few minutes.”

  “I guess I’d better not waste any time then,” Aelziroth said, adding a wink. He lifted the glass and downed half the Kahlua and cream drink in one gulp.

  “I’ll get the next one, Tom,” the man with the long hair said from beside her.

  The bartender looked at Cassie. Aelziroth nodded and said, “Thanks.”

  “Hey, Collins!” A voice called from the end of the bar. “Another Amber Bock down here!”

  Tom waved acknowledgement and turned to the tap.

  “I’m Charlie.” The man sitting next to her shouted to be heard over the music.

  “Good for you,” Aelziroth replied, following Tom’s butt with her eyes.

  Charlie grinned and put his arm across the back of the stool where Aelziroth sat, touching her shoulder.

  *No! Stop this! No!* Cassie screamed inside her head.

  Aelziroth downed the rest of his drink. “Would you like to dance?” he asked Charlie.

  Charlie’s eyes brightened. “Sure.”

  Aelziroth grabbed his hand and they shouldered their way to the minuscule dance floor in front of the band. The demon rolled Cassie’s hips and bumped in time to the bass, lifting her arms above her head, then skimming her hands down her body. Normally Cassie loved the sensuality of dance, of moving to the rhythm and flow of music, but being used as a puppet made her cringe. *Stop this! Stop!* But Aelziroth continued his overtly seductive grind with her body.

  Several men were staring at her. She wanted to hide. Charlie watched wide-eyed then reached out to take her hands. Cassie could only observe as he did a little two-step, twirled her, then pulled her in tight to his body to press his erection against her belly.

  Cassie recoiled in disgust and tried to pull away from the aroused man, but nothing she did mattered. Her grasp on her body was like clutching at water. Aelziroth laughed and ground against Charlie’s groin.

  By the time the song ended, Charlie was looking very happy and Cassie wanted to take a shower. Or throw up. But she couldn’t do a thing as Aelziroth towed the man back to the bar and downed the drink he bought her in three gulps.

  A small furrow formed between Tom’s brows as she ordered her third drink in fifteen minutes, but he didn’t say anything. *Help me!* Cassie tried to shout, but nothing came out.

  Aelziroth just l
aughed at her again. What would you say, if you could? “I’m possessed?” or, “My body’s been hijacked?” What do you think the bartender could do? I admit he is cute, though. Would you rather go home with him than with Charlie? I could arrange it. And Tommy-boy does look a little cleaner. I plan to keep your body for a while, so that could be important.*

  Cassie withdrew, pulling her mental shields tight. She didn’t know if she could hide from Aelziroth, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his words upset her. One way or another, the demon was going to use her body to have sex with a stranger tonight. She couldn’t stop it from happening. Fear choked her, clogging her mind, smothering hope. She wouldn’t think about it, not when the memory of Jared’s tender lovemaking was so clear in her mind.

  Was Jared all right? He’d looked stunned when Aelziroth had left the cabin, and there had been blood on his shirt. She knew he’d try to rescue her. Hope and fear tore at her. She didn’t want him getting killed. She had to find a way to stop Aelziroth.

  The band finished their encore and the remaining patrons applauded. The drop in the noise level seemed jarring even though the buzz of conversation still filled the bar.

  “Here you go.” Tom put her third drink in front of her, then rang a big brass bell. “Last call! The bus leaves in fifteen minutes.”

  For several minutes Tom was occupied filling drink orders. Aelziroth drank down his cocktail.

  *Slow down a little.* Cassie started to warn him that she wasn’t used to drinking so much. She paused. Maybe that would be a good thing, if he got too drunk to have sex. But she doubted Charlie would scruple at screwing a woman who’d had too much to drink. Then she realized she wasn’t feeling much effect from the liquor.

  *One of the perks of possession,* Aelziroth’s mental tone conveyed a smirk. *No hangovers.*

  “Hey, darlin’, let’s get out of here,” Charlie said, close to her ear.

  Aelziroth ignored him and finished his drink while watching Tom’s efficient movements.

  Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and nibbled on her neck. Distantly, Cassie smelled his breath, sour with beer, but she couldn’t wrinkle her nose or turn away. She thought of Jared instead of the man pawing her body. The music Jared had shared with her the last time they’d made love filled her head and lifted her heart.

  *How touching,* Aelziroth sneered. *But it won’t help you.*

  “Come on, let’s go somewhere private,” Charlie urged.

  “Go away,” Aelziroth said, not even glancing at Charlie.

  The last minute rush was over. Tom started cleaning up.

  Charlie blinked, apparently befuddled by the combination of too much beer and Aelziroth’s sudden change in behavior. “What?”

  Aelziroth turned to stare directly into Charlie’s eyes. “Go. Away.” Cassie had never heard such a cold tone come from her throat. Aelziroth gathered his Power like a stone fist and reached out for Charlie’s mind with a crushing blow.

  *No!* She didn’t want to be groped by this sleaze, but she couldn’t watch Aelziroth hurt him either. The demon’s mental strike faltered and blew past Charlie’s mind like a brisk wind. Aelziroth hesitated in surprise.

  Charlie grabbed her arm roughly. “Hey, I bought you a drink!” Some of Aelziroth’s control on her must have slipped, because Charlie’s grip was sharply painful.

  Aelziroth’s surprise quickly turned to rage. He struck her with a mental lash that burned like lightning.

  Charlie’s tight grip was forgotten as the demon’s punishing fire overwhelmed her with searing pain. Cassie tried to pull away, but there was no escape.

  *Don’t ever try that again!*

  “Let her go, Charlie.” Tom said at the same time.

  Aelziroth grabbed Charlie’s wrist and dug her fingers into a pressure point. The man’s hand spasmed as his eyes widened. “You heard the man,” Aelziroth purred with her voice.

  Charlie jerked his hand back and cradled it against his chest. “Bitch!” He spat the curse and staggered out the door.

  Tom signaled to another man by the exit. “Put him on the bus.” He turned back to Aelziroth. “So much for me riding to the rescue.”

  “It’s still appreciated.” Aelziroth smiled into Tom’s eyes. “The bus?”

  “For those who’ve had too much to drink. For two bucks we give them a ride home on our bus. Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Do you need a ride?”

  “On the bus with Charlie? No thanks.”

  Tom gave her a speculative look. “I could give you a lift.”

  Aelziroth winked. “I’d like that.”

  Tom grinned back.

  Cassie groaned, *No,* and Aelziroth laughed.

  CHAPTER 16

  JARED DROVE SLOWLY down a long and narrow back road that twisted and turned on its way to Route 260. Pine trees crowded close, creating a dark tunnel lit only by the Benz’s running lights. He didn’t want to turn on his regular lights until he was well away from the cabin, and the local law enforcement. “I’m dropping you off at the hospital.”

  “What? No way,” Dave protested. “I’ve got a score to settle.”

  “I only healed you. I can’t replace the blood you lost. You need a transfusion.” And he didn’t need the distraction of the man collapsing on him. Cassie was out there, somewhere, at Aelziroth’s mercy. He had to focus on finding her.

  “What about you? You’re wounded too.”

  “I can manage. You lost a lot of blood.”

  Dave held up one finger then another. “One, I’ve been a lot worse off on other ops and I still finished my mission. Two, I promised you my help. I keep my word.”

  Jared shook his head. He wouldn’t control Dave the way Aelziroth had controlled his decoy. He wouldn’t violate his free will. But he could put Dave to sleep. It wouldn’t be as restorative as a couple units of blood, but the rest would do him good. “Where are you staying?”

  “Aelziroth made a campsite on national forest land.”

  “No hotel room?” Jared didn’t like the idea of leaving Dave where a predator could come upon him in his induced slumber.

  “He didn’t set up at a campground, either. No trail that way, paper or electronic. I, he, we were never here.”

  Jared nodded. “Do you—”

  “Someone’s calling me.” Dave fished the vibrating cell phone out of a pocket on his black cargo pants and looked at the display. His features twisted in loathing.

  “It’s Crandall.”

  A germ of a plan took root. “Answer it. No, wait. Can you call him back if it goes to voice mail?”

  Dave glanced at the phone again. “This number’s unidentified, but I have the bastard’s private line. What do you have in mind?”

  “How smart is Crandall?”

  “Very. And he knows it, too.”

  “Better and better.” Jared thought rapidly. “Can you pretend to be Aelziroth?”

  Dave’s lip curled. “I lived with that piece of shit in my head for three days. I know the way he thinks all too well.”

  Dave was not the answer Jared had expected to his plea for assistance, but he was better than nothing. “Great. Here’s what I want you to do …”

  Tom led Aelziroth up worn wooden steps slick with frost to a built on porch. At two-thirty in the morning, the cold mountain breeze cut through Cassie’s light jacket. Tom fumbled with his keys, then opened the door of his trailer. A huge calico cat hissed as the demon stepped inside, then bolted under the old sofa that filled one wall. A mismatched recliner faced a flat-screen TV on a beaten up stand. A small bookcase filled with paperbacks and rodeo trophies leaned against another wall.

  “That’s weird,” Tom said, tossing his hat onto a hook by the door. “Jinx is usually very friendly.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Aelziroth shrugged out of Cassie’s jacket and rubbed her hands together.

  “Would you like something? Coffee?” Tom gestured toward the small kitchen.

  Aelziro
th shook her head and curled her lips in a smile. “Just you.”

  Cassie wanted to groan, but Tom didn’t seem to mind the stale come-on. He pulled Cassie’s body into his arms and kissed her, running his hands up and down her back. The kiss was soft and gentle, obviously meant to seduce, not overpower. Aelziroth put her arms around Tom and deepened the kiss, letting the sensations bleed through for Cassie to experience.

  *Stop! Stop!* But Tom was a good kisser, and Aelziroth was enjoying the feeling of her nipples perking up. *No!* She didn’t want this, didn’t want her body to react, but the demon did. She wasn’t in control. Cassie’s body softened to Tom’s caresses in spite of her resistance. She was on a runaway train: no brakes, no control, and picking up speed.

  Aelziroth squeezed Tom’s buns and pulled his groin close. The man’s arousal was hard against her belly.

  Cassie watched in horror as Aelziroth peeled off her clothing. Cool air puckered her nipples. Tom’s eyes darkened. He shucked his shirt and pants. His hands found her breasts and gently kneaded them, his thumbs flicking over her nipples.

  *No!* Cassie tried to pull away, but there was no escaping the little shocks of pleasure arousing her body. She tried to put a barrier between her and what was happening and found Jared’s music. She clutched it like a lifeline, donned it like armor. The sensations from her body faded.

  Tom started to pull her toward the bedroom.

  “Let’s do it here, in the kitchen.” Aelziroth bent forward and braced her elbows on the scarred table, pushing away the dirty dishes, spreading Cassie’s rounded thighs wide to give Tom a clear view of her opening.

  Tom pressed his erection against her buttocks and kissed her back. He stroked his fingers through the moistness between her legs. A jolt of pleasure shook Aelziroth, but Cassie felt nothing but revulsion. She didn’t want this. Tom was gentle, but he wasn’t Jared. Cassie tried to speak, to tell Tom to stop, but all that came from her mouth was a sensual sounding groan.

  *Lie back and enjoy it,* Aelziroth taunted.